Chapter 10 has arrived!
Disclaimer: It's called a disclaimer for a reason - I dis-claim that I own or have any rights to Big Time Rush. Figure it out copyright people. And have a nice day!
So, I have a few people to thank...
gfabulas: Ah, that's so sweet! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like this story :)
The Anyonymous reviewer: Thank you very much! There's plenty of Jatie moments in this chapter, so hopefully you'll like it! :)
Anigen: Thank you so much for taking the time to review! Heehee, I've gotta agree, Scarlett's pretty awesome. And that's more or less James's plan, to "fake-date her into loving him", to quote you :)
musiclover: Thank you so much! That's so nice of you, and that means so much! You're awesome :)
InFrickinLove: Well, thank you very much! I'm happy you're enjoying the story! I'll flip out if I don't keep updating too, because I love writing this! Thank you, that's so sweet of you to say that! :)
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS TAKEN THE TIME TO REVIEW, STORY ALERT, OR FAVORITE THIS STORY! It means so much to me, and I love knowing that people are enjoying the story! And I love hearing your opinions on the story! So thank you!
Warnings: Language and sexual references (is it just me or is the language and sexual references getting worse in each chapter? Oh well, this was never meant to be G-rated, so I guess I won't worry about it ;D)
So I really wanted to get this chapter up today. I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to because I've been so busy, but I finally finished the chapter! I've been planning some of the events in this chapter for awhile, and I had a lot of fun with this chapter :)
Enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 10 – Throw 'Em To the Paparazzi
Katie's POV
It was nearly midnight by the time Jo, Camille, and Mr. Taylor left our apartment. There were other things besides the wedding that needed to be discussed, including Kendall and Jo's living arrangements. They were considering renting out another apartment here at the Palmwoods, but no final decisions had been made.
I changed into my pajamas and had just finished brushing my teeth when I noticed that Mom's bedroom light was on. Hers and Kendall's voices were drifting out from her room, so I decided to go and investigate.
I knocked softly on the door, not wanting to wake the rest of the apartment up. "Hey," I called quietly. "It's me."
"Come on in sweetie," Mom answered and I opened the door.
Mom and Kendall were sitting on her bed, facing each other. I walked over and joined them, feeling the tension ease out of my muscles as I sank down onto the bed.
"I was just talking to Kendall about Jo," Mom said. "It's finally beginning to sink in that my son is going to be a father – and that he got his girlfriend pregnant."
"Yeah, Kendork," I told him. "It's called a condom. Remember what it's for?"
He glared at me. "As I was telling Mom, we used protection every single time. But protection isn't one-hundred percent foolproof."
"Duh, otherwise we wouldn't have spent the evening trying to decide what colors the bridesmaid dresses should be."
"Hey, you spent quite a bit of the evening with James, so what're you complaining about?"
"It was after you guys came in that I'm complaining about. And I'm not complaining. I was merely making a comment," I finished with a haughty sniff.
"So," Mom began in a would-be casual voice, "what exactly were you thinking, Kendall Schmidt, HAVING SEX WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND?"
"Ummm, I don't think you really want to know," replied nervously, backing away a little.
"Oh come on, Mom," I said with a groan. "You told me last week to go ahead and have sex once I'm eighteen as long as the guy and I use protection."
"I was talking about you and James, he's careful and sweet, and I'm seriously thinking about retracting my permission."
Kendall nearly fell of the bed. "What the hell, Mom? You gave her permission to have sex with James? He's a guy! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"
"Keep it down, Big Brother," I hushed him. "Everyone else is trying to sleep."
"You – how – why – James – sex – no!" he managed to get out.
"She and James would make an adorable couple," Mom replied smoothly. "And he obviously cares about her, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to so much trouble to win her forgiveness."
"But – but – she's not allowed to have sex with him!"
"Well, not now, but she'll be eighteen in a few months, and then her body is her own."
"KATIE IS NOT HAVING SEX UNTIL SHE'S AT LEAST THIRTY! AND SHE'S DEFINITELY NOT HAVING SEX WITH JAMES!"
"And this is why I usually wear earplugs to bed," came an all-too familiar voice from the doorway. "Because then I avoid walking in on really awkward conversations like, say, this one."
