Many questions surround our lives.

Where do we actually come from? Why are we the way we are? Why are there rules when we have free will? Why don't all of us have special talents?

Questions are probably the number one way that people usually form a sentence these days. Whether they were asking about what they were going to do, how they looked, what was going on, or what they wanted to know when they didn't understand something. Many people have logical, meaningful questions, but some people ask such ridiculous questions that you sometimes wonder what the hell was actually going on in their head.

The question being asked at this time was one no one could particularly answer easily.

What could four seventeen year old boys do in a famous Californian hotel that would involve competition, fun, and the feeling of being on top of the world when winning this competition?

Two words.

Scavenger. Hunt.

"Alright boys," Katie spoke, handing each of the four band members a simple sheet of paper. "Here's your list of items. There are fifty items on the list, all of which were scattered by me throughout the Palm Woods. In order to find the items, you will be told where the next item is located." Each boy nodded their heads in understanding, eyes filled with determination, preparing themselves for the intense race.

Kendall Knight read through his list, trying to memorize the items, giving him more time to search. Logan Mitchell calculated the conclusion that by comparing the fastest runner's speed to his own (which, in this case, would have been Carlos, considering the fact that he won the last race around the Palm Woods.) and increased his own speed by at least ten percent; he just might be able to win. James Diamond fixed the bandana tied in his hair and hoped he looked good, not caring about the fact that he only had a couple of minutes for a game plan. Carlos Garcia was paying close attention and thinking where the most obvious places some items would be hidden in, adjusting the strap of his famous black hockey helmet.

"The one who meets me in the lobby with the most collected item wins free fruit smoothies for a month." Katie finished, reaching for her small red flag and waving it out in front of the boys. "Ready, set, go!"

And the boys were off in all different directions. James and Kendall went for the elevators while Carlos and Logan raced to the stairs. The first item was said to be located on the fifth floor in one of the storage closet.

It would take about ten minutes to find each item without distractions, with distractions about fifteen. There were fifty items on the list.

This was going to be a long scavenger hunt.

Snickering evilly, Katie shook her head and threw herself down on the couch with her laptop and worked on her advice blog. Today's topic: gullible teenage boys.

Palm Trees. Tan skin. Sunshine. Limos.

She was used to that. Growing up in South Florida, she had seen all of that before, if not grown up alongside them.

Of course, she was more than used to the heat of summer form Florida, so it was no surprise when she stepped out into the open air of Los Angeles and was faced with bright sunshine and heat. There was a bonus though: no humidity, which meant that she didn't feel like she was swallowing a full cup of water when inhaling the oxygen around her.

But even though Florida and California did have their similarities, she found that California was a whole different deal.

Everything was so different. From the palm trees, to the buildings, to the people walking on the streets. She felt ridiculous, like an outsider, as she stared up at Los Angeles' famous landmarks, her eyes wide and curious.

California was great and all…

But she really wanted to go home.

And it didn't help when her mother drove their rental car into the last place she wanted to go.

Looking around the parking lot, her jaw clenched and her eyes burned with anger when she saw the sign of the building in front of her. Her annoyance with her mother skyrocketed, and she climbed out of the car and into her new, very unwanted life.

Her mom stood by the trunk of the car, waiting for Haydelynn come help her get the bags.

Haydelynn ignored her, crossing her arms and glaring at the sign above her, mocking her with its fancy, gold letters.

"Palm Woods."

Now she understood.

Her mother could have picked anywhere else to work. Hell, she could have easily applied for a job at a local Publix, but no, right after being fired from her job, she took it as a chance to move to Los Angeles out of any other city in the world.

And she was planning on getting a job at the Palm Woods out of all the hotel/apartment buildings in California?

Yeah, that wasn't suspicious at all….

Her mother suddenly appeared beside her, and she hugged her daughter excitedly. "Can you believe it? The Palm Woods!"

"No, actually," she snapped, avoiding her mom's gaze. "I can't believe you brought me to the Palm Woods, Mom."

Her mother's face fell. "What are you talking about?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." Haydelynn muttered.

Trying to hide her hurt expression, her mother shut her mouth and pulled Haydelynn along by the hand.

Entering the Palm Woods was probably the worst decision she ever made, Haydelynn knew that.

