Carlos lay on his bed, groggily opening his eyes, waking up from another nap. He could hear Kendall, Logan, and James fighting in the living room over the newest BioHazard game while Mrs. Knight tried to calm them down. It had been a few days since he last saw the orange couch, but even the excitement of the rumblings outside couldn't bring him out of his funk. It had been a long couple of days for the boys preparing for their latest music video and to top it off, Carlos had been going through a rough patch romantically. The guys knew it'd been a tough time for Carlos, but they missed his crazy antics, and with all the work they'd been putting in, everyone in 2J was running on edge.
After a few minutes, the argument stopped and there was a knock on the door.
"Carlos, can I come in?" Kendall asked, muffled by the walls of the room.
"Sure." Carlos quickly sat up and mussed his hair to make it look like he hadn't been sleeping for days.
Kendall snuck in the door, closing it behind him. "No word from Stephanie yet?"
A few nights before, Carlos had set up a beautiful rooftop dinner for Stephanie King, who he'd had an on-and-off relationship with since the Palm Woods Dance. He had planned on making it official with a romantic meal and some moonlit dancing, but she never showed up. Three days later, he still hadn't heard from her. "I just don't get it. I thought we had a good thing going."
A plaid-clad arm made its way around Carlos' shoulder as Kendall sat next to him on the bed. "You did. Girls are just dumb."
"Shut up, dude. You have a girlfriend, you're just saying that to make me feel better."
"Remember that time that Jo lied about having a boyfriend so that she could, and I quote, 'focus on her career'? I may have a girlfriend, but she's nuts." Kendall chuckled, then his eyes widened. "I never said that to you."
"Don't worry, man," Carlos said then zipped over his lips. "Damn. I just wish I knew what I did."
"It's not you. You're such a cool dude and you've got a big heart. But as your friend, I'll tell you that sometimes, your heart can be your biggest downfall. You remember that song we did with Jordan Sparks?"
" Count on You? What about it?"
"Well, It's all about counting on someone to protect you from heartbreak."
Carlos scoffed. "Yeah, and that worked out real well, didn't it?"
"Because she's not the one. You'll find her. You'll find someone you can count on."
Carlos looked worriedly at his friend. "And for now?"
Just then, the door swung open, revealing James and Logan with cups up to their ears. "Um…hello?" a now red Logan chuckled.
"Sorry bro," James chimed in. "We just wanted to see if you two were good."
Kendall smiled wide and shook his head. "We might not be the beautiful, corn-dog toting, hockey-loving girl of your dreams, but do you think we'll do in the meantime?"
Carlos got up and put his arms around James and Logan. "Been counting on you guys for years. What's a few more?" he said, smiling for the first time in days. "Now, I believe I have some BioHazard high scores to beat!"
