Author's Note: Greetings to those that have stopped by! This is the second in a series of various 'Big Time Rush' stories that I'm nearly completed with. Like the previous story, Tutor Me (which doesn't have to be read first to understand this one, but if you haven't read it, check it out anyways), this is another five chapter short story centered around another BTR member and an original OC. Anyways, hope ya'll enjoy and take a moment to review, critic, etc. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to give this story a once over! =)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to 'Big Time Rush' whatsoever; just the story/OC I came up with.

Chapter 1

"C'mon guys! It's just up ahead, trust the nose!" Carlos exclaimed as he turned down another hallway. His best friends Kendall Knight, Logan Mitchell, and James Diamond trudged behind while lugging around their hockey equipment.

"Ya know," Logan began, "there are so many hidden passages in this school with closets that have yet been discovered. Why don't we 'discover' one for Carlos?" Logan suggested while using air quotes.

"Why do you know this?!" James yelled, earning a 'shhhh' from Kendall.

"Keep in mind we are still in a school after hours. We may have had practice as an excuse, but that was an hour ago." Kendall hissed as he tried to keep up with Carlos.

"One more turn guys! I can taste the chocolate!" Carlos yelled back as he all but ran down another hall then went to the right.

"Damnit Carlos! We can't smell-" James began.

"Wait!" Logan paused. "I can smell something now," he then sniffed the air then the others did the same.

"Are those chocolate chip cookies? They smell like the ones Mama Knight makes," James whispered.

"No, it smells like her snickerdoodles," Kendall stated. "Where's Carlos?"

"He went down there!" James pointed then took off. Kendall and Logan abandoned their equipment and ran off as well. Once they rounded the corner, Kendall and Logan ran into James standing in a doorway, mouth agape. Looking inside, there were plates upon plates of different sweets from brownies to cookies to cakes. Carlos, who made it there first, was already elbow deep in the sweets.

"Ermahgerd guys! There's soooooo muscdh stuffgh!" Carlos said happily, mouth full.

"If Carlos doesn't make it in hockey, he would have a promising career as a blood hound," Logan stated. Kendall and James nodded in agreement as they entered the room and followed Carlos' lead. James went for the cookies while Kendall and Logan went for the brownies. They each 'oooed' and 'ahhed' after each bite, each item becoming better than the last. Each of the guys were so lost in dessert euphoria, they didn't notice another person had entered the room.

"Ya'll better have money to pay for what you've eaten or else you all will be baked into the next batch," a girl stated, her voice echoing around the room. They guys paused and rotated towards the doorway. The source of the voice belonged to a girl about their age; she had long dark hair pulled up into a high pony tail, chocolate brown eyes, and tanned skin.

"Uh…" they each replied, looking between her angered expression and the large wooden spoon clenched in her hand.

"Now now Jackson, I'm sure if we bake them into the next batch, they won't taste as good now will they?" Another woman popped in next to her, speaking with a French accent. The younger girl shook her head lightly, eyes still trained on the guys, not missing when one of them snickered at the mention of her name.

"Jackson? Isn't that a male name?" Carlos laughed, spiting some food in the process.

"Carlos!" Logan hissed while Kendall smacked him.

"That's my surname you putts! And your name is Carlos? By the looks of you, I'd say you were a Diego or a Hector…maybe a Fernando con Rico y Arroz."

"That last one means rice!" Carlos huffed.

"Anyways!" The older woman stepped in. "Boys, since you took it upon yourselves to have a few samples, I see it's only fair for you to help in the bake sale this evening. Unless, ya'll have other plans?" Each of the guys opened their mouths to protest, "No? Great then! Aprons are in that side cabinet by the window and there is a sink in here for you to wash up!" She exclaimed happily.

"Madam LaRoux, can't you just give them detention instead? I can handle this on my own!" The girl pleaded. Each of the guys' eyes widened at the mention of detention…that would interfere with hockey practice.

The woman sighed, "Jackson, I have no doubt that you can handle this, but you saw how much they ate…you will need a few more batches done while they man the table," she replied softly and straightened her stance. Her face went stern as she faced the boys. "Now, I will have no more argument over this, understood?"

"Yes ma'am," they each murmured.

"Bien! Now I need you two," she pointed to Logan and Kendall, "to take a few trays and come with me. As for you," she pointed to James and Carlos, "you will stay here and do whatever Jackson tells you. Are we clear?" They each nodded. "Ok, let's move it! We have only an hour left!" She said before grabbing a few trays. Logan and Kendall waved them off as they followed suit and left the room.

