(A/N): I can't believe this story is already over a year old… It seemed like just yesterday that I came up with this idea. And we're not even close to the end of these twists and turns! I'd really like to thank all of you that have stuck out with this story for so long. Whether you read it back when I started it to just finding it, I appreciate all of it! And thank you to these people for your reviews: Awesmazing (Yeah, just a little… And you know what they say about cats and water….), Milkamoo97 (You've been reading since like the beginning! And reviewing for almost every chapter! That's just awesome! And I wanna thank you for that!), Cryss'BTRusher (I know! I missed you on the last chapter! Katrina's just stubborn, isn't she? Always wanting to do things her way. Poor leg. As for the hints, they've led up to this!), Dreamer1992 (Thank you so much for continuing to guess! It's fun to see what people are thinking about my clues. The hints become clear in this chapter!), SpiderDhan (Awww! Thank you! Well, from the story… I guess I can say that my characters thank you… Figuratively of course since they're locked up in my head.), Shattered Past (I hope this was soon enough for you!), Dibs on Logan (Yes… Big Time Girlfriends is the next episode, but it's not in this chapter. It might start in the next one. Depending on how long I make it.), Witch Demigoddess (Since this is a BTR fic, Katrina and Alex have like no chance to be together. But how I wish I was her at that moment… Unfortunately, Logan's reason will have to wait cause I always put at least one chapter of original material in between episodes. Big Time Girlfriends might be in the next one though. And yes, I am going to keep this up through Big Time Movie and season 3 even though I'll be improvising most of it at that point… Well, not really cause I'm already planning through the episodes now. I'll probably introduce another OC and/or plot twist in the middle of season 2 and then again at the beginning of season 3. I was even thinking about having one of those voting contests again… Once I develop some plot twists or OCs with their own plot twists.), LilyHeartsJamesxxx (Once again, this is a BTR fic and while I think that Katrina and Alex would be good together, her fate has already been decided.) and magooyi (I'm not sure when you'll be reading this since you just started reading, but thank you for the complements! Yeah, the tragedy is sad. I was crying while writing it so don't feel bad about crying while reading it. And that's a lot of chapters to read in a day! Then again… Once I read an entire Harry Potter book in a day so I guess once you get into something that you like, you can't just stop!) Once again, I don't own Big Time Rush. I also don't own the song Private Parts by Halestorm. And now, enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 66: Project Drama
"Okay class," Miss Collins addressed the students in front of her. "Today will begin a week long project." The students groaned. "Because of a difference in ages, I'll be dividing the class up in two. The younger kids will be getting one type of assignment which they will have to work on their own. The older kids will have a different assignment where they will be in pairs." All of the older kids stared at Logan, ready to spring up and grab him as their partner. "Which will be picked at random." This caused them to groan again. "Anyone fifteen or older is in the older group while the others are in the younger group." Logan raised his hand. "Yes, Logan?"
"Miss Collins," Logan began. "What exactly are these projects about?"
"I was getting to that," Miss Collins assured him. She turned to face the chalkboard to write the one word that both projects would be based off of, "Babies. Both of these projects will be about babies." The students stared at her for a second.
Suddenly, all the guys in the room screamed in terror causing the girls to jump in shock. Miss Collins shook her head slightly before grabbing some papers from her desk. She passed the papers out to the younger kids.
"Kids, your projects are research," Miss Collins explained. "Using the internet, you're to look up how much it'll cost to raise a baby. From diapers to milk to clothes to toys, you'll have to add up all of those costs. On the piece of paper I handed out, it says how much of these items an average baby needs and the official directions of this project. Any questions?" No one raised their hand. "Good. You're dismissed so I can give the teens their project." The kids, including Katie, rushed out of the room with their stuff.
"I have a bad feeling that I know what this project's going to be," Evan mumbled.
"Teens," Miss Collins addressed them with a smile. Reaching behind her desk, she pulled out a baby carrier with a mechanical baby doll in it. "Welcome to parenthood." This time, the girls joined the guys in the screaming. Once they stopped, Miss Collins continued, holding up a basket filled with slips of paper. "I've written down the names of all the girls in this basket. Boys, pick your partners." She placed the basket on Evan's desk first. He hesitated, but then reached in to grab the first one.
"Camille," Evan read the name from the slip of paper. No one moved after this announcement. Eyes were watching Logan, Katrina, Camille and Evan, waiting for one of them to make a move. Everyone stared, except for Kendall who happened to notice that Jo looked guilty all of a sudden.
"It's just a project," Camille broke the silence. "It's not like it means anything other than a grade." Jo chuckled softly causing Camille to glare at her. Kendall narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
Kendall didn't get to say a word though because the basket was placed on his desk next. He smiled at the piece of paper, "I got Jo." The couple smiled at each other.
After a few more boys picked, including Jett who ended up with a Jennifer, the basket landed on Logan's desk. He took a deep breath as he pulled a paper out. As soon as he read it, he let out a breath, "Katrina." The room went quiet again as Camille turned to glare at Katrina.
"Oh, come on!" Katrina told Camille. "I didn't plan this! If I did, do you really think I'd put you with my brother?"
"Good point," Camille responded, looking forward again.
