A/N: Ello, Ello, Ello, good people! Guess what?! I just got back from the most beautiful place I've ever been, so I'm in an amazing mood. Then again, school starts on Monday... not so great.
ANYWAYS, I know I promised drama and hilarity, but this is mostly just drama... Meep. I'm sorry. The next chapter will bring a decent amount of hilarity, I swear! Just wait, I have some interesting stuff in store hehehe.
I dunno, not much to say anymore... THIS IS WEIRD. I ALWAYS HAVE RANDOM SHIT TO TALK ABOUT... Huh. Well damn...
Disclaimer: I own nothing recognizable.
The second Ryan stepped out of the bathroom with Alex, she made a move to run back in. He caught her by the arm, dragging her towards where Carlos stood with James, Logan, and Kendall. The four men all seemed distressed, but tried to hide it when they saw Ryan staring at them.
"Ryan," Kendall smiled weakly, "the place looks great." All Ryan did was nod as she stared at the scene outside the window.
"It's obvious how much work you all put into it," Logan tried, receiving a similar reaction.
"Ryan, say something," James said gently but sternly. Her head snapped up at him.
"What." It wasn't even a question. The way she whispered the word held no emotion or character. The girl they were seeing then did not seem to be the same one from the previous night. This one was scared and desperate. Nothing like that tough, outgoing girl that wouldn't seem to give any of the three the time of day. Startled yet persistent, they shakily continued to take turns trying to make her speak until Carlos spoke up, breaking his long silence.
"Come here," was all he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, walking her to the back of the store. He sat on a stool that was placed in front of one of the CD samplers and pulled her towards him where she stood between his legs. The height of the barstool kept Carlos at eye level with Ryan. They stared at each other silently, Carlos's hands running up and down her arms comfortingly. After a while, he broke the silence.
"I'm sorry. I-I know I promised this wouldn't happen, but..." He sighed. "I really don't know. Ranel is out there right now, trying to get them to leave. We're not gonna start until they're gone." Ryan nodded, understanding his situation. She knew it wasn't his fault, and she didn't blame him. She tried for a smile, but he looked down, avoiding eye contact.
"'Los?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face, receiving no response. She knelt in front of him, lifting his chin to force him into looking her in the eye. She saw the same broken expression she had seen only once before. The way his eyes shone with unshed tears, his bottom lip tucked between his teeth, eyebrows crinkled in worry. She sighed as she stood up, pulling him with her. Reluctantly, he stood, sighing when she wrapped her arms around him. He fell into the embrace, laying his head on her shoulder. Ryan rubbed his back up and down, dropping a soft kiss on his shoulder. About equal in height, they were face-to-face when they pulled apart, both breathing heavily. Ryan tried for a smile, giving a simple "come on" gesture before walking back to the front of the store.
Twenty minutes after the two had returned, the front entrance had been completely cleared. Ranel stood inside the shop right next to the door, constantly turning to check outside the windows for any last lurking photographers. Kendall and James were seated at one of the many benches scattered around the store while Alex stood with Logan, chatting about something or another. Carlos and Ryan rushed about the store, picking things up and putting them down. It was 11:00 when they were finally ready, and the two of them ushered everyone outside where the classic red ribbon had been set up. The original owner handed Carlos the large pair of scissors that would be used to cut the ribbon. He glanced up at Alex and Ryan and waved them over.
"Officially, I own it, but this place is just as much yours as it'll ever be mine." And with that, each of the three placed a hand on the scissors and dramatically snipped open the red silk ribbon. Camera flashes went off from each of the three remaining men and the couple that previously owned the shop. They all whooped with excitement and rushed about, giving and receiving hugs and words of congratulations. All of a sudden, a loud, slow clapping was heard. Once glance in the general direction, and the source was found.
"Well, congratulations, all of you. You got rid of the paparazzi. Your precious little store is open-" Ryan rolled her eyes, annoyed simply by her presence.
