I now present to you...Chapter Nineteen!
Disclaimer: This is painful. Like really painful. So painful I'm gritting my teeth...but here's the truth. I do not own Big Time Rush. I also don't own Avril Lavigne or her song "Girlfriend", or any of the games mentioned in here, or anything that is recognizable.
Guest(#1): Thank you so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it :) And thank you for reviewing!
Guest(#2): I'm glad you like it so far! Thank you for your review :)
Guest(#3): Well...I could have Lauren cheat...but that might take some of the fun out of it ;) Thank you so for reviewing!
A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who has read/followed/favorited/reviewed this story! I'm always so blown away by your responses, and, I'm not going to lie, I even get a little choked up sometimes, just because you guys are so AWESOME! So thank you!
Warnings: Not really sure it's necessary, but whatever. Language, something that could maybe be construed as cheating (depends on your perspective), kissing games, underage possession of alcohol, and Jett Stetson.
A/N: I'm going to say right now that this chapter turned out very different than how I had originally planned it. Basically, the beginning is more or less how I had pictured it, but then Carlos decided to have a New Years Eve party and Katie wanted stuff of her own and this whole chapter just went right off the track and landed in CrazyVille. And while it's not as bad as I originally thought it was (while I was writing it, none of it made any sense whatsoever to me), I'm still a little worried that this is totally crappy and just really, really stupid. So if it is, I'm sorry, and hopefully the next chapter will make more sense and will be a lot better.
Also, I don't support or condone girls fighting over a guy, because the circumstances surrounding it are usually pretty stupid and also, it's usually the guy's fault in the first place. And I'm not trying to make fun of the girls either (I'm a girl, so that'd be seriously hypocritical), but girls are notorious for being petty and bitchy and possessive and jealous, and this really plays into this chapter. And as for James' reactions (or sometimes lack of reactions), that's just the effect that Katie can have on him.
So, hopefully I got everything said that needed to be said, and if there's something in the chapter that's confusing, just let me know.
That being said, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter Nineteen: Seven Minutes In...?
James' POV
There was complete silence after my last statement. And then someone coughed, and I let go of Katie's wrist. She took a step back, before sending me a final glare. "I'm going home," she announced to her mom.
"You have the van," Kendall reminded her. "And it's Mom's."
"So I'll have Dad come pick me up. I'm not staying here."
"Fine, whatever." He rolled his eyes.
She rolled her eyes as well and pulled out her phone, fingers flying across the keypad as she texted Mr. Knight. All the while, the moms were picking stuff up and heading into the kitchen, mumbling something about "peace and quiet".
I shook my head. That girl was just incredible. And not in a good way either. Somehow, she reminded me a tiny bit of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. It kind of got me wondering which TV character that made me…
Deciding it really wasn't that important, I found my gaze straying back to Katie. She glanced at me and threw me a glare. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."
If her mom had been listening, she probably would have reprimanded Katie. But the mothers had turned back to their original discussion about the hockey rink.
"Wow, someone had an extra serving of bitch flakes for breakfast this morning," I retorted.
"Oh, go duct tape your mouth shut or something."
"It'd be a lot more effective if I did it to you. The entire school would probably thank me for it."
"Always the good Samaritan. And then you wonder why I didn't want to go out with you."
"No matter. I found someone who does want to go out with me," I replied with a smirk.
"Shove it up your ass," she snapped. "Oh, and by the way, Jo, Cami, and Steph now know that Shane's gay."
Shane spun around. "You told them?!"
"It slipped out," she said unconcernedly. "Whatever. Kyle doesn't care if everyone knows or not. He told me I could tell the whole school if I want to."
"He wouldn't do that…"
"Oh, but he would. Guess he doesn't care who knows. And honestly, there's got to be something up if you do care."
"There's nothing up," I snipped at her. "You know why he doesn't want the entire world knowing that he's gay, or have you forgotten that he was bullied so badly at our old school?"
"Well, it doesn't really have anything to do with me, now does it?" she replied coolly. "I don't have to protect him anymore."
"But you do have to protect your best friend," I pointed out. "And he's with Shane."
"Yeah, well, newsflash – my best friend isn't speaking to me at the moment. He's taking the hockey head's side. He likes you guys better, I guess." I saw a glimmer of hurt in her eyes, but she blinked and it was gone. "So whatever. I'm not protecting you and Kyle anymore," she informed Shane. "But don't worry, I'm sure big brother will. He always does."
