Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush.

Guest#1: Agreed. Thank you for taking the time to read and review, I really appreciate it :)

KnylonMaslow: Unfortunately, it happens :( But the story isn't over yet, just remember that. Thank you for reading and reviewing, it's mega appreciated!

Guest#2 (btrfanfiction1516): In that case, it did it's job :) Thank you for reading and reviewing, I always appreciate it!

Taylor: It's cool, it happens. And thanks, I'm glad you liked both chapters :) And yes, Zach definitely is. Thank you for taking the time to read and review, it's much appreciated!

THANK YOU to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, or reviewed this story! You guys rock!

A/N: So, this chapter is a little bit shorter, but it just felt natural to end it where I did. I wasn't planning on posting anything tonight, but I was in a crappy mood and figured that updating this story might make me feel a little bit better. Anyway, I'm so sorry that this story (that most of my stories) haven't been getting a lot of attention lately. There's been a ton of family issues and then I've had school and it's been crazy and things are still crazy, but I'm really hoping it slows down. But yeah, it's just been one thing after another, but I'm sorry for the wait. Please forgive me? Oh, and I'm apologizing in advance for any grammar mistakes or typos. I skimmed through it really quickly instead of doing a thorough read-through, so...Sorry! Also, shout out to Dana2184 who recently updated her story "Cold Dark December". It's Jatie and a thriller mystery and it's really intriguing, so go check that out please :)

Warnings: Language and innuendos.

Enjoy the chapter :)

Chapter Twelve – Necklaces and Show Downs

Katie's POV

I don't know how long I sat there on the bench, my wrist aching and my mouth tasting like someone had stuffed a dishrag in it. All I know is that it was quite awhile before I finally snapped out of my self-induced haze and got to my feet. I brushed any dirt off of my clothes, squared my shoulders, and, like a zombie in a horror movie, moved towards my dorm room.

Zach was giving me absolutely no choice. I had a feeling he would get my mother fired if I didn't let him have his way. He was a spoiled, selfish brat like that, a side of him I had been seeing more and more over the past couple of weeks. But this was pushing it. This was crossing the line. This was moving over country borders.

I made my way up to my dorm room and was partly relieved, partly disappointed, to find that it was empty. On the one hand, I didn't really want to talk to Camille. On the other hand, I very much wanted her to talk me out of this huge mistake I knew I was about to make. But I couldn't tell her about what Zach had said to me; I couldn't tell him that he had threatened my mom's job. I had no idea what would happen if she found out, but I had a feeling she'd end up confronting Zach and then my mom really would lose her job. I couldn't risk it.

I sank down on my bed, burying my face in my hands. I had no idea what I was supposed to do about this. I didn't want to…I knew I was about to hurt James. I was about to disappoint him, about to let him believe that I had chosen Zach over him. After everything that had happened this weekend…Everything he had told me…He would never look at me again, much less speak to me.

But maybe that was the way it was supposed to be.

I groaned, biting down hard on my lip, before lifting my head so that I could examine the finger-indented bruises Zach had left when he had grabbed my wrist. I rubbed my hand over the purple and blue marks, wincing at the way they blossomed over my skin. I was going to have to use concealer on them and wear long sleeves to hide the bruises. Great. As if this situation could get any worse.

I swallowed past the growing lump in my throat, trying to get myself together, trying to steel myself for what I was going to have to do.

Deciding to put it off a few minutes, I got to my feet and headed down to the lobby, grabbing a small bag of ice out of the vending machine and carrying it back up to the room. I placed it on my wrist, holding it in place, letting out a small sigh. The bag was icy and wet against my skin, like melted snow, and really, had I expected anything else from a bag of ice?

I shifted the ice slightly, and finally just headed to the bathroom, dumping the ice into the sink and tossing the bag in the trashcan. It was with a sigh that I made my way back to my dorm room, collapsing on the bed and closing my eyes. I could still feel the way James' lips pressed against mine, soft yet urgent; the rough brush of his fingers against my bare skin; his low, husky groan. And I was about to give that up because of Zach, because he wasn't who I had thought he was. Maybe he had never been who I thought he was. Maybe my mind had created my own version of him, something higher, purer, than what he was in real life. It certainly fit. After all, he had never exactly been my Mr. Perfect, not even when I was thirteen and thought that he was the most wonderful thing to walk the earth. Now that I really thought about it, I wasn't even sure I had actually liked him – I couldn't remember one redeeming quality he had possessed. The best I could come up with was that he was nice to me, but with the way my stomach was twisting in protest, I had a feeling that that particular quality hadn't carried over into other parts of his life. He certainly hadn't been pleasant to James – I had seen that after my first day in detention.

