.:Chapter Eleven – Big Time Perfect:.
A/N: This chapter has Lella Kiley and PatrickxKatiexNoah with small bits of Carphanie and Jameo (JamesxJo). This chapter is about their dates so I'm sure you guys will be happy with it.
The week had flown by with interviews, photo shoots for magazines, and a few TV appearances for Big Time Rush and the DarkElements. It was probably the busiest week that they have had recently. They were even too tired to play pranks on Bitters. On their days off Big Time Rush would typically go down to the Palm Woods pool and hang out with Jo, Camille, and Stephanie, but on the only day off they had that week, they just sat around their apartment, trying not to move as they were in too much pain and were trying not to fall asleep. Katie took the opportunity to mess with them by playing small pranks on them.
The DarkElements, on the other hand, were used to having to work hard and were having a lot of fun with it as their dad was gone and they had more freedom to do what they wanted. Their dad was gone they were able to record and work on songs that were more towards their taste, upbeat and easy to remember. Friday they were in the dance studio working on one of the songs that required a lot of difficult footwork and body strength for one of the dances.
"1 and 2 and 3 and 4," Rhuben was counting as she watched her brothers and sisters move through the dance moves at the fastest tempo they could move. Sometimes it was unbelievable that someone as young as Sydney could keep up with his older brothers and sisters, but with the almost obsessive pushing that their father gave them, he was able to do almost everything he tried, struggling a lot at first. "5 and 6 and 7 and 8." She nodded and pushed herself away from the mirror. "That was good guys."
"Good?" Noah breathed as he dropped to the floor in pain, sweat beading at his forehead. "That was really hard; we deserve more than a good."
"Ok," Rhuben cocked an eyebrow as she leaned down and poked him in the stomach, causing him to laugh and curl into a ball. "Riles did great."
"Thank you." Riley breathed, taking a small break from practically drowning in the water from her water bottle."
"Syd, you're really improving." Rhuben added, causing the small boy to beam with pride, dimples immediately appearing in his cheeks. "Noah, you were off beat for a second." She continued and then turned to Patrick with a small smile. "And you fell off beat for the second part of the song." She added.
Patrick rolled his eyes in reply and wiped sweat off of his forehead, flicking it onto her face, laughing a little as his sister made a face of disgust. "I started thinking about lunch and I completely lost it." He replied with a crooked half smile.
Rhuben rolled her eyes and laughed a little bit as she patted him on the arm. "Thanks Sparky," she replied, using his stage name.
"You're welcome, Midnight." Patrick replied before pulling her into his side for a hug.
"Other than that, I thought we were ok." Rhuben concluded as she pushed her brother away from her. "We still have some stuff to go over before that charity concert thing that we're doing next week." Julius and Ronan, who were sitting in the corner of the room, finally spoke up.
"I think the combination with the flares from Patrick and Noah flanking the sides of Sydney was great," Julius commented. "But I think that you need to work on the timing of it a little bit more."
"But you guys were awesome," Ronan added as he gave a bright smile. "With the new songs and the new moves that you guys have down, the charity concert is going to be great." He looked at his watch. "You guys did such a great job that you can go early today."
"Thanks," Sydney grinned from under the towel that was on his head. "Are you guys going to go straight home or do you have some sort of meeting to go to with Griffin?"
"I actually have some mastering to do with your music," Ronan replied as he scratched his forehead. "But you guys can go do whatever, just make sure you have your phones on you." He added, looking nervous. "Just in case Linda calls with news about the adoption."
"I'm going to stick around and go through your schedule," Julius added. "You never know when something else might come up." In the past week, Julius had moved from Australia back to California and was now living with them in their large house. He is now working alongside Ronan as a music producer and manager to his brothers and sisters and is finishing up his year of college online. Being their manager he works on their schedule and tells them about upcoming opportunities, helping them decide whether or not to do an appearance or if they're overbooked with something. "But I'll be home in another hour or so."
"Ok, we better get going home anyway," Sydney replied with a grin and turned to Rhuben. "Because Rhu-Rhu has to get ready for her date with Logan." He started making kissy sounds and Riley slapped a hand over his mouth when Rhuben rolled her eyes.
