Disclaimer: Pretty sure we all know by now that I don't own Big Time Rush or anything recognizable in this story. Kay? Kay.

CaitlinK: Thank you so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it so far :) I like that idea, though I'm not sure if it'll actually happen. But I'm sure there'll be some Katie and Zach scenes later on :) Thank you for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it.

Taylor: Thank you very much! Well, here's the update ;) Thank you for reviewing, I really appreciate it. :)

Guest: Okay, basically James told Katie that he wants her and that he'll make his move once she and Zach break up. Thank you for your review :)

knylonMaslow: Aww, thank you! I'm so happy you're enjoying it. And agree, Zach really is :) Thank you for taking the time to review! :)

Yogi or BooBoo: Haha right? Lucy's just that awesome. Sorry, I can't answer that :( But yep, James is. Thank you for reviewing! :)

THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! I think I owe you guys a bunch of inspiration :)

A/N: First of all, 50 reviews! Whoo hoo! You guys rock! And second, check it out! I'm actually updating this within a week of my last update. Basically, I've been doing a lot of writing for this story and I wanted to get out another chapter as soon as possible, so here it is :) Not a lot of Jatie in it, but some important stuff is brought up and discussed, so it is vital. On another note, I want to do a quick shout out to Dana2184 who just posted a new Jatie story entitled Fresh Start. She just has the prologue up, but maybe if enough of us read and review, she'll get the first official chapter posted as well. Anyway. I think that's it :)

Warnings: Language and innuendos.

Enjoy the chapter :)

Chapter Five: Speculation and Scheming

James' POV

"Are you going to audition for the school play?" Carlos asked me that evening. We were sprawled out on our twin beds, our homework somehow miraculously finished. Mayday Parade was blasting from my iPod docking station, and I was enjoying the opportunity to just be brain dead for a little while. But Carlos' question shook me out of my self-induced daydream.

I wrenched my thoughts away from Katie and me and a feather bed, before looking over at him. "Huh?"

"The school play? Are you going to audition for it?"

"I don't know. They're doing A Midsummer Night's Dream, aren't they? I did that in freshman year."

"That's the drama and rehearsal class we're in. The school, as a whole, is putting on a musical. I think it's Guys and Dolls."

I blinked. "Guys and Dolls, huh? Isn't that the one about the gambler who bets he can get the super religious female general or sergeant or whatever the hell she is, to run off with him down to Tijuana or something?"

"Or something like that. I don't know, it's something to that effect. But it's a good one, and you'd kill as the lead male role. You should audition."

"Maybe I will…When are auditions?"

Carlos' lip curved up. "Next Wednesday after school."

"Next week's Wednesday?" I confirmed, and he nodded. "Okay, so I guess I'll do my best to keep myself out of detention next week, so that I don't jeopardize my audition."

"Good. There might be scouts from Julliard or Yale or other colleges with really good musical and theater programs, and if they see you perform…"

"I know. And going to Julliard or Yale…Man…that would be one hell of a jumpstart to Broadway. Or a possible one, anyway."

"You going to aim for one of those two?"

I shook my head. "Probably not. But you never know, right?"

"Right. So, be on your best behavior for the next week. And then you'll have to be on your best behavior for the rest of the semester, until the play is over, because they'll have rehearsals after school and on weekends. They won't want their lead man constantly missing rehearsal because he can't keep his mouth shut and therefore gets his ass thrown in detention on a regular basis."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, Senor Garcia, I get your point. I'll be a good little boy and keep my mouth shut."

"Good. And you'll definitely get the part anyway, you're an amazing actor and singer and dancer."

I smirked. "You can thank my mom for that."

"I know. But hey, you always knew what you wanted to do, and she's a big supporter of following your dreams."

"Wish my dad was like that…"

"Eh, don't worry about him. Him and your stepmom will be kissing your ass once you're a big Broadway star."

"I don't want them kissing my ass. I just want them to stay the fuck out of my life." I rolled over onto my back and placed my hands under my head, doing my utmost best to put thoughts of my stepmother out of my head. Nothing good ever came from a meeting with her. In fact, she was one of the reasons my dad and I had such a rocky relationship. He wouldn't listen to me about her. But then again, no one ever did…

"Okay, then," Carlos said slowly, blinking in surprise. "Well, anyway, you can pick up a copy of the script beginning Monday, after class."