"This is a closed ceremony, Piper," she said, but Piper continued talking.
"People will still flock the place-"
"Piper, you need to leave," Alex commanded. She continued.
"Your little safe spot is gone forever-"
"Get out, Piper," Carlos nearly shouted, but to no avail.
"All thanks to me." She finished with a satisfied grin.
"Ranel?" James turned to their security guard who nodded.
"Ma'am, I'm gonna have to escort you off the premises if you don't leave immediately."
"Have fun with your shop." She smirked in Ryan's direction before turning on her heel and waltzing away. Ryan turned to face Carlos, one eyebrow raised.
"What did that mean?" Carlos sighed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully before speaking.
"She must've been the one to leak it to TMZ. How she found out, I'm not sure."
"Of course it was her. How did I not think of that?!" Ryan slapped her forehead with her palm before walking away from the group and into the store, grumbling something along the lines of "stupid."
"Well," Logan started, "that didn't exactly go as planned."
"She's hot," Kendall mumbled, receiving a glare from Logan and an elbow in the stomach from James.
"Ouch!" he yelped. "I was just saying..."
"You okay?" James asked Ryan after spending half an hour trying to get her to talk, finally just cornering her in private, away from all of the others.
"Fine," she responded blankly, staring directly in his eyes. He rolled his eyes at the response, crossing his arms across his chest.
"No you're not."
"If you knew why did you ask?" She raised an eyebrow challengingly.
"Wow, you're a pain in the ass," he groaned, grabbing his head with his hands.
"Feeling is mutual," she retorted.
"What did I ever do to you?" He was genuinely confused. She had seemed closed off to him since they had met the night before, but he had already been informed of her status as a Rusher.
"Treated me like a girl," she said flatly, as if it were the most obvious thing ever. This response confused James even more. He wasn't exactly sure what was wrong with treating someone like the gender that they were.
"What is it with girls?! So damn confusing..." His arms flailed at his sides.
"Not helping yourself, Maslow." She rolled her eyes.
"Whatever it was, I guess I'm sorry for it...?" he asked more than stated.
"I'm not a frail little bitch. Treat me like I'm capable and I'll get off your case."
"Okaaaay..." Despite his perpetual confusion, he changed the subject back to the matter at hand. "Anyways, I just wanted to see how you were holding up, though I see you're back to making your snappy comments, so I guess things are headed back in the right direction." She smirked at that.
"Can't handle my humor, screw off." He groaned, throwing his head back.
"Okay, you're insane. Aren't you supposed to be a fan? Why do seem to hate me?" he questioned.
"I am a fan, and I don't hate you. I just don't like people thinking of me as a weakling when I could bench half of them over my head. Just because I'm a loyal and dedicated fan doesn't mean I'm not gonna be offended by something you say or do just because you're you. Now if you would please just make your point, Sherlock?" Ryan raised her eyebrows expectantly.
"I just wanted to see how you were holding up. Carlos told us the story, and I figured it must be hard to deal with." Her expression softened at that.
"I'm fine, really. But I could use a night out with some friends." She said, hoping he'd catch her drift.
"We'll close down early later tonight, wrangle up the crew, and head out. It's our last night, anyways. How does that sound?" He threw his arm around her shoulder casually as they walked back towards their group of friends. She smiled at the thought.
"Perfect."
A/N: So there you go, a little bit of this, little bit of that. What's with James's randomly large part in this chapter? Why did Kendall call Piper hot? Did that shoulder-kiss Ryan gave Los mean anything? Why doesn't Logan have a mystery in this? Where the fuck was Alex during half of this? In the next chapter, questions will be answered, but more will be asked.
Hah, I'd suck at writing trailers and promos. Honestly, it won't be nearly as dramatic as I'm making it sound, so just read to see what happens hehehehe. NEXT CHAPTER: HILARITY.
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Magnetic Miracle will be updated next weekend at the latest. Check it out if you haven't already. I decided to try my hand at writing for James. Lemme know what you think of it!