Once the rest of the boys picked, Carlos and James getting the other two Jennifers, Miss Collins addressed the class, "You'll be picking out your babies tomorrow. I suggest you go over the instructions with your partners before then." She passed out some papers. "Class dismissed." The teens rushed out of the classroom.
Carlos, James and Jett were pulled away by the Jennifers leaving Kendall, Logan, Katrina, Evan, Jo and Camille standing in the lobby. The six of them stood there awkwardly, not really wanting to say anything that could offend someone else.
"So," Logan spoke first. "Katrina, we should probably look these instructions over." Katrina nodded and the two of them left, Logan rolling Katrina's wheelchair towards the elevators.
"We should go too," Camille told Evan. As they walked off, Jo stared after them with her eyes narrowed. Kendall noticed this and raised his eyebrows.
Before Kendall could ask about it, Jo grabbed him, "Come on. We're spying on them." She tried to pull Kendall after Evan and Camille, but he wouldn't move.
"What's going on?" Kendall was finally able to ask. "I'm not moving until you tell me why we need to follow them."
Jo sighed, "Well, she didn't tell me I couldn't tell YOU. Let's do this in the closet. This can't get out." She pulled Kendall into the supply closet, shutting the door after them. Kendall crossed his arms as he stared at her expectantly. "I don't know how to put this in a good way so I'm just gonna blurt it out. Camille kissed Evan."
"What?" Kendall exclaimed. "My best friend's girlfriend kissed my cousin whose sister likes that same best friend! This is-" Kendall stopped as a smile grew on his face. "Perfect. I've gotta tell Logan. This'll give him his reason to break up with Camille." Kendall tried to leave, but Jo stopped him.
"There are some problems with that," Jo mentioned. "See, I promised Camille that I wouldn't tell Logan OR Katrina about this unless she kissed him again. And I'm thinking that if she kissed him once, she'll kiss him again. We just have to catch it cause she probably won't tell me. Which is why we need to follow her."
"But you didn't promise that I wouldn't tell them," Kendall replied. "So, I can tell them without breaking your promise."
"You realize that this could ruin Evan's life here," Jo reminded him. "And Evan's a flight risk. If he thinks that Katrina hates him, he'll run and you'll never be able to find him again. We have to do this delicately."
"Okay, you have a point there," Kendall admitted. "I guess we can do this your way." He followed Jo out of the closet.
"So," Camille began as she looked over the instruction sheet for the project. She was sitting on the couch in Evan's apartment. Evan was in the kitchen, getting drinks for the two of them. "This is a simple project. Once we get our baby, we'll have to do normal baby things with it. Change the diaper, give it a bottle, play with it. Those sort of things. One of us will have to take it at night because it doesn't shut off at night."
"Or you can spend the night here and we won't have to worry about who takes it," Evan suggested, sitting down right next to her and placing the drinks on the coffee table. Camille looked at him in disbelief and he waggled his eyebrows.
"Evan, I'm still with Logan," Camille reminded him.
"The key word there was 'still'," Evan responded. "You know, he stopped my sister from kissing a member of her favorite band and she didn't kill him for it. They're getting closer. Soon, he's gonna get the guts to dump you and you'll have missed your chance to be with me."
"Let me get this straight," Camille replied. "The only way a girl can be with you is if she's dating someone else or is a challenge to get?" Evan nodded. "Why?"
Evan's eye twitched, "Because that's my type." Camille narrowed her eyes, scanning the blonde for the truth.
Suddenly, Camille smiled sympathetically, "A girl cheated on you and broke your heart, didn't she?"
Evan's smile disappeared as he glared at Camille, "I've never been cheated on. As for Emily, she's none of your business. Now, get out." Camille stared at him in surprise. "I SAID GET OUT!" Evan pointed at the door. Camille rushed for the door, shutting it after her.
She scratched her head, "Who's Emily?" Camille looked over at the door to 2J. "Katrina might know." She placed her hand on the doorknob for a second, but then pulled back.
That's when Kendall and Jo showed up. Kendall crossed his arms and glared at Camille as Jo spoke to her, "Where's Evan?"
"He kind of kicked me out," Camille revealed. The other two raised their eyebrows, waiting for more. "I think I might have brought up a sensitive topic. I asked him if a girl broke his heart and he yelled for me to get out."
Jo opened her mouth to say something, but her phone buzzed. Looking down at it, she groaned, "I gotta go shoot a scene." She turned to Kendall. "We'll have to look over the project later. See you tonight?" Kendall nodded and Jo kissed him on the cheek before she left.
Kendall turned to Camille with a smirk, "And now I get to do things my way. Camille, I know about you and Evan."
"Jo," Camille mumbled angrily.
"Yep," Kendall confirmed. "So, unless you want Logan and Katrina to find out about this, you're going to do exactly what I say. First, you're going to go in there and ask Katrina about this broken heart thing because you've made me curious. And second, after this week is over, you are going to either break-up with Logan or give him a reason to break-up with you."
"There's no choice that'll let me stay with Logan?" Camille asked.
"No," Kendall replied. "Because Logan, Katrina and Evan are ALL going to be mad at you if I tell Logan and Katrina what you did with Evan." Camille sighed and led Kendall into apartment 2J. Logan and Katrina looked up from where they were going over the instructions for the upcoming project at the kitchen table.