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Shane said in confusion, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I don't mean anything by it. It's just, it must be nice not having to do anything for yourself when you know your brother will take care of everything for you."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Kendall, when are you going to drive us home?"
"Once Dad gets here, I want to see him."
"Fine."
"What? You want to get away from the ice bitch?" Katie asked, tossing her hair back.
"As a matter of fact, that is what I want."
"Really? Because your eyes are telling me that you want to push me up against the wall and have your way with me."
"I didn't know my eyes knew how to lie…"
"They don't. We both know it's still me you want." She smirked at me.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, right. Whatever helps you sleep at night, Katie. I don't like bitches."
"Really? Because you sure liked me plenty a week ago."
"I could say the same for you."
"I told you, I was doing you a favor."
"And I told you that I would move on. And I did."
"Yippee for you. Good for you. Do I look like I give a damn?"
"You did last night."
"Well, guess what. I don't. I don't care who you kiss or sleep with. You could go screw a cactus for all I care."
"Really? Because I could say the same thing about you. And we both know you're lying."
"I'm not the one who's constantly putting on an act."
"What are you even talking about?" I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest.
"You. You've lied to everyone here."
"About what?!" I spat.
"About the truth about Shane!"
"Fine!" Shane stepped in between us. "Fine! Here's the truth – I'm gay, and I'm with Kyle! Okay? Are you happy now? And James wasn't lying, no one ever asked him outright if I'm straight or gay. He just never mentioned it because of how badly I was bullied at our old school. He was trying to protect me. But that's never enough for you, is it? God, Katie. I told him not to let you hurt him, and he let his defenses down and you slithered in and now you can't just let him be happy."
"He's a hockey player. He doesn't deserve to be happy."
"Dad was a hockey player," Kendall pointed out. "So he doesn't deserve to be happy either?"
"Anyone who makes their loved ones worry about them doesn't deserve to be happy," she stated ferociously. "So, no. And I guess that means you don't either."
"That is some fucked up logic," Carlos informed Katie.
"Oh, what do you know?" Stephanie snapped, rounding on him. "All you care about is hockey! Hockey and corndogs!"
"I do not! And corndogs are amazing!" he cried.
"Eh. So-so."
"Take that back!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Make me!"
"Oh, I will – "
"Guys!" Kendall interceded. "We have to stop this, all we're doing is fighting amongst ourselves."
"There is no amongst ourselves. We're ice skaters and you guys are hockey heads, and we don't get along. Just accept that, and move on," Jo told him brashly. "And who the hell made you the peacekeeper in this, anyway? You may be the hockey captain, but you're not the boss of us."
"I never said I was," Kendall retorted hotly. "Excuse me for trying to keep some hint of peace between us all."
"Don't bother," she responded harshly. "It's like Katie's been saying for ages, ice skaters and hockey players are never going to get along. She and James couldn't make it work, you're practically a stalker, and you're all pretty much Neanderthals."
"The joke's on you!" Logan cried. "Anthropologists have discovered that Neanderthals were actually quite a bit smarter than what people give them credit for. They have a larger cranium and – "
"Oh, give it a rest," Katie snapped. "An insult's an insult. If you're so fucking smart, then you should know that."
"Lay off of him," I intervened. "If you girls weren't such damn ice queens, there wouldn't be a problem in the first place."
"Well, maybe if you guys weren't such hockey heads – "
"What the hell does that even mean?!"
"That your head is filled with hockey pucks!" she screamed, stamping her foot.
"Fuck you."
"You wish."
I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything else, the front door swung open and Mr. Knight stepped inside. He stared at us, hockey player facing off against ice skater, obviously very confused.
"I'm ready to go," Katie announced to him. "I'm more than ready to get away from these…people." She sneered the last word, her lip curling up in disdain.
"But…what's going on?" he asked. "I mean…where's your mom?"
At that moment, Mrs. Knight walked back out into the living room. She paused at the sight of her ex husband. "Oh. I thought I heard your voice. What're you doing here?"
"I'm here to pick up Katie…" he said slowly. "But…I mean…what's all the fighting about?"
"Well, if I were to hazard a guess, I would say that it's about the ice rink at the school – the second, smaller one. They're taking it out to save on costs, and the ice skaters are either going to have to share the other rink with the hockey players, or they'll have to skate at the town's ice rink, which may or may not be reopening."
