Hey, so i know it's been four days i think since i've last posted and i'm sorry to keep you waiting, i had a little bit of writers block, i know this looks kind of long but it's because there's a lot of dialogue and then chunks when it's just paragraphs aka Amber's narration. now i hope you enjoy! R&R at the end!
Chapter 2: Big Time…What? (This is when everything starts to unfold and the "Natalie" girls pretend to be friends with Amber so that she can end up winning the competition for Natalie 1 but Natalie ends up tricking her and telling the contest hosts that Amber was Natalie and this is right before a huge show that Project Star-catcher puts on, so she gets stuck meeting the BTR boys she knows nothing a bout but becomes friends with and ends up escaping the clutches of the music room to make it to the show on time; songs Paparazzi on piano and Listen by Charice. Right before Big Time Demos) ft. Paparazzi and Listen
Six whole weeks have flown by like any other summer vacation. But even though it's flown by, I can recall everything that has happened everyday in the past six weeks. I've had the best time, more fun than I've had in a really long while. My piano class, taught by Adam, is the coolest class. I've really developed my skills on the piano, I mean it's not like I had many skills involving the piano before, but I almost fee like a master now.
Adam, by far, is my favorite leader on this trip. He's totally relaxed and has taught me some amazing songs on the piano. And since I'm also in vocals, he helps me out with my voice and even helps me write some lines down for some songs I've always wanted to write. He really knows how to understand what a person is feeling and somehow uses that "secret power", I sometimes nickname it, and put it in words and then into catchy lyrics. And luckily for my friends and I he's from LA and so whenever we have a free time together, he always is the one we go to so he can show us all the coolest spots in town, or whatever beaches are near by.
Our choreographer leader on the trip, Veronica, is also been an awesome person to get to know. Although I don't have her as a teacher since I didn't sign up for dance, Tess and Nick are always in the studio and so I stop by every so often and so I've gotten to know Veronica. She can be a little up tight about some certain things; for example, she has no tolerance for laziness of if you say you're lazy, you're a dead man, or woman, or whatever. But other than that, you keep the "L word" out of your vocabulary, then you get to know how awesome and totally fun person she can be.
And all the talent that each person brought with them on our trip once again blew me away. I met so many incredible people on this trip. There's obviously Tess and Nick, Austin is Nick's friend who's an amazing drummer, Caroline who has magic coming out of her fingertips when it comes to the piano, DJ ironically is the best mixer on the planet.
Then there's people I'm not as entirely close to but whom I have gotten to know rather well. There's Noah, Theiler, Stephanie, Alexis, Rosie, and Chris all are singers in my class with wide ranges that are like music to my soul. Denise, Carla, Monique, Vince, Cameron, Dash, and Rick are all dancers. And there's even this crazy amazing soon-to-be actress named Lauren who can play all the roles in a play if she could.
And then there are the people who are the all around talented people who have areas in all sorts of places. Some great examples of that are the Natalie's. From the beginning of the summer, they've done nothing but show off everything they've got, from what clothes they own, to what they can sing, dance, act, design, do pretty much anything with pizzazz. Although I was immediately thinking I was going to end up hating them of being extremely envious of them, they turned out to be all around nice people. I was shocked to say the least. I mean I'm not usually the one to judge first but when I first met them while doing that truth and dare game all those weeks ago, they just seemed like they were on top of everything. But they were completely different than I thought and I was happy to call them my friends.
And even with that silly dare I did WAY back then, I was still helping out the head Natalie, who I learned was Natalie Woods, with the contest that she wanted to win so VERY badly. So she said I had to give them my email so that they wouldn't know if was her that wanted to win the contest. Although I thought it would be weird and I didn't want to get emails from them, I agreed to use my email and whenever they sent me stuff to answer, I would then send them to Natalie to answer the questions for me, since I still don't know, or rather care that much as to who they are.
Other than that little time consuming moment of my days, I was having a typical fun-filled summer. Although it was quite stressful this week since yesterday, the head director of the program Mr. Sky, announced the Festival of Stars Competition. Yet another competition I was going to enter. But this time it was much bigger and more important than some band meet and greet. This was mega super duper important. This was my chance to get a single on iTunes.
The competition was going to show off everyone's new skills that they've been working on while on the program and whoever the winner was got a prize. If you were a singer, which is what I was, you would get a single. If you were a dancer, you got to work with the best dance choreographers money can buy, and etc.
I was practicing my song that I was going to perform on the piano as well as sing in the music room that was set up by the group in our hotel for probably the umpteenth time that day. The concert's tomorrow and I know I was ready but I wanted to get as much practice as I could. I wanted to win, probably just as bad as everyone else, but to think I could possibly get a chance at having a single on iTunes kind of blew my mind away. It was me and a couple of other people in the room, so I wasn't singing because I didn't want to give away what I was doing; you can never be too careful around here.
