ONCE AGAIN:
I am so, so, SO sorry.
But I saw the previews for the BTR movie and I thought I HAVE TO GET THIS OUT!
So, here it is. The long awaited chapter!
Falling Into Your Sunshine
Chapter Seventeen: Say Anything (pt. 2)
XOXOXOXOX
It felt like someone had stabbed him in his heart.
Okay, maybe not that, but still, Carlos was hurting pretty badly.
He was always an emotional person. It was one of his faults, but it was also one of the things people tend to like about him.
He guessed Robyn wasn't one of those people if she kissed Kendall.
Wait, wait, wait, Robyn didn't kiss Kendall. They accidentally kissed. Just like when James had accidentally tackled him over the table when they had dinner at Robyn's apartment. Just like when Logan accidentally slammed him into the wall when they were playing hockey. Like when Kendall had accidentally ripped his heart out by kissing Robyn.
His friend had apologized a million times after Robyn and Riley had left. At least he seemed sorry. Robyn had just blew the whole thing off and left without even glancing once in his direction, like she didn't even care that he was hurt.
This absolutely, positively sucked.
"Hey, Carlos!"
The Latino pulled himself out of his self-wallowing-in-pity to look up. There stood Stephanie, smiling brightly at him.
"Oh… hey, Stephanie…"
"Aw, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Is this about Robyn and Kendall?"
"…"
Of course it was.
Stephanie was ecstatic when she heard that they had kissed. Sure, Carlos hurting so much wasn't so good, but hey. An opportunity had presented itself to her. In this case, it was Carlos. And she only hoped that the recent news she'd just overhead was enough to seize him.
"You know what would make you feel better?" Carlos didn't answer her, and Stephanie grabbed his hands, dragging him up from his seat. "If you went out! You need to forget about her!"
"But… it wasn't her fault…" Stephanie arched an eyebrow. "She didn't mean to…"
"Well, maybe she didn't… But I don't think you can 'accidentally' agree to date someone else, can you?"
Carlos' eyes snapped up from the floor, glazed over with sadness. "…What?" he asked weakly, and Stephanie resisted the urge to grin.
Hook, line, and sinker.
"Yeah. I totally heard her talking to Kendall. I'm pretty sure they're going out…"
She should be an actress. Seriously.
Carlos continued to gape at her. "They're going out?" Stephanie nodded.
"Mmhm. So, Carlos, will you go out with me?"
Gee, was it 'Take A Stab At Carlos' Heart' or something?
Kendall was going out with Robyn. Robyn was going out with Kendall. His best friend was going out with his dream girl. His dream girl was going out with his best friend. She was going out with someone who wasn't him.
Carlos stared at Stephanie, and the latter waited patiently for answer. Her brown hair was straight, not curly. Her eyes were dark brown, not bright green. She had a sweet disposition, not a sour one.
He wasn't Kendall. And Stephanie wasn't Robyn.
Maybe Stephanie was right. He just needed to have fun. Right? And that would make him forget about Robyn. Right?
Right? Right…. Right.
Stephanie grinned, and wrapped her arms around the boy, hugging him tightly. He didn't respond, but she apparently didn't care, skipping away from him a moment later.
Robyn wouldn't have done that.
Right. She was going on a date. With Kendall. So it didn't matter.
The boy flopped down into the chair, sighing and closing his eyes. God, love sucked.
XOXOXOXOX
"Ooh, or how about this? It's so cute! Ooh, wait, no, this one! GASP! This dress is GORGEOUS. Wear this one!"
Riley knew something was wrong the moment she wasn't insulted for being too loud/annoying/irritating, and she turned to face Robyn. The brunette just continued to stare out the window, which she'd been doing for the past half hour as Riley went crazy in her friend's closet.
"Robyn?"
Robyn suddenly snapped out of her trance, and she looked at Riley, who was holding up a peach colored sundress.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure, that's great."
Riley's eyebrows furrowed, as she threw the dress onto the bed. "Okay, what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Really? Nothing's wrong? You just agreed to wear a dress. There is something definitely wrong."
"Maybe I just felt like… looking… good for… Kendall?" Robyn could tell Riley knew she was lying. Hell, it was obvious, and Robyn felt a bitter taste in her mouth just saying the words. She sighed. "Okay, okay, fine. It's just…" Robyn turned to look back out of the window, and Riley crept up behind her.
Ah, Riley understood now, as she followed Robyn's gaze. The Latino boy sat on the chair, leaning onto his knees and holding his head in his hands.
"Oh, so it's Carlos, huh? I wouldn't worry about him," Riley said, dismissing the worry as she turned back around to examine the dress once more. "He'll be pissed today, but tomorrow you'll have him wrapped around your finger again."
"If he isn't already wrapped around Stephanie's," Robyn grumbled to herself, scowling at the boy. Riley paused.
"Wait, what?" Robyn froze.
"Uh… nothing…"
"Robyn, what did you just say?"
"Hey, uh, didn't you want me to wear the dress? I think there's a pair of shoes that'll go perfect with that-"
"ROBYN!"
The girl sighed, and shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I said, Riley. It doesn't matter at all."
"Obviously it does if it's bugging you so much," Riley pointed out as she sat on the bed. "Seriously, what is, Robyn?"
"You're not gonna drop this until I tell you, right?"
"Right," Riley confirmed, grinning, and Robyn rolled her eyes.
"The only reason I told Kendall yes is because… well…"
"Well?" her friend pressed, leaning forward eagerly. Robyn frowned.
"… Because Stephanie asked out Carlos."
"WHAT?" Riley shrieked. She stood up, slipped, and promptly fell to the ground as she screeched, "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"
"Well, it seems pretty damn possible to me, since it happened."
"WHAT THE HELL?"
"My thoughts exactly."
"But… b-but… but…" Riley stammered as she attempted to climb out of the giant mess of clothes she'd fallen in. "But she can't do that!"
"She already did. Besides, I thought you'd be happy. You're the one who wanted Kendall and I to go on a date."
"But that's breaking girl code! You like him! SHE CAN'T DO THAT."
"Riley, really, it's okay. I don't li-" She stopped talking when she noticed the withering look her friend sent her as she stood up.
