James knew he was meant to be a model. But he also knew that there were absolutely no modeling jobs available. So he couldn't get one. But maybe bandanna man could! James's eyes lit up. He threw his hockey stick behind him. "What the…" said Kendall as the hockey stick clattered to the ground. But James was already sprinting back to the Palm Woods.
James frantically pushed the buttons on the elevator. When he got to 2J, he hammered on the door. A confused Mrs. Schmidt opened it. James whipped past her, and ran to his room in the hall. James got on all his bandannas, glanced at himself in the mirror, and ran out again. James skidded to a halt, when he heard Katie complain, "I can't get my phone to work!" James ran into her room. "Feeling frustrated?" James asked her. "Don't worry, bandanna man can fix all your problems!"
Katie stared at James for a full ten seconds. The ripped a bandanna right off his forehead, and tossed it over her shoulder. "Hey!" James cried, running to retrieve the bandanna. "I was just trying to help!" "Like you could fix a phone" Katie snorted.
James suddenly felt like an idiot. Katie was no fun. He walked into the living room, and then sat down on the couch, where Camille was talking to Logan with a big grin on her face. Her lines lay untouched on Mrs. Schmidt's coffee table. James rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen to get some juice.
As James opened the refrigorator, Mrs. Schmidt glanced critically at all James's bandannas. "I don't think you should wear those bandannas" Mrs. Schmidt remarked. "I mean Katie could get really scared!" "You should stop treating her like a toddler" James said to Mrs. Schmidt. She frowned, and continued to dust the counter.
As James walked back into the living room, he sat down on the couch. Logan took one look at James and yelled "AHH!" "What?" said James, bewildered. That seemed to freak Logan out, and he jumped up from the couch, and ran down the hall.
"Wait!" said James running after him. Apparently Logan had not seen bandanna man before. Pity. When Logan reached Kendall's room, he made a beeline for the swirly slide, and climbed up it. "Logan, it's me, James!" James said. "That's you?" Logan squeaked, peeking out from the top of the swirly slide. "I'm bandanna man", said James, puffing out his chest proudly.
James turned around, to see Camille rounding on him. "Why did you scare him like that?" she demanded. "Calm down, I guess people around here don't like bandanna man" James said. Just as Camille left, Kendall and Carlos burst through the door. Kendall was groaning, and Carlos was cheering. It was so loud, that it even caused Katie to enter the living room to see what all the racket was.
"Woo hoo!" Carlos cheered, swinging his hockey stick above his head. "And he told me not to swing that thing!" Katie said. "I can do it, because I'm a super Hollywood party king of Hollywood." Carlos announced. "I party everywhere! Even in every part of every desert!" "You can't party in every part of any desert!" Logan said. "The only way you could live in a desert is if you're on an oasis! And then you'd have to be a Bedouin, and ride in a caravan…"
"He nailed me with a hockey puck!" Kendall protested, flopping onto the couch. "Oh, Kendall, do you need an ice pack?" Mrs. Schmidt said at once.
"No, I'm fine, really!" said Kendall, but he kept rubbing his side painfully. "Is it lunchtime yet?" Carlos asked. "He peeked in the cabinets. "Carlos, you have a one track mind," Logan said. "Honestly, do you always have to act like a bottomless pit?" "Well, being an ice cream taster wouldn't be a half bad job…" said Carlos thoughtfully. They all rolled their eyes. "That's so not cool" James told Carlos. "Modeling is cool. But I can't find one agency that will hire me!"
"Have you looked in the phone book?" Mrs. Schmidt suggested. "No" James admitted. "I only called a couple agencies" He got up to get the phone book. "You can look on the internet too" said Mrs. Schmidt. She stared at the other three boys pointedly. "What…you want us to help find a modeling job for James?" Kendall asked. "Hey, that's a great idea!" said James grinning.
Logan sighed, but took out his laptop to search for modeling agencies. "Carlos can help me," said James. Carlos started looking in the phone book too. "I can help Logan!" Katie said. "No, Kendall can, you're too small" James said. "Kendall, you help Logan.
"I look forward to it," said Kendall dryly. He got up. Katie stormed off, back into her room. "Ignored as usual," she was muttering.
TEN HOURS LATER:
"I can't find one thing!" Carlos moaned. "We've been at it for hours!" "Shush" said James, who was using Kendall's computer to look up modeling jobs. "Jobs cost money," said Katie in a singsong voice, who was eating dinner with her mom.
"Did you guys have any luck?" said James, turning to Logan and Kendall. Logan was asleep, using the phone book as a pillow, and Kendall was staring into space. "Nothing" said Kendall.
James kicked the couch. He wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Can't we go to bed?" Kendall suggested weakly.
"Oh fine, give up on me!" James said. "Well, to prove I'm cool, I'll stay up all night!"
"Can I go for a walk?" Katie asked. "Katie, it's nearly eight thirty!" Mrs. Schmidt said. "Mom, please," Katie pleaded. Her eyes were wide, and she looked really nervous. "Okay, but be back very soon, and call me" said her mother, but Katie was already sprinting out the door.
No one except Mrs. Schmidt felt like questioning Katie's behavior. The boys usually stayed up much later, but unusually tired, Kendall, Carlos, and Logan all went to bed, while James sat on the living room floor, muttering to himself, his eyes glued to the screen.