Chapter 2- Just Dance
Thank you to everyone that reviewed! Reviews always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. :)
Anyway, don't forget, when you review, you INSTANTLY get a cookie baked by Carlos's granny. It's a 'one flavor fits all' cookie, just in case any of you are picky. (Yeah, I know that sounds weird, but it can be any flavor you want.)
I don't know if there's anything else to say…oh, yeah. Disclaimer: I don't own BTR. I own my OC and the plot. I won't say it again. So that's my disclaimer. That's it. Sadly…
Several minutes later, the boys were opening the door to their apartment- 4B. It was about three times larger than their old apartment (2J) and they loved it even more, if possible. Each boy had his own room and they had an even more tricked out living room.
They had the hippest furniture: futuristic sixties and eighties chic decorated the space. Party lights dangled around the room, casting an amber glow throughout the apartment. Foosball and air hockey tables had been installed in the game corner (along with another long yellow swirly slide by Carlos's persistent requests). This corner also contained the most high-end theater system they'd ever seen. Surround sound speakers, a high-tech stereo, DVD player, PlayStation 3, Wii, X-Box 360, and TiVo crowded the in-wall entertainment center. Everyone in the apartment satisfied their boredom with Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Karaoke Revolution, Call of Duty, Halo, and any of the other hundred video games they owned, along with hundreds of the best movies to choose from.
The best feature was the 72-inch LG 3-D television that spanned the entire viewing area in front of the couch. It never ceased to amaze them how awesome their lives had become.
And it was even more awesome that they didn't need parental supervision anymore. They could do pretty much whatever they wanted.
The four hockey-playing singers were still laughing lightly as they retreated to their respective bedrooms to change out of their damp board shorts. They all came out of their rooms and met back up in the living room. Once they all gathered there, they sat down as one on the black-and-white sectional sofa. Kendall turned on the TV, finding that America's Funniest Home Videos was on.
As they periodically laughed at America's best blunders, James asked Logan, "What time are we heading over?"
Logan looked at his watch. "Well, I told Camille we'd be down there by five o'clock or so. It's…two-thirty now, and it's a 10 minute walk, so maybe we'll leave by quarter to five? Sound good?"
Everyone muttered an agreement and they went back to laughing at other people's stupidity.
Around three-thirty, Logan whipped up a quick fruit salad snack, and the boys immediately began a discussion about their past at the Palm Woods: the first time Camille had slapped Kendall, all four boys going after Jo, the "Palm Woods ghost", Hollywood Fever. Then they remembered the people: Mr. Bitters, the Jennifers, Buddha Bob, Guitar Dude.
Now they were all pumped up to see everyone. They hadn't thought about everyone back at their former home in quite some time. The boys had been hard at work and caught up in their new celebrity status, so that hadn't left much room to think about their friends and family all the time.
Five o'clock seemed to arrive with increasing slowness. Time was purposely lagging because the boys were getting antsy.
Finally, at four-forty, they could no longer wait. They bounded out the door and were on street level faster than a hockey slap shot. Now that they had a destination, they, somewhat, took their time; but they ended up fast-walking the whole way, practically running into the lobby at the Palm Woods.
Mr. Bitters was the first to see their quick entrance. He nodded in their direction when the boys glanced at him and said a polite, "Hello boys. What brings you here on this fine day?" He'd been a lot nicer to them ever since they hit mainstream.
"Ah, just poppin' by for a visit," James explained breezily.
"Well, welcome back, boys!"
"Thanks, Bitters!" Kendall called back as they stepped on the elevator. Logan gave a short laugh because they were taking the elevator to go up one floor.
They had no time to talk in the elevator because seconds later, the doors opened and they made their way down the familiar path to their old room.
At the door to 2J, there was an excited hesitation among the boys as they wondered who should knock. Glancing around at each other, they each raised one fist and all knocked three times in tandem- their brotherly coordination at work.
Seconds ticked by without anyone coming to the door. Maybe they're not home, Kendall thought. But Logan knew they were supposed to be in there. Camille had told him to meet her in their old apartment.
