A/N GUESS WHAT. You know how my favorite band and biggest inspiration for writing is RED? Well I got to see and meet them over the weekend! It was amazing. It was the best concert I have ever been too. I also saw 1000 Foot Krutch and Manafest. If you haven't heard RED yet, check them out because they will change your lives, and I'm not kidding. It's like they just lift you up in their arms and hold you while they perform on stage. Life's a little better, just from going to their concert a couple nights ago.
And thanks for all of the reads and reviews! Here's chappie 4! I also don't know much of anything about what's in London so I apologize in advance if I am wayyy off. I didn't research as much as I normally would.
By the time the boys had landed and were cozy in their hotel room, it was quite late at night. The jet lag and time change had all 4 of them a bit grouchy and irritable, but none of them had it worse than Carlos. The young Latino wore a perpetual frown upon his tan and chubby features. He stayed quiet and pouty throughout the whole ordeal. Plain and simply put, Carlos was in a bad mood, something that was extremely rare for the overly-positive teenager. The reason why he was in a bad mood was that he felt like both the nice airplane lady and Logan lied to him, because even though the flight was long over, he still didn't feel so good. His head was still swimming and achy and his stomach felt a bit off. So while the other boys chattered endlessly about their amazing hotel room and food, Carlos curled up on his side and let his eyes fall close, desperate for more sleep even though he had slept the duration of the entire plane ride.
"I can't wait for room service to get here," James announced, and even though he was tired, there was a pep hidden in his voice. Now that the quartet were snug in their pajamas, sitting in their comfy, oversized beds with a movie playing on the HD television, the pretty boy was slowly getting in a happy mood, and so were Kendall and Logan. How could they stay grouchy when they were in some giant, fancy hotel in London?
"I know, I'm starving!" Logan exclaimed, falling backwards on his bed so that his head hit his feathery pillow with a soft "poof."
"I need meat!" Kendall groaned out, his mouth watering for the double cheeseburger he ordered off of the room service menu. His stomach grumbled unhappily. A ten hour flight, a bag of peanuts, and a teenage boy was not a good mix.
Finally, the room service arrived and an older gentleman rolled in a cart. After the server stood there expectantly for 5 minutes, Logan realized they had to tip the poor man, and after they paid him the teenagers were like wild beasts, practically jumping on the cart and attacking several plates of food.
"Carlos, dude, aren't you hungry?" James asked with his mouth stuffed full of French fries. 3 sets of eyes immediately darted on Carlos' still figure beneath the blankets.
"Did he fall asleep?" Kendall asked. "Didn't he sleep like, the entire flight?"
"Yeah, he did," Logan said worriedly, setting down his burger long enough to approach the lump that was Carlos in the middle of the giant bed that seemed to swallow him. "Yo Carlitos, you good?" The brunette gently shook Carlos' hip. The younger boy smacked his lips loudly and let out a snore. Logan chuckled.
"He's out like a light, guys."
"Huh," James said, chewing his food thoughtfully. Carlos had been pouty all evening, which was very unlike him unless something was really wrong. "Is it just me or is Carlos acting very not-Carlos-like tonight? I mean we are in a different continent and all the adults are fast asleep and he spends this freedom snoring away like he's at home."
"No, I agree," Logan said. "I think the plane ride messed him up a little, he was kind of unprepared for the whole jet lag thing I guess."
"I'm beat too," Kendall said with a giant yawn, his mouth stretching as far as it could go. He let out a groan, set down his half eaten burger, and settled into his bed. "I think Carlos has the right idea. Gustavo said we have an early morning tomorrow so we should get as much rest as we can."
"True, I need my beauty sleep," James said, reaching into his bag and pulling out his zebra-print sleep mask. Kendall and Logan shook their heads at their odd, cosmetic-obsessed best friend.
"Good night James," they said in unison. James flashed them a toothy smile, put on the eye mask, and laid down.
"Good night bro," Kendall said, turning to Logan. "Tomorrow our world tour officially starts."
"Yeah, I kind of can't believe it," Logan said, tucking himself beneath the heavy comforter on his bed. "It all seems kind of surreal, you know? We'll be doing all this publicity and interviews and then the dress rehearsal tomorrow, and the next day we play our first show in London." Logan closed his eyes and imagined himself and his buddies performing at their sold-out show at The Barbican.
