Here it is, the story I've been dying to publish since I finished They Won't Understand! Hi guys, BrittSmiles4BTR here and I am so excited to show you my latest story!

However, before I get into it, I just have something to tell you.

This story is dedicated to Anonymous Skrtle, ButterYUM, BigTimeRush-BTR and winterschild11! When I was new to all this, they basically took me under their wings and guided me through everything! They would give me pointers and advice and help me when I was uncertain of myself. They had complete faith in me, even when I was doubting myself. And they still are to this day! Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)

The ideas have been stuck in my brain for ages until I just had to write them down. So I give you, Chapter One! Enjoy!

Chapter One

Not Cutting It

Carlos was struggling.

Mr. X had oh-so graciously agreed to help choreograph for the concerts. He was in the middle of teaching them the new dance steps for If I Ruled the World. Well, it was more like trying. It was kind of hard to teach a dance when you keep having to go back and explain things. Carlos just wasn't picking up the way he was supposed to.

Dancing normally came relatively easy to him; finding the rhythm to songs and putting his all into everything he tried was just something that came naturally to him. But for whatever the reason, today it just wasn't sticking. He couldn't stop tripping over everyone else's feet,- let alone his own- he kept turning into walls and other people, and he was just plain clumsier than everyone else.

The eyes were beginning to bore into the side of his head; he didn't even have to look to know that James, Kendall and Logan were starting to stare. If it weren't already obvious everyone- especially Carlos- was starting to feel a little bit concerned.

He wanted to tell his friends not to worry and that everything was fine, but he knew better than to believe that. Unfortunately, he wasn't just messing up the dances; he'd been messing up left and right. He screwed up his solo part- his only solo part- during Superstar not once but, six times! Not only that, but Gustavo had scolded him on multiple occasions for singing too flat or off-key or just plain too cheery!

The poor boy was being extra hard on himself, reprimanding himself even more than he normally did. His confidence was really starting to be affected.

But alas, this slump that Carlos seemed to have slipped into couldn't have started at a worse time. They were only choreographing for the biggest concerts of their lives; the kickstart to their second tour. So the truth was, Carlos simply didn't have the time to be screwing up. With the new tour only a week away, and the fact that they were leaving for their first destination in one week, Gustavo wanted sharper moves and stronger voices; Gustavo was striving for perfection. The last thing any of them needed was Carlos messing up.

Carlos didn't know if it was just the pressure of having a concert, or just the pressures of Hollywood in general. He knew for certain that he wasn't sick, so he couldn't even blame it on an oncoming cold of some sorts. Maybe the long hours at the studio and school were starting to take their toll on the poor boy. He wasn't even sure himself; what he did know was that if he didn't snap himself out of it soon, they were going to have some problems come said concert.

Down Right. Down Left- or is it Down Left, Down Right? Carlos groaned, running his fingers through his short, spiky hair. What is wrong with me, today?

Carlos took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself. Calm down, Carlos; let's just try this again. For the first time that day, Carlos was nailing it... up until he got to the part where he had to step out. He accidentally went to step out the other way and crashed right into to Kendall, knocking the taller boy clear off his feet.

"Ow!" Kendall groaned from his awkward position on the floor. He flipped the hair had fallen in front of his eyes out of his eyes and scowled at Carlos; who was looking quite sheepish. "Carlos!"

"Sorry, Kendall." he mumbled, holding out his hand for the fallen boy to take.

Kendall accepted the outstretched hand without thinking twice, allowing himself to be hoisted back to his feet. "Thanks!" Kendall smiled down at him, brushing the dirt from his shoulders.

"From the top!" Mr. X exclaimed, starting the track over and hitting the play over. "Five, six, seven, eight!" Carlos didn't fail to mess up the dance again, this time smacking Logan in the face when they were waving. Mr. X quickly stopped the music again before he could do any further damage. "Carlos! That was X-cruciating!" Mr. X proclaimed, crossing his arms in the shape of an 'X'. Then he stormed out, muttering a string of curse words that started with 'x'.

Carlos groaned; not only had he managed to drive off their choreographer, but he now his horrible dancing was getting people hurt. Carlos didn't know how much of this he could take, and he was one hundred percent certain that he wouldn't have been able to take Gustavo screaming at him. He quickly excused himself to the break room before anyone could have the chance.

