A/N: Sorry again about taking so much time to continue to the next chapter. For those who have been telling me to update my other stories, I plan to get to it...hopefully...
Chapter 8: Enjoy the Show
"Could that stupid machine be any louder?" Lucy groaned. "I'm trying to practice." She held up her electric guitar (not the one Scarlett had trashed) to reinforce her statement.
Scarlett looked up from her work, adjusting the half-rimmed glasses she had opted to wear that day. She had never found a dress she liked at the fitting, so she'd stopped at the beach house and packed the several trunks of her mother's old clothing into Nova's car.
Her aunt had ended up finding a gorgeous dress that Scarlett's mother had worn on the red carpet before a big music event. It was cool, but Scarlett was intent on making it look even better. She went through her luggage until she found her mini sewing machine and started working her magic.
"I'm sorry," Scarlett muttered, "But the party is in a few hours and I still haven't finished my outfit. You don't want me to go wearing nothing, do you?"
Lucy chuckled, plucking at her guitar. "That would be quite a show."
Scarlett shook her head in frustration and went back to her dress. Lucy set her guitar down on her mattress, standing so she faced Scarlett.
"You need to go take a break," Lucy commanded, motioning to the door. "Stress will ruin your work. You've got time, okay?"
Scarlett nodded slowly and ripped herself away from her masterpiece. Lucy was right. The only time she'd even stepped out of the bedroom was to take a shower. Scarlett stopped by their front door and picked the pair of pointy-toed pumps from the endless pairs of shoes that were piled near the entryway. The bright yellow leather made her feel more awake.
In the lobby, she spotted the smoothie beverage cart. There was one last cherry-lemonade slushie, her favorite flavor. She strode past the front desk while checking her watch as she walked. Maybe she could get her dress done on time.
Scarlett reached for the plastic cup just as someone else did. The arm was tanned and buff and belonged to James Diamond. She glanced up in surprise, causing a smug, teasing grin to spread across his face.
"Were you about to...?" he trailed off, motioning to the slushie.
"Yes, so you're going to have to find another—"
James cut her off, wrapping his fingers around the cold beverage cup and bringing it to his ever-so-pink lips. Scarlett's mouth dropped open .
"What the hell, James?" Scarlett exclaimed in annoyance. She couldn't hide the faintest tinge of a smile she was wearing.
"Guess you can't have it now, can you?" he teased, biting his lip flirtatiously. He was caught off guard when Scarlett snatched the cup from him.
Scarlett licked the rim of the cup, finished of the slushie, and smiled victoriously. She tilted her head challengingly and her bangs fell across her eyes.
James shook his head, laughing. "You just licked my saliva."
"Yeah, so?"
"I think that's the closest we've ever come to kissing," he pointed out, moving subtly closer. Scarlett reddened and turned away.
"Um...I-I should really get back...to what I'm doing," Scarlett stuttered nervously. She managed to regain her composure and say, "Maybe we can continue this at the party tonight...?"
James smiled. "I'd like that."
Scarlett smiled back and turned towards the stairs. James watched her little hips sway as she walked away, plotting his next move.
BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR
"Scarlett, we are officially beyond the bounds of being fashionably late!"
Scarlett breathed out an exhausted sigh, sending her wispy bangs flying into the air like leaves swept up by an autumn wind. There was a glamorous gaggle of girls waiting for her in Lucy's living room and she still hadn't finished sewing her dress.
"I'll be there in a sec!" Scarlett called back to Camille. Scarlett knew this was a bold-faced lie. She hadn't done her makeup or her hair and, at that moment, she had absolutely nothing to wear.
"Hold on, just hold..." Scarlett trailed off when she noticed that Mercedes, Lucy, Camille, and Stephanie were all staring at her through the doorway. Scarlett grinned sheepishly, fiddling with her double-fingered, handlebar-mustache ring.
Mercedes teetered into the room on her four-inch heels and sat down on Lucy's bed.
"Honey," Mercedes began, "It doesn't seem like you're going to be finished anytime soon. Our ride is outside right now."
