Hi everyone! I truly hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoy(ed) planning and writing it! It's the longest one I've ever done, and I'm still not finished with it yet :P Anyways, I know I'm far from being the best writer out there, but your reviews and feedback truly would mean the world to me! Anonymous reviews ARE enabled, so seriously, don't be shy! :)

And now, on to Miles Don't Mean Anything :)

1 – Memories - "Spinning like a movie in my head I've seen a thousand times. Lost days, pictures fade. Somehow you're still miles away." – Boys Like Girls (The First One)

The room was dark just like he liked it, with red and blue lights bouncing off the walls and dancing across the faces of strangers and past one night stands, just hoping he'd pick them again.

Kendall was the best they'd ever had.

He made his way through the ultimate underground hotspot, Psych, where the random paparazzi were sure not to follow as he searched for his next late-night-pleasure. The neon lights, the headache inducing music, the sweat, the late nights. That was his life.

Kendall knew his way through every nook and cranny of his favorite, exclusive clubs, but knew his way even more through the girls of his favorite, exclusive clubs. Where he was a sweet, innocent boy to the public eye with his Hollywood-style career, in these clubs he was the hot commodity that every girl so desperately wanted, and if you were good looking enough… got him.

He always observed from the bar first, his tousled blonde hair and piercing green eyes enough to make the hot lady bartenders not card him and even slide him free alcohol when he wanted it. And then he'd stand there scouring the room with an arm casually tossed onto the countertop, hand curled around a glass of his usual, his perfectly sculpted jaw tense until he found the one he wanted.

And he always did.

He smirked and chugged the last of the burning liquid, slamming it to the counter like a pro and moving away to close in on his latest target. Short, blonde, not many clothes to get rid of. Check. The man smirked again just before he reached her and his face melted into a charming smile. It always reeled them in.

"Hi there," he murmured as the song quieted, already moving close to the tiny body.

He could tell she didn't mind, and her dimmed eyes lit up as much as a wasted girl's could when she saw the tall, blonde, and handsome making a move on her. "Hi," she responded giddily, immediately leaning her weight into him and wrapping sloppy arms around his neck.

Well this was easier than usual. Kendall mentally shrugged it off and wrapped a firm arm around the girl's back to lift her up and whisper in her ear, "I take it you're not the exchange names type of girl?" He nipped at her ear and slid his free hand to her ass, staking his claim.

The drunk girl laughed loudly at that, too far gone to care what kind of girl she was. "Lookin' like you do? You can do anything you want to me, boy." She roughly ran a hand across his hair and grinded against him. Kendall had to refrain from rolling his eyes. He realized a little too late how trashy she was. But she would do the trick just fine.

"Then how 'bout we go back to my place, hmmm?" he suggested before leading a trail of messy kisses to the girl's neck. The kind of kisses that belong to people who don't matter to him.

She reared her head back, turned on too early in the game thanks to her state of mind and desperate need to just get laid. "Honey, you can take me to the car and I'll be satisfied," she groaned, growing more desperate by the second.

Kendall instantly set her down and started pulling her by the wrist. "Works for me."

The light thud that hit Jade's foot didn't faze her at first as she frantically rummaged through her closet full of clothes, desperate for a decent outfit to wear to dinner with her cousin. He was on leave from the Marines for just two days, and it was the first time she'd be seeing him in a year. She promised herself she wouldn't be late, as usual, but of course, her planned two hour power nap lasted five hours and she didn't have near as long as she wished to get ready.

Wildly, Jade grabbed at the blouse she wanted to wear as it conveniently slipped off its hanger and put her face to face with what had fallen from the top of her closet.

The hat.

She let out a short breath as she slowly let herself fall into a sitting position, baseball cap in hand. She exasperatedly ran her free fingers through her long, light brown hair, dragging it over her left shoulder as she closed her hazel eyes tight and clutched it to her chest.

Random memories flooded back to her, replaying as if the back of her eyelids were a silver screen, and she felt the water works coming as she remembered the night they'd met. Jade had put this baseball cap away for a reason, and this was it. She had been doing all she could to forget Chad and the way he made her feel, both the good and the bad feelings. Her mind taking over, she felt herself slipping, becoming enwrapped in the precious flashback of the first time she ever saw that hat, the first time she ever met him.