"Hey, what's going on?" Logan asked.
"Katrina," Camille sat down beside the model. "I've got something to ask you." Katrina raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but nodded her head, agreeing to hear the question. "Did something happen to Evan?"
"Our parents and siblings are dead," Katrina reminded Camille.
"I mean something else," Camille specified. "Something that has to do with someone named Emily."
Suddenly, Katrina waved her arms around, yelling, "DON'T SAY THAT NAME!" Kendall, Logan and Camille jumped and stared at her in surprise.
"Why can't we say Emily?" Kendall asked.
"DON'T SAY IT!" Katrina insisted. "ESPECIALLY AROUND EVAN!"
"But Evan's the one that said her name," Camille pointed out.
"Really?" Katrina seemed confused. "But he made ALL of us promise to never say her name! That hypocrite!"
"So, who is she?" Logan asked.
Katrina sighed, "Okay, I'll tell you the story, but no one will speak of this once I'm finished. Evan's probably gonna be thinking about her which means he'll be upset which means I'll have to go see him after this. Now, where are Carlos and James? I'm not repeating this."
Suddenly, the door opened and Carlos and James walked in, horrified looks on their faces.
"How was spending time with the Jennifers?" Kendall asked.
"They made us carry their purses at the mall," Carlos told the people gathered in the room.
"Do you KNOW how many people saw us?" James exclaimed.
"And they were buying baby stuff," Carlos added.
"And talking about play dates with the babies," James finished. The two boys shivered.
"How can dolls have play dates?" Katrina asked. James and Carlos shrugged.
"Sit down," Logan suggested. "Katrina's about to tell us something."
"Cool, story time!" Carlos exclaimed as he and James joined the others around the dining table.
"Which you will NEVER REPEAT!" Katrina insisted.
"What if-" James started.
"NEVER!" Katrina interrupted.
"But-" Carlos tried.
"DON'T REPEAT IT!" Katrina screamed. "Not even if an international spy holds you captive, presses a gun up against your head and threatens to blow your head off if you don't say it!" The others stared at her. "I mean it. This story is the reason why Evan's a flirt, super protective and so invested in getting revenge on the Zizi for killing our family. I want all of you to promise me that you won't say a word to ANYONE!"
"We promise," the other five agreed.
"When Evan was ten, he met Emily," Katrina began the story. "They were in the park and Evan was running around, playing some game, when he tripped over her. She had been lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. The two of them hit it off fast. Emily became everything to him within two or three weeks. He would spend less time with me and Brandon and more time with her. They did everything together, but they were happiest when they were in the park, staring up at the sky. I never got it, but Evan always said it was their thing." Katrina was actually starting to tear up as she told the story. "Evan introduced us after four weeks. He brought her home. She always seemed sad and, at the time, I thought it was because Evan was dragging her around like he used to do to me. Emily-"
Katrina paused, looking down at her twiddling fingers, "Emily preferred to stand back and watch. She would watch Evan's games, my modeling poses, Vergil's acting and anything we could think of. We offered to let her play, but she never joined in. It wasn't long before Evan and Emily became a couple. Even at that young age, they were nuts over each other."
"Then came a cold day in December," Katrina went on. "Actually, that whole week had been cold. It was so cold that it could have snowed. I remember pressing my face up against the window in our living room, watching the sky and hoping for snowflakes to fall." Katrina bit her lip slightly. "Emily was over. Evan paced in the living room, ranting about some big game on TV when Emily said those three big words to him. I love you. Evan stopped talking and stared at her. I pretended to be interested in looking through the window, but I was eavesdropping. He waited a second before he said it too. And in the corner of my eye, I saw them kiss. I think they had forgotten I was in the room. Emily left not long after that."
Katrina stared off into the distance, still as stone. The boys and Camille waited for Katrina to continue. A single tear ran down Katrina's face. "We never saw her again."
"Do you know what happened?" Carlos asked.
"When Emily didn't call or drop by or show up at her and Evan's meeting place at the park, Evan went to her house," Katrina explained. "Emily's mother answered the door and told him that Emily died of cancer."
"Oh my God!" Camille exclaimed, putting her hand over her mouth.
"That young?" Kendall seemed surprised.
"Actually, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in children," Logan gave one of his medical facts. "Do you know what kind?"
"Brain cancer," Katrina mentioned. "Evan beat himself up after this. He became overprotective. When this first happened, he wouldn't let me touch anything that could cause me to get hurt. Evan became a flirt because he vowed he could never love another after Emily. He hasn't gotten close to another girl since."
"But it's been eight years!" James pointed out. "He should move on!"
"Don't you remember your first crush?" Katrina asked. "And Evan and Emily seemed made for each other. I should go see him. Logan, can you help me with the doors?" Logan got to his feet to roll Katrina's wheelchair to the door and the two of them left the apartment.
"That family can't seem to catch a break," Carlos realized.
"I'm a part of that family," Kendall reminded him.
"Which means that things are crazy along with dangerous," Camille realized. The three guys glared at her. "What? It's the truth!" The guys seemed to agree.
Big Time Rush and Wolff Pack headed into the practice room at Rocque Records. Gustavo and Kelly were waiting for them. Evan had been quiet the entire ride and none of the others had said a word about his broken heart. Gustavo seemed happy for some reason.
