Chapter 1- All That Really Matters
Hey all! This is my first BTR fic and my second fanfic altogether, so be nice! Hope you enjoy!
Hanging out by the pool had been a habit of the boys for the past two years.
But this time, Kendall, James, Logan, and Carlos were sitting in chez lounges at the slightly ritzier Summer Hills apartments.
They had finally made it big:
Their first album had been moderately successful, but they had made a name of themselves. Six months later, they had moved into Summer Hills apartments- for the newly famous.
Six more months later, their second album had dropped to great reviews and a lot of hype. They had outshined their first album, and now they were in.
But not even being in the in crowd could change the boys (especially since their 'Hollywood Fever' phase). They were still the bright-eyed, trouble-making hockey players from Minnesota. The only things that changed were for the better: All the boys' singing improved ten-fold, along with Carlos' and Logan's dance skills. They were 18 now, but still played pranks, went after girls out of their league, and were the most down-to-earth people in the complex. The girls were especially bratty- think 'the Jennifers', but times seventeen.
Today in particular was a special day; it wasn't a holiday, but it was just as important to each of the four boys.
"Can you believe it's been 2 years exactly since we got here?" Logan asked no one in particular as they were laid out on the chairs.
"Yeah," the other three replied in lazy, nostalgic awe. They'd had the time of their lives in Hollywood, through the ups and downs and rough patches along the way. They regularly forgot that they had come there, that they hadn't always been there.
"But only you could remember the exact date, Logan," James interrupted everyone's reverie. All the boys let out playful laughs.
"You know me," Logan chuckled.
The boys sat in their chairs, soaking up some rays for a while longer when Kendall and Carlos silently challenged each other in a race to the pool. After struggling to keep each other out of the pool, Carlos shoved Kendall away and threw himself into the pool. A few drops from his splash reached James' face; he sat straight up and cast a warning glance at Carlos, who was goofily celebrating his victory.
"Watch it dude!" James called. "My hair is poolside-perfect." He took out a compact mirror and his lucky comb and fixed his untouched, perfectly-styled hair.
"Come on James," Kendall cut in from the water. "It's supposed to be a fun day for us. Come in and relax for a while," he said invitingly.
James thought for a moment before finally giving in. "Fine. But you so owe me more bathroom time."
As he watched James wade into the pool, Logan heard his cell phone buzz on the small table beside him. He picked it up and saw he had a text from Camille.
You guys should come over for a visit. You haven't been by in a while. :)
As Logan contemplated the idea, his thoughts strayed to her. They'd always been unsure of where to take their relationship. Camille had wanted him since the boys' first day at the Palm Woods. After a few months, Logan had really warmed up to her and they became inseparably close. Then he had asked her out a month or two later. It was never anything more than a few kisses, but it was adorable puppy love. Kendall, James, and Carlos loved seeing Logan happy. He and Camille had been off and on for about a year- never really breaking up, but never really getting to spend time together, especially after the boys moved to the Summer Hills.
"Logan, are you alright?"
Logan finally came out of his trip down memory lane to see Kendall sitting at the end of his pool lounger. He was dripping from head to toe from just hopping out of the pool and had a worried expression on his face.
Logan smiled lightly and replied, "Yeah, I guess I zoned out for a second there."
"Or a few minutes," Kendall shot back jokingly. "You looked like you were thinking pretty hard. Is something wrong?"
"Nah, everything's cool," Logan answered. He paused briefly before continuing. "In fact, I just figured out what we should do today."
Kendall raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"
Logan's smile widened as he shared his thoughts. "We should drop in on our peeps at the Palm Woods."
"Camille?" Kendall asked immediately, poking fun at Logan.
Logan sighed and looked at Kendall as if to say Yeah, who else?
Kendall began thinking about the idea as Logan elaborated. "Think about it: We haven't seen any of them in months. Your mom and Katie are there, don't forget. Plus, it'll be fun seeing our old place and friends. We could always hang by the pool for old time's sake…" Logan trailed off, letting Kendall fill in the blank.
He thought for a half-minute longer before breaking into a smile and nodding. "Yeah! Let's do it."
He stood up from Logan's chair and walked with purpose over to the edge of the pool. He spotted James and Carlos as they resurfaced from the water, laughing at an unshared joke. Kendall sat down and dunked his legs into the warm, chlorinated water. He was hyped up from Logan's proposition. The other two boys saw this.
"Yo, dude. What's up?" Carlos asked.
Kendall put on his leader face. "How would you guys feel about hangin' out at the Palm Woods for the day?"
"Why?" James interjected. He was perfectly content with spending his glorious down time at the Summer Hills.
"Well," Kendall began. "Camille is practically begging us to come over. So I don't want to not go over there and face…well, you know her. All our friends will be there, too."
James' features softened as the realization hit him. His mouth turned up into a crooked smile and he gave in. "Alright. Ya got me. Of course I'll go."
"Yeah! I am TOTALLY in!" Carlos exclaimed, jumping halfway out of the water enthusiastically.
Kendall turned back toward Logan. "Hey Logan?" he called.
Logan strode over to them and knelt down. "Yeah, what's up?"
"Tell Camille we'll be over later," Kendall instructed him. "It's time for the boys to take over the Palm Woods again!"
"Yeah!" the other three chorused.
As they waited for Logan to text Camille back, Kendall, James, and Carlos started jabbering about their day coming up. When Logan finished conversing with his Palm Woods buddy, his three friends looked at him expectantly. "What?" he asked.
The boys in the pool game each other knowing looks and all reached for Logan at the same time.
"No, no, no! NO!" Logan pleaded. "But, I- ugh!"
But it wasn't enough. Logan, being the weakest (muscle-wise) of the four, was not prepared when he was pulled into the pool by his arms and legs. He stayed underwater for several seconds, but his head finally broke the surface. He felt a burning in his nose as he grappled for the pool's ledge. Once he got there, chlorinated water streamed his nose; he was an excellent swimmer, but a surprise dunking can stun any experienced pro.
He turned around to the other boys, standing up against the side of the aqua-blue-tiled pool Logan coughed a couple times, regaining his breath. Once he was finished, he glared at them, with their mischievous, grinning faces.
"You guys suck."
So what do you guys think? Good/bad? Please let me know if I made any mistakes. I just want to make this as realistic as I can. Reviews are appreciated! They're what keep me going.
And just an FYI, this story will start out as T, but (much later down the road, like WAY down there, so far down, I can't even see it yet) will change to M. I'll let you know when, just in case. But that won't be for a while!
And the chapters will probably get longer from now on. I've been writing this story for a while, so I've been having a tough time deciding where to end each chapter, so bear with me.
That little 'review' button down there is getting kinda lonely. He needs a friend! It's simple: just click and review. All reviewers get virtual cookies made my Carlos' grandma!