Jackson huffed loudly and turned to face the remaining pair. Carlos was licking his fingers and James kept playing with his hair. She rolled her eyes and looked out the hall to make sure they were truly gone.

"Ok, regardless of what the Madam said, I really don't need ya'll here. So, if you could just start transporting some of the goodies downstairs, that would be great. We are set up on the first floor in front of the gym, I'm sure it shouldn't be too hard for you to find," she said as she washed up and began prepping.

"Works for me! Let's move Carlos," James exclaimed. He grabbed a few trays of cookies and headed to the door. Carlos on the other hand, didn't show as much enthusiasm. James paused once he realized his friend wasn't following. "Carlos, grab something and let's move."

"Listen to your friend Carlitos," she replied huffily. She was now cracking some eggs in two different bowls and searching the cabinets for more flour.

"You go ahead, I'll catch up," Carlos responded. James shrugged and left the room. Carlos pivoted and faced Jackson, whose back was to him. "What do you need boss lady?"

Jackson faced Carlos with a raised brow, "I need you to stay out of my way." She responded sharply.

"Look, I'm sorry if I gave a crappy first impression-" she snorted in response, "but I would very much like to help." Carlos pleaded. She ceased moving and turned to look at Carlos, sizing him up.

Jackson just looked at him then back at the bowls and back again, mentally weighing the pros and cons. Thanks to him and his friends, she now had to make another batch of fudge brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter bars within an hour. She sighed then nodded reluctantly.

"Do as I say and this will run smoothly, are we clear?"

"Perfectly!" He grinned happily, bouncing on the balls of his feet. She rolled her eyes and instructed him to measure out everything. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she did appreciate Carlos' help even if he didn't level out the flour correctly or the constant sticking his finger in the dough.

"Dang it Carlos! I swear I'm gonna chop that finger off!" She exclaimed before smacking his hand with a spatula and rinsing out the bowl. He yelped in response, but smiled nonetheless truly enjoying the other girl's company.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think the dough could taste just as good as the actual dessert," he replied as he washed his hands again. Her lips twitched at his words as she held a smile back. "Did you want me to take the cookies out now?"

"Yes please," Carlos slid on a pair of oven mitts before opening the oven and retrieving a large tray of chocolate chip cookies. His mouth watered and he was tempted to just grab the fresh cookie, even if that meant getting hit the spatula. He looked behind him to see the girl's back to him, washing the last of the dishes.

'Just one, just one…' he said to himself as he attempted to grab a small cookie. In a flash, Jackson was there, spatula at the ready. "Arg!" He yelled. "How did you even know?!" She smiled and wiped the spatula then laid it on the counter.

"I have a ten year old brother who is a lot like you and is also a sampler of my sweets," she stated smugly. "You both have something else in common, neither one of you know how to freaking ask!"

"Probably because you'd say no," he stuck his tongue out at her. She straightened her stance and put her hands on her hips.

"Try me."

"Ok, can I have one?" He asked hopeful.

"Nope! Now, grab a few trays and let's head to the gym."

"Oh my dear, the bake sale was a hit! And we sold EVERYTHING, congratulations!" Madam LaRoux exclaimed. She pulled Jackson in for a hug and the other grinned from ear to ear. The guys however were slouched on some nearby benches, utterly spent after having hockey practice and staying an additional two hours on top of that.

"Merci Madam," she replied happily. She faced the guys and did a not so subtle curtsey. "And thank you as well. But Madam, I'm afraid that you are incorrect."

"Whatever do you mean my dear?" Madam LaRoux asked. Jackson smiled again and went behind the table. In her arms was a mixed tray of brownies, cookies, and a few cakes.

"It seems that this tray was forgotten and I just can't help but wonder who may take them," she smiled.

"Dibs!" They each shouted as they moved forward and quickly ingested various sweets.

"Yes, I wonder the same thing," Madam LaRoux said thickly. "Anyways, the janitors said that they would clean up the rest of this so you are free to go. Congrats again my dear, you're one step closer to the bake off." She winked. "And you four, thank you for helping. See you on Monday Jackson!" She called back as she headed to the parking lot.

No less than 5 minutes later, the boys slouched again due to sugar overload. "Usually when a person ingests that amount of sugar, they bounce against the walls until they crash; I guess it has an opposite effect on teenage boys." Jackson giggled.

"Ugh." They each groaned. She laughed again and turned away to head home as well, then paused and pivoted back towards them.

"Thanks for helping by the way, I'm sure being the sporty guys you are, detention would just kill your souls," she said dramatically; they barely moved, but managed to nod.

"Yes it would, hockey is our life!" Carlos exclaimed.