"Hello," she followed her mom to the front desk, where a fat man with glasses was standing, eating a sandwich the size of her head. As soon as he saw the people standing in front of him, the sandwich was thrown out of his hand and into the trashcan beneath him.

"Welcome to the Palm Woods!" he boomed overdramatically, causing a flinch from Haydelynn. "I'm Mr. Bitters, the manager of the Palm Woods. How may I help you today?"

"I'm Evelynn Ramirez; this is my daughter Haydelynn… I'm here to apply for the job as assistant manager?"

Mr. Bitters' smile faltered, but he was able to keep it in place. "Of course, come with me."

Evelynn smiled and followed the fat man towards where the elevators were. Haydelynn stood there awkwardly, a scowl on her face, her arms crossed.

"Where are we going?" Evelynn asked.

"You're going to be interviewed by the Board Manager to see if you can get the job. We've already received your application, and the boss thinks you have great potential." Mr. Bitters answered.

"What are we going to do with my daughter?"

"She can just walk around and explore. Your interview will be over around eight thirty, so we will meet her back here in the lobby at that time. We'll be on the fifth floor in case of anything."

Evelynn turned to face her daughter. "Did you hear that?"

Haydelynn sighed and nodded.

Evelynn smiled a bit turned her back, leaving her teenage daughter to face the new world of California alone.

He found it extremely fun, running around the Palm Woods on the search for stupid little objects that would never come to any use. Even though he knew that the race was ridiculous, who could turn down free fruit smoothies for a month?

Not Carlos.

He was on his last object by now, and he was sure that he would win again. Frantically, he racked his brain trying to figure out where he could find a purple Spork.

He smacked his head, feeling stupid. The Lobby!

Jumping into the elevator, he jabbed the button with the big "L" on it, ready for his challenge.

She looked like an idiot, and she knew it.

Okay, so maybe most people would expect some sort of intimidation if they were moving from any other city in the world and ended up in Los Angeles. She did have to admit she expected a hint of intimidation and feeling inferior, but she didn't expect anymore than there was back in Miami. She had grown used to being surrounded by perfectly tanned and toned bodies and blonde highlights.

But did she expect the feeling of such high level stupidity?

Answer: no.

She looked completely out of place, dressed the way she was while actors, dancers, singers, and models surrounded her, self-confident and beautiful.

She wasn't exactly sure if she was underdressed or overdressed, for one side of the lobby was dressed in clothes that were a little too dressy to be your average casual. The other side wore expensive looking bikinis and swim trunks, heading out to the large, very welcoming pool.

And here was Haydelynn Ramirez in her old, faded black jeans and dark 3 Doors Down t-shirt. Her feet were covered by ancient blue Converse while those around her sported designer flip flops or stilettos.

She ran a hand through her tousled curls and sighed. How ridiculous did she look standing in the middle of the Palm Woods lobby with nothing to do? She had no idea where to go, no tour guide to show her anything, and she was certainly not a potential star.

Plopping down on a comfy sofa, she looked around for something to do or somewhere to go.

Then she saw it.

Okay, she had to face it. She really didn't want to be in California, she really didn't want to be in Los Angeles, and she sure as hell didn't want to be at the Palm Woods.

But when she caught sight of the Jamba Juice across from where she was sitting, she couldn't stop the slight smile that spread on her face. She didn't care anymore, now she was craving smoothie and had something to do.

Making her way over there, she tried to ignore the fact that she was being stared at by strangers and entered the smoothie shop, smiling politely at her server as she ordered a strawberry/ banana smoothie.

Relief washed over her when she realized she didn't seem so out of place anymore. Most of the stares at diminished, and she felt a little more normal than she did before.

But when the server called her name, announcing that her drink was ready, as she went to grab it, she could feel three stares on her back.

Turning, she caught a glimpse of the girls sitting at a table glaring at her from under their huge bug-eyed glasses. She offered a small smile and broke their gazes, her eyebrows scrunching together as she wondered what their problems were.

Wanting to avoid any more weird glares, she took her smoothie and went back out into the lobby, taking another seat on the sofa and patiently waiting for her mom. Eight-thirty had passed five minutes ago, and even though she knew Evelynn didn't like to leave people waiting, she knew sometimes she got caught up in stuff and was just fashionably late.

So… she waited.

He was almost there… four floors left. Three…. Two… One…

Ding.

He was so going to win this.