Once he was there, he closed the door behind him, plopped down on the couch and put his head in his hands. He quickly became lost in his own world of thought. Carlos couldn't understand what was happening to him; he was totally making a mess out of everything; if things continued on like they were, he feared that the boys would replace him; or at least Gustavo would. If Griffin could see how badly he was performing, he would have been fired in a heartbeat.

His thoughts were interrupted when a gentle hand touched his shoulder. He peeked through his fingers and nearly melted at the sight of his three best friends; he didn't even hear them come in! He honestly couldn't believe that they were willingly coming near him; as far as Carlos was concerned, he was a jinx, and they should have been infuriated with him.

Carlos sighed. "Not now, guys." he mumbled, closing his fingers and his eyes. He knew what was coming; they were getting ready to interrogate him, get to the bottom of what was going on.

Logan let out a sigh of his own, holding out a water bottle to his distressed friend. "Here," Carlos looked up again, having not seen what Logan was offering with his hands covering his eyes. He slowly accepted it, but didn't dare to drink it; he just held it in his hands.

"Thanks."

Logan exchanged looks with the taller boys before sitting down beside Carlos. He quickly draped an arm around Carlos' shoulders when he refused to meet his eyes. "Come on, buddy. You got to keep hydrated."

Carlos looked up, noticing that Logan was going into his doctor mode. Did he really look dehydrated to them? When he thought about it, he noticed that he hadn't had a single drink of water all day. Ok, maybe a sip, he thought; he wouldn't be any good to anyone passed out. Carlos thought as he unscrewed the lid, guzzling down a few sips. He sighed as the nice cool water hit his throat. "A-Am I in trouble?" Carlos asked as the water replenished his body.

Logan looked puzzled. "No. Of course not, buddy! Why would you think that?"

Carlos almost deadpanned. "Are you kidding? I've been messing up everything! There hasn't been a single thing that we've done that I didn't mess up! I screwed up my own solo, then I messed up the whole dance, I made Mr. X quit, and-?"

Logan cut him off, shaking him wildly to stop Carlos in his rant. He continued when he was positive Carlos was listening. "Carlos, buddy, those are just mistakes!" Carlos didn't even notice that he was crying until he felt Logan's hand disappearing from his shoulder and thumbing the moist area of his face. "Everybody makes mistakes sometimes! I mean, have you seen my dancing? If anyone is messing up, it's me; I can't dance to save my life!"

Kendall nodded in agreement. "Me neither!"

Carlos blushed; he knew that his friends were only saying that to make him feel better because they were all pretty good dancers. But he didn't care; he was just happy that they weren't mad at him.

"And you're not the only one who messed up a solo! Remember when we were singing I Won't Give Up the other day?" James added in, smiling at the memory of his own blunder. Seeing James smile and knowing that he wasn't still beating himself up made Carlos feel a little better.

A tiny, ghost of a smile appeared on his face, and he tried his hardest to suppress it, but he couldn't help it. Logan nudged him playfully. "Yeah, you do remember it!" Logan chuckled, prodding their youngest brother in the stomach in hopes to get him to laugh- which it did. "So don't sweat it; it's not the end of the world that you're messing up because everyone is!"

James pulled his mirror, comically out of nowhere. "James and I totally agree!" Carlos laughed wholeheartedly; he couldn't help it, James was acting so silly!

"Everyone has off days, buddy! But we still love you; you could be the worst dancer, singer in the world and we wouldn't love you any less!" Kendall grinned, his voice sounding certain and sincere.

Carlos beamed, tears pricking in his eyes as he stared back at his friends. He was truly touched by just how much they cared; he was almost feeling that this was the perfect opportune moment for a hug, or a high-five. As if on cue, Kendall and James wrapped their arms around them, embracing the smaller boys in a much needed group hug.

Carlos buried his head in the shoulder closest to his, smiling as the tears rolled down his face and soaking the soft fabric against his cheek. "Thanks guys!" Carlos knew for a fact that he couldn't have asked for better friends.

And for a brief second, the world was right again...

Just as the warmth was returning back to his chest, he felt the ground beneath him shake beneath his feet and before they could react Gustavo burst through the door, Kelly following closely behind.

They each retracted from the hug as Gustavo started to yell. "Dogs! In one week, we will be on a plane to London! We have our going away concert in five days! We will not have time to be going over dances that we should have had down months ago! Get get your acts together and get this right or I will destroy all of you!"

Carlos hung his head, the feeling of sadness ebbing it's way back into his heart. He knew that the majority of the rant was directed at him.

