A/N: Re-read and re-uploaded. Enjoy! :) (BTW, "Gaby" is a quick OC I threw together. Just picture a five year old female Carlos—that's what she looks like.)
Warning: Nothin'.
Disclaimer: I don't own Big Time Rush, it belongs to Scott Fellows
Meanwhile In Minnesota
Carlos Garcia entered his living room to find his younger sister, Gabriella, watching Dora the Explorer on Netflix using their Wii. The older sibling smiled and rolled his eyes; it was as if nothing had changed since he left for L.A.
Gustavo had wanted a break, since it was spring and everyone seemed to go on vacation this time of year. So, he decided that he was going on a vacation. Since he left to God knows where, Big Time Rush decided to visit their families back in Minnesota for the week.
"Aren't you too old for that show? Besides, you already know Spanish." Carlos reminded. Gabriella sighed and stopped the episode.
"No! And Dora's awesome. I wanna explore when I'm older. Can I be an explorer? Can I?" She pulled off her best puppy dog eyes—which Carlos could hardly handle—and put her hands in a begging position. Carlos' grin got even bigger as he gave in.
"Sure, and you can even have a monkey that wears boots, and we can teach it English." He joked as he went on, "Wouldn't that be cool, Gaby?" However, the younger of the two just sighed again and went back to watching her show.
"Do you see the Troll's Bridge?"
"IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU, DORA! TURN AROUND!" Gabriella shrieked, causing Carlos to break out in hysterics.
"¡Sí,ahí está!"
"Dora's so stupid sometimes," Gabriella commented, closing her eyes and shaking her head in fake disappointment. Carlos joined his sister on the couch and watched a bit of the show with her.
"Come on, say it with us! Bridge, pond, Benny's barn! Bridge, pond, Benny's barn! Bridge, pond, Benny's barn! Bridge, pond, Benny's barn! Come on, vamos, everybody let's go! Come on let's get to it; I know that we can do it! Where are we going? Benny's barn! Where are we going? Benny's barn! Where are we going? Benny's barn! Where are we going? Benny's barn! Ben-ny's-barn!"
"Why do I find this," Carlos paused a moment, trying to find the right word to use, "¿Divertido?" He finished, blushing slightly.
"Porque es." The smaller Garcia answered, not letting her eyes leave the screen.
"Carlos, Gabriella?" Mrs. Garcia entered the living room but stopped at the doorway upon seeing her sixteen year old son watching Dora the Explorer. She smiled awkwardly when both kids turned around, the show temporarily forgotten. "I hate to interrupt," she said with a giggle, "but I was wondering if you kids wanted to go out to lunch? Since I have the week off, too, I figured we might as well."
"What about Papi?" The five year old asked with big eyes.
"He'll meet us there." Their mother confirmed.
"Where's 'there'?" Carlos questioned, standing up. His mother had a look of thought on her face for a few seconds before shrugging.
"I'm actually not sure yet. We haven't decided. Well, do you kids want to come? Or would you rather stay here?"
"I wanna come, I wanna come, I wanna come!" Gabriella exclaimed as she bounced around on the couch. She did one last leap into the air right into Carlos' arms as he caught her.
"Me too!" Carlos agreed, smiling. His smile then faded as he remembered his plans with the guys. "Wait, I was supposed to meet Logan, James and Kendall at the hockey rink. It's gonna be totally empty with everyone on vacation..." his neutral expression morphed into a frown as he recalled the fight they had had the day before. "On second thought..." he put his sister down and then faced his mom, "Maybe that isn't such a good idea."
"Is this about that silly argument from yesterday?" His mother asked, as Gabriella ran off to her room to get her 'going out to eat' shoes.
"Uh, no?"
"Carlos..."
"I said no..."
Mrs. Garcia folded her arms and gave her son 'the look'. Carlos didn't budge, but he kept his firm posture. His mother sighed and put a hand on his shoulder. "You can stay here and call the boys if you want. You know, to see what's happening. Would that help?"
"And miss lunch with Papi? He never gets to go out for lunch!"
"We can reschedule, and besides, I'm sure Gabriella wouldn't mind a little girl time. Right sweetie?" She said the last part just as said child came running down the stairs.
