A/N: I have been wanting to do a 50's story for so long now, and here it is!
I do Not own Big Time Rush in any way.
Chapter 1. The Chase
A cherry red convertible screeched to a halt at the stoplight of a California intersection. The sunlight glistened off of the waxed paint, and the black and white fuzzy dice swayed back and forth. The synchronized radios at the four-way stop made the voice of Elvis singing Jailhouse Rock, loud and clear.
Three girls in an aqua and white convertible looked over when they heard the beat of a different rock song reverberating from the car beside them. A dark-haired boy turned to face them, sensing all eyes upon him. He flashed them a broad white grin, and lowered his sunglasses. Still peering over the top, he revved his engine.
They smiled back, impressed with the mass of dimples that appeared when he winked at them flirtatiously, the strong jaw, and the cleft chin. The raw sex appeal that emanated from him was undeniable. The light changed, and the red convertible shot off like a rocket.
"He's a stunner!" the driver admitted.
"But, what a tease!" the blonde girl in the back seat yelled, her sheer pink scarf blowing in the breeze as she leaned out to get a better look. The brunette at the wheel cut into the lane behind him, ready for the chase.
The red-head in the passenger seat giggled. "You're crazy!" she said to her friend.
He glanced in his rear-view mirror, crooked grin still visible. He knew they'd follow, but he wondered if they actually knew who he was yet. It didn't really matter though, he'd been chased plenty, even before he was one of the 'fine four'. He was going to give them a really good chase. He sped up to head onto the freeway, ignoring the speed limit sign, and turned up the radio.
The tailing car sped up as well, and smoothly switched lanes as their leader did. He laughed out loud when he saw his exit ahead. He careened to the right, maneuvering the car sharply around a curve where the road led to the beach house.
He knew that Kendall wouldn't be pleased if he showed up with a carload of girls hot on his tail, but he couldn't help it. He loved the adrenaline rush. Kendall would grab him by the wrist and drag him away to scold him for the umpteenth time about being careless. Then he would say, "Why didn't you lose them first?" in complete exasperation. "We don't even know who they are! They could be ax-murders for all we know!" Logan would try not to laugh.
He knew there would definitely be a confrontation with Kendall this time, because the girls behind him certainly were rowdies. The thrill he got was worth it though, even if he couldn't understand why he craved it. His favorite part was when the girls ultimately discovered who they were actually chasing, and squealed in surprise. Somehow, it made him feel powerful, and he liked the way Kendall's eyes would narrow when he was trying to hold back his anger. The penetrating green gaze would flash with hostility then immediately soften, attempting to reason with his stubborn friend. He especially got a kick out of way Kendall never said what he really wanted to say, and never did what he really wanted to do. But above all, Logan liked the chase. It was all about the chase.
Kendall was usually cool and laid-back when girls gathered around him. They liked his 'James Dean' attitude, and when he grinned back at them, they stalked him to no end. He would calmly pull a pack of cigarettes out from the rolled up sleeve of his tee, and stick one into the corner of his mouth. The girls would act as if he'd just taken his shirt off and had done it entirely for them. Inside, he was a bit uncomfortable with all the attention he'd been getting lately, but always smooth, it never seemed to show when it mattered most.
Logan pulled the Buick Roadmaster in at a sharp angle, and placed it in park on the steep incline of the drive. The girls pulled directly behind him, hoping to block him off and entrap him. They climbed up to sit along the edge of their windows and whistled at him. He climbed out too, stretching and giving them the show that they'd hoped for. He pushed the sunglasses to the top of his head, and nestled them into the lush dark tresses. He flashed them another toothy grin, and adjusted his shorts playfully.
Kendall stood in the doorway of the beach house watching in amazement. He shook his head. The girls were flirting shamelessly with Logan now, and it wasn't going to be easy to get rid of them.
"Hey, do you live here?" the one in the back seat asked, gaping at the nice layout.
"We do for the summer at least, and it might become permanent eventually," he said. The driver followed his gaze to the screen door, noticing a tall blond standing there. She looked from the blond to the brunet repeatedly, before recognition finally dawned on her.
"Hey-aren't you those guys...the ones that played at the...oh my God! You are, aren't you!"