"That reminds me," Julius added as he slapped his forehead. "You guys have a meeting with your publicist tomorrow. If you're going to start dating," he looked a little funny when he said it. "Then we need to make sure that no rumors start to circle around."
"Got it," Riley added with a nod as she started to back out of the room. "Bye guys."
"Bye!" Julius and Ronan called back as they left the room and went off in the opposite direction.
"Finally, freedom!" Riley declared as she grabbed onto Noah's shoulder and jumped onto his back, him automatically grabbing onto her legs to make sure that she didn't fall off. "Is it just me or did this week go by soooooooo slowly?"
"It's not just you." Sydney replied as he rolled his eyes. "I thought that Friday would never get here." He turned to his siblings with a smile so bright that his teeth were borderline blue. "Who wants to get create some chaos?"
"It's what we do best," Patrick replied, looking offended. "So why wouldn't we?"
"Going to get into a bit of trouble, huh?"
The Jacksons turned around to see Big Time Rush standing behind them. Sydney immediately skipped over to the four boys to give them hugs. "What are you doing here?" Noah asked in confusion, slowly turning around so she wouldn't throw his eldest sister off of his back. "We thought you had the day off."
"You know Gustavo," James replied as he rolled his eyes. "Every time he makes the decision of giving us the day off, he finds out that his rival, Hawk, is doing something bigger and better and he ropes us back in." he shook his head sadly. "Because of that, I wasn't able to condition my hair this morning."
"I know the feeling." Patrick agreed as he gently patted his spikes.
"Hey," Logan greeted Rhuben with a shy wave before moving forward and giving her a hug, gently kissing her on the cheek. "Are you ready for tonight?"
"Well, if you would tell me where we're going, then I'd be able to answer your question." Rhuben replied teasingly. She was blushing a little bit as she knew that her brothers were staring intently at her, trying to find the right moment to tease her about it.
Riley gave a small wave, looking sort of annoyed. "Hey Logie." Her right eyebrow twitched. "So, what, now that you're dating my sister I'm not as important anymore?" she sniffed loudly. "I see how it is. I mean you always-"
"Landy, if I give you a hug, will you shut up?" Logan asked, turning to her.
"Watch it," Riley warned in reply before dropping from Noah's back and wrapping her arms around him in a hug.
"What are you guys up to?" Carlos asked when he noticed their sweats and t-shirts. "Taking a small break?"
"A big one, actually." Noah replied with a half smile. "We have the rest of the day off because we've been working so hard." They slowly stared to back away. "And with that, we're going to go over to the Palm Woods and pay Bitters a little visit." He grinned evilly, and a look like that on a face that was usually really calm and peaceful was pretty scary.
"Aww man," Carlos stomped his foot on the ground. "We haven't been able to mess with Bitters in a week, this isn't fair!" he pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, causing Logan, James, and Kendall to burst out laughing.
Kendall hesitated for a second before hurrying after the Jacksons down the hallway. "Riles, wait a second." He called. Riley motioned for her siblings to go on without her before turning around o give Kendall a smile.
"Forget something, Hockey-Head?" she questioned teasingly.
"Uh, yeah," Kendall replied with a smile of his own and he scratched the back of his head. "Since you said that you guys weren't doing anything for the rest of the day, I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tonight."
"Why not?" Riley replied with a careless shrug. "I don't have anything better to do." At the frown on Kendall's face showing that he was not sure if she was joking or not, Riley laughed a little bit. "I was just joking, Kendall. It sounds great."
"Ok, see you later then." Kendall gave a little wave and went back to his friends as Riley hurried after her brothers and sister. "So," he clasped his hands together. "Riley and I are going out on a date tonight."
"Finally!" Carlos declared as he rolled his eyes and then turned to James and Logan with his hand held out. "Both of you owe me ten bucks!" James grumbled something about the fewer amounts of hair-care products that he was going to have as he slapped the bill into his friends' hand.