I was in a peaceful state of mind when all of a sudden the double doors to the music room were busted open and they made a large banging noise when both doors hit the walls behind them simultaneously. Following that was a girlish scream that rattled my eardrums and in between the screaming I could hear my name. So I looked up from my keyboard and saw the hysterical happy face of Natalie Woods barging her way through people towards where I was in the back of the room.
"O. M. Gosh! Amber! Amber!" Natalie started as she grabbed my wrists and was jumping up and down and all around and saying other things I couldn't understand.
"Okay, okay! Natalie, calm down!" I said holding her wrists now and getting her to stop jumping. "I can't understand what you're saying!" I said between laughs. Seeing her like this was a rare sight and I found it rather out of character and flat out funny.
"You won! You won! You won!" Natalie's friends, aka the other Natalie's, joined the conversation after they came bursting through the doors as well.
"What?" I said baffled as she started jumping up and down. "Where'd you hear that?"
"It's on Pop Tiger's website! Natalie Forester won! You did it! I'm going to meet Big Time Rush!" She screamed. I was so in shock that my acting and her answers got us this far. I couldn't help but giggle like an idiot and jump up and down up with her.
"Okay, okay!" I said trying to calm her down because she looked like we were disturbing other people, obviously. "So, what time is the meet and greet?"
"It's tomorrow afternoon!" Natalie said even more excited than before, although that seems almost impossible.
"Same day as the Festival of Stars?" I said nervous for how all that timing was going to work out.
"I know it's pushing it, but the meet and greet doesn't last long, maybe an hour or two tops. So we'll go to the studio, you'll drop me off and pick me back up and we'll make it back in time for the show!"
"Are you sure this will work?" I said trying to be the reasonable one since I knew Natalie's mind was probably far gone now wrapped up in her little imaginations of what would happen tomorrow.
"Totally! Just leave everything to me! Now come on, I need YOU and the girls to help me pick out my outfit!" Natalie and her friends start pulling me away from my keyboard and out of the room with many weird faces staring back at us.
I don't even know how long it took yesterday until Natalie was finally able to pick an outfit out at the mall to wear today when she was going to meet the people she almost idolized to a point where some people would say it was creepy. We returned home right as the mall was closing and I fell to sleep and slept like that until 10 o'clock, like a rock. I was exhausted and when I woke up to the ringing of my phone blazing with a Big Time Rush song that I knew meant Natalie was calling, since she was the one who programmed the song to my phone to know whenever she was calling me.
I picked up the phone and I just heard her yelling in my ear. Least to say, I was definitely awake now, and I knew I was going to have a big bruise on my butt from when I fell out of bed when she startled me. She told me to meet me in her room ASAP. So I got out of bed, threw on some shorts, a tank, and some sandals since it looked nice out and went up to Natalie's room.
I didn't even have to knock on the door when Natalie grabbed me by my tank top and pulled me into her room.
"Here!" Natalie said throwing an outfit my way and then small heels that I managed to not get clobbered with.
"What's all this for?" I ask picking up the shoes that dropped to the floor behind me.
"It's the outfit you're wearing today. Now hurry up and change! Then I'll do your hair for you and make you look like a star!" Natalie said.
"But why do I-"
"Oh come on, no dilly dallying, move your butt to the bathroom and change!" she said pushing me from behind and slamming the door on my face. Well I couldn't argue with the door, so I just did as she instructed and got dressed in the outfit she gave me. I looked in the mirror and took my dirty blonde hair out of the bun I messily tied it up in and let my hair looks and it fell to my shoulders. I had to admit, there's a reason why Natalie is always the go-to-girl for fashion advise.
"So tell me again why I'm getting dressed up?" I ask as I continued to look at myself in the mirror, almost not recognizing myself. I was little over exposed with the outfit she gave me, I could see a good portion of my thighs.
"Because I'm getting dressed up, silly. We both should look good, I mean it's thanks to you I can even go to this." Natalie said.
"Alright. Thank Natalie, this is really nice of you." I said walking out of the bathroom and signaling her that I was done. I even gave a little twirl in the nice shirt-short outfit she lent me with 2-inch heels outfit to see if she approved.
"No need to thank me, really." Natalie says bashfully almost as she's putting on lipstick in the mirror. She stops and takes me by my shoulders and sits me down on her bed as she starts curling my hair quickly and then combing it through so it looked more natural. "Besides, that outfit was meant for you to wear." She adds as she puts the curling iron back in its holder and moves on back to the mirror. I sit there a moment just staring at her in disbelief.
"But why shouldn't I?" I almost exclaim as I come up to her and look at her in the mirror. "This has been such a great day and you've been so much fun to get to know."
"Really?" Natalie says as she stops putting on makeup. She gets up from her bent over position over the counter and stands up straight and looks at me almost in disbelief. "Wow, Thank you." She said, but the way she said it was different than the way she's usually thanked me or anyone else. This one sounded the most sincere. "Now enough of this thank you business, let's go already!"
