Chapter 1- The Refusal
"What do you call a toothless bear?" asked Carlos as he grinned at Kendall and Jo, who were sitting by the edge of the Palmwoods pool along with James, Logan and Camille.
"A toothless bear." Kendall guessed.
"Jo?"
Jo shrugged.
"Anybody?" asked Carlos as he glanced at James, Logan and Camille. They shrugged.
"Guys, it's obvious… It's a gummy bear." Carlos has a cute, yet annoyed expression on his face.
They all laughed.
"I know, it funny right?"
"No, Carlitos. The expression on your face was funny." said Kendall as he bent his neck to sip the pink smoothie, while the rest nodded in agreement.
It was a bright summer day in LA. The boys were back from work from Rocque records and were chilling out at the pool.
"Ooh, the Jennifers!" exclaimed Carlos as he spotted the most fashionable and pretty girls at the Palmwoods. They walked with an air of confidence and pride, with their noses up in the air. He scurried over to them with the speed of light.
"Well, one thing's for sure. Carlos is never giving up on the Jennifers." said Logan as he stared after Carlos who was relentlessly chasing the Jennifers, as they attempted to have him stop following them. The Jennifers and Carlos moved past them and into the lobby. James stared after Carlos and the Jennifers.
"Guys, is it just me or do the Jennifers get hotter day after day?" James asked.
No reply.
"Guys?"
He turned around and caught Kendall deeply staring into Jo's eyes as she spoke to him in a soft voice, while Camille passionately smooched Logan like they had no other care in the world.
Then he turned back and looked at Carlos, who was trying to woo the Jennifers. He felt a pang of deplorability. James glanced at each of his friends again and realized that he was the only single one in the group. Well, Carlos doesn't exactly have a girlfriend. But, at least he has something close to a relationship with the Jennifers.
James frowned, he was 'The Face' of Big Time Rush, and he never saw himself in position like this. The only single guy in the group.
"James?" Kendall looked at him, "You were saying something?"
"I wasn't saying anything. I was asking you something." James said accusingly.
"Okay. What were you asking me?" asked Kendall.
"Forget it." James said in a low voice.
Kendall shrugged and continued looking into Jo's voice, as if nothing ever happened.
"I'm going to head back to the crib…" James said, standing up.
Logan nodded and waved, he couldn't speak; Camille wasn't ready to end the kiss, yet.
James pouted as he entered the elevator, but he knew what he had to do. I seriously need to get a girlfriend.
Ping! The elevator opened, James stepped out and had his swag on. He stood in front of 4B and pushed the doorbell button. He smoothened his hair. The door opened, and Lucy Stone looked at James with a raised eyebrow. James flashed her charming, flirtatious grin.
"Yes, James?" asked Lucy, with a bored expression on her face.
James flashed a smile and stared into his reflection in the mirror.
"Hi, James." James said to his reflection in a seductive voice.
"Hi, James." the reflection said back.
"Who's the most fine-looking person you know?" James asked.
"You are." James the Reflection said with pride.
"I don't need a girlfriend to prove anything, do I?" James asked, demandingly.
"No, you don't." James' reflection agreed, flashing a blinding smile.
"'Cuz I'm amazing just the way I am." crooned James in the same tune as Bruno Mars' Just The Way You Are.
"Absolutely." agreed James' reflection.
"I don't need anybody in my life; I'm good on my own." James said.
"No, you're not, sweetie." Mrs. Knight said as she gathered the clothes around the house to put them into the laundry basket she held. Unfortunately, James hadn't heard her enter. "Nobody's ever good on their own."
"Well, I'm James Diamond and I don't need anybody. James and I agree." James looked back at his reflection and gave himself another dazzling smile.
"James, what is this all about?" Mrs. Knight asked, with motherly concern all over her face.
James lied "Nothing."
His mind wandered back to the conversation he'd had with Lucy earlier.
"Yes, James?" asked Lucy, with a bored expression on her face.
"Would you, Lucy Stone, like to go on a date with me, James Diamond, sometime?" asked James in his smooth voice.
"Yeah, I would like to go on date with you sometime. How about never?" Lucy said smugly.
James was pulled out of his reverie by Mrs. Knight's worried voice.
"James, what's bothering you?"
"It's just that, well, I'm the only single guy in the group."
Mrs. Knight stared at him. "And that's a problem?"
"Yeah. I feel left out and lonely, I think." James muttered with a confused look on his face.
"James, have you seen yourself in the mirror?"
"Yeah."
"You are so handsome. You could get any girl you want, and you're nice too. You've got plenty of fans, too. How is this a problem?"