Jackson smirked at him, "and is hockey your way home this evening?" Carlos opened his mouth then closed it quickly. "C'mon boys, I have a jeep." She said, heading to the parking lot. Sensing they weren't following, she yelled over her shoulder, "hurry the hell up before I change my mind!"

The boys quickly got up, grabbed their bags, and followed the girl to her vehicle. Carlos moved to the front first while James, Kendall, and Logan squeezed in the back. One by one, they each gave directions to their homes. Kendall and Logan were dropped off first followed by James, leaving Carlos for last.

As it turned out, Carlos lived a good block away from Jackson and the latter was relieved she didn't have to go too far out like she did for James. Without his group, Carlos was light with the chit chat and extremely nervous being alone with a girl.

"I swear this town keeps getting smaller and smaller." Jackson mumbled as she pulled up to Carlos' driveway. "Is your mother's name Sylvia Montoya?"

"Uhm, that's her maiden name. Why do you ask?" Carlos asked, confused by the girl's interest.

She gave a faint smile. "She was my mother's best friend back in school,"

"Was?" Carlos asked cautiously, noticing the strain on Jackson's face.

"My mother's been dead for ten years," she stated dryly.

"Oh, I'm sor-"

"Don't; please spare me your sentiment," she snapped. Her nostrils flared as she took deep breaths through her nose and out her mouth. "I think you should head inside, thank you again."

"Uh, anytime," he replied awkwardly, shuffling out of the vehicle. "See you at school?" She nodded and he shut the door then headed up the pathway to the door.

"Hey Carlos!" She shouted, making him jump and turn around.

"Yeah?" he called back.

She smirked and leaned over the passenger seat, "did you really mean that?"

He gave her a puzzled look before answering. "Did I mean what?" She laughed at the way he was looking at her.

"Would you be willing to help me out with my baking?" She asked. Carlos thought it over and nodded quickly.

"Sure, why not?" He shrugged.

A spark went off and her eyes lit up, smirking widely at a confused Carlos. "Have a good night Carlos." She replied simply then drove way. Carlos stood there for a few moments just staring down the street till her tail-lights disappeared. Shaking his head, he turned and went inside his house.

Jackson on the other hand was extremely giddy the entire way home. Once inside, she skipped to her brother who was playing a video game. She ruffled his hair and kissed his cheek.

"Ew, gross sissy!" He whined.

"Oh, you love it. Did you eat?" She asked from the kitchen.

"Yes, I had dinner with the Smiths and Michelle left ten minutes ago," he replied, eyes glued to the screen.

"Did you do your homework there too?" She asked.

He groaned, "yes and it's in my book bag if you want to check."

"Nah, I believe you kiddo," she smiled as she gulped her water. "Dad call yet?" He sighed and shook his head. She walked over and pushed a button to pause his game. "He'll call soon ok? The time zones are different so it may take time getting used to it. And then he'll be home, just a few more weeks, ok kid?" she said as she hugged him close.

"I know, I know," he brother sighed. "Why does dad have to be in the Navy sissy?"

"Someone has to do it, JJ…" she replied in the same flat tone, having said it so many times before. She pressed the button on his controller to resume his game and headed upstairs. "You got another half hour aight!" She called from her room.

"But it's a Friday night Maggie!" He whined.

"I don't care!" She yelled back just before shutting her door. Maggie flopped on her bed and began breathing heavily like she had done earlier.

Since her dad was deployed somewhere for yet another month, Maggie was stressing out more than normal. She was in her final few weeks of high school and various deadlines were approaching fast. Her G.P.A. was 3.5 and her test scores were near perfection…yet all her college applications remained stacked on her desk, not even post marked.

She didn't want to go to a University…no, refused to even consider the idea; Maggie was working on attending a culinary school or even a simple baking internship, something she's been passionate about since she was a child. But doing anything even close to that would mean leaving Minnesota and her family behind; she wasn't sure if she was ready to do something so selfish, especially to her brother.

She groaned and sat up on her bed. Turning slightly, she picked up a framed picture from a nightstand; a picture of her mother. "Mom, what do I do?" she asked. And at that moment, a ping sounded from her computer. She placed the picture back on her nightstand and went to her desk. Shaking the mouse a few times, the screen came to life and displayed her myspace page.

*ONE NEW MESSAGE*

She clicked the little envelope and seeing the name, she smiled as she read the message:

So, ur name is Maggie? Cute, it suits you =) uhm, hope u let me in on ur plans soon…the anticipation is killing meh! Ttyl! =P

"What a dork." She said aloud as she re-read the message, "and a very promising guinea pig."