"Black," Logan said.
"Blue," Kendall said.
"Yellow," Carlos said happily.
"Blue," Jo said.
"And James?" Gustavo asked.
"Purple!" Everyone replied.
"Where is James?" Gustavo looked around. "He did return home last night?"
"Here!" James ran into the studio looking disheveled and hurried. He collapsed on a stool, out of breath.
"We've beefed up security." Kelly entered the room scribbling something in her notebook. Gustavo handed her a sheet of paper. "What's this?"
"The guys' favorite colors. You know what to do."
"OK." She stuffed the paper inside her notebook. "Anyway, we've increased security here and at the Palmwoods until the hype dies down. I had to pay Mr. Bitters a $500 'security fee' but it's worth it to keep the boys safe."
"I'm sorry," James said.
"It's not your fault," Kelly replied.
"Well, actually," Gustavo butted in, "he did get her pregnant and the cameras wouldn't be all over the place if not for that."
"I know! I know! I have to deal with the consequences," James sighed. He had always dreamed of being famous but he never thought about the repercussions, everyone knowing your name, wanting to be all up in your business. Your news was their news, they felt, and almost nothing could be kept private.
"Enough about that! We have a song to record."
.O.
"Jo, you have a great voice," James complimented during their first break of the day.
"Thank you."
"I've been trying to convince her to continue with her singing," Kendall said. "That was originally why she came out here in the first place."
"I like acting."
"You can do both. Look at Justin Timberlake," James said before getting distracted by his ringing cell phone. "Hey, Babe."
"I like to sing, I do, but I've already told you, no one's buying. Why are you pushing this so much?"
"I just want you to be happy."
"Then, why are you letting me marry you?" She winked heading into the lobby where Logan and Carlos had already gathered.
"Hey, Carlos, did you lose your 'pendant' again?" Kendall asked.
Carlos's hands immediately went to his neck where his new unbroken chain was not. After looking at his phone, his panicked reaction grew.
"I'll be right back." He darted out of the room spilling the fruit water he was holding along the way.
"What's up with him?" Logan asked.
"He's Carlos. Need I say more?"
"Hey, my mom's coming to town next weekend so we can look at wedding dresses," Jo changed the subject, her eyes brightening. "I figured we could go to dinner."
"You and your mom?"
"And you, silly."
The look Kendall made must have triggered something in Jo.
"Hey, at least it's not my dad. My mom likes you. Not that my dad doesn't, but you are the guy taking his 'little girl' away from him…and you did help me break curfew and sneak out of the house…"
"I'm not a bad guy!"
"You are the bad boy of the band. No parent likes their daughter to date the bad boy." She stroked his chin. "Besides, my father was amicable to you at Thanksgiving."
"Amicable being the appropriate word."
"You can never please the in-laws," Logan spoke up from his perch on the top of the back of the couch. "But, don't worry, Kendall. Parents can't get enough of you."
Kendall made a face at his friend's sarcasm.
"What are you worried about?" Jo pecked Kendall's face. "My mom likes you."
"Yeah, she doesn't know it was your idea to get the girls' field hockey team all wet," Logan said.
"Or to depants Logan in the 3rd grade," James added having put his phone away.
"Hey, it was Carlos who did it!" Kendall retorted. "I like to think I've matured since then."
Logan and James both rolled their eyes.
"You have," Jo murmured.
"See, Jo believes in me."
"All right, all right," Gustavo bellowed suddenly appearing in the room. "Break's over." As the guys and Jo entered the recording studio he counted heads. "Where's Helmet Head?"
.O.
"What are you doing here?" Katie asked as Carlos stood in the apartment with his hands on his knees gasping for breath.
"The—the—the—text," he managed to get out.
"Oh!" Realization must have dawned on Katie. "Right, the text. Mom's doing laundry and she found something mixed in with your clothes."
"Do you have it?" Carlos gained his composure as Katie switched out his empty bottle for a glass of water.
"I wasn't able to get it away from her. What am I supposed to say? 'Hey, Mom, can I see that wedding ring?'"
"Shh!" Carlos admonished.
"She's in the laundry room on the first floor. She can't hear you," Katie's voice trailed off when her mother entered the apartment carrying a basket of clothes.
"Did rehearsal finish early?" Mrs. Knight asked placing the basket on the kitchen counter.
"Oh, uh, no, I, uh, break," Carlos replied.
"Good thing you're here, I guess." She held up the necklace causing a huge grin to appear on Carlos's face. He quickly tried to wipe it off lest Mama Knight gets any ideas, but he couldn't stop from smiling. "I found this among your and James's clothes."
Carlos made to reach for it, but Mrs. Knight pulled it away from his grasp.
"Is that a wedding ring?" She held the necklace in the air and pointed to the ring with her other hand. "Are you…"
"Yes," he quickly replied.
"You're going to propose to Alexa! You're not just doing this because Kendall's engaged to Jo, are you?"
"No, I—"
"You don't have to try to keep up with him. It's not a race."
"I know. I—"
"You need to go at your own pace and do things when you're ready."
"Mama Knight, I need to get back to the studio."
"Oh, right." She handed him the chain and kissed him on the forehead. "I'm sure she'll say yes."
"Yeah, me, too." He left the apartment clasping the chain around his neck and wondering why she thought he'd propose with a wedding ring and not an engagement ring, but whatever. At least she didn't catch on to what it really meant.
I love that James spent the New Year holiday in Aspen. Good thing it's him and not Carlos. :p Hope there's no skiing accidents. ;) There shouldn't be since he's visiting Snowmass and not Aspen Mountain (I did deliberate for a long time on which slopes to send the boys, too. I wonder if I picked Snowmass if James and his friends would've ended up at Aspen this trip). Probably a good idea. :p
Rusher Driver: Thank you!