"Lucy just turned me down, Mrs. Knight."
"Lucy isn't the right girl for you then, young man." Mrs. Knight said as she placed Carlos' yellow sock in the laundry basket.
"It's not that, either. I know that I could get any girl I want, effortlessly. It's just that neither truly interests me. Or maybe, I'm just too good-looking for anybody." mused James.
Mrs. Knight raised an eyebrow.
"It's probably the latter, isn't it?" asked James with a thoughtful expression on his. "I know I'd never be interested in the fan girls, all they do is shout. Maybe, I'll die old and alone, still handsome though. "
"James, I don't know what you're thinking, but everybody needs someone. And, everyone has different likes and dislikes. Lucy's tough, she's not exactly the kind of girl you'd go along with. When the time is right, someone you'll come across someone who'll like you. Not for the fact that you're the pretty face of Big Time Rush, but because under all your vanity lies a sweet, naïve James that only few of us know about. I'm sure your lady is somewhere on her way." Mrs. Knight held James' slumped shoulders and tried to look at James.
"If she's on her, then she gets negative marking for being tardy and slow." James remarked with childlike artlessness. Then added with pessimism as he imagined his perfect lady on her way, "Although, I think she may have already found her prince elsewhere, huh, guess she isn't my lady after all."
Mrs. Knight slapped him lightly on his arm "Don't say that. She is on her way!"
"So, she does she refer to you as her aunt?" Kendall asked Jo, his green eyes glinted of curiosity.
Jo laughed, as her lips released the smoothie straw.
"Does she?" Camille asked. Logan and Camille huddled around Kendall and Jo.
"Nope. She calls me Jo. But, sometimes out of, she refers to me as her aunt." She sipped more of her smoothie.
"Well. She seems nice." Camille said.
"But, why is she coming here?" Logan asked.
Jo remained silent for a while "Strictly speaking, I don't really know. I guess she wants to do something in LA. I guess we'll know once she's here."
"So, she's coming here alone?"
"Yeah. She's going to be here on her own. But, I mean, it's not like she's all alone. We're here for her; I'm her aunt after all." Jo smiled. "She's smart. She can take care of herself. We'll be here for her, if she needs anything."
Kendall looked at Jo and smiled along with her, "Well, we're going to have to make room for another buddy then."
"Absolutely, the more the merrier." Logan agreed.
Carlos entered the lobby, with a flustered look on his face. His clothes were soaked with water, and his head was damp.
"That's that. I'm never chasing the Jennifers."
"You say that all the time. Then you begin chasing them the next day." Logan said.
Carlos scowled "It's because they look so good. I can't control myself."
"It's ok. Just sit down." Camille said.
Carlos bent to sit down next to Kendall.
"Don't!" Mr. Bitters screamt. "You're wet."
"C'mon! Don't you have Buddha Bob and Katie to take care of? They are by the poolside, making a profit selling hotdogs." Kendall exclaimed.
Bitters looked angrily and Carlos and stalked off to the pool. Carlos sat down.
He looked at Jo, who was still glowing with excitement. Carlos looked confused.
"Elizabeth is coming to LA." Kendall explained.
"Who's Elizabeth?"
"She's my niece. My brother called me last week to inform me that she'd be travelling from an airport in North Carolina to the one over here; he wanted dad to pick her up." Jo said.
"Well, her dad should travel with her too, then. My mum and dad never let me travel by myself till I was fifteen."
"She's not fifteen. On the contrary, she's a month older than me." Jo said uneasily.
"Oh. It's nice that she's coming over to visit you." Carlos nodded, with happy, wide eyes.
"She's not just visiting. She's here for something, it's not entirely clear." Jo said seriously. "We'll know why she's here, once she's here."
"Oh." Carlos said thoughtfully, "Will she like me?"
Jo now knew that Carlos was interested in what her niece would be like and if he would have any chance with her; he was the only guy in Big Time Rush who had no girlfriend as of yet.
"Everybody likes you Carlos, but I don't know whether you would like her or not." Jo said.
"I would." Carlos insisted.
"But, you already like the Jennifers, remember? Don't you already have enough girls to chase Carlos?" Jo said politely, as she motioned towards the Jennifers who just passed by.
Carlos sighed after the Jennifers, "I guess I already have a plateful."
"When will she be here?" Camille asked.
"Tomorrow night." Jo answered.
"Is she anything like the Jennifers?" Carlos asked inquisitively.
"Definitely not." Jo said immediately, the thought comparing her niece being anything like the Jennifers was equivalent to thinking what James would be like with no hair. "She has a… ladylike behavior. She's more of a lady."
