HEY YOU! Read this!

In the story

italics that are by themselves and not in the middle of a sentence are subconscious, not necessarily thoughts but may be things the person doesn't understand or does not want to admit yet

Bold is lyrics

Bold italics are lyrics in mind

The lines are changes in perspective. It follows an alternating pattern so hopefully it's clear. By perspective I mean like a biast third person, not first person

... signals the beginning and end of a dream

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Big Time Rush or the song 'Wanna be famous" by Big Time Rush. The only things here that I own are my ideas.

Enjoy

The first time he ever saw her was on a boxy TV set in Kendall Knight's living room with his 3 best friends. But he just saw, he never noticed.

I wanna be famous

The first time he ever saw her in person, was in their local theatre. His main goal was getting through the door and showing Gustavo what he was made of. So even as she slapped the bright yellow sticker with the number 810 on his lucky white v neck. He only saw, he never noticed.

I wanna be the one who's living the life

The first time he ever sang in front of her...he choked. James Diamond had never been nervous before, but then again James Diamond never had anyone doubt his singing abilities before. Gustavo was the first...ever.

But to be fair, in those few days where James was presented with an opportunity to reach his goals, girls were the last thing on his mind.

He didn't think of girls again until he reached the Palm Woods, when he finally let himself accept that yes, it was really happening. Even if it was only because of Kendall.

Only then did he allow himself to gawk at the beauties that were the Jennifers, and then every other girl.

Only then did he notice.

She was happy, really she was. She lived in a beautiful city; she had a safe, secure job. Even though dealing with Gustavo took a lot of patience, he had his good moments sometimes. But as much as she tried to ignore it she was starting to notice that the happy picture of her life she had ever so carefully crafted was deteriorating.

"You're losing your touch Gustavo." she heard Griffin's commanding tone

"Just give me some time" she recognized this voice, it was Gustavo. But it was the agonized expression she was newly experiencing.

"You haven't had a hit in 10 years."

"9"

She heard Griffin sigh "All I'm saying is that you need to step up your game, you're on thin ice."

It was that fleeting conversation she overheard that started slowly eating at her picture. Gustavo resolved to act like it never happened but she saw the dimness in his eyes, he was taking this hard. Well, she for one was not just going to sit around and wait for the earth to fall from beneath her, she had worked too long and too hard for this. So she proposed the talent search.

When they reached Minnesota, Kelly's hope was slowly diminishing. So when she saw the group of 4 boys run into the theatre she prayed to God that this was what they had been searching for.

The boy with the white v neck came to her first

"I'm James Diamond, and I want to be famous-"

She cut him off because frankly, that was all she needed to hear. She looked at the rest of the boys, she couldn't deny each of them were good looking and seemed to have their own charm.

Why not?

As the V-neck clad boy stepped onstage, she could see the confidence radiating off of him.

At least he has good stage presence.

As he sang, she smiled. This was it, he was IT!

"STOP!"

She heard Gustavo's signature growl.

What could possibly be the problem, he's good!

Apparently, Gustavo needed great not good. And though she felt cause to argue, she didn't. Her job was to assist him, not oppose him.

Later in the Knight's cramped living room, as Gustavo handed James' dream to his best friend, she finally got to size up the boys. Kendall was the one Gustavo felt the "fire" coming from (as far as she was concerned they all had it in them, they just didn't realize it yet), he was also the one with the comic book worthy superhero chin, and the dazzling green eyes. Logan had dark wise eyes, a great smile, and a bit of an uptight edge. Carlos had a rugged handsomeness and he was a ball of energy. And James, the first one she saw, the last one she noticed, was tall with a lean but well built frame. He had an angular face that she could only say was pretty, and the style and flair of an Abercrombie model. He was good looking, she could see that, but at this moment he looked like he just got the wind knocked out of him. And honestly she couldn't blame him.

But Kendall said no. And it seemed definite.

But the next day she was on her way back to LA with the four boys and the rest of the Knight family in tow.

She was finally beginning to mend her picture.

He didn't notice much at first. The only thing that crossed his mind was she should have gone with a brighter colored shirt if she was doing gray pants. As they progressed through boy band boot camp he noticed how she seemed to always rein Gustavo in when he lost his little sliver of cool. She must be really patient to put up with all of this guys crap.

At the end of boot camp, after Kendall recited yet another "we can do it speech" and Griffin kept them around. He had made a few conclusions about the new people he met in LA. In fact he was keeping a journal of his time there, you know, for when someone wanted to make a major motion picture about his rise to fame, starring him of course.

Gustavo: Prick

Camille: Crazy hot chick (crazy as in her mental state, not her level of hotness)

Bitters: Prick

Tyler: Nice kid

Jennifers: Snotty but hot

Griffin: weird rich guy

Mr X: ...strange

Kelly: I don't know, nice?

It wasn't until he had an allergic reaction to some Cuda spray that he really took her in. After Logan explained what was going on, he called the most dependable person he knew...that could drive...that wasn't busy. So he called Kelly.