"Okay, cool. I'll definitely do that."

"And you know you'll need to practice the songs, and brush up on your dancing."

"No shit," I deadpanned. "Dude, I've done this before, I'm not going into the audition completely cold. I know what I'm doing."

"I know you do, I just want to make sure you remember. And I really want you to get this role."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Because you deserve it. Anyway, maybe performing again will help you…You've been so distant since summer vacation, and I've been a little worried about you."

"Distant?"

"Yeah…almost dark at times. Like you're hiding a secret, or like your personality has just gone…I don't know…all brooding. It's hard to explain. I mean, you've kind of been headed in that direction since your parents split up, but it just seems like you're getting worse and worse, at an even faster rate. Are you depressed?"

I stared at him, completely shocked by the blunt phrasing. "I'm sorry?"

"Are you depressed? Because if you are, we can get you help."

"I'm not depressed. I'm just dealing with a lot of shit."

"Are you sure?" he looked at me worriedly. "Because…I don't know…you just don't seem to be doing all that great, you know?"

"No, I don't know. Look, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. I'm just dealing with stuff, it's nothing new. And I'm going to fight for this role, and I'm going to win."

"Okay."

"Okay. Anymore questions?"

He shook his head. "I guess not."

"Good." I pushed myself to my feet.

"Where are you going?" Carlos asked me in confusion.

"I'm going to go take a shower. I'll be back in a little while."

"Okay…" He let his voice trail off as I grabbed everything that I needed for the showers, and stepped out into the hall.

People automatically assumed that it was all air and dust behind my 'bad boy' façade. Girls were sure that if they could just break it down, they would see a perfectly sweet, wholesome, unbroken guy. Boys were positive that if they ganged up on me, they could break me down until I was nothing but a sniveling pile of lies and covers and promises.

But what was funny was that no one had even asked me why I was the way I was. No one, not even Carlos, had ever bothered. I'd always had a bit of a rebellious streak, but like Carlos had said, after my parents divorced, things began to spin a little bit out of control. Well, no, their divorce was just what set everything into motion. There was more…so much more to it…but no one had ever asked…and I was never going to tell. If I did, I'd be labeled even more of a freak than I already was, and I'd be sent away to a rehabilitation center, and that was under the best circumstances.

No. I was never going to tell anyone what had happened, because if I did, everything that I had worked for, for so long, would just come crumbling down.

And with that final thought, I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door, determined not to give my past any more attention for the rest of the night.

Katie's POV

"I'm just sayin', there are way worst ways to spend detention than with James Diamond," Camille said to me that evening as we sat in the Huddle, the student lounge. Zach and his friends were in the library, and I didn't feel like dealing with them, so Camille, Jo, Logan, Kendall, and I had relocated to the Huddle for the time being.

I sighed as I flipped a page of my textbook, trying to tune my friends out.

"She's right," Jo chimed in. "James Diamond is hot."

"He's also a soon-to-be criminal," I huffed out.

"Says who? Says Zach? Because if this is more of his crap, than you both need a huge dose of reality," Jo replied. "You said yourself that James has pretty decent grades. So what? He likes causing trouble and having sex. We all need hobbies."

"And from what you said about your talk in detention, he's not all bad," Logan added. "I mean, he won't sleep with freshmen because he doesn't want them to end up with the reputation of being a slut? I think that says something about his morals."

"Yeah," Kendall agreed. "There are guys on the hockey team who wouldn't care if the girls they sleep with are only fourteen, as long as they get laid."

"Exactly," Logan put in. "And how much do you really like Zach?"

I stared at him, completely affronted. "He's my boyfriend!"

"So? That could mean anything."

"And you two have been together for a long time, since middle school," Camille piped up. "Is it possible that your relationship has run its course?"

I sputtered indignantly. "No, it's not!"

"Are you sure? Because James Diamond has pretty much had you captivated since freshman year. Seems to me like your relationship might have been over the second you began high school."

"It's not possible," I said firmly. "James Diamond has nothing to do with my relationship or my feelings towards Zach. James is just someone I'm going to have to put up with during detention. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Doth she protest too much?" Jo smirked. "Believe whatever you want, Katie. I think we all know the real truth."

