Chapter 5 – A Long Awaited Party

The Palm Woods was buzzing with energy. The boys of Big Time Rush were going their separate ways and heading on to bigger and better things. Stars, both celestial and celebrity, had come out to celebrate the culmination of a great musical journey. Long after the A-listers had gone home, Logan, Carlos, James, and Kendall sat around the fireplace reminiscing with Guitar Dude, Camille, Jo, and Katie.

Carlos chuckled as a new memory popped in his head. "Hey, Logan. Remember when you, me, and James moved out of 2J?"

"OH YEAH! And I moved into one of the beach cabanas? That was priceless."

"I have to admit, your cabana was much classier than my box. I think James won that one, though."

Jo looked at the boys, perplexed. "Why did you guys move out?"

The four of them were silent for a moment, glancing at one another. Suddenly, they burst into hysterics. Carlos, through deep laughs, replied, "I honestly don't even remember!"

"You know," said James, putting one arm around Katie, and one around Camille, "I still have the keys to that old guy's apartment."

Logan gave him a glance through thin eyes. "How did you manage that?"

"He never came back from his vacation."

"James…" Camille said quietly. "What if he died?"

"He didn't. I asked Bitters about him once, and apparently the guy found a gal and finally settled down after almost seven decades of bachelorhood. She's a real looker, too."

"Very nice, very nice!" said Kendall with his best Borat impression.

Katie gave her brother a wary glance before looking up at James. "So you're saying you've had a key to this empty apartment for the last two years? What the heck have you been using it for?"

Kendall shot a knowing look and immediately went into over-bearing dad mode. Rather than lecturing Katie, however, he went straight for the tall young man whose arms were draped around her. "James, you are not taking Katie up there. Don't even think about thinking about it!"

"Why would I do that?" the known ladies man shouted back. "Hashtag AWKWARD, dude!"

"Well, that answered my question," said Katie with a chuckle as the two boys continued to bicker.

Meanwhile, Logan and Camille had started dancing together while Guitar Dude serenaded them and Jo was playing with Carlos' beloved helmet.

As Camille danced with Logan, she was taken back to the days of their on-again/off-again romance. Eventually, the two settled into a permanently off-again friendship, but she couldn't help but wonder how they had managed to stay friends. "Logan, I wonder every day how I'm still friends with you despite how I put you through the wringer back in the day."

"Lack of options?" joked Logan with a winning smile, wincing as Camille's hand whizzed past his face.

"Next time," she promised, "I won't miss."

"It's not like it matters. I'm pretty sure I lost all feeling in my face a long time ago, anyway. But to answer your question, I honestly have no idea how we managed it. I do know, though, that I'm gonna miss spending time with you after we're gone."

"Bitters gave you three weeks, yeah?"

"Yup. I think a tiny part of him is sad we're leaving. Normally, people are out and replaced within days."

"We're all gonna miss you guys," Camille said, her sad expression unusually real. By now the music had stopped and the others had gathered, sitting with their feet in the edge of the pool. "You guys bring out the best in all of us. I mean, without James, I wouldn't have won most of my auditions. Without you, I wouldn't have learned how to be friends without benefits. Thanks to Kendall, I had a wonderful skating partner…although I am glad his career's over. And Carlos is just about the sweetest and craziest person I've ever met."

"She's totally right, dudes," Guitar Dude chimed in. "Y'all are totally awesome. Like that one time when you guys chased that ghost out of the Palm Woods, or that other time we partied in Malibu. Maaaan. Y'all are cool, brah."

Jo wrapped an arm around Kendall's shoulders and pulled him close. "I just got back and already you guys are leaving again. I've had some of the best times of my life with you all. And even though I'm sad to see you go, I hope that you all have a great run with whatever it is you find yourselves doing in the future."

Having sensed a toast coming on, James prepared a few blue Solo cups filled with a fine Riesling he snatched from the caterers earlier in the evening. Raising his glass, he proposed, "Here's to all the great times we had before, and to living it BIG TIME!"