Reality Check

One Week Ago...

"Now the first thing to know about boxing, it's a defensive sport." Kenny stood in the middle of the boxing arena inside Club 36 alongside JJ. This was the first time they had actually found the time to hang out together, and as different as it was, Kenny was happy for the change of pace. The black teen finished slipping on his own gloves and continued. "You don't wait for the bell and just start swinging like a mad man. It requires patience and a clear head."

"But I still do throw punches, don't I? That's how you win, you knock the other guy out," Kenny asked back.

"That's one way to win, and it's also the hardest way." JJ explained as he put his fists up, "Sure you can fight someone with everything you got, but if you can't land a blow, you're gonna lose fast. The first thing you should learn is how to dodge and then how to block." Kenny readied his fists, "We'll start slow, help you pick up a rhythm, and learn how to read people. Let's start with dodge left, dodge right, and then duck." Kenny nodded and JJ began to throw slow, telegraphed punches.

Kenny was a bit slow and shaky with the moves but the more, they repeated the better he got, "This is weird. Never thought I was going to learn how to box. I'm not the fighting type."

"You don't have to be the fighting type to know how to defend yourself." JJ reminded his friend, his punches picking up in speed by just a hair, "Besides, this is a good thing to have in your back pocket. In case anyone gets a little frisky on your next date with Tessa." Kenny let out a chuckle and JJ joined in, "Damn man. Nicole Moore, and Tessa Westchester in the same summer. That's some wild shit."

"It's a lot crazier than that, believe me," Kenny muttered back, feeling himself getting into a natural groove.

"What's that supposed to mean?" JJ curiously replied with a small huff, "Am I missing someone else in this equation?"

"Try three somebodies," JJ's eyes widened and his arms dropped, "What? I told you and Brian that I was talking to some other girls."

"Talking doesn't mean fucking." JJ retorted with a bewildered shake of his head, "Who are they?"

Kenny wanted to tell JJ, desperately so actually. JJ always offered him great genuine advice, and finally having a friend to talk to about everything did sound great, but he knew he couldn't. He was fucking Will's sisters, and his girlfriend, not to mention he was in a complete casual fling with Nicole and now having a date with Ellie's sister. Kenny knew exactly what it looked like, so he rolled his lips in, holding his tongue, "Tsk...Sorry dude, can't really say. It's...it's complicated."

"Cause of Julie?" JJ pointed out to Kenny's surprise. The black teen chuckled and slapped his fists together, letting Kenny know training was back on, "We both know your cousin isn't very open to the idea of her friends getting involved with you. And if it's so complicated, I'm assuming it must be a major friend. Maybe one with some red hair?" JJ sly suggested figuring that Quinn must have been at least one of the girls. "Now I won't pry, your business is your business but what I will say, you'll find yourself in deeper shit if you're not open and honest compared to sneaking around. And that goes for Julie and these girls' relatives. You feel me?"

"If only it was that simple dude." Kenny sighed back as he began to dodge once again, "But it's not. Honesty is nice and all, but if I try it, I'll get my ass kicked and I'm sure I'll lose any chance I had with a few of these girls." Kenny explained only for a surprise left to suddenly cock him in the face, "Ow, what the hell?!"

"See? Getting hit isn't so scary." JJ crossed his arms as Kenny walked off his ringing ear, "And what the hell am I hearing come out your mouth? The Kenny I know has only ever wanted a girlfriend. So why would it matter if you lose some of the girls you're messing with, isn't the point that you end up with one?" Kenny looked down to the floor, "Ken. Being greedy, now that's a sure-fire way to lose everything. You gotta be real with people, and you gotta be fair."

"Okay, okay, enough with the third degree. I get it." Kenny muttered back to his friend. His mostly dormant conscious reacted to the small tongue lashing by sending out some long-needed guilt as he thought over the situation, "I'll...I'll figure it out soon. Before anyone gets hurt."

"I hope so man, because the way you're talking, doesn't sound like you." JJ motioned for Kenny to come back to him, and the two continued their training.

Present Time...

Will let out a roaring yell and swung at Kenny who quickly ducked under the second punch, and rushed behind the buff jock. "Will, take it easy man. We don't need to do this." Kenny held his hands up as Will spun around to face him, his eyes on fire.

"No Need?!" Will yelled back and immediately threw two more punches with all his might. Kenny dodged the pair and with a shove, pushed Will back from him, "My girlfriend?! My fucking girlfriend, Kenny?!"

"Will, come on, I'll talk about whatever you want! We don't need to fight! You're gonna do something you'll regret!" Kenny urged his former high school friend to cease his ****.

"Oh no, I'm not gonna regret this, you sonofabitch." Will seethed, "It was you! You drove Ellie away, my own fucking friend, and you want to tell me that we'll talk?!" Kenny nearly let out a wince as Will's venomous words spat out at him, "What do we have to talk about Kenny?! What can you possibly fucking say?!"

"Will, it wasn't -- I never planned on --" Kenny stammered back,

"What to stab me in the fucking back?!" Kenny flinched at the shout, his own mind assaulting him at all the times Ellie initially stopped his advances due to Will, and all the times he chose to forsake his friendship. "And to top it off, you don't even fucking care about her!"

"That's not true! I do care about Ellie, and I admit I went after her, but she came onto me first and I didn't know what to do!" Kenny desperately tried to explain only for Will to throw another punch that he once again dodged, "Will, she told me you two were over now!"