Jade bustled through the gate of her summer job, late for her First Aid certification meeting, of course. She carefully rounded around the huge pool, continuing to make a bee-line for the door in which her co-workers would no doubt be waiting for her. She opened the door with a running start, pausing for a moment as everyone in the room took the liberty to look at her.

Short of breath, Jade took the only open seat she saw, sitting as calmly as she could manage, and pulled her sling purse around to her lap, immediately searching for her phone and putting it on silent. Someone cleared their throat, making the distracted girl realize no one had spoken, and everyone was looking at her expectantly. "Oh." She said. She looked around nervously until her eyes rested on the new face in front of her. "Oh, hi." The soft smile on his face, along with the bright blue eyes, seemed to melt away all of her nerves. "You're new."

"Actually," he smirked. "I'm Chad."

She felt herself blush slightly. "I'm Jade. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Are you two done swooning? I've got a certification to get started." Jade's dirty-looking, pin-straight black-haired manager glared at her, and only her.

Baffled, but not embarrassed to the slightest, Jade shot back. "Sorry I was late, sir. I couldn't leave my grandmother unattended until my cousin got there."

He just scoffed and started talking, which was Jade's cue to not care; she could recite this stuff in her sleep. Her eyes fell on the adorable, short-haired blond who was still watching her again. He was wearing a worn navy blue and white Rangers baseball cap, with a gray, red, and blue baseball shirt. Obviously a baseball fan. She liked him already.

"Okay, Miss "head lifeguard"," Jade snapped her attention away from the blue eyes across from her. "You're partnered with Chad. Show him around, show him the ropes, whatever."

"Will do, cap'n!" she smirked; he hated when she called him that. She saw Chad snicker out of the corner of her eye, and she felt pleased with herself.

"Just go!" his eyebrows furrowed in a distorted, ugly way that Jade hated, but she smiled anyways as she stood up simultaneously with Chad. "Ace, Wes, go check the pool chemicals… and try not to screw anything up!"

Jade giggled, glancing back at her friends/co-workers as they grinned, jumping up and running out a different door than the one she and Chad were exiting. She looked up at her "partner" as he joined her side; he was tall, and looked down at her with a smirk she could get used to.

"So." He said. "Ace already showed me everything.."

"Oh, he did?"

"Yeah, but I uh, thought you could use a break?" His eyebrows furrowed, much, much cuter than their boss's distorted face problem.

"Is that so?" Jade smiled.

"Yeah, dude's a jerk in there. He always treats you like that?"

Jade shrugged. "Pretty much. I don't pay much attention to him. He can't get me fired, so I have my fun with him." Chad just looked at her, confused. "My parents own the place. They know how nasty and annoying he is, they just won't fire him for some reason."

"So you're the owners' kid." There was that smirk again.

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Not anymore."

Jade felt a tear creep down her cheek, but she was smiling. She looked down at the crumpled baseball cap in her hands, Chad's face flooding her mind. She breathed in deep, and slowly breathed out.

"This is absolutely against the rules, Chad!" Jade exclaimed as the boy pulled her down to lie next to him on the floor.

"Oh, who gives a shit about Parker's rules? You never have." Chad smirked, grabbing the remote and turning on the only movie he could find on the premises.

"True…" Jade made herself more comfortable, putting the arm farthest from Chad under her head, leaving the hand next to him open like she always did, in hopes that one day he would hold it. "But he's gonna kill us for this. Where'd you even get a DVD player to hook up in the employee lounge anyways?"

"You'd be surprised the things you can find around here. Actually, you of all people should know that. Step up your game, Thomas!" They both laughed and turned their heads to look at one another, their wide grins fading to content smirks as they just gazed; something they did a lot these days.

Jade bit her lip, wanting something to talk about, and glanced up at his hat; the one he always wore, and the one she just really wanted for whatever reason. "I'm gonna steal that cap one day, just so you know," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh really?" he asked with a smile. "I'll fight you for it."

"Fight me?" She laughed.

"Sure. Maybe wrestle is a better way to put it. If you can get the hat from me, I'll let you have it." Chad sat up.

Jade merely followed his lead. "You're on, man."

She lunged at him and they were soon tangled in a fit of struggles and giggles, rolling around and pinning each other down, forcing limbs in odd directions until one gave up.

He let her win.