"Oh, shut up, Robyn. It's so blindingly obvious. If you didn't, you wouldn't be sitting here sulking about it!" Robyn opened her mouth to protest, before Riley suddenly let out a noise of frustration, and began stomping towards the door.
"There's a pair of tan wedges in your closet. Wear them with that dress. Keep your makeup natural, and wear your hair in a half-ponytail."
"Riley, where are you going?"
Riley paused at the door, before turning to look at Robyn, who was surprised at the vengeful look she had on her face.
"To slap a ho."
With that, she stepped outside, and slammed the door shut.
Robyn stared at the door for a full minute.
"… What?"
XOXOXOXOX
Boom.
A mother screamed, covering her child with her arms as the monster marched down the hallway.
Boom.
Children ducked behind the couches in the lobby.
Boom.
Bitters cried and ducked below his desk as the beast passed by him.
Boom.
"Craig, will you please stop with your damn effects?" Riley exclaimed, as her younger brother, Craig, jumped in surprise. He sighed, and turned off the remote making all of the booming noises off.
"Fine…"
Riley was mad. Obviously.
Okay, so yes, Riley wanted Robyn to go on a date with Kendall. But it wasn't because she was "a sadistic bitch who enjoyed watching other people suffer and took pleasure from it" (which is exactly what Robyn had called her, though it was fairly obvious that her best friend was the sadistic one, not Riley).
Contrary to what most people believed, Riley wasn't an idiot. The way she saw it, Robyn would go on a date with Kendall, have a horrible time, realize she loved Carlos, then they'd get together and go off into the sunset and make beautiful dancing, part-Latino singing babies.
Or she'd actually enjoy the date, marry Kendall, and make beautiful, singing, blonde babies.
It didn't really matter to Riley. Either way, one of Robyn's kids was going to be named Riley, regardless of whether or not it was a girl or a boy, or blonde or Latino. It was inevitably going to happen someday
But option number one had no way of happening if Carlos was going on a date with The Bitch From Hell.
"Hey, Stephanie!"
"He likes Robyn, Stephanie," Camille said, and Stephanie didn't say anything for a few moments, a thoughtful look on her face.
"… So?" Riley frowned.
"SO he doesn't like you."
"Stephanie," Camille began, in a much friendlier, nicer tone than Riley, "we just think that you shouldn't waste your time. Carlos likes Robyn, and I doubt anyone can change that."
"Well, that doesn't mean I can't try," Stephanie replied, a haughty undertone to her voice.
"Well, it's not going to work," Riley said, blankly.
"We just don't want you to get hurt," Camille said. It was quiet for a few moments, before Stephanie gave them a friendly smile.
"Okay, I understand."
Apparently, Stephanie didn't understand, and it was up to Riley to beat it into her that it was never going to happen let her down gently.
Stephanie looked up from the magazine she was reading, and she smiled at Riley, who wanted to slap it off of her face. "Hey, Riley. What's up?"
"Why the hell are you going on a date with Carlos?" Riley demanded, and Stephanie stared up at her with a confused look.
"Wait… how do you know that?"
"Robyn told me."
Stephanie smiled a small, sardonic grin. It made Riley narrow her eyes, as an unsettling feeling formed in her stomach.
"Oh," Stephanie said, simply, and continued reading her magazine. Riley waited for her to say something else, and when she didn't, Riley couldn't resist the urge to rip the magazine away from her, tossing it behind her. She vaguely heard Bitters shout, "Ow!", but ignored it. Stephanie looked up at her sharply. "Yes, Riley?"
"Why did you ask out Carlos?" Riley snapped, and Stephanie shrugged.
"I like him," she said, offhandedly, crossing her arms and leaning back into her chair. "That's typically what you do if you like someone. You ask them out." Her tone seemed condescending, and it irritated her used-to-be friend.
"But Robyn likes him."
"So? That means nothing."
"Stephanie, let me explain something to you-" At this point, Stephanie had had enough of playing nice.
"No," she said abruptly, "let me explain something to you, Riley. See, I like Carlos." She stood up fluidly from her seat. "I mean, I really, really like Carlos. Sure, he may not like me now, but trust me, that'll definitely change tonight." Residents in the lobby turned to look at the two girls as the atmosphere grew incredibly tense, and Stephanie took a step towards Riley that was intended to be threatening. Riley, however, just stood there, glaring at her. "And yes, I know Robyn likes him too, but honestly, do you really think she'll admit it? My guess is no.
"Now, I pride myself on taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves to me, and I'm truly sorry if Robyn gets hurt while I'm trying to do that—wait, let's be honest here. No, I'm not sorry, because she deserves it. And while we're being honest, let's admit that Robyn and Carlos would never work. They're too different. He's one of the nicest guys I have ever met; Now, Robyn on the other hand… well… no offense to her or anything, but she's a complete and total bitch.
"Now, I don't blame her for acting the way she does. I mean, that's what happens to kids who grow up without a mom," Stephanie continued, with a pseudo-sympathetic voice. "However, I refuse to let Carlos get sucked into her little 'hate-fest' she has going on every single day. I know, you know, and everyone else knows that if they got together, she would only break his heart, and he doesn't deserve that. He's too good for her, Riley, and you know it.
"So, here's what's going to happen; I'm going to go get ready for my date, you're going to stay out of the way, Carlos is going to fall in love with me—not her, but me—and we're going to live happily ever after while Robyn is miserable for the rest of her life because she's finally going to lose the one guy who was willing to look past all of her flaws, okay? See? Everyone wins. Except for Robyn, of course, but sacrifices must be made at some point, right?"
Riley's eyes were narrowed into slits, and her vision began to turn red, like the angry flush spread across her cheeks. Her fingers were itching to make a move, to knock Stephanie off of her high horse.
But before she could, an arm slid around her shoulders, and James appeared next to her.
"Hello, ladies," he said smoothly, flashing Riley a charming smile, which dissolved instantly at the fuming look she sent him. He quickly removed his arm from her. "Uh, okay! So, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing. Riley here was just giving me advice on what to wear for my date tonight," Stephanie answered, smiling at Riley, who sneered back.
"Ooh, who's it with?"