"Yeah, that's us," he said, tossing his keys high in the air just to to catch them, and giving them a sideways glance under his eyelashes.
The girls all screamed. Must have figured it out already, Kendall thought to himself still staring Logan down.
"Oh my God! Can we have your autograph?" the driver asked excitedly.
"I can't believe that we followed BTR!" the passenger cried.
"Sure," he said with a shrug. He accepted the pen and the car's owner's manual handed to him from the glove compartment that she had thrust in his face.
"Sorry! I don't have anything else on me!" she said.
"I want one too!" the blonde said, pulling a letter from her boyfriend who was deployed in the army, out of her purse. She flipped the envelope over.
"Oh! Oh! Here!" the third one yelled, grabbing a burger receipt off of the seat of the car. Logan chuckled. It was amazing what he was asked to sign.
"Hey! What about you, cutie!" the driver called to the doorway. The other two jumped out of the car, and rushed the screen-door that Kendall was now using as a shield.
"Uh...uh..."
"Aw! Come on!" the blonde insisted, shoving the letter at him.
"Ahhhhh! He's in his undershorts!" the passenger squealed with delight. They took a long moment to ogle him appreciatively.
He backed away. "Crap! Hang on!" he said, slamming the door shut and locking it.
He returned with pants on to find Logan being groped by the three girls. Kendall pushed open the door slightly, and Logan squeezed through the narrow opening, pushing right past him. Kendall sighed. He poked his hands through the door opening, and signed the miscellaneous items that Logan had already signed. The brunette snapped her gum noisily and batted her eyes at him.
"Can't you boys come out and play?" she asked suggestively, twirling a lock of hair around her finger.
"Uh...actually... no we can't," Kendall said, searching for the right words. Why did Logan have to put him in these predicaments so often?
"Can't? Or won't?" she asked, with an exaggerated pout. Kendall sighed even louder, and craned his neck around the door to search for any sign of the culprit. No sign of Logan anywhere.
"Both actually," he said.
The girls pressed themselves further into the door, and Kendall began to panic.
"We need to get one thing clear-" he began.
"Sure, whatever you say, Kendall!" the brunette said. "I'm Suzy by the way. See it's right on there."
Short of calling the police, he'd managed to convince them that it was in their best interest to be on their way, but not without inviting them to their beach party the next evening first.
"Oh my God! Yes! We'll be here!" the passenger said, bouncing up and down excitedly. "What time?"
"I guess...Eightish," Kendall said, kicking himself. Why had he done that? Wait until he found that boy...
They scurried away, blowing a flurry of kisses from their palms, and squealed all the way back to their car. He could hear the tires squealing all the way down the drive. The girls are crazy, he thought with a scoff. Thanks a lot Logan!
Kendall banged the door closed and locked it securely. He leaned his back up against its cool surface, and tried to regain his composure. One day that boy was going to bring home Lizzie Borden, he just knew it. He closed his eyes, and took a couple of deep breaths.
"Loooo-gaaaan!"
x-x
They had cleaned up the beach house and shopped for the party snacks. Now they were just waiting for James and Carlos to get home. They always visited their families on the weekend, and this time they were late.
Kendall placed the sole of his shoe against the surface of his shiny black car and leaned back, watching Logan pace impatiently in the driveway.
"You did tell them the party was starting at seven tomorrow night, right?" Logan asked. He walked over and leaned against the side of the car next to Kendall, lazily folding his arms across his chest.
"Yeah, I told them. Be patient for once," Kendall said. The sun's heat in the late afternoon sky was intense, and Kendall glared at it as if he could make it back down somehow. He mopped at his brow with the back of his hand.
Logan watched him intently as he shook out a cigarette from the pack, and dangled it from his mouth. He cupped his hand to block the ocean breeze, and keep it from extinguishing the match. His cheeks hollowed, as he inhaled until the tip glowed red. Kendall's chest expanded as he took a deep drag, then deflated as he released the smoke in one long puff.
"It's a hot one," he said absent-mindedly, blowing the next puff of smoke at the blazing orb in the sky.
Logan shook his head disapprovingly. Kendall gave him a coy sideways glance before inhaling ridiculously deeply from the cigarette the next time, making a production out of releasing a series of smoke rings from the 'o' shape of his mouth.