They ended up taking the limo and Kelly didn't end up driving after all. After a few moments of awkward silence in the back of the limo she finally broke it.

"So, are you enjoying LA so far?"

"Yeah, I guess"

More silence, then she laughed. Not very hard, just a light twinkly sound, but it was enough to make James' head snap up in attention. He watched her warily.

"Why are you laughing?" after he asked his hands flew protectively to his hair, just to make sure nothing was askew.

She laughed again "Nothing...it's just, how long have you been in LA?"

He didn't understand her logic but answered anyway.

"I don't know a while?"

"And how many times have we spoken?"

He began to answer but she cut him off.

"I mean not about work, just about ourselves."

The question stunned him. She was right; they had hardly had a regular conversation.

Then it was his turn to smile

"So let's change that."

"So let's change that." She didn't understand what he could be getting at.

"And just how do you plan to do that?"

"Simple, we'll play never have I ever."

"As in the drinking game?"

He frowned for a second, and then began to ruffle around in his pockets. He grinned triumphantly and pulled out a bag of skittles.

"If you've done what I say then you take a skittle shot." He playfully wiggled the bag in front of her face."

"Okay, I'm in."

He smiled again. "Great I'll start." He paused to think. "Never have I ever... left the house without combing my hair!"

She popped a skittle in her mouth.

"Seriously?"

She shrugged "I was just going to buy some milk."

He shook his head as if to say shame, shame on you.

She laughed. "Don't judge me, ok let's see, never have I ever...cheated on a test."

He grabbed a skittle as she watched in disbelief

"What with Logan near me all the time? I just know how take advantage of a good opportunity."

She looked out the window and saw that they were running into a little traffic, but suddenly she didn't really seem to mind anymore.

As he watched her look out the window and smile at some unknown object he began to actually observe her. Her smooth toffee coloured skin, the way her dark, wavy her fell in joyous bundles at her shoulders, the light dimples she exposed only when she genuinely smiled and her figure was mind blowing. It was funny to him how this bombshell had been sitting under his nose the whole time.

She looked back at him and he felt a slight tingle in his ears. She would be no match for 'the face' but for now, he'd settle for just laughing with her.

After he received his necessary injection they continued the game on their way back. As they grew looser their laughter became louder and freer until they were spent from laughing so hard.

He looked outside and saw that they were pulling into the Rocque Records parking lot. He decided he'd squeeze in one last question so he said "Never have I ever lied about my age" hoping to hear a crazy story about her sneaking into a club. But she just stilled, her laughter becoming strained, and her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

He started to say something

It's okay if you don't want to answer, please just go back to laughing with me

But Sebastian announced that they have arrived and she left the limo without another word. She didn't say anything until they are in the elevator.

"Ok, now you can sing the song with the rest of the boys and we'll add the track to your album."

He nodded curtly. As the doors opened she walked quickly ahead of him as he trailed behind. Then she stopped abruptly and walked back to him. He was puzzled as to why she was back there again and she gave no explanation. She only grabbed a skittle from his hand, popped it in her mouth and then sauntered away.

They didn't have a non work conversation again for a long time.

This boy was seriously starting to get on her nerves

"Come on Kelly, you know you want this!"

She turned to face him; he was wearing a powder blue dress shirt, dark wash jeans and navy blue Keds. He looked good, and they both knew it.

"You're right," She watched his face light up as she slowly walked up to him" I really want..." she pointed down at his feet as she deadpanned "those Keds!"

She heard laughter erupt from the end of the hallway and she knew that she had acquired the other 3 members of BTR as an audience.

She watched his smile fade and she sighed

"Look James, I'm just too old for you."

"Age is nothing in the matters of love" he retaliated

Hearing the word used so carelessly stung

"That may be true, but there's no LOVE here is there?"

He retreated; she knew she had hit his weak spot, his fear of commitment. It was hers too, she always cringed at the word love (when referred to romantically). And he walked away, because he knew what he was looking for, and it definitely wasn't love. At least not in the sense of being in it, he was more concerned in the sense of making it. James was a flirt, it was in his nature. She really should have expected that this would happen...eventually.

So it went on like this for about a month. James shamelessly flirting, Kelly rejecting him and Logan, Carlos and Kendall laughing. But eventually James was on to his new squeeze and Kelly was long forgotten. The boys told her that she actually had a pretty good run.

" James hasn't liked a girl consistently for more than 3 days since we came to LA" Kendall said as he bit hungrily into an apple. The other two just nodded.

Some days she caught herself missing his cheesy come-ons... but just a little.

It wasn't until Christmas time that Kelly finally took a break from work to be home with her family. The boys were doing a small tour and Gustavo was busy writing more music for their upcoming album.

That was when she heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it mom" she yelled

"Okay baby"

As she opened the door she was surprised to see the 4 boys of BTR in front of her. They grinned sheepishly. Logan was the first one to speak. " Hey, Kelly. What's up?" Logan laughed nervously.

She raised an eyebrow

"Not much you?"

"Oh, just doing my thing, you know , bleep bop bloop."

"Ok, so why are you doing it on my doorstep?"