"Carlos." James blinked, and Stephanie grinned. "Well, I should really be going. See you later, Riley!" With a flip of her hair, Stephanie turned around and began walking towards the elevators.
"Her and Carlos? When did that happen?" James questioned, casually slipping his arm back around Riley's shoulders. He was delighted to see he was not met with resistance.
"James, what are you doing tonight?"
"Nothing, why?"
"We're going on a date. Meet me down here at six."
"Sounds goo—What?" James gawked at the girl, who said nothing, and just walked away. He stared after her with round eyes, before he outstretched his arms towards the sky, and falling to his knees.
"Yes! YES!"
He quickly jumped back up and fixed his collar, smirking.
"I am good."
XOXOXOXOX
The blonde gazed at the floor with a bored look on his face, absentmindedly chewing a pink piece of gum while leaning against the wall, trying his best to look like he didn't give a shit.
His fingers drummed against the wall to the beat of a random tune, before a girl walked by him wearing a Maroon 5 shirt, and suddenly, 'Harder to Breathe', one of the first songs he learned on guitar, became stuck in his head, and his fingers began beating lightly on the wall to the song.
Dressed in a gray, long-sleeved button-up shirt, in which the sleeves were pulled up to his elbows, black jeans and black converse, Kendall was not looking forward to this date. Would you if your date hated your guts and would probably try to find a way to kill you tonight? No, no, you would not be jumping with freaking joy, unless you were amajor masochist. Which Kendall totally was not.
He wanted to blame Riley. It was her fault he was going on this stupid date in the first place. However, Kendall knew he had no one to truly blame but himself.
If only he hadn't gone back for to ask her for help with the camera. If he'd just found another one. If only he'd left her stumbling around her apartment, none of this would've ever happ—
No.
He couldn't have just left disoriented and tripping over her own two feet. He couldn't do that morally, even if she would've done it in a heartbeat if it had been him.
What he should've done was tell Robyn and Jo what happened the next day, so they could all talk about it. Instead, he kept it a secret, and look what happened; it all blew up in his face, he may lose his girlfriend, and he was going on a date with a girl who hated him. Not to mention, she was Carlos' crush.
Things had been tense between the two the entire day. It got so bad that Carlos left and went to the pool instead, leaving Kendall to wallow in self-pity. He felt terrible about what happened, but wasn't quite sure how to approach Carlos and talk about it.
Speaking of Carlos, was that him with… Stephanie?
Kendall stared at his friend who was walking towards the door to leave the hotel, and sure enough, Stephanie was by his side, clutching onto his arm and smiling brightly at him. Carlos smiled back, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.
"I know this little café near here called Belinda's! We could go there!"
"Yeah, sure." Stephanie squealed, and pulled on his arm, rushing them out the door. Kendall blinked. What the hell?
"Ew. I'm about to barf."
He turned to the snide voice and saw Riley standing there, watching the couple leave with a heated look on her face. He was just about to ask what she was doing there, when the elevator doors opened, and James stepped out of it.
"Hey, dude," he said, grinning at Kendall, when Riley suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Finally. Hurry up, we've got to get to Belinda's," she said, and she began yanking him towards the door. Kendall watched them leave with disbelief.
Seriously? Was everyone going to Belinda's tonight?
XOXOXOXOX
With Katie hustling people at the pool and Mrs. Knight attempting to stop her, Logan was left alone in the apartment. He looked around the room, sighed, and muttered, "I need a life…"
XOXOXOXOX
"Maroon 5, huh?"
The new voice informed Kendall that his fingers were still tapping to the beat of the song, and he paused his hand, turning his head to look to his right.
His jaw nearly dropped.
"I'm proud, Blondie," Robyn said, brushing back a few loose curls that fell from her half-ponytail. "Maybe you don't suck as much as I thought you do." Kendall attempted to speak, but found he couldn't.
Donned in the peach, spaghetti-strapped sundress and tan wedges, she did look very good. The dress's shade complimented her lightly tanned skin, and her shoes brought the look together. A necklace made of wooden beads lay around her neck, and was paired with a matching bracelet. Her hair had been tamed, and was slightly less curly than what it usually was. The dark curls had been pulled back into a half ponytail, leaving only a few strands to dangle around her face.
She looked vastly different from what she usually looked like. It didn't even compare to what she wore at the dance. She looked… soft.
And before Kendall could help himself, he blurted out, "Um, you look really nice." He mentally slapped himself for his stupidity, and Robyn halted at his comment. Kendall quickly tried to change the subject.
"Uh, so, you like Maroon 5, huh?" Robyn gave him a suspicious look, seemingly sensing what he was doing.
"Yeah, I do…" It became silent and tense between the two, before Robyn broke it. "And, uh, I guess you don't look that bad either. I suppose you could look worse." Kendall rolled his eyes.
"Gee, thanks." Robyn smirked at him as the tension slowly disappeared.
"So, where are we going?" she questioned, and Kendall opened his mouth to answer her, but froze.
"…" Robyn raised an eyebrow.
"You did make a reservation somewhere or had a place in mind for us to go, didn't you?"
"… Psh, yeah. Of course I did."
Actually, he was too busy writing his last will and testament.
"Then by all means, Blondie, let's go," Robyn said, marching towards the door. "Don't waste my time."
"Yeah, right…" He stood there, shuffling awkwardly, and Robyn gave him a deadpanned look.
"You have no idea where we're going, do you?"
"Nope, not a clue."
"Typical," Robyn scoffed, and Kendall frowned.
"Uh, we could go to… Belinda's?" She nodded curtly and began walking towards the door, but stopped when she noticed Kendall wasn't following. She turned to the boy, who had a troubled look on his face.
"Well? Are we going? I want to make this as short as possible." He said nothing, and she rolled her eyes, storming towards him. "Hey, Blondie. What's your deal? Move your ass already, let's go. What, did someone shove a stick up your ass or somethi-"
"Can we at least try to get through the night without fighting?"
Translation: Can you please let me keep whatever dignity and pride I have left and try not to kill me tonight?
Robyn's eyebrows furrowed.
"What?" she asked, blankly, and Kendall sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking up at her with a surprisingly pleading expression.
"Look, I know we don't get along-"
"Obviously." He shot her an annoyed look.