With a shake of her head, she left the hat lying on the floor, and stood with her blouse, quickly stripping out of her sweats. She walked over to the mirror, pushed her hair back in a headband, then grabbed her eyeliner, applied it, and was out the door. She managed to be right on time to the restaurant and bustled straight through to the back section where she knew her cousin would be waiting.

"You've been crying." His deep, now official-sounding voice startled her when she came face-to-face, or face-to-chest, with her too tall, blonde haired and brown-eyed cousin.

"No I haven't." she sniffled lightly, and the look on John's scruffy face told her he wasn't buying it. "Listen! How about a 'Hey Jade! It's been so long! I've missed you so much!' before you go questioning me."

She mustered a smile, and he chuckled, pulling her into a bear hug. "Hey Jade! It's been so long! I've missed you so much!" he mocked. Jade playfully nudged his hard stomach and they took a seat across from each other. "Man, I've missed this place." John looked around with a content expression.

"John, it's just Casa Ole…"

"Yes, well they don't have a place this run-down and homey in California!" They laughed, but when silence fell upon them, John became curious again. "So why were you crying? Chad? I sure hope not."

Jade looked down at her lap, playing with her shorts. "I've been doing well enough, but… I don't know. His Rangers cap fell out of my closet and I just lost it." She shook her head. "It's been two and a half months since he left… Did you really think I'd be over him moving to New York by now?"

"Well if I were you, I would just say screw it, and move on. He's an ass for kissing you finally, then breaking the news to you."

Jade pursed her lips. "You're a guy. It's easier for you."

His expression softening, John looked at his little cousin with concern. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up like that." He sighed. "You're right. I am a guy, and that was insensitive of me." He stared at her, but she was already lost too deep in her thoughts.

"It's almost midnight." Chad stood gazing down at Jade in her spot on the tanning chair as people passed, unnoticed by the two, all around them.

"It is." She nodded. Jade wasn't much of a party-goer. If Chad hadn't invited her to this particular one, she would've been spending New Years Eve on her couch, watching a movie.

"It will make a year and a half that we've known each other."

A small smile lit her face. "It will." A year and a half of tension. She shook her head slightly.

"You got room for me on there?"

"But of course." She smiled as he took a seat at the head of the chair, a leg on either side, and leaned against the raised seat. Jade turned her body to face his, sitting "indian-style" and scooting close to him. He looked at the sky, fireworks appearing in different areas every now and then, as his fingers doodled on Jade's leg. "You're not having fun," she observed.

"Of course I am." She shook her head in disagreement, and he looked at her with raised eyebrows. "I'm with you."

She felt heat rush to her cheeks and he sat up, scooting closer.

Desperate to distract herself from how close he now was, she listened to her background. Suddenly, she laughed. "Who would play Big Time Rush at a high school/college New Years party?" She jokingly began to dance in place to the song, Any Kind of Guy as it blared through the speakers of the party.

"Let's just say I know how much of a guilty pleasure they are for you, so I might of put a word in.." Chad was laughing, more than amused at Jade.

"You're amazing." Jade met his eyes. "You know that?"

"Mmm, I might." He smirked. "I did buy you your concert ticket to see them in April."

"Ah, my ticket. So I guess the story is still that I'm kidnapping you and bringing you to Dallas with me?"

Chad nodded approvingly, but seemed slightly uneasy. "That's right-"

"TEN…NINE…" Jade and Chad stared at each other silently as the sudden countdown to midnight continued. "FIVE…FOUR…" Chad opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, then closed it again. All Jade wanted was their kiss. It had almost happened so many times. "TWO…ONE…"

Chad leaned forward and pressed his lips earnestly against Jade's for the first time. Cheers and "Happy new years!" erupted around them, fireworks exploded in the sky above them, but they were in their own world. It was all about them and the way he ran his fingers through her hair now.

Jade pulled back slightly, only to be followed and met again by Chad's lips. When they were finally somewhat satisfied, they were both breathless.

Jade's face lit up with a smile. "I've been waiting for you to do that for so long," she murmured, caressing the boy's face before planting a more intense kiss to his lips.

And even though Chad looked utterly elated, and even grabbed her head to attach their mouths yet again, the next look on his face made her uneasy. "I-Is something wrong?" she asked uncertainly, immediately thinking it was something she had done. Those had been her first kisses, after all. She could've sucked.