"Yeah," Kendall said softly. He looked over to his small best friend, who somehow looked even tinier hidden under the comforter. "You're happy, right?"
Logan opened his eyes, a bit taken aback, but then he remembered it was Kendall talking and of course the blonde would ask a question like that. The small boy rolled on his side so he was facing Kendall and curled his arm up, supporting his head with his hand. "Yeah, of course I am Kendall. We're living the dream. I mean sure it wasn't all of our dreams at first, but now I couldn't imagine doing anything different. Especially with anybody else but you guys. No regrets, buddy. This is amazing."
Kendall smiled, satisfied at Logan's answer. He had been a bit worried about his friend's emotional states over going on a world tour, especially Logan's. He knew James was feeling practically invincible and Carlos always just took what came and kept on going, but he was still worried for them regardless.
Logan grinned back and clicked out the bedside lamp, enshrouding the room in darkness save for the light of the moon shining in through their 7th floor room. He was about to close his eyes before feeling the need to ask Kendall something.
"What about you, Kendall?"
"Hmm?" The blonde asked sleepily, already dozing off.
"Are you happy we are doing this?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, I am," Kendall said, and Logan could see his warm smile even in the darkness. "I love singing, and I love my buddies. Nothing could ruin this."
"Good. See you in the morning, Kendall," Logan said, hugging the comforter to his chest, and the two boys fell asleep.
Morning came quickly, but the boys were anxious to start their first day in London. Even Carlos awoke feeling refreshed. He was a little confused at first, because the bed he was in didn't feel like his and he almost even panicked, but then he quickly remembered that they were in London.
"Guys! Look at this!" James cried, breaking the morning silence. The boys moaned and stretched, struggling to open their eyes to look at what James was speaking about. The pretty boy had the shades wide open and curtains pulled back, revealing a stunning view of London. They could see everything.
"Whoa!" Logan exclaimed, kicking his covers off and running to stand beside James. "Look at that! You can see Parliament!"
Big Ben looks so cool!" Kendall said excitedly, stumbling out of his own bed to join his friends.
Carlos sat up in bed and looked towards the window. The first thing he saw was a gigantic ferris wheel and felt a surge of excitement run through him. He wanted to ride it so badly.
"There's giant ferris wheel guys!" The Latino cried, jumping out of bed. As soon as his feet hit the floor, though, it felt like the room was spinning in fast circles. He was light-headed and couldn't tell what was down or what was up. All he could do was stay still until the room finally steadied a bit.
When the intense dizzy spell was over, Carlos looked over at his friends, praying they hadn't seen him nearly fall right on his butt. He was still clutching the bedframe with white knuckles to keep from falling. The boys were all facing the window though, exclaiming about everything they wanted to do and had not noticed Carlos' concerning episode.
"That was weird," Carlos thought, wondering what could have made him so dizzy. Maybe it was a normal part of jetlag?
"Carlos, whatcha doing buddy?" James asked, turning around to see where his youngest friend was. Carlos let go of the bedframe and offered James a huge smile.
"Um… Can we go on the ferris wheel first?" Carlos asked eagerly, deciding not to tell his friends about the dizziness. They were so excited and he didn't want to ruin it. Besides, they were probably all dizzy too because of the jetlag and he didn't want to be a big baby, even though to be honest it kind of scared him.
"Duh! Let's go!" Kendall said, pumping his fist in the air. The 4 boys cheered and ran towards the door, flinging it open and squishing each other to get through.
"Wait!" Logan suddenly yelled as they ran down the hall. He looked down at his bright red boxers and t-shirt and cringed. "We need to get dressed first!"
Kendall winced and looked down. He, too, was in his boxers, while James was shirtless with a pair of gray silk pajama bottoms and Carlos was in flannel pajamas with bananas and monkeys on them. "Hurry! Before- oh no. Paparazzi see us..."
As Kendall spoke, 5 guys with cameras seemed to jump out of nowhere and attacked the boy band with bright, flashing lights. Logan shrieked and Carlos and Kendall stumbled over their own feet trying to back away.
"Well hello paparazzi, I'm James," the pretty boy introduced himself with a gleaming smile as he flexed his bare bicep for the cameras.
"James! Have you no shame?" Logan yelled, cupping his hands and covering his crotch area. He was horribly reminded of when they had that stupid reality show follow them around the apartment several months ago.
"James, let's go!' Kendall whined, grabbing his conceited friends arm and taking off back towards their hotel room.
