Shawn and Kendall Ch. 16

"Told you or showed you?" Kendall said coldly before shutting her door and buckling up.

"Kendall! Hey!" Grace knocked on her window, flustered, "hey! Wait!"

Kendall rolled her window down halfway as she put the car in drive.

"Fine. Show me," Kendall grumbled angrily.

Grace stared at her with a panicked look, realizing she had nothing. Revealing her involvement with Bradley would only anger Kendall more.

"One last chance, Grace. Show me this proof you have that I was home last night. I'm waiting."

Grace's eyes glistened as she stood there, having nothing to show for her accusations as her best friend prepared to sever their bond for good.

"Unbelievable..." Kendall shook her head with a dreadful look, "eight years we've been best friends, and you were ready to believe a fucking phone salesman over me. Goodbye, Grace."

"Kendall, no! Stop!" Grace yelled, following her car as Kendall pulled away.

Kendall sighed and shook her head, refusing to look at her. She pulled away, seeing Grace in the mirror, following her momentarily with her arms up. Her shoulders lowered with relief, feeling Grace may finally be off their trail for good. Kendall did not enjoy lying but understood that extremes were required for people like Grace. It was the only way to keep them safe from her.

"Shit!" Grace grunted loudly, reflecting on the new holes in her theory.

She had not thought things all the way through, realizing she and Bradley never saw any confirmation of Kendall's location on the computer at the store. They only had the word of a sniveling putz, ready to swindle them out of five hundred dollars for his own gain. For all they knew, he could have lied to them or read the location of the wrong date. She paced in the parking lot, severely disliking the idea of being wrong after spending so much time and concern trying to catch them. Grace briefly shadowed the thought of being wrong about everything, wondering if it would be better to formally apologize before going their separate ways. In their eight years of friendship, Kendall had never lied to her once, and it was hard to take the word of a sleazeball over hers. She finally retreated to her car, elbowing the inside of her door in anger, embarrassed that her toxic obsession got the better of her. It was a painful drive home for Grace, and she struggled to decide what to do next. Her eyes wandered down to Bradley's card in her passenger seat. She huffed, shaking her head and realizing there was no point in contacting him now.

Kendall pulled into the driveway shortly after, ready to relax with Shawn and forget about everything. She grew more excited by the minute to see him. Upon opening the door, she saw her mom watching TV in the living room while slipping her shoes off.

"Hey, Mom," she said, exhausted.

"Oh, hey," Avery stood up to greet her, "it feels like I haven't seen you in an eternity."

"Yeah, sorry," Kendall sighed, approaching her.

She wrapped her arms around her mother, and Avery squeezed her, lightly rocking her side to side.

"It's okay, Dear. I'm glad you're home," she grinned, holding Kendall's cheeks.

"Me too," Kendall mumbled, feeling her warm hands.

"You look so tired," her mom giggled.

"I am!" Kendall yelped, "it said I was already over twenty hours when I clocked out, and it's only Tuesday!"

"Ah, the life of a registered nurse," Avery laughed, walking toward the basement door, "you'd better get used to it. People aren't going to stop getting hurt or sick any time soon."

"Love that," Kendall scoffed, grabbing her bags and heading toward the steps.

She waited for the basement door to close and quickly bolted up the steps, happy their mom was in the basement. Kendall tossed her bags onto her bed and went straight for Shawn's room, not even bothering to knock. Opening his door, she saw him gaming, as usual. He glanced at her, then turned away from his computer to greet her, pulling his headphones off.

"Hey, 'Babe,'" Shawn smirked with a raised eyebrow and a fake voice, walking toward her.

"Hello, 'Jake,'" Kendall returned his mischievous tone with a grin, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Shawn gripped her waist and pulled her into him, and Kendall giggled proudly as their faces came together. She gave him a loud smooch, happier than ever to finally see and touch him.

"I cannot believe that worked!" She laughed, holding him tightly.

"Seriously," Shawn chuckled with her, "best twenty bucks I've ever spent."

"We hope," Kendall smirked, looking him over with delight, loving how handsome he was.

"How's my Jake voice?" Shawn asked, playfully pulling her into him with his fake phone voice.

"Ew, stop!" Kendall laughed, "I didn't even recognize you! That was seriously amazing."

"What can I say?" Shawn shrugged and joked with her, "greatness isn't something you can just turn off."