"Nope! I don't mind!" The little girl exclaimed, sitting on the last step while kicking her legs back and forth. "But we'll still get to eat with Papi, right?"
"Of course. Just not today," Mrs. Garcia informed, smiling. She turned to Carlos and gave him a questioning look. He let out a puff of air and then nodded.
"Alright. I'll try." He said with a half-hearted smile. His mother pulled him into a hug, but it didn't last long when Gabriella ran up to them and yelled in frustration. Mrs. Garcia laughed and let her daughter join the hug.
"Good. If you end up going, your hockey gear is in your duffel bag on the kitchen floor next to the cooler. If you want to eat before you leave there's left over taco beef in the fridge...I'm not sure if we have any shells, though. I think we also have a few frozen dinners—"
"Mama, don't worry. I'm a big boy now." Carlos assured, smiling.
"Okay, call me before you leave!" Mrs. Garcia made her way to the door. "Te quiero, Carlos!" She called out, repeated by Gabriella.
"Te quiero, Mama. Te quiero, Gaby." Carlos replied, lifting his hand in the air for a quick wave. Once the girls were gone, Carlos dropped his arm to his side and plopped back onto the couch, not caring what was on the T.V. He decided to try and call one of the guys. He wanted to apologize to them for being a quarter of their stupid fight they had the day before. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and pressed 'dial'. He didn't know who he should call first, but in a few seconds, he knew he needed to call Kendall.
Carlos saw Kendall as the perfect, fearless, and not to mention awesome, leader. He always knew what to do and when to do it. He did what had to be done, and then some. Carlos looked up to Kendall as one of his role models. It was boys like him that kept a band like theirs functioning around the clock.
...
Well, except the day before, obviously.
Stupid argument.
"I can't wait to see the surprised look on our parent's faces when they see us come in!" James exclaimed happily. The boys (plus Mrs. Knight and Katie) were walking to a bus stop near the airport they had just come from. "They'll be so psyched!" he continued, his smile growing. They reached the bus stop and sat down on the bench, not really knowing or caring when the next bus was supposed to arrive.
"Yeah, I know!" Logan agreed, also smiling.
"Well..." Kendall awkwardly smiled as the boys laughed. It's not like his mom was surprised or anything. He turned to his mother and yelled, "Mom! I'm home!" His mom laughed and put on a fake look of shock.
"Oh my God, Kendall! I haven't seen you forever!" She joked, as Katie joined in.
"I missed you, big brother!" She commented, smiling.
Carlos sighed heavily and smiled. "Yup, can't wait! Even though I saw my dad a few weeks ago...but still!" To this, James frowned.
"Well, then how do you know how we feel? We meaning, Logan and me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Both Carlos and Kendall asked at the same time. Logan suddenly knew what James meant and answered.
"Kendall, you always get to see your mom and sister. Carlos, you just saw your dad a few weeks ago."
"Are you saying I don't know what it feels like to miss my own family?" Carlos asked, more sad than angry.
"Kinda!" James replied, still frowning.
"Hey! I'll have you know that I've been dying to see Gaby since...well, I missed her the day we left!" Carlos argued, trying to defend himself.
"We're talking about parents, Carlos." Kendall pointed out.
Meanwhile, a bus had arrived.
"Should we just take this bus and let them argue?" Katie asked, a smirk finding its way on her features. Mrs. Knight shrugged.
"Sure. They'll be fine once they realize how dumb they sound." With that, the girls hopped on the bus, leaving the four boys alone.
"Not technically," Logan told Kendall, who was now frowning as well, "Besides, you always get to see your sister."
"Exactly!" Carlos shouted, "What he said!" To this, Logan scoffed.
"Really? You just saw your dad!" He yelled, throwing his arms in the air.
"Doesn't mean I don't miss him! Plus there's my mom and Gabriella!" Carlos argued, angry.
"I don't even have a sibling to return to! Or a dad!" James cried out, earning a look from Kendall.
"Yeah, newsflash, I don't have a dad to return to, either!" Kendall said, fuming.
"But at least you have Katie!" Logan defended.