"But can we at least try to make this night as painless as possible?" Robyn was quiet for several moments, before she sighed.
"Fine, I'll be nice. But only for tonight. Tomorrow, we go right back to hating each other. Deal?" She held out her hand, and Kendall smiled, shaking it.
"Deal."
XOXOXOXOX
"I think those giant caterpillars on your face are sending you the wrong message, because it's totally YOUR FAULT we're on this stupid date."
"My fault?"
"Yeah, YOUR FAULT!"
"How the hell is it my fault? And don't talk about my eyebrows! You know they're a sensitive subject!"
Mike Edwards took a deep breath as he stopped at a red light, and glanced at the bickering couple in the backseat of the taxi. Of course he just had to pick them up. Out of all the other couples standing on the curb waiting for a taxi, he got them.
They looked harmless enough at first. She was standing a good foot away from him, playing with the hem of her dress and brushing back some curls from her face. He had his hands in his pockets, and his eyes were staring at the ground. Both had uncertain expressions, and the girl looked like she was about to turn around and walk right back into the hotel, leaving him by himself as she changed her mind. Mike decided to save the young couple, since the date looked like it was about to end before it even began.
Obviously, that was a mistake. As soon as they got into the taxi and he began driving towards the address the girl had given him (after she had to look it up on her phone since the boy had no idea where Belinda's was) the boy remarked that someone named "Logan" must be really lonely.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Carlos and Stephanie are going to Belinda's, and so are James and Riley. Logan's the only one left."
The girl went quiet at the mention of the names, and Mike guessed that one of them must've gotten to her for some reason. The boy sensed this, and was about to do damage control, when the girl said, quietly so Mike wouldn't hear, but he did anyways:
"Well, he wouldn't be alone if you didn't kiss me in the first place."
This triggered a fight between the two, and now, they were screaming back and forth at each other, and Mike only hoped he reached Belinda's before the backseat turned into a crime scene.
"God, you're so damn careless, Kendall!"
"It's not my fault, Robyn! It was an accident!"
"And how the hell could you tell Jo? Now everyone knows!"
"Oh, well EXCUSE ME for trying to have an honest relationship!"
"There's nothing HONEST about kissing someone who ISN'T YOUR GIRLFRIEND while she's UNCONSCIOUS! Now EVERYONE knows! Bitters knows, Logan knows, Riley knows, James knows, Carlos kn-"
The girl, who Mike now came to recognize as Robyn, paused at the last name, and through the rearview mirror, he saw her suddenly turn away from the boy, Kendall, and look out the window with a miffed expression. The mention of the name also caused Kendall to acquire a guilty appearance.
Now, to understand why Mike hadn't crashed his taxi, you only need to know one thing; Mike loved puzzles. That, and his wife loved drama movies, and loved making Mike sit through them even more.
Okay, so this Robyn girl was obviously very displeased. She didn't want this date, and Kendall didn't either. Mike wasn't sure exactly why they were going on a date in the first place, but apparently, it had to do with the fact that they'd accidentally kissed while Robyn was unconscious.
They'd tried to hide it and keep it a secret, but eventually, Kendall told his girlfriend (or boyfriend? With a name like Jo, it was kind of hard to tell. Whatever, they were in L.A. and it was 2010. He didn't judge.), who probably exploded and told everyone what happened.
And now, the two found themselves on a date for some unknown reason—Mike dug through the plots and characters of the various drama movies he'd seen, and deduced that it had to do with the girl's quirky best friend who set them up to see if there was any chemistry between the two.
The easiest piece of this puzzle was this Carlos boy. He must've been very close to Kendall, who else he wouldn't have cared when Robyn mentioned it. He and the girl must be close to. Possibly—Mike glanced at Robyn, who was still staring out the window with a sad look—he and the girl were dating, or had some sort of special relationship. While both Kendall and Robyn were angry about the date, they were even more torn up about Carlos. This date was probably hurting him more than it was them.
"But it's not like he would care," Robyn muttered softly. "He's on a date with Stephanie."
Ooh, a twist! It seemed that Carlos was currently on a date with another girl! It probably didn't mean anything if he and Robyn were as close as Mike thought they were, but it was obviously eating the girl up inside. Kendall said nothing, and just stared at the floor of the taxi.
Mike cursed every drama movie he knew as he pulled in front of the café. Kendall practically leapt out of the car, and handed Mike the money, muttering, "Thanks." Robyn got out and closed the door, before swiftly walking into the café alone. Kendall scowled at her retreating back and followed her. Mike chuckled to himself and shook his head.
Oh, to be young and in love.
XOXOXOXOX
He didn't care if murdering the girl your best friend likes was going against bro code. If Kendall survived the night, he was going to absolutely, positively kill Riley.
After surviving the taxi ride from Hell, Kendall walked into the café, and was immediately smacked in the face with red and pink streamers hanging down from a heart on the ceiling. He swatted them out of his way and looked around. Aside from the heart, there were other numerous amorous decorations found; cupids, roses, found Robyn seated at a booth in the back, far left corner of the café. He took a slow, deep breath, and walked calmly towards the brunette. She didn't even give him a glance as he slid into the seat across from her.
Awkward silence.
Robyn flipped through her menu, while Kendall stared at the table.
More awkward silence.
"… SO…"
Robyn shot him an uninterested look, and Kendall gave her a sheepish, nervous smile, one she didn't return. He coughed in an attempt to fill the silence, and she sighed.
"Welcome to Belinda's!" a voice suddenly chirped, and Kendall turned to look at the waitress who had appeared beside him. "My name is Kimberly, and I'll be your waitress tonight. Are you ready to order?"
"Yes!" The red head gave Kendall a startled look at his exclamation, and Robyn rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, we definitely are."
"Uh, okay. What would you like?"
"A pepsi, a cheeseburger, and a small order of fries," Robyn answered, monotonously. Kimberly scribbled down her order, and turned to Kendall, who blinked at her. Did her eyelashes just flutter at him?
"Uh… I'll have the same…" Kimberly smiled.
"Coming right up." She sent him another flirty look as she walked away, and Kendall turned to Robyn, was playing with the pages of the menu.
Guess what happened? Even. More. Awkward. Silence.
Kendall sighed, and prepared for a night of disappointment.