"Wait, you're telling me that you both made a bet that I wasn't going to ask Riley out?" Kendall demanded.
"Yep." Logan and James chorused.
"You see, Kendall," James sighed heavily as he put an arm around Kendall's shoulder. "You think that every girl likes you." He explained, patting his friend on the chest. "So we thought that, like most times, she would leave you and go to me." Logan and Carlos nodded in agreement.
"Wow, what great friends you are." Kendall declared as he rolled his eyes.
Carlos, Logan, and James smiled sweetly. "Aren't we, though?" Carlos asked teasingly.
"Uh, what are you doing?"
"Shh!" Katie grabbed onto the front of Patrick's and Noah's shirts and dragged them to the ground beside her. She was sitting behind a potted plant, watching as Bitters went back to his desk, eating a basket of French fries. "Wait for it," she grinned as he raised a French fry to his mouth and bit into it. Bitters made a face of disgust and took it out of his mouth and started to scream when he saw that it was a finger.
He threw his basket of French Fires into the air and ran into the manager's office, where Patrick, Noah, and Katie could hear him barricading the door. "Ace," Patrick declared as he climbed to his feet. "The classic finger in the French fries."
"It would have been better if you put in some fake bugs," Noah advised as they all climbed out of the bushes. He shrugged. "You know, just to make it funnier."
Katie smiled and nodded in reply. That's what she liked the most about the twin boys. Besides the fact that they were obvious attractive, they were also as devious and mischievous as she was and knew practically every prank that you can play on someone. She thought back to the conversation that she had with her mother when they were going to the beach last week.
'If I had to choose between the two of them who would I choose?' she asked herself. 'Patrick is really funny and outgoing but Noah is sweet and caring.' She let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. 'Wow, this is probably the hardest thing that I have ever had to think about'.
"Uh, Katie? Hello?"
Katie blinked and jumped when she noticed that Patrick and Noah were waving hands in their faces, identical expressions of amusement gleaming in their eyes. Katie made a face and pushed their hands away.
"Sorry, I zoned out." She apologized.
"Yeah, we noticed," Patrick snorted and then mimicked her, making his eyes go blank, his mouth dropping open at the side. Noah snickered and elbowed his brother in the side.
"Don't be fooled," he joked. "Patrick always makes that face whenever he doesn't understand something." He laughed. "Which is often." Patrick scowled at his brother as Katie burst out into giggles, causing Noah's shy smile to grow wider.
"What brings you guys down to the Palm Woods anyway?" Katie asked as she moved to the empty seats that were in the lobby and sat down in one of them, Patrick and Noah occupying the seats opposite of her. "If I lived in a mansion, I would never leave."
"Eh," Patrick waved his hand. "The novelty wears off after a while."
"Besides, we were bored." Noah added. "Jo, Camille, and Stephanie are at the mall helping Riley and Rhuben get ready for their dates with Logan and Kendall and we didn't want to be around that many girls for too long." He paused. "Even though we love the mall."
"Kendall finally asked Riley out on a date?" Katie asked with a grin. "That's great." She looked sad for a second and the twin boys noticed.
"Upset that Kendall hasn't really been spending any time with you lately?" Noah guessed and then continued when he saw the look of wonder on Katie's face. "We felt the same way when we were younger." He explained and shrugged. "And I'm sure that Sydney feels the same way. But as we grow older we want to hang out with people our age a little bit more. Don't take it personally."
"Speaking of which," Patrick sighed as he stood up, bringing his phone out of his pocket. "I better go see how Sydney is doing at home alone." He turned to Katie. "Last time we left him alone he somehow got the idea of making an ice cream sundae and got chocolate syrup everywhere." He laughed as he brought his cell phone to his ear and walked away.
"Were you ever hard to deal with when Kendall was babysitting you?" Noah asked Katie. She shook her head in reply.
"Nah, he just sat me in front of the TV and went off to do whatever it is he wanted to do." She replied and smiled. "There were a few times that we did something that was extremely stupid. Like this one time we had a water fight in the house and had to clean everything up before mom got home." She rolled her eyes. "But she found out anyway."
