*AN* Last chapter. I know this story got a little sidetracked but like I said in the beginning, this was going to be an alternate plot line to my last story. There is one more that is coming and it was my original idea. I actually thought about using it in conjunction with one of theses other 2 stories. The ending might feel rushed and it kinda was but it also seemed to flow nicely as I wrote it. The last few lines might be redundant or boring but I was just having trouble getting what I was thinking exactly out so I hope you guys can figure it out, if you dont that's ok too, just dont ask me to explain!" More stories to come but as always, I need a little bit of a hiatus, shouldnt be too long. I want to get out as many stories as possible with school starting in just a few weeks. I have still so much to do at home as far as chores i have been putting off, preparations for school and much more! Stay tuned for more but until then enjoy this story and I'll see you soon!*
Since her debut concert, Katie's popularity had sky rocketed but as with any star there was hate and it just seemed to pour in. It hurt when she read the cruel words and couldn't understand why people would feel the need to drag someone else down. Jealousy, hate or whatever the case, there was no excuse to do this. Katie had wanted to get away from the bullying and the hate and while she knew that there would be people that wouldn't like her, she had hoped she wouldn't have to see it. She took it in stride as she always did and just ignored the hate and after several months, the familiar names and identities of the haters, faded away, giving up on their mission.
There was still a lot of hard work ahead of Katie but she had deserved a nice break for the time being while her career was sorted out by her many agents. She hung out with the guys as often as she could and although they were big stars too, they had more free time while they were filming the new season, recording a new album and the occasional interview. She hated leaving the guys behind and felt bad like she was ditching them. They said that they understood her new schedule but she just felt like she was betraying them, after all they did for her. To try to make things right she tried to schedule her tour around some of the known dates that the guys would be hitting in their next tour starting in the fall. Katie would be starting mid summer but she was determined to spend some time with them.
She spent the next few months in interview after interview and several photo shoots and television and radio appearances which were still all knew to her. She was so restricted on what to say and talk about because she was so knew and she didn't like it but did it anyway, hoping she could be herself in time. She felt like she was kind of lying or not being straight forward. Her answers were short and left out important information and although she made it clear she was displeased with it, her demands went unnoticed for the time being as everyone assured her that in time she could become more open. She took the words to heart and settled down to let everything run its course.
Finally after months of work and dedication she received a short break of a about 2-3 weeks before her tour would start. She flew home and spent a week at home where her parents were so thrilled to see her and she was thrilled to be there. Although there were moments, when things got stressful it was nice to know that there was someplace she could go to unwind, someplace where she was welcomed with open arms. She checked in a few times at ACS to make sure things were running smoothly and to teach a few classes that students needed but spent most of her time at home. It wasn't long before she had to head back to California, kicking off her first tour.
Her parents kept track of everything she was doing in the teen magazines she was featured in. With more time to her self, she also got to chat with them more often, she even bought them a computer so they could Skype often, saving on long distance calling and what not. They got back stage and VIP passes as did some of her friends, the ones she had left anyway, whenever anyone was able to attend her shows. She wouldn't be on the east coast for about a month and a half and by then, she'd be Joining the guys at some shows. They were playing the same night but they would watch each others and hang out when they could.
By thanksgiving, the tour slowed down to a point where there were several days between shows due to the upcoming holidays. Both artists had recorded Christmas albums and had done a Christmas special earlier in the year that would premier next month. Katie's interviews had slowed down just a little bit although local media hounded her constantly when she was in town. She wasn't able to go home for the holidays, but the guys could, their tour went on a hiatus from the 2nd week in December to the 2nd week in January. Katie had Christmas week off of course but she wasn't rich, far from it actually and couldn't afford it. She may have had a huge following and sales of her merchandise and records were nearly through the roof but the first year or 2 was spent repaying the company for all the time effort and resources they put into the artist. It was the same with all new celebrities of any genre or profession.
Gustavo at least paid for her to stay in a 4 star hotel and have some decent meals for the week she was off though. She was in a big city and had a great view of the city's Christmas tree. She woke up Christmas morning feeling worse for wear as the fact hit that she wasn't having a Christmas this year. She was alone, far from home and depressed. She spent the morning in the quiet confines of her room, TV depressed her more because of all the family oriented Christmas specials and naturally no one was online. He ordered room service to try and forget about the day but the delivery man had a huge smile on his face as he wore an elf hat, wishing her a happy holiday. She smiled back and thanked him, complimenting him on his outfit and sent him on his way.