We all spun around and found James, Logan, and Carlos standing in the doorway. James leaned against the doorframe casually, looking like he was trying not to laugh.
"James and I are not having sex, nor have we ever had sex, and you can't tell me what I can do, so stop trying to forbid me from having sex when you knocked up your girlfriend!" I cried, feeling my cheeks tinge red in embarrassment.
"Maybe we should all shut up before one of us – and by us, I mean you Knight siblings – says something that we'll later regret," Logan suggested.
Carlos, as usual, wasn't listening. He elbowed James in the ribs. "Dude, Mama Knight just told Katie she can't sleep with you! How does that make you feel?"
James smirked. "Well, I got her permission before apparently…"
Kendall, once again, looked like his head was about to explode.
James winked at me and I caught the joke.
"We'll just have to get it again," I said, grinning. "So, once I'm eighteen, I'll be moving into your room, right?"
James's eyes widened for just a moment, and behind me Kendall began spluttering random words.
"Uhhh…yeah, definitely, I'll kick Carlos out and we'll get a larger bed. Oh, and we'll be needing soundproof walls."
This time Kendall really did fall of the bed. "Kill…James…fucker!"
"Actually," Logan piped up, also grinning in realization, "I think its Katie he's planning on fucking."
Kendall began making random noises that could have substituted for vocal threats.
Mom looked like she was torn between amusement and horror. Finally, she said, "Okay, okay, enough of this. This is perverted and I would expect better from…well, none of you actually, but this isn't appropriate for a mother's ears. So what're you three doing in here?" she directed at James, Logan, and Carlos.
Carlos shrugged. "We heard the shouting and thought we'd better come to make sure no one was getting killed in here."
"Too late," Kendall snarled. "I'm going to strangle James, then I'm going to strangle Katie, and I might just strangle Logan. That was mean!"
"But hilarious," I said. "That's what you get for overreacting."
"Can we please get off the subject of sex, please?" Mom spoke up.
"Uh, considering the reason we're all here in the first place, and considering our ages, that might be a little hard," I informed her.
"Well, give it a try anyway."
James cleared his throat, still looking amused from our joke on Kendall. "So Logan, Carlos, how was the movie?"
"It was freaking awesome!" Carlos cheered while Logan shook his head and mouthed the word "horrible" behind Carlos's back. "There were these two guys and they were in this fire truck and then…"
Eventually we all zoned him out.
Mom pushed my hair back off of my shoulders and ruffled Kendall's hair. "You've both grown up so much," she said softly to us. "I'm so proud of you both."
"Even though my girlfriend's pregnant?" Kendall asked weakly.
She smiled. "You're marrying her, and at least you're in love with her. And I'm going to be a grandmother! There's a lot of worse things that could have happened."
"You're being really cool about all this, Mrs. Knight," Logan commented.
She shrugged. "After being out here in L.A for so long, I'm just thankful none of you have done anything worse. I consider myself very lucky."
I grinned. "As you should."
Mom glanced at the clock. "I know it's late and we should all probably go to bed…"
"But we're not going to," Kendall finished for her with a grin.
"No, we're not going to. I don't think any of us is going to sleep very well tonight."
We ended up pigging out on popcorn, chips, ice cream, soda, and anything random that we could get our hands on while watching TV Land. We were riding high on sugar rushes for a couple of hours – even Mom – but eventually we all began slowing down.
I could feel drowsiness draining me as I sat down next to James on the couch. "Tonight was fun," I commented as I laid my head on his shoulder. It was hard and muscular. He raised his arm and pushed me down so that I was using his chest as a pillow and his arm was around me. "The entire night, including the dinner. I'm so glad we're talking again, I really missed you."
He pressed his lips to my head and I felt my breathing speed up a little. I thought he only did that when Kyle was around…
"I missed you too Batie-Bear. It wasn't the same without you, nothing ever is."
"So Kendall's getting married and having a baby," I mumbled into James's t-shirt. "Scary thought. What 'bout you? Think you're ready to be an uncle?"
"Very ready. And you're going to be an aunt. How do you feel about that?"
"Weird. I don't feel old enough, even though I know two-year-olds can be aunts."
"Don't you miss the good ol' days, before everyone thought we were sleeping together and Jo was pregnant and Kendall was marrying her? Before we grew up?" His voice was quiet and he was gently stroking my hair.