"That's funny," Noah chuckled a little bit and then fell silent, bending his head forward, so his fringe covered his face. "Um, so I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime," he messed with the bottom of his shirt. "Kind of like a date?"
"Oh," Katie looked shocked for a second. 'Wow, I didn't think that he would be asking me out on a date, he always seemed to shy for that.' "Uh," she hesitated, seeing the blush rising to Noah's cheeks, realizing how embarrassing it was for him. "Yeah, sure."
"Really?" Noah looked up, his eyes brightening.
"Yeah," Katie smiled and nodded encouragingly so he wouldn't feel anymore embarrassed. "Sounds fun."
"Cool." Noah smiled shyly as Patrick walked back over, shouting something into the phone. "What's up?" he asked, turning away from Katie as Patrick turned off his phone and put it back into his pocket. "Is something wrong with Sydney?" he asked in concern.
"Yeah, apparently he was playing around with With and he ended up knocking into the sink and one of the pipes burst and now the house is starting to flood." Patrick snorted as he shook his head. "For someone who's really smart, he can be dumb. I don't see why he didn't think of turning off the water. I mean, it's so obvious."
"Right, it's obvious for someone as smart as you," Noah replied sarcastically as he rubbed his forehead. "We'll see you later, Katie." He gave a wave and started to walk away, but Patrick hung back for a second.
"I don't have much time to ask this," he said as he looked over at Noah before turning back to Katie, who looked interested. "But I was wondering if you wanted to go out sometime. I mean, our brother and sister are going out, so I thought that-"
'Wow, I didn't think that that would happen.' Katie thought to herself and started to panic a little bit. "Sure" she squeaked out before she could stop herself.
"Cool," Patrick beamed and gave a small wave before hurrying over to catch up with Noah. "Later!"
"Yeah," Katie sighed and flopped back into the chair, cupping her chin in her hands. "Later." She sighed and brought her knees up to her chest. 'What have I done? They're going to be so mad at each other.'
Patrick and Noah rushed home to help clean up the water that had started to spill around before Ronan and Julius got home. Riley and Rhuben raced home after Noah had called them and they frantically tried to clean everything up. Julius and Ronan had gotten home before they could finish and laughed when they saw Sydney hiding in a cabinet, afraid that he was going to be in a lot of trouble. But the joke was on him as Ronan noticed that the pipes to the kitchen sink needed to be replaced when he bought the house and it was an excuse to get them changed sooner.
Finally they cleared everything up and Riley and Rhuben realized that soon they were going to have to get ready for their dates, and even though they didn't really want to admit it, because they didn't really want to ruin their 'tomboy' image, they were excited to be going. So they called Camille, Stephanie, and Jo to come over so they could try and figure out what to wear and just to talk so they could take their minds off of it.
"So, where are you guys going tonight?" Stephanie asked from where she was sitting on Riley's bed, flipping through a magazine. Camille and Jo were sitting on the floor, looking through another one as Riley and Rhuben got ready for their dates, trying to choose something to wear.
"I have no idea," Rhuben replied as she walked back out of her closet, holding up a hanger with a purple skirt. "And that's annoying because Logan knows that I hate surprises."
"He just wants to make it special," Camille pointed out. "I mean, going from someone who is a best friend to being your girlfriend isn't easy."
"And you think it's easy for me?" Rhuben snorted in reply.
"What about this?" Riley asked as she walked out of her closet wearing a red tank-top under a white blazer, a short black skirt, black leggings with red rhinestones and white boots. "I think it's not really my style, but-"
"No, that's perfect!" Jo declared, holding out a hand, telling her that she shouldn't change again. "I think that it's a good mix between your skater girl style along with being fashionable." Riley gave thumbs up in reply as she moved over to her desk to put on some makeup. "Where are you guys going?"
"To the boardwalk." Riley replied and then laughed a little bit. "The only thing that's kind of weird is the fact that I'm driving." She shrugged. "But it's cool." She added as Rhuben walked back into her closet to try and find something. "What are you guys doing tonight?"
