A quick shout-out to the guys that reviewed the last chapter. Thank you so much Hikari No Kasai, Gaby, kk, taeXen, CarganFever, ValidHearts and of course, MoonbabyAstroRock3r.
You guys are still awesome. And thanks for the help on the possible Kames. I still haven't decided just yet, but then again, I haven't planned for James to enter for a while. Bit either way, thanks for the advice. :)
Just to quickly answer Hikari No Kasai's question; I know I didn't spell it the way that Nickelodeon done it, but that's because I've made her completely different and the fact that she reminds me of one of my college teachers, whose name is Johanna (spelt with a h), so I modelled his mother straight off of her. Hope that clears that up. :)
Behind The Lens
Chapter Three; Breaking The Rules.
Logan stepped out of the steamy shower, the air hitting him like a bus. With his teeth chattering, Logan quickly wrapped a towel around his waist before grabbing the other towel to dry his hair. He rubbed it vigorously, making small patterns in his hair with the material. Logan chuckled as he continued to play with his own hair. After all, it was rather soothing to anyone, although Logan didn't have anyone to do it for him. Thus, he relyed on himself more than a teenager should have too.
He rushed back into his bedroom, running on the balls of his feet. He tried to stop as many drops as possible from his hitting his clean carpet. Logan was odd like that, the way everything had to be organised and clean, the way everything had to flow like the way he wanted. No-one knew of this, not even his mother, but then again, when did she pay much attention to normal Logan, she only really loved model Logan, the one who made the money and had the fame she desired for him.
Logan sighed, pulling open one of his drawers. He shuffled through the neat clothes all folded perfectly, trying his best not to cause any of them to crease or wrinkle. Finally, he decided on a plain white t-shirt. He threw it on his bed, standing over the linen.
Would his mother approve of him wearing a t-shirt? A plain, boring old t-shirt?
For some reason, Logan felt himself staring at the clothing for a period of time, wondering why his mother allowed him to buy it in the first place. Logan was never allowed to buy clothes of his own. Whenever he wanted to get something, Johanna would have to give it an expectation to make sure it was something that Logan, the model, would be suitable to be seen in if he were to get photographed in public.
Thus, Logan's wardrobe was full of nothing but posh shirts, dress shirts, ties, jeans, cardigans and blazer. No real boy clothes, just the posh stuff that stuck-up people wore.
He sighed, admitting defeat. He had to look good, just in case his photo ended up on the front of some magazine by accident. He moved over to the large wardrobe, sliding across the hangers. He pondered for a moment, before lifting out a metallic silver shirt, combined with a black skinny tie, black skinny jeans and a black cardigan. Black, black, black. That was another thing his mother forced him to do. He couldn't be seen with 'odd' coloured colouring, and thus, he should stick to what's fashionable nowadays; white, grey, black and navy. Nothing else.
Following his mother's silent orders, he got himself dressed in a hurry.
He moved over to his chest of drawers, picking up a few indie-styled bracelets and a watch, sliding them onto his wrists as he grabbed some cologne, spraying the liquid onto his fingers. He pulled it up to his neck, trailing the fingers along the jawline. Once satisfied, Logan grabbed his phone and keys, quickly departing the apartment.
Logan practically ran down the stairs, desperate to not bump into his mother. The minute he would, he'd be reminded of the reputation and image he must uphold. Skipping on each step, he landed in the lobby, noticing the limo parked outside, waiting for him.
He motioned out onto the Californian streets, Carlton stood patiently against the door.
"Good evening Mr Mitchell," Carlton nodded his cap. "Are you all ready?"
"Carlton, my mom ain't around, it's just Logan," Logan smiled. "And yeah, ready as I'll ever be."
"Very good sir." Carlton nodded his cap once more, opening the door to allow Logan to jump in before moving to get behind his steering wheel. The limo purred as the man started it, allowing the vehicle to glide along the cement.
Kendall pulled up outside the apartment, stopping the car with a halt, hard enough for Carlos to be flung forward a bit.
"Kendall!" Carlos complained, placing his hands out on the airbag for safety.
"Carlos!" Kendall mimicked, trying to copy Carlos' voice. "Dude, get out and get changed, party tonight!"
Kendall shuffled in his seat, waving his arms in the air as he wiggled around, dancing against the leather. Carlos sighed before he let out a chuckle, closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Why am I friends with you?" Carlos asked, laughing faintly.
"Because," Kendall stated before sticking his bottom lip out. "You love me and I'm awesome?"
"Shut up, Kendork," Carlos playfully bit back, shoving his friend away. "Wait here, I'll be back in like, 5 minutes."