She just finished her breakfast when she received an alert on skype, she was getting a call from home and it made her day. She was in an earlier time zone than her parents so it was about 2 hours later there. They spent several hours talking to each other, just to keep their minds off the distance between them. Her mom showed her the Christmas tree, nearly bare of ornaments, it was Katie's job to put them on and without her there, the ornaments stayed in the box. Gifts lined the tree like an ocean and were ready and waiting to be opened once she got back. It would be around march by the time she actually got home but it'd be good enough.
She took a break for a second to order some lunch for herself, it would take several minutes to arrive so she thought she would order now while talking with her mom. Her dad, who had to work about an hour for the day, came home for lunch, and spent nearly his whole hour talking with her until she forced him to eat his lunch and then he had to leave for work. Her dad's boss used to be a patient and understanding man but now turned himself around and barked orders at all his employees as he tried to rule with an iron fist. He'd be back in a few minutes to an hour.
Room service arrived after 20 minutes, a bit faster then the past few days but she didn't question it. She left to answer the door and her mom waited but all her mom could hear was her daughter screaming; but it wasn't in fear, it was in joy. Behind the door stood Carlos and James, smiles on their faces and bearing gifts with her name on them.
"Merry Christmas, Katie!" Carlos yelled
"You didn't think, we'd leave you in a strange city all by your self did you?" James said pulling her into a hug.
" I thought you all went on vacation or back home?" she asked.
"We did. I spent 2 weeks in the Caribbean. Logan went to Hawaii, Kendall stayed home with his mom." Carlos explained.
"And I really splurged, hitting up all the best surf spots." James said with a smile. "But we felt bad that you couldn't go home and were going to be alone so we thought we'd cut our vacay short and stop in to spend the day together."
"I havent heard from either Logan or Kendall, we all kinda just went our separate ways for the time being so I have no idea if they are stopping by later. Either way, I'm sure we can find a restaurant open somewhere and get some lunch." Carlos stated
"I just ordered room service, that's who I thought was at the door. Make another order and we can all eat in and go out for dinner later."
"Alright!" James said. The two of them came in and grabbed the menu off her bed and began flipping through it when they heard noise coming from her computer. "Hey! Mrs. P!"
"Hello James, Carlos. Merry Christmas to you both!" she replied
"Same to you, Mama P." Carlos said with a smile.
"How are you boys doing?" she asked
"We're doing great, we had some time off so we came by to spend the day with your daughter so she wont be alone." James replied.
"Don't worry, we'll take good care of her!" Carlos assured
"You boys are great, thank you so much. I'll let you all get to it then. Good bye!" she said
"Bye mom!" Katie said, creeping into the shot with a smile and waving.
"Bye!" the guys said together as they waved. Room service arrived for Katie and Carlos assisted while James ordered more food.
After they ate, they hit the town and while most businesses were closed, they found a few small places open. The weather was warmer in the southern mid-west so they spent a few hours outside just running around like kids with Bullet and Pepper. When dinner rolled around, the James and Carlos treated her to a big fancy dinner at a nearby 5 star restaurant; she could order anything she wanted. The trio spent almost 3 hours at the restaurant before heading back to the hotel where they played a few video games and called it a night. James and Carlos spent the night and hung out with Katie again the next day.
After spending a 2nd night, James had a plane to catch for a meet and greet a few states over. Carlos was just going to fly back home to visit family for the remainder of his vacation but his flight wasn't for another few hours. He had lunch with Katie and then packed his things, wishing her well and that he would see her soon. Katie spent the rest of her 'vacation' alone in her hotel room, mostly just passing the time playing video games.
Once back on the road, she soon caught up with Kendall and Logan as well as James and Carlos. Kendall had a lot to do over break and he felt bad that she spent time alone but felt better knowing James and carlos had stopped by. He didn't forget about her though, and as much as he wished she could have joined him and his family for the holidays, he knew just letting her know he cared was enough.
"Katie, I got you a little something, just to let you know I was thinking about you and to apologize for not being able to spend some time with you." he said pulling out a small box from his pocket. She opened the box to find a simple necklace with a paw print charm, and 2 emerald stones. On the back of the charm, her name was engraved.
