Hi guys! :) This story was written as a part of the Episode Challenge in the BTR Plot Adoption Forum (which I recommend checking out if you're up for a little challenge). What you do is, you get to pick an episode of your choice, are given a question based on something from that episode, and then you write a story in which you answer that question. For example, I chose Big Time Audition (my favorite episode). The question I was given was: What happened with James the night after being told he had no talent and Kendall defended him? You guys should check out the challenge! It's fun. :)

"Stop. Stop."

"I'm sorry, I got a little... a little nervous there. Can I start over?"

"Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, start over. Why don't you, uh, go outside, and then just don't come back in, okay? NEXT!"

"But I'm good."

"I don't need good! I need the fire, okay? I need someone to knock me out of my seat, and as you can tell, I'm still in it. Because you have NO TALENT!"

Gustavo's words were embedded in his mind, repeating themselves time and time again, haunting him, belittling him, and making him feel absolutely horrible. Singing was what he was best at—being a singer was his dream. He would joke around with his friends and say that he couldn't wait to be famous because he would have thousands of girls falling for him, but that was not what he wished. What he really wished was to be known, to be able to make a difference in somebody's life. As conceited and self-centered as James might seem, deep down he had a heart of gold. He wanted to be a role model for others, but now that would never happen, because as Gustavo had said, he had no talent.

"I'm such an idiot," he mumbled bitterly as he laid on his side on his bed, tears blurring his vision. He actually thought he had a chance to get chosen by the famous producer, get to go to Hollywood, and make his dream come true. He felt so stupid for thinking he would actually get the chance of a lifetime.

Beside his bed, on his nightstand, his phone suddenly vibrated. Groaning, he reached for it and looked at the screen, wincing at the light that it illuminated. He had a new text from Kendall. He really didn't feel like opening it, considering the events that had occurred just about thirty minutes before, but curiosity got the best of him.

Kendall: I know you're mad at me. I'm sorry James. I didn't mean for things to go this way.

James was about to lock his phone when his phone vibrated once more in his grip.

Kendall: You're so talented, James. Gustavo's an idiot for not choosing you. I'm not a singer, we both know that. You in the other hand... you're talented, James. You are.

Letting his anger get the best of him, the brunette threw his phone all the way to the other side of the room. He winced as it made contact with the wall and fell on the floor. He only hoped that the screen had not cracked, though at the moment he could care less if it had. He was too upset to care—upset at Gustavo, upset at Kendall, heck, he was beyond upset at himself.

"James, this is your dream, not mine. Now, remember, opportunities like these come once in a lifetime. Now, grab onto that dream with both hands and go BIG TIME!"

"Stupid, Kendall and his stupid pep talks." James glared at the wall, torn between wanting to hate Kendall for giving him false hope, and hating himself for actually listening to him and believing he'd succeed. The thing is, he couldn't hate Kendall. He wanted to, that was true. But hating Kendall was something that was impossible to him. Kendall was his best friend—he was his little brother—the one he had vowed to protect and love no matter what. He had known him for over ten years now, and to say the two were close would have been an understatement. He couldn't let something like this tear their friendship apart.

In the other hand, he was upset. He was upset because Gustavo had picked Kendall over him. He was the one with the dream to be a singer, not Kendall. He was the one who put every ounce of effort into his audition, not Kendall. All Kendall had done was stood up on a stupid table, sung a song about Gustavo being a giant turd, and pretty much yelled in the producer's face.

He was defending you, you idiot.

Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.

Kendall wouldn't do that, though. He refused Gustavo's offer, didn't he?

James groaned, pressing his face against his pillow and letting out a muffled shout of frustration. He had seen the guilt in Kendall's eyes after Gustavo had said he wanted to take him to LA. He knew the reason Kendall had denied the offer was because it wasn't his dream. He understood that Kendall had other dreams that he longed to pursue, and as upset as he was because Gustavo had chosen Kendall and not him, he wanted Kendall to take the offer. Maybe he was being selfish for wanting the blond to go after a dream that wasn't his own, but like Kendall had said earlier, opportunities like those only came once in a lifetime. Maybe singing wasn't what he wanted to do in life, but it was in his blood, and that was something James could not deny.

The brunette swung his legs over the side of his bed and made his way to the bathroom connected to his bedroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror, seeing nothing but sadness in his eyes. His hair was a mess. He looked absolutely horrible, and for once in his life, he didn't care.