"Dogs, cat, wolf, goat! You're finally here!" Gustavo exclaimed. "I've got songs for you."
"Gustavo," Katrina spoke first. "I don't think this is a good time to work on songs."
"WHY NOT?" Gustavo screamed.
Suddenly, the song What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts rang in the air. The group looked over at Evan who had started playing the song on his phone. He sighed as he sunk down to the floor, staring at his phone.
"That's like the fifth time that he's played that," James mentioned.
"What's wrong with him?" Kelly asked.
"He was reminded of E-" Carlos started.
Kendall placed his hand over Carlos's mouth, "Every one of his family members that died. It's really sad when you think about it."
"Cat!" Gustavo turned to Katrina. "Get him to at least be able to play the drums. Dogs! Get in the booth! I have a song for that movie soundtrack that I need you to record."
"What's the movie about anyways?" James asked.
"It's an American twist on the Romeo and Juliet story," Kelly replied. Logan and Katrina froze at the mention of the story that led to their first kiss.
"Those kids had it right," Evan mentioned. "Dying young with the love of your life so that nothing could tear you apart." He hit his head on the wall. Everyone else stared down at him.
"Guys, Gustavo, Kelly," Katrina spoke up. "You go on ahead. Brandon and I got this." The guys, Kelly and Gustavo nodded and left to work on Big Time Rush's new song. Katrina turned to Evan with a sigh, "Evan, it's time to move on."
"Yeah," Brandon agreed. "Emily would want you to."
Evan glared at the two of them, "I thought I told you to never speak of this. Besides, none of us knows what she would really want since she's NOT HERE!"
"You know as well as I do that Emily would want you to be happy," Katrina pointed out. "Emily always put others before herself."
Evan stared down at his phone again. After a couple of seconds of silence, he mentioned, "I never even got the chance to say goodbye."
"Oh, Evan," Katrina looked sympathetically on her brother. "Yes, you did. Why else would she have told you that she loves you the day before she died? She knew that would be the last time you saw one another."
"But I didn't," Evan insisted.
"It's been eight years," Brandon reminded him. "All you're doing is hurting yourself by not giving your heart another chance."
"Look," Evan got to his feet. "I'll play the stupid drums in whatever song Gustavo comes up with. Just stop talking about this and never mention it again. I'll hide my pain like I always do. By being the protective older brother." Katrina's eyes went wide. "Kat, if anything happens between you and Logan when you're playing house for this stupid project in school, that doctor wannabe is gonna need a doctor." Katrina and Brandon stayed frozen as Evan went over to the drum set. He pulled out his drumsticks and improvised a beat on the drums.
"At least he's back to normal," Katrina told Brandon.
"As normal as he can get," Brandon added.
"I heard that!" Evan exclaimed.
"So," Katrina decided to change the subject, "What do you think Gustavo wrote for our first official solo song on his label?"
Suddenly, Gustavo walked into the room with the guys and Kelly following. Gustavo looked over Wolff Pack as he spoke, "Okay, zoo band, you're up next. And it'll be duet with-" Gustavo looked over the boys of Big Time Rush. "Logan." Everyone stared at Gustavo with surprise.
"Uh, Gustavo," Katrina rolled forward. "What are you talking about? Shouldn't we get our first non-duet?"
"I was given a scene in that movie to write a song for and a duet spoke more to me than a solo," Gustavo explained. "And you can't sing this with the wolf or goat because this song with your brother or a gay guy would just be creepy."
"Fine, let me see it," Katrina gave in, holding out her hand. Gustavo handed her the paper. Evan and Brandon came over to look over her shoulder. "Gustavo, this is TERRIBLE!"
"Well, it's not terrible," Evan added, "It's just not the genre we were going for with our band."
"I like it," Brandon mentioned. Katrina and Evan turned to glare at Brandon.
"Listen to the goat!" Gustavo insisted. "Because you two have HORRIBLE TASTE IN MUSIC!"
"Then why did you sign a pop rock band if you're giving us pop music that has no rock feel to it?" Katrina asked. "This looks like one of Big Time Rush's songs!"
"HEY!" Kendall, Carlos, Logan and James exclaimed. "We rock!"
"Of course you do," Katrina gave them a sweet smile, but then dropped it, rolling her eyes. "Gustavo, why don't you listen to one of the songs we already have before you try writing for us again?"
"Oh yes," Gustavo spoke sarcastically, "I SO wanna hear it because I don't know HOW to write songs even though I've written TONS of hits for Big Time Rush!"
"Gustavo, we're not in the same genre as Big Time Rush!" Katrina argued. "We are a completely different band! You, Kelly and Griffin wanted us AFTER our performance at Rocktober where we played music that sounds like US, not this pop stuff!" Katrina tossed the piece of paper into Gustavo's face. Gustavo glared at her, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath. Everyone quickly moved away from him, putting their fingers in their ears.
People outside the building that housed Rocque Records and Penny's Pet Care watched in confusion as the building shook. They looked around for the source, but found none. When it stopped, everyone went back to what they were doing.
Carlos, James, Kendall, Logan and Katrina were back in 2J, sitting around the dining table. The guys were looking over their new song while Katrina sat fuming.
"I can't believe Gustavo tried to change our style," Katrina complained.