He had never been particularly polite to my brother either, and my friends had never been a huge fan of his. How had I missed the way he used and manipulated and threatened people for so long? The only answer that came to mind was that I had been completely blind, that I had forced myself to turn a blind eye to his activities. Speaking of activities…I couldn't help but wonder if he was engaging in "extracurricular activities" outside of our so-called relationship. Because our relationship wasn't real anymore. It hadn't been real since the moment James had walked into my life. And maybe it had never been real. If you cared about someone, you didn't threaten to get their mother fired because you were about to tell them to get lost. And if you did, it would be because you couldn't imagine life without that person, not because you wanted the power that the person gave you.

Zach seemed to think that I had something about me that ensured that everyone liked anyone who came into contact with me. Charisma, I guess. And he wanted to make sure that I kept sprinkling fairy dust on him. That was all he cared about. Not about me, not about us, but about using me to his advantage.

I had been so stupid to think that he had ever actually cared about me.

And the one person who really did care about me was about to get hurt in the crossfire. It wasn't fair. This shouldn't have been happening, but there wasn't a single thing I could think of that would change the situation. And the longer I waited to break the news to James, the more hurt he would become, the greater the impact. I had no idea if he was waiting to hear from me or if he assumed we would just meet up at dinner, but I knew I needed to get this whole thing over with as quickly and bloodlessly as I could.

I stood up again, changing out of my jeans and sweater and into lounge pants and a baggy t-shirt. I pulled my hair into a messy ponytail and scrubbed all the makeup off of my face, before unpacking my suitcase, as if procrastinating, prolonging what I was about to do, would somehow make everything go away.

But when my clothes and travel supplies were all put away and nothing had changed, I finally, reluctantly, reached for my phone.

I couldn't tell James that I had chosen Zach over him. I knew the second I looked into his eyes that I would break down, and I couldn't give Zach the satisfaction of hurting me further. The more distance I kept between James and myself, the better.

And it was with that thought that I typed out two words and sent them to James.

James' POV

I wasn't sure what exactly I had been expecting from Katie. A call? A text? A Facebook message? All I knew was that two hours had passed and I hadn't heard anything from her. Not a peep. And yeah, I'll admit it – I was getting more and more anxious by the minute. I had taken to pacing my dorm room, glancing at my silent and dark phone every ten seconds, hoping that it would light up with a new text from her. I just wanted to know that everything was okay and that nothing bad had happened.

But she hadn't contacted me, and I wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. All I knew was that I was beyond anxious and my stomach was clenching and unclenching like someone was using it as a squeeze ball. I was hoping fervently that it wasn't my sixth sense acting up, telling me that something was wrong.

But as another half hour ticked by, I was beginning to relinquish any little bit of comfort I had managed to hold onto.

I had discovered a small gold necklace with a delicate chain, packed away in my suitcase, which I could only assume belonged to Katie. I had dropped it on my nightstand, but every now and then I would glance over at it, wishing it's owner would just call me already.

My phone lit up, vibrating on my desk, and I lunged for it, snatching it up and opening the new text. It was from Katie and it was with a churning stomach that I began to read it.

It consisted of two words.

"I'm sorry."

I'm sorry…the words resonated in my head like an echo in a cave, a guitar chord in an amphitheater, nothing more than a couple of meaningless syllables. I'm sorry…The hell she was. She had chosen Zach over me when she had said she wouldn't. She had made out with me, we had practically had sex, I had told her the one thing I had never told anyone else, and she had turned around and betrayed me. I wondered what it had taken Zach to get her to agree to continue going out with him. Did the flowers do it? Or maybe she had required him to make a couple of false promises, promises that he would never follow through on, because he didn't give a damn about her. But she would never truly see that. She would always choose the guy who was safe, who was easy to be with, and that guy was not me. It would be Zach, it would always be Zach, and that was it, end of story. There wasn't anything more to say.

But…but…but…

How could she do this? She knew more about me than anyone else did, and she had just…abandoned me. Had I done something wrong? Was I too forward? Too pushy? Too fucked up? Was there something wrong with me? What did Zach have that I didn't? Why didn't she like me?