All of her thoughts were put to a screeching halt when Chad stared at her with sad eyes and said, "I-I'm moving to New York."

"Sometimes I regret just walking away from him, and never saying goodbye.." Jade murmured, finally. "Other times I think it's for the best."

"It wasfor the best, Jade." John nodded. "Putting him out of your mind, and life, is the best option, I promise."

"It's just days like today when these memories haunt me… I question myself, and him."

"I know, and things always get worse before they get better, but Jade, they doget better."

She sighed. "I sure hope you're right."

"Hurry up, Jade! Are you serious?!" Leslie flicked her short blonde hair away from her face, jokingly grunting angrily.

"Calm down, Les, I'm coming!" Jade laughed softly at her best friend. She had been the one who forced Leslie to be at her house early to make sure they didn't leave for Dallas after the scheduled time, and of course, it wasn't Leslie that was late, but Jade.

It had been almost two months since Jade's dinner with John, and things for her weren't exactly better, but they weren't worse either. She had adopted a new attitude. Granted, she was having trouble sticking to it, but she was trying. She kept telling herself that she would find someone better than Chad. Someone who wouldn't kiss her and leave. Someone just as good, but better.

Someone like Chad.

She sighed. She slipped every now and then… every day, but life was getting easier, which was all that mattered to her. Jade smirked. She even pointed out a cute boy to Leslie the day before, which was a step forward in itself.

She stepped out of her bathroom, dressed in a floral tank, gray vest, blue jean shorts, and strappy sandals. "So, how do I look?" She spun for her best friend.

Leslie whistled. "Very Texas-y, and very cute." She nodded approvingly.

"Cute?" Jade grimaced.

"Hey! I only say cute 'cause you're too innocent for the term sexy to be used on. It's you, Jade. They're gonna love you."

"They're not even going to notice me, but thanks." Jade rolled her eyes and smiled just as her phone pinged in her pocket.

"Oh, and I bet that's totally not Carlos mentioning you on Twitter, either." Sarcasm seeped through Leslie's words as she sassily placed her hands on her hips.

Jade looked at her phone, her grin growing. It was Carlos. He had seen her update about getting ready for Dallas, and he had replied, "Hey whattaya know! Me too! ;) I hope I see you there!"

Carlos was one of the four members of the new flourishing American boyband, Big Time Rush. He was an adorable, tiny Latino with short, dark hair, eyes to match, and had the sweetest personality one could imagine. It was hard to not have that one as your favorite. But the others were all incredible too. There was James, the very example of tall, dark, and handsome, with light brown hair topping the ultimate surfer body. His dry sense of humor either made you love him, or hate him, but he was still sweet as could be. Then you had Kendall, a complete goof, but adorable with his never-neat blonde hair, pale emerald eyes, and dorky, yet mysterious personality. And then Logan, a fellow Texan with brown hair and brown eyes, and definitely the biggest daredevil of the group. His personality could always light up a dark room. But Carlos had been Jade's favorite from the minute she saw him in an interview, and James was Leslie's favorite.

The band's show, and some of their music, was geared towards a younger audience, like ages 5-14, but Jade and Leslie didn't care. They weren't the only older girls in the world who liked this "kid" band, and it didn't matter anyways; the guys were older themselves, extremely talented, and it didn't hurt that they were good-looking.

"Yep. Carlos." Leslie laughed. "I can believe that out of the thousands of people that follow him on that site, you were one of the lucky few he picked to follow. It's you we're talking about here." Jade rolled her eyes again. "But it's actually really hard to believe he actually pays attention to his timeline and replies to stuff you say! And only you! Everyone else has to say something to him first."

Jade shrugged slowly, the expression on her face showing that she was elated by the thought, but didn't really know how to reply. "It's not like he's really going to recognize me though if I get close enough."

"Are you kidding?" Leslie grabbed her purse and keys and started heading for the door. "He's probably stared at your picture for hours, memorizing every detail of your face." She turned around to smirk at her friend, and then lead the way outside to her car.

"Oh yeah, Les. That's sounds completely realistic!"

"What can I say? Carlos Pena has the hots for you, Jade!" They piled into Leslie's car, settled, and she quickly pulled out of the driveway, putting them on their way to Dallas, and on their way to see Big Time Rush in concert.