Kendall nodded as Carlos lept out the car, dashing for his apartment. He flung the door open, running in without a second thought. He sprinted to his bedroom, throwing the piece of paper and the camera bag on his bed, the bag bouncing in the air a few times before it came to a rest. Carlos quickly sprinted in front of the mirror, re-adjusting his hair before flashing a cheesy grin.
"Go get them handsome!" Carlos encouraged himself, winking at his reflection.
He sprinted over to his chest of drawers, grabbing a can of deodrant. He lifted his arms in the air, spraying the areas before giving them a sniff.
"Brand new," Carlos whispered to himself before settling the can down. "Let's go."
With that last word, Carlos ran out of his apartment with his keys and phone in hand, locking the door behind him. He ran down the hall, his long-sleeved t-shirt flying around slightly before a door opened up, a young girl peering out of it.
"Carlos?" she asked quietly, her eyes blinking.
Carlos stopped, smiling at the sight of her. "Hey Lucy, what's up? Aren't you on shifts tonight?"
"Yeah, I was trying to get to sleep, til I heard a door slam," Lucy bit back, playfully glaring at the Latino. "And it had to be you!"
"I'm sorry Luce," Carlos sweetly smiled, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'll make it up to you, buy you a drink this weekend?" Carlos shouted, jogging down the hall.
"Whatever, you still owe me like 5!" Lucy called after him. "Goofball.." she muttered under her breath, disappearing behind her door once more.
Carlos soon made it outside, noticing Kendall in the car, staring at the little mirror that dangled in the middle. He chuckled as he approached the vehicle, watching Kendall lick his two pinky fingers, before bringing them up and running them across his bushy eyebrows, all the while smiling at himself.
"Poser," Carlos remarked, startling Kendall, who jolted back. "We going or what?"
"Yeah, obviously." Kendall said, sarcasm oozing from the words as he started the car once more.
The car soon began it's journey, driving down the windy streets of California as the sun soon disappeared over the horizon, a rush of darkness swamping the sky, the stars taking their cue to twinkle brightly on the black canvas. The sunroof was open still, the radio on a quiet hum in the background. Carlos looked over at Kendall for a second, noticing the dirty blonde was smiling. Why was he smiling? Whenever Kendall had a smile on his face, you knew that his brain was ticking, a plan forming from nothing.
Kendall soon stopped the car, parking it up against the sidewalk of the club. Kendall smiled, pointing at the busy place slightly in the distance. Club Sparkz was a popular hang-out for young adults, a place where people tended to go for loud, thumping music combined with the stench of alcohol wavering through the air.
"You're serious?" Carlos asked disappointed, dropping his eyebrows. He went to this club before, where he met him..
"Always am 'litos," Kendall energetically replied, sliding out of his seat. "C'mon, my treat this time."
Carlos climbed out the car soon after in defeat. "You mean, you'll get the drinks for once, rather than me buying them for you?" Carlos laughed, jabbing Kendall's rib.
"Yeah. It's a one time thing, don't get used to it," Kendall laughed before smirking at the Latino. "Cause y'know, I still expect my usuals."
"You would." Carlos laughed once more, following the taller guy down the sidewalk and into the club, Kendall simply nodding at the bouncers who stood on watch.
As they entered the room, Carlos was instantly knocked head over heels by the amount of alcohol that was being guzzled down by everyone, many of them not even taking the time to breath between each gulp. Well, you can only but get hammered when a club offers drinks for a cheaper price.
Logan's limo soon pulled up outside a large manor, flashing lights coming from the back garden. Without giving Carlton a chance to open the door, Logan quickly jumped out.
"No need Carlton," Logan said. "I have arms, I can you use them."
"Very well," Carlton replied, a small smile peering across his face. "Do you want me to come back for you?"
"No need, I'll get a taxi home." Logan smiled, watching the chauffeur wind up his window and drive off, leaving Logan to now enter the hell that was the higher social life status. Logan hated having to socialise with some of the most annoying people that lived around the area. The worst part was, nearly everyone was Logan's age, and thus, all assumed that they had the world at their feet, like god's gift to the planet.
Logan sighed as he pounded on the front door, a large bouncer dressed in a tuxedo inviting him in. Within seconds of entering the premises, Logan was swamped by paparazzi, the flashing lights blurring his vision. He wanted to move his hand to his face, to protect his sensitive eyes from the constant flickering. But as he began to move a shaky hand to it, a voice started to jab away at his brain.
'Logan, remember, you have an image now. Never, ever, get a bad photograph of yourself'
The words drummed on his brain, nagging at him until his hand soon returned to his side, a forced crooked grin plastering on his face as he unwillingly posed for the photos. Luckily at the last second, a girl linked onto one of his arms and dragged him away from the annoying photographers. He couldn't tell who, now seeing stars, but whoever it was, he was thankful.