And it was with that thought that I chucked my phone as hard as I could across the room. There was a mini explosion as the case shattered, but the phone itself slid unharmed to the floor.

With a small groan, I crossed the room and picked it up, sliding it into my jeans pocket, before gathering up the jagged pieces of the case so that I could throw them in the trashcan. I winced as my finger slipped across the edge of one of the pieces, blood bubbling almost immediately to the surface. I dumped the bits into the trash and headed out to the bathroom to rinse the blood away.

I flinched as the cold water hit my skin, watching almost in fascination as the shocking red was washed away down the drain. If only pain and disappointment could vanish that easily.

I returned to my room, just as Carlos was settling in.

"Hey, dude," he greeted me. "Have you heard from – ?"

I wordlessly nodded.

"And?"

"She's back with Zach."

Carlos groaned, running his hands over his face. "Fuck. What the hell is wrong with her? Why would she pick Zach Wilder over you?"

"Beats the hell out of me." I slumped onto my bed, head hitting the pillows. "But as far as I'm concerned, I'm done. Whatever. We haven't even known each other a week."

"Yeah, but most people don't connect the way you two did in a month. You two…the chemistry, the connection, it was all there. And from what Logan's told me, Katie and Zach have never had that. So why would she choose him?"

"Because he's easy and convenient and it's what is expected of her. She'll always choose him over me, that's the way girls like Katie Knight work. And there's not a single fucking thing I can do about it!"

"I don't care, this is complete bullshit. You two like each other, and she should be with you, not some motherfucking prick who thinks he's too good for everyone else. I wonder what the fuck he said or did to get her to agree to continue dating her. It must've been a load of fucking pretty shit." Carlos crossed his arms over his chest, his jaw set.

"Maybe he promised to marry her," I laughed hollowly. "Maybe they decided to be king and queen of America together."

"Whatever the hell he said, I bet he knew exactly what he would do. There's a reason he was waiting out front for her, James. He had flowers. Flowers! He knew he would have to do some serious buttering up and manipulating. He was prepared."

"Well, it worked, so good for him."

Carlos pressed his lips together for a long moment, before saying, "This isn't over."

"It is."

"It's not. Something's going to give, something's going to happen. I can feel it."

"Good for you."

"Come on, let's go down to dinner. Maybe Katie will be there and you can question her in person."

I snorted. "Maybe."

Somehow, I had a feeling that she wasn't going to be showing up at dinner, and sure enough, once we reached the cafeteria, she was nowhere in sight. I could see Camille filling a Styrofoam bowl up with chicken noodle soup, a grim expression on her face.

Before I could even think about it, Carlos grabbed my arm and dragged me over to her, a determined look on his face.

Camille looked around at us as she snapped a lid on the bowl. "I wondered if I was going to be seeing you tonight," she said to me. "You got Katie's text?"

"Unfortunately."

"What the hell is Katie's problem?" Carlos burst out. "Why the fuck would she choose Wilder over James? We all know James is the guy she should be with! So what the hell happened?!"

Camille sighed. "I don't know. I came back to our dorm and she was a mess, just staring at her phone. She said she didn't feel good and didn't feel like eating, but I was afraid she might faint or something, so…I'm forcing her to eat."

"She should feel bad! She can't go around treating people like that! She can't just let James get attached to her and then completely push him away! Who the fuck does that?!"

"What's going on?" Logan demanded, approaching us, arms crossed.

"Your friend is what's going on!" Carlos snarled. "Katie. She went back to Zach."

"What?" Logan blinked in confusion. "Katie wouldn't do that, she likes James too much."

"Well, it's true. She's with Zach Wilder again."

"There has to be a mistake…" Logan ran his fingers through his short, black hair.

"No, you know what?" I held up my hands. "There isn't a mistake. That's the problem. There is no mistake! She decided Zach was better and she made her decision. It doesn't matter, we weren't together."

"It does matter," Carlos insisted. "Okay? I've never seen you fall for someone like that. And you two seemed to be getting really close."

"You even let her in," Logan said quietly. "You told me that Friday night."

"And it won't be happening again."

"This really is bullshit," Carlos growled. "I don't know what you told her, but you don't even let me in. She has no right to abuse that. Whatever. She has no idea what she's lost by going back to that prick."

I pressed my lips together and instead grabbed a sandwich and a bottle of water before heading back to my dorm. I didn't feel like being around people at that moment.

