Making Waves

By: Riley

Summary – Katie is tired of being the one that always sits on the sidelines and watching everyone else have fun. So she decides to take matters into her own hands and learn how to surf as a surprise to her boyfriend. Too bad her keeping it a secret causes things to go out of control. Katie/OC for Ethan on twitter. –Short Story-.

.:Chapter One:.

Katie Knight sighed loudly, turning off her computer and closing the lid with a firm press of her hand. Once her sigh ended she was greeted with…nothing. Nothing except the hum of the refrigerator out in the kitchen because for the first time since she had arrived in LA, the crib was completely silent. No yelling, no screaming, nothing being thrown, nothing being broken, just the peace and quiet that she didn't know she hated.

Who would have thought that after years of having the boys constantly running around and practically begging to be screamed at was something she actually enjoyed?

Of course she would never tell them that, as much as she enjoys having them around she deserves to have some time to herself. The only time she didn't want that time to herself was when she knew that they were having more fun without her. Was it her fault she didn't like the beach? No. Was it her fault that sand got everywhere, she always got sunburned, and the seagulls dive bombed every one and anyone that had a piece of food in their hand? No. To be quite honest, she didn't understand why anyone would ever want to spend so much time there in the first place.

And that feeling had only increased since she had gotten to LA. It was all anyone around her talked about outside of the work they were doing. "Let's go to the beach", "The beach was awesome", "Do you guys want to go to the beach?". It was enough to drive her crazy and to keep her holed up in her room all day. When she wasn't scheming on ways to make money or driving Bitters crazy herself.

Katie slid off of her bed and walked out of her room, into the quiet sitting area of the apartment. Maybe she'll get some time to watch TV by herself. With four teenage boys around as well as her mother, it was hard for her to get her way on a lot of things, especially what to watch on TV. Sure, there were the times that she and her mother were able to get through an hour of New Town High together, otherwise she was stuck watching some sport game, some stupid news thing, or just watching them scream at each other and act like idiots while playing some sort of video game. That was entertaining in itself, but it got boring after a while.

Katie placed her hands on her hips, pursing her lips. Who was she kidding? She had the most fun whenever the guys were around and there was no point in denying it.

The door to the apartment suddenly burst open with the shouting and laughter of her brother and his friends. Katie felt a small smile slide onto her face as she turned to greet them. Speak of the devil. Katie walked over to her friends and closed the door behind them. "Hey, how was the beach?" She asked them, trying to keep from sounding like she was that interested. Being in an apartment by herself for hours on end bored her more than she thought it would have.

"It was great," James replied with a warm smile. He reached out and ruffled her hair, causing Katie to push his hands away and quickly fix it. "The surf, sun, and sand were the best they've ever been."

"Mhm, and I'm sure the sunburn you got was all worth it," Logan said sarcastically, making a show of putting some more on his face. Beside him, Carlos also made a show of rubbing the lotion into his arms.

"It's better than having Mama Knight chase us around with squirt guns," he added. A second later, his eyes fell to his feet and he appeared disappoint. "Actually, that was kind of fun."

"I'd rather not go through that embarrassment again, thanks," Kendall said under his breath as he shuffled over to one of the stools at the kitchen counter. He rested his chin in his hands as he leaned forward, eyes briefly closing as he winced. "You'd think by now Mom would stop chasing us around to get us to put it on."

"And yet, you still got sunburned like crazy," Noah Jackson-McGuire commented, dropping his towel on top of the counter, neatly folding it. He exchanged glances with his siblings, Patrick, Rhuben, Riley, and Sydney as they all rolled their eyes. "It's a miracle you were able to get into the car and sit still."

"You got sunburned?" Katie's eyebrows rose and she walked over to her brother, lifting the back of his shirt. She started laughing when she got a good glimpse of the redness of her brother's back. It looked like he had been beaten with a tomato. Kendall let to a slight cry when Katie lowered his shirt once more. "You look like a lobster, Big Brother." She laughed.

"I'm not the only one!" Kendall protested, pointing over to James.

James smirked back over at the blonde, crossing his arms over his chest. He winced for a moment then the smug smile returned. "Yes, but I'm a better looking lobster than you."

"Anyway, you should have come to the beach with us Katie," Rhuben said as she put her bag on the floor and pulled herself up onto the counter. "You missed Kendall falling off his board twenty-five times in a row."

"I'm pretty sure that's a record for him," Riley added with a smirk.

"I was distracted!" Kendall protested.

"By what?" Katie laughed.

"By whom," Sydney corrected with a smarmy smile. Dimples appeared in his cheeks as everyone laughed. Riley cuffed him on the back of the head as she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you should have come with us, Katie. It was fun."

I'll bet. Katie tried her hardest not to let her frown show through. Of course it was fun; everything when she wasn't around was fun. The boys didn't have to go to the Palm Woods School anymore and they were always getting into some sort of problem or plan that had turned into a good story later. Katie's frown turned back into a warm smile when her boyfriend, Patrick, walked over to her and put his arm around her shoulders in a hug. "Did you have fun?"

"Of course, spending the whole day surfing is what I dream of doing," Patrick scoffed. He ran a hand through his shoulder length black hair; the sweater had taken it down from its usual high spikes. "If I wasn't constantly in the studio I'd always be there." He then flashed her his famous lopsided smile, the one that always made her knees go weak. "Of course it would have been a lot more fun if you came with us."

"No way." Katie shook her head. "You know me, I hate the beach," she said lamely, already feeling her disappointment rise back through her once more. Not only had her brother and his friends had a good time without her, but her boyfriend had as well. "But hey, at least you didn't get sunburned!"