Scarlett slid her glasses off and rubbed her temples feverishly. "You know, you guys should just go without me. I can catch up with you later."
"Are you sure?" Stephanie asked in concern. "I wouldn't mind staying behind to help you get ready."
"Yeah, me neither," Mercedes added, trying to be supportive. Scarlett was unconvinced. Mercedes never deliberately missed a chance to let her party animal out.
"Please, go have fun," Scarlett objected with a wave of her hand, "I'll be there before you know it." While Mercedes inwardly screamed with glee, the other girls unwillingly left Scarlett to her work.
A stitch or two later, Scarlett was posing in front of the bathroom mirror in her newly-completed party dress, feeling pretty effing proud of herself. She had applied a bit of makeup to her delicate features, spritzed herself with Chanel No. 5, and picked out a pair of heels all in under five minutes.
Scarlett stared at her flat, shoulder-length bob in the mirror, running a few fingers through the sleek strands. Straight wasn't working for her. It was time for a change. Scarlett pulled open the cabinet above her and reached in, pulling out a bottle of hair dye and a plastic bag full of curlers.
"Time to do some damage," Scarlett thought aloud, scissors in hand.
BTRBTRBTRBTRBTRBTR
"Oooh, I love this song! So glad you invited me!" Camille exclaimed. She and Logan were dancing together in the corner of the hot new Hollywood hotspot, Zeppelin.
Logan laughed as his girlfriend started doing the Bernie Mac. "Who else would I have brought?"
Camille swung her arms up and down to the beat, urging her boyfriend to dance along with her. Logan didn't dance. He was more the guy that did the side-to-side, awkward step-touch.
Camille pulled Logan's face close to her own and kissed him passionately. She felt his warm hand slide down her back, smiling into the smooch.
The commotion of the club stopped for a moment and all heads turned towards the entrance. Camille and Logan pulled apart to see what was going on.
James and Carlos, who had been dancing with some ladies up front, turned to witness the clubs doors opening. A delighted smile spread across James' face when he spotted a curly head of platinum blond.
"Wow," he breathed, suddenly feeling out of breath. Scarlett's slender body was poured into a flirty, deep red dress with a flouncy skirt that grazed her tattooed thighs as she moved.
The dress hung off of her shoulders, clinging to her long arms. The neckline plunged provocatively to her breastbone. Her pale, porcelain shoulders and neck were just asking to be kissed. Her once-plain hairdo was gone, replaced by a head of bouncy blonde curls, hints of black locks peeking out.
Camille raised her eyebrows, slightly miffed. Scarlett managed to be sexy without even trying: the way she simply stood there, daring the entire male population not to rip her clothes of on the spot.
Camille glanced up at her boyfriend and was extremely pleased to find that her boyfriend was gazing right back at her. He squeezed her dainty hand tenderly.
Scarlett took a deep breath and took in the high energy of the club. The 808 was pulsing as the speakers throbbed and the flashing lights were making her dizzy. Dizzy in a good way.
Scarlett's aunt, her ride to the club opening, tapped Scarlett on the forearm. "I'm just gonna check in our coats," she yelled over the ear-drum-bursting music. Scarlett nodded and stepped in tentatively. Almost immediately, she was ambushed by Mercedes.
"Omigod, you look so kah-yoot!" Mercedes screeched, hopping up and down. Scarlett giggled as Mercedes continued to gush.
Lucy and Stephanie came up behind them, both wielding glasses of punch. "You're finally here!" Lucy remarked. She gave Scarlett a once-over of approval before dragging her and the rest of the girls over to their booth.
"I'll go get the others," Stephanie said, leaving the table. One by one, the members of BTR—along with their guests—trickled into the seats. The fit was tight, but the Jennifers had managed to find a way to conserve space. Stephanie stared dejectedly at the curly-haired Jennifer sitting in Carlos' lap.
James glanced around from his seat next to Kendall and noticed that Scarlett had retired to the next table, obviously not loving the crowd at their own. She looked lonely and hot as hell, a combination James loved. Going in for the kill, he thought, adjusting his collar.