"Carlos and I are going to the movies," Stephanie replied. "We're going to that new Twilight movie and throw popcorn on people when they start screaming Team Jacob or Team Edward."
"Sounds fun." Jo replied simply.
"Do I detect a bit of jealousy?" Camille asked as she nudged her friend. Jo started to deny it, but then decided to tell the truth when her friends turned and stared at her. "I'm right, aren't I?"
"Yes," Jo moaned in reply and brushed her blonde hair away from her face. "I like James a lot, a lot more than I originally intended. But I don't know if he feels the same way."
"So just tell him," Rhuben replied as she walked out of her closet wearing a white see through tunic with a purple tank-top, a chain belt around her waist, black leggings, and Purple high-tops. "It can't hurt." She shrugged and then made a funny face. "And besides, we all know that James isn't the most perceptive."
"You got that right." Camille replied with a little laugh.
"I think he even cares about his hair more than he cares about himself." Stephanie agreed and then turned to Jo. "But if there's anybody that can take his eyes away from his the mirror, it's you."
"Maybe." Jo didn't sound convinced.
"Come in," Riley called as there was a knock on the door. The door opened and Patrick stuck his head into the room, making sure that everyone was dressed before entering. "What's up, Pat?" she grinned. "Wondering if you could do our hair before we go?"
"You know me too well," Patrick replied as he grabbed a hair brush from the dresser and moved to stand behind Riley as he started to brush her shoulder length hair. "You guys are lucky you know." He added, looking at Rhuben over his shoulder.
"Why's that?" Rhuben asked as she sat down on her bed, putting a necklace around her neck.
"Because I already know Kendall and Logan and Noah and I don't have to interrogate them." Patrick replied casually. Jo, Stephanie, and Camille, who thought that Patrick was joking, burst out laughing, although the twin girls stayed silent.
"He's not joking," Rhuben shook her head. "The last time that one of us went on a date, they grabbed him and tied him to a chair, putting on a lamp near his face to add to the ambience, and started to grill him." She reached over and flicked him on the ear. "We're lucky he even came back."
"A little over protective?" Camille guessed.
"That's probably not the right word for it," Riley replied as she rolled her eyes. "But obsessive would be a little too strong." She winced. "Ouch!"
"Don't forget that I'm the one that's controlling your hair." Patrick warned, causing everyone to laugh again. Noah stuck his head in the room and knocked on the doorframe before smiling over at Rhuben.
"Logan's here for you, Rhubes." He stated gently.
"I should get going too," Riley stated and Patrick quickly reached over and grabbed a can of hairspray and started to spray it. "Careful," Riley started to cough. "I don't want to have an asthma fit before I even go."
"That wouldn't be so bad." Patrick replied carelessly as he put the brush down and backed away. "Have fun."
"Tell us everything when you get back." Stephanie added as the girls got up to go.
"You guys will be the second to know," Rhuben replied as she grabbed her phone off of her dresser. "Because we all know that these guys are going to want to know everything first." She added and patted Noah on the head. Noah gently smiled as he brushed her hand away from his hair.
"You know it," he replied with a wink and a laugh. "See you later, Rhu-Rhu."
"Bye." Rhuben replied as she hurried out of the room and down the stairs. She made a face when she saw Logan sitting in the living room with Julius. "Juli, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't have to worry about me?" she stated as she rolled her eyes, walking in the room. "I mean, even Ronan's up in his room."
"Yeah, but he's not your older brother." Julius pointed out and gave her a hug. "I haven't seen you this happy in a long time." He added quietly. Rhuben smiled back in reply, slightly embarrassed. He then turned to Logan, eyes narrowed. "Hurt her and I'll be hurting you, got it?"
"Yes, got it!" Logan cowered in fear. "I don't want to get hurt. I won't hurt her! Ok!"
"Julius, shut up," Rhuben rolled her eyes again and grabbed onto Logan's hand, tugging him to his feet. "Don't listen to him; he's just trying to scare you."
"And it's working." Logan replied as he glanced over at Rhuben as she tugged him over to the front door. Riley hurried down the stairs at that point, grabbing her car keys off of the stand by the front door.
