So, hey everyone I'm back. Thank you SOOO much for all the reviews for the last chapter! I love all my reviewers, especially my regulars- you know who you are. ;D
I had a snow day today (who in the midwest didn't?) so I decided to get my butt in gear and post this. But the fact that I'm also sick does not really make my brain work at its fullest potential, so sorry in advance if I have any errors in this chapter.
Good thing I was stuck inside all day. -_-
Anyways.
There's a time jump from the last chapter to this one. I wanted the Sam/Kendall relationship to grow gradually, but I was too lazy to write about all the little things leading up to this part. So, hopefully you'll understand that it's been a long, slow process for the both of them. They want to enjoy all their time together. :)
There's a new character introduced in this chapter; my best friend, who is IN LOVE with a certain Big Time Rush boy, practically threatened to kill me if I didn't write her in this story. Okay, she didn't threaten to KILL me, but she did beg me to put her in. And now I finally am! Hopefully you like her like I love her. C:
Oh, and I also realized that I never gave Mama Knight a first name. –sigh- Stupid me. Xd But now she has one. :)
Now, onward to chapter nine! (Did anyone else besides me say that in a British accent? …No? Okay.)
Anyway…
Two months later
"Young Hollywood's hottest couple, Kendall Knight and Sam Wayland, was spotted taking a stroll to Jamba Juice yesterday afternoon. After a long day's work, it's known to be the favorite hangout of the two along with the other three members of Kendall's group Big Time Rush…"
Sam awoke to the sound of the living room television. The one day she wasn't heading to the studio this week, and she was now forced to endure the task of getting up earlier than she wanted.
"Mom!" she called out groggily. "Can you turn that crap off, please?" Not that her life with her other half wasn't amazing, but she was sick of constantly hearing and seeing the tabloids about herself. Although, that should've come as no surprise since she and one of the most gorgeous and popular teenagers in Hollywood had gotten together.
Getting no answer and no TV volume reduction, Sam begrudgingly rolled over under her sheets to face her dormant alarm clock. The LED display read 11:04 a.m.
Oh… she thought, surprised. I think it's a pretty good time to get up. She stumbled out of her comfy bed and padded into the living room, rubbing the crust out of her sleep-laden eyes.
When she looked around, however, her mother was nowhere in sight, even though the TV was on and the front door was wide open. Sam could hear a shuffling sound come from outside in the hallway. "Mom?" she asked hesitantly. She cautiously began walking out of her apartment to see where all the ruckus was coming from.
The next door to her left was wide open, several people scurrying in and out of it. Curious as to who was moving in (she never remembered anyone ever being in that apartment since she'd come here), she walked forward to greet the newbies.
And who should appear coming out of the doorway but her mother, chatting it up with the people inside. Oh it's absolutely no problem, Cheryl. It's my pleasure- just a way to say 'welcome to the neighborhood', if you will. It was very nice to meet you." Sam saw her mother's warm smile light up the immediate area.
"Well, it was nice to meet you as well," came a woman's voice. "I'm extremely gracious of your gesture. The fruit bowl looks delicious; thank you."
"You're most certainly welcome," Mary replied back happily. "If you'll please excuse me, I have to run to the office really quick. I'll come back later to check- oh, Sam! There you are, sleepy head!" She had turned to leave and spotter her pajama-clad daughter. "Come over here and meet our new neighbor," she said, gesturing to the woman in the doorway.
Sam strolled over and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Sam," she greeted and shook the woman's outstretched hand.
"Cheryl," she smiled.
"Honey," Sam's mother continued. "This is Ms. Pierce. She's here with her daughter."
"Yes, she's wandering around here somewhere," Ms. Pierce laughed affectionately.
"Alright," Sam chuckled lightly. "Well, I've gotta go mom. Mama Knight invited me and the boys to have breakfast in 2J today and I'm meeting them downstairs when they get here. I'll call you in a while," she said, already walking down the hallway to the elevator.
"Okay, sweetheart. I'm off to work," Mary called after her.
"'Kay, mom. Nice to meet you, Ms. Pierce!" she waved back.
Sam pushed the 'down' arrow and waited. It was taking a little longer than it usually did. Just as she was about to open the stairway door, a girl carrying too many boxes wobbled out of the elevator. Sam scrambled to assist the girl. "Here, let me help you with that."