Taking another sip of her smoothie, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the amazing flavor of what she used to love to drink so long ago. She could almost imagine herself sitting on that familiar porch, sipping from that cup, savoring the amazing flavor, looking up and smiling at….

She pushed that thought out of her head and checked her watch. 9:03. she had heard of being fashionably late, but an half an hour?

Her mother was never this late for anything.

She stood up and remembered that her mother was on the fifth floor, turning the corner towards the elevator, a gasp escaped her lips when she clashed with someone. The smoothie was knocked out of her hand and landed on the floor with a noisy bump, the liquid splashing all over the place.

And of course, being as clumsy as always, she flew back and on the floor, the smoothie drenching her from head to toe.

Shocked at what had just happened, she stared down at her stained clothes, mouth open and eyes wide with surprise. A thought ran to her head and she suddenly found herself wondering why she couldn't enjoy not even a cup of the old her.

She looked around from where she was clumsily seated on the floor, and she didn't know what was worse: the stares of amusement or the glances of carelessness from those around her. She did catch a glimpse of three dislikeable smirks from across the room.

After a low groan (that honestly sounded more like a whimper) , she looked up at whoever she had bumped into, ready to apologize for drenching them with her weird drink as well.

Two big brown eyes stared at her from under the shadow of a black hockey helmet, reflecting her sudden jolt of surprise and panic. A tan arm was held out half an inch from his body, signifying his state of shock and instinct to help her.

And, just like her, his clothes were splashed with pink goo and his expression matched hers of embarrassment.

Her apology caught in her throat.

"I'm… so sorry." He finally mumbled, not knowing what to say. He held his hand out all the way, and she took it after a couple of moments of staring at it. He pulled her up easily, and she groaned at the sudden head rush that came.

Rubbing her head, she swayed on her feet as the dizziness settled in. He caught her at once, worry on his face.

"You okay?"

She waited a couple of seconds before answering, just trying not to topple into him. When the rush finally passed, she gave him a small, reassuring smile. "I'm fine. It was my fault anyway, wasn't paying attention to where I was going…"

"No, no. It was my fault… I'm always getting in trouble for fooling around at the Palm Woods. I'm always messing things up and knocking people over."

She smiled. "I guess I'm just one of your victims then…"

The small smile that was slowly forming on his lips fell, and his eyes expressed the guilt he felt. "I'm really sorry…"

She chuckled. "I was kidding."

His expression lightened. "Oh… really?"

Holding back another laugh, she nodded.

"Oh, well… I'm Carlos." He held out his hand again, and she grinned, finding it funny how he was proposing they shake hands under these odd circumstances. Placing her hand in his, her mood lightened at the thought of meeting someone new.

"Well, Carlos, I don't wanna be rude, but I have to say that I would like to be drinking my smoothie rather than wearing it." She laughed as her hair flopped down onto her face, splashing them with more pink juice.

"Again, I'm really sorry. I was in a rush, and I just ran out of the elevator and I totally didn't see you… or your smoothie, and then the next thing I know we're both covered in smoothie and you're telling me that you would rather be drinking it and I feel really bad and…"

"Uh, Carlos?" she giggled.

"What?"

"I was kidding… again."

A goofy, child-like smile spread on his face, and he nodded once, the smoothie splattered on the black helmet he wore flying onto her face, which made her laugh.

"Sorry."

"Is that all you say?" she teased him again, raising her eyebrows, a smile on her face.

"No," he argued. Her smile faltered. "Sorry."

She couldn't help but laugh at him, and genuinely laugh too. She had never found something or someone so amusing before, and she had to admit that his goofy appearance and sense of humor, as well as his childlike features and free spirit attitude, actually pulled her attention. She couldn't help but be curious about this new Carlos, and even though they had just met, she had a feeling she would be seeing more of him.

And his accidents.

"Well, I still feel really bad," he finally said, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

She shrugged. "Accidents happen."

"Yeah, especially when I'm around." He frowned. He looked at her suddenly, his eyes lighting up again. "Can I get you another smoothie? You know, to make it up to you?"

"And be in danger of clashing into you again? No thanks." She declined, sighing. Glancing past his shoulder, she caught a glimpse of a narrow sign with the word "RESTROOMS" engraved in big letters. That would have to do. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Carlos, I'm gonna head over to the bathroom and attempt to wash off as much of this smoothie as I can, which I doubt will be much." Flashing a comical smile, she pushed past him and started towards the bathrooms, her mood suddenly darkening as she wished she would have stayed with the car keys so she could have snuck an extra set of clothes to change into. But she didn't.