"Yeah! Let's hit the road! Wait, speaking of the road, how are we getting there...?" I asked rather confuse as we head out of her room where we were getting ready and into the elevator to get down stairs.
"Why in my car." She casually says.
"You had your car here the whole time?" I say rather shocked. She hasn't mentioned it once and has always gotten rides with other people who had their cars here.
"Oh no silly, I just had my driver bring it over so we could use it." She chides like that was no big deal.
"You a driver?" I say rather baffled.
"Everyone in LA practically does." She shrugged off as she continued to lead me down the long line of cars in the parking lot. I highly doubted that Adam had a driver of his own; he's much too down to earth for that. I was knocked out of my thoughts when I almost ran into Natalie who stooped in front of a nice white Porsche.
"Whoa, wait a second, THIS, is your car?" I say walking ahead of her and getting a look of the car from all angles. I can't help it with having a younger brother I fancy cars.
"Surprised much? You look like you're going to start drooling." She said pretending to wipe non-existent drool off my face.
"I might start to Oh my goodness...it's beautiful." I breathe out.
"Aw it's nothing much really, I've had it for over three months now and I'm ready to trade up. Now come on, get in, I don't want to keep them waiting." She says as she going around to get into her side of the car.
"Uh, right. Okay." I said as I put my hand on the door handle and open the door, oh my, it still had that new car smell. She looked like she hardly used it. I slid on the leather seats and it was amazing. So comfy and sleek and wow; now I have full reason to be envious. I absolutely love this car.
So we drove for about twenty minutes and even that was a breeze, even in spots where it was obviously meant to be bumpy it was smooth sailing.
We finally stopped outside a studio with a sign out front saying "Rocque Records" and the building was definitely intimidating, especially in height. There had to be at least forty floors!
"You ready or are you going to sit there all day?" Natalie pounded on my window. Apparently I was sitting there staring up longer than I thought. I opened the door and sheepishly smiled at her as an apology and we walked up to the front doors and we opened them up to get almost knocked into by security guards.
"Sorry girls, can't go through unless you're on the list." the beefier one of the two said. I was almost quaking in my shoes; he was MAD scary, and big enough to look like he could eat me whole.
"Oh don't bother we're on the list. Under Natalie Forester." Natalie said. How creative to go from woods to a forest.
"Okay, she's on the list, but only one of you is getting through here." The second security guard says taking a step forward, like he wasn't already making it clear that he was a big guy and was intimidating.
"Oh we know; I was just here to drop her off." Natalie said pushing me forward.
"Wait, what?" I say shaking my head out of its fear of the security guards and give Natalie a confused look, which she ignores easily.
"This is Natalie Forester, Big Time Rush's biggest fan awaiting to meet her idols." She said pushing me forwards towards the guards.
"Uh, NO, I'm not!" I almost exclaim, as the guys were just about to reach for me I got some distance between them. "Natalie! What do you think you're doing?"
"Why are you talking about Nat? YOU won the contest didn't you?" She says smirking at me.
"No I didn't, I had nothing to do with this!" I reason almost yelling throwing my arms out.
"Oh but you DID, you were the one who got on the phone, you were the one who received the emails-"
"Which YOU answered." I interrupted her.
"Doesn't matter, it all leads back to you. Now I get to have my rise to the top in the Festival of Stars while you're stuck here! I'll be the one that everyone's talking about and NOT you!"
"Is that was this is all about?" I said in disbelief. She just crossed her arms and smirked at me. "I can't believe you did this! You were lying this whole time, about everything!"
"You bet I was. Now, have fun!" She says waving cheekily at me as she makes her way back to her car.
"No way you're leaving here without me." I say as I grab the hand she waved with and stop her in her tracks.
"Oh but I am. Oh boys!" The guards were behind me in seconds and lifted me off the ground when I tried breaking free.
"Hey! Let me go! Get back here Natalie!" I yell as I try kicking my legs but nothing happens as I'm brought into the building and put into an elevator where the guys put me down on the ground but still didn't give me room to break free. Once the door opened again, they took my arms and lifted me once again. We went down a narrow hallway that has posters of old bands that I remember listening to when I was little. Then we turn a corner and go in front of two glass doors that were opaque with the double R insignia of "Rocque Records" on it.
"Put, me, down!" I said struggling against their grasps on me.
"Whatever you say…" One guard says as they open the door and I do a duck and roll entrance and land with my head almost hitting the floor. As soon as I hit the floor, I immediately tried running for the door but the guards were already closing the doors behind me and before I could run through the little crack between the doors, they slammed shut and I slammed into the doors with a thud. I stumbled back and held my head in pain but then tried the door handle and it was locked.
"God what kind of meet and greet has people locked in a room?" I say aloud to no one in particular. I rub my head once again as it starts throbbing from the impact with the door.
"Apparently that's just how our producer works." Said a voice from behind me. I thought I was the only one in the room. I slowly turn around and see four guys, good looking guys I remember from the magazine, sitting in the back leaning against the walls just staring at me; they seemed amused by me.