Looking down, he opened the faucet and placed his hands under it, waiting for the water to get as hot as possible, or at least until he could no longer bear it. Then he turned it off, but not before splashing some of the steaming water on his face. When he looked up, he took notice of the tears running down his face. He hadn't even realized he had started crying until then. He felt absolutely disgusted with himself.

What could crying solve? Nothing, so there was no point in doing so. But he couldn't stop. His heart ached. He felt useless, betrayed, hurt, and angry all at once. Too many emotions, it was unbearable.

Sighing, he walked out of the bathroom and to where his phone lay on the ground. He picked it up and turned it over, sighing in relief when he realized the screen was not cracked. He unlocked it and typed out a quick text to Kendall.

James: You should have told him yes.

Within seconds, he got an answer from the younger boy.

Kendall: What for? So you can be upset at me for taking something that meant so much to you.

James: I'm already upset at you.

Slamming his phone against his nightstand, he decided that tomorrow he would convince Kendall to go with Gustavo with the help of Carlos and Logan. Surely, together they'd find a way to make him go. With his charm, Logan's logic, and Carlos' puppy dog eyes, they would do it. He was sure of it.

Instead of crawling back into bed, he grabbed his jacket and put it on, followed by his sneakers. He grabbed his cellphone and slipped it into his pocket, then searching his drawers for his spare copy of his house keys. He sent a quick text to Carlos, letting him know that he was coming over, and then walked out of his house and into the cold Minnesota air.

Luckily, Carlos' house was only a few blocks away, so it didn't take him too long to get there. Once the sight of his house came into view, James sprinted towards his front door and sent Carlos a text, not wanting to knock in fear of awakening anybody else.

A minute later, the door clicked open. Carlos stood in front of him. From the looks of it, he had been asleep before James showed up. He was wearing his ducky pajamas and his hair was a mess. He looked tired to say the least. So when James threw himself at him, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy, he almost knocked him over.

Carlos let out a grunt, surprised by the action. He awkwardly wrapped his arms around James' torso and shut the door, then pulling James away from it. "Come on, let's go to my room," he whispered. James nodded, detaching himself from Carlos' body and following him up the stairs, towards his room.

"Are you alright?" the shorter boy questioned once he had closed the door. James shook his head as he looked down at the floor with sad eyes. "Alright... What's wrong? Is it the whole thing with that producer guy? Because if it's that, then it's not worth it, James."

James sat down on the edge of Carlos' bed, the older boy following suit.

"It is important, Carlos. It's my dream." The tears fell unwillingly, making him feel pathetic. Carlos wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him to his side in a one-arm hug.

"I know it's your dream, so I can see why you're upset over this. But look at it this way, Gustavo is not the only producer out there. There are other producers out there, and you're insanely talented. Your dream will come true, James... Just not as soon as you thought."

"What if it doesn't?" James asked softly.

"It will, trust me," Carlos said, giving James a small smile.

"I hope so," James whispered. "I wish Kendall would take the offer, though. At first I was jealous and was glad he wasn't going anywhere, but now... I just want him to take it. It's a chance of a lifetime, Carlos! How could he have said no?"

"Because it's not his dream?"

James sighed. "I know... But he deserves this. He should take advantage of it. I mean, wouldn't you?"

Carlos stayed silent for a moment, thinking about what James had just asked him. After a moment, he turned to James, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I would. It's Hollywood... You'd have to be crazy not to take the offer."

"Well, Kendall is crazy," James said, smiling. "But seriously, we need to find a way to convince him. It would really help him, considering how much he and his mom struggle to get through on their own. The money would help. Plus, who knows, he might even get noticed by someone and be given a spot in a famous hockey team." The brunette then jumped off the bed. "We need to convince him, Carlos!"

By then, his look of sadness was replaced by one of excitement.

"Okay, fine, we will. Just not now. It's past midnight. You need to go home and get some sleep before your mom notices that you are gone and flips out."

James sighed, nodding his head in agreement. "Fine. I'll go." He leaned down and hugged Carlos. "Thanks, Los."

"I didn't really do anything, but you're welcome."

James smiled and turned to leave. Carlos followed him down the stairs and watched him leave from the doorway. The brunette waved before disappearing from view.

Little did the two know that the next day they would be in for a big surprise.

Did I do a good job at answering the question? I hope you guys liked the story. Let me know what you thought. And last, but definitely not least, thank you for reading.

~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)