And before they knew it, Big Time Rush was arguing over who was more lucky to be back in Minnesota with their families.
Carlos sighed, knowing that his call may end up useless. What if Kendall was still mad? What is he ignored him? What if he didn't wanna be friends anymore, or play hockey, goof off, dance or sing? It worried and scared him to think that his best friends since the third grade wouldn't want to be together as a group anymore. With a deep breath, he quickly tapped his friend's phone number on his phone's screen and waited for Kendall to pick up.
Kendall was putting some of his personal items he brought to L.A (and now back to Minnesota) in his room when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He groaned impatiently and quickly put his bag down, wondering who would be calling. He quickly glanced at his alarm clock before taking out his phone. 11:58 AM it read. They were supposed to meet at the ice rink in around half an hour, so maybe Logan, James or Carlos was calling to confirm. He whipped out his cell phone, and when he saw who was calling, he threw it on the bed, not bothering to answer. He didn't feel like talking to any of the guys at the moment, so he decided he'd call Carlos back later.
"Hey, you've reached Kendall's cell. Just leave a message and I'll call you back when...well...I'll call you back." Beeeeeeeeeep.
"Uh...hey, Kendall. It's Carlos. I was just...just wondering if we were still going to the rink later? We're supposed to meet in front of it at twelve thirty...so I was just making sure. Um, yeah, that's it...bye." He hung up and held his phone loosely in his left hand as he used his other hand to quickly run through his short hair. He was never good at leaving messages, and the fight he had yesterday was no help.
Who should he call next?
Without a second thought, Carlos dialled James' number and waited for an answer. He was both surprised and happy when James picked up after only two rings.
Carlos saw James as someone who he could act completely weird with. Playing with food, doing stupid stunts, or just plain being crazy. It was like Carlos brought out James' inner child, and both boys enjoyed that. If Carlos was having a bad (well, more like 'boring' in his case) day, he'd go to James for moral support, or just to have a little fun.
"Hello?"
"Hi James, it's Carlos."
"Really? Because I thought my caller I.D was lying to me." James said sarcastically, sounding exhausted.
"Haha...uh...I was just wondering if our hockey plans were still on?" Carlos inquired, nervous for James' answer.
"Well...I guess so. I mean, we had a little fight, yeah, but this is like, the only chance we'll ever have to get the rink to ourselves. None of us would give that up over an argument, right?"
Boy, did Carlos want to believe that. But he couldn't help but think that maybe Kendall had ignored him...
"Good." The Latino replied, "Cause I called Kendall, but he didn't answer, so..."
"It's not like he's busy or has plans, Carlos. He's probably ignoring you. Us, actually. He's probably ignoring us."
The younger boy suddenly felt a knot form in his stomach. So Kendall was ignoring him just a moment ago!
"B-but why?" Carlos asked, panicking slightly, "I mean...you aren't ignoring me—us—whatever!"
"Because I'm not a hot headed jerk-face like Kendall."James pointed out as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He then yawned and continued talking, "But I'm sure he'll come around. I dunno about Logan, though."
Right. Logan.
"Uh, okay. Thanks James. I'm gonna call Logan now. See ya at twelve thirty?"
"Yup."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."
With that, they both hung up and Carlos changed to a more comfortable position on the couch. His heart was beating way too fast for comfort, and the annoying knot in his stomach wouldn't go away. He was anxious. James seemed okay with this, but he didn't exactly sound as excited for hockey as he usually would. Plus, Kendall obviously ignored him. How would Logan react? Would he ignore him too? Carlos didn't know what to think.
"But I have to call him..." he told himself, staring at his phone. As fast as he could, and somewhat hoping to get Logan's voicemail, Carlos dialled his friend's cell number.
Ah, Logan. Carlos saw a lot in him; his smarts, his singing (but definitely not his dancing), his...smarts. He knew that if he had any problem at all involving something having to do with book smarts (sometimes street smarts, too), Logan was there. He was even helpful when it came to cooking, because he always knew the right amount of ingredients. Not to mention he was good for when Carlos got injured in a stunt he tried to pull off. All in all, he was awesome.