"Well, how about you call up your producer, and tell them they got the WRONG GIRL and then get me back to my hotel."
"Wait, what do you mean, 'wrong girl'? Aren't you Natalie Forester?" One guy asked. He had a nice smile on before but now he looked confused. And I was confused by his appearance because he was wearing a hockey helmet on his head.
"There's no Natalie Forester!" I exclaim. They look at me a little scared. I take a deep breath and try again to explain. "Look, what I mean is, I'm not the girl who won, well I mean technically I did but I didn't win it for me."
"In English, maybe?" said a very confused or maybe just stressed out boy with long-ish brown hair. Damn was he pretty too.
"My friend, or who I thought was my friend, wanted to win a contest, and so I pretended to be the person she made up and went on the phone and talked to the magazine and then got the emails and sent them to my so called friend and we won and she was going to meet you guys but said I was her and now I'm here in front of you guys explaining my story." I say almost out of breath.
"Wait, so let me get this straight." Said a blonde haired boy. "You entered a contest for a friend so she could win and meet us but now you're here in her place?"
"Close enough." I say a little less than satisfied with that shorter explanation.
"But why are you here instead of her?" Asked the pretty one.
"Because apparently she wanted me to get stuck here so that she could go back to the hotel and be in the Festival of Stars and win the competition and get a single on iTunes." I said rather annoyed.
"Wait, what contest?" Asks the last boy who hasn't said anything yet. I sigh in frustration and blow some loose hair away from my face, I slip off my shoes, and plop myself down on the ground in front of them.
"I'm on a summer program called Project Star-catcher. It's a program for people, like me, who want to be famous and live their dreams. And on the program we take, well I wouldn't say they're classes but we do learn in them, well that's besides the point, we learn from the best choreographers, vocal coaches, directors, producers and etc. from LA and improve our talents.
"For example, I took vocal lessons and piano lessons. And so this is our sixth week in LA and they're hosting a competition to see who's learned the most and the winner of the competition, depending on your specialty, gets a prize. The prize if you're a singer, like me, is a single you co write with our songwriter team, and then record it and release it on iTunes."
"And, so this girl…" Pretty boy said.
"Natalie Woods." I say with some venom in my voice.
"Didn't want you to go to the competition." The hockey helmet boy said.
"Correct." I said.
"Because…?" Says the smart looking one, the one who wasn't talking.
"She's crazy!" I say falling on my back in frustration.
"So, that must mean you're really good then, right?" Questioned the blonde one.
"What?" I lift my head up confused by his question.
"Well, if she doesn't want you to be in the festival or whatever, that means she wants to eliminate the competition. So you're her competition." He reasons and the rest of the guys nod along with him.
"I am?" I say as I lean on my arms.
"Well, that's what it sounds like anyway." Said the smart looking one.
"I mean, I guess…maybe…" I say as I guess up and sit on my legs thinking to myself about what's happened over the past six weeks to even show any signs that she, Natalie Woods of all people, could possibly be jealous of me.
"So, let's hear it!" Says the pretty boy cheerfully.
"What?" I ask worried. Man I was sounding like a broken record.
"Let's hear what you've got to show off. I want to see why that girl doesn't want you in the show." Say the hockey helmet boy.
"Well, I should really save my voice…I mean I might still be able to make it there right before I have to go on." I say shyly.
"I highly doubt that." Said the smart one.
"Why not?" I asked, almost sounding hurt in my voice. This got him to stutter before answering when the pretty boy recovered.
"What time does it start?" He asked.
"Well I'm going on at 8:30." I say.
"Yeah, this meet and greet goes on until 9:30." The hockey helmet-wearing boy says to me.
"9:30? Natalie told me it was an hour, two hours tops, long." I said as I hug my knees to my chest.
"Why do you expect her to tell you the truth about that? She's obviously lying about everything else." Said the blonde haired one.
"I guess you're right." I say laying my chin between my knees as I look at the ground. "Wait…do you guys have your phones on you?"
"No, Gustavo, our producer, took our phones away from us before we got here, he said that our fan, well in this case you, deserved our full attention."
"Oh…" I say sort of sad.
"So…" the hockey helmet boy mused leaning forward as his fellow band mates followed suit.
"I'm still not singing." I say looking up at them and looking at each one individually.
"Ugh…" They all groan.
"You guys really want me to sing that badly?" I say rather shocked.
"Well what else do you suggest we do for the next five hours?" The smart one asks me.
"How about I learn your names." I suggest a bit sheepishly and honestly.
"Wait, you don't know who we are." Asked the pretty boy.
"Nope." I said popping the P. "I only know that you're Big Time Rush and that Natalie is obsessed with you."
"Well…alright, awkward. I'm Kendall Knight." Says the blonde one now Kendall.
"I'm James Diamond." Said the pretty boy.
"I'm Carlos Garcia." Said the one wearing the hockey helmet.