"The real truth is that it's Zach I'm supposed to be with, not James. Look, I have nothing against James. Apart from the sleeping around and the dropping sparklers into the toilets thing, he seems like a perfectly nice guy. He's just not someone I…like…"

"So he wasn't the guy you had a sex dream about last night?" Logan's smirk rivaled Jo's, and I felt my cheeks tinge pink, and then darken to red.

"I – I – I – I – what?!"

"Gross!" Kendall cried. "I don't want to know about my sister's sex dreams! Eeew!"

"So he is the one you had the sex dream about," Logan confirmed as he leaned back in the red, faux leather chair he was sitting in. "Interesting…very interesting…"

"I could say the same for your dreams about – what's his face? – the guy you're secretly crushing on," I retorted fiercely.

"No you couldn't, because unlike you, I'm not in denial over it," he shrugged. "I'm bi, and I happen to be attracted to a guy. I've long since accepted my sexuality. You, on the other hand, clearly haven't."

"I'm dating Zach, aren't I?"

"But you're not sleeping with him," Camille pointed out. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but when I asked you if you even wanted to, you just kind of shrugged and said I don't really see him that way at this point in time, like you think you'll suddenly see him in a sexual light once you graduate from high school or something."

"Now isn't the time to get involved with someone like that," I protested.

"And Zach doesn't force you to risk your chances of changing your game plan; but James does."

"He just has that thing about him, you know?"

Camille raised a thin eyebrow at me. "What thing?"

"That – that – that – that rip off my clothes and have your wicked way with me thing."

"Really? He's got that? Because as hot as I think he is, he doesn't make me want to rip off my clothes or his clothes whenever I see him. But that's interesting that he makes you feel that way."

I blushed again. "See? It's a dangerous attraction! It wouldn't work!"

"What's so dangerous about having sexual tension/chemistry with someone?" Jo demanded. "Most people would kill for that kind of thing."

"It's dangerous because I have a boyfriend who I've been dating since eighth grade! I'm not going to give up our history and relationship just because I've gotten thrown into detention with the school's resident bad boy hottie!" I cried. "Nothing's changed! I'm still going to be with Zach, James is still going to cause trouble and get thrown in detention, and we'll go on, living our separate lives."

"And when is all this going to not change?" Jo asked. "Because you two are still in detention together until Friday. You have three more days left."

"It'll change the second we leave the detention room on Friday afternoon," I said crisply. "We'll go our separate ways, and we'll probably never run into each other again."

"Right…sure…because it's just every day he decides to take a liking to someone," Camille rolled her eyes. "You heard what Lucy Stone said at lunch, that James likes you. And somehow, I have a feeling that when James sees something he likes, he goes after it, big time. Feel the rush, baby, feel the rush."

"He'll get over it," I informed her. "I'm sure he's taken a liking to other girls before, I'm not the first one. I'm just new meat, just a fresh face, someone who he hasn't slept with yet."

"And if that's the case, then I'm sure by Monday he won't be coming anywhere near you, he'll be completely over you," Kendall said.

"Exactly."

"And if it's not, then I have a feeling you're going to need to buckle up, because if I know anything about James Diamond, it's that he'll take a girl on the ride of her life."

Always nice to have positive encouragement.

Curfew on the weekdays was nine PM, so at ten to nine, we all gathered our stuff and headed back to our dorm rooms, locking ourselves in for the night.

"You think I have something to worry about when it comes to James Diamond?" I asked Camille as we changed into our pajamas.

She shrugged. "Honestly, I only know James in passing, everything I know about him is what I've heard around the school. So, the truth is, I really couldn't tell you. I guess you're just going to have to wait to find out."

"Zach won't be happy if James really does set his sights on me…"

"Zach needs to remember that he doesn't own you. Anyway, he wasn't always this possessive, so what's up with creepy stalker mode all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," I sighed. "All I know is that when we got back to school, he was all possessive and…I don't know…just weird. Different, in a way."

"Oh. Do you think he might be cheating on you?"

"What? No! He'd never do anything like that."

"Are you sure? Because with some guys, when their girlfriends don't put out, they go find a girl who does. I'm not saying that you're wrong not to sleep with him, because you're definitely right in this matter. But he was always a little bit of a jackass, and it seems like his jackass-ish-ness has heightened to new extremes. I wouldn't put him cheating on you so that he can get laid past him, I really wouldn't."

I sighed again. "I'll be on the lookout for signs, but it just isn't like him."