"Because you drove the fucking wedge! You made this happen!" Will huffed back, his entire body now trembling in rage, "And don't you fucking lie, you don't care about her! You aren't together, you're using her! I saw you and her with Nicole! You didn't go for her because you cared, you only did it for a quick fuck! How many other girls are you using, huh?! Come on! Fucking tell me! No point in lying now! It's all out in the open!"

Kenny slowly lowered his hands, his eyes filling with remorse, "You're...right." He softly agreed, "There's no point in lying anymore." Kenny swallowed hard and looked up at the jock, "Will...I...Bella and Quinn...we..."

Will's eyes sprung open and with a screaming shout, he sprinted at Kenny tackling him to the pavement. "You fucking bastard!" Will pulled his fist back and began to wildly punch down as Kenny shielded his face with his arms, "My sisters! Bella and Quinn! You put your hands on my fucking sisters! I'll fucking kill you!"

Suddenly Will was tackled off of Kenny by a man in a suit and another grabbed Kenny's shoulder, pulling him away and then up to his feet. "Are you alright sir?!" Kenny's world was spinning and but he immediately looked over, watching as the second security guard pulled a struggling Will to his feet, "Don't worry, we'll be calling the police immediately."

"No!" Kenny exclaimed, "No, I don't want the police. Please, let him go. This was...it was a misunderstanding." Kenny explained, and although reluctantly, the guards let go of Will.

The jock let out a huffing scoff, stomping a few steps away from the guard, the two men remaining to make sure the teens remained separated, "You're scum. Lowest, bottom of the barrel scum." Will spat, "I don't even care about Ellie anymore. You two worked that out together and convinced each other that you were in the right. That's what you too do, isn't it? Make yourselves feel like the good guys no matter what. I don't know why I was so mad, you two deserve each other. And I can't stop my older sister, but I can only hope she sees you as nothing but a stepping stone. Quinn, though," Will clenched his fists tighter than ever before, "I'll make it my life's fucking mission to keep you away from her. I'll never let someone like you near her again!" Kenny held Will's gaze but he said nothing. "Now go on, head back to Ellie, fuck away what little guilt you might feel right now, and then get back to business!" Kenny wet his lips and attempted to speak, "No! I don't want to hear it! You save whatever bullshit you cooked up for someone who'll buy it! Drop fucking dead, Clark." Will turned and stormed off, leaving Kenny without a second glance.

Kenny drove home in complete sullen silence, Will's harsh truthful words ringing in his head throughout the whole two hours. What have I been doing? How could I have done all this to Will? He was a friend and I destroyed his relationship and got with both of his sisters. I told Ellie I didn't care about her relationship and I never once considered anything but myself when it came to Quinn. I beat Bella to protect my lies. What is happening to me? When did I become this way? This isn't me. I'm not supposed to be this person. I never wanted to use people or betray my friends for my gain. As Kenny got home he felt a returning air of someone he hadn't felt in a long time. Quinn tried to stay friends but I didn't let her, I convinced her to keep coming back and now she wants to be with me and I tell her to wait. I break Ellie's relationship and when she tells me that she feels something for me I tell her to wait. Nicole, Bella, Tessa, all of these girls I'm leading on. JJ's right. I got greedy, and now I could lose it all. God...what is wrong with me?

Kenny shuffled into the house and turned to his bedroom, a weight of a thousand pounds resting on his shoulders now. He could feel his phone buzzing in his pocket, but he ignored it. Whoever was texting him he didn't want to know, it was certainly going to be nothing good or at the very least someone he knew he shouldn't have been talking to in the first place. Kenny reached his bedroom door and pushed it open, though his brow jumped up as instead of finding an empty bedroom, he instead found Juliet at his computer desk. The brunette stared at his computer in shock and after a few short moments, Kenny could hear moans from the speakers. "Julie?" Kenny called out to her, his blood running cold. "What are you doing in my room?"

"Kenny?!" Juliet spun around in her chair, taking double takes between him and the computer screen multiple times, "What the fuck is this shit?!" Juliet finally exclaimed while pointing to his computer,

Kenny's eyes grew wider as he realized that Juliet had found her way into his private saved folder of pornos...and found one that was a taboo video of cousins, "W-What the fuck are you doing snooping on my computer?!"

Juliet jumped from her seat as Kenny rushed over, shutting off the video, "I needed to use your printer since mine was down, and this was in your quick access files." The brunette explained as he crossed her arms and now the two blushing cousins failed to look at one another, "Do you -- why would you have those kinds of videos downloaded?"

"I..." Kenny gulped. Oh Jesus fucking Christ, could this day get any damn worse?

Hey guys, I hope you liked this chapter, a few big things happened obviously with Will and Kenny, and it's definitely going to affect a few of Kenny's relationships for the story to come. Not to mention that with this ending, I get to get back to some Juliet action again! Though I have to admit, I'm a little torn. I was struggling with how I felt this chapter went and if it felt like any sort of payoff. So honestly, any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism is very welcome as I would love any advice or suggestions if you felt like I missed the mark on this one as I wasn't fully sure myself. Not to say I didn't like how I made it work out, but it's just such a big defining moment for Kenny I wanted to make sure it went correctly. Either way guys, thanks for the continued support and I'll see you in the next chapter!