"At least he agreed to look over your Rocktoberfest performance," Kendall pointed out.
"So, have you and Jo gone over your project?" Katrina decided to change the subject.
Kendall looked up from the paper, "No, not really. She's been really busy lately. Is there something I should know about it?"
"You mean you haven't even looked at the instructions?" Logan asked, putting his paper down. Kendall shook his head.
"We haven't either," Carlos admitted. James nodded, agreeing that he hadn't done anything yet.
"You aren't going to look at it until the minute before class starts tomorrow, are you?" Katrina assumed.
"Nope," Carlos, James and Kendall replied. Logan and Katrina sighed as they looked at each other.
"Should we help them?" Katrina asked.
"Yeah or they're not gonna know about the competitions," Logan responded.
"Competitions?" James, Kendall and Carlos seemed interested.
"For the next three days there's going to be competitions between the couples," Katrina explained. "Because raising a baby isn't all about the baby, it's about dealing with real life circumstances. So, these competitions are about that."
"Like tomorrow's which has to deal with work and we have to track how much we make to support the family," Logan added. "Well, after we get the babies. The couple that wins the most points from these competitions gets a surprise prize."
"What's the prize?" the three boys exclaimed.
"It wouldn't be called a surprise if we knew what it was," Katrina pointed out. "This project isn't just about the babies. It's to teach us teens about running a household for when we get older and decide to start a family of our own." She rolled away from the table. "I'm just gonna go check on Dusty. I haven't had a chance to really spend some time with him." She rolled away to hang out with her bird.
The teens were back in class the next morning, as ready as they could be to pick up their mechanical baby dolls. Miss Collins set up a dartboard at the front of the classroom.
"Okay students!" Miss Collins got the teens' attentions. "The way you'll be picking your babies' gender will be using this dartboard." She pointed to the dartboard. It was divided up into four parts: male, female, twins and triplets. The twins and triplets parts were much smaller than the gender based ones. Miss Collins pulled out a dart and placed it on Camille's desk. "Girls, you'll be the ones picking. Make sure you cover your eyes while doing this."
Camille ended up landing on a girl. Miss Collins placed the mechanical baby doll and carrier onto Camille's desk. Jo and the Jennifer partnered with Jett both got boys. A few more people picked before the dart came to Katrina.
Katrina threw the dart and it landed on twins. She winced as Logan hit his head on his desk. James gave Logan a pat on the back, "Tough break, man."
"Katrina," Miss Collins held up two more darts for the teen. "You'll have to go two more times to determine what combination of twins you'll get. Two boys, two girls or a boy and a girl." Katrina did and ended up with a boy and a girl. Miss Collins placed them on Logan's and Katrina's desks. The two teens looked at each other, wondering if they could handle this.
Meanwhile, the Jennifer paired with Carlos was up. Everyone watched as she threw the dart and landed on triplets. Miss Collins stared at the dart for a second and then looked at Carlos. Quickly, she pulled the dart out and told Jennifer, "For the sake of your grade, redo that." Jennifer did and got a girl for her and Carlos.
After the rest of the class went, the Jennifer partnered with James getting a boy, Miss Collins stood in front of the class. "It's time to discuss the competitions. We're starting off easy with the work competition for today. All you need to do is ask your boss how much you make. You will add it to what your partner makes and give me the number tomorrow. Whichever couple makes the most money gets ten points. Second place gets eight points. And so on and so forth. Remember, the couple that receives the most points wins a surprise prize!" The class cheered. "Now, back to the babies. They'll be turning on at exactly five in the afternoon. So, get yourselves ready! Class dismissed." The students rushed out of the room before she could change her mind.
The Jennifers gave their partners their babies, telling them, "Good luck." With some smirks, the three girls walked off. James and Carlos yelped as they looked down at the dolls.
"Whatever," Jett snapped his fingers and a woman showed up beside him. He gave her the doll's carrier. "Watch this thing." She nodded, walking off with the doll.
"You hired a nanny for your fake baby?" Jo assumed.
"Yes," Jett responded. "Because I am entirely too good looking to be carrying around a doll." That said, Jett walked off.
Suddenly, Katrina's phone buzzed. She pulled it out and looked at it, "Gustavo wants all of us at Rocque Records. We might as well ask him how much we make for class."
"Actually, we should probably ask Kelly," Logan rationalized. "She's more likely to care and actually give us an answer." The others nodded as Big Time Rush, Katrina and Evan left for Rocque Records.
Jo turned to Camille, "So, now that we're alone, I have to talk to you about-" Jo didn't get to finish because her phone buzzed. Looking down at it, she groaned, "We are not done with this conversation." Jo left the lobby.
After picking up Brandon from Penny's Pet Care, the group walked into the practice room at Rocque Records. Gustavo was standing there next to Kelly. He seemed to be in a bad mood and wouldn't talk until Kelly elbowed him.
"I was wrong about the song," Gustavo admitted. "I went over your past songs and the scene for the song I'm writing and then went back over your past songs. I think I've got a song that you'll like. It's still a duet." Katrina groaned. "But it's got more of a heavier feel to the song."
"Just a warning," Kelly spoke up. "The scene Gustavo was asked to write a song for is a little mature."
"How mature?" Logan and Katrina asked together.