"And I'm Logan Mitchell." Said the smart one.
"And I'm Amber Riordan." I said waving my hand.
"Wait, Riordan…? As in, daughter of Rick Riordan, the famous author?" Asked Logan.
"Yup, that's my dad." I said feeling proud on the inside; it never gets old when I hear someone recognize my dad's last name. I feel honored when people have known my father.
"That's so cool!" Carlos says excitedly.
"Yeah, I love getting to read snip its of my dad's books before they're finished. Sometimes I even get a say in what should go into it or not." I say showing that I was proud.
"Do you inherit your father's writing talent?" James asked.
"Well, not in writing books or essays unfortunately, just in writing lyrics." I said casually.
"You write your own music?" Kendall asked.
"Yeah, but nothing really to marvel over."
"No, I bet it's good. So when are you going to be famous so we can hear it?"
"Oh I don't know. I mean it happens to one in a million people."
"Yeah, we know." They say laughing amongst themselves.
"Really? How'd you guys get started? I think Natalie probably told me once but I forget." I asked.
"Well, we're all from a small town in Minnesota and we used to play on our ice hockey team when one day we were at home and Mr. James Diamond here," Kendall says nudging James in the side as they all laugh. "Got all excited when he heard a commercial about a producer coming to our home town, looking for someone to become his next big hit." Kendall takes a break to let someone else continue with the tale to stardom.
"So we, wanting to support our friend, rush down to the local theatre to get James in line for an audition and we all end up auditioning but some, things, end up happening and the next thing we know we're escorted back to Kendall's house and we're there for a few minutes when the producer, Gustavo Rocque, knocks on the door." Logan said remembering it like it was yesterday.
"Now we thought he was here for me, because I'm amazingly talented and made for stardom." Said James combing his hair out with a comb he pulled out of his vest inside pocket, which I casually raised my eyebrow to. "But Gustavo wanted Kendall instead but Kendall stupidly said no until we convinced him and told him to call Gustavo back before he flew back to LA and Kendall said he would go with Gustavo to record if he brought the rest of us along and made us a group."
"Wow. What a story. And now you're here, living your, well I guess all of your dream." I say astonished.
"Yeah, but it's a lot of work. More than I think we've ever expected with Gustavo being our producer." Carlos says.
"Well I've never heard of him but he can't be THAT bad, can he?" I question getting worried when I see the look on their faces when I brought up their producer.
"Well…we can't say much with video cameras set up around the room." James said with the rest of the guys nodding their heads.
"We're being watched?" I said scared looking like a crazy person for any signs of cameras.
"Yup, ever since your, grand, entrance into the room." Kendall says remembering my tuck and roll as the other guys reminisce with laughing about it.
"That's on video? I swear if that gets out to the Internet I'm suing." I said pouting as I crossed my arms and crossed my legs and looked away from them. This earned more laughs from them and soon I couldn't keep a straight face anymore and laughed along with them.
"I can't get over how normal you guys are." I say.
"Uh, thank you?" Logan questions suspiciously.
"No, no don't worry, it's a compliment. I mean usually I've seen many, or really have heard of people who've come to Hollywood and have gone completely diva on people. How have you managed to, well avoid that transformation?"
"Easy, with my mom staying with us and my sister around, we're pretty grounded." Kendall says.
"You guys all live together with Kendall's mom and baby sis?" I ask. Wow, crowded place.
"Yup, and we're not ashamed, she's the best cook around."
"Yeah, I'm going to miss that."
"What do you mean?"
"Well I just graduated from high school. After the program, I'm going to spend an extra week here with my family, we'll fly back, and pack my bags to head off to college."
"So you're eighteen?" Carlos asked.
"Actually seventeen, I have a late birthday." I said, one thing I sort of hated, everyone was always older than me, even if they were in the same grade as me.
"What college you going to?" Logan asked.
"Yale." I said casually.
"WHAT?" They all exclaimed in unison.
"Yeah, everyone seems to give me that same look and exclaim whenever I bring it up."
"You're a bigger brainiac than I took you for." Kendall teased.
"Why thank you." I joked. "But I'm really into the drama program at Yale more than academic stuff, although Yale definitely has a great curriculum."
"Yeah, no kidding." Logan joked as we all chuckled along with him.
"But who knows you'll probably be picked up by some producer just like us and be famous before you're there too long." James said all of a sudden.
"Don't get my hopes up." I said tucking my legs to my chest again.
"Well hey, our dream came true. Yours will too."
"Well maybe it would've if I didn't get trapped here." I said sort of sad that I was still missing the Festival of Stars. The room fell silent, just the way I wanted it to. "Although now I'm not as upset about it as I was to begin with…" I say sheepishly.
"Oh really?" Kendall asked knowingly.
"Alright, alright, don't get big heads now. I'll admit; you guys are decent individuals." I said.
"Decent?" James gasped. "Now that hurt a bit, right here." He said pointing to his heart. At that I couldn't help but laugh at his poutiness.