"Kendall…..!" she gasped
"I know you arent one for jewelry but I couldn't think of anything else to get you. I figured I'd just combine 2 of your favorite things: animals and green!" he smiled.
"It's beautiful." she said.
She looked up to him and threw her arms around his neck in a big hug. He hugged her back as soon as he was balanced. She didn't put it on right away, she wasn't dressed for jewelry but might wear it during a concert, depending on where she was. She just didn't want it to get lost, stolen or destroyed and was hesitant to wear it for those reasons but at the same time didn't want to hurt Kendall's feelings. It really was a beautiful necklace and it meant a lot to her that he would even buy her something that he put at least some thought into.
The tour finally came to a close and as promised per her contract, Katie was flown home. She spent about a month home, keeping busy the entire time. She had been to her home state during the tour and all her friends and family had been invited, most of which did show up. She still was glad to be home, even though she was still on a very tight leash at home. She was living on her own, she was 21 and a star but that didn't stop her parents from controlling almost every aspect of her life thus far. They often ranted on about information she was giving out in interviews as being false, not full truths or too personal. She explained that she didn't have a choice in that aspect yet, just like her money making which was the hot issue with her father. If she didn't start making more money soon, she was done with this fantasy career and going back to school. She tried to explain the workings but he didn't want to hear it.
She spent a good chunk of time at ACS as well, things were running smoothly as usual and although there was a stack of paperwork and some chores waiting for her, there weren't any major hiccups in the grand scheme of things. One day she was working hard on some filing and other official documents when she was buzzed as having a visitor, she accepted the visitor but remained hard at work, even when there was a knock at her door several minutes later.
"Come in!" she called out still not looking up. A familiar voice greeted her. "Hey Carlos, what's up?" she said with a smile finally putting her pen down.
"Hey, I was just stopping in to say hi and see how you were doing, plus I had something important to ask." he said.
"Why come all the way here? You could have called me you know." she replied
"I know. I was already on this side of the country and just took a detour. Besides this is just something that has to be done in person." he began trailing off a bit. He seemed to be struggling with his words a bit, Katie stared at him for a second, confused and curious at what he wanted to talk about but upon seeing him trying to keep it together made her get up from her seat and worry.
"What's wrong is everything ok!?"she asked concerned
"Yes and no. I mean I'm fine its just I cant take care of Bullet anymore. Its not for financial reasons or anything like that. Nothing is wrong with his health and his training is still the way you left it, I just think its unfair to him to be in on a bus all the time. He's too big a dog and he's not used to it, he's not like my last dog, Siri, she was used to being in a cage even though she was high energy. But even then, I had time to exercise her. With our tours getting busier and more frequent, same with our show, I just don't have the time to care for him anymore, it'd be easier with a smaller dog, like Pepper." he explained
"I understand. He's still so young so he's full of energy, its different when a dog is older or trained as a puppy in this lifestyle." she said.
"Right, so I wanted to ask you if you would take Bullet. At least then I'd know he's in good hands, and whenever I might be in the neighborhood I can stop in and see him!" He said hopeful
"I think that's fair. He'd fit in pretty well I think. It'll take some time for him to adjust and have additional training but he'd work himself in." she smiled, reassuring a breaking Carlos. His face lightened up at her response and he hugged her hard. "Alright, let's get the donation paperwork started. My contract, states that you have to give up all rights. You will have to sign that one and for the time being you wont be able to visit for a while. I'm in the process of having new contracts made up for different things so by the next time you come back this way, you should be clear to see him, play with him and whatever."
"Ok." he agreed. He read over a few of the pages quickly before filling out a form about Bullet. In a few quick swipes of his pen, he signed Bullet away. Katie called in her buddy and co-worker Liam to retrieve Bullet, who Carlos had in the back of his rental car. Carlos watched from the window as Liam loaded Bullet into a transfer crate and wheeled him down the hall to the assessment kennel, tears rolling down his cheek. Katie gave him a reassuring hug as she tried to console her friend. Carlos signed the last paper and it was all over and final. Bullet was gone, no longer his and although he wondered if this was the right choice, he stuck by it knowing that it all happened the way it should.
It was by luck that Katie and Carlos met, if it wasn't for Bullet acting up, Carlos would never have met such a great friend and Bullet would have been put down. Katie owed her new found friends and career, both a change in her life she so desperately needed, to Bullet. The luck of the draw had changed everyone's lives for the better, all thanks to a whacky yet lovable canine.