"I'm gone!" she shouted for Ronan and Julius to hear before giving her sister and Logan a wave and a bright smile. "Bye guys, have fun."
"Later." Rhuben replied before following her sister out the front door. Riley hurried over to her car, got in, and drove away. Rhuben pulled out her car keys and unlocked the car so she and Logan could get in. "Where are we going?" she asked again, causing Logan to grin.
"You'll find out," he replied as he pulled on his seatbelt. "Just follow my directions and you'll be fine." He added with a mysterious smile.
"You know, I've always hated when you told me that when we were kids," Rhuben replied as she pulled out of the driveway and drove in the opposite direction that Riley had gone. "I mean, when it came to 'operating bugs' it just grossed me out."
"Well, you never fainted." Logan pointed out.
"No," Rhuben agreed. "I just freaked out and wouldn't go anywhere near them and you just laughed at me." She smiled a little bit at the memory of a little Logan being fascinated with the idea of dissecting things.
"Sorry, I was just having fun." Logan replied and then glanced out the window. "Turn right."
Rhuben did as she was told and for the next twenty minutes, the two of them reminisced about what trouble the two and Riley had gotten into when they were younger as she drove to wherever Logan was taking her. Finally, he told her to pull off on the side of the road and got out of the car. Rhuben pulled her car keys out of the ignition and opened the driver's side door, jumping when she saw a hand in her face.
"Sorry," Logan apologized as he laughed a little bit. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"You didn't scare me," Rhuben denied as she grabbed his hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, closing the door behind her.
"C'mon, it's just a little ways this way." Logan tilted his head and the two started to walk off the road and over onto the grass, the dew causing them to slip and slide a little bit. As the two talked he nervously put his arm around her shoulders and smiled a little bit when Rhuben rested her head on his shoulder. It was still hard for him to believe that the girl that he had a crush on ever since he was 9 was finally his girlfriend, and he didn't want to do anything that would mess it up.
"What the?" Rhuben stopped walking and laughed a little bit when she saw a blanket and a picnic basket. "Wow, this is so cheesy it's not even funny."
"Well, I'm a romantic," Logan shrugged in reply before motioning for her to sit on the blanket as he opened the picnic basket. "I brought some roast beef sandwiches and got this cake from the bakery I found." He explained as he brought out to lumps covered in aluminum foil. "It had almonds in it, but I asked for pieces to be made without it because I remembered that you were allergic."
"That's so sweet," Rhuben replied, blushing a little bit at the attention that she was getting. She wasn't really used to anyone besides her family caring about her the way Logan did and it was a welcome change. "Thank You."
"You're welcome." Logan replied and the two of them started to eat their sandwiches. Once finished they immediately dove into the chocolate cake, both agreeing that it was the best cake that they had ever eaten. Finally, they put the trash away and laid down on the blanket, star gazing. Logan pointed out each constellation that he could find, as Rhuben listened quietly. "And that's Pisces, the twins."
"You must have read a lot when you were bored." Rhuben commented, messing with Logan's fingers in her hand.
"Things were pretty boring after you guys left and before I met up with the guys." Logan shrugged in reply, shaking out his arm before putting it behind his head again. "So I had to do something to pass the time."
"You could have called." Rhuben pointed out. Logan turned his head and smiled softly.
"The phone works both ways." He replied and Rhuben twisted her mouth to the side.
"I was so busy and-"
"You don't have to explain." Logan interrupted and then turned his head back and looked up at the sky. Rhuben did the same and a shooting star caught her gaze. She followed it across the sky with her eyes and smiled a little bit.
"A shooting star," she pointed out and nudged Logan's side. "Make a wish." She let out a Un-Rhuben-like giggle when Logan theatrically squeezed his eyes shut. "What did you wish for?" she asked when he opened his eyes again.
"That me and the guys stay friends for a long time," Logan replied as he let out a breath. "And that we're always happy. What about you?"
"I didn't have to wish for anything." Rhuben replied, causing Logan to turn and looked at her in confusion. "My dad is gone and me and my siblings are finally happy. What more could I want?" she smiled and Logan smiled in reply.