"'Scuse me," he interrupted, climbing over the table. Dark-haired Jennifer shrieked as James moved past her. She was obviously already drunk.
Scarlett felt someone's hands go over her glasses, blinding her sight. The person leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Hey, sexy" in a low voice.
"I know that's you, James," Scarlett replied, peeling James' fingers from her glasses. She smiled like a tease and patted the spot next to her on the table. James gladly accepted the seat.
"You're looking nice yourself," Scarlett said, admiring James' Armani suit, "You clean up really nice. I'm impressed."
"How impressed?" James pressed, taking one of Scarlett's curls in his hands. He leaned in slowly as Scarlett cocked her head ever so slightly to the left. Scarlett knew that James knew what he was doing and she was thinking about just maybe letting him do it...
The sound of Nova clearing her throat caused the teens to spring apart. "Hi," Nova said tersely, her eyebrows raised. She gave them both stern looks.
"We'll see you later, auntie," Scarlett mumbled briskly. She gripped James' hand and led him out to the dance floor to avoid a scolding from her aunt.
"Let's dance," Scarlett yelled out over the music. She slid her hands down to James' wrists and let go, spinning around like a top. James' eyes traveled over her lanky legs as her skirt flew up and puffed out like an umbrella. Her glasses were falling off her nose, but she didn't seem to have a care in the world.
Logan, who had completely disengaged from the conversation his girlfriend was having with Lucy, found himself watching Scarlett and James in the middle of the dance floor.
The more furiously Scarlett's hips moved, the closer James grew to her. Logan felt extremely annoyed by this and, for the life him, he couldn't figure out why. He ripped his eyes away from them. It was too frustrating to think about.
A little while later, everyone met up at the booth to eat. They were all waiting for drinks and chatting about what they thought of the club. Scarlett was sitting on the edge of the booth seat, trying not to fall out.
"So when are you guys performing?" Stephanie asked curiously. Her ebony tresses were hanging around her shoulders; she'd been dancing all night with Carlos and her up-do was now more of a down-do.
"It shouldn't be too long now," Kendall replied, taking a crispy, golden fry from the appetizer plate of them in the middle of the table. "That's when all the journalists and vloggers start flooding in."
"Don't forget the hipsters," Lucy added.
"Scarlett, are you performing?" Blonde Jennifer asked, almost looking genuinely interested.
"Uh, no, I don't plan on it," Scarlett replied, looking away. "This is BTR's night. Plus, my voice is pretty rusty, so I'd sound pretty bad…"
"Yeah, you'd probably be a hot mess anyway…" Blonde Jennifer murmured, holding in giggles.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Please, as if you're any better. You would suck ass if you were in her place."
The Jennifers huffed haughtily, ignoring the rocker's comment. Lucy smiled and stuck a fry into her mouth.
"Scarlett, don't be so modest," James insisted, "We all know you'd sound amazing up there." He nudged her gently and she tucked a curl behind her studded ear.
Scarlett smiled and the corners of her blood-red lips turned up. "You're too sweet, James," she laughed, laying her head on James' shoulder, "Seriously, stop it."
"Aww, look at them," Camille whispered to her boyfriend, shaking her head, "They are so cute together. Don't you think so, Logie?"
Logan's head snapped up upon hearing his name. He had managed to drown out everything that had been said in the last five minutes. "What did you say?" he asked, facing his girlfriend.
Camille made a face. "I said, aren't James and Scarlett adorable?"
She blinked at him expectantly. Logan didn't want to admit it; he didn't think the two complimented each other at all. Every time they acted all chummy together, he felt an irritating twinge in the pit of his stomach.
He opened his mouth to respond, but before he was able to, Scarlett blurted out, "I'm gonna go look for my aunt. She's been in the bathroom for ages." She stood up and stretched her arms.
"Scarlett, behind you!" Carlos piped up, pointing in the direction over her shoulder. The waiter had emerged from the bar with a tray of drinks in hand and Scarlett, not knowing this, whirled around just in time to crash into him. The tray fell from his hands when Scarlett turned and her shoulder knocked into it.
