I wanna start by letting you know this
Because of you, my life has a purpose
Nothing could have prepared Big Time Rush for the letter they were going to receive that day.
I wouldn't be who I am today
I see myself in every word you say
To them it seemed like any normal concert day, like any other meet and greet on their tour.
Sometimes it feels like nobody gets me
Trapped in a world where everyone hates me
Little did they know, the letter they were going to receive would change their lives.
There's so much that I'm going through
I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you…
Screams surrounded them. There were thousands of fans piling into the stadium, ready to see their idols perform that night. Some people were shouting, some were singing, some were even crying. Big Time Rush smiled as they prepared for the meet and greet. This was their favorite part of the day, meeting their amazing Rushers. They enjoyed talking to their fans and getting to know them. It really made them feel good to have people tell them how much they changed their lives and what their music has done for them. That was their favorite part of their job.
Kendall Schmidt, James Maslow, Carlos Pena and Logan Henderson were no strangers to performing in blazing hot weather and being overcrowded by screaming girls. It was their daily routine, and it didn't bother them at all. They were also no strangers to receiving hundreds if not thousands of gifts of all sorts, ranging from bracelets to paintings and even signed guitars and other things from other really famous artists. Also, they received hundreds of letters. Each one said how great their music was, how funny their show was, but none of them compared to the letter they were going to receive.
They met each fan with smiles on their faces and kindness in their voices. They were always nice to their fans, they truly loved them. They liked to make their fans happy by simply saying hello. It really made them feel great.
The boys met each fan one by one, receiving the usual round of gifts and letters. They spent hours meeting the fans, and they enjoyed every second of it. They were almost done with the meet and greet, then they'd get ready for their concert.
But that's when she came.
The last fan walked up to them. She was about 15 years old, green eyes, red hair in braided pigtails that lied neatly on her back, freckles dotted across her cheeks. She looked really pretty. Big Time Rush smiled as she walked up to them. In her hand, she carried a letter.
"Hey, beautiful girl." Kendall said, smiling as she approached them. She seemed absolutely stunned and happy at the same time. "What's your name?"
"I'm Natalie." She said, beaming from ear to ear. Her voice was happy and cheerful, and flowed gently out of her mouth. The boys smiled at her.
"Aww, Natalie. That's a beautiful name." Logan said. "A beautiful name for a beautiful face." Natalie blushed.
"Thanks, Logan." Natalie said. "I just don't like when people call me Nate, Nat, Nathan….you know."
"Can't be any worse than 'Logie Bear'." Carlos said, laughing. Logan shot him an evil glare.
Natalie laughed. "You guys really are funnier in person!" She said. "It's like it just comes naturally to you."
"Well, we try." Carlos said, running a hand through his hair, trying to be cool. "It's just, you know, what we do."
Natalie laughed once more. "You guys always know how to make me smile." She said.
"Aww, well you've got a pretty smile too." Kendall said. Natalie's face blushed as her beautiful, cheery green eyes lit up even brighter.
"And I like all your bracelets." James said, glancing at the many bracelets going up and down both arms. "So many colors."
"Yeah, well, I like to wear them. I always do." Natalie replied. "It's just, it's like my thing I guess."
"Very…decorative." Logan said. "But actually very beautiful nonetheless. You wouldn't believe all the bracelets we've received."
"Oh, I can imagine quite a few." Natalie replied. "I guess it'll be a race to see who can collect the most."
The four boys smiled. They really admired how calm and level headed this girl was, and how cheerful she sounded.
"Do you guys have fun on the road with each other?" Natalie asked.
"Very." Kendall answered. "I couldn't ask for better friends. These guys are like my brothers."
"Awww, Kendall, you sweet, sweet boy." James mocked. Natalie grinned from ear to ear.
"Sounds like you guys must get pretty annoyed with each other sometimes, huh?" Natalie asked.
"Don't even get us started." Logan said. "They all drive me crazy. But luckily, I'm the level headed, cool one."
"Is that right, you're the cool one, 'Logie Bear'?" Carlos asked. Logan glared at him.