"Yeah, okay," she nodded, smiling with a doubtful look, "already going for your next Oscar, I see."

"I'd like to thank the academy and all my supporters," Shawn announced.

Kendall laughed hysterically at his goofiness, pulling his face toward hers and kissing him.

What was meant to be a regular peck quickly turned into escalated breathing and intense eye contact. Kendall pressed her lips into his again, wrapping her arms around his neck and tasting his mouth. Shawn squeezed her tightly against him, savoring the sensation of kissing her deeply. He gradually forced her backward until her butt collided with his desk, knocking over his pile of games. Kendall whimpered as she kissed him relentlessly, loving the way he handled her. Shawn rested his hands against his desk, pressing his body into Kendall's. She loved kissing him, and the euphoria of doing so filled her nerves with heat and satisfaction. She finally separated from him, resting her face on his collar, gasping for air, and holding him tightly. Kissing a person had never turned her on so much before Shawn.

"God, I never get tired of that," she sighed, melting against him.

Shawn wrapped his arms around her and gave her a delicate kiss on her head, happy she was home. The smell of her hair and the feeling of loving her the way he always wanted to filled him with bliss.

"Same. I waited all day for this," Shawn spoke softly outside her ear.

Kendall closed her eyes, losing herself in his warm embrace and gentle voice, never having been so happy to be held. She silently basked in gratitude, having found the love of her life. Nobody's touch had ever made her feel the way Shawn's did. Everything about him made her rejoice, and the struggles they faced were suddenly so small as she listened to his heartbeat.

"I'm so glad you're mine," Kendall mumbled in his grip, "it's worth everything we've had to go through."

"Glad you feel that way," Shawn snickered, rubbing her back, "because something tells me we still have more fighting on our hands."

Kendall looked up at him, making a grotesque face. Shawn stared at her, wondering what caused her expression.

"Uh... What?" He mumbled.

"She went to a fucking Cloud Mobile and tracked my phone!" Kendall snapped, "how did she even do that?"

Shawn took a step back and rubbed his chin in thought. Being tech-savvy, he knew there were very limited ways to accomplish such a thing.

"Hold on," he answered, "you're saying an actual person at a retail store willingly gave up the location of your phone?"

"I would assume so," Kendall folded her arms, "she told me she went to one, and they said I was here last night."

"Okay, for one, that's super illegal," Shawn answered, "I'd be interested to know where this went down because information like that can only be given to the primary account holder, which isn't her."

"Speaking of..." Kendall pulled her phone out, finding the text from Bradley.

She showed him the screen, letting him read the message about taking her off his plan.

"Wait, you're still on his phone plan?" Shawn asked, making a cynical face.

"Yup," Kendall sighed, "I won't answer his calls, so he's resorted to texting."

Shawn suddenly looked away, lost in thought. His brain stirred with unpleasantries involving Grace and Bradley. How could Grace have obtained information that required Bradley's credentials? Something about it felt deliberate and malicious.

"What is it?" Kendall asked nervously.

"You don't think Bradley helped her locate your phone, do you?" Shawn asked suspiciously, "because I don't care how shitty the provider is or how conniving Grace is. She could never get that information without him being there."

"Are you serious?" Kendall's expression filled with dread.

"Dead serious," Shawn nodded, "no company would ever risk opening that can of worms. A private information lawsuit like that could tank their whole brand."

"Oh, shit," Kendall responded, "I didn't even think about that. If Bradley's the only one who could locate my phone..."

She looked away, distressed, feeling a brand new set of worries forming.

"But she hates him!" Kendall continued, "as upset as she might be about our friendship ending, I still have a hard time believing she'd ever go within a hundred feet of him, even to catch us."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Shawn answered, shaking his head, "it doesn't add up, Kendall. As much as I don't like it, we need to assume those two are connected on this. At least until we know otherwise."

"Right," Kendall mumbled, "well, anyway, Mom could come up here any minute. I probably shouldn't be in here."

"Probably not," Shawn smirked, touching her hip.

"Okay," Kendall sighed, "I'll sneak in here later so we can figure out what to do about them."

"Sounds like a plan," Shawn nodded.