Crystal tumblers filled to their rims with frothy, golden liquid smashed as they hit the ground, shattering. Unfortunately, the bulk of the bevy had ended up all over the front of Scarlett's frock.
"Crap! I am so sorry," Scarlett apologized profusely. She stooped down beside the waiter who was now on his knees. When she attempted to help with the mess, he waved her away.
"Do you know how much those things cost?" he asked angrily. His eye twitched sporadically as he screamed at her. "This might just cost me my job!"
Mercedes stood up in her seat and glared menacingly at the waiter. "Do you know who you're speaking to?" she gnarled in a pinched voice.
The waiter scoffed. "Who is that?"
Mercedes smiled wickedly. "The daughter of the guy who is funding this opening party. And with a mouth like that, I could get you fired on the spot just for talking to my friend the way you did."
Carlos whooped, cheering Mercedes on. Stephanie buried her head in her arms and pretended she wasn't associated with the people at the table.
The waiter's face blanched and he backed away, stumbling over his own feet. "Sorry, miss," he murmured, embarrassed, "I'll bring you your drinks right away. On the house."
Mercedes nodded; she was satisfied. As the waiter scurried away, Mercedes squeezed out of the booth. The glass crunched under her stilettos as she removed her studded leather Burberry Prorsum jacket and handed it to her soaked friend.
"Use it to cover the stain," she instructed, fixing the collar.
"Thanks, Mercedes." Scarlett sat down on her edge of the booth and sighed. "I don't think I could be more of a klutz," she complained. She crossed her arms and laid her head on them, burying her face in the table.
"Well, yeah, but that's what we love about you," Lucy persisted, patting Scarlett on the back. Scarlett just groaned louder.
Not too long after that, various bottles of alcohol started littering the table. Waiter after waiter had been bringing them to the teens after Mercedes' outburst. When Nova finally made it back to the booth, all of the labels had been peeled off the bottles.
"What up with the alcohol?" she asked, her hands on her hips.
"A waiter spilled our drinks on Scarlett," Camille began.
"So Mercedes yelled at him for being rude," Lucy continued.
"And we scored free drinks all night!" Mercedes squealed, grabbing a bottle of Absolut Vodka by the neck.
"I don't think so," Nova said. She snatched the bottle from Mercedes' grip and gathered the rest of them into her arms.
"Auntie, what are you doing?" Scarlett asked in exasperation. Most of the time, Nova was totally laid-back. When her strict side came out, it was a little scary.
"Returning these to the bar," she shouted, heading towards the front. When she was out of earshot, Mercedes dove under the table and grabbed her purse.
"Good thing I saved one," she giggled, revealing a bottle of Grey Goose, "I'm gonna go tell our waiter to deliver our free drinks to my daddy's table. We'll grab them from there."
Logan didn't get what was so great about underage drinking. All of them were too young for it anyway. He'd never been the type who bothered to break the rules.
"You wanna dance while we wait for our food, Camille?" Logan asked. He was desperate to get out of the booth.
Camille took her boyfriend's hand and he led her out of the booth. "Let's do it," she replied, shaking out her glossy, brown ringlets.
"Scream and Shout" by Will. and Britney Spears started blaring through the speakers. "Ugh, the lyrics are horrible, but the beat is so infectious!" Mercedes yelled over the song. "Let's go dance, everyone!" Mercedes coaxed everyone out of the booth and onto the dance floor.
Scarlett threw her hands up in the air and lost herself in the music. She and Mercedes sang along to every single song, even if they didn't know the words. The tattoos covering Scarlett's legs danced around as she moved. Foreheads glistened with perspiration and hearts were thumping like the 808.
The sound of feedback screeched and all heads turned towards the stage. One of the waitresses smiled sheepishly, wielding a microphone. She tapped on it cautiously before speaking into it:
"Big Time Rush will be performing in five minutes, guys!" she exclaimed. "Get excited!" The crowd went abuzz with chatter, wondering what song the band would be showcasing. Through all of the noise, Scarlett heard her friend silently utter "Uh-oh."