"I don't know…growing up isn't always as bad as it seems. I don't really mind at the moment. If we hadn't grown up, I wouldn't be here with you tonight like this."
"In that case, I'm very glad we got older."
I grinned. "Good."
James's POV
I awoke the next morning on the couch with Katie's head resting on my chest and my arm around her. Not a bad way to wake up…
Kendall was already up, texting someone. He looked up as I straightened up as much as I could without throwing Katie off the couch.
"Jo and I are going to get together today to continue planning the wedding," he said once he was sure I was fully awake.
"Tell her 'hi' from me," I mumbled, still groggy.
"Will do."
He paused for a moment, his fingers flying over his keypad, before looking up and asking me, "So what're your plans for the day?"
"I think I'm going to see what Katie wants to do. We haven't hung out for almost a week after all."
Kendall smirked. "It's times like this when I can see you two getting together – not like, oh God, you know! But like a relationship. Not that I want that," he added hurriedly. "I don't want you anywhere near her like that. But you are so whipped by her."
I scowled. "Oh, like you wouldn't go and kneel at Jo's feet if she asked you to."
Kendall paused. "That's…a really good point."
"Girl power bro," Katie muttered out as she sat up, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. She was so cute. Her hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were still half-closed. I took my arm away so that she could sit up properly and she frowned at me.
"Boo. I like your arm around me."
Yep, she was still half asleep, but hey, for the time being I felt special, so I put my arm back around her and she snuggled up to me.
Kendall gaped at us. "And it's times like this when I start questioning the nature of your guys' relationship. So I'm gonna go take a shower and then get the hell out of here before you two decide to turn the whole thing into a joke." He got to his feet and walked out of the room to the bathroom. A moment later the shower came on and James and I turned to each other grinning.
"You've got to admit, as inappropriate as that was, that was fucking hilarious," I said, trying not to crack up. The memory from the night before was still extremely vivid in my mind.
"That was the most entertainment I've gotten in awhile. Well, besides overhearing Jett's little…um…problem," Katie replied.
"So what do you want to do today?" I asked her.
"Let's go out today. Maybe go shopping or go out to lunch. I'm sick of hanging around the Palmwoods."
"Sounds good."
As soon as Kendall was out of the apartment Katie and I struggled off of the couch and began to get ready for the day. By the time we left the apartment it was almost one in the afternoon. I was pretty sure that none of us had gotten much sleep the night before, but that wasn't surprising. We would just have to make up for it tonight.
Besides, I didn't mind spending the day with Katie. I knew we were supposed to be fake-dating and everything so that she could go out with Kyle, but if that's what it took to spend time with her, than it would be worth it. Besides, I might be able to charm her into completely forgetting about him. Hmmm…it was worth a shot.
We headed out to the BTR mobile and hopped in. I pulled out of the parking lot, got onto the road, and drove down the mall, since Katie was talking about looking at bridesmaids' dresses at the bridal shop down there. She wanted to pick up a catalog for Jo to go through. She was going to be one of Jo's bridesmaids and didn't want to have to wear a nightmare for a dress. I personally thought that she would look beautiful in anything, but I didn't say that.
Because we were still so full on our late night/early morning pig out we stopped by the bridal shop first. Colbie Caillat's song "Falling For You" was playing in the background and Katie hummed along as she looked around at the dresses.
"Isn't this one pretty?" she commented, holding up a pale blue halter dress.
"It's beautiful," I replied, combing through the dresses myself. I'm not really into girls' fashion, but I was interested in what Katie would be wearing to the wedding.
"What about this one?" she asked, holding up a pink dress.
I shook my head. "You're not really the pink-type of girl."
She put her hands on her hips. "Than what am I?"
"You're more like…this." I snatched a dress of one of the hangers and Katie's jaw dropped. I could see why – it was stunning.
"Do you – do you mind if I try it on?" she asked shyly, slowly reaching for the dress.
I smiled. "You better, I want to see you in it."
She blushed and wrapped her hands around the cloth, before stuffing her purse in my hands and hurrying off to the changing room. I waited just outside the changing room, ignoring the looks from all the women who were in there, no doubt wondering what the hell I was doing in there.