Mr. Knight frowned. "Wow…taking out the second rink…that's a huge step. And that's really going to complicate things."
"Believe me, I know. And it's going to be a fight between who deserves the school rink more."
"I can see…"
"I mean, in all honesty, I think it should be the ice skaters, because they actually have to pay for everything," Mrs. Knight explained. "Hockey isn't even a super normal sport in this area."
"Bullshit," Mr. Knight crossed his arms. "It should be the hockey players, since hockey is the school sport."
"But they're not renting out the rink."
"But they're a school sponsored sport, whereas ice skating isn't. The ice skaters are just using the rink in place of another community one. And the community one might get opened again. Therefore…"
"Therefore…what? Ice skaters shouldn't get the same rights as the hockey players?"
"Shouldn't hockey players get the same rights as the ice skaters?" Mr. Knight retorted. "The hockey players shouldn't be kicked out of their own rink."
"Hockey is a dangerous sport! If the team had to dissolve because of this, it wouldn't be a bad thing, it'd probably end up saving a lot of people a lot of worry!"
"I see. The same goes for ice skating! Our daughter has been hurt numerous times on the ice!"
"Our son has gotten a concussion from hockey!"
"Our daughter broke her ankle because of ice skating!"
"I'm not discussing this anymore," Mrs. Knight snapped. "Get out of my house."
"I've changed my mind," Katie announced. "Mom, can I stay here?"
"And Dad, can I go with you?" Kendall asked.
I glanced over at Shane. "Maybe I should call Mom for a ride…"
"Sounds like a good idea. The only reason we stopped by here was because Kendall spotted all the cars in his driveway."
I nodded and pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket. Definitely time to make an escape.
The rest of Christmas break went by quickly. I hung out with the guys, Shane, Kyle, and Lauren. Kendall had moved in with his dad, while Katie was now living with their mom. From what Kendall had told me, they were split up between the ice skaters and the hockey players, Katie and Mrs. Knight on one side, and Kendall and Mr. Knight on the other. Talk about confusing.
On Christmas Eve, my mom, Shane, and I drove down to a nearby lake. My grandparents lived in a house on the lake, and they had invited us down to their place.
On Christmas, Mom, Shane, and I gathered around the tree, opening up presents and drinking hot chocolate, while eating waffles topped with cherries and whipped cream. It wasn't a storybook Christmas, but it was a nice and quiet one, very peaceful. Exactly what we needed.
On New Year's Eve, Carlos threw a party for the hockey team and our dates. Lauren had agreed readily to attend it with me, even though she didn't know the guys or the girls they might be bringing very well.
Come to think of it, I didn't know the girls who they might be bringing very well. I knew Logan had gotten Camille to agree to go with him, but I didn't know about Kendall or Carlos, or about Dak. Shane had chosen to go dateless, since the only person he wanted to bring as his date was Kyle, and the subject of his sexuality hadn't been broached by any of us since that day at the Knights' house.
However, the evening before the party, Carlos gave Shane a call. We were in the living room, flipping through TV channels, when Shane's phone rang. He pulled it out of his jeans pocket, frowned slightly, and put it up to his ear. "Hello?"
There was a pause, and then he pressed the button to put it on speakerphone.
"…I mean," Carlos was saying, "it's not really a big deal if you're gay or bi or whatever. And it's going to be a pretty small gathering. James, Logan, and Kendall are the only ones with dates, and Kendall's date is just a friend."
"What does that have to do with me bringing Kyle?" Shane asked.
"Nothing really. I was just saying, there won't be a ton of people there, it's just going to be people you know, who won't judge. We don't have a problem with you dating Kyle, and we'd really like it if you could just…be yourselves around us. Act like you would around James and Katie. We want you to be comfortable, we don't want you to feel like you have to pretend to be something you're not. We're your friends and your teammates, Shane, and we're here for you, no matter what."
Shane paused, biting his lip. "I guess I could give Kyle a call…"
"Awesome! Let me know what he says. Talk to you later!" And with that, Carlos hung up.
"Why'd you put it on speakerphone?" I asked Shane as he began dialing Kyle's number.
"I just thought it might be something you'd be interested to hear."
I nodded slowly. "We have good friends, don't we?"
"We really do."
At a quarter to eight the next evening, Kyle picked Shane up at our house, and I drove to Lauren's place. I nervously parked at the curb and walked up the driveway to her front door. I rang the bell, and a moment later, she swung the door open, strawberry blonde hair falling everywhere. She beamed at me. "Hi, James!"