"Will it make you feel better if I restate myself?"
"Yes." They said in unison.
"Alright…hmm…Okay, how about, there's more to you than meets the eye."
"Mysterious…but I'll take it." Logan says satisfied as the others nod in agreement.
"I'm glad." I said suppressing my giggles. "So, how long has it been now? I mean I feel like I've been cooped up in here for a good few hours now." I say as I look to them. Carlos pulls out his iPod Touch from his back pocket and checks the time.
"It's 7 o'clock now."
"Wait, you've had an iPod Touch this whole time and didn't say anything?"
"Well, yes. Why?"
"Can I have it?" I ask hopefully.
"Uh, sure." He says uneasily and slides it over to where I am. I scoop it off the floor and start going through his phone. Perfect, he has his email up.
"Can I use your email?" I ask.
"Sure, or you could just log me out if you want."
"Thanks." I say quickly as I was already in the middle of signing him out and putting in my info into the username box so I could sign in.
"What are you doing?" James ask as he gets up to look over my shoulder.
"I'm going to try and send an email to my friend Tess." I say as I look through my contacts until I come upon a familiar and funny email that I recognized to be Tess'.
"Why?" Kendall questioned as he and Carlos and Logan got up and looked over my shoulders as well. Wow, I feel like I have NO personal space right now.
"Because…" I emphasize. "If I can reach her, then maybe she can get one of the leaders of the program to come down here, drive me back to the studio, and then I can make it in time. I just hope she's not up on stage now."
"Oh." Carlos said sounding a bit sad. I immediately stopped typing the sentence I was in the middle of writing out and looked up at the boys.
"Aw, no, I don't, well, I do, but…Look, this is a HUGE opportunity for me, this is my one in a million chance, like the one you got, to be noticed and maybe picked up by someone. I need to try and do this, or else I'm going to regret it."
"We get it." Kendall reassured me. "We know this is important. We're just upset because…well…" I put down the phone and I turn around completely to face them.
"What…?"
"Well, you're well, fun to get to know." James finished sheepishly.
"Aw, you guys." I said as I grabbed them and pulled them into a slightly uncomfortable group hug. "I've enjoyed getting to know you guys too. But you know, there may not be a chance that this even goes through to Tess. So we can still spend time hanging out, alright?"
"Okay." Carlos said cheered up.
"Oh and don't forget she still gets to be in our video." James said smiling at me.
"Wait, what'd you just say?" I say absolutely taken back by the comment.
"Oh c'mon James!" Logan says slapping James in the chest as he cringed back at the slap.
"That was supposed to be a surprise!" Kendall complained.
"Will someone please explain what just came out of his mouth?"
"Ugh…fine, since James decided to blow the whole thing up." Kendall complained. "We were supposed to surprise the fan who won, in this case you, with saying that you'll star in our music video for our song 'Big Time Rush' along with us."
"You serious?" I question, thinking that this was some sort of mistake.
"Yeah we are!" Carlos said smiling at my shocked expression on my face.
"So, what do you say? You pumped?"
"Uh, yeah! Majorly!" I say as I bounce up from our sitting positions and start almost bouncing up and down.
"Wow, you sure you're not a fan?"
"Ha, ha, very funny. Even though I don't your music, I'm just happy, well, I'm happy we don't have to say goodbye."
"Aw, she's a keeper." Said James as he wrapped an arm around me and gave me a little side hug.
"Wait, you know, maybe we shouldn't let Amber in our video." Kendall suddenly says breaking the happy mood in the room.
"What?" The other ¾s of Big Time Rush and I exclaim at Kendall's outburst.
"I mean, she's not even a fan of ours." Kendall chided as he turns his back on us with his hands folded behind his back.
"Oh come on Kendall." Carlos says.
"That's not fair, we already told her." Logan adds as he stops Kendall in his tracks.
"Not cool man." James says as he leaves my side.
"No you guys, she has to earn the role on our video." Kendall says as he turns around to face me by my lonesome.
"Alright, fine. What do I have to do?"
"You can't be serious."
"She doesn't need to earn it."
"You have to sing for us to be in the music video."
"Oh I get it, this was your plan all along. Getting me to finally sing for you guys, very clever…" I say walking up to him and waving a finger in his face.
"So, what's it going to be? You gonna sing or what?" He stares at me and I stare right back and we don't say a word. The other guys are standing around us, waiting for someone to say something.
"…Fine…" I say as I give into the staring. Kendall smirks and steps back, as do the rest of the guys so I have room to sing. I sigh and walk over to the piano that was stationed in the corner of the room.
"Whenever you're ready." Kendall smirks at me.
"You know…you're really annoying, or did you already know that?"
"Eh, I'm used to it. I've learned a lot from my sister Katie." He smirks as he crosses his arms as if he was so proud. I roll my eyes but smile anyway. I look at the piano keys for a second as I think about the song I was going to sing. I close my eyes, thinking of the sheet music that I always have in front of me, but I don't feel I need it, I have it basically memorized by this point. I start playing the intro to the song. I take a breath and begin.