XOXOXOXOX
James was trying his hardest tonight.
He didn't look at any other girls. Hell, he didn't even flirt with the waitress! He complimented his date, and tried to engage her in actual conversation. He was really trying.
"So, um, how has your day been, Riley?" he asked. The girl didn't answer him.
She was too busy staring at the couple across the room with giant binoculars. Seriously.
She growled when she saw Stephanie laugh and touch Carlos' arm, but she snickered at his expression. The poor boy just looked uncomfortable.
"James, have you seen Kendall and Robyn yet?"
"Um, they're over there," her date answered, pointing to the right.
"Thanks." He beamed to himself for helping her, but it slowly slipped form his face when she began ignoring him and instead turned to stare at the other couple with her totally unnoticeable binoculars. Robyn and Kendall were silent, not saying anything to each other.
"Um, mademoiselle?" Riley swerved to look at the person who spoke, and found herself zoomed in on someone's nose, a thick moustache lying below it.
"Oh my God, it's the moustache monster!" she screeched below she could help herself. James snorted, and tried his best to hide his laughter, as various couples turned to look at them. Robyn smacked her forward, and Kendall smirked. "Don't eat me, please!"
Riley lowered the binoculars and saw the 'moustache monster' was in fact a balding man who made up for his hair loss with his giant moustache. His cheeks were tinted red with anger, and she smiled sheepishly. "Eh heh heh… sorry…"
"Mademoiselle-"
"Wait, you're French? This place is French? What the hell? Brendais an American name."
"It was ze name of me mozer. She was American. Now-"
"Your what?"
"Me mozer. Miss, I need-"
"OH! Oh, you mean your mother! Okay, I gotcha!" He shot her a blank look.
"Oui.Now, mademoiselle, I'm going to need to ask you please put away your binoculars."
"What? Why?"
"You are starting to creep out some of ze ozer customers."
"So? That's their problem!"
"Mademoiselle, please-"
"No!"
Robyn sighed and rolled her eyes, muttering, "Crazy bitch…" Kendall chuckled.
"How did you two become friends?" Robyn snorted.
"We were kinda just… thrown together." Kendall raised an eyebrow, knowing she wasn't telling the complete truth, but said nothing about it. "What about you? How'd you meet the guys?" Kendall shrugged.
"Pee Wee hockey team." Robyn nodded, and the tense atmosphere melted away. For now.
Meanwhile…
Riley pouted as she stared down at her sandwich. The man had taken her binoculars, and said she could have them back when they were about to leave. James was partially happy; maybe now they could actually talk.
"So," James began, using his 'smooth' voice, "Riley. What kind of music do you like?"
"…"
James sighed at Riley's back, since she was too busy turning around in her seat and glaring at Carlos and Stephanie.
XOXOXOXOX
"So, how long have you been playing guitar?"
"About eight years. Do you play any instruments?"
"Piano."
"Really? I didn't know that."
"Yeah."
"Did Gustavo teach you?"
"If by 'teach' you mean threaten to slam my fingers in the piano lid if I didn't get each and every note right, then yes." Kendall laughed.
"How long have you been dancing?"
"Since I was one and a half." Kendall's eyebrows shot up, and Robyn smiled, nodding. "Yep. Ever since I could walk, I've been dancing."
"Really?"
"Mmhm," Robyn said, picking up a French fry and eating it.
"Did you take lessons?"
"Yeah, for a while. Until I got kicked out of them."
"Why?"
"I'm not really the type to follow instructions and do as other people say, if you haven't noticed."
"Trust me; I've noticed." He playfully protested as she threw a fry in his direction, and he swatted it away.
"Anyways, Mrs. Lee finally had enough of my backtalk, and kicked me out. Personally, I think it was the best decision she ever made. I hated that bitch. Now, enough about me. What about you, Blondie?"
"What about me?"
"Did you take lessons for your heavenly voice?"
"I don't appreciate your sarcastic tone."
"Me? Sarcastic? Never."
She laughed at his deadpanned face, and he eventually smiled.
XOXOXOXOX
She was laughing. He was smiling. They were having a good time.
This was not supposed to happen.
Stephanie continued to talk about… something (frankly, Carlos didn't really know what she was saying anymore), but his eyes were focused on his two best friends were currently on a date together.
Each smile was like another stab to his heart.
Stephanie paused, and turned to look at what Carlos was staring at. Her eyes darkened when she saw it was Robyn, and turned back to Carlos. She smirked cruelly.
"Hey, Carlos, let's go say hi!"
XOXOXOXOX
If you had told Robyn six months ago that she would be going on a date with Kendall Knight and actually enjoy herself, she'd punch you. Hard.
And yet, here she was. On a date. With Kendall Knight. Actually enjoying herself.
Okay, so Kendall was a cocky, arrogant bastard on a daily basis. Hell, their first dance lesson proved that:
"When you're done feeling up Logan, Robyn," Kendall started, smirking, "we're over here."
With his sarcastic smirk that Robyn wanted to slap off every time she saw it and a mouth nearly as sharp as her own, it was clear to see why the brunette disliked him. Now, after actually sitting down with him and talking to him, Robyn had to admit that he was somewhat likeable.
He was still an asshole, but a likeable asshole.
Not to mention that she'd learned so much about him in the past half hour: he joined the peewee hockey team when he was five, and that's how he met James, Carlos, and Logan; he's been singing ever since he could walk; he broke his leg by jumping off his roof due to a dare; he liked pizza, but hated mushrooms; his first kiss was with a girl named Lily Keebler in his first grade class—she'd kissed him on the playground, and he'd promptly blanched and called her an "ugly, stupid girl" before running away.
"So, you were an ass even back then, huh?"
"Shut up."
One thing Robyn had noticed, however, is that he never once mentioned his father. Thinking back, she realized that none of the pictures in his home included a man; they were all of him, his mother, or Katie.
"So, how long have you been playing guitar?" she asked, resting her head on her hand as she sipped on her milkshake.
"Since I was eight."
"Really? Who taught you?"
She raised an eyebrow when a flash of anger appeared in his eyes, darkening the color before it quickly returned to the normal green.
"My, uh… my dad."
Curiosity rose in her, as she tilted her head just
'… He left.'
