"I just want to thank everybody for coming out and supporting me—supporting us!" Ryan said through heavy pants and breaths into the microphone, as he smiled to the screaming crowd before him. "I also want to thank these four boys," Ryan pointed at his band mates, "Carlos, James, Kendall, and Logan, for being such great friends, and role models, and accepting me as best they could into the band! Thank you guys for coming out, but we're going to sing you one last number before we say goodbye, okay?" Ryan had just introduced Til I Forget About You, and after having been taken by surprise (tricked into thinking that he was going to perform The City is Ours only to have the other four sing This is Our Someday to him, forcing him to well up with emotion on stage), he was ready to end the night with his favorite song to record and perform.
The five sung and danced along to the words of Til I Forget About You, belting out the best notes and creating the greatest show the fans had ever seen. At the end of the song, the concert blacked out abruptly, the audience still cheering. Then, background music played, and the announcer's voice kindly told everyone to exit the area, and proceed to the meet-and-greet, which the boys, though happy to dutifully tend to the crowd, only really wanted to return to the Palm Woods and resurface about the recent goings-on.
Tomorrow had arrived quicker than the boys had anticipated. Gustavo scheduled an after-party for the boys and their friends, whoever they wanted to bring, Gustavo urged. Kelly promised that it was her that organized the after-party, commending Ryan on his success, and the boys for being great support for him. Kelly was a little short on the truth when she said that they were the "greatest big brothers in the world" to Ryan. But though Kelly, being so kind, yet so naive to the situation, filled Kendall with even just a pinch of guilt, causing him to question his intentions for busting Ryan for who he is.
Then he looked at an apprehensive Carlos, who, usually, would be attempting to jump into the pool, was now sitting by himself, looking with concentration at what appeared to be nothing. Poor boy. Kendall knew that if Carlos was fired, he was going to go. No way was he going to sit around and watch his best friend get cut from the band. Not a chance in hell. He would take Carlos by the shoulder, and leave, and never come back, and there was no doubt in his mind that Logan would follow, and James would give up his chance at fame for their scared little friend.
Poor Carlos.
At the time of the after-party, where Ryan had proceeded to stuff his face and hang out with Stanton, who played Jo's little brother on New Town High, and Katie, as the three laughed with what Kendall hoped was apple juice in martini glasses. Everybody was donning high-end fashion, as if they were on the red carpet, when really, it was a party where everybody knew each other, and all that really was supposed to go down was a bunch of friends having fun. Carlos didn't let his apprehensive behavior from earlier that day affect his party mood, and though his heart ached for an answer, he put it off to rule the dance floor with James. Logan was speaking with Camille, both of them laughing with pieces of some fancy Hollywood pizza Gustavo had ordered up, and Kendall sat on the couch of the party room they had rented out, watching the scene play along before him.
A cake was released and everything. Kendall had to keep himself from scoffing as the sheet cake, lit and bright, was decorated with the words: "Welcoming Ryan to Big Time Rush." And there were four candles. Kendall saw that as a sign. Only four?
"Have some cake, Kendall," Logan approached with the four-candle cake, shoving a plate into Kendall's hand. He must have been staring at the four candles a bit longer than he had initially thought.
"Mmmrmm—" Kendall murmured through a heavy thought.
As it turns out, there was a bit more than apple juice in the martini glasses. Katie and Stanton had passed out on the couch, but Ryan, who wasn't the type to sleep when he was drunk (which he was apparently finding out now), began looking for a bit of fun since his two friends had decided to turn in during the middle of the party. It wasn't expected to end in a good few hours, and Ryan wandered aimlessly, searching for something to keep himself occupied.
He didn't even feel it when he fell over on the dance floor, leaving him laughing uncontrollably, and Kendall snickering in the corner, and Carlos looking concerned.
As a result, Carlos hauled the intoxicated 13-year-old into a small room of the estate they had rented for the party, and laid him down on the velvet couch, telling him to get some rest and that he would remember to take him home after the party was over. Ryan attempted to fight back, but his kicks and swings were a bit sluggish and light. It was then that Ryan grabbed Carlos by the collar and whispered, "you're the prettiest—prettiest girl in the room, Jennifer."
Carlos chuckled, "I'm not Jennifer, Rye—"
And they kissed.
Carlos instantly pushed Ryan off, a bit dumbfounded, but he was partially relieved that Ryan was so intoxicated to think he was a Jennifer. But the fact that Ryan had (probably) wasted his first kiss on Carlos somewhat shook him. He attempted to shake it off, knowing that Ryan was drunk, so he wiped the drip of saliva hanging from the tip of his lip and raised his head. But what he had happened upon wasn't too exciting.
"Logan, I—" Carlos attempted to cool his friend, who was painted pink with humiliation and disbelief. Logan stormed off in confusion, seeking Kendall, who he found in an instant, and the two decided on hitching a cab home.