"Hey," I smiled back at her. "Ready to go?"
"Yep." She hitched her purse over her shoulder, called bye to her parents, and hurried outside.
I glanced at her. She was in a basic dress, the top cut low enough for someone to ogle her cleavage. On her feet were stiletto heels, and I had a feeling that walking in stilts would be more comfortable.
When she saw me glancing at her shoes, she gave me a sheepish smile. "My mom's kind of a shoe connoisseur, so when she heard I was going to a New Year's Eve party, she went out and bought me these."
"Ah, gotcha," I nodded. "Well, you look really pretty."
"Thanks," she smiled at me, pulling her sweater tighter around her upper body. "You clean up really nice as well. Of course, you always look amazing, so that doesn't surprise me."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome. And thanks for inviting me to the party."
"Actually, I think I should be thanking you," I told her as I opened the front passenger door for her.
She gave me a curious look. "How so?"
I closed the door and walked around, getting into the driver's seat. "For agreeing to go to a party where you'll only really know one person."
"Oh. That's not a problem. I've had all the guys in a couple of my classes, and they're all sweethearts. The only thing I'm worried about is that they'll compare me to Katie."
We buckled up and I started the car back up. "Why?"
"Because she's Kendall's sister. And you said Logan's date would be Camille Roberts. She's one of Katie's best friends."
"Katie and I barely lasted more than a weekend. Believe me, you have nothing to worry about." And to prove it, I leaned over and kissed her. She kissed me back, hands coming up to my cup my jaw. I could smell fresh nail polish, but the taste of her bubblegum flavored lip gloss more than made up for it.
After a few seconds, I pulled back and she smiled at me again. "You've made your point."
"Good," I grinned. "So, I'm going to be kissing you at midnight."
She shot me a teasing look. "Only if I don't kiss you first."
"Deal." I put the car in drive, and off we went. Five minutes later, we pulled up in front of the Garcia's house, and I parked behind Kendall's car. Lauren and I climbed out and my hand found hers as I led her up to the front door. I pushed the door open and we stepped inside.
The Garcia house was decorated with a mixture of leftover Christmas decorations, and New Years Eve banners and streamers. A top forty radio station was playing in the background, and I could see Kendall and his 'date', Lucy Stone, competing against each other at Guitar Hero. Carlos and Dak were sitting on the couch, chatting over bottles of IZZE sparkling juice. Logan, Camille, Shane, and Kyle were hanging out by a long table laden with chips and candy. I could see Shane's and Kyle's arms around each other, and I smiled a little. They really were pretty adorable together.
Lauren blinked in their direction. "Your brother's gay?" she asked me, sounding surprised.
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Wow, you'd never know by looking at him," she shrugged.
"Do you have a problem with it?"
"Nope. My favorite cousin's a lesbian. I don't see anything wrong with it."
I relaxed. I'll admit, for a split second, I had been worried that she might be a homophobic. "Oh, okay."
"Whoo hoo! In your face!" Kendall suddenly cheered, grinning as he did a victory dance. Lucy rolled her eyes.
"Okay, seriously? See, this is what I get for going to a junior's party."
I shook my head, laughing. Lucy was a senior who lived in Kendall's neighborhood…or now Katie's neighborhood…wow, that was confusing…anyway, from what Kendall had told me, they had bonded over a mutual love of rock music and the electric guitar when he and his mom had first moved into the neighborhood after his and Katie's parents' divorce.
"Are you saying I'm immature?" Kendall challenged her.
She smirked at him. "Hey, if the shoe fits…I'm going to go get a drink." She tossed her hair over her shoulder, long and black with red streaks, and headed over to the cooler under the table.
I spent the next fifteen minutes bringing Lauren around the room, reintroducing her to everyone, and generally making sure that she felt comfortable. At last, we settled onto one of the other couches with our own IZZE drinks, Logan and Camille joining us a couple of minutes later. They asked Lauren questions about soccer and baseball, and she in turn showed interest in hockey and ice skating.
We spent the next hour and a half talking, taking turns at Guitar Hero, and basically just goofing off.
Ten-o-clock found me back on the couch with Lauren perched in my lap, listening to a hockey practice story Shane was telling her. Kyle and I were exchanging anecdotes about our different injuries that had come from the ice and ice skates.