"What?" I snapped at some bride's mother who was staring at me like I had just sprouted a beak and had announced that I was flying off to the moon on the next rocket.
She straightened up and puffed herself out like a ruffled bird. "You're a male," she said haughtily.
"Yeah, last time I checked I had the right equipment," I quipped, turning my attention back to the changing room.
"So what are you doing in a bridal shop?"
Before I could reply, the changing room door opened and Katie stepped out. I felt my breath leave my chest and my jaw dropped. She looked beyond amazing, beyond beautiful.
The dress was made out of a silky material, and was a light golden color that went well with her tanned skin and long, shimmering brown hair. It was a long shift, very simple, but still extremely elegant. The straps were thin, and the chest gathered in the front, showing just enough cleavage to make me gulp. There was a slit up one side, to her knee, and she was holding the dress up at that point, spinning nervously.
"So how do I look?" her voice was filled with anxiety, and I knew she was worried about looking like such a…well…like such a girl.
"You look beautiful," I answered. "Beyond beautiful. Beyond anything. You're gorgeous Katie. And Jo really needs to get these bridesmaid dresses."
The woman who I had been arguing with sniffed. "Too low cut, the whole point of a long dress is for the leg not to show, and aren't you a little young to be a bridesmaid?"
Katie glared at her. "I can't believe they let you out of the zoo. How'd you escape?"
The woman clicked her tongue and walked away, muttering, "Insolent little brats…"
Katie turned back to me. "Who was she?"
"The Wicked Witch of the West's mother," I replied and she grinned.
"I thought I saw a resemblance." She glanced down at the dress and smoothed out the skirt of her dress. "So you really like the dress?"
I nodded. "Yeah, it's stunning on you."
She blushed and smiled shyly. "Thanks James."
I grabbed her hand and spun her around, making her laugh. "Maybe I should buy the dress for you anyway, even if Jo chooses another dress for the bridesmaids. That way you can change into it for the reception and you won't have to wear a God-awful dress for the entire time."
Her smile widened. "You don't have to do that – "
"But I want to," I argued. "Come on, let me buy it for you. You look so beautiful in it, it would be a crime against nature not to get it for you to wear."
"You really like it?"
"Yeah, I do."
She nodded. "Okay then. I guess I'll go change back into my regular clothes."
Katie headed back into the changing room and a couple of minutes later she emerged, wearing the denim destroyed shorts, cami and plaid button-up shirt, and converse sneakers she had been wearing before, and carrying the dress. I took the dress from her and brought it up to the cash register so I could pay for it.
Katie's POV
James insisted on taking me to all my favorite stores and treating me to my favorite restaurant at the mall. Seriously, he was spoiling me rotten. Not that I minded, I just hoped that it wasn't because he still felt guilty about the events from the week before.
Afterwards, he suggested we go to the movie theater at the mall to watch a new action movie that we both wanted to see. I agreed happily and we headed over in that direction, laughing and chatting the entire way.
The movie was much better than Kiss and Tell 3 and I think we both enjoyed it thoroughly.
Once we were out of the theater James pulled out his phone. "I'm just checking my messages," he assured me, as if he was worried that I would think that he wasn't paying enough attention to me. "Kendall might be ready to kill me since I've had you away from the apartment for so long."
After a moment he put his phone away and smiled at me. "Nothing. How about you? Anyone text or call you?"
I pulled my own phone out and quickly checked to make sure no one had texted me or had left me a voice message. "Nope, I guess everyone's too busy with planning the wedding." I frowned. "Do you think we should be there?"
James shook his head. "It's better for our sanity if we let them get the basic details out of the way. And if they wanted us to be there, they'd throw a fit about it. Besides, Logan and Carlos aren't there today either."
I nodded as I slipped my phone into my jeans pocket.
"So do you want to go back to the apartment?" I asked. "It's almost eight."
"Wow, really? It's that late already? How about we grab dinner and then go for a walk? I don't really feel like going back to the apartment just yet."
I smiled. That sounded just fine to me. "Sure, that sounds good."
He put his hand on my back and together we walked through the crowd of people that were heading towards the theater.
The night was warm and clear, and if we had been back in Minnesota, the sky would have been layered in stars, but because we were in Los Angeles, there were only a few stars that we could see. Nonetheless, it was beautiful.