"Whatever. How can you have the hots for someone you haven't even met?"

"Oh, dear friend of mine! You have so much to learn!" Leslie exclaimed dramatically, causing Jade to roll her eyes. "But moving on!" Leslie continued. "What if Carlos made a move on you?"

Jade frowned. "I heard he's seeing someone."

"Who?!"

"I don't remember her name. I think it started with an S or something. Doesn't matter. Besides, maybe I should pick a different guy; I think Carlos is shorter than me!" Jade giggled at the thought. She was only a couple of inches shy of six feet, and she had never liked the idea of dating a guy shorter than her.

"Oh, what about Kendall? 'Cause you can't have James. Sorry." Leslie smirked, obviously immersing herself in some fantasy about the muscular man.

"I think Kendall's a little too mysterious for me. Like, why doesn't he ever date anyone? Every time I've seen him be asked about it, he's like Oh I haven't had a girlfriend since I was like twelve. I don't know. What kind of answer is that? He's basically flawless, I'm sure he could find a girlfriend."

"So is that a no?" Leslie asked uncertainly. She hadn't expected a rant about the blonde boy.

Jade laughed. "Yeah, I think Kendall's a no.

"How much you wanna bet that van contains four very sexy men that we're here to see?" Leslie murmured to her friend.

Jade laughed. "I don't know…" She gazed in the direction of the aforementioned van curiously. "Maybe.."

"Oh, it's totally them," Leslie nodded.

"What makes you say that?"

"…..All the frantic 12 year olds running in that direction?"

"Right…" Jade snickered, but averted her attention to Leslie; an expression of pain had crossed her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah totally. My stomach just started hurting really badly out of nowhere," she murmured, clutching herself as if trying to ease the pain.

"Here, let's sit down, Les." Jade helped her friend over to a nearby bench and took a seat. She gazed at her surroundings, taking things in. They had sat next to a ride named The Scrambler. And there were carnival booths and more rides everywhere. She had never been to a fair this big. There was something truly wonderful about it. She could feel it. "Where's your medicine? The show starts in 30 minutes."

"I couldn't bring any medicine in, remember?" Leslie grimaced, doubling over.

Jade put an uneasy hand on her back, unsure of what to do. "Les-"

"Is everything okay?" Jade looked up to see a man, maybe two or three years older than her, with long, dark hair and glasses. He had just gotten off the Scrambler.

"Uh, not really," Jade responded. "My friend couldn't bring her medicine in and now she really needs it."

The man looked concerned. "Is it bad?" He squatted down in front of Leslie, trying to get level with her face.

She nodded. "This pain will last for hours if I don't get that medicine in me."

"Come on. I'll take you to get it."

Jade started. "Ummm…"

The man smiled as he helped Leslie up. "I'm not going to kidnap her, I promise. I can get her back past security." He put her arm around his shoulder for support. "I'm Dustin, Big Time Rush's guitarist." He lifted a pass hooked to his belt loop. Sure enough.

"Wow I feel really bad for not realizing who you are. I'm so sorry." Jade laughed. Dustin shrugged. "But Leslie…"

Leslie attempted a smile. "It's okay, Jade. You go on to the show. I'll be there in a bit."

"But-"

"Go, Jade!" Leslie drew up as much firmness as she could in her state. "I will not be the reason you are not front row and having the time of your life. You need this. So go."

Jade grimaced as Dustin helped Leslie hobble away. That had been Leslie's small way of saying "Forget Chad." She sighed as she walked towards the building. Now Chad was back in her head.

She was determined to get through this. This was going to be the night of her life.

She was mere feet away from the stage.

The barricade came up to her mid-stomach, and her heart's pace picked up speed as the music started, adrenaline rushing through her veins at the idea of dancing the night away. She closed her eyes and breathed in deep, trying to contain some of her excitement, and trying not to be disappointed that she was alone.

"What's up Texas?!" The murmur of the crowd around her immediately erupted into cheers and screams and Jade laughed at the commotion around her as she opened her eyes and saw the four boys she was there for walk onto the stage with smiles on their attractive faces.

They lined up behind their microphones that were already placed, and Jade was pleased to see Carlos directly in front of her. She smiled when he looked down, gasped, grinning, and mouthed 'I know you!' pointing to her with a charming smile and wink following. Jade laughed. Oh, Twitter.