"Be nice, you two." James said. "You guys always argue."
"Be nice, you two!" Logan and Carlos both mocked James, sticking their tongues out at him. Kendall turned to Natalie.
"This…" He said, pointing to the little group. "This…this is what gets annoying all the time."
Natalie grinned. "I know the feeling, so don't worry. I guess you and me are on the same boat then." Kendall smiled at her.
"Ok guys, times up. You got a concert to get ready for." Ranel said.
"Picture time." James said. The five of them pulled together for a picture, each of them smiling happy and energetic smiles. Natalie was beaming as she left.
"Thanks guys, so much! You're the best!" She said as she walked away. The guys waved to her, but then she turned around and ran towards them.
"Oh wait! I forgot something!" She said. She handed them the envelope she was carrying that whole time. "I almost forgot! This is for you." She said. Then she left.
Big Time Rush left the meet and greet feeling oddly happy. They were really in high spirits after meeting so many fans that day, especially Natalie. She seemed like the most positive, down to earth girl they've met on the tour so far. But little did they know, there was more to the down to earth girl inside that letter.
As they were getting ready for the show to begin, they were going through the presents they received at the meet and greet that day. Carlos was trying on new hats and James and Logan were slipping bracelets on their wrists, while Kendall was going through letters.
"Oh, here's the letter from Natalie. We didn't get to read it yet." Kendall said. The other boys stopped and turned to him.
"Well, why don't we read it right now?" Carlos said. "We've got some time before the show starts."
Kendall nodded and carefully opened the letter. He pulled the neatly folded paper out of the envelope, held it in front of his face, and read it aloud.
Dear Big Time Rush,
My name is Natalie. I'm 15 years old, and I've been dying to meet you guys ever since I first turned on my TV. I've been saving up so much money for over a year to meet you guys, and I'm ecstatic that my dream finally came true. But there is something I really want to tell you.
You may have noticed I am such a cheerful girl. I wasn't always like that. The truth is, I was depressed, really bad. I was bullied so much during school for my weight, the way I dressed, the music I liked, the way I looked, everything. People used to cyberbully me every day, I used to pretend I was sick just to stay home from school.
I was a cutter. You may have noticed the bracelets. I used to cut every day, every week. My arms are completely ruined now. I thought the blade was my only escape. The pain of the metal made me feel good, I had no other release.
The boys were all silent. They all had tears in their eyes. Kendall held back a few tears and kept reading.
I hated my body and the way I looked. Nobody liked me, I thought I was the ugliest and fattest person alive, so I started starving and making myself throw up just to be skinny. I'd feel sick, but I didn't care. People were starting to notice my weight loss, and I felt good. But that wasn't enough. I kept starving and kept cutting. Nobody talked to me, I felt so invisible. No matter what I did or where I went, I just couldn't get anyone to notice me or talk to me. It was like standing in a crowded room and screaming at the top of your lungs, but nobody notices.
It all became too much for me. I decided the world would be better off if I wasn't living anymore, so I tried to kill myself. I was sent to the hospital because I tried overdosing on my antidepressants. When I came home, the bullying didn't stop. People were talking about me, saying I should've died and shouldn't have come home. I didn't know what to do.
But that's when I discovered you guys. I was in my room, I was cutting my wrists, and I had my TV on. Then you guys came on the screen. I stopped and watched for a few moments. I actually smiled. I put down my blade and watched. I couldn't remember the last time I laughed so hard!
I finally found my release: you guys. Whenever I was feeling down or upset, I'd just watch your show or listen to your music. Whenever I'd feel like I'd want to cut myself, I'd listen to Invisible, because I needed to remind myself that I was never Invisible, especially to you guys. When I went to skip a meal, I'd listen to Cover Girl. You guys really helped me out of that. I don't know where I'd be without you guys.
When things got bad, I'd turn to you guys, even though you never knew me yet. I knew I had to meet the boys who saved my life, so I started saving up money just to meet you. Everything I did, birthday money, Christmas money, change, anything, it all went towards meeting you guys. Now here I am.