"We don't burn," Riley said with a wave of her hand. "Which is more than I can say for these guys." With a wicked smile, she reached out a hand and smacked Kendall on the back, causing her best friend/boyfriend to let out a yelp of pain and leap out of his seat, jumping up and down. "Sorry Hockey-Head, I couldn't resist. I'll get you some aloe vera." She went into the bathroom and came out with a tiny bottle in her hands. "James, I'm sure you're going to need some too unless you want your flawless skin to shed all over the place."

"I'll do it," Rhuben offered. Her eyebrows hitched up. "Though sometimes tells me that they did this on purpose."

"You know, was thinking the same thing," Riley replied.

Katie laughed and followed her friends to the living room, sitting down on the end of the orange couch. Patrick flopped down next to her, kicking off his flip-flops and crossing his legs as he did so. Katie smiled, feeling the warmth of his thigh pressed against hers. He flashed her a smile before turning his attention back to the TV as Carlos turned it on, starting to flip through the many channels for something to watch.

"So did you guys just go surfing or…?"

"That and we tried to see how big of a sandcastle we could make," Sydney agreed. He flicked his hair out of his face. "You know, before all of those fans started to chase the guys around, screaming the whole time." He wiggled a finger in his ear as if he could still hear the screeching and screaming. "Though it was pretty cool when some of them came surfing with us."

Katie sat up straight. "Some fans went surfing with you guys?"

"Yeah, it was pretty cool, actually," Patrick agreed. He gently pulled at the thunderbolt necklace that dangled around his neck. "This one girl that could ride goofy and regular foot."

"Is that good?" Katie asked.

"Most only have one preference, but she could do both," Patrick explained patiently. "Just like if you went snowboarding, you usually favor the side of your body that you use the most if it doesn't just feel better for you."

"Oh."

Katie's eyes moved downcast. Some other girls were surfing with them all day? And her boyfriend thought that was cool. It wasn't that surprised really, she reminded herself. If he wasn't working on his own band with his brothers and sisters he usually was in the water if not talking about it. And there were always other girls that went surfing too; it wasn't just a male dominated sport. But still…she didn't feel right knowing that he was hanging out with another girl when she wasn't there. Even a little jealous, which was stupid. She wasn't one that got jealous over anything, not even when Kendall got some of the latest gadgets before she could—only being before she saved her money like no one's business.

But now she could feel it creeping through her whole body and taking her over. The thought of him hanging out with another girl that probably had more in common with him than she did was enough to make her trait of having green eyes even more annoying than when someone brought it up.

Resting her chin in her hands, Katie felt her lips turn down into a pout. She wasn't antisocial by any means, but this wouldn't be the first time she had decided to back out of something and regretted it in the end. She hated herself for it, really. Patrick being her first boyfriend made things hard for her at times; it was hard to figure out how to act. What times were the best to hold his hand or to imply that she wanted to kiss him? Or was she supposed to just go ahead and kiss him herself? Would that turn him off? What about the times when they were alone? (That had never been a problem, typically because Kendall and James had seemed to make it their mission to see that they were never alone together and Carlos and Logan embarrassed her at every turn as they tried to talk to her about boys).

Why did dating have to be so confusing? She had been perfectly fine until she realized that she wasn't, in fact, made of stone and that there were many guys were very attractive around her. That was what she had dreaded when it came to growing up. She lived for the freedom to do what she wanted with her money, having a later curfew, and being able to get her permit then license, but dating was the furthest thing from her mind.

"I know you hate the beach, Katie, but you should have come," Noah added. He shrugged. "It wasn't the same without you there."

Katie waved a hand, trying to downplay the situation. Now she wished that she had been there with everyone else. Did they really have to rub it in? "Once you've helped Russell Bran at least once, nothing can top that." She flashed a smile as everyone turned their attention to the TV as Carlos stopped it on a football game. Riley and Rhuben groaned in annoyance and was immediately shushed by all of the boys as they watched with rapt attention.

"Oh, by the way," Patrick murmured, so that he wouldn't be shushed as well. He dug into the pocket of his trunks and pulled out a shiny, multicolored shell. "I found this on the beach; I thought you'd like it."

Feeling herself start to blush, Katie took the seashell and gently cupped it in her hands, turning it this way and that. A different color reflected each time she turned the shell. "Thanks. It's really beautiful." She lifted her gaze from the seashell. "That's so nice."

"I'm cute too, but it's good that you noticed," Patrick joked.

Katie laughed and was suddenly struck with a thought that made her worried. Did he make the girl at the beach laugh too? Patrick joked and teased everyone, but she thought he had a special way of doing it for her. I mean, I'm his girlfriend, right? Katie thought. She chewed his lower lip, subconsciously running her fingers over her hair. Dry as a bone while everyone else's was wet from being out in the ocean all day. Maybe there was something to stepping out of her comfort zone a bit. Maybe there was something to surfing.

Katie slowly started to smile as she thought of a plan. A way to be have something else in common with her boyfriend, to surprise him, and to be sure he wouldn't get bored with her and jumped to the next girl that showed him her cutback. (Whatever that was).

I need to learn how to surf.

A/N: Kind of a slow start, but it gets better.

Katie is always one of my favorite BTR characters to write about (behind Kendall and James) because she's the one that has the potential for a lot of different storylines, especially because she's the youngest and she's a girl. There are so many different things that the show didn't do with her that you can do instead and being able to write about her experiences with a first boyfriend or whatever is always interesting. So I hope you enjoyed it.

This is going to be a short story, about 5-10 chapters or so.

Cheers,

-Riles