Carlos quickly ran to the edge of the stage and bumped fists with Jade, earning her a glance from the other three boys as they prepared to sing, and jealous glares from the girls around her. Jade giggled, shaking her head. She had that soft spot for the tiny Latino, and couldn't deny how adorable he was being. But then her attention couldn't help but be drawn away when she noticed a certain blonde staring at her, but when she looked, he turned his head. Hm.

She shrugged it off as soon as James started singing There were so many things that I never, ever got to say… Jade swayed her whole body side to side, smiling and singing along. She found herself laughing heartily when Carlos started belting If you could read my mind... as he kept winking and making faces at her, also not failing to enthusiastically join her as she started waving her hand to the beat above her head, eventually getting the whole crowd in on it.

Sadly though for Jade, when the boys finished Stuck and apologized for starting slow, they began an upbeat, choreographed song, that involved them switching places twice in it. So the first time, when Carlos switched with Logan, Jade felt a bit lonely. Not to mention the upbeat song was Any Kind of Guy, the song that had been playing when Jade and Chad had kissed on New Years.

Regardless, she enjoyed herself greatly, still kind of floating from Carlos' enthusiasm towards her. But even so, she didn't feel there was much of a "relationship" vibe between them. She pushed the thought away. It can't always be like the movies, right?

She sang her heart out, dancing shamelessly, as the song got to the second verse, and on the first line, the boys switched again, now putting Kendall in front of her as he joined Carlos in singing Changing my point of view, and letting Carlos finish his line. Anything to get next to you. And when Kendall picked up again with I gotta keep on believing that everything takes time...he looked down at Jade, meeting her bright hazel eyes, and she sang to him, not phased anymore by the contact she was making with these celebrities. She smiled at him, and he grinned back, holding eye contact as they sang to each other.

Jade finally looked away as she felt the beat crawling under her skin; she had missed this feeling. A feeling of freedom, elation. But she felt a hard stare beating down on her. Her skin tingled with an unknown feeling when she met Kendall's eyes again at the end of the song, seemingly unable to resist looking at him at least once more.

"Alright, this next one," Kendall gazed into the crowd for just a few moments, but as he said his next few words, Jade saw his eyes fall back on her. "It's new…ish. And I'm actually kind of holding it close to my heart right at this moment…" He smirked.

Many didn't fail to see the other three cast a confused glance at Kendall as they grabbed their mic stands and moved them to the side of the stage. Carlos quickly and enthusiastically waved as he passed Jade, hurrying to his position. Jade shook her head with a laugh, figuring he must've been pretty proud that he remembered her. And then the song started, and Jade felt a jolt in her stomach, still thinking in the back of her mind about Kendall's last words, pairing it with the lyrics he was about to start singing.

And sure enough, when the intro finished, from behind, Kendall broke through his bandmates, walked to the edge of the stage, moving with the rhythm, and ended up a mere two feet from Jade's face, singing Have you ever had the feeling you're drawn to someone? And it isn't anything they could've said or done? He made a motion like he was going to lift and caress her chin, but abruptly stopped and stood with a smirk, joining the boys' formation. And every day I see you on your own. And I can't believe that you're alone. But I overheard your girls and this is what they said.

Jade, hardly even realizing it, from that moment on only had eyes for Kendall. She could feel the jealous glares around her but she didn't care one bit. What was Kendall's deal? Did he do this to girls often? Better yet, why was she suddenly so drawn to him? She sang along, more into the music than ever, and noticed how into the dance Kendall had become, still stealing glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

The concert progressed similarly, with Kendall making eyes and flaunting himself right in front of her, and she had to admit… she wasn't complaining. He had drawn her in, for lack of a better phrase, and drawn her in hard. Full-on band boy crush in a matter of twenty minutes. She had liked Carlos for almost a year, and it took Kendall twenty minutes to "convert" her.

But this was different, and deep down Jade knew that, but as usual, no matter how obvious a guy was, Jade automatically denied the thought of him having feelings for her. Plus, Kendall didn't even know her; he was probably just in a flirty mood… right? But her own words came floating back to her as she danced, mocking her. How can you have the hots for someone you haven't even met?