"What's wrong?"Scarlett inquired. She glanced around the club, struggling to follow her friend's gaze.
Mercedes raised her arm and pointed towards back. Carlos was on the ground, clutching his leg and writhing around in pain. Stephanie was bent down over him. The piteous look she was wearing as she rubbed his arm was kind of sweet.
Scarlett and Mercedes rushed over. Their high heels clacked as they raced towards Carlos.
"Carlos, can you move your leg?" Logan asked. He had immediately gone into doctor mode upon discovering his best friend's injury.
"Not really," he croaked. He carefully pulled up his pant leg and revealed his ankle. Everyone breathed in sharply; his ankle had swelled up to the size of a grapefruit. Logan touched the injury and in response, Carlos bit down on his bottom lip to keep from swearing.
"I don't think it's broken, just sprained," Logan diagnosed. James and Kendall grabbed Carlos by the arms and hoisted him up on the count of three. Carlos fussed powerlessly.
"How'd this happen anyway?" Mercedes inquired. Everyone looked towards Stephanie, who'd been dancing with Carlos.
She shrugged helplessly. "He was trying to break dance—"
"Trust me, that's all we need to know," Lucy interrupted. Carlos was pretty predictable.
Logan sighed and shook his head. "We gotta get him to the hospital," he decided, taking Camille's hand.
"It's okay, really," Carlos insisted persistently, "I wanna stay and perform with you guys."
"No, you need to get a cast and maybe some crutches," Kendall said. He slung Carlos' arm over his own shoulder to keep him up.
"Yeah, forget about the performance," James added.
Carlos made a pouty face. "This wouldn't have happened if I'd been wearing my helmet," he grumbled.
"Helmet's don't go on your ankles," Curly-haired Jennifer pointed out.
Mercedes leaned towards her. "I think he might have landed on his head one too many times."
Nova, who had just received a text from her niece, flew to the scene. "Okay, who's hurt?" she panted, her cheeks flushed red. Carlos raised his hand tentatively. Nova nodded. "Let's move out, people."
Stephanie announced she was going along, too. "Wait!" Scarlett broke in, causing everyone to pause. "If you guys are leaving," she continued, "Who's performing?"
No one spoke for a moment. They had completely forgotten about that when Carlos got hurt.
"Hey, why don't you sing?" James suggested. It took Scarlett a couple of seconds to realize he'd been speaking to her.
"W-what?" she stammered, "You're kidding, right?" She felt jittery and on edge all of a sudden.
"Scarlett, please, just do this for us," Logan pleaded. The way her green eyes were burning through his own had almost made him say "just do this for me."
Lucy glimpsed at Scarlett to see her anxious countenance. She stepped forward, putting her hand on the pale-haired girl's shoulder.
"I'll go up with you," she offered, "It'll be fine."
After a hesitant silence that seemed to last forever, Scarlett agreed. "Let's go before I change my mind," she grunted. She and Lucy then started towards the front of the club..
"Hold on a sec," James said softly to Kendall. He broke away from his friends and caught up with Scarlett. She gazed at him questioningly.
James stood awkwardly in front of her with his hands together before proceeding to ambush Scarlett in a warm embrace. After the initial shock wore off, she melted into the hug.
James pulled away after a second or two. He smiled a goofy grin and ran his fingers through his bangs, messing them all up. "You're gonna do great," he murmured. He ran off in the other direction just as the bloggers and photographers started flooding in. You could tell by the excessive denim and the lack of mainstream brands.
"Scarlett, come on!" Lucy whispered, peeking out from behind the curtain. Scarlett clomped up the stairs and stepped backstage to join her. The club employees crowded around her.
"What's going on? Where's BTR?" one asked.
Lucy and Scarlett shared uneasy glances. "Uh, one of them got hurt and they all left to get him taken care of," Lucy replied, smiling politely.
"This is a disaster? Who's gonna sing now?!" another wailed.
"We are," Scarlett announced, "Don't worry, we've got this under control. Just let us handle it."