We are the crowd we're c-comin' out
Got my flash on it's true
Need that picture of you
It so magical we'd be so fantastical
Lather and jeans garage glamorous
Not sure what it means
But this photo of us it don't have a price
Lovin' you is cherry pie
'Cause you know that baby I
I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me
Paparazzi
Baby there's no other superstar you know that I'll be
Paparazzi
Promise I'll be kind
But I won't stop until that girl is mine
Baby you'll be famous chase you down until you love me
Paparazzi
I'll be your boy backstage at your show
Velvet ropes and guitars
Yeah cause you're my rock star in between the sets
...Cigarettes
Shadow is burnt yellow dance and we turn
My lashes are dry purple teardrops I cry
It don't have a price loving you is cherry pie
Cause you know that baby I
I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me
Paparazzi
Baby there's no other superstar you know that I'll be
Paparazzi
Promise I'll be kind
But I won't stop until that girl is mine
Baby you'll be famous chase you down until you love me
Paparazzi
I'm your biggest fan I'll follow you until you love me
Paparazzi
Baby there's no other superstar you know that I'll be
Paparazzi
Promise I'll be kind
But I won't stop until that girl is mine
Baby you'll be famous chase you down until you love me
Paparazzi...
I sigh as I come to the end of the song and the last note on the piano still rings throughout the room. I open my eyes, since I had them closed the whole time and sigh. I take my fingers off the key and it's dead silent. I turn around to face the guys and they're just staring back, like they're in a haze.
"Uh, guys?" I say. No answer. I take a few steps forward and still nothing. I clap my hands together and they break from their frozen state. They look at me and then they all start speaking at once and saying things I can't catch. "Okay, okay, calm down. One at a time."
"You're crazy talented!" Carlos said shaking my shoulders.
"I can't believe you wouldn't sing for us sooner." Logan says shoving Carlos out of the way.
"You're amazing!" James said as he then shoved Logan to get in front of me, a bit close than what I would've liked.
"How has no one signed you on as a rising star yet?" Kendall said from where he was but I looked beyond James's broad shoulders to see him.
"You like it?" I said returning to standing up straight.
"Liked it?" They all asked loudly at the same time I had to take a step back and clear out my right ear.
"Okay, if this contest you're all worried about is what's going to get people to notice you, then you need to send that email, NOW." Carlos says as he picks the iPod off the floor where I left it and he handed it over to me and wrapped my fingers around it.
"Your friend better get that email."
"Wow, never thought I was going to need this much support to send this email."
"Well what are you waiting for? Time's ticking away and you need to send that message now!"
"Alright, alright! Let me finish writing it, I was interrupted by your poutiness remember?"
"Oh, right…" Carlos says as he rubs the back of his neck. I smile at him saying it's okay and I finish up the email as quickly as I can, making sure to remember to tell her where I am to get Adam or Veronica even to get me. I hit the send button and it's taking a painfully long time to load.
"Oh, come on, SEND!" I yell at the hand-held devise.
"God, I forgot how little service there is in here." James says worried.
"Here! Get on my shoulders!" Kendall says as he kneels down.
"You serious?"
"There's a computer upstairs, maybe we can pick up on it's Wi-Fi if we get close enough to the ceiling."
"Alright. It's your funeral if my weight ends up crushing you." I say. I stand behind him briefly before climbing on and walk my legs so that they're in front of Kendall's shoulders and he carefully lifts me up and I almost hit my head on the ceiling.
"Come on baby!" I said.
"This is as high as I can go." Kendall says.
"No, not you! The iPod!" I say as I blush a deep red, which thankfully no one can see since I'm above everyone.
"Oh…" Kendall says.
"Well that's awkward." Logan points out of obvious and I hear him say Ow, I have to thank whoever smacked him for me.
"It sent!" I exclaim. I then move a little more than I should have and I end up falling off of Kendall's shoulders but thankfully Carlos and James together were able to catch me bridal style.
"You okay?" Logan asks.
"Well, that was fun, but can I stand up now please?" I ask politely. Carlos and James put me on the ground and stand me upright.
"Sorry, you okay?" Kendall asks.
"Yeah, I'm just happy that it went through. Oo I hope she answers." I say hopefully hugging the little devise to my chest.
"She will, if she knows this is really important to you," James states.
"Which I know she does." I finish for him.
"Then she'll get the head counselor or whatever and you'll get picked up."
"Hey, so can I have my iPod back?" Carlos asks.
"Oh yeah," I say laughing as I pull it away from me and hand it back to Carlos.
"Thanks. Oh wait, I have a new message!" Carlos says opening up his iPod to check it.
"You do! Who's it from?" I ask as I try to read it but Carlos is already scanning it over.
"Oh cool!" Carlos shouts.
"What?" The rest of us exclaim.
"I can get a 15% discount on a lawn mower." He says happily.