The guys met up on the side of the stage for a quick water break when they had one song left. Kendall couldn't remember the last time he had felt like this; overly-flirtatious, adventurous… innocent.He took a sip from his water bottle and suddenly realized his best friends were all staring at him, bewildered. James' eyes were narrow as he unscrewed the cap to his water, Logan quirked an eyebrow, swallowing a quick swig of the beverage, and Carlos just stared at him, not even picking up a drink.

"….What?" Kendall shrugged, already knowing where this was going.

"You're like, eye-raping that chick on the front row!" James raised a hand awkwardly in question.

"Am not!"

"Ya kind of are," Logan threw in, eyebrow still raised.

"You don't even know her." Carlos said, taking a few steps to slowly pick up a bottle of water.

"What about you?" Kendall pointed at his latino friend.

"I follow her on Twitter." Carlos replied in a "matter-of-fact" tone. "I usually see her on my timeline. She's cool, and not your type."

Kendall reared his head back in confusion. "I have a type?" Carlos shrugged. "No, go ahead Carlos, say what you need to say."

James and Logan looked at each other, wondering whether or not they should stop this before it gets out of hand.

"Fine. You dohave a type." Carlos' tone was faintly smug, to match the expression on his face, but even so, the next word slipped out on accident. "Skank."

Kendall rebutted immediately. "Skank? Seriously dude? Skankis my type?"

"Um, Janet?" Carlos glanced at Logan and James, whose mouths were in the shape of tiny 'o's, silently agreeing with him. "She could've been a hooker. In fact, she probably was."

"Whatever." Kendall said through clenched teeth.

"Oh I'm not done." Carlos shook his head. "Amy. Maggie. Steph. Angel-thatwas a misleading name-Sammy-"

"Carlos I get it!" Kendall was purely angry now. "Maybe this is different."

Suddenly Dustin broke the tension when he ran backstage. "Guys!" he said. "You know you dohave to finish the show, right?"

"Oh shit." James and Logan took off to the stage, while Carlos and Kendall stood statue-like, glaring at each other. They heard their friends apologize to the crowd.

Carlos broke the silence. "You better not be messing with her head." He walked off, breaking into a run right before he hit the stage. "Sorry about the wait, Dallas! We were experiencing some difficulties!"

Kendall sighed, still not on stage yet. He took a deep breath, feeling an anxiety attack coming on.

Before he was truly ready, he stepped on the stage and blew a kiss to the crowd before he grabbed a microphone. He looked down at the girl he'd been flirting with all night, and was slightly warmed at the expression of genuine concern on her face, as if she had seen right through everything the other three had said about their delay. She gave him a small, reassuring smile, and he didn't know why, but he felt a little better.

He held his mic to his mouth to say, "This next song.." and Logan finished, "..is for all you out there… who want to be famous." Logan smiled as the crowd went ballistic, and Kendall mentally grunted at the script they used at every concert, but before he could complain to himself anymore, it was time for him to start the first verse.

He did his best to lose himself in the music, and couldn't help but to steal at least a couple of glances at the girl in the front row. And by the end of the song, Kendall was in the middle of devising a plan to talk to this girl he'd taken a strange interest in, but his anger rushed back when Carlos gave him a stern "no" look. So as soon as they said their proper goodbyes to the crowd, Kendall stormed off stage and went straight for the dressing room.

He slammed the door, aggressively yanking his wires off of his body. He wasn't even sure why he was this mad; a part of him knew Carlos was right. But Kendall wasn't just messing with front-row-girl's head; he was genuinely drawn to her for reasons he couldn'tfigure out. And the fact that his best friends would think he'd stoop as low as to mess with a girl's head just for the hell of it, in this kind of situation, cut him kind of deep. Sure technically he screwed with his one-night-stands' heads, but they were always consumed by alcohol and basically asking for it. He wasn't completely heartless; he wasn't cruel to people in the real world.

He stripped off his shirt, looking for another one to wear, then stalked into the restroom. He stood, hands clasping the sink, looking at himself in the mirror. Why am I acting like this? He shook his head, hard, as if that would clear it. A girl he hadn't even met, and who, like Carlos pointed out, wasn't anything like the girls he usually ended up with. Something's wrong with me.He shook his head again, then splashed some water on his face, making him feel slightly better.

The blonde walked back into his dressing room, running his fingers through his hair as he plopped down on the couch, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back, drifting away..