"Our tour bus kinda, sorta broke down."

Carlos nodded his head furiously then chimed in.

"Yup all by itself, with no help from us!"

The boys gave him a silencing look as Logan carried on

"And we were just wondering if we could spend the night here while our bus gets fixed."

So much for a vacation

She sighed and let them in.

"Mom!" She went upstairs to explain the predicament to her mom, who was more than happy to oblige.

"Sure babies you're always welcome" Mrs. Wainwright directed at the boys.

Kelly rolled her eyes at her mom, she was always too welcoming. She had just met these boys but she already started referring to them as she did her family.

"Thank you Mrs. Wainwright" they said in unison.

Later on that night she saw the boys battling over some video game.

Some things never change

"Kelly!" she heard her mother's soft yet authoritative voice.

"Coming"

As she walked into her mother's bedroom she knew something was up.

" Kelly, I got a letter from your student loan services, they say you're falling behind on your payments" She silently cursed the student loan company, she had told them to just send it by email and that she'd print it out herself since she was moving out of her aunt's house in a couple months. After all she was old enough now.

"Kelly I hope you know your father and I want to help you pay it off, you've done enough by yourself."

"Mom I don't need your help."

Her mother sighed.

"Yes honey you do, it's ok to ask for a little help"

It seems my long awaited vacation is slipping through my fingers

James loved video games as much as the next guy, but there was only so much Modern Warfare 2 he can take.

"Hey guys I'm going to the bathroom"

They each grunted in reply. Those were his friends for you.

It felt strange for him to be in Kelly's childhood home. He had a short crush, not even a crush, more like a " I'm hot, you're hot, let's get heated" thing with the faithful assistant and it was weird for him to see her as a kid posing for class pictures. She was actually kind of adorable... as a kid he meant.

"It's ok to ask for a little help" he heard.

At first he chose not to investigate but his inner sleuth overcame him and he soon found himself in front of Mrs. Wainwright's slightly opened bedroom.

"Mom, I'm 22 years old, I can take care of this myself" he heard Kelly protest

There was a pause in the dialogue and the two women shared an esoteric look. James was completely lost. Ms. W spoke again but now in a softer voice that James had to strain to hear

"You're starting to believe it yourself."

Believe what herself?

Ms. W continued talking.

"You've been saying that so long that you even believe it."

Kelly remained silent so Mrs. W continued, but now in a more commanding tone.

"Kelly, you are not 22 years old, you are 18! Just like those boys out there. You should be enjoying your youth. But you forced yourself to grow up too fast and now-"

Mrs. W never got to finish her sentence before Kelly ran out of the room teary eyed.

James was too stunned to move from his position in the doorway.

Kelly, 18, how?

She ran out of her mother's bedroom, lost in her own thoughts.

How could I have been so stupid, who did I really think I was fooling? How naive of me.

She bumped into something as she exited the room. As she looked up she realized it wasn't something, it was someone, James.

Oh God, oh God, oh God

"How much did you hear?"

"You're 18?'

They spoke simultaneously

I guess that answers my question

"Come here" she grabbed James and pulled him into her old board game closet. She hadn't stepped in there for a while and it was crawling in dust.

"You can't tell anyone" she pleaded

"I won't-"he paused " I just want to know how, why?"

She was not ready to give him her whole friggin life story.

"It's a long story"

He only looked her with a blank expression and said "I've got time"

So she told him. She told him how she had started school really early in Trinidad, so at her mom's STRONG request she was skipped ahead, to 2nd grade.

James looked at her "Whoa, that's even better than Logan."

She sighed; she knew he would say that.

"I'm really not, Logan is really intelligent, I was just forced to start school a lot earlier than I had to. And when I got here, I mentioned that I wasn't challenged enough once to my mom and she marched into that school and demanded that I be skipped ahead."

Eventually he began to understand what she meant.

Then she told him about how she couldn't get a job in LA because they all wanted someone older. So for her interview with Gustavo she lied about her age and now she worked for him.

He laughed

Umm, ok Mr. inappropriate; this is not exactly the time to laugh

"Why are you laughing?" she asked. This situation seemed like déjà vu to her but she couldn't quite place when it had happened before.

"Nothing" he replied "It's just, now I know why you got so sensitive when I asked you if you ever lied about your age. I thought you were mad because you thought I was calling you old or something." he laughed again.

Now it was her turn to smile. As she did so she realized that as they had talked they had shifted closer together and her head was now resting on his shoulder. She didn't really feel like moving.

Then he asked her another question. "So why did you come to LA anyway?"

That, she was not prepared to answer. She breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her mother yelling that dinner was ready.

"Coming!" she yelled, and she scrambled out of the small closet without so much as a second glance at James.

She had told him too much already.

Tell me what you think of the story so far in the form of a review. This is my first fic so as much as I love me some ego stroking, constructive criticism is also much appreciated. If you want you can use the 2 hearts and a wish method (2 things you liked and one thing you wish was different)

I already wrote the entire story so you might not neccesarily see any change in this story, but I will remember your suggestions in future stories.

Thanks for reading :D