And suddenly, Robyn saw Kendall a hell of a lot clearer than she did before.
Kendall had been abandoned. His father had walked out on his family. He left them. Much like Robyn's mother had done to her.
Kendall's hand began to squeeze tightly around his cup, the liquid slowly rising and nearly spilling over and Robyn bit her lip.
"… I'm sorry."
Kendall looked up at with surprise written all over his face, and his hand began to slowly release his cup.
"… It's okay."
Her face held no sympathy, but only understanding.
"No," she said, quietly, giving him a small, bitter smile. "No, it's not." Kendall stared at her long and hard for several moments with furrowed eyebrows.
Now she decides to drop her hatred of him?
He felt as though he should say something, and nearly did, when she tears her gaze away from him and put it on something behind him. Kendall turned around and frowned.
Carlos and Stephanie.
"Hey, guys!" the brunette squealed, a wide smile on her face as she dragged her less enthusiastic-looking date towards them. Robyn tensed as they both approached the table.
"Uh, hi," Kendall said, uncertainly.
"Stop being so rude, Carlos!" Stephanie's eyes sparkled with a malicious intent as she turned them on Carlos. "Say hi!" Carlos stood there, hands hanging at his side and shuffling his feet as he stared at the ground. When Stephanie elbowed him, he finally looked up at Robyn, who immediately looked away and focused her attention on her plate.
'Hmm, the design is really good. I wonder who designs it… Who the hell would want to design silverware when they got older anyways? "What do you wanna be, Tommy?", "I wanna be a silverware designer!"'
"… Hey, Robyn."
'Don't look… don't look… don't look…'
She could feel his gaze on her, drilling into her skull, and she gripped the underside of her chair.
'Don't look… don't l-'
She spared a glance and immediately regretted it.
'Jesus, I already felt like a horrible person. His stupid eyes aren't helping.'
One of the things she liked about Carlos was his eyes, the chocolate brown color that lit up with excitement all the time. They were so expressive.
Now, they seemed bleak. Dreary. Sad.
'… Dammit.'
Robyn was thankful when Stephanie, deciding the pair had had enough torture for the day, finally grabbed Carlos' arm and began to pull him away, cheerily exclaiming, "See you guys later!"
She let go of the breath she wasn't aware she'd been holding, letting go of her chair as she closed her eyes. She could practically hear her heart thumping in her ears and she sighed.
"… Do you wanna go somewhere else?"
"No, I'm fine." Kendall frowned.
"… I'm sorry." Her eyes snapped open and she looked up at him for a moment, before turning her head to look out the window, avoiding his considerate look.
"It's fine."
'No,' a voice responded to her in her head. 'No, it's not.'
XOXOXOXOX
James was growing increasingly impatient.
He never prided himself on being a patient person. Patience got you nowhere. Patience held you back. James was a pusher. He pushed and pushed until he finally got what he wanted. However, when this technique failed to work numerous times to sweep Riley off her feet, James decided to give this whole patience thing a go.
And so far, he couldn't stand it.
"So, Riley, you're from New York, ri-"
"Shhh!"
An annoyed scowl made its way to his face as Riley held up a hand and shushed him, leaning farther over the back of the seat to hear what Kendall and Robyn were saying, and James narrowed his eyes.
This was getting him nowhere. Although her position did give him a nice view of her ass.
What? He was still a guy.
James sighed as Riley continued to ignore him, stabbing his fork at his food, which was a combination of lettuce, apples, and some weird looking meat called something in French that James couldn't pronounce. Honestly, it looked more like the staff just threw together random food and served it. He sighed again, settling his eyes on his so-called 'date'. He was surprised when he found her actually facing him, poking at her food like he'd been doing earlier. She gave it a disgusted look and slid her plate away from her.
"Ew," she said, before looking up at James, turning her blue eyes on him.
He'd never noticed before, but her eyes weren't simply blue. They were two stunningly different shades; the outer iris was a darker shade, before it lightened into a sky blue color as it neared the center of her eye. Bright blue specks were sprinkled along her irises.
James had always had a thing for blue eyes. The first girl he'd manage to charm (he was in kindergarten, she was in first grade. Yeah, she was an older woman) had blue eyes. His first real girlfriend had blue eyes. His last girlfriend had blue eyes.
But Riley, by far, had the prettiest pair of blue eyes he'd ever seen.
"You have pretty eyes."
'Smooth, James. Smooth.'
Riley blinked her bright eyes at him at his statement, and James found himself flushing, fumbling with the sleeve of his white dress shirt. He wasn't alone; Riley's cheeks were beginning to turn red as well.
"I, uh-"
"That's probably the most honest thing you've ever said to me."
James wasn't sure how to respond, so he didn't. But he pretended not to notice the quickening of his heartbeat when she smiled at him.
XOXOXOXOX
Okay, so maybe Riley was acting just a tad jerkish.
She finally gave James a chance, and was spending the night spying on Robyn and Kendall, and then Carlos and Stephanie. Yes, she was aware that she was ignoring James. Yes, she felt bad about it. Yes, she blushed and swooned just a little bit when he complimented her eyes.
Wait, what?
James was confusing. And Riley had never been good at figuring out puzzles. He acted arrogant one minute, shamelessly flirting with other girls right in front of her; then he was acting desperate, begging her for a chance after flirting shamelessly with aforementioned other girls; and then he was acting sincere and complimenting her eyes, giving her a small nervous smile that told her he had absolutely no idea what came over him, one that looked so out of place that Riley couldn't help but smile back.
But she had to worry about Robyn and Carlos. She had to worry about their future together. She had to worry about their happiness because God knows they didn't. It all came down to her, and she'd be damned if this night ended in a disaster and permanently halted their relationship before it even began.
Her obligation was partially due to her wanting of being able to tell Robyn "I told you so!" when—if—she and Carlos got together, and partially due to her responsibility as Robyn's friend. And if that didn't work, then maybe Robyn and Kendall would get together!
Either way, Robyn would end up with one of them. And finally be happy.
It was this thought that made her tear her eyes away from James and begin to turn around once more. A hand on hers stopped her, and James frowned at her.
"Do you really even want to be here?"
"What?"
"Do you really even want to be here, on a date, with me?" She gave him a confused look.