"It's right before the main characters get intimate together," Kelly informed them. Before any of them could say a word, Kelly handed Logan and Katrina their lyric sheets. Their eyes went wide as they looked over the lyrics.
"Katrina and I are supposed to sing THIS together?" Logan exclaimed.
"Now I see why I can't sing it with Evan or Brandon," Katrina mumbled. Evan pulled the sheet from her grasp and looked it over. His eye started twitching as he read it. "At least it's more like the genre that Wolff Pack wants."
"Kat is way too young to be singing this," Evan decided.
"Evan, I'm sixteen, not six," Katrina reminded him. "And you can't tell me what to do."
"Then I won't play on this song," Evan insisted.
"Evan, can I talk to you?" Kendall asked. Everyone turned to Kendall in confusion.
"Uh, sure Kendall," Evan agreed. He followed Kendall out of the room. Kendall led him into Gustavo's office where he shut the door after them. "So, what's up?"
"I know about you and Camille," Kendall blurted out.
Suddenly, Brandon burst into the room, "Join the club."
"How'd you find out?" Kendall asked.
"I've known Evan for basically my entire life," Brandon replied. "Figured it out on my own. You?"
"Jo told me after finding out from Camille," Kendall responded. He turned back to Evan. "Listen, I've been trying to get Logan and Katrina together since way before I found out she was my cousin. The only two things blocking them are you and Camille. I've already talked to Camille about this, so I'm going to talk to you."
"Kendall," Brandon spoke up, "I've already blackmailed him."
"Really?" Kendall turned to him. "Huh. I didn't think you had it in you."
"Can I talk now?" Evan asked.
"No," Kendall and Brandon responded.
"What did you tell him?" Kendall asked.
"That he needs to be supportive when Katrina tells him she wants to date," Brandon replied. "And what were you planning?"
"Basically the same thing," Kendall admitted. "And that he needs to push Katrina towards Logan because, knowing them, the second one of them gets a reason to be away from each other, they're gonna take it and be miserable about it, whining that they want to be together and I'm sick of it."
"Yeah, they always act like a couple around each other, but won't make that leap," Brandon added.
"Hello?" Evan mentioned. "Still here!"
"Shut up," Kendall and Brandon insisted. Evan sighed in annoyance.
"So, you think this project will finally give them that reason to get together?" Brandon asked.
"Definitely" Kendall agreed. "Logan always wants to get the best grade so he'll do whatever he can to do it while Katrina, since she grew up in a large family, will probably get that motherly instinct the second one of those mechanical babies cries. Then, when Miss Collins does that couples assessment at the end of this week, she'll decide that they're the perfect couple and they'll take that as a reason."
"OKAY!" Evan exclaimed. "I'll play in that song! Just stop talking about this! I still don't like the thought of my little sister dating!" Kendall and Brandon smirked.
"We'll finish this later," Kendall decided. "Let's go." He led the other two out of the room and back into the practice room.
"What was that about?" Carlos asked.
"I'll play the song," Evan announced, sitting behind the drum set. Brandon went over to the bass while Katrina picked up the guitar.
"Katrina," Gustavo addressed the teen girl. "Give Kendall the guitar. I want you to concentrate on making these lyrics sound as passionate as possible." Logan and Katrina raised their eyebrows. Evan groaned as he tried his best not to say a word. "And sit on the stools. You are just depressing in a wheelchair." Katrina handed the guitar to Kendall and got up, limping over to sit on a stool. Logan sat on the one next to her. Gustavo got himself ready in front of the piano. James and Carlos followed Kelly into the control room.
"Isn't there a way to get another scene in the movie?" Logan asked. At the glare Gustavo was giving him, Logan took it back, "Nevermind. We'll sing this one."
"Let me explain the scene so you two can get the feeling of the characters in this," Gustavo began. "The boy and girl are in love with each other, but the boy is getting doubts about their relationship. The girl is trying to reach out to him to get him show his love." Logan and Katrina exchanged quick glances. "This song is right after their argument when they're showing their love for each other." Evan mumbled something under his breath. "So get in that mood. Let's go through this one time before we record." Gustavo started playing the piano. At the right moment, Katrina sang first, watching Logan as he stared at his lyric sheet.
Baby forgive me
Did I do something wrong
As Katrina looked back down at her paper, Logan's head came up to sing.
I don't wanna talk
Can't we just let it go
They switched again, Logan went back down and Katrina back up.
What could be so bad
That you'd leave me hanging on
Logan just caught Katrina's eyes as they switched again.
I'm not doing time
This is not the scene of a crime
He went back down when she came back up.
I lay in bed at night, contemplating
Logan's head came back up and gained eye contact with Katrina as they both sang the next line.
Why the hell you gotta keep me waiting
Katrina shivered as she looked back down at her lyric sheet. Logan stared at her as she sang the chorus with him as back-up, the rest of the band finally playing their instruments.
Every time I try to get a little closer
You shut down and the conversation's over
I'm right here, but you leave me in the dark
Show me your private parts
Give it up, baby what are you afraid of
Love sucks when you don't know what it's made of
We get naked, but I can't undress your heart
Show me your private parts (Show me your private parts)
Show me your private parts (Show me your private parts)
Logan and Katrina stared at each other for a second before the meaning of the song settled into their minds. They tossed their papers to the side and, Katrina ignoring her doctor's orders once again, got to their feet. As the two of them circled Gustavo and the piano, Katrina began the second verse.