"Wait," she withheld the groan that wanted to escape and turned around, giving Carlos the best smile she could. He hurried up to her, careful not to slip on the smoothie under his shoes. "That doesn't make me feel any better… I have to do something for you."

She stared at him in amusement for a second, thinking it funny how his eyes grew twice as big as before when he begged to help. "You do notice that I'm not the only one covered in smoothie, right?" she asked him, noticing how he seemed completely oblivious to the fact she had just stated.

He looked down at his stained sweatshirt. "Oh yeah… but that's not the point! I do things like this all the time, only they usually don't involve spilling smoothies on pretty girls. Tell me to do something."

She sighed, her eyes wandering over to the entrance to the girls' bathroom, the warm liquid now becoming annoyingly uncomfortable. "I don't know!" she finally announced, throwing her hands up in the air, making Carlos flinch at the sudden movement. "I guess… you just owe me one."

He seemed to ponder over that statement for a minute before finally nodding, a smile of contentment on his face. "I owe you one." He repeated, nodding in understanding. "Alright… okay. As long as I owe you one."

She nodded. "Can I go now? This isn't as comfortable as it looks."

He kept nodding. "Yep. Just remember that I, Carlos Garcia, owe you one."

"You owe me one."

"I owe you one."

He started walking away backwards, not breaking eye contact as he repeated those four words. She chuckled, finding him truly hilarious, and after the final repetitive sentence, they both turned to retreat.

Then he noticed something.

"Are you new here? To the Palm Woods, I mean." He hoped she was still there, and that she had caught his question. She was, and she did.

She thought of the weird situation she was in, thinking which was the right answer. She ended up nodding. "You could say that."

Her threw her another white smile and realized something else. "Hey… I never caught your name."

"Haydelynn." She grinned.

"Haydelynn. Nice."

She laughed. "Goodbye, Carlos."

"See ya around."

Carlos pulled off his helmet as he stepped back into the elevator, wiping the dried smoothie off his face with the back of his hand. He decided that he couldn't keep with the scavenger hunt covered in sticky goo, so he forfeited, not really caring about any of the other boys' reactions when they won. He guessed that Logan would be the one to end up with the prize, and he could already here the guy bragging about how he used some weird strategy to win, when the obvious truth was that if Carlos hadn't run into the new girl, he would have easily won.

A smile broke his expression when he thought about her. She seemed pretty cool, especially when he spilled her drink. Any other girl would have blown up in his face and stomped off, but she was wiling to stand there and talk to him, accepting his apologies and assuring him it wasn't his fault.

Man, this girl wasn't only pretty, but nice too?

The elevators open and gave him access to the second floor, where he was met by the rest of his band mates. Just as he predicted, Logan was dancing around waving a Jamba Juice certificate over his head, gloating.

"And that is why calculation is the key."

James and Kendall rolled their eyes and waved him off, their competitive sides coming in.

"You wouldn't have won if I didn't get distracted." Carlos spoke up, stepping out of the elevator.

The three boys turned to look at him, their eyes widening at the sight of their friend, covered in smoothie.

"What happened to you?" Kendall asked him, eyebrows raised.

"And why are you covered in juice?" James threw in.

"I had a bit of a run in." Carlos sighed, pushing past his friends into apartment 2J.

"With a smoothie machine?" Logan tucked his scavenger hunt prize into his back pocket.

Carlos rolled his eyes. "No! Someone holding a smoothie." He set his precious helmet on the counter and turned to face his friends. "There's a new girl at the Palm Woods and I crashed into her in the lobby as I went to go look for my winning item." He threw a glare at Logan. "I was going too fast and didn't see here, which explains…" he gestured towards his messy appearance.

The three boys nodded in understand, knowing Carlos was capable of that…

Carlos held in his sigh of relief, realizing the other members of Big Time Rush hadn't caught an important detail.

When the boys froze.

"Did you say 'new girl'?"

I have to say... I did like that ending :)

The NExt Chapter Will Be up soon!... I hope... Maybe a bit sooner if you guys gimme some more reviews?

Well, you know what to do...

-Nessa