"Of course I do."
"Because you're not acting like it." Riley sighed.
"Look, Robyn-"
"This isn't about Robyn," James cut in. "This was supposed to be about you and me."
"James-" The grip on her hand tightened, and she glanced down at the table, before meeting James' hazel eyes, which were staring into hers.
"Let Robyn make her own decisions. She's a big girl. She can take care of herself." Riley ducked her head and closed her eyes, releasing a deep breath. She suddenly felt entirely too hot and she shook her head.
"No… no, she can't." James didn't say anything for a moment, his hand still holding hers. He narrowed his eyes at her, and opened his mouth to question what she meant, but suddenly, Riley jerked her hand back.
"I… I need some air…"
And that's when it happened. If only she'd seen the waiter coming her way. Of only.
As soon as she stood up, her back collided the tray the waiter was holding. Said waiter flew back and crashed into Carlos' and Stephanie's table, the food he was carrying flying into the air. Robyn gaped at the scene, but gave a satisfied smirk as one cupcake landed straight on Stephanie's head. She shrieked and jumped, bumping into yet another waiter, who fell back into the line of waiters following. Like the domino effect, each one fell back into the other until the whole line was down. However, all food they were carrying was tossed into the air, and everyone in the restaurant seemed to wait with baited breath. When the food fell…
Well, to put it simply, all hell broke loose.
XOXOXOXOX
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Pierre fell to his knees as the front part of his beloved restaurant collapsed. He spotted the brunette responsible, and began shouting at her angrily in French, waving his fist at her. Two policemen grabbed him and restrained him from actually taking action, as Riley grinned.
"Eh heh heh," she chuckled nervously, waving a hand at him. "Sorry about that, govna! My bad! Pip, pip, cheerio! See ya, Brit!" Her words only brought on another round of vicious French curses and a shout of, "I'M FRENCH!" Riley ignored him and instead hummed happily to herself. A scoff came from her right, as well as a twitch.
"You're such a dumbass." Riley pouted at her best friend, who she was basically dragging, her arm around the girl's shoulders and vice-versa.
"That's not a very nice thing to say to someone who pulled you from a collapsing building," she said in a sing-song voice, and Robyn rolled her eyes.
"My hero." Riley flashed her a wide grin, while Robyn stumbled along in her heels, wincing as she put pressure on her hurt ankle.
Someone cleared their throat, and Robyn and Riley paused, turning around to see James standing there. He smiled at both of them. "Hello, ladies."
"Ken," Robyn greeted, smirking at his indignant look. He refused to reply to her and instead turned to Riley.
"Ah, I was hoping we could speak… alone…" He gave Robyn a pointed look, one she returned with a blank one. '…He can't be serious.'
"Are you kidding me? Are you freaking kidding me right now?"
"Uh, no. No, I am not." Robyn scowled at him.
"Fine. I'll just go limp off somewhere," she said, pushing away from Riley and attempting to balance. "Don't worry about me or my possibly broken ankle. I'll be okay!" When she saw that neither was going to make a move to help her, she rolled her eyes and began to hobble away.
"Don't hurt yourself!" Riley called after her. Robyn flipped her off as she stumbled towards the curb, cringing all the way. She finally made it and plopped down, stretching out her legs and wincing in pain. Her ankle was starting to look purple and bruised, and she was sure it swelled a little. She sighed and removed her shoes, before placing them next to her on the street. She placed her head in her hands, sighing.
Sweet Jesus, all she wanted was to get through her stupid date as painless as possible.
But no. She just had to hurt herself. Of course.
She undid her half ponytail so she could properly run a hand through her curls, sighing once again. Robyn shivered as a chill was sent through her courtesy of the wind. Great. Just freaking fantastic. She was stranded, cold, and God, her ankle was killing her. All she wanted to do was get a cab and go home.
A shadow fell over her, and she looked up. '… Shit.'
"Robyn?"
"… Hi, Carlos."
Carlos raised his eyebrows at the sight of her ankle.
"Woah, what happened?"
"… I slipped."
"Do you need help getting home?"
"No, it's okay. I'm just going to… wait for a cab…" She gestured towards the street, and Carlos frowned.
"Why do that? I can take you home!"
"No, really, that's not-" She stopped when Carlos grabbed her and helped her stand. She clasped her shoes in one hand as she began to object. "Carlos, it's fine. I can just-" She blinked when he suddenly stooped down in front of her.
"Get on."
"… Excuse me?"
"Get on," Carlos repeated. Robyn glanced at the street. 'Where the hell are all the cabs?' She could practically hear Riley in her head, snapping at her, "THERE ARE NO CABS! IT'S A SIGN THAT YOU TWO ARE DESTINED TO BE TOGETHA FOREVAAAA! GO WITH IT!"
… Well, she supposed she really didn't have a choice. It had absolutely nothing to do with the quickening of her heart race. Nothing at all.
She placed her hands on his shoulders and climbed awkwardly on his back. She clutched wrapped her arms around his neck as he stood up, grasping her legs that were hanging on either side of them. Robyn averted her eyes away from the boy, even though he couldn't see her, as a small blush appeared on her face. Her skin instantly felt warmer at his touch, heating up, and several shocks were sent through her.
"Ready?" Carlos asked. Robyn sighed and placed her cheek on his shoulder.
"Yeah."
"Great! So, which way is the Palm Woods?" Robyn twitched.
"Four blocks to the right, Carlos."
"Okay then!"
Robyn gave a small smile as Carlos began to walk.
XOXOXOXOX
The streets of L.A. were barren until they passed a McDonalds. And suddenly, the city lit up with lights and people and life. Cars were rushing by, people were walking, talking, messing around, buildings were lighting up. It's as if someone had just switched up the 'on/off' switch of Los Angeles. Robyn caught part of a conversation between two women, one of them talking about a major power outage. Robyn wondered vaguely if that was the reason why the street had been so empty, but her thoughts were interrupted by Carlos.
His eyes had gone wide as they entered the bright scene, the lights reflecting off his brown irises, lighting them up. A look of awe covered his face as he gaped at all the lights, nearly bumping into people because of his lack of attention. Robyn chuckled.
"If you like this, you should see New York," she remarked, and Carlos turned his head towards her, glancing at her.