I spent the rest of the night locked up in my dorm, listening to my iPod and going through the script for Guys and Dolls. Auditions would be held on Wednesday, and I needed to be prepared for them. I normally would have spent the majority of the weekend prepping myself, but because of the trip up to Winchester, I had seriously slacked off and now I had to make up for it.

I ended up going to bed early, though I tossed and turned for a few more hours before finally drifting off into a restless sleep.

I felt like a zombie the next morning, my limbs heavy and my brain slow, even after my second cup of coffee. I was sitting in the cafeteria with Carlos, Dak, Jett, and Lucy, working on my third cup while spooning cold cereal into my mouth, Katie's necklace feather light yet boulder heavy in my pants pocket. I had no idea why I had even grabbed it, just that I knew it needed to be returned to her.

"Hey." Lucy nudged her elbow into my ribs, nodding towards the entrance. I looked around and my stomach seemed to do a couple of back handsprings when I saw who had just walked in. Katie and Zach headed over to check out the breakfast options, hand in hand.

I pushed my cereal away. "I'm done."

"No, you're not," Carlos said firmly, shoving it back towards me. "Don't let them kill your appetite. They're not worth it, okay?"

I nodded weakly and took another bite, doing my best to ignore how cozy they looked. Except, as I glanced involuntarily at them, they didn't actually look all that cozy. Katie looked stiff, a fake smile pasted on her face as she and her wonderful boyfriend headed over to their friends. I had never seen someone look so unhappy when they were supposed to be on top of the world.

Maybe there was hope after all.

Shoving that thought out of my head, I finished my food and downed my coffee, before getting to my feet, swinging my bag over my shoulder, and making my way through the cafeteria, towards Katie and her friends.

I stopped behind her, forcing both her and Zach to swivel around in their seats so that they could look up at me.

I reached into my pocket and pulled the necklace out, letting the chain slither through my fingers before holding it up like a grand prize. "I believe this belongs to you," I said to Katie coldly. "I must have accidentally packed this, because I found it in my suitcase last night."

"James…" She looked up at me, eyes wide and filled with apology and regret, and it was almost too much for me to stare back at her, keeping my gaze icy, but Zach's arm was around her waist and that in itself was enough for me to keep from so much as flinching.

"Here." I dropped it on the table in front of her. "If I find anything else, like one of your bras, I'll make sure it's returned to you."

Zach glared up at me. "You have no business here, fucker."

"And you have no business consorting with the mentally sane people, yet here you are."

"Okay, you know what – " He got to his feet, but Katie grabbed his hand, tugging on it.

"Don't," she snapped, almost forcefully as she yanked him back down. "Leave him alone, Zach. He hasn't done anything wrong."

"Like hell he hasn't, trying to steal my girlfriend the second my back was turned – "

"I didn't have to try to steal her, she came running," I retorted, before leaning down and bracing my hands on the table so that I was almost nose to nose with him. "She moaned for me. Did you know that? She even screamed my name when she finished. Loved the way I made her feel. Does she scream your name, Zach? Does she moan when you kiss her?"

Zach forced his way to his feet, shoving me back. "You're nothing but a lowlife fucker, Diamond. I don't know where you get this shit from, but you're nothing but a liar!"

I pushed him back, equaling his strength. "Really? Then why are you getting so pissed? If I'm lying, then you should be fine, knowing that your perfect girlfriend would never even get to second base with a lowlife fucker like me."

"James! Zach!" Katie leapt to her feet, trying to heave her way between us. "Zach, just stop it! Okay? You don't know crap!"

"Just go curl up somewhere and die," Zach growled, steering me back towards the wall. "You're nothing but a fucked up sex toy, used and abused and left for dead."

I grabbed his shoulder, forcing him into the wall. "You think you're so fucking smart, don't you? Because you managed to manipulate your way back into a relationship with Katie. But we both know that there's more to that. And I bet it's going to fucking kill you, knowing that I've had her in ways that you can only dream of."

"Go to hell, Diamond."

"I can't, they have a restraining order against me." I stepped back, smirking at the look on his face. "Just remember, Wilder, whenever you kiss your girlfriend, she's going to be wishing it was me." And with that, I stalked away, through the cafeteria and out the door.

So yeah, like I said, slightly shorter chapter than what I had planned to post, but hopefully it works. Anyway, please review because I'd love to hear from you guys :)