From Chapter 24:

BTRlover2001: Thank you?

LibraScales: I don't think I'll make a James chapter because, it kinda defeats the purpose of Kendall knowing whether or not James likes him.

RandomWriter23: See below! I just love the dedication y'all have to Kames!

Kameslover3: Y'all are so violent. I love it.

SincerelyYourSecret: This is kinda weird because you already read chapter 25, and I'm answering...nevermind...heheh...

thesandbar: Ehh, it's a talent! And it had to happen sometime!

itsallguchicauseyolo: Thanks! It really means a lot, and trust me if you're weird, we'll be great friends! :)

XxxAnimaniacxxX: Now you know!

4ever with Kames: As you can see from Chapter 25, no Logan is actually quite fine with this new change. The whore.

xTheTearsThatNeverFallx: No, get back up! XD

LoveSparkle: No, watch this be a new pairing some day. And Fabio will be the name!

From Chapter 25:

itsallguchicauseyolo: I typed it up on my phone emailed it to myself, and then uploaded it on my computer. You can only review on your phone.

hedleyfaberdrive101: We're almost there! You'll love this chapter though!

Nuria De Maslow: You should have a serious talk with him about that, huh?

XxxAnimaniacxxX: Thank you! :)

thesandbar: Hahaha!

4ever with Kames: I had to do it sometime.

Swayzee Sweetheart: I'm sorry. Personally, I hate Jagan too, but I just simply HAD to put conflict in! And y'all know y'all all secretly love Logan.

LoveSparkle: There is always one, but y'all love him. Somewhere deep in y'all's hearts, y'all love him.

Hey! Umm... I haven't updated in 1 month and 21 days...Wow... I should be ashamed. But do you know what time it is...BACK TO SCHOOL! OH MY GOSH I'M GONNA FAINT. Important message... BTR the show...has ended. I was sobbing okay. Like literal sobbing. And then when they showed the memories from earlier and ended with the theme song (Big Time Rush) I just couldn't do it. :(. I was kinda really sad for a LONG time. The song "We Are" has a whole new meaning to me. It makes me cry when I think about it... ANYWAYS! Enough with all of that sadness Have y'all listened to "Everyday Girl" by Kendall? I mean can you say LOVE? And that song "Don't Stop" they where totally talking about sex. I mean some really good sex to by the lyrics. Anyway, I bet none of you have read this. If you have put this in your review 'It's not everyday you find somebody like find somebody like you'. ONto the story! I totally wanna get naughty with them... OH YEAH.. ;) Just kidding...no, I am. I'm too young to get NAUGHTY.

Chapter 26

Fabio's excursion group was the same group that he'd had for the falls. I had sorta hoped that James wouldn't show up, because I didn't think I'd fell comfortable flirting with Fabio if James was near enough to watch. I thought he might be judging my actions, might tell me as he head at the movies that I'd simply found another guy that it was best to ignore.

But James did show up in a swimsuit and a tank top. I was still feeling unexplainably hurt that he'd kissed Logan, but my good manners forced me to at least acknowledge James's arrival with a nod of my head. And he really had no reason not to kiss Logan. I'd told him repeatedly that he didn't need to hang around me.

I was standing near Fabio when I spotted James talking with one of the girls from yesterday. Lucy or something. And that was good. If James was busy with her, he wouldn't notice that Fabio was giving any attention to me.

Fabio took us to a local diving shop so we could either rent or purchase our equipment. I was looking over the rental gear when I felt a familiar presence behind me.

"You should go ahead and buy what you need," James said. "You'll get hooked."

I glanced down and noticed that he was carrying a netted bag that already had equipment in it. I assumed he'd brought it with him.

"I suppose you've snorkeled before."

"Yeah. I've done a little diving, too. But I only dive when I'm with someone who is experienced, and knows what he's doing. I have my doubts about Fabio on either score."

"Ouch!" I said, and followed it with an incredulous laugh. "That's a little harsh, isn't it?"

"Maybe. I saw him hitting on you at the singles' meet last night."

"You were there?"

"For a while. I think he's interested in giving you some private lessons while we're here," he said.

"And that's a problem because...?" I shook my head. "Look, James, I'm cool, okay? You don't have to watch out for me."

"Griffin-"

"I know Griffin brought you along to keep me company, but I'm fine by myself. Honestly. Go have some fun." I leaned toward him."Besides, I didn't give you any advice about Logan."

His eyes widened. "Logan?"

"I spotted you and him yesterday, on the way down the falls. I'm cool with it if you're interested in him."

"For your information I'm not interested in him. He came on to me. He reminded me of an octopus."

"Yeah, you really looked like you didn't want to be wrapped in his arms."

"Look, Kendall-"

"Don't worry about me, James. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself."

With that I skirted around him, and went in search of some equipment to buy because I figured James was probably right. I would want to snorkel more than once, and we might even be able to get some snorkeling time in when we got to Cozumel.

I was looking at masks when Fabio came over.

"Try this one on," he said.

I tried it on and looked at him. It seemed fine to me, but then I really wasn't sure what I was looking for.

