Big Time Romeo and Juliet

These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire amd powder,

Which, as they kiss, consume.

-Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene VI

Carlos Garcia had never experienced so many emotions in one night.

Exasperation. Anger. Joy. Happiness. Why did dances do that to people?

He had been exasperateed and angry when the Jennifers had forced him to play 3 different people and be their dates. Carlos himself hadn't been good enough for them. They chose him out of sheer desperation.

Then he had felt joy and happiness when Stephanie King had asked him to dance, saving him from the Jennifers. He'd also felt joy and happiness when his band, Big Time Rush, had performed for everyone at the Palm Woods. They'd loved big time rush, and it was great; and now Carlos was mingling on the dance floor. He spotted Logan and Camille dancing off to the side, while Jo and Kendall talked, and James was chased out by a horde of angry girls. Carlos laughed aloud and his eyes scanned the dance floor, revelling in the excitement.

That's when he spotted a girl, looking lonely, sipping punch by the bowl. She stared at Logan and Camille, and Carlos realized he'd never seen her before. Carlos walked over and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to him.

"I'm Carlos," Carlos introduced, holding a hand out for her to shake. She looked down, set the cup down, and shook, smiling.

"Danica," the girl introduced, shaking his hand lightly. Her hand was soft. He realized then that she was quite pretty; she had large, brown eyes, long black eyelashes, small, plump lips, a button nose, caramel skin, long black hair, and, er, a rather large chest and butt. She wore a royal purple silk cocktail dress with spaghetti straps. Her hair was half up, half down, with two bangs in the front. Her eyes were brightened by silver eyeshadow, matching the color of her heels. She was taller than him by about a half or a whole inch-in her heels, at least.

"How come I've never seen you before?"

Danica let go and her hands reutned to her sides. She laughed, a sort of a loud guffaw. She turned to Logan and Camille, still dancing, and cocked her head in their direction. "Camille and I are friends, and she was all upset about Logan not asking her to the dance properly. She invited me to come, and introduced me to Jo, and we talked for a while, but eventually Jo went with that Kendall guy, and now Logan and Camille are dancing, so..."

"So here you are," Carlos finished. "That's not very nice."

She shrugged, turning back to him. "C'est la vie," she said in a very impressive French accent. At seeing Carlos's expression, she smiled meekly. "'That's life,'"

He nodded. "So you don't live at the Palm Woods?"

"No. I met Camille a few years ago at an audition and we just kinda clicked. I've been to the Palm Woods before, but you're new, right? That's why you don't know me."

"Yeah, James, Logan, Kendall, and I used to be a hockey team in Minnesota. Now we're here."

"Yeah. You and your band were great, though," she complimented, looking away from him and up at the clock.

"Thanks," Carlos replied. It was silent for a moment. As the music switched to a slow song, Carlos could see couples pairing up. He wiggled the toes of his shoes, then turned to Danica, bowing slightly and sticking his hand out. "Would you like to dance?"

She looked at him and back at the clock again; Camille met her eyes and raised an eyebrow, and Danica turned back to Carlos. "I really shouldn't...but..."

"But...?"

"...I'd love to." Her hand clasped his and he led her out to the dance floor. He pulled her closer and put his right hand on her left hip.

And that's when he felt it.

Something similar to being shocked occured when he touched her; he got goosebumps, his skin heated up, and he took a step back, trying not to gasp. Danica didn't seem to feel whatever that was, and she looked completely at ease, a shred of concern on her face.

"You okay?"

Carlos nodded and resumed the previous position, the same shocked feeling returning. He fought stepping back again, and Danica closed her eyes, her head resting on Carlos's shoulder, her eyes closing.

"Tell me about yourself," he said, his arms tightening just the teeniest fraction. He was scared to touch her too much; but she didn't flinch or seem to mind at all.

"Um, well, I'm what I like to call a sisomodactress," she said.

Carlos laughed. "What's that?"

"A singer/songwriter/model/actress," she clarified.

"You sing, too!" Carlos exclaimed.

"Mmmhmm. Well, as of late, anyways. I'd always written my own songs and sang at home, but I wasn't professionally doing it until recently."

"That's awesome! So is your schedule super packed?"

"Not really. I try not to book too many jobs at once, y'know? I'm the type of person to get stressed easily."

"Logan's been like that, for as long as I can remember."

She laughed, looking at Camille and Logan once more. "I'm surprised he likes Camille, then. I mean, I love the girl to death, but she's kinda nuts. Although I can't say that I'm normal."

"What do you mean? You have a secret? A deep, dark secret?" He wiggled his eyebrows and she giggled.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?"

"So it's a mystery?"

"It's a mystery."

The song switched to The City is Ours by Big Time Rush, and Carlos jerked away, whooping and dancing wildly. "C'mon, Danica, join me! It's fun!"

She watched from she stood, a snicker on her face. "I don't want to get hurt."

"C'mon, please?" Carlos pleaded with his puppy dog eyes. Danica kicked off her shoes, ran over and joined him, and danced just as wildly as him.

"So, Danica, what record label are you signed to?" Carlos yelled loudly, over the music, bumping into someone and sending them flying, causing Danica to erupt into laughter.

"Call me Danni," she offered, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Right, Danni," Carlos corrected, turning to her. For the first time that night, Danni didn't seem that quiet. She was waving her hands wildly, her hair flopped everywhere, and her eyes glinted with a mischievious sparkle. "So, what label?"

A flurry of bells sounded from her purse. She stopped, digging through it, Carlos stopping, too. She pulled out a cell phone and silenced it, and Camille was suddenly at her side.

"We've got fifteen minutes, so we could make it if the cab driver floors it," Camille said, meeting Danni's eyes. She muttered a vague greeting at Carlos, and Carlos's eyebrows furrowed. Jo was there next, chatting into a cell phone.

"Yes, I'm at the Palm Woods, and I need a taxi to 3276 North Vargas Avenue...Yeah, it's Jo...okay, thanks." She hung up her phone, and Logan and Kendall were approaching.

"Danni, come on," Camille said, grabbing her arm and pulling her away, following Jo. Carlos followed too, and Danni stopped, turning to him. "Carlos, listen, I gotta go-"

And that was she could get out of her mouth before she had been yanked out the door by Camille and Jo.

"What was that about?" Kendall said, he and Logan joining his side. Carlos shook his head, confused.

"They just started pulling her away, saying she needed to go..." Carlos thought for a moment. What was the address Jo had said? "Hey, guys, what's at 3276 North Vargas Avenue?"

Logan pulled out his cell phone, looking it up on the internet. He showed the phone to Carlos.

Hawk Records.