"Ugh! Where the heck is that skate? I knew I should have brought the ones from L.A, I knew it!" Logan muttered to himself, searching his room frantically for his left hockey skate. Suddenly, his phone blasted its obnoxious ringtone, causing Logan to quickly lift is his head right under his bed, "Ow, crud!" and run over to his nightstand to where his phone was. He quickly fumbled with his cell until he successfully answered, not even bothering to check who was calling him.
"Hello?"
"Logan! Oh, thank God you answered your phone."
"Why wouldn't I?" He sounded flustered and in a hurry.
"Because—nevermind, why do you sound all speedy? Are you in a rush?"
"Yeah! In a big time ru—I see what you did there." Logan suddenly began laughing, as did Carlos. Logan settled down then spoke. "Seriously, what's up?" the older boy asked.
"I just wanted to know if you were still meeting us at the rink," Carlos said more than asked, feeling relaxed. The knot in his stomach was gone and he felt his heartbeat go back to normal.
"Well, yeah, that's kind of why I'm all 'speedy', as you put it. I can't find my left hockey skate!" Logan complained, still searching for his hidden skate.
"How do you, of all people, lose a skate?" Carlos asked him, "Aren't they always tied together? And don't you have a second pair?"
"Bombard me with questions while I'm in a hurry, why dontcha. Well, I don't know, yes they are—well I thought they were—and I left those in L.A." Logan replied to all of Carlos' questions.
"Smart..." Carlos commented, grinning, "Well, call me back when you find your skate? If not I can always come over and help you look..."
"Deal! See ya."
"See ya!"
Carlos smiled as much as his mouth would let him. Logan didn't seem bothered by their fight in the least! In fact, he would swear that Logan had forgotten the whole ordeal the day before. His phone suddenly started to vibrate, and he looked at the caller I.D. His smile faltered in a millisecond. "Oh. Crud."
It was Kendall.
Why he was scared of Kendall, he didn't know. It's not like he would kill him or hurt him physically, right? The most he could do would be... "Emotionally scarring me forever, causing me to live as an awkward social outcast for the rest of my existence." He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, "Heh. Not much." He added sarcastically, thinking of how he just sounded like Logan for a few seconds. He did what he thought was impossible at the time; he answered his phone.
"Hello?"
"Carlos. You called?"
"Yeah."
"Sorry, I was busy—" Oh, hell no!
"Busy? You were busy? You know we had plans today, so I'm sure you wouldn't have made any other plans. What were you busy doing? Ignoring me?"
"Who the heck gave you that idea?" Kendall retorted, clearly upset.
"James, actually. He told me you were ignoring us. I believe him. Even though he didn't sound too thrilled about our plans..."
"Oh, so you believe him and not me? And what about Logan? Does he think I ignored you too?"
"I talked to him, but he was all cool about everything. He doesn't even seem to remember our argument. In fact, he's getting ready right now, as we speak. He just needs to find his skate and—" Kendall suddenly started laughing. "What's so funny?" Carlos asked, confused.
"You, Carlos. You're so gullible! He has to find his other skate? Dude, this is Logan we're talking about. Not you, not me, not James. Logan doesn't 'lose' a skate. I mean, a skate, of all things? Those are tied together. Especially if your name is Logan Mitchell. He obviously lied to you, man."
There was that stupid knot in his stomach again. Kendall made perfect sense. He always did. But, wait...
"Oh, so he's lying, and you're not?"
"Pretty much." Oh man, what was he saying? "Wait, no, I'm a liar. I didn't want to talk to someone after fighting with them, so sue me." That wasn't right either! "I mean, I just..."
"I get it, Kendall. You're a turd. A jerky-faced, stupid, giant, turd. Sorry I ever thought we'd get over that stupid fight. If you wanna miss out on us playing hockey with the rink to ourselves, then by all means, go ahead." ...Oops. Why did he say that? "I—"
"Good luck playing alone, then! Cause from what you told me, Logan was a liar, and James didn't wanna go!" Kendall then hung up, leaving the Latino in silence with his mouth hanging open.
They weren't going to be friends anymore, were they? So what was the list? Logan and James were lying to him and Kendall was being rude and ignoring him? Fan-flipping-tastic. Just peachy. He cranked his neck back on the arm of the couch and stared at the ceiling, swallowing hard in attempt to calm himself.