"What do you think?" I asked, and thought I sounded a little funny breathing through my mouth while I talked.

"You want a snug fit so the water can't get in. Nothing is more irritating that having your mask fill up with water."

He slowly trailed his finger around the edge of my mask, around my face. The whole time he kept his gaze anchored on mine.

"You've got killer eyes, you know that?" he finally said.

I grinned. "That was one of the come-on lines from last night. I think it went, 'Are your eyes hurting? Because they're killing me.'"

"Coming from me, it's not a line," he said. "It's the truth."

"Kendall, I think you'd like this mask."

I jerked to the side, and there was James, dangling a mask in front of my face.

"What's wrong with the one I have on?" I asked.

"Probably nothing, but this one is a better quality. Try it on. You'll see." He turned to Fabio. "I know you need to make sure everyone is getting what they need. I'm familiar with snorkeling. I'll help Kendall get his equipment."

Fabio grinned at him. "Thanks." He touched my shoulder and winked. "I'll check in with you later."

As soon as he walked away, I jerked off my mask and glared at James. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Saving you from a land shark."

Oh, I wanted to scream!

"Are you crazy? He's a nice guy who's giving me a little attention. Not that it's any of your business."

"You're right. You're right. Your love life is none of my business. But I do know snorkeling equipment." He held up the mask again. "Humor me. Try it on."

I snatched it away from him and put it on. Then wished I hadn't, because he was right. It felt more comfortable than the one I had on before.

"Okay, with your hand, push against your face," James instructed me.

I did.

"Now, Inhale through your nose."

"I don't have a snorkel," I told him.

"I know. What you want to do is create a vacuum. When you move your hand away, if the mask stays against your face, it's a good fit. Try it."

I took a deep breath through my nose, felt the mask suction against my face, and moved my hand. It stayed put.

"Shake your head," he ordered me.

I shook my head back and forth, nodded up and down. The mask stayed in place.

James grinned. "Good."

I took it off.

"See? Fabio running a finger around your face doesn't tell you a damn thing," he said.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm sure we would have gotten around to doing the breathing test if you hadn't interrupted."

"I'll just bet." He took the mask from me. "The one you were trying on at first didn't have this purge valve." He pointed beneath the nose-piece. "Sometimes no matter how well the mask fits, you'll get water up inside the mask. You press on this valve, and it removes the water so you don't have to lift the mask away form your face."

"You think I should have that?" I asked.

"Yeah. It's a nice feature. Come on. I'll help you get your snorkel and your flippers."

I had to admit that James did seem to know his way around the equipment.

When everyone had their equipment Fabio gathered us around, and we headed toward the beach. Once we were at the edge of the water, Fabio had us all sit. He explained everything we had to do. I listened to every word, memorizing all that I could.

I was amazed by all the little things he explained that had never occurred to me: how to pressurize our ears, that objects in the water were actually smaller than they appeared.

"The exact opposite of that sideview mirror on your car that warns you things are closer than they appear," Fabio said. "In the water they're smaller."

"So what looks to be a thirty-two foot white shark might only be thirty feet?" James asked. He was sitting beside me.

Fabio grinned. "That's right."

"Are there sharks out there?" Logan asked, clearly alarmed.

Fabio grimaced. "I won't say that you won't see any, but they aren't common. I doubt you'll see any great whites. If you see any sharks at all, it'll probably be a nurse shark." He shook his head. "It won't bother you. These creatures see a lot of humans, but they'll still be wary of you. You'll mostly see stingrays, some very colorful fish, and some unusual crabs. Any questions?" Fabio asked after he finished telling us how to go about getting into the water, and what to watch our for.

He grinned. "All right then. I want everyone to count off."

We were sitting in a haphazard line, but we managed to count off. I was number four.

"Okay, dudes," Fabio said. "If you called out an odd number, look to your left. Even numbers look to your right."

Fabio's instructions had me looking at James, James looking at me.

"You're looking at your partner for the day," Fabio said.

I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. Somehow James always managed to be the one who I was supposed to do things with...not that way you pervs. On the other hand, since he was experienced, if I left him for a while to spend a little time with Fabio, it might be all right.

"Put your flippers on," Fabio ordered. "Now stand up and turn around. We want to walk slowly back into the water until it's at your waist." Glancing over my shoulder, walking backward in flippers was awkward, to say the least. I could hear a few people laughing. I was afraid to lose my concentration on where I was going though, afraid I'd trip. I wasn't exactly the most graceful creature as I flopped across the sand in my flippers to the water's edge. And I certainly did fell like a creature. One from the Black Lagoon.

"This is weird," I said.

James took my hand. "Sometimes it helps to hold onto someone," he said. "For balance."

That sounded like a come-on like if I ever heard one, but I had to admit that it did seem to make the going easier as we back into the water. The water was so clear. Like glass. Really amazing.

I was so accustomed to the blue- not really clear water off the coast of California that this Caribbean water still amazed me with its clarity. I mean, really, weren't these the same waters that stretch up into the Gulf of Mexico, and eventually lapped at our shores?