He moved forward and captured Rhuben's lips in a sweet kiss.
Rhuben smiled against his lips before kissing him back.
"Hey" Riley looked up as she got out of her car and smiled as Kendall waved and walked over to her, giving her a gentle hug in greeting.
"Hey." Riley responded, quickly checking her phone before sliding it into the pocket on her skirt. "You look nice, Hockey-Head." She added motioning to the dressy shirt and jeans he was wearing. "Better than the flannel that you always wear." She added teasingly.
"Thank you, Ruby, you look great too." Kendall replied and then laughed at the confused look on Riley's face. "Well, you always have a nickname for me, whether it's Hockey-Head, Eyebrows, or Dimple, so I thought that I would give one to you." He explained. "And since you're so pretty and you like the color red, I thought the nickname Ruby was fitting."
"Much better than other people have given me," Riley replied as she nervously brushed her hair behind her ear.
"Oh, this is for you." Kendall moved his arm out from behind his back and handed her a small rose.
"Thank you," Riley smiled and took the flower from him. "Shall we get going?"
"Yes, we shall." Kendall replied as he held out his arm for Riley to take. She slid her arm around his and the two walked across the boardwalk, talking to each other about music and concerts and stuff. "So, Ronan tells us that you guys are going to be doing a charity concert soon."
"Yeah," Riley replied as the two stopped walking. "All of the proceeds that we get are going to a shelter for abused children, teenagers, and women." She let out a small sigh. "We're giving back to those that have helped us over the years.
"Well, I think it's a good idea." Kendall agreed as he turned a bright booth caught his eye and headed over to it. Riley slowly followed behind him, eyebrows raised in interest. "I'd like five balls to throw, please." He said to the man behind the counter as he put down a five dollar bill. The man took the money and grabbed five baseballs and motioned to a small tower of milk bottles.
"Knock em' down and win a prize." He said, sounding bored.
"You do know that these things are rigged, right?" Riley stated as she moved to stand beside him, arms crossed over her chest.
"Just watch," Kendall replied with a warm smile and a wink before rearing back and throwing the ball forwards. Riley watched, slightly impressed, as he knocked down the bottles. She looked over at him and he smiled back. "Playing hockey all the time helps with your upper arm muscles." He explained. Riley nodded and watched as he threw the balls four more times and knocked them milk bottles down each time.
"Pick your prize." The guy sounded like he hated Kendall at that moment as when people didn't get the milk jugs knocked down they kept going, spending more money.
"Um," Kendall scanned the collection and then looked at a large stuffy puppy, similar to the one that he had used in the first photo shoot that Griffin had creative license over. "I'll take the dog, please." The man handed it over and he smiled as he handed it to Riley.
"Thank you," she looked overwhelmed with how big the stuffed animal was, but Kendall could see in her eyes that she was really happy to have it. The two started walking again. "When Sydney finds out that you were able to knock down the bottles he's going to be mad." She laughed a little. "It took him forever, and 60 dollars worth of Noah's credit card, to finally win something."
"Well, I won't tell him if you won't." Kendall replied and slid his arm around Riley's shoulders. He felt her stiffen for a second, but then she relaxed and moved closer to him. "What do you want to do now?" he asked and pointed to the Ferris wheel. "How about that?"
"No," Riley shook her head and blushed a little bit when Kendall looked over at her. "I don't like Ferris Wheels."
"Afraid of heights?" Kendall guessed.
"A little." Riley admitted after a second of silence. She then snorted. "Plus, it wouldn't surprise me if you bribed the worker to making it that they stop it at the top to make it all romantic." She rolled her eyes and tried to do air quotes, but it was hard as she was holding onto a giant stuffy puppy.
"I wasn't thinking that at all," Kendall replied and then looked thoughtful. "But now I am."
"Keep dreaming." Riley replied simply and then stopped when a sweet smell hit the air. She sniffed lightly before turning towards a booth that was selling cotton candy. Kendall noticed her stop and laughed when he saw what she was looking at.