"And you!" Gustavo continued darkly. "That was the worst dancing I've ever seen in my life!" Carlos felt indignant, extending his lower lip in a pout; he knew he wasn't dancing his best, but he didn't think he deserved to be tormented for it. "Aw, but don't feel too bad..." Gustavo continued in a cruel voice, feigning kindness. Carlos' expression brightened as he stared up at the man with a hopeful expression. "Lots of people don't have talent."

Carlos' face dropped, his eyebrows furrowing in sadness as his eyes met the ground again. This time, Kelly nudged him in the back. "Gustavo!" She muttered in a warning tone, but he still didn't stop.

"In fact, you should go reunite with them; they're all back in Minnesota where I should have left you!"

The words stung like a bee's sting in Carlos' flesh and even though the boy was allergic to bees, at that moment, he would have much rather had a bee sting than to listen to the harsh words being thrown at him. Carlos hoped more than anything that he was having a bad dream, but he knew that it wasn't. Logan noticed Carlos stiffen beside him and instinctively wrapped an arm around his younger friend's shoulders, rubbing his bicep in what he hoped was a reassuring gesture. "Gustavo, lay off him! He's trying his best!"

Gustavo pretended to be surprised. "Oh, I didn't notice! I was too busy watching him screw up everything!"

In Carlos' own mind, Gustavo's voice began to fade. He was trying his hardest to block out any sound, even though he knew that Gustavo was probably still insulting him. Gustavo's booming voice became nothing more than a big roaring in his ear, which he was grateful for- at least then, he'd be able to hear himself think.

As he continued to cower behind Logan, he couldn't help but realize that everything Gustavo was saying was true to a certain extent. He was the only messing up the dances and solos. He was the screw up of the group. If the world tour were to end in disaster, he would have no one to blame but himself. Every group had a screw up; he was just too busy having fun to realize it.

Who am I trying to kid? Did I really think I could pull this off? Am I really that stupid?

"And furthermore-?"

"You know what?" Carlos had zoned back in just in time to cut Gustavo of mid rant. Everyone's eyes were on him, all though most of them were wide due to his sudden outburst. He looked around the room, signing deeply as he placed his hands on his knees. "I'm done." He could barely believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. He did't even know what he was thinking when he said them; they just slipped out of his mouth before he could catch them. He knew there was no taking them back. "I'm going home." He shrugged Logan's hands off him, and heaved himself from the couch and on his feet. He stalked out of the break room without another word, ignoring them when they called after him, begging him to stop. He didn't stop, though; he didn't plan on doing so any time soon.

"Good, maybe tomorrow you can come back with some talent!" He heard Gustavo add snidely from the door. Carlos shook it off; Gustavo wasn't worth it.

He took off in a sprint when he heard footsteps followed after him.

He didn't want to talk to anyone, or hear what anyone else had to say at the moment. He swiped a hand across his face when the tears stung in his eyes. He wasn't going to cry over this. He shoved the door open and hopped down the stairs, heading right for home.

"Carlos!" Kelly yelled, hurrying down the steps after him. "Come back; you know he didn't mean it! He's just stressed out about the concert and he takes it on you guys!"

Carlos didn't dare to turn around, he just kept walking while Kelly was struggling to keep up. "No, he's finally realizing that I'm nothing but a screw up!"

"Carlos, don't say that about yourself!"

"Why not? Everyone already thinks so! I can't sing, I can't dance- I can't even make a cup of coffee without flooding a room!" Kelly grimaced sympathetically; she didn't even know that Carlos was still beating himself up over that, after all it was an honest mistake.

"Carlos..." Kelly trailed off, unable to find the right words to say.

"Just forget it, alright?" Carlos muttered, and started walking back to the Palmwoods. He didn't exactly know what he was going to do when he got there, but he did know that he couldn't take the pain anymore. He thought really hard about what he should do. Should he pack up his things and go home, or try again tomorrow and risk screwing up even w ores tomorrow? He wasn't sure how long his friends would continue to tolerate him; and with practices like that, it was only a matter of time before they would kick him out of the band!

He was sick of holding everyone back...

Well, what do you think? Yeah, I know, it's kind of sad, but I wanted to write it! Where do you think Carlos is going? Review and/or PM me! Let me know what you think is going to happen next and what you thought of the story!

That's all for now, until next time remember:

Peace, Love and Happiness!

-BrittSmiles4BTR!