Kyle was just beginning to tell me how he had gotten a scar on his hip when the front door suddenly swung open, and in trooped none other than Katie, Jo, Stephanie, and…Jett Stetson.
What the fuck?
Katie's POV
I really don't know what possessed me to come up with the idea to crash Carlos' New Year's Eve party, I really don't. All I know is that on New Year's Eve, I was bored out of my mind, and I knew Camille was going with Logan to the party. And that's when I came up with the brilliant plan to call Steph and Jo up, and suggest that we head over to the Garcias'. Unfortunately for us, Jo's mom was talking to Jett's about the problem with the ice rinks, and Jo got suckered into asking Jett along.
Which is how all four of us ended up in my car, with me growling under my breath and Jett holding a large cooler between his feet. All he had said when I had demanded to know what it was, was that it was "drinks". I decided right then and there that I really didn't want to know. I had been planning on beginning bring-the-slutty-bitch-who-James-now-called-a-girl friend down while reminding James how physically attracted to me he was, but I wasn't sure if I could pull it off with Jett there. Knowing him, he'd get in the middle of everything and completely screw everything up.
I decided I'd try it out anyway.
I parked in front of Carlos' and we all clambered out, Jett lugging the cooler with him. I opened the front door and we ambled in. My gaze immediately narrowed in on James on the couch, with Lauren curled up in his lap. God, could her dress get any lower? At least I didn't look like I belonged on a street corner. I'd gone with a dusty purple dress, a denim jacket, and purple Converse sneakers – you know, something that didn't show off every single centimeter of my cleavage.
"Put some clothes on," I snapped at her. "You look like a freaking hooker."
She and James both gaped at me, clearly stunned into speechlessness. Good. I could use this to my advantage.
I sauntered over to them and shoved Lauren out of James' lap, and into Shane's, before crawling into James'. "Hey, Jamie-Bear," I purred. "Miss me?"
"What the fuck…?"
I pouted at him. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"What the hell are you guys doing here?!" Carlos cried, looking around the room at us. "You weren't invited!"
"Duh, we're crashing the party," Stephanie said to him. "Loosen up. We figured the party would be really boring, so we came to liven it up."
"Yeah, I even bought a shitload of beer," Jett added.
We all turned to gawk at him. Well, that would explain the cooler.
"You brought beer?" I demanded. "Dude! You brought beer into my car?! If I had gotten pulled over, I could've been arrested for it! You immature fucker!"
"I love it when you talk dirty to me."
"Gross! And don't hit on me, can't you see I'm in James' lap?"
"Yeah, and get out of his lap," Lauren spoke up, shoving me back so that I tumbled onto the cushion beside James. "You had your chance and you blew it."
"Catfight!" Jett whooped.
We both turned to glare at him, before focusing our attention on each other.
"I didn't think he'd go get with some slutty bitch," I snarled.
"I'm a slut? I'm not the one who had a friends with benefits relationship with him."
"Your dress's neckline is deeper than the Grand Canyon!"
"Jealous?"
"Of?"
"Of the fact that I have a chest and you don't."
I smirked. "At least I didn't have to pay for mine."
"Oooh!" Stephanie and Jo intoned together.
"Believe me, sweetie, mine's all natural," Lauren replied coolly.
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, keep dreaming."
"Don't believe me. I don't really care." She wiggled back into James' lap and looped her arms around his neck, throwing me a smug look. James wound his arm around her waist and I clenched my teeth.
Fine. If she wanted to be like that, then I say bring it on. I wasn't going down, not now, not ever.
I got to my feet and shed my jacket, before looking at the others. "You guys should really play a game or something."
"And what game would you suggest we play?" Carlos asked coldly.
"Spin the bottle?"
"What is this, seventh grade?" Lauren snorted. "Besides, some of us are actually dating people."
James nodded in agreement. "We shouldn't risk it."
"Why?" I flashed my teeth in a grin at him. "Afraid the bottle might land on me."
"I've already kissed you, so that's not actually a problem. But I don't want to kiss someone who I'm not with."
Uggrrhh…goody-two-shoes. It was too bad he made it look so hot.
"Fine. Truth or Dare?"
"No."
"I've Never?"
"You nuts?"
"Would You Rather?!"
He smirked. "We'll talk about it."
"Or, you know, you could leave," Carlos suggested, arms crossed.
"Don't you like us?" Stephanie asked him, grinning widely.