"Neither is being creepily possessive. Seriously, he has this attitude where, if he can't have you, than no one can. And I get he's your boyfriend, but none of my boyfriends have had that. Kendall doesn't even get like that around Jo, and we all know he's totally into her. And from what you've told me about James, I don't get the feeling he's like that either. Zach is just…I don't even know. There's just something off about him, and I really think you need to be careful, because something's going to give. Has he pressured you at all?"

I blinked over at her as I reached for my hairbrush. "Pressured me about what?"

"About sex."

"No, not at all. He seems content to wait. He hardly ever brings it up."

"Which is weird in itself, because he's not overly religious, and he doesn't wear a purity ring."

I shrugged, running the brush through my hair. "He knows I'm not going to sleep with anyone until I'm out of high school. I've made that very clear to him."

"Still, you think he'd try, at least…"

"He's proud of my good girl status," I said simply.

"Right…I'm sure he is…" she bit her lip, but didn't say anything else.

We ended up going to bed a little while later, and as I snuggled under my covers, thoughts of James filled my head once more. And once again, he invaded my dreams, taking control of my hormones, and making me crave him in ways that I didn't even know were possible.

Damn him. Just damn him.

Camille's POV

When I awoke the next morning, Katie was already out of bed, and the perfectly ironed uniform that she had laid out over her desk chair the night before was gone, letting me know that she had already escaped our dorm room. With a sigh, I got up, went through my usual routine, threw on my clothes, and headed to the dining hall.

Katie wasn't in sight, but Jo was, and I hurried over to her. She looked up at me from where she was stirring her oatmeal halfheartedly, looking like she was still half asleep. Her long blonde hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, and her eyeliner was a little bit thicker and sloppier than usual.

"Long night?" I asked once I had reached her with my usual bagel and cream cheese.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep that great," she sighed. "What's up?"

"Well, I talked to Katie last night about Zach. He hasn't said a word about sex to her."

"Okay…I just know there's a point here that I should be getting…Why is sex even the point? Why is everything with you about it?"

"First of all, I'm as horny as James Diamond. And second of all, don't you think it's a little weird that a seventeen year old guy wouldn't be trying to get his girlfriend to sleep with him? From what Katie told me, he doesn't even try."

Jo blinked at me. "Like, what? Nothing past making out?"

"If they even do that."

"Look, it's none of our business what they do or don't do in their relationship."

"I'm aware of that. But Katie told me that he's also proud of her good girl status. Kind of makes me think that he doesn't want it jeopardized for anything. And if his girlfriend is suddenly seen hanging around James Diamond, Dalton Prep's resident bad boy, troublemaker, and man whore, then her good girl status could very easily go down the drain. And you know his all American boy reputation stems off of Katie's good girl rep. He can pretty much run the school all because his girlfriend is Saint Katie. If his girlfriend is Katie Knight, then he must be a pretty good guy himself. That's how everyone sees it."

"Everyone except us," Jo nodded, taking a bite of her oatmeal. "I'm following you now. Anything else?"

"Well, he seems even more protective and possessive of Katie than usual. He kind of has that whole, if I can't have her, than nobody can vibe going on, you know? And that worries me, because guys like that can be dangerous."

"He didn't have that before."

"No, but Katie said that after summer break, he started getting all possessive of her. Makes me wonder if maybe he met someone, did some things, realized that he could very easily lose his girlfriend if she found out what had happened, and then decided to amp everything up."

"Maybe…" Jo said slowly. "Or maybe he's just worried that she'll give in to James."

"But this was at the beginning of the school year, Jo. I mean, it's the third week, but still. They didn't even meet until Monday afternoon. He had nothing to worry about right after summer vacation. I mean, this whole thing is just really, really freaky, and honestly, I don't trust him. He's acting a little psychotic when it comes to Katie, and he's even more of a douche bag than normal. And seriously, if he were my boyfriend, I would have broken up with him now, just because he's a controlling freak who goes ape shit if he doesn't get his way. He could get violent."

"Okay, now the drama queen is coming out of you," Jo rolled her eyes. "I seriously doubt Zach's going to get violent with Katie."

"But he could. It's entirely possible. I mean, you just never know."

"No, but we can be pretty sure that nothing's going to happen."

"You trust him?" I challenged her.

"No, but I trust Katie's judgment."

"The girl sees the world through rose colored glasses. I love her, but I don't trust her judgment, not when it comes to Zach. She's always been a little bit blinded by him, and I seriously don't get it. He's such a jerk. I don't get why she even likes him."