...
He failed miserably.
Kendall couldn't believe what he just said. It was as if the devil himself took over the young teen's body and directed all its rage toward Carlos. Kendall was conflicted as to whether he should call Carlos back or not. He did act kinda rude, but then again, so did Carlos, right? Right, so, Carlos should call back. No wait, Kendall was the one who hung up, so...
"Darn it." He mumbled, hopping onto his bed. He buried his face in his pillow, trying to forget everything that had just happened. Suddenly, Katie came into his room without so much as a warning, slapped Kendall's head, and stood back as he jumped up. "What was that for?" He asked, angry and confused. Katie sighed, as if Kendall should've known what the slap was for.
"For being a jerk-face. Duh."
"Were you..."
"Eavesdropping on your conversation with Carlos? Yes."
"But how—" Katie suddenly pulled out a walkie talkie, and when she waved it around, Kendall's phone made static noises. "Ah."
"So, I'm gonna help you, big brother. Because, honestly, seeing you like this is just plain weird." Katie smiled, making Kendall do the same.
"So, what do I do?" The older Knight asked, cocking an eyebrow at his sister.
"First, call Logan. Remember that one time we were all at his place and we were tossing around his skates because we were teasing him?"
"Ohhh yeah, we kept calling him 'Lo-quality-gainer'...I don't see how that was original back then." Kendall mused, remembering that day.
"Uh-huh. Do you also remember what happened to Mrs. Mitchell's vase?"
"Oh yeah! We accidentally cracked it with one of the skates, and we all ran out before Logan's mom noticed."
"Exactly."
"I don't—oh! That's where his missing skate is! Behind the cracked vase in the basement!"
"Call him, now!"
"I am, I am!" Kendall quickly dialled the ten digit number and waited for an answer.
"Ugh, I have to be there in ten minutes!" Yet again, Logan's phone rang out throughout the house, causing him yet another injury to the head, "Really?!" and to make a run for his room upstairs, since he had decided to check the main floor. He picked up his phone, but this time checked to see who was interrupting him for a second time. "Kendall, this better be good," he muttered before answering. "What's up?"
"Iknowwhereyourmissingskateis!" Kendall blurted out in one word. A confused look made its way onto Logan's face as he raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, what?" He questioned slowly. Kendall sighed.
"I know where your skate is." He repeated, slower this time. Logan's face brightened, but then he frowned.
"How did you know—"
"Just trust me! Go to your basement." Logan did as told, skipping two steps at a time to get all the way to the basement from the top floor.
"Yeah, and?" Logan pressed for Kendall to continue.
"Go to your bookcase; look at the vase right next to it. It's cracked, right?" Logan nodded to this, but then quickly remembered he was on the phone and mumbled a quick 'yeah'. "Check behind it." Logan did as told without any hesitations, and found his black and white skate, blade facing the wall.
"Hey, it's there! Thanks Kendall, you're a life—wait, how did you know I was looking for it, and how did you know where it was?"
"I...missed a call from Carlos, and so I called him back. He told me he spoke to you, and said you couldn't find your other skate. Katie was...she happened to hear our conversation and she remembered the day we were all in your basement, teasing you about some silly move you had done in the hockey game we played that day." Kendall explained, feeling slightly guilty. Logan did his signature crooked smile and laughed.
"Hey, thanks man."
"Any time."
Katie gave Kendall 'the look', meaning he needed to hang up and do whatever was next on Katie's plan. "Uh, dude, I gotta go. I need to uh..." Katie did a phone call symbol with her hand, "Make another call. See ya."
"Bye, and thanks again!" Logan hung up and shoved his phone in his pocket to avoid any further call-based injuries. He walked upstairs and froze at the sight. "Heheh, better start cleaning up the mess I made..." he mumbled, starting to organize everything as fast as he could.
Kendall rapidly hung up as well and turned to face Katie.
"Now what?" He asked, completely oblivious to what he had to do next. Katie sighed.
"You call Carlos and apologize for being a total turd." She explained, annoyed. Kendall frowned, not sure if he would be able to do that.