"Considering every time we see you girls, you get even more bitchier…yeah, I really want you out of my house."
"How about me?" Jett asked, draping himself on the couch beside Shane and Kyle, both of whom gave him half terrified, half disgusted looks.
"You've tried to get us kicked out of school at least twice, so not in the least," Carlos answered.
"Boo."
James rolled his eyes. "Anyway, since when are you all over me?" he demanded of me. "I thought you didn't like hockey heads."
"I don't."
"Yet, you just plopped down in my lap after pushing my girlfriend out of the way. Aren't you supposed to hate me or something?"
"Oh, I do! But you're also really hot. Also you're super sexy when you cuss."
"And that's what I get for trying to reason with you."
"You make it sound like I'm unreasonable."
"You kind of are. Whatever. Just choose a fucking game."
I smirked. "Well, you and I could go fuck, and let the others play a game."
"I will bitch slap you," Lauren informed me, raising her hand threateningly.
"Bring it."
"Stop!" James yelled. "Just stop! Katie, I'm with Lauren. Lauren, Katie is not competition. Just stop."
"Party pooper," I whined. "I remember you being a lot more fun when we were in the back of your car."
Lauren smirked at me. "You know, I should thank you."
"For?"
"If you hadn't been such a bitch, James and I wouldn't have ended up together. I should really bake you a basket of muffins."
"At least when I get him back, he'll know the difference between sluttiness and hotness, and he'll know that our sexual chemistry is real."
"You're lucky that he's actually talking to you."
I grinned. "He just can't help himself when it comes to me." I ran my hand up and down his thigh dangerously slow.
James grabbed my hand and set it in my own lap. "Hands to yourself, Katie."
"I say we just play Spin the Bottle!" Jett hollered. "Get everything out into the open."
"Whatever," Carlos shook his head. He grabbed an empty IZZE bottle and set it in the middle of the floor. We all gathered around it. "Who's going first?"
"I will," Jett grinned.
"Is there something we can do besides kissing the person? Like, say, slapping him?" Camille asked.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Carlos nodded.
"Good, because I'm not kissing Jett."
"Okay, you know what?" James got to his feet. "This is fucking stupid. I'm not playing. I have a girlfriend. I'm done."
Oh no, you're not…Not even close…
"Well, how about Seven Minutes in Heaven?" Jo suggested. "I heard of this one version where you ask someone a question, and if they don't answer, they go into the closet with you. And since you're in a closet, you don't actually have to kiss. So, no problems there."
I nodded.
"What is with all the kissing games?" James demanded.
"Come on, just let loose for once," I pleaded, looking up at him hopefully. "Some of us are single here, so…"
"Fine. But this is really, really stupid."
I grinned triumphantly. Knew I could get him to agree. He and Lauren definitely weren't going to last very long with me around.
Carlos and Logan worked on clearing out the hall closet, and Carlos made us all ditch our phones and watches so that we couldn't keep track of the time when we were in said closet.
"So, who's going first?" Carlos demanded.
James glanced at Lauren. "You cool with this?"
"If I wasn't, I would have said something by now," she assured him. "It's just a game, it doesn't actually mean anything."
"And if someone ends up kissing you or James?" I asked.
"We get a free pass for tonight. It's nothing more than a game. Besides, like Jo said, we'll be in a closet. No one's going to know if anything does or doesn't happen."
"You guys should listen to this girl," Dak spoke up. "She's smart. Anyway, I'll start."
"Go for it," Carlos said, leaning against the wall.
"Lauren…Is that your real name?"
She stared at him. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she demanded, cracking up. "Oh my gosh…" Shaking her head, she grabbed his hand and hauled him into the closet, kicking the door closed behind them.
Carlos immediately set the stopwatch he had gotten out of a drawer in the kitchen.
"Well. That was surprising," James said after a moment. "I didn't expect that."
"Does it bother you?" I asked him sweetly. "Her being in the closet with your teammate."
"No, because chances are they aren't doing anything."
"And we're not going to ask about it either," Carlos spoke up. "What happens in that closet stays in that closet."
"Sounds like a plan," James nodded.
At that moment, I heard the beginning of Avril Lavigne's song Girlfriend come on the radio, and I grinned, dashing over to it and turning the volume up.
"So, where're your parents tonight?" Camille asked Carlos.
"At a family friend's New Year's Eve party. They trust me enough to let me have one of my own…Though I'm wondering if maybe they overestimated me."