I can't remember
The last time that this felt real
Logan placed his hand on the top of the piano and pointed at Katrina as he sang.
I would've cut you out
If I didn't love you
Katrina pointed at herself, singing.
And how can you blame me
For feeling the way I feel
Holding his head, Logan took over.
I'm not blaming you
I'm just trying to figure it out
Katrina had the next part and, even though Logan was supposed to jump in, he didn't at the sight of Katrina's passion in the song.
I can take a little hesitating
I'll wait forever if it's worth the waiting
Every time I try to get a little closer
You shut down and the conversation's over
I'm right here, but you leave me in the dark
Show me your private parts
Give it up, baby what are you afraid of
Love sucks when you don't know what it's made of
We get naked, but I can't undress your heart
Show me your private parts (Show me your private parts)
Show me your private parts (Show me your private parts)
The two of them ended up right in front of each other, faces an inch apart. Their voices mingled as they sang together.
They say that silence is gold
But I think that's a lie
You say you already know
Something in Katrina's eyes made Logan stop singing, but Katrina continued.
But I can't read your mind
Baby forgive me
Did I do something wrong
Logan shook his head as he sang.
I don't wanna talk
Katrina grabbed Logan's shirt collar as she sang right to him.
Show me your private parts
Every time I try to get a little closer
You shut down and the conversation's over
I'm right here, but you leave me in the dark
Show me your private parts
Give it up, baby what are you afraid of
Love sucks when you don't know what it's made of
We get naked, but I can't undress your heart
Show me your private parts (Show me your private parts)
Show me your private parts (Show me your private parts)
Show me your private parts (Show me your private parts)
As the song ended, Katrina realized she was holding Logan's shirt. She cleared her throat as she let go, pulling away. Aware that all eyes were on the two of them, Katrina told Logan, "It's worth the waiting." No one got a chance to stop her before she stormed out of the room.
"Kat!" Evan called after her. "Wheelchair!"
"I got it," Logan insisted. He grabbed Katrina's wheelchair and followed Katrina out of the room. He didn't have to go far before he found Katrina sitting on the white couch outside the practice room. Sitting down next to her, he waited for her to talk.
After a minute, Katrina finally spoke, "Do you have a reason yet?" Logan shook his head. "Then, I'm going to work at Penny's Pet Care. I'll be back before five. I promise." She got up only to sit down in her wheelchair and roll away. Logan sighed and headed back into the practice room.
The next day after class, Logan and Katrina were sitting in apartment 2J, working on the laptop for the second part of the competition. They had to use their salary number to figure out what they could buy for their fake family to live comfortably for a week. Their twin mechanical babies were sitting in their carriers nearby.
"Logan," Katrina addressed the smart boy. "We don't need this book."
"But it's a book on the first year of a baby's life," Logan mentioned. "If we were a real family, that's what I would buy."
"That's what the internet is for!" Katrina reminded him.
"The instructions state that we need to look at leisurely things too, once we've gotten the necessities," Logan pointed out.
"Fine," Katrina gave in. "You get that book and I get a manicure." Logan glanced at something on the computer.
"We can afford that," Logan realized.
"Go compromise," Katrina responded. The two of them gave each other high-fives before turning back to the laptop. "It looks like we still have some extra money. Should we look at toys?"
Suddenly, the boy mechanical baby started crying. The teens sighed in annoyance.
"Whose turn is it?" Logan asked.
"Yours," Katrina mentioned. "I changed Sadie's diaper five minutes ago. Sam probably needs the bottle. He hasn't been fed in a while." Logan pulled a plastic bottle out of the bag attached to the carrier and put it to the mechanical baby's mouth. "What do you think about this xylophone?"
"Well," Logan began.
He didn't get to finish because it was at that moment that the door to the apartment burst open to the sounds of crying. Logan and Katrina looked up to find James and Carlos step forward, holding their baby carriers.
"Please help us!" James begged.
"They won't stop crying!" Carlos added.
"This demon doll just ate and it's STILL crying!" James went on.
"And mine smells!" Carlos finished. The two boys put on their best puppy dog begging faces.
Katrina sighed, "Put them down." As Katrina moved the laptop from the coffee table, Carlos and James put the carriers down. Katrina went for James's baby first. "You said that the baby doll just ate? He probably needs to be burped." She held the doll up by her shoulder and patted its back twice. It burped and stopped crying. Katrina gave James a smug grin as she put the doll back and turned to Carlos. "Okay, what did you spill on your doll?"
"Nothing!" Carlos insisted. Katrina raised her eyebrows skeptically. "I'm serious!"
"Then, I don't know why your doll smells," Katrina replied, turning to look at the baby carrier. "Nothing these dolls do causes – Carlos, this is a baby."
"Katrina," James spoke up. "Have you been not getting enough sleep? This project is about babies, so we have these baby dolls."
"I know that!" Katrina snapped. "I'm saying that this is a real baby!" Katrina reached into the carrier and pulled out a baby. Logan, Carlos and James dropped their jaws in horror. Katrina crinkled her nose as the smell finally reached it. "A baby that definitely needs a diaper change." The three boys scurried to the other side of the room. "Ugh, fine! I'll see what I can do." She looked around for something to use as a diaper.