"I've never seen L.A. at night."
"Really?" she asked. "You guys have been here for, what, six months? And you've never seen it at night?" Carlos shook his head, and Robyn 'hmmed'. "You've been missing out."
"Obviously," Carlos said, nodding. He accidentally ran into a man and stumbled off to the side. Robyn's ankle hit the nearby wall and she let out a small sound of pain. "Sorry!"
"It's okay," Robyn said, as Carlos continued walking.
"So, how'd you hurt your ankle, anyways?" Robyn sighed, shaking her head.
Robyn shouted as she was pushed around by the crowd that was stampeding towards the door. She was lucky that no food had fallen onto her, but after that, everyone absolutely freaked out and began running every which way. They were packed so tightly against the door that she was pretty sure she saw a crack appear. She had been clutching onto Kendall's shirt as he was pushing his way through the crowd so they could get out, but soon let go and lost sight of him.
One misplaced step sent her shrieking as she fell towards the ground, twisting her ankle. Her should was hit roughly by the rampaging people and she crawled underneath a nearby booth, bending her legs at an awkward, painful angle, but it was the only way to fit. She took a staggering breath as all the customers ran by her, shrieking and screaming and all Robyn wanted to do was shout, "Oh, COME ON! It's FOOD!"
She forced herself to take a deep breath as a headache set in, and she grabbed her head, rubbing her temples.
'Breathe. Just breathe. It's okay. You can get out once they all finally clear out. BREATHE.'
"Robyn? Robyn, is that you?" she vaguely heard a familiar voice call out. "Robyn?" The voice sounded closer, and she heard the boy curse, "Shit," before a hand grabbed hers and she was pulled out from underneath the booth and dragged towards the door. She grabbed the black sleeve of a boy as he began pushing his way out of the crowd, one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, the other waving in front of them and shoving people out of the way, muttering apologies.
"C… Ca…"
"Don't worry, Robyn. It's okay. It'll be okay."
"… Carlos…"
Kendall paused for a brief second, looking down at the delirious girl. He wasn't sure what to feel at the moment, to be honest. Hell, he was surprised that he didn't know.
But he pushed it out of his mind and pressed forward.
"I slipped," Robyn said, and Carlos nodded. They continued in silence and Robyn commended his ability to keep in the question that she knew was in his mind until they made it to the Palm Woods. Bitters raised an eyebrow as they entered.
"Geez, what happened to you two?" Carlos smiled brightly.
"Minor accident, no biggie." Bitters scoffed and Robyn rolled her eyes, hiding her smile as they went into the elevator.
"You know you can put me down now, right?"
"I know," Carlos chirped, happily. Robyn bit her lip. "So, uh, did you enjoy your date with Kendall?"
"Do we really have to talk about this now?" Robyn was sure this conversation could wait until tomorrow. However, Carlos refused to drop it.
"Yeah," he answered, quietly. "Yeah, we do." Robyn sighed and pressed her cheek back against Carlos' shoulder, biting her lip.
"… Fine."
"Fine?"
"Nothing spectacular."
"…And?"
"And what?"
"Was Riley right? Do… do you like Kendall?"
"Do you like Stephanie?" There was an edge to her voice that even surprised Robyn herself, and the elevator dinged, signaling her floor.
"Why does it matter?" Robyn shook her head.
"… It doesn't." She kicked her legs back and hit the ground, cringing with her foot hit the floor. "Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow, shit, ow…" She stumbled over to her door and grabbed the knob. The quicker she got into her apartment, the quicker she could ice her ankle, take some Advil, and go to sleep. However, as soon as the door began to open, a hand shot out and shut it.
"Are you sure about that?" Her breath hitched in her throat as Carlos' voice seemed to deepen slightly, taking on a rougher tone that Robyn didn't even know the boy was capable of. Robyn was in no mood for games, and she turned around to tell him that, but faltered when she saw how close he was. She pressed herself flat against the door, trying to create some distance between the two as his eyes stared into hers. His expression was accusatory.
Robyn didn't like it.
"This can wait until tomorrow, Carlos." She grabbed the door knob and tried to open it, but Carlos just closed it again.
"No, it can't." She scowled at him, and harshly shoved his chest. He stumbled back against the other wall, looking at her with mild surprise.
"Why does it matter, Carlos? Huh?" she snapped at him. "Why does it matter what I think about Kendall, or Stephanie, or you? Why does it matter so much?" He stayed quiet for a moment, looking at the floor. "Exactly. It doesn't."
"But it does to me."
"But why?" He gave her a pointed look, one that only made her furrow her eyebrows in response. "You know what, fine. Don't answer me. Have a nice life with Stephanie." She turned around to open the door, but his voice stopped her.
"I don't like her."
"Why should I care?" she retorted, but instantly regretted it at his hurt look.
"You shouldn't, it's just…"
"Just what?"
"Just… just say something. Say anything, Robyn!" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, and spoke before she could think clearly.
"It doesn't matter if you like her or not, Carlos. What matters is that you went out with her! Why her of all people? Why her?" 'Why someone I see every single day?'
"I only agreed to go out with her because you were going out with Kendall!" Carlos protested.
"You agreed before I even told Kendall I'd go out with him!" He froze.
"… What?"
"Yeah! You said yes before I even called Kendall and agreed!"
"… But… But Stephanie told me you already told him yes."
"Well then she lied, because I didn't! Hell, Carlos, I only called Kendall back after you told Stephanie yes!"
Shit.
Carlos' head snapped up at her words, and Robyn's eyes widened as she realized she just said.
"…Wait, what?"
"Nothing!"
"You only said yes… because I did?"
"… I need to go."
She yanked open the door and ran inside her apartment before he had the chance to do anything.
Robyn pressed her back against the door, suddenly feeling out of breath. She was relieved beyond belief when she finally heard Carlos walk away, and she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head incessantly as she slid down the door to sit on the floor.
'Shit… shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.'
Note to self: she was going to kill Riley.
XOXOXOXOX
AND BAM!
It's so rushed. I'm sorry. I wanted to get it out.
It wasn't supposed to end like this, just sayin'. It was supposed to be a cute, fluffy ending. Meh, that'll come later! :D