"I remember back in Minnesota on warm summer nights," James said as we walked down the sidewalk. He put his hands in his pockets, staring off into the distance. "We used to ride our bikes down to the lake and just lay there, talking. On the hottest nights we'd go swimming, but Logan would always freak out because there wasn't a lifeguard around."
I sighed. "I wish I had been old enough to go with you guys. That sounds like it would have been fun."
"It was. You would have loved it. It was quiet and peaceful, but it was always so much fun."
I laughed. "Nowadays we just sit around the pool and have a jam session. Not that that's not fun, but sometimes…" I trailed off and James turned his head to look at me.
"Sometimes what?" he prodded me on.
"I just wish I had had all those experiences that you guys had in Minnesota. I mean, I was twelve when we moved out, and I was just beginning to reach the age where I could go out with my friends without Mom freaking out every five minutes, but I never got the chance to do that." I watched as his face fell a bit and I realized he felt a little bit guilty. If it hadn't been for his dreams of becoming a pop star, we might still be living in Minnesota. "But I wouldn't trade what I have here, with you and the other guys, for anything," I quickly added. It was true too. Nothing could beat my relationship with Kendall and my friendship with Carlos and Logan and especially James.
"You're not talking about Kyle, are you?" James asked, stopping in his tracks. I halted too, and James took my hand, spinning me to face him.
My breath caught in my throat as I stared into his beautiful lash-trimmed hazel eyes. They were smoldering with something I thought I recognized, but wasn't completely sure…
"No," I managed to get out, still gazing into his eyes. "No, I'm not."
"How much do you like him?" he whispered. "How much do you really want to be with him?" He pulled me closer so that we were body to body. I could feel his keys and his phone in his jeans pocket.
"I – "
We both leapt as a sudden buzzing vibrated from James's front pocket. "Crap, my phone," he muttered and he dug it out. "Okay, its official," he said, gaping at his phone's screen. "Your brother has gone insane with love for Jo. He wants us to stop by a club that Jo and Camille are considering renting out for the bachelorette party."
"Ummm…has he forgotten that I can't legally get into a club? Somehow I doubt they're considering an under-21 place."
"You could get in…I was waiting until your eighteenth birthday, but…you're in luck, I have something for you. Come on." He took my hand and together we walked in the direction of the parking lot.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded. "What on earth – ?"
We reached the car. James unlocked it and instead of getting in on the driver's side, he walked around to the passenger's side and opened the door. He knelt on the seat and opened the glove compartment, pulling out a deep purple envelope with turquoise writing on the back: For Katie.
He handed it to me and I cautiously opened it. Inside was…
"YOU GOT ME A FAKE ID?" I screamed at him.
He quickly dragged me into the car with him, so I was half on him and he was forced to lie down so that he was half on the passenger's side, half in the driver's seat, his back arching against the gear selector. "Calm down," he whispered. "Carlos and I got it for you, it was supposed to be a birthday present, but it seems like you're going to need it now."
"Why the hell – if Kendall or Mom knew – !"
"Kendall and your mom both have their own cars, so the glove compartment seemed like a pretty safe place. As for the why question, we all went out and got fake IDs when we turned eighteen, so we thought you should have the experience as well."
"And when Kendall asks how you managed to smuggle me into the club – ?" I demanded in a low voice, ignoring the fact that my hands were on his chest and his heart was pounding against my fingers.
"Then I'll tell him the truth," James said calmly. "He probably won't freak out too much, not when Carlos, Logan, and I remind him that he had a fake ID when he was eighteen, and when I bring up the fact that he's the one who made it necessary to give you yours two months early."
I sighed and tried to move my hands so that they were on the seat and not on James's chest. Instead, I just fell forward and James's arms wrapped around me, pushing me down on him.
"You know," I commented. "Not that I'm not enjoying this and everything, but this is kind of an uncomfortable position. I'd stay like this if I could, but I'm not thrilled with not being able to balance myself with my hands."
He choked out a laugh. "Yeah, well considering the gear selector is trying to stab me, I'd say it's a good idea if we get out of the car now."
I backed off of him and slid to the ground, and he scooted out after me, rubbing his back where the gear selector had been pressing against him.
"So how about we head to the club now?" he suggested. "Maybe we can grab something to eat there."