How could it be so different here? And yet it was.

We stopped when the water reached our waist. I could see the white sand beneath the water, my flippered feet, and a few tiny creatures moving about.

"Okay, spit into your masks," Fabio said.

"Ew!" Logan called out beside me. "How gross is that?"

"It's either spit or fog up," James said.

"I'd rather fog up," Logan said.

I spit into my mask and wiped my spit around the glass. The concept was a little gross, but I'd seen Richard Dreyfus do it in Jaws. Following James's example I rinsed my mask with a little seawater, and the put it on and placed the snorkel in my mouth.

I remembered Fabio's instructions to begin breathing through the snorkel.

"Remember if you go under the water, the snorkel closes up," James said. "Don't panic. You're not going to breathe in water, and you're not going to drown."

I bent slightly and squatted until my face was in the water. I put one hand on the sand to balance myself, and then extended my legs back until I was floating. Then I kicked a little.

I was snorkeling!

I had to admit that I felt a little claustrophobic, and it took me awhile to trust myself to breathe through the snorkel without having a feeling of panic.

But the world beneath the water was incredible. So many colorful sea creatures swam around us. I knew we weren't supposed to pet them, but it was so tempting. Touching them could remove their protective layer, causing them to get an infection. I thought it would be a real shame for any of this to be destroyed.

I felt a nudge on my shoulder and looked over. James was signaling down. I searched in the direction he was pointing.

A stingray glided through the water. I knew stingrays were abundant in this area because they'd learned that people would feed then. But actually watching them floating around us...oh, gosh, it was awesome. It was like being inside a hug aquarium, only it was all natural. It was nature. And it was unbelievable.

James did some more pointing, and then I watched as he dove beneath the surface of the water. We were still in fairly shallow water, but it was safe to dive.

I listened intently while Fabio had given us instructions on how to dive. So I took a deep breath, ducked my head, and fluttered my feet. Down I went.

James was so right to suggest that I purchase the equipment, because I was hooked. As a matter of fact I was giving thought to looking into some serious diving.

I caught up with James. He pointed out various things until I couldn't hold my breath any longer. I kicked to the surface, inhaled deeply, and relaxed as I waited for my heartbeat to slow.

I thought I could stay here forever.

"That was totally awesome!" Logan said. "Did you see the octopus?"

We were sitting on our towels on the beach, chilling out after our snorkeling expedition. The others were around us, sipping their beers, while Logan and I were drinking water.

"I didn't see the octopus," I told him, "but I saw a tiny shark."

"I saw mermaids," Hawk said with a sly grin. Logan leaned over, and slapped him teasingly on the arm. "You did not."

"Both you should have gone pantless," Beau said.

"Logan did," Hawk remarked.

My mouth dropped open as I looked at Logan. With a shrug, he adjusted his floppy hat. "Just for a little while. I wanted to shock the fish."

"Shocked me," Hawk said.

I glanced over at James. He was keeping awfully quiet, and I had a feeling he might have caught sight of Logan without any pants on as well.

Part of me wished I'd been that bold. But swimming pantless in the Caribbean hadn't been on my to do list. I hadn't even contemplated the notion.

"Hey, Kendall, why didn't you take your pants off?" Beau asked.

"I'd be afraid the fish would come and nibble on me," I admitted.

"It's not the fish that you'd have to worry about," Hawk said.

I felt my face grow hot with embarrassment. I definitely hadn't figured out a flirtation style that wouldn't get me into trouble.

"Okay. You guys who are renting, if you'll give me your equipment, I"ll go turn them in for you," Fabio said.

He started gather things up, and looked over at me with a wink. "Kendall, would you mind helping me?"

I felt James's, as well as Logan's, gaze fall on me. I decided to ignore them both. "Sure."

I helped collect the equipment, then followed him back to the diving shop so it could all be returned.

"How'd you like snorkeling?" he asked.

"Loved it," I said. "I think I'd like to do some scuba diving."

"You could take a class on Cozumel, get in a little shallow diving maybe."

"I might do that."

"Are you sure there's nothing between you and James?" he asked.

"I'm sure."

"It's just that he seems to really keep an eye on you."

"Friend of the family. That's all." Calling James a friend of the family was becoming a second nature.

We walked into the hop and returned all the equipment . When we stepped back outside, Fabio took my hand and led me around to the side of the building.

"I'm new to the ship," he said. "I was wondering if you could give me directions to your cabin."

Before I could comment, he kissed me.

It was a breath stealer. Probably the best kiss I ever had. When we broke apart, I was panting a little.

Fabio tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and grinned. "You know I shouldn't have done that, right?"

I nodded.

"So let's keep it our little secret."

"Sure."

He sighed with obvious regret. "We need to get back to the others."

I followed him around to the fron of the building. We both came to an aburpt stop. James was standing there, feet spread, arms crossed over his chest.

"How would you like to go to Hell?" he asked.

I tried to make this long for you guys! I'm getting an IPad (mini) for school! Hey! It's free...I think...probably not. Love y'all! Reveiw!