"Katie, I—"
"No. Shut up and listen. You're kind of the leader of this group. So, you kind of need to fix the problems that can occur in said group. One of those problems, is that the youngest and most innocent member of this group probably thinks he's hated by one of his best friends in the entire universe, and you're not gonna do anything about it! So call Carlos back, now, and stop being a stubborn jerk!" Katie argued, causing Kendall to cringe. The older of the two sighed in defeat.
"Fine, fine, I'll call him." He dialled the Latino's number and waited for an answer, hoping he hadn't messed up big time.
Carlos was still loathing in self pity on the couch when he heard his phone ring. Not being in the mood to talk to anyone at that moment, he grumbled and turned over, only for the phone to continue ringing.
"This is what I get for not setting up my voicemail..." he muttered, snatching his phone that he had left on the floor. The caller I.D read 'Kendall'. "Don't sink to his level, Carlos..." the boy told himself, not wanting to ignore Kendall, but not wanting to talk to him, either. He answered anyway. "Yeah?" he said tiredly.
"Hey, Carlos."
"...Kendall."
"Uh...so, um...what are you up to?"
"Just thinking about...stuff." Carlos wiped his eyes with his free hand, "Why'd you call?" He didn't mean to sound harsh, but his somewhat did, freaking Kendall out a bit.
"Can't a guy have a...lively...conversation with his buddy? Nice weather we're having, am I right or am I right?" Carlos didn't know what happened next, but he heard a sound on the other line and then he heard Kendall mutter a barely audible 'oww'. "I mean, uh," Kendall sighed, "Listen, man. I'm seriously sorry about before. I have no idea why I said any of that. I guess I was just still a bit ticked at you—at all three of you guys—you just...just called at the wrong time, I guess. And I know, you deserve to be ticked at me too, but you weren't...so, thanks. And I'm really sorry."
Carlos' grin reached his ears upon hearing this. He let Kendall continue.
"I even called Logan and texted James—uh, Logan found his skate. So he wasn't lying, and uh, James is just tired from a rough night. He's coming though, that's for sure."
"Kendall?"
"Yeah?" Kendall replied nervously.
"You're such a," Carlos stopped himself, trying to think of a good word to use, "...retraso." He laughed, knowing himself what the word meant. Kendall on the other hand, had no idea what he said, but decided against asking the younger boy what it meant.
"So, you're still going to the rink?"
"You kidding me? This is the only time we'll ever get it to ourselves!" Carlos said happily.
"Yup. The opportunity of a lifetime." Kendall agreed, laughing a bit.
"Meet you there in ten?"
"Of course."
"Alright, see you then!"
"Bye!"
"Yes! All is forgiven!" Kendall fist pumped the air, excited that everything was back to normal. Katie then proceeded to shove his duffle back to his chest, slap three dollar bills on his arm (making him fumble for the money before it fell) and pointed to the door.
"What're you waiting for? Hop on the next bus and hurry!"
"Oh, right! Bye, Katie!" Kendall ran out the door as quick as he could, but turned on his heel. "Thanks, and have I told you how much I love—"
"Just go!" Katie yelled, making hand motions for him to scurry off.
"Okay, bye!" he shut the door and ran to the nearest bus stop, hoping his mode of transportation would be with him soon.
"What a spaz." Katie muttered to herself, walking upstairs.
"Hello, hockey bag. So we meet again." Carlos said, staring at the black duffle bag on the floor. He picked it up, and walked to the door, snatching his hockey stick on the way. He slipped on his shoes and grabbed his grey and purple striped hoodie from the closet and slipped it on in one move. He checked his watch and nearly shrieked. He had seven minutes to run there! He ripped his keys off the hook at the doorway and slammed the door, locking it as fast as he could, before he ran down the street and to the nearby ice rink. "Challenge accepted." He told himself before running, placing his helmet on his head and tapping it twice.
Logan had finished cleaning his mess in two minutes, and looked at his watch. Less than five minutes to get there! Good thing he lived the closest to the rink. He slipped on his hockey helmet, ran outside, locked the door, and hopped on his bike, duffle bag hanging on one shoulder (it was kind of hard biking with a huge bag). "Hurry, pedal faster, Mitchell!" He told himself, speeding as fast as his legs would let him. He knew it didn't matter if he was late, but for some reason, that day he felt like he needed to be on time.