Kendall wrapped her arms around his ribs and gave him a loving peck before returning to her room. It was laundry day for her, and she was behind on most of it. She gathered the majority of what was scattered across her room, tossing it into her teal hamper. As expected, her mind immediately wandered off as she collected clothing, thinking about their next opportunity to have sex. Kendall reached for her phone, drafting a message to 'Jake,' wanting to ask him if he would meet her in the basement later that night. She was curious if he'd be able to go again after the amount of times he came the night before, understanding he may want more time to recharge. But Kendall felt aroused from their kiss in his bedroom, and she badly wanted to have sex again as soon as possible. As her thumbs tapped the message out, she was suddenly startled by a voice in her doorway.

"Knock, knock," her mom's voice casually announced, entering her room.

She had a basket full of clean laundry in her arms. Kendall quickly turned her screen off and tossed her phone on the bed.

"Hey, Mom!" She chirped, watching her set the basket on her bed.

"Here," Avery said, holding her hand out with the dark blue panties, "I think these got mixed into our laundry."

"Oh, thanks," Kendall answered, not paying attention as she tossed clothes into her hamper.

Avery silently tensed up, waiting to see how Kendall responded. Not giving it any thought, Kendall reached for the panties without looking, stopping just before her fingertips touched them. She immediately recognized them, and a bolt of frozen electricity shot down her body. Kendall had completely forgotten that she left her panties in Shawn's room the night before, realizing her mom must have found them there. She knew if she claimed them, it was over. Not having any time to process the mistake she almost made, Kendall went into acting mode to recover as quickly as possible.

"Um..." She made a hesitant face, awkwardly retracting her hand, "where'd those come from?"

"Funny you should ask," her mom answered, "I found them in your brother's room."

She analyzed Kendall closely, watching her behavior to see if it would reveal anything.

"Okay, I had a feeling," Kendall chuckled, trying to hide her nervousness as she faced the bed again, "cuz those are definitely not mine."

"They're not?" Her mom asked, leaning slightly toward the bed to get a better look at Kendall's eyes.

"Why would my underwear be in the dork's cave?" She responded with her best acting, unable to look at her mom, struggling to prevent her hands from shaking.

"That was going to be my next question," Avery answered suspiciously, disliking that Kendall would not look her in the eye.

Kendall shrugged, tossing more laundry into her hamper, silently praying she'd drop it and leave.

"Look at me, Kendall," her mom commanded with a dire tone.

Kendall's hands froze, and she nervously looked into her mom's eyes. The seriousness in them looked ready to bury them just as quickly as Grace.

"Are you sure these don't belong to you? You're not lying to me?" She asked, holding them toward Kendall.

She felt her stomach turn as her mother peered into her soul. Kendall awkwardly grabbed the panties, trying her best to look like she didn't recognize them. They were absolutely hers, but she could not let her mom find out. Her mind scrambled furiously to think of an avenue to prove her innocence, and it finally clicked once she saw the size on the tag. Kendall remembered slipping these panties on the night before specifically because they were a size too small, and their tightness squeezing her curves would turn her brother on more. She recalled them being the only pair she had in that size, taking that detail and running with it.

"Um, here, look..." Kendall sighed awkwardly, leading her mom to her dresser.

She opened the top drawer, where all her socks and underwear were neatly organized.

"See?" Kendall grabbed a random pair of panties and showed her mom the tag, "that's not even my size. They're too small."

She reached for several other pairs, showing a consistent size on their tags that differed from the dark blue panties. Avery gently nodded, letting the stress slowly deflate from her nerves. She was relieved that the panties did not match Kendall's size, having to assume they belonged to Grace. It was the only sensible theory after stumbling upon her and Shawn the way she did. Avery allowed her mind to become married to the idea of Shawn secretly being involved with Grace, who had apparently left her panties by mistake. She breathed out, finding immense comfort in knowing Kendall was not lying to her.

"What a relief," her mom sighed, tucking the panties in her pocket so she could dispose of them later.

"You want a tour of my bras too?" Kendall giggled, trying to make light of the dangerous situation.

"Oh, stop," her mom answered, "I should've known they belonged to someone else. Your butt's too big and nice to fit into those little things," she chuckled, playfully smacking Kendall's butt.

"Mom!" Kendall shrieked, covering her butt as they laughed.

"I should know. You got it from me," Avery winked at her in the doorway.