The girl dragged him outside to the heart of the party, Logan's eardrums instantly popping. Once his eyes re-adjusted, he turned to face the girl, instantly perking up at the sight of the brunette in front of him.
"Sabrina!" Logan cheered, wrapping his arms around her tight body, bringing her head into his shoulder blade.
"Loges," she responded, the sound muffled by Logan's embrace. "What you doing here?"
"The party?" Logan cocked an eyebrow up. "Mercedes invited me.."
"Yeah, but I mean, no-one would think you'd show up. You hate these things," Sabrina replied, nudging him with her elbow. "You've come to the dark side, huh?"
Logan laughed at her attempt to mimic Darth Vader from Star Wars, but god, was he glad she found him in time. Sabrina Bryant was one of the few models under his company's name that he didn't hate. She was far from the plastic, vain and shallow look that the other girls and boys had. No, she was a lot like Logan, pressured into the business. Thankfully though, otherwise by now, Logan would have took a knife to the others' fake, tangerine coloured skin.
"I do," Logan shouted over the music. "But my mom's making me!"
"Tell her to back off!" Sabrina replied, laughing at the end. "C'mon, let's get a drink!"
Sabrina yanked at Logan's wrist, pulling him over to a large table coated by a white sheet. Sat neatly on top was a bunch of crystal glasses, bottles upon bottles of champagne and wine stacked next to them. She scowled at the posh layout, practically turning her nose up at it in disgust.
"Seriously?" Sabrina complained, picking up a bottle. "Mercedes has all this money, yet, she buys this crap?"
"Don't you like it, Sabby?" Logan joked, sticking his bottom lip out in a playful manner. "That's a shame."
"No," Sabrina pouted. "Where's the real alcoholllllllll!"
"We're posh, remember? We don't drink beer and vodka!" Logan joked, pushing his chest out and using a British accent.
Sabrina faintly chuckled, slamming the bottle of drink back on the table. But before she could say or do anything, Logan's wrist was grabbed by someone else, yanking him towards a couch in the middle of the patio. Logan soon fell to the seat, Sabrina casually walking over with a bored look on her face, rolling her eyes dramatically.
"So Logan, how you liking my party?" Mercedes boasted. "It's pretty fabulous, right?" she extended her arms, waving them around at the scenery in front of them.
"Amazing.." Logan lied through his teeth, gaining a faint laugh from Sabrina, sat on the arm of the couch.
"Don't you think you should sit more lady-like, Sabrina?" Mercedes spat, raising her plucked eyebrows.
Sabrina mouthed the words Mercedes just used playfully, throwing herself onto the end of the sofa with a huff, watching her dress flow slightly in the air. She looked over at Mercedes, passing her a sarcastic smile, only gaining Mercedes' famous death glare in return.
An hour or two soon passed and whilst Mercedes continued to drone on constantly, Logan soon found himself going into another world with Mercedes' voice soon drowning out and a face appearing in his mind. The face was blurry, but after a while, it made sense. Carlos.
Why was he suddenly thinking about Carlos all of a sudden? Like, all the time now? He met the guy this morning, and Logan would be lying if he said that his mind wasn't plagued by the memories of the Latino. However, Logan was soon snapped out of it, someone clicking in his face.
"Earth to Logan!" Mercedes shouted, continuing to click her fingers annoyingly.
"Sorry.." Logan apologised.
"You shou-" Mercedes started to complain at the clearly not interested boy, before being cut off.
"Logan, Sabrina, Mercedes," a deep voice said.
All three people snapped their head in the voice's direction, noticing the boy stood in front of them. The light sort of blurred their vision, with them only seeing a dark figure. Upon closer inspection, it only turned out to be Drew Huntley, another model under the company's name. Drew was about the only other person Logan trusted. Drew and Logan done a shoot together a while back, and surprisingly, hit it off. Then, after introducing him to Sabrina, they became a sort of 'The Three Musketeers' in the modelling world.
Mercedes passed him a fake smile as he sat on a seat opposite them, before returning to start talking to Logan. Logan desperately needed out, and Sabrina and Drew could tell. They watched his eyes beg for help, practically crying for him to leave the blonde witch's side. Sabrina soon passed Drew a devilish smile, combined with a wink, gaining a nod from the boy.
"Hey Mercedes," Drew interrupted her once more.
"What?" Mercedes snapped, jerking her head in his direction.
"I heard Zachary is dating that new girl Amelia behind your back. I guess your fake relationship won't last long," Drew teased her, lounging into his chair more. "And that means no more publicity."