Today, I'm a happy, cheerful, energetic girl, all thanks to you guys. I don't have my eating disorder anymore, I stopped cutting, I don't feel suicidal. And It's all thanks to you guys.
Thank you guys so much for everything you've done. You really have no idea how much you mean to me. You guys are lifesavers. You came just in time. Your songs saved my life.
-Natalie
The boys were all silent for a few moments. Each of them had tears in their eyes. James had to wipe one that was falling down his face.
"Oh my goodness…" was all Logan could say. They were all absolutely speechless.
"She seemed so happy…I would've never have guessed any of that would've ever happened to her." Carlos said.
Kendall grasped the paper in his hands and read over her letter again. "I can't believe this." He said. He was stunned.
"That's just…wow." James said. Kendall folded the letter up and placed it gently back in the envelope. He turned to the other guys.
"I would've never have guess." He finally said. "I mean, a beautiful, happy girl like that?"
"It's a shame people feel that way." Carlos said. He looked down at his feet, wiping a tear from his eye.
"And…and we…we saved her." Logan said, looking at his bandmates. "We…saved her life."
"If it wasn't for us, she wouldn't be here." James said. "That's…incredible. I didn't know our music had such an affect on people."
"It had an affect on her, and probably so many others." Kendall said. "It's just…oh my goodness…"
The guys were very upset whenever they heard about someone committing or attempting suicide, or someone who cuts themselves. It always made their day a thousand times better every time they hear a story like Natalie's.
"You know what I think, guys?" Carlos said. The other turned to him.
"I absolutely love our Rushers." He said, absolute seriousness in his voice. "I mean, we wouldn't be where we are right now if it wasn't for them. And it's just amazing to hear a story like Natalie's. Knowing you are the one who saved someone's life, you are the one who kept them from crashing down, it's…it's a great feeling, knowing you can be someone's hero."
"Because heroes don't always where capes." Kendall said.
"It's just…it's just incredible knowing you can change someone's life just by the music you make." James said. "So many people want to kill or hurt themselves and that's very heartbreaking, but when someone walks up to you and tells you that you were the one who saved their own life? It's a good feeling."
"I never really thought about exactly how much our music impacts other people." Logan said. "Maybe we really are heroes without capes."
"Guys, show time!" Ranel said, interrupting them. Kendall looked at the others and stood up.
"Show time…" He said. The other boys followed him out the door. He placed Natalie's letter on the edge of their dresser.
"How are our Rushers doing tonight so far?!" Carlos shouted into the microphone. Loud screams erupted from the audience as their response.
"Ok, so now we're all going to sing a very special song for you guys." Logan said. The boys each took a seat on wooden stools center stage. The lights went dim and a single spotlight shone on all four of them.
"This next song is called Invisible." Carlos said. An extremely loud scream came from the audience.
"We wrote this song because of everyone always saying they feel invisible to us." James said.
"It's for anyone who ever feels invisible." Kendall said. He looked out at the crowd and spotted Natalie standing front row, her arms folded over the bar, smiling at them. He smiled back and spoke, looking directly at her.
"It's for anybody who honestly feels like they're invisible, like they don't matter to anyone. Because that's not true." He said.
"You're all special, you're all beautiful. Don't ever feel like anything else. You're never invisible to us." Logan said.
"We understand that this song means a lot to you." Carlos said. He looked out at the audience and took a deep breath. "And we understand how if you're ever feeling sad or upset, a lot of you have told us that you listen to this song or any other songs to feel better, to feel wanted, like you're worth something."
Natalie smiled.
"Heroes don't always wear capes." James said.
"He's right." Kendall said. He looked at Natalie. "So this song is for anyone who has ever felt invisible or unwanted. Just remember you're not, because we love each and every single one of you..."
You'll never know
What it means to me
That I'm not alone
That I'll never have to be
I was broken
I was choking
I was lost
This song saved my life
I was bleeding
Stopped believing
Could have died
This song saved my life
I was down
I was drowning
But it came all just in time
This song saved my life
This song saved my life…