Kendall sighed through her nose with a grin, shaking her head at the cringy remark. She knew their mom had a flagship MILF body but hated hearing her joke about it.

"Hey, you want me to take that down for you?" She pointed at Kendall's basket before leaving.

Kendall looked at her hamper and thought about it for a moment.

"Uh- no, I got it. Thanks, though," she responded.

"Okay," her mom replied warmly, "see you downstairs."

Kendall stood in place, her smile slowly melting away as her door shut. She fell back, letting her butt hit the bed as she covered her face with a large sigh. Their frightful encounter left her nerves jittering and her stomach churning.

"Oh, fuck..." Kendall whispered, her breath shaking, terrified to think about what would have happened had she not lied so efficiently.

It was another dreadful reminder of why they needed to respect the rules. Leaving her panties in Shawn's room nearly exposed them, and it was unrealistic to expect another lucky break after this one. Kendall couldn't shake the look in her mom's eyes from her memory, feeling them pierce through her. At that moment, her mother looked fully convinced they were fooling around. Recalling her expression made Kendall nauseous, and she suddenly raced to the bathroom, holding her mouth. She barely made it to the toilet in time, getting sick to her stomach. As Kendall flushed and wiped her mouth of the awful taste, she wondered if the stress of their situation had finally become too much for her nerves. Then, her mind explored other reasons she'd get sick, and a truly horrifying realization came to light: Her period was two days late.

Marcey pulled into Grace's rundown apartment complex, parking in front of her unit. Grace had called and told her she needed to come over for something urgent. Marcey didn't bother knocking and entered the building, seeing Grace sitting in her bed smoking. She looked troubled and irritated all at once.

"What's the big emergency?" Marcey asked dryly, looking around Grace's apartment with a judgy face.

Grace was the messiest person she knew; her place had somehow become even worse than Marcey last saw. Unable to stand it, she began passively picking garbage up and cleaning, waiting for Grace to speak.

"I fucked up, Marce. I fucked up bad," Grace sighed.

"What'd you do now?" Marcey asked, sitting on the bed, taking the cigarette from her hand, and dropping it in an empty can.

"I should've dropped it like you said," Grace answered distraughtly.

Marcey gave her a profound look, disappointed to hear that Grace let her toxic impulses push her into doing what they said they would not.

"Grace!" She snapped, "we talked about this! You said you'd leave it alone!"

"I know..." Grace closed her eyes, accepting her deserved verbal onslaught.

"Oh, God," Marcey palmed her face with a sigh, "this explains why Kendall won't answer me lately. What did you do?"

"I, um..." Grace's voice cracked as she began to tear up, "I broke into their house last night looking for her, told Shawn what I thought was going on, called him a freak, and today Bradley and I tried to track where Kendall's phone had been to catch her in a lie. Apparently, I was wrong about everything, and now she never wants to speak to me again."

Marcey's jaw dropped further and further as Grace revealed what she'd been up to since they last saw each other. Marcey was keenly aware of Grace's inability to let things go, but she never imagined her doing something so toxic to someone who was supposed to be her best friend. She couldn't believe Grace would seek Bradley out for the sake of exposing Kendall.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Grace!?" Marcey shrieked, aggressively standing from the bed.

"No!" Grace sobbed, following her with her eyes, "I was so sure something was going on between them, and I just wanted to prove it! I didn't want to hurt anyone, Marce!"

"Grace, I..." Marcey palmed her forehead with wide eyes, shaking her head and unable to believe what she had done, "do you have any idea how fucked up that is? Why would you ever say that to her brother? Why would you get involved with that asshole Bradley!?"

"I don't know!" Grace sobbed at Marcey, her face red, "I was just so angry!"

Marcey stared at her, baffled by her unhealthy resentment toward Shawn.

"When he started making excuses to dodge the evidence I found..." Grace cried, "I just felt so fucking mad at him, and I said what I knew would hurt the most."

"Grace..." Marcey shook her head and stepped back, realizing she had gone off the deep end.

"No, Marcey, don't!" Grace panicked, reaching for her sweater sleeve.

Marcey pulled her arm away from her grip, giving her a profound look.

"Please, Marce!" Grace sobbed, "please don't be mad at me! I know I messed up!"

"I- I don't know how to feel about this," Marcey stuttered, wanting to leave, "even if it was true... Grace, how could you- I can't do this. I have to go."