Mercedes eyes widened at the words that left the young man's mouth. Her jaw dropped to the floor as she stood, frantically scanning the area for her fake boyfriend, before attempting to run after him with her ridiculous high heels.
"Thanks guys," Logan smiled. "You really came through."
"What are friends for?" Sabrina smiled, pulling Logan up.
"W-What you doing?" Logan stuttered, worried that Sabrina wanted to go and dance, something he was no good at, not one bit. He hestitated at first, until he noticed Drew also climb out of his seat.
"We're going to that party at that club, y'know, a real party." Drew grinned, running a hand across his black spiky hair to fluff it up some more.
"C-Club? You mean, Club Sparkz?" Logan grinned.
Sabrina and Drew nodded simultaneously, Sabrina dragging Logan away by the cuff of his cardigan, clearly over-excited. Logan soon managed to get out of her grip, only to find Drew's hand pushing against his shoulder, making Logan move faster through the house in a desperate attempt to get out before Mercedes could realise. They've been there long enough by now, so it was acceptable to leave. After all, it's acceptable to do anything that other people don't do. Let's you keep ahead of the game in this tough business.
Waiting outside on time, was a taxi, something that Drew had apparently booked before hand. The trio climbed in, Logan's demeanour completely different now he was with his friends, rather than the people that just hung around him to get their own name pushed further in the business, Mercedes being the perfect example.
The cab soon drove it's way to the club, stopping directly outside the entrance. Logan gulped the large lump forming in his throat, the nerves building up. He's never been to a party that didn't involve other models or socialites. It was always upper class stuff, not this, not people chugging down gallons upon gallons of alcohol, combined with the few people that looked high just by standing outside.
All three stood on the pavement, getting gasps and looks from the queue of people waiting to get inside. Without saying a word, Drew nodded at the bouncer, gaining access for them all.
The minute Logan got inside, he was instantly shocked at the sight in front of him. People were grinding up against each other, their bodies rubbing in unison, hands exploring new places and kinks in their partner's body. Some were just cluelessly knocking back a few drinks, without a care in the world. Drew and Sabrina each grinned, Logan in the middle only feeling smaller and more out of place.
"Finally," Sabrina cheered, skipping towards the bar. "Some real alcohol!" she threw her hands into the air, fist pumping it as she collected her first drink of the night; a bright green coloured beverage in a small, brandy-like glass. Within seconds, the girl brought the unique liquid to her lips, chugging the contents. Drew and Logan's eyes widened as Sabrina went a bit crazy, now collecting a tray of the drinks, knocking each one back straight after the other frantically.
Logan scanned the room as Drew moved forward, trying to pry the tray of drinks away from Sabrina. Drew struggled for a moment, Sabrina clearly not wanting to be seperated from the alcohol she had been craving all evening.
He was never used to an atmosphere like this. Never. He's only ever heard of these sort of things from Sabrina, the wild child of the company. She's told him all about the alcohol that gets drunk, the dancing, the constant beating of rave music, the grinding. Logan couldn't even imagined this stuff in his wildest dreams. If Johanna found out, she would have the boy's head on a chopping block, let alone if a picture of him in a seedy club got out to the magazines, he'd never hear the end of his mother and how he ruined his career, his perfect image.
Soon, Drew was back, Sabrina in tow with another glass clenched in her fist, this time, tequila. Drew shook his head, watching Sabrina sway slightly from the rush of drinks she had just downed in quick recession.
"Try it Loges," Sabrina slurred slightly, passing him the drink with her shaky hand. "I-It tastes like crap, but it'll get you drunk!"
Logan stared mindlessly at the drink, debating on whether or not to go through with it. But before he could even gain enough courage to take hold of the alcohol and swallow, someone tapped him on the shoulder.
Nerves raging, Logan spun round, beads of sweat starting to take place on his forehead.
But it wasn't some paparazzi, or Johanna, or some crazy fan girl wanting to be snapped with the sensation, no.
Logan's eyes bulged wide as his eyebrows rose greatly, understanding the person in front of him. Slowly but surely, Logan's dry mouth moved to make a single word, the lips gently rubbing as a single syllable was uttered.
"C-C-Carlos?"
Woo, more Cargan interaction. What do you guys think of Drew and Sabrina, they both play a bigger part later on, but I just wanted to use them now to see what reaction they got. Personally, I love Sabrina's attitude. I based her on my friend that regulary helps me with plot ideas, because, well, they are the exact person. Hehe.
And bam. Hope this isn't running too fast for you all. Don't worry, at the moment, it's only friendly. After all, they've barely managed to string a sentence together mwahaha. And yes, Carlos has a him in his past. Oooooo.