"It's not your fault," Kyle said to him. "You didn't ask for the party to be crashed."
I ignored them and instead began singing along with the song, dancing towards James:
"'You're so fine
I want you mine
You're so delicious
I think about you all the time
You're so addictive
Don't you know what I can do
To make you feel all right?Don't pretend
I think you know
I'm damn precious
And, hell yeah
I'm the motherfuckin' princess
I can tell you like me too
And you know I'm rightShe's like so, whatever
You could do so much better
I think we should get together now
(And that's what everyone's talkin' about)
Hey, hey
You, you
I don't like your girlfriend
No way, no way
I think you need a new one
Hey, hey
You, you
I could be your girlfriend
Hey, hey
You, you
I know that you like me
No way, no way
No, it's not a secret
Hey, hey
You, you
I want to be your girlfriend.
I can see the way
I see the way you look at me
And even when you look away
I know you think of me
I know you talk about me all the time
Againand again.'"
I moved closer to him and stood on my tip toes so that my lips were brushing against his ear.
"'So come over here
And tell me what I wanna hear
Better yet, make your girlfriend disappear
I don't wanna hear you say her name ever again (and again and again).'"
He gently pushed me away and I giggled, stepping back."'Cause she's like so, whatever
You could do so much better
I think we should get together now
(And that's what everyone's talkin' about)
Hey, hey
You, you
I don't like your girlfriend
No way, no way
I think you need a new one
Hey, hey
You, you
I could be your girlfriend
Hey, hey
You, you
I know that you like me
No way, no way
No, it's not a secret
Hey, hey
You, you
I want to be your girlfriend.'"
I pushed him down into a chair and straddled him before he had the chance to react and smirked as I continued to sing, moving my hips with the rhythm.
"'(Oh)
In a second you'll be wrapped around my finger
Cause I can, 'cause I can do it better
There's no other, so when's it gonna sink in?
She's so stupid
What the hell were you thinkin'?
In a second you'll be wrapped around my finger
Cause I can, 'cause I can do it better
There's no other, so when's it gonna sink in?
She's so stupid
What the hell were you thinkin'?
Hey, hey
You, you
I don't like your girlfriend
No way, no wayI think you need a new one
Hey, hey
You, you
I could be your girlfriendNo way, no way
Hey, hey
You, you
I know that you like meNo way, no way
No, it's not a secret
Hey, hey
You, youI want to be your girlfriend
No way, no way
Hey, hey
You, youI don't like your girlfriend
No way, no way
I think you need a new oneHey, hey
You, you
I could be your girlfriend
No way, no wayHey, hey
You, you
I know that you like meNo way, no way
No, it's not a secret
Hey, hey
You, you
I want to be your girlfriend
No way, no way
Hey, hey!'"
I grinned and climbed off of him, before smirking at the look of shock on my face. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, proves my point."
"And what is your point?" Shane demanded.
"That even though he's dating little Miss Whatever, he still wants me."
"Why are you doing this?" Kyle asked me. "I thought you were done with James. You're acting like you actually have feelings for him."
"Well, you're wrong. I don't."
"Right…sure…that's why you're doing all this, that's why you've been all over him. Because you don't have feelings for him. What a load of bullshit."
At that moment, the timer went off, and Carlos knocked on the closet door. "You two can come out now, time's up!"
Lauren and Dak emerged from the closet. I eyed them, trying to see if I could figure out if they had done anything at all in there, but their faces were carefully blank.
Well, damn.
I opened my mouth, about to volunteer to go next, but before I could get the words out, Shane stepped over to me. "Katie, are you going to get your ass into the closet with me or not?"
Okay, then…I scurried into the closet and he followed me, slamming the door behind us.
"What the hell?" I hissed at him. "Why are we in here?"
"I wanted to talk to you, duh."
"About?"
"My brother."
"This ought to be fun."
"Shut the sarcasm away for the next seven minutes. Do you have feelings for him or not? And an honest answer would be nice."
"It may be nice, but that doesn't mean you're going to get one," I retorted, crossing my arms.
"Just tell me, Katie. Yes or no."
"How about maybe?"
Shane groaned. "You're going after James when he's taken. That reeks of someone who has feelings for someone else."
"It does not! Lauren's a bitch!"
"She's not a bitch."
"She threatened to bitch slap me!"