James yawned as he finished stuffing his supplies in his bag. He threw a handle over his shoulder, letting the other one dangle by his side. He was so tired—being back in Minnesota meant the same old house with the same old heater making the same old noises all night long. He grabbed his hockey stick from the corner of his room and speed-walked down the stairs. His mother was at the door, about to leave.
"Hey, sweetie. You going to the rink?" She asked innocently. James nodded.
"Yeah, I gotta hurry though, or else I'll be late." To this, Mrs. Diamond frowned.
"They never care if you're late—even though I disagree with that—so why the sudden hurry?" She asked her son.
"I don't know, actually. I just feel like today is important, and that I should be there on time." His mother smiled and pulled him into a hug.
"Oh, James, you're becoming more like your mother each day!" James' eyes widened and he pulled away from her.
"Uh, yeah. Where are you going?" He asked, hoping that maybe wherever she was going was close to the rink so that she could drop him off.
"Vanessa's house. Remember her? She gave you that hockey stick last year," Mrs. Diamond replied, nodding toward the item James held. "The ice rink is on the way, if you want I could drop you off." James beamed.
"Yes! Oh, and uh, yeah, I remember her. Thanks mom!" this time, the teen pulled his mother into a hug as she just smiled and admired her son's weird—but nice—behaviour.
"Oh my...God...I can't believe...I made it here...with two minutes...to spare..." Carlos muttered to himself in between breaths, bending down and putting his hands on his knees in attempt to feed himself oxygen.
"Carlos?" The Latino looked up upon hearing his name being called. He saw Logan pulling up toward him on his bike, locking it on a light pole next to them. "Dude, did you run here?" Logan asked with a small giggle, watching Carlos' futile attempt at regulating his breathing.
"Yeah...kinda...it's like...it's like we needed to...to be here on time...or something." Carlos replied, confused and annoyed at the same time. He took in a deep breath and stood up straight, but a bit too fast as he felt a head rush coming on. Logan noticed this and his smile faltered as he grew concerned.
"Maybe you should just sit down for now," Logan suggested, remembering that Carlos had once told them how he had asthma when he was younger, and how it sometimes came back when he least wanted it to. It wasn't serious, though; nothing sitting down for a few minutes wouldn't fix. "I'm assuming Kendall and James aren't here yet?" Logan questioned, kicking a stone on the ground for lack of anything else to do. Carlos just shook his head, taking in another deep breath. Logan sat down next to his friend and started rubbing circles on Carlos' back, trying to help his breathing calm down a bit.
The two sat there for a minute or so before Carlos muttered that he was fine and weakly swatted Logan's hand away from him. The two boys then heard a honk and looked up, seeing Mrs. Diamond waving from her minivan, and watching James jump out of the passenger seat. They quickly said their goodbyes and then the taller of the two walked over to Logan and Carlos.
"Hey guys," James greeted, sitting next to them on the floor. He placed his bag next to him and looked over at the two, "Where's Kendall?"
"Not here yet." Logan replied, shrugging. James then noticed Carlos looking tired and raised an eyebrow.
"What's with him?" James asked. Logan just smiled and shook his head as Carlos replied with an annoyed 'nothing'.
Just then, a bus pulled over at a stop across the street from the rink, and out hopped Kendall, frantically crossing before the crosswalk countdown reached zero. He spotted his friends as they each simultaneously stood up and grabbed their bags, smiling.
"Well, looks like we're all here." Kendall said, spreading out his arms.
"Yup." James and Logan agreed, smiling.
"So, we gonna play hockey or what?" Carlos asked, his mini asthma attack from before completely forgotten.
"Woo!" the other three exclaimed, shoving their sticks in the air. Together, they all walked inside; smiling and joking like they normally did. That is, until Logan noticed a sign right next to the entrance of the indoor rink.
"Guys?" He said, trying to get their attention.
"Yeah?" They replied at the same time.
"Did anyone bring money to get in?"