"Well that was embarrassing," Logan said, slamming the door behind him when he was sure all of his friends were inside and away from the humiliating flash of lights.
"It was kind of fun," Carlos said, his earlier dizziness forgotten about now due to the brief excitement. It had gone as quickly as it came. "At least we're popular here."
"Well photos on the internet of us in our jammies and boxers, is not the impression I wanted to make during our first morning in London!" Kendall said. "Let's just shower and dress and meet Gustavo in the lobby in an hour. Agreed?"
"Let's do this!" The boys said.
Exactly one hour later, the boys were clean with combed hair and suitable clothes for interviews on. They had a knack for being able to appear casual while still looking nice. That was one thing Gustavo and Kelly had to admit, they didn't have to hire any professional dressers for the boys. The teens could all pull together stylish outfits without any help.
The boys made their way down to the lobby, and the paparazzi must have sensed that they were fully clothed because they weren't attacked by the flashing bulbs this time. Gustavo and Kelly were waiting in the lobby with the boys' itineraries in their hands.
"Hi Gustavo, hi Kelly!" Carlos said happily, waving at their record producer and his assistant with a huge smile on his face.
"Dogs, finally!" Gustavo barked, already shoving the itineraries into their hands.
"We aren't even late," James said with a scoff, and Gustavo just ignored him.
"We have a busy day today so I hope you have you're A-game on," Gustavo explained. Carlos couldn't help but squeal, hoping that the ferris wheel was included in this busy day. To his dismay, however, there was nothing about a ferris wheel written on the busy schedule.
"Gustavo, can't we do the ferris wheel?" Carlos pleaded, balling his hands together into one tiny fist and jutting his lower lip out.
"Please, please, please Gustavo?" Kendall joined in.
"No, we have way too much to do," The record producer said without regret. "We have no time for childish things like ferris wheels."
"But it would mean so much to him, and since he missed his own birthday party it could be like a late birthday present," Logan quipped when Carlos' features fell into a pout. He hated seeing Carlos sad. "How long can it take, anyway?"
"Nooooo," Gustavo drawled. "N-O, no. Now come on we have a limo to catch and a brunch/interview and a photo shoot with London Beat Teen Magazine." Gustavo marched out of the lobby, and the boys followed sadly, Carlos dragging his feet and hunching his shoulders.
"Sorry boys but Gustavo's right," Kelly said as they made their way to the limo. "We have way too much to do today, but you are here for 5 days, I'm sure I can let him give you a long enough break for a ferris wheel ride."
"Yay! Thank you Kelly!" Carlos cooed, slinging his arms around her shoulders and giving her a tight squeeze. She laughed and patted his arms.
"Ok, let's get in the limo and do our first London interview!" She said, causing the boys too cheer with excitement.
After the magazine meeting, the boys did a radio appearance and then headed over to the Barbican for a full dress rehearsal. It was the last and only chance for the boys to get used to the stage and set, practice quick changes, and even for the crew to get all of the lighting and sound perfectly. Everything had to be perfect, so they were a little stressed at the pressure Gustavo was putting on their shoulders as he went on and on about how nothing could be messed up.
Carlos gulped nervously as his quick-changer dressed him in his first outfit for the opening of the show. He didn't always do so well under pressure, and he was actually dreading going up on the stage for the first time in his boy band career. He longed to be in bed, at home, instead of under the biggest stage he ever played on. He was quite tired, anyway, for some reason. Stupid jetlag.
"Ok, you boys ready?" A stage manager asked, entering beneath the stage. The reason they were underneath it instead of backstage was because they were to ride an elevating platform up to the top and appear in a flash of fog.
"Ready as we'll ever be," Kendall said, standing on the platform. The boys followed. Carlos took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. His stomach was feeling a bit knotty, as if he had butterflies or something and his knees were wobbly.
"I'm nervous," Carlos whispered, standing in his place on the elevator. He fidgeted with his leather jacket and swallowed, trying to distract himself.
"Really?" James whispered back as he adjusted one of his black gloves, raising his eyebrows.
Carlos nodded, not fully aware that he had said that out loud. He blushed a bit when James gave him a sad look.
"There aren't even people in the audience, buddy. And we've rehearsed the moves a thousand times. You'll be fine. Besides, I got your back," James assured him.
Carlos tried to smile and nodded. He opened his mouth to respond, but somebody cued the music and the platform suddenly started to rise.