Carlos was left in his speechlessness, tears welling up, as set his back against the wall and slowly fell to his bottom, hugging his knees and feeling cold and hot at the same time. Wiping the tears on his cheeks to deny they were ever there, Carlos looked at Ryan, who was now fast asleep, looking serene. In his mind, he was probably so euphoric and happy. His dreams had come true, his friends had been great, he had alcohol and a sheet cake, and he kissed a Jennifer. In his mind, he was the happiest boy on Earth.
"You're ruining my life, kid," Carlos said darkly at the sleeping boy.
Ryan was completely innocent, besides the fact that he was intoxicated for the first time. He lay in 2I, not knowing how he got there, with his head throbbing. It was a blur what had happened last night, but he remembered the vanilla sheet cake, laughing with Stanton and Katie, then dancing for a while. After that, nothing. After that, Ryan couldn't remember a single thing. He looked down at himself. Party clothes. He took his collar and gave it a quick whiff. Stinky party clothes.
He remembered a long while back in his health class back in Iowa that to fully recover from a hangover, you have to secrete all the alcohol from your system by sweating and peeing. Peeing would be easy. That was the first thing he felt like doing—and after he did, he approached his refrigerator lazily to find an entire tupperware full of crumbled sheet cake, some leftovers, and lots of produce from the Grocer-Eez. He would settle for toast.
After eating his toast, which was really just a piece of bread, because the toaster's spring would be the reaper on his ears, he took a cold shower, and went downstairs slowly to go to Starbucks across the street from the Palm Woods.
As he entered the lobby, he found Katie, sitting on the lounge chair, holding an ice-pack to her head. Ryan approached. "Hey."
Katie looked, not moving a single body part besides her eyes. "'Sup." She said painfully.
"What happened—you know. Last night?"
"I don't even remember."
"No more alcohol for us. Ever again. Promise?"
"I would pinky promise but for some reason, I'm sore." Katie sighed. "And it's not from over-dancing."
"I am too." Ryan chuckled.
"You're ten years old, for God's sake, Katie. Why'd you even drink—"
"Hey. I got enough of that from Kendall and my mom. I don't need it from you."
"Right. I'm going to get coffee. Want something?"
"I'm good."
"Where's Stanton?"
"He went to get coffee, too."
"Alright—"
"Wait, Ryan."
"What?" Ryan said, his body half-lifted from the seat adjacent to Katie's.
"So you do anything last night besides dance and drink? You didn't kiss, or smoke, or have sex, or—"
"Not that I remember."
"Alright."
"Alright..." And Ryan walked off in his pursuit for a capuccino. "You're thirteen years old," Ryan said, rubbing his head as he crossed the street. "No more of that. Not until you're older." As he was crossing the street with care, he received a call from Logan.
"Don't ever—" What sounded like Logan barfing interrupted "—hello?"
"Logan?" Ryan responded.
"Don't ever kiss—don't ever kiss—don't ever kiss—"
"Logan, are you—are you still drunk?"
"No—maybe. A little. I don't know. Fuck you."
"What the hell, Logan? Where are you?"
"...I don't know..."
"Logan, look around. Tell me what you see."
"Hey—I called you. I think. I called you to—yeah, it was me who called you, wasn't it—don't ever kiss Carlos ever—" More barfing. "—never again."
"Kiss Carlos? What the hell are you—Logan, tell me what you see around you and I'll get Gustavo to get you. You're going to get us in trouble."
"I'm only a little tipsy, Ryan, chill."
"You're barfing. And it sounds like everywhere."
"Am—not!" And Logan hung up.
"Logan? Logan!" Luckily, his capuccino was finished being prepared and he could leave the coffee shop without it, not bothering check around for Stanton. He began dialing for Kendall immediately. Kendall supplied no answer, so he tried James. James picked up and agreed to meet him in the lobby with Carlos in a few minutes. Wherever Kendall and Logan were, it was likely that they were together.
"So Logan called you—" James paced, stroking his chin intently, "drunk?"
"And he hung up on me! Said something about not kissing Carlos ever again, like I've just kissed Carlos before or something. And he's throwing up. Like, a lot." Ryan reminded.
"Did you hear any background noise?" James pressed on.
"I heard a voice like Kendall's drunken singing. Most likely it was him. I also heard a sudden beat playing. The beat of Umbrella by Rihanna. That beat. It was really sudden and loud. And then a seagull, I think. But after that, it's hard to exactly place what was going on in the background."
"They're and the 41.1 Radio Jam on South Beach."
"Or a Rihanna concert." Carlos snickered. "But she's not in town."
"Well, we've got one lead. Let's move." James said.
"Shouldn't we tell Katie or Mrs. Knight, maybe Gustavo—"
"No!" Carlos exclaimed. "That'll only stress people out. Let's get them home and to sleep before they get arrested."
"Hurry!" James shouted, leading the trio out of the Palm Woods lobby.
Kendall and Logan were drunk on the beach in the middle of Los Angeles. And the three intended on finding out why.
A/N: Oh my god. It's been something close to forever, hasn't it? I'm alive! I'm alive, people! I don't have a valid excuse as to why I couldn't continue. But I did. I must press on. Hope you guys liked it.