"Ugh…" We all groan as Carlos gets bumped behind the head with James' hand.
"Oh wait, I have a message from…" He looks at the phone and a confused look develops on his face. ?
"That's Tess!" I exclaim jumping for joy.
"Wow…what an email address." Kendall remarks.
"Yeah, I always try to get her to change it, but she's awfully proud of it." I say as I nod my head at the countless of times I've tried to get her to change her email account. She can be so stubborn sometimes, mainly why we're such good friends.
"So, what's it say?" Logan asks impatiently.
"It says 'Oh my god! So that's where you've been all this time? Gosh and I thought you were kidnapped by Russian bandits'. Seriously?" Carlos says looking back up at me.
"Just keep reading, but lose the girl voice, it's creeping me out." I remark.
"Fine. 'I told Adam and said since he's a judge he can't leave his duties so he's sending Antonio to pick you up. He'll be there soon! Get here soon, I'll try and stall but you know I'm not very good at that, hope to see you soon! =S –Tessy'."
"Alright, way to go Tess!" I say as I high five the guys. "Antonio is a speed demon, since he's a cop he can get away with getting here quick."
"And how do you know Adam's friend Antonio?" Logan asks curiously.
"Well on our first free night without supervision Adam brought Antonio to talk to us saying if we drink or suspects that anyone of us was drinking or whatever he would make us take a breathalyzer and bring us down the to the station. But since none of my friends nor I did any of that, we became rather good friends with Antonio, man does he have some crazed stories…" I say as I start laughing when I remember one in particular.
"Oh! What story are you thinking about? I mean that's why you're laughing right? Oo I love a good story!" Carlos said jumping up and down.
"Uh, this story…isn't meant for your ears to hear. I mean I might get cuffed just talking about it!" I say scared of the fact that if I said a word that Antonio would be at me in a second.
"And you better not if you're thinking of the story I think you're thinking about!" Came a new voice.
"Antonio!" I yell as I immediately recognize that voice. It's unmistakable.
"Wow that was quick!" James comments.
"I told you he'd get here quick, he's a cop!" I said proud.
"Okay, stand back, I'm going to bust down the door!" He yells to us.
"Trust me, I tried that, still have a bump forming on my head from when I did." I said touching the bump on my head gingerly.
"Well did you have a battering ram with you when you did?" He asked.
"I'm guessing you do?" I ask already knowing the answer.
"Yes ma'am. Don't leave home without it." I could sense the happiness in his tone; probably remembering all the times he's had to use it.
"Alright then, we'll stand back." I say as I take my arms and push the boys back to the far wall opposite the door. We can hear footsteps moving farther away from where we were and then a battle cry and then shattering of glass. I open my eyes, since I was afraid to see what was going to unfold in front of me if I kept them open, and there I saw Antonio in his uniform and white helmet on his head with a battering ram and breathing heavy in a pool of glass.
"Antonio!" I say as I run up to him and tackle him in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
"My pleasure! Anything for you, now we should get moving, you're almost up am I right?" He asks. I look at the clock and it's already 8:10.
"Oh my God we gotta get a move on!" I say as I shove him out the cracked doorway ready to get to the stage and give it all I got. Right before I step through the door myself, I turn back and see the guys not looking in my direction, standing there in a line all looking pretty bummed. I walk up to them and open my arms out and they jump at the invitation and we share a big group hug.
"Thank you, thanks you guys, for everything, for getting me to sing, I'd probably be all jittery if you guys didn't push to make me do it."
"No problem. So we'll call you later in the week to tell you when the music video is going to be filming."
"Wait, how are you gonna do that, you don't have my number."
"Here," Kendall says pulling out a piece of paper and pen from his back pocket.
"How long's that been there?"
"Well, you never know when you're going to need it, and it's pretty useful right about now." We all laugh and I quickly jot down my number on the piece of paper and hand it back to him.
"Thanks again, you guys are actually amazing." I say as I go around and give individual hugs along with a kiss on the cheek for everyone. I wave goodbye as Antonio is waiting there impatiently for me to move my butt.
We scurry out of the building and get into his cop car and we ride off towards the hotel. I checked the clock and I saw it was now 8:15. Okay, I had to stay calm; I have to believe that everything is going to be fine. I have to stay focused. I need to go over the song in my head again, just to make sure I have it down completely.
I go over the song in my head, and for some reason, after everything I've been through today, I don't feel now the song will show everyone who I am. So I did something crazy, I decided to change my song.
Hey, so for those of you guys who are reading, the song i chose for Amber to sing was Paparazzi by Greyson Chance, NOT Gaga, i, have to be honest, and say i like his version better, it's more soulful and i find it more meaningful, and another note, he's so adorable, so i hope you enjoyed, if there are grammatical errors, i'm sorry i haven't checked it over yet. so i hope you liked it other than that! Review please and i'll try and post the next part tomorrow or maybe if you're lucky i'll finish it tonight.