Just when they were starting to worry, the door opened and the boys came face-to-face with Kendall's little sister, Katie. Same old Katie. Her gambling tendencies had not left her, but she was much prettier than two years ago. Now she was a budding tween, but could still punch out any guy who made a wrong move on her.
"Hey, losers," she greeted in her sisterly way.
"What's up, Katie?" Kendall returned. They shared their secret handshake and Katie gestured them all inside.
Once Katie closed the door, Kendall, James, Logan, and Carlos found themselves smiling widely again as they saw their mom (well, technically Kendall and Katie's mom) and Camille standing round a cake in the shape of a music note. They had party music playing softly through the stereo and the atmosphere was very homely.
"What's all this?" James inquired.
"Oh, it's just a little get-together we arranged," Camille explained. "You guys have been out here for two years, so we thought we'd give you a fun day before your lives consist of nothing but the studio and tour buses."
Everyone chuckled at her logic.
Soon they were devouring the chocolate fudge cake and assorted munchies laid out on the coffee table in front of the couch. Ten minutes later, Mrs. Knight put in the movie The Italian Job just as someone else knocked on the door. Kendall got up to go open the door and found Jo standing in his doorway.
"Hey," she said. "Mind if I join your little soirée?"
Kendall smiled and waved her in. "Of course not."
Once she was in the apartment, they exchanged a hug. But they knew what it meant. After their disastrous attempt to find common ground a year and a half ago, they had given up and accepted that they could only be friends. Currently, they were best friends.
The same couldn't be said for Logan and Camille, however. As Kendall and Jo sat down on the couch, he glanced over at the other two. They were sitting very close, shoulder-to-shoulder, and were sharing one plate of food. And when he though no one was looking, Logan wrapped an arm around Camille and placed a soft kiss on her temple. Kendall looked at Jo and they shared an Aww! They're so cute! look.
After everyone had eaten enough to last them the rest of the night, they all changed into their swimsuits and trunks (each of the boys still had a pair of trunks at the apartment) and headed down to the pool.
Exiting though the downstairs doors to the pool area, Kendall and Carlos felt right at home again and each cannon balled straight into the blue water, drenching the Jennifers as they were walking by.
The sun went down on the Palm Woods, but the 'get-together' still raged on. The boys organized a splash war in the pool with their old friends: Jo, Guitar Dude, Camille, Mandy, Sandy, and even the Jennifers joined for a couple minutes.
But all good things must come to an end. At about nine o'clock, Mr. Bitters came storming outside and forced them out of the pool because they had splashed a lot of water onto the lobby carpet (which everybody involved was surprised by). Laughing, everyone exited the pool. Someone had started a fire at the pit next to the pool and a girl was already sitting there, watching the events unfold.
Kendall had also noticed that someone had lit a fire. When he stepped out of the pool, he grabbed his towel off a chair and went to join the lonely-looking girl. He sat down next to her and sent a warm smile her way. "Hey, you should come join us. You look like you need some party time." He nodded his head over to his friends on the other side of the pool area.
The girl tilted her head to the side and observed the 'party' still raging on. "Nah. I'm already so comfy here." To emphasize her point, she curled up on the bench under her towel, the fire warming her like a heated blanket.
Kendall still tried persuading her. "Are you sure? We're pretty fun." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Carlos, who was standing on his head with people trying to throw marshmallows into his mouth.
The girl laughed at Carlos' silliness. Looking at Kendall, she finally noticed how good-looking he was. His dark blond hair fell just below his thick eyebrows, concealing a little bit of his emerald-green eyes. His crooked smile called her in- she wanted to give in to his temptation. She wasn't one to judge on looks alone, and he seemed nice enough; he did look really familiar though, like she'd seen him in passing on TV.
Finally, she caved. "Alright. By the way, my name's Sam. Sam Wayland." She held out her hand to him.
He took her hand and firmly shook it. "Kendall Knight," he introduced himself.
Realization dawned on her. "Oh! You're in that band Big Time Rush, right?"
Kendall blushed slightly, the red tinge lost in the color the fire cast on his face. "Yeah. The other guys are here, too."
Sam continued. "Well, it's very nice to meet you. I'm a fan."
Kendall then looked at her like he expected her to jump his bones. Most of the fan girls were crazily obsessed with the band. They got mobbed wherever they were recognized.