Despite Carlos' concerns, the first few songs went without a hitch. Everything was going so perfectly, but the slight nausea stayed. About halfway through the set, Carlos was getting into the familiar movements of the dance to "Time of Our Lives" when the weakness in his knees was intensified. His legs quite literally felt like jello and refused to hold him anymore.
With a cry of surprise, Carlos went down, his knees buckling painfully. He hit the stage hard with a loud, dull thud. The music stopped instantly and all eyes were on the fallen boy, who flushed bright red with humiliation.
"Carlos, are you ok?" James asked frantically, running to his friend's aid.
"What happened?" Kelly asked worriedly, coming onto the stage from behind the curtains.
"I-I fell," Carlos said, stunned by his own collapse. Logan and Kendall were at his side in a moments flash, being on the complete opposite end of the stage.
"Are you hurt?" Logan asked. "Did you twist an ankle?"
"N-no," Carlos said in a small voice. He wasn't really sure what had happened.
"Well did you trip?" Kendall asked. Carlos shook his head. The boys were stumped and a little concerned, but Carlos pushed them away gently and made to get back up. But to his horror, he found he couldn't. When he tried to stand up, his legs shook beneath the weight and collapsed once more. At the same time, his head spun sickeningly.
"Carlos?" Logan asked slowly, reaching out to catch his friend before he fell to the stage again. James helped Logan with the weight and lowered the small boy to the floor.
"Ok, what's going on buddy?" Kendall asked. His heart was racing now. Why couldn't Carlos get up?
"My legs, they're weak. I feel really weak," Carlos admitted, tears welling up in his eyes. He blinked them back and looked at his feet, feeling ridiculous. How could this happen on one of the most dire nights of their lives?
Logan looked confounded. "You're weak? Do you feel sick?"
Carlos shook his head and rubbed his thigh muscles, which were starting to feel achy. He figured that the butterflies in his tummy that he blamed on nerves didn't constitute as "sick," and even if it did, he wasn't about to admit it.
"No, my legs are just sore and weak."
James and Kendall looked at Logan for an answer, but he didn't have any more of an idea than they did.
"It might be the plane ride," Kelly said, a little unsure. "Jetlag? And weakness in his legs from sitting so long? That's my only guess."
"Yeah, that must be it," Carlos said. "Or I pulled a muscle." Logan didn't look convinced though.
"Both legs at the same time though? I don't know… Do you promise you don't feel sick?" Logan asked.
"I promise," Carlos said. "Can we stop with the 20 questions and get back to rehearsal now? Before Gustavo kills me?" The small boy pointed towards the red-faced man who looked quite angry on the side of the stage, yelling at some poor, innocent stagehand.
"Can you get up?" James asked, reaching out his hand to help him up. Carlos took it and James slowly lifted him to his feet. His knees wobbled dangerously, but his legs weren't as weak anymore. Instead, they ached terribly, as if he did intense exercises all day without properly stretching first.
"You good?" Logan asked, brown eyes filled with worry for his little friend.
"Yeah, my muscles are just so sore," Carlos said with a hiss. Logan placed a hand on his back and frowned. Gustavo approached the Latino and glared at him.
"Carlos! Are you dying?" The large man yelled. Carlos squeaked.
"N-no?"
"Good. Than whatever is your little issue, you need to suck it up and finish this rehearsal. Cue the music, get in your spots, we are starting over 'Time of Our Lives.' Now boys!" Gustavo was practically screaming now and stormed off the stage. Logan gave a scared Carlos a sympathetic look.
"Are you really ok, buddy?"
"I have to be," Carlos said, taking his first shaky step. "We have to finish this rehearsal. I must have just pulled a muscle."
Logan sighed. He knew how important it was to finish the rehearsal. He was worried at first that Carlos might be sick, but he was sure it was just a pulled muscle or tired legs from the plane ride.
It took more strength than it should have, but Carlos got in position for "Time of Our Lives," ignoring the pain in his legs and how he felt a little lightheaded. It was just jetlag, right? He could take it. He had to, or else he would ruin the show for his buddies and the thousands of fans that were going to be there, cheering him on. His symptoms were scaring him, but the show must go on. It had to.
A/N Well those are some weird symptoms…
Reviews are giraffes! I love giraffes. Please give me a giraffe. Pleasie? I will be eternally grateful for your giraffe.