"You know, that can't be healthy," Logan finally said.
"Oh yeah. Who says?" Kendall retorted, puffing deeper.
"Well, anything foreign you put in your body can't make it happy, right?" Logan pointed out.
"Like imported beer?" Kendall shot back, looking Logan up and down sarcastically. "Or that little gal that you had such a crush on for a while? What was her name, Nadia? She was foreign and who knows..." Kendall snickered at his own joke.
Logan blushed and rolled his eyes. "That doesn't even make sense. I'm just saying that you're a singer, and you seem to cough a bit in the mornings now so-"
Kendall shifted to cross his legs at the ankles, and stretched his arm around Logan's slender shoulders. "Oh, Logie-Boy." He purposely blew a breath of smoke his way, making Logan frown. His arm dropped to his side when Logan didn't respond to the hug.
"Haven't you given me enough hell for this?" Kendall asked, rolling up the sleeve of his tee-shirt. He pointed to the tattoo of a heart, tangled up in a vine of thorns. Logan grimaced at the still reddened skin around the edges of it, and sighed.
"You have some nerve getting on me about dangerous things anyway," Kendall scoffed.
"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?" Logan asked.
"You know what I'm talking about. You and your bad habits..."
"What bad habits?" Logan insisted indignantly.
"How 'bout bringing mobs of girls home," Kendall said simply.
"Mobs? I would hardly call three harmless girls a mob," Logan said, laughing.
Kendall smirked. "Okay. So you lay off me about my smoking and quest for ink, and I'll lay off of you about your insatiable cravings for worship and your need for speed when you drive that little cherry bomb of yours."
Logan stared at his infuriating blond friend for a moment, but broke into a wide grin. "Deal," he said, "should we shake on it?"
"Naw," Kendall said, "we'll be doing plenty of shakin' later on tonight."
Logan laughed, slung his black leather jacket over his shoulder, and headed back to the beach house while Kendall watched.
x-x
"Where are James and Carlos, Kendall?" Logan asked, for the third time in five minutes. He went to the window, and searched the darkness for lights.
"On their way! How many times do I have to tell you!" Kendall shouted.
"Well, I'm bored," Logan said, shrugging.
"Well then, let me entertain you little boy," Kendall said, with a big goofy grin.
He strutted over to the stereo and threw a forty-five on the turntable. Elvis' Hound Dog poured from the speaker. Kendall gyrated his hips in a full circle, and dug his toes into the floor. Snapping his pelvis forward, he curled his upper lip theatrically to mouth the words as he thrust, leaving Logan in a fit of laughter.
Kendall wound up for his favorite part, and stood directly in front of Logan's chair. He spun around, swinging his hips back and forth wildly. Logan laughed harder, giving Kendall a hard swat on his shaking rear, each time it came closer.
"Hey, OW!" Kendall yelled. He rubbed at the stinging spot with a pout. "You no likey?"
Suddenly, a car pulled up the drive and the headlights cast a beam on the wall. Kendall turned down the music, and the sound of a running engine shuddered to a stop.
"Obviously, Carlos still hasn't bothered to fix that heap of his," Logan said, peering out. "Thought he was taking care of that when he went home."
"No, he prefers his cycle. Well, at least we'll know when it's him this way, and not some crazy gang of sex-deprived girls," Kendall said, giving Logan a stern look.
They helped Carlos and James unload their bags from the boot of the car. "Why are you guys so late getting back this weekend?" Logan asked curiously.
"What's wrong? Did we already miss the cocktails and caviar?" Carlos teased, slapping him on the back.
"Tell them, Carlos!" James said, muffled with his head still in the boot.
"No, I know you want to," Carlos said.
"We had to ditch a carload of crazy girls that were staking out the property down there!" James exclaimed. He flipped back a stray lock of hair from his eyes and beamed at them. "They must have been there for hours!"
"Oh, really?" Kendall said, turning to make eye contact with Logan. He raised an eyebrow high, and waited for a response. Logan looked away guiltily. "Did they happen to be in an aqua and white convertible by any chance?" he continued.
"Yeah!" James and Carlos said in unison, rather surprised. "How did you know?"
Kendall thunked Logan on the back of the head. "Way to go, wise-guy!"