"You can go sit on that bench over there," he nodded in the direction as he took out his wallet. "And I'll get some cotton candy."
"The purple one, please." Riley replied before walking over to the bench and sitting down, gently placing her flower and stuffed dog on the ground by her feet. Kendall came back a few seconds later carrying two sticks of cotton candy. "Thank you." She took the stick from his hand and plucked off a bit of the fluffy junk food before sticking it in her mouth, smiling at the taste.
"Yum" Kendall agreed as he took a large bite. Riley looked over at him and laughed when she saw that some of it was stuck to his lips and chin. "What?" he questioned as he turned to her.
"You have some stuck to your face." She replied as she reached out and wiped it off of his chin. She blushed and quickly pulled her away when her fingers brushed his lips. "Sorry."
"It's ok." Kendall laughed in reply and kept eating his cotton candy. "So, I have a question for you." He stated after a minute of silence. Riley looked at him wordlessly and he continued. "How come you never played us anything on the guitar?"
"How come you've never played us anything on the guitar?" Riley shot back. "Logan told me that you play the guitar all the time when you're not working with Gustavo." Kendall looked towards the sky as he finished his cotton candy and wiped his hands off on his jeans.
"I'll do you one better." He replied and smiled as he took a deep breath and started to sing. Riley smiled when she recognized it as one of her favorite songs, You and I Both by Jason Mraz. She listened as he continued to sing, hitting every note perfectly and putting a lot of emotion into the song. Finally he finished the song, trying to catch his breath.
"I have to admit," Riley shook her head slowly, a smile on her face. "That was probably some of the best singing I've ever heard." She eyed him warily. "Did Logie tell you that was my favorite song?"
"No," Kendall replied and then laughed a little bit when Riley didn't look convinced. "I'm telling you the truth, Logan didn't tell me." He held his hands up defensively.
"Then how did you know?" she questioned.
"I swiped your iPod once and saw that it was your most played song." Kendall replied with a half smile. Riley smirked and shook her head again. Kendall's smile slowly faded as he slowly moved towards her. Riley's smirk faded and her eyes closed a little bit as she also moved towards him. "Stop me if you don't want me to do this," Kendall whispered, just in case she got a little bit scared as her father had been taken to jail only a week ago.
"I would have already if I didn't want to," Riley whispered back a second before his lips landed on hers.
"Hey," Riley greeted her sister when she got home. Rhuben was sitting on the front steps of their house, seemingly waiting for her sister. "What are you doing?" she slowed to a stop in front of her sister and looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I didn't want to be the only one that went in there to be bombarded with questions." Rhuben replied as she brushed off her tunic, standing up. She smiled. "So I waited for you to get home so you could go in first." She laughed a little bit when Riley made a noise of annoyance.
"Gee, thanks." Riley rolled her eyes and gently hip-checked her sister before opening the front door. "We're back!" she called loudly.
"Oh good," Ronan immediately walked out of the living room to their left, looking at his watch. "And right on time." He smiled as he gestured towards the living room. "You might as well get this over with; the guys have been waiting for you all night. I just got them to sit still."
"Anyone ever told you that you make a good dad?" Rhuben asked as she gave Ronan a hug. He sighed as he put an arm around her shoulder.
"It would explain why I was a nervous wreck while you guys were gone." He replied and then laughed as Sydney leapt off of the couch and grabbed his sister's hands, forcing them into the room as Julius, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney started to shout questions at them.
Ronan laughed as he sat down in an armchair on the other side of the room, waiting to get a word in edge wise. He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he watched Riley and Rhuben explain what they had done on their dates. Julius looked protective, yet happy at the same time. Sydney's eyes were wide and he nodded as he listened to his sister's stories, and Patrick and Noah were listening intently and asking questions when it was something that they didn't understand. It was the first time that he had seen all six of them that happy together.
For now, everything was perfect...
A/N: There you go two happier chapters in a row. But you know what that means; it's going to go back to the angsty ones in the next chapter. I hope you guys really liked this chapter. The next chapter should be up tomorrow. Thanks.
-Riley