"Oh, thank you!" the girl sighed in relief. She practically threw some of her boxes to the floor.
Sam picked up several boxes and finally got a look at the teen who'd been hidden behind the mound of cardboard.
She was about the same height as Sam, with fair skin that was a stark contrast from her long, jet-black hair. But her most prominent feature was her wide, deep, bright sky blue eyes that smiled, even through her apparent exhaustion.
As they began their trek, Sam inquired, "Are you the one moving in? The Pierces?"
"Yeah, I am," the girl grinned. "I'm Olivia."
"Nice to meet you, Olivia; I'm Sam," she nodded at Olivia, not able to shake hands.
They were silent again as they came up to the door of 2N. Sam stopped to allow Olivia to lead her to where the boxes would be going. They made their way deeper into the apartment until Sam turned into a room that had a bare bed and numerous stacked boxes. "You can just set them down anywhere," Olivia said.
Sam found a clear space near the side of the bed and gently set her pile of cardboard down.
"Thanks so much for your help, by the way," she continued. "That was my last trip for my stuff, and, silly me, I thought I could make it will all those boxes."
Sam just waved her off. "It's really no big deal. I'm happy to help my new neighbor." She flashed a friendly smile.
Olivia flopped down on her bed, grateful that the talk of getting her stuff up here was done. "I'm exhausted!" she groaned into her pillow.
Suddenly, Sam got an idea. "Hey, Olivia," she began. "Why don't you take a break from all this and come have breakfast with me?"
The blue-eyed girl lifted her head. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't mean to impose…"
"Nonsense! It's just a homemade meal with my friends. You'll love them!"
"Oh, o-okay. Um, where at?" Olivia asked uncertainly.
Seeing the uneasy look, Sam quickly reassured her new friend. "Oh, don't worry; they're right down the hall. Well, they don't live there, but their mom and little sister do. I was going to meet them downstairs, but they'll be fine without my escort." She laughed at her own joke, Olivia giving a small chuckle as well.
The new girl's face softened. "Okay…Sure, I'd love to come. I am totally done with this crap for now. And I'm always up for meeting new people." She smiled at the prospect.
"Great!" Sam beamed. She grabbed Olivia's wrist and began walking through the apartment with her. "You'll love these guys!"
Still being half-dragged, Olivia said, "Alright. Let me just let my mom know real quick. Mom!"
Her mother was in the kitchen putting the silverware away. "Yes, dear?" she replied.
"Is it okay if I go have breakfast with Sam? We're going to her friends' mom's apartment down the hall," Olivia explained.
"Sure, honey," Cheryl answered. "Just be sure to let me know if you'll be going anywhere else. And don't forget we have a lot of unpacking to do."
Olivia rolled her eyes playfully. "No prob, mom. I've got my phone. Love you!" she said as she pulled Sam out the door.
There was a quiet call of "Love you, too!" back as the girls made their way down the hall. They didn't have any time to talk because seconds later they were standing at the door labeled '2J'.
Sam knocked several times and let herself in, motioning for Olivia to follow. Looking around, the brunette spotted Mrs. Knight in the kitchen, smells of home cooking wafting throughout the whole apartment. "Hey, Mama K!"
Krystal Knight looked up from the stove with a large friendly smile. "Oh, hey Sammy. Who's this?" she asked, nodding to the new girl.
"Oh, sorry. Mama K, this is Olivia Pierce. She's my new neighbor," Sam explained. "I invited her to have breakfast with us. You wouldn't mind setting one extra plate, would you?"
Krystal gave another motherly smile. "Of course not, sweetheart. There'll be plenty of food to go around. Even with those boys," she rolled her emerald eyes affectionately, as did Sam. "Speaking of which, Kendall called about two minutes ago, so they should be here anytime."
Sam's eyes went a little bit wider. "Oh crap! I'm supposed to meet them downstairs!" She paused. "Eh, oh well. They'll survive without me," she said with a nonchalant shrug. "Anyway, c'mon, Liv, let's go sit down for a while." The two girls padded over to the bright orange couch.
The sound of someone coming down the swirly slide made the girls turn around in their seats. A skinny pre-teen flew out the end and announced, "Mmm, I smell pancakes!"
Sam smiled at seeing her little 'sister'. "Hey, kiddo," she greeted Katie.
"Hey, Sam," Katie smiled. "Who's the girl?"