"Because he fits into her life plan?" Jo suggested. "You know how she is, super organized, super type A personality. Or, she tries, anyway. She tries for her dad."

We both fell silent as I took that in.

"You're right," I agreed. "I completely forgot about that."

"Yeah…it's easy to do."

Wordlessly, I began to spread cream cheese on my bagel, and Jo didn't say anything else for the rest of breakfast.

Just as we were leaving the dining hall together, a tall, dark haired guy stepped in front of us. His eyes were a smoldering hazel, framed with long lashes, and, as corny as this is going to sound, his skin literally looked sun kissed. In his black slacks, white button up shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his forearms, and undone tie, his hair just perfectly ruffled so that he looked like he had just rolled straight out of bed and fallen right into his clothes, he could have been a model, no doubt about it.

James Diamond.

"What can we do for you?" I asked him, looking up into his face. Okay, seriously, guys like him generally aren't my type, but that didn't mean that I wasn't drooling just the tiniest bit over his obviously toned body and his messy hair. Any girl would have. The guy was pretty much every girl's wet dream, for crying out loud!

"You two know Katie Knight, right?" he replied, leaning against the doorway.

"Yeah," Jo nodded. "Why?"

"I was just wondering what the chances are of her breaking up with Zach Wilder."

"If you think you're going to be able to get in between them…" I paused, biting down on my lip. "Okay, I actually don't know. Katie's stubborn, but Zach's kind of driving her nuts. She won't admit it outright, but he is."

"Zach is already worried that you're going to steal Katie away from him," Jo explained. "We think it's because of Katie's good girl rep."

James blinked at us in confusion. "Like, I'm going to go after her simply because she's sweet and innocent?"

"No…more like, Zach's afraid that if she hangs out with you, her good girl rep will vanish, and he'll be left with nothing to hang onto. His power comes from Katie, and he knows it. Without her, he's nothing at this school, absolutely nothing. His teachers like him simply because he's Katie's boyfriend. Guys look up to him because, hello, his girlfriend probably baked them cookies at one point. Girls smile at him because if he's good enough for Katie Knight, then he's certainly good enough for them. He's popular, he's the captain of the football team, he's a freaking straight A student, and he's never had to do anything. Katie's the one with the power, but he's using her to wield it. And he needs her good girl rep to remain intact until he graduates, because otherwise, he's toast."

James stared at us. "Awful lot of politics are involved there, aren't there?"

I shrugged. "Zach's a schemer and a plotter and he's smart and conniving."

"We're not positive about this," Jo added. "This is just Camille and my speculation, but it would certainly explain a lot."

"Such as?" he prodded us.

"Such as why he's not even trying to sleep with his girlfriend. That in itself is a little odd. Unless he's asexual, which I doubt, he'd be vying for sex. So either he really likes jacking off, or he's getting it from someone else, someone who isn't his picture perfect girlfriend," I put in.

James gaped at me. "Don't you think that sounds a little…I don't know…nuts?"

"I'm aware of it. I'm probably completely overdramatizing it. But what if I'm right?"

"Look, I'm not trying to prove that Wilder's using Katie or cheating on her. I just want to know if I have a chance with her."

Jo smirked slightly. "Let's just say you get under her skin. I'd say you've got a chance."

"Good. Thank you. That's all I needed to know."

"You're going to go after her, aren't you?" I asked, continuing to gaze up at him.

"I'm going to do my best. I like her, and I'm going to make sure that she knows that she has another option, other than Zach Wilder." The bell rang, and he gave us a grin. "See you both later."

"See you later," we said together, and we headed our different directions.

As I walked towards class, I grinned to myself. Something told me things at Dalton Prep were about to get very, very interesting…

So, everyone kind of interacted with James and Katie except for James with Katie...That just occurred to me. Anyway, what'd you guys think? Was it okay? Did you like it? I'm sorry for the lack of James/Katie in this, but there just wasn't room to fit them in.

Anyway, please, please, please review! I can't even begin to stress how much I love getting your reviews :) Plus, a lot of your thoughts and theories actually give me ideas for future scenes :) So, I guess I'll leave it here. Since I'm probably not going to be updating before then, Happy 4th of July to everyone here in the good ol' USA! Have a safe and fun Independence Day :)