"Because you were all over her boyfriend. If you were all over Kyle, I'd probably consider it too."
"Kyle's gay. And I'm not into him."
"That's beside the point."
"Whatever. Look, how I feel, or do not feel about James isn't any of your business."
"It's my business when he's my brother."
"Well, can you keep your business out of my business?"
"How about you keep your business out of James' and Lauren's business?"
"How about you stop making stupid suggestions and leave me alone?"
Shane let out a huffy breath. "Why are you so fucking stubborn?!"
"I was born with it. What's your excuse?"
"I'm a Diamond."
"Right…"
"So, do you like James?"
"Would I make out with him repeatedly if I wouldn't?" I retorted.
"Beats the hell out of me. I warned him not to let you hurt him, you know. After you two kissed for the first time. You're dangerous, and you can hurt him so easily. So think about that before you do something else."
Before I could respond, there was a tap on the door and Carlos' voice echoed through the wood, "Your time's up."
Shane opened the door and slipped out. I paused for a long moment, before stepping out after him.
The game continued on, until I finally saw an opening and seized it. "James, do you still want me sexually or not?"
His face blanched, and then he grabbed my hand and dragged me into the closet.
Aha! Success!
"What?" he snarled at me once the door was shut securely behind us.
"What?" I replied. "You're the one who practically forced me into the closet. I knew you wanted to kiss me again, I just didn't realize how badly."
"You're unbelievable, you know that? You crash the party, insult my girlfriend repeatedly, and then manipulate me. Do you ever stop, or is it just your dream job to make everyone's life a living hell?"
"Well. If you're going to be like that, I guess I'll go out there and tell Lauren all about how I could get you to moan for me. I'll make sure she knows every single thing we ever did. And I'll be sure to add in the part where you'd dream about me, because we both know you did."
"You breathe anything of the sort to her, and I don't care what I have to do, I'll make sure your entire reputation goes down the drain."
"You really think blackmail's going to work on me?" I demanded, pressing myself up against him.
"It has before," he replied, voice getting lower and deeper. "So I don't know why it wouldn't work now."
"Screw you, Diamond."
"Right back at you, Knight." And then our lips were on each other's and he was lifting me up, my legs winding around his waist and he was backing me into the wall and oh my gosh this was the most perfect thing ever how could I ever let this go, how?! I must've been insane to ever let Sarah make that decision for me.
I whimpered as he deepened the kiss, forcing his tongue into my mouth, and my hands came up to entwine in his hair, tugging slightly. He groaned and repositioned his hands slightly so that he had a better grip on me.
I bit down on his bottom lip, and he returned the favor, earning a whine from me.
And then Carlos was knocking on the door, and James and I were breaking apart, panting hard.
"Holy fuck," he whispered. "That wasn't supposed to happen."
"I don't mind."
"I do! I have a girlfriend – "
"Who probably made out with Dak not even an hour ago," I pointed out.
"Not the point. We're us, and we don't do things just for the hell of it."
"She said herself that it's just a game. Now, move, so that we can get back out there."
Shaking his head, he headed back out, with me following close behind.
James immediately looked at Lauren. "Do you want to get out of here?"
She nodded. "Sure."
"See you guys later," he called to the rest of us, before taking her hand, and leading her out the door. A lump began to grow in my throat, and my eyes filled with tears. It didn't matter what had just happened in the closet, and it never would. The fact was, he had just chosen Lauren over me, and he always would, because she was everything I wasn't. Because he actually liked her. Because she was nice to him and didn't manipulate him. Because she wasn't me.
"It's almost midnight!" Shane cried, and I glanced at the living room clock. Sure enough, it was one minute to twelve. And it hit me at that moment that James was going to be kissing Lauren at midnight, as New Years rushed in, and there was nothing that I could do about it, nothing whatsoever.
And that's why, when the clock chimed midnight, I grabbed Jett and kissed him hard.
*Hides in closet* Please don't kill me! Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease don't kill me! There's a reason for the Katie/Jett kiss (*gag*), I promise! Also, killing the writer would put a hold on the story. So I'm really hoping you guys decide to just wait a little bit before, you know, going after me with torches and pitchforks...
I would ask for reviews, but I'm a little bit scared...If you have nice, happy things to say, go right ahead! If you don't...well, go ahead and cuss me out, because after this chapter, I probably deserve it. But once again, there's a reason for what happened in here (even if it wasn't actually planned)!