Sam turned to her companion. "Please excuse her bluntness. Katie, this," she gestured a hand to the girl next to her. "Is Olivia; she's my new neighbor. She's having breakfast with us."
"Oh, it's nice to meet you," Katie said to the black-haired teen.
Olivia just smiled up at her in a friendly manner, her stomach suddenly grumbling loudly. Everyone in the apartment chuckled at the small roar.
"Somebody's hungry," Krystal commented. "Don't worry, girls. It'll only be a couple more minutes."
Katie groaned in appreciation. "Thank God! I'm starving! The boys better get here soon!"
And no sooner had she finished her statement, the front door of 2J opened impatiently, and Kendall, James, Logan, and Carlos stumbled in, noses in the air to the delicious smell.
And because Carlos is Carlos, he was sitting at the dining room table, fork and knife ready in his hands, before anyone could blink. He had that cutely innocent 'puppy dog' face that said Breakfast, please? Sam and Olivia chuckled at the expression, getting up to greet the guys.
Kendall strolled over to his girlfriend. "Hey, babe," he said, giving her a small peck on the lips; their smiles were radiant afterward.
Suddenly Sam heard a small gasp escape the girl behind her. Turning around, she asked, "What's wrong, Liv?"
Olivia's sapphire eyes were as wide as their breakfast plates in recognition. "N-nothing! You just didn't tell me you know Big Time Rush. I'm just kind of star-struck right now!" A light pink crawled up her face as she rambled.
Sam instantly felt bad. "Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry for not telling you! It must have slipped my mind. But anyway, this is my boyfriend Kendall Knight," she gestured to him. "Carlos Garcia," she motioned to the caramel-skinned boy at the table. "Logan Mitchell, and-"
"I'll introduce myself, Sam," James interrupted in his "ladies' man" voice. "Hi, I'm James Diamond. And you are…?" He held out one of his hands.
"Olivia," she said politely, catching on to his 'manwhore'-ness. She shook his hand anyway.
Logan cut in. "James! No pick-up lines before breakfast. Please? She's new."
He sighed in mock defeat. "Alright, fine."
"Children!" Mrs. Knight teased from the kitchen. "Breakfast's ready."
"Excuse me, but we are men now , Mama Knight!" Logan squeaked out in annoyance. Kendall and James nodded in agreement while Carlos just bounced anxiously in his seat, ruining their argument.
Soon enough, they were all seated and Krystal had laid out the bountiful food across the table. It was a little more crowded than normal, but no one seemed to mind. Sam filled her plate and looked around the table. On her left was Kendall, already digging into his hefty helping of eggs, toast, bacon, and pancakes. Smirking at his innocence she glanced over to her right, where Olivia and Mrs. Knight were trying to gather their food while the tornadoes across the table were scooping up everything. Logan, James, Carlos, and Katie were ravaging everything set out, their plates overflowing. Sam chuckled at the antics and resumed eating her food.
There was silence then, except the clinking of silverware on plates and munching jaws. There was no urge to talk, just to enjoy the company of friends and family. For only knowing these people for about an hour, Olivia felt right at home.
But some were thinking more than others. Sam glanced across the table with a grin at James, but her smile fell slightly when she saw he had his rare 'thinking face' on. He didn't seem worried, just puzzled, almost full of wonder.
Inside his head, however, myriad thoughts of the new girl floated around without aim. She had basically rejected him! No one rejected the fabulous James David Diamond. It was then that James decided that he had a new challenge: he would win her heart in one way or another.
But thinking further, he got a queasy feeling in his stomach. It was like when he usually saw a pretty girl, like the first time he'd seen Jo or Sam; this time, it was different. He felt kind of sick, and his heart fluttered each time he looked at Olivia. He didn't know what was going on, but he was going to find out.
For now, though, he was content to just flash his beautiful pearly whites at the quirky newcomer as he tried to sort through these new feelings.
So, there's my friend Livi! Did ya like her? She's awesome in real life! :D There's not really much else I can say because my sinuses are making my mind quite foggy. At least I have my voice today- I lost it completely yesterday. I was squeaking every time I tried to talk at school. It was not fun. -dies- But enough about my problems...read and review, please? Right now, reviews might be the only medicine that could cure my cold. I'm hacking up a lung as I type this, you see. Until next time! :)