"Okay. But I should probably redo my makeup before we go in, I'm looking a little…nondescript right now."
James grinned. "Katie, you could never look nondescript. You're beautiful."
I shook my head. "You always say that."
"Because it's true. And I'll never stop saying it. Now get back in the car."
I slid into the passenger's seat. It was warm from James's body…Okay, quick, think about something else…
"So where is this club at anyway?" I asked as he got into the car.
"I was just about look it up," he told me as he got his phone out once again. He Googled the name and a moment later nodded in satisfaction. "Not too far from here, but it looks like the parking sucks. I'm going to have to park a couple of blocks away."
"What's it called?"
"Neon Lights," he answered as he slipped the keys into the ignition and started the car up.
"What do you think it's going to be like?" I asked nervously.
He glanced over at me before jolting the gear from park to reverse. "Noisy. Way too many people. I don't recommend it if you have claustrophobia."
"You'll stay with me the entire time, won't you?" I inwardly cringed at how young and scared I sounded.
He smiled sweetly at me before placing his hand on the back of my seat and rotating his body so that he could back out of the parking space safely. "Of course. I'd never let you loose in a place like that. You might end up conning all the creeps out of their hard earned money."
I snickered at that. "You always think the worst of me."
He straightened out and shifted the gears into drive. "And I have good reason to," he replied with a smirk. "You once tricked me into signing a contract saying that you have never had a crush on me. And yet…"
"I didn't have a crush on you when I was thirteen," I argued. "It was only when I was fourteen." And now, at this moment, right here.
"Why did you like me?" he asked. He glanced quickly at me as he pulled out onto the main road.
I shrugged. "I don't know. You were nice. You treated me like someone other than Kendall's younger sister. You hung out with me. You were protective of me. You were cute. You had a good singing voice. You could dance. You were really well built. You were my friend."
James bit into his lower lip. "So you thought I was cute and well built?"
I couldn't help it – I cracked up laughing. "Yes James, I did. I still do."
"I'm only cute?"
"You are so vain. Okay James, you're hot, gorgeous, handsome, smoking, smoldering, good looking, a sex God, you make me want to scream in ecstasy when I look at you. How's that?"
He winked at me. "Absolutely perfect. Just like me, apparently."
I slapped his arm. "Like I said, VAIN! You're the one who got upset because I said you were cute. And oh my God, you're totally flirting with me!"
"Who? Me? I would never!"
"Oh yeah right. You jackass, you were totally hitting on me!"
"Oh puh-leeze, if I was hitting on you, I would have used one of those pickup lines that you girls always seem to have comebacks for. Like, say, I would die happy if I could see you naked."
I immediately shot back, "If I saw you naked, I'd probably die laughing."
"Like I said, you girls always seem to have a comeback for those pickup lines."
"Because they're used so much we had to come up with something to say besides the typical fuck off."
James just shook his head, laughing, as he turned into a parking lot and pulled into a space.
"So," he glanced at me. "You ready?"
"Hang on," I said, and pulled out my makeup to touch it up. James just rolled his eyes.
"I want to make sure I look as close to twenty-one as I possibly can," I explained as I swept the eyeliner pencil under my eyelashes. "I may still not be let in if I don't look close to twenty-one."
I finished up my makeup and looked at James. "I'm ready. Let's go."
We got out of the car and James led me in the direction that the club was. After about five minutes of walking, we reached the building the club was held in. There was a short line outside the club. We stopped at the back of the line and I took the chance to slip the ID into my wallet. I unbuttoned my plaid shirt and tied the tails an inch or so under my bust line, revealing my brown lace cami. I was hoping that it looked sexier like that, although it seemed like if I was going to look sexy in this place, I would have to forgo the camisole.
James of course looked absolutely fantastic in his dark rinse jeans and t-shirt. He had that I'm-so-cool-I-don't-even-have-to-try look going for him, and it worked. I could never achieve that appearance, so instead I had to go for the sexy-tomboy appearance. Hopefully it worked for me.
James glanced at me and took my hand. "Relax, you look stunning."
"I guess…"
"Trust me, none of the guys will be able to look away from you."
"Even though I'm not half naked?"
"Hey, in your case, more is less."
I looked at him sharply but he just stared back at me, his eyes wide and innocent. Okay then…
We eventually reached the bouncers. He glanced at James and then at me. "ID?" he requested of me.