"Don't worry. I'm not a crazy, obsessed fan girl," she reassured him, like she was reading his mind. "I'm just not overly into you. But not that you're not good, you guys are awesome live, and you're all so cute-"
Kendall chuckled lightly and the fire seemed to get brighter before Sam. She immediately blushed, her face turning prominently red in the firelight. "And I should probably stop talking now," she said, laughing nervously and burying her head in her knees.
"No, it's alright." Kendall grinned. He paused, looking over his shoulder. "Come on, the party- I mean 'social gathering'- is just getting started." He took her hand and led her to the 'dance floor', where everyone was gathered in a mass of bodies, swaying to the thumping bass pouring from the outdoor speakers. He pulled her over to the guys to introduce her.
"Logan, James, Carlos," Kendall began. "This is Sam. Sam, meet Logan, James, and Carlos."
"Hello."
"'Sup?"
"What's happenin'?" (A/N: Carlos. lol)
"Hey guys!" Sam greeted them. "I'm a big fan."
The three boys looked slightly scared that she would chase after them and bowl them over.
"It's okay guys, she's cool," Kendall comforted them.
They all visibly relaxed and started dancing to the amped up music.
An hour later, mostly everyone had dispersed back to their apartments, so the boys decided to head up as well.
"Hey, Sam, you coming with us?" Carlos called.
She looked at them gratefully, but asked cautiously, "Can I really?"
"Of course!" James answered.
She smiled hugely at them. "Thanks guys. Let me check in with my folks first. They'll get mad if they don't know where I'm going after curfew."
"That's cool. We'll take you there," Kendall offered. They all got into the elevator. Kendall's finger hovered over the number pad. "What floor?"
"Two," she said automatically.
"Wait," Carlos interrupted. "What apartment?"
Sam wondered where this was going. "2M. Why?"
Carlos leapt up in the elevator. "We're neighbors! We used to live in 2J!"
"Wow, that's so weird!" Sam stated.
The elevator stopped at the second floor. The group got out and made their way to Sam's apartment. She turned the key and called out into the dim light. "Mom? Dad!"
Sam's parents walked out of their bedroom, sporting bathrobes over their pajamas and carrying toothbrushes. "Sam! How are you?" her mother asked. Then her tone turned concerned. "Where have you been all night, sweetheart?"
"Don't worry, mom. I was just at an impromptu get-together/social gathering down at the pool." Sam looked back at the boys. "Speaking of which- mom, dad, this is Kendall, Logan, James, and Carlos, a.k.a. Big Time Rush." The boys all waved as each of their names was recited.
"It's lovely to meet you boys," Sam's dad said, shaking their hands. "You can call me Tom. This is my wife, Mary."
"It's nice to meet you," Logan smiled politely.
"Same for me," Mary said kindly.
Now that the intros are over. "Mom, is it alright if I hang with these guys for a while? We're just gonna be in their apartment- it's 2J. And don't worry. Kendall's mom, sister, and Logan's friend Camille will be there too. I promise I'll try to stay away from any and all drugs or alcohol," she finished jokingly.
Sam's mother smirked at her, but with a warning look, before turning to discuss it with her father. They talked quietly for a few moments before Tom finally stated, "Alright. You can go. Just let us know when you're home. Wake us up if you have to. Be safe."
Sam enveloped both her parents in a hug and gave them each a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks so much! I promise I won't be home too late. Love you!" she called as she and the boys exited apartment 2M.
"Love you too!" Tom and Mary called back simultaneously.
Yay! This chapter's quite a bit longer than the first. Like, a thousand words longer. Whew!
Sorry if it seems a like I made Sam's parents a little dumb for letting her hang out with a bunch of boys she just met. She's a good girl and her parents trust her. I didn't write it to look like they're pushovers.
The next chapter will be shorter, though. I'll get it us ASAP, once I type it up and figure out a title for it. All the chapter titles for this story will be song titles that, somewhat, give a preview or set a mood for each chapter. I would suggest listening to each song before reading each chappie, but you don't have to!
Once again, reviews are appreciated! Reviewers get cookies….
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