Never

With Nicole gone, Kenny felt numb; his entire body felt light enough that he might just float away, and considering the situation, he would have welcomed it. There wasn't a single thought in his head when he made his way to the stairwell and absently walked down the flights of stairs until he was outside. The cool mountain air washed over him, but he couldn't even feel it. He eventually found himself in the parking lot, standing at his car, and he climbed onto the trunk, sitting as he wasn't sure what emotion was trying to fight for dominance.

What Nicole was doing didn't make sense, and he knew that in the most honest sense of the phrase. It was more than clear to him that she liked him, hell, maybe even more than that. Sure, things might have started out with some spur-of-the-moment sex this summer, but each time after that? Nicole sought him out just as much as he did her. She admitted to giving up other guys, only waiting for him, and whenever he was with her, all the noise in Kenny's head was quiet. He trusted Nicole with everything, every dark secret or fuck up; it didn't matter. He told her, and she never judged. Wasn't that the kind of thing two people in love would do?

Her words continued to ring in his ears; they were the only dishonest ones he'd heard her say to him. Rejecting Devin, wanting to help him, whispering of how she thought that they could be something more. That was all real. Kenny lifted his head when his ears perked to the sound of a car speeding by, and without a doubt, he recognized it as Nicole's car. She was running home, getting as much distance as she could get from him right now...

"No...No fuck this, this isn't how it ends," Kenny growled under his breath, jumping off his car and storming his way towards the dorm rooms, "I'm not letting you go, Nicole. I'll do whatever it takes."

Kenny was climbing the steps in two until he was back at Juliet and Quinn's room. At one point, Kenny might have been worried, wondering if his cousin knew about Nicole or if Quinn was inside, ready to throttle him for everything that happened. But right now, he didn't care; all his concern was focused solely on getting to Nicole as fast as possible. Pushing inside, he found the bedroom empty, and he didn't take even a second before grabbing his bag and stuffing it with his few items while also retrieving his keys.

It was just as he was zipping the bag up when the dorm room door came swinging open, "I can't believe that you both have been --" Juliet growled under her breath before spotting her cousin knelt on the floor, "Kenny!" She shouted out in fury,

Great Kenny huffed under his breath, having no desire for this to happen right now, "Not now, Julie," He got up, turning to find the brunette flanked by both Quinn and Ellie as well, "Seriously?" He frowned at the two girls,

"You've got a lot of fucking explaining to do!" Juliet snapped out, "Not only do I find out you've been sleeping with my best friend, but I also find out you've been doing it with multiple girls at the same time?! And even worse, you're breaking their hearts like some scumbag to pursue Nicole?! Nicole fucking Moore?!"

"Really? You two told her everything? What did you expect that would change?" Kenny very calmly asked back, his voice holding nothing but disappointment, "I told you I was sorry, but my feelings can't be forcibly changed,"

"We were both concerned about you," Ellie awkwardly rubbed her forearm, unable to hold his gaze, "You don't know what you're getting into with a girl like Nicole,"

"You aren't thinking clearly!" Quinn added on without any hesitation, "Nicole Moore is no good for you! She'll just break your heart!"

Kenny's lips tightened, and his eyes narrowed, "Putting everything else aside, they are both fucking right," Juliet crossed her arms, "I mean, really, Kenny, Nicole? She never takes guys seriously. Do you really want to become the next Devin Harris? Don't you realize you deserve better than that?!"

"All of you just shut the hell up!" Kenny finally shouted out, and each girl's eyes widened in genuine surprise, "Are you kidding me? I mean, are you actually fucking joking right now?! Do you three think this will accomplish anything at all? No." Kenny eyed his cousin first, "Julie, you've got to fucking understand that you have zero say in my fucking life! I know you care, and I know you want to look out for me, but you don't get to decide what I do! You come in here screaming at me about sleeping with your friends while you're currently dating mine? How the fuck is that fair?"

"JJ is different; I didn't hurt anyone there," Juliet attempted to deflect,

"What happens between me and anyone else isn't your fucking business!" Kenny tossed a hand up, "If things didn't work out with JJ, I wouldn't jump down your throat! I knew from the second I saw you two together I wasn't a part of that conversation. I don't have to run my life by your rules, and I definitely don't have to stand here and listen to you talk down to me about Nicole. Some fucking way you view your friend."

Kenny shifted his view over to Ellie and Quinn, "And you two, I told you before, and I mean it, I am fucking sorry. I am sorry that I let things go so far. I'm sorry I led you on. I'm sorry I fucking hurt you, but doing this doesn't change anything! Do you think that you two can convince me that Nicole is a terrible person?! She's not! She's not some tramp, so fucking heart-breaking slut. She's Alone! All she knows how to be is alone, and I want to help her not be alone! Can you get that?! Can you understand that all she really needs is someone who genuinely cares about her?!"

"You don't...you can't know that," Quinn's defiance was waning, and her eyes finally broke away as well,

"You know what? You're right, I can't know anything, but that's okay. I'm willing to take whatever risk is necessary to be with her, even if it doesn't work in the end. What I do know for sure? I know that Nicole Moore never once fucking talked about any of you like you've talked about her. She never cut you apart, said you weren't good enough, never said that you were fuck ups! Nicole had enough respect to be better than that, and before you guys want to keep judging her, at least get up to her level first."

Kenny reached down, grabbed his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder; he tightly gripped his car keys in hand and stormed forward. "I'm leaving; I'm going back to town so I can set this right." The teen sternly said, and Juliet silently stepped aside. There wasn't another sound as Kenny swung the door open and left the dorm room, not looking back at the trio once.