Ever since Jo left for Australia, Kendall had been stuck in a slump. No matter how much James, Carlos, or Logan tried to distract him—whether it was playing pranks, dragging him to Gustavo’s studio, or even bribing him with a hockey game—nothing seemed to shake the feeling of missing her. His mom had given him advice about moving on, about how love doesn’t always have to end in heartbreak, but Kendall wasn’t ready to hear it. He didn’t want to be sad forever, but he also wasn’t interested in forcing himself to date just for the sake of it. Most of the girls he’d met lately had been either completely uninterested in him or way too into the whole “famous boy band” thing, which made it even worse.

So today, he just wanted to chill. No distractions, no forced pep talks—just him, the Palm Woods pool, and a hockey magazine to keep his mind busy. The sun was hot, the water sparkled invitingly, and for the first time in a while, he felt at peace.

That was, until he noticed someone new.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kendall spotted a girl walking into the Palm Woods lobby, checking in at the front desk. He knew almost everyone who lived here—heck, they’d been stuck in the same building for so long it was practically their second home. But he didn’t recognize her.