Lucy pointed to the guitar sitting in the corner with a bunch of other instruments. "Can I borrow that?"
A timid bartender stepped forward. "Go right ahead," she answered, "Just as long as you be careful with it." She unlocked the case and let Lucy pick it up and sling the strap over her shoulders.
"Scarlett, you need anything?" Lucy asked.
Scarlett's mind went blank. She didn't even know what she was singing. "Just grab me the keyboard. I'll tell you the chords when I cue you." Scarlett hurried out onto the stage and grabbed the microphone from its stand, silencing the deafening crowd.
"Hey, unfortunately, BTR isn't able to perform," Scarlett began. The crowd made some noises of disappointment and annoyance.
"...But that doesn't mean we don't have any entertainment for you tonight," she finished, smiling mischievously. Without delay, two waiters carried out a pair of stools the instruments in tow. A waitress set up an extra microphone stand at the edge of the stage.
Scarlett uttered a silent thanks. Lucy sat down beside her on her stool, positioning the borrowed guitar in her lap. "So what are we performing?" she whispered, tuning the instrument.
Scarlett thought for a moment. "Do you remember the song you had to learn for my tour audition?"
Lucy snorted. "How could I forget it? It was one of the only songs by you that I actually liked," she returned. "Just gimme my cue when you're ready."
"Great," Scarlett breathed. She peered out into the audience, seeing no familiar faces but the Jennifer's. That was the way she preferred it. When you were performing in front of people you didn't know, it was more comforting. You didn't have to deal with the face-to-face backlash the next day.
Scarlett cleared her throat. "Hi, uh, my talented guitarist here is named Lucy Stone and my name is Scarlett"-Scarlett paused, suddenly hesitant to introduce herself as the same person she was a year ago-"Scarlett Spade."
Lucy flashed her a bewildered look. Scarlett ignored it. "The song I'm singing is called 'Help, I'm Alive'," Scarlett continued. "I wrote it a while ago, but I can still relate to it. It's about being afraid." Kinda like I am now, she silently added.
Scarlett nodded at Lucy. She lifted her guitar pick and softly strummed at the strings. Scarlett placed her fingertips on the Yamaha keyboard, taking a deep breath and leaning towards her mic. The first verse of the song left her lips:
"I tremble,
They're gonna eat me alive,
If I stumble,
They're gonna eat me alive."
Teenagers in the crowd were swaying from side to side with the glowing screens of their iPhones thrust into the air. A wave of relief washed over Scarlett; no one was chucking rotten tomatoes yet. She closed her eyes and proceeded with the song.
"Can you feel my heart beating like a hammer...
Beating like a hammer..."
Scarlett beat on her chest with the side of her fist, creating a slow, steady rhythm. A girl with a fiery pixie cut in the front row raised her camcorder and began recording. A million tweets a minute were being sent into cyberspace.
"Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer,
Hard to be soft, tough to be tender,
Come take my pulse, the pace is on a runaway train,
Help, I'm alive, my heart keeps beating like a hammer..."
The slow melody of the song suddenly turned upbeat as they neared the bridge.
"If you're still alive,
My regrets are few,
If my life is mine,
What shouldn't I do?
I get wherever I'm going,
I get whatever I need,
While my blood's still flowing,
And my heart still beats..."
The chorus repeated and the song ended, the entire club sitting their in scary stillness. Then the audience broke into uproarious applause. Scarlett exhaled; she'd been holding her breath and she hadn't even noticed. She looked down into the crowd, her glasses sliding down her nose.
Scarlett smiled a big, toothy grin and hugged Lucy gratefully. "Thank you so much," she cried over the chattering.
"Come on, that was all you," Lucy said humbly. She stood up and grabbed Scarlett by the arm, bowing together. The crowd roared for an encore.
Scarlett clutched the microphone by its stem and shouted, "You guys wanna hear another one?"
The crowded yelled enthusiastically. The decision was unanimous. Scarlett beamed and counted back from three to begin another song.
A/N: I will update this story soon, I've already started on the next chapter. It's gonna be awesome, I promise :)