I pulled the fake ID out of my wallet and handed it to him. He took one look at it and then handed it back to me.
"Go on in."
YES!
James tightened his grip on my hand and we walked in through the doors. "If that hadn't worked I could probably use my star power over him, but I knew he would totally buy it."
"Is this one of those places where you're let in if you're on the A-List?" I asked him, feeling slightly naïve.
He shrugged. "I have no idea. I don't usually go club-hopping."
The club was just like what you see on TV. There were spinning disco balls hanging from the ceiling, casting multicolored lights all over the floor and walls. Dance/pop music was blaring from invisible speakers, people were dancing and grinding on each other, and at the far end of the room was a long bar.
James and I exchanged a look, eyebrows raised, before diving into the crowd. A Miley Cyrus song was blasting, echoing off of the walls.
I felt James's fingers tight around my own as he dragged me through the throngs of half-drunk people who had no idea that they were dancing off-beat.
We finally reached the bar and we both sat down wearily on a stool. James snapped his fingers at the bartender and with a glance at me, said, "Two cherry Cokes."
The bartender looked confused at the nonalcoholic-drink request, but nevertheless pulled out two cans of the soda and slapped them down in front of us. James slipped a ten-dollar bill across the counter to him and the bartender grinned.
"So this is a dance club," I commented as I popped the can open. "So far, I'm not seeing the fun in it."
I took a sip, listening to the rap song that was now playing.
"They need to play Big Time Rush," I commented.
James smirked. "I don't think our stuff's really club material."
"The same could be said for Miley Cyrus. What happened to techno beats? I thought they played those in clubs."
"Once again, I don't go down to clubs, so I have no idea."
"How long do we have to stay here?"
"Until we finish our cans, and then we can get the hell out of here."
"Sounds good."
I was halfway done with my can when a slow song came on and everyone immediately slowed down. James slammed the rest of his Coke down and held his hand out to me. "Dance?"
I smiled and took his hand. He led me onto the dance floor and slid his arms around my waist. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, and we swayed gently to the rhythm. I couldn't think of anything to say, and somehow it just seemed wrong to ruin the moment with pointless chatter, so instead I just rested my head on his chest, enjoying the feeling of his hands on my back and wishing that the song never had to end.
"Kyle doesn't deserve you," James whispered so that I could barely make his voice out over the music.
I leaned back. "What do you mean?"
The song changed to Lady Gaga's song "Paparazzi". It was still reasonably slow, so everyone kept the same pace they had been dancing.
"I mean," he said, sounding frustrated, "he can't see how amazing you are. He doesn't deserve to have you."
"And who does?" I retorted. "Kyle's one of my best friends. If he doesn't deserve me, than who does?"
"Someone who doesn't just suddenly like you because you have a boyfriend. Someone who likes you for you."
"And who would that be?"
Before James could answer, there was a scream.
"I KNEW IT!"
We whirled around to find Jett and Courtney shoving people aside to get to James and me.
"I KNEW THEY WERE DATING!" Courtney screamed.
"WE'RE NOT DATING!" I shrieked back.
"THEN WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING HERE?"
"WE'RE CHECKING THIS PLACE OUT FOR JO TAYLOR'S BACHELORETTE PARTY!"
Courtney rolled her eyes. "That is such a lame excuse."
"So what're you and Jett doing here?" James retorted. "Need a new place to have sex?"
Courtney didn't even have the grace to look ashamed. "No! We're here to have fun and maybe get our picture taken making out on top of the bar."
Since Courtney has no sense of humor, she was completely serious. Unfortunately, that wasn't good for James and me.
"The paparazzi's here?" James yelped.
Jett shrugged and ran a hand through his short hair. "Not yet. But they should be arriving once word gets around that Courtney Hill and me, Jett Stetson – " he paused to strike a pose and flash a set of bleached out teeth – "are here. And I suppose, once they hear that James Diamond of Big Time Rush and Katie Knight, Kendall Knight's little sister, are here together." He paused before continuing on. "And maybe they'll even hear that you two were caught having sex behind the bar."
I straightened up. "If you do that, then I'm going to make sure every magazine, every news channel, and every gossip blog knows that you, the infamous Jett Stetson, is a sex addict. And they might even here that you and Courtney had sex in a public restroom."
