The Darker Side
Chapter 1
Mikkal
James absolutely loved fan mail. Not because it proved how loved his was by their fans, but because he could show his love back. It made it even better when the others guys got the mail, it meant that they were all loved by their fans. That they were in this together, as Big Time Rush.
His mask may be that he was shallow and selfish, but underneath he cared about his friends in a way that was beyond friendship.
They were brothers and he bickered and cared about them like how the closest brothers did.
He grinned wildly when he pulled out yet another letter for Logan, this one pink and smelling oh-so-very nice. "Ah! Looks like Logie here is mighty popular. Another one for you mister stud."
Logan blushed madly and took the letter to place it on his growing stack, taking his time reading each and every one one of them with a detailed eye. He frowned and his eyebrows furrowed as he read the words on a white index card.
"What's wrong?" Carlos asked. He ate a bit of pudding, almost dropping the spoonful on the orange couch. "You don't look very happy."
He shook his head and gave them a strained smile. "Nothing, just an idiot telling me I can't sing." He forced a laugh.
But the guys could see right through it. Kendall promptly plucked the index card from his hand and tore it in half, a satisfying rrrriiiipppeee!. He smiled and threw the pieces in the air.
"There," he said proudly. "Now he's not telling you anything."
Logan burst into real laughter and grabbed a new letter, seeming to, for the most part, ignore his friends' attempts to get him to forget the card's words. But he did noticed and the guys knew he didn't want to draw attention to his momentarily lapse of self-confidence.
Carlos' eyes lit up. "This one says she's bought every poster of us and can't wait until we put out another CD! And she says me and Kendall are her favorites," he added smugly.
"And this girl said she's so glad we've come this far," James read frantically. "We've inspired her to go after her dreams, even if shes 'backed against a wall.'"
Kendall smiled. "I'm glad she's not giving up con whatever her dream is."
It felt good to encourage people to never give up. James never imagined they would be looked up to in this way. Sure he thought they'd be famous for looks and talents but it never occurred to him that people would see four teenagers struggling to make it in the music business instead of an attempt in boy bands making a comeback.
Logan laid out on the couch, never taking his eyes off the flower printed paper. "Some people are so weird," he said out loud. "This chick wants a piece of my hair and the pencil I use to study with."
James nodded. "Yeah, got one last time asking the same thing except she wanted my lucky comb." He hugged aforementioned object protectively. "No one touches my comb but me!"
Carlos poked it. "I touched it!" He yelled and then took off running up Swirly with James shouting after him.
Kendall and Logan dissolved into laughter, leaning on each other. The pale teen wiped his eyes and grabbed yet another letter, slipping it open, and pulling out the purple paper.
Kendall watched James almost catch the youngest teen, but he stumbled over a duffel bag.
"Get back here!" James shouted. "You're dead for touching my lucky comb!"
They did that for a few minutes until James heaved a dramatic sigh and plopped down on the couch, covering his eyes. Carlos was close behind, but he sat on the other side, just in case. They went back to reading fan mail, like the previous chase-scene never happened.
James looked up from his rather flattering letter to see Logan frowning again, inwardly he wondered what some one was saying now, but the look in his friend's eyes stopped him from actually saying anything.
He looked... scared.
"Logan, what's wrong?" His question brought the attention of the other two on the second.
His head jerked up in surprise. "Oh nothing." He shrugged nonchalantly. "Just another weirdo." Logan laughed again but this time it was hard to tell whether it was forced or not.
"Wow. I only get at least one a batch, you're so popular today," James said with a grin.
But a flash of jealousy sparked in his veins. Logan never wanted this but yet he was getting more than him? Weirdos (Even if they were a little creepy) and fans. It was the same with Kendall, he didn't want this but Gustavo decided he was fire. When was James going to get all of the perks of his dream?
"Boys! Katie!" Mama Knight burst into the room, Chinese in hand. "Dinner!"
Katie ran out of her room and the guys stumbled up, features growing younger at the simple mention of food. Carlos dived for his food, using chopsticks to shove it in his mouth. Kendall went at a slower, but equally enthusiastic about the delicious smelling food.
James broke open a fortune cookie first, a little habit he's had since Minnesota. He frowned at the little slip of paper as it mocked him with a rather odd message.
Keep an eye open, not everything is as happy as it seems
He shrugged though, and stuck the paper in his pocket. Fortunes never came true, unless this was like Freaky Friday...oh God, he hoped it wasn't.
...If it was, who would he switch with? Kendall, so he could be the fire for once? Carlos so he could be happy all the time? Logan so he could be smart...smarter?
"Sorry Mama Knight," he heard Logan say. "But I don't feel good, I think I'm just going to go lay down."
She frowned hand put a hand to his forehead. "Well, you do feel a little warm."
He nodded. "'Night guys," he said to them before headed to the room he shared with Kendall.
When the door clicked shut Carlos leaned over, swallowing his mouthful of food, before whispering. "Did he look sick earlier?"
Kendall shook his head, shooting the closed door concerned looks. "No, but he is good at hiding when he's sick or in pain. Remember when he practically broke his wrist last year and we didn't even notice until it was healed 'cause he kept it hidden with his sweatshirt?"
James shuddered, Kendall's anger at not being told was scary. Especially since the injury happened during a two on two hockey game. He picked up Logan's plain chicken (the boy was so damn picky) and rice and stuck in the fridge for when he was hungry later and started to eat his own food.
Logan stared at the letter in his hand. It wasn't as weird or as stalker-ish that crime dramas or anything make them out to be, and he wasn't sure if he was just being paranoid, but sure was creepy.
Not to mention the picture...the picture. How did he not notice someone taking a picture of him? It was hard to think of what day that could've been, Spill the Beans Coffee House was right next to the studio so they hung out there a lot during breaks.
He read it over again, his head aching more and more as he tried to figure out what to do. It was ridiculous to tell his friends, they'd probably say he was overreacting and it was just a normal fan. James' reaction earlier didn't help, his congratulations on getting two weirdos in one batch.
The first weirdo was normal compared to this chick.
And she watched him leave the Palm Woods? Wanted Camille to keep her hands off him? Who did this girl think she was?
It was probably some obsessive twelve year old who watched FOX way too often.
Yeah, Logan nodded his head. That was it.
He closed his eyes and laid down, trying to ease his headache with the coolness of the pillow. This will all just blow over, he might not get another letter from this chick anyway.
He hoped.