Jett paled. "You wouldn't!"
"Oh, I so would," I hissed at him. "So you keep your mouth shut and stop with the ridiculous lies, and I won't tell everyone the truth about you."
Jett blinked. "What lies?"
"The rumors about me being into pain."
"I didn't start those."
Courtney tossed her hair. "But I know who did."
"Great. Who did?"
"The guy standing right next to you."
I looked at James. "Uh, James is the only one who's next to me."
"Exactly. My friend said that she passed him talking on the phone. Apparently he said something like, 'Yeah, Katie's gotten so used to being a masochist when it comes to boys, when she finally has sex, she's probably going to want to make sure whips and handcuffs are involved."
Even in the multicolored lighting, I could see James's face go pale. "But I – that was just – I didn't mean it like that!"
I rounded on him. "Oh yeah? Then how the hell did you mean it?" How dare he! How could he make a comment like that about me?
James backed up. "I – I was referring to you and Kyle! I was just making an offhand comment to a friend back in Minnesota, I didn't mean that you would actually be into that sort of stuff! I know you never would be!"
I advanced towards him slowly. "I cannot believe you started the rumors about me!"
"I didn't – Courtney's friend started them! She's the one who jumped to conclusions!"
"But you got the ball rolling!"
"Not intentionally! Katie, I'm sorry, I thought I was by myself in the lobby, I had no idea anyone was around!"
"You better run," I said in a low, deadly voice. "Because I'm going to fucking kill you!"
James took my advice and ran for it, but I immediately dashed after him. Being a good foot smaller than him, I was able to squeeze through people much easier than he could, and soon caught up with him. I cornered him by the bar. He yelped and jumped over the barrier, and I followed, tackling him to the floor. I was sitting on his stomach, holding his arms over his head as he pleaded with me.
"Just tell me what I can do to make it up to you!" he cried. "I never even thought about what I was saying! I was just being a jackass, but if I had known someone was around, I never would have said anything like that! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I don't want to fight with you! I lo – "
Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud snap and a flash of light.
We both looked around and found a couple of paparazzi photographers hovering over the bar with their cameras. Shit.
Jett and Courtney were standing back, smirking.
"Wow, Katie, this must be a total turn-on for you!" Jett called to me. "You love anything kinky, right? And James, you must be enjoying this, you love having sex with Katie Knight – Kendall Knight's little sister – in public places, right?"
Courtney cackled. "He moaned her name when he was trying to have sex with me! But he couldn't even perform. Maybe if he had a picture of her brandishing a whip…"
Oh, they were so going down.
"Jett Stetson's a sex addict!" I cried. "And he and Courtney Hill had sex in a public restroom!"
"But he's getting therapy for it," James added. "Unfortunately, he's going to need to be tested for STDs."
The paparazzi looked as if they had just found a couple million dollars on the club floor. Celebrities accusing other celebrities of various sexcapades were what sex is to Jett or a shirtless James is to me. They were nearly drooling over the news and the pictures that they had no doubt gotten of James and me. Speaking of which…
I crawled off of James and he got up. "I don't suppose we can buy the story from you?" he asked half-heartedly.
The paparazzi glanced at each other and then smirked evilly.
"Not a chance," the male paparazzo said. "But thanks for the stories!"
And they pushed their way through the crowd, before any of us could stop them.
Great. I had a feeling that the next morning we would find our faces all over the internet with various headlines about our so-called sex lives. Mom and Kendall would be so proud.
So, um, how was the chapter? Was there enough Jatie moments in it? Enough humor? Enough entertainment? I have no idea what clubs are like because I don't go to them, so the club scene was completely winged, but hopefully it was okay.
Questions? Comments? This chapter was kind of fluffy, and it was more of a filler, but there's some stuff in here that will lead to the next chapter, so it was kind of important. And I was planning on having James be the one who accidentally made a comment about Katie in front of the wrong person without even realizing he'd done it. Please don't hate me for it! It just seemed like an interesting twist to things.
So the review button...yeah, it's been eating a lot of pizza and cheeseburgers lately, and it seriously needs to be exercised, sooo...if any of you wanted to press it, that would make the review button (and me!) very happy ;)