"CARLOS!" Logan turned to the Latino. "You switched your project with a real baby?"
"No!" Carlos responded. "Maybe the doll came to life!"
"Carlos!" James exclaimed. "For the last time, toys do not come to life!"
"Think Carlos," Logan tried to figure out what happened. "Did you switch the carriers or something because you accidently put it down next to another carrier?"
"I only put it down once!" Carlos insisted. "And it was in the middle of the lobby and there were no babies around and it was only for a few seconds!"
"Guys," Katrina made the others look over at her. "Someone switched the babies, not the carriers." Katrina held up a plastic bottle. "This came from the bag attached to the carrier. And the carrier matches the ones that Miss Collins gave us."
"Why would someone switch the fake baby for a real one?" Logan asked.
"Is that my shirt?" James pointed at the piece of clothing that Katrina had made into an improvised diaper.
"Sorry," Katrina apologized. "I needed to use something and that was the closest thing I could find without getting up."
"Can we focus here?" Logan exclaimed. All eyes went to him. "We need to figure out whose baby this is so we can return it and get back Carlos's fake baby."
"Her," Katrina corrected. "We need to find her family. Maybe they put something in this bag." Katrina dug around in the bag. A smile spread across her face as she pulled out a piece of paper. "Aha!" She unfolded it and her smile disappeared as she read it. "Uh oh."
"What uh oh?" The three guys showed up beside her.
"It says, 'You like mysteries and meddling into things you should leave alone, right Wolff Pack and Big Time Rush? Then try this: Whose baby is this? You better find out quickly or someone will die. Let the game begin.'" Katrina looked up from the paper to glance at the guys before all four teens stared at the baby.
"Uh oh," Carlos, James and Logan repeated.
"So," Kendall began. "The three of us know about Evan and Camille. Now, what are we gonna do about it?" He, Jo and Brandon were sitting in a circle in Jo's apartment. Jo was holding hers and Kendall's project baby as she fed it.
"I can't believe you two blackmailed him," Jo told them.
"Oh really," Kendall turned to her. "Then what was that thing where you told Camille you would side with Katrina if it happened again?"
"That was called a compromise," Jo corrected him, putting the fake baby back in its carrier.
"You two do realize that Evan and Camille are in my apartment right now working on their baby project," Brandon mentioned. "And they're alone." The three of them stared at each other for a second before they rushed for the door, Kendall grabbing the carrier on the way.
Camille placed her and Evan's project baby in the carrier after changing its diaper. She barely got a chance to relax on the couch before Evan sat down next to her.
Evan took a deep breath before he spoke, "I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday. You brought up a sensitive topic."
"It's fine," Camille assured him. "It just shows that you have a heart. And one day, you'll find a girl that will take up some of that heart and help you to move on."
"Camille, I've accepted it," Evan told her. "I'll never be able to move on, but I can accept it."
"Does this mean you're gonna stop flirting with girls that are already in a relationship?" Camille asked.
"Nope," Evan replied. "Because I still like challenges. Like you. I never know what you're gonna do next."
"It won't be kissing you!" Camille insisted.
"You sure about that?" Evan responded. "Because Logan and Kat have a sultry duet together. They were getting very close while singing it."
Camille scoffed, "Wanna know the worst thing about this? Everyone knew before I did. Logan's friends encouraged him and my best friend didn't even tell me."
"This is not what I was hoping to get," Evan mumbled under his breath.
Camille went on since she didn't hear him, "I was here first! I met him first! I should be the one with him, not her! How am I supposed to get him back?"
"You know, she did make him jealous by being with James," Evan pointed out.
"How did you know about that?" Camille asked.
"I had someone watching Katrina for the two years I was gone," Evan admitted. "Especially after she moved into that rundown apartment. I didn't want her to get hurt."
"You are really protective," Camille realized. "Are you protective of all your family like that or just Katrina?"
"Let me think," Evan looked away, putting his hand to his chin. "I made a little boy cry by insulting him after he flirted with Katie, jogged with Aunt Jenn so I could punch out this creepy guy that had been staring at her while she jogged and knocked a guy over after he rammed Kendall into the side of the ice hockey rink last time we went to play hockey together. I guess you could say I'm a little protective. Might be the older brother thing." Camille sat there staring at him with her jaw dropped. "What?"
"This makes me wonder what you would do with a girlfriend," Camille mentioned.
"I'd probably be clingy," Evan decided. "And no boy would dare come near her without fear of having to get plastic surgery to fix their face."
"That is really hot," Camille replied. "So hot that I might even –" Camille leaned forward, puckering her lips and closing her eyes to give him a kiss. Evan smirked confidently for a second before he reached up to tangle one of his hands in Camille's hair.
Suddenly, the door to the apartment opened up and Kendall, Jo and Brandon came into the room. They looked over at the couch and found Camille sitting there, holding the mechanical baby as she fed it.
"Oh, hey guys!" Camille greeted the newcomers. "Evan's in the kitchen." Evan popped up from behind the counters and waved to the others. "He was just about to get us some snacks."
"Yeah," Evan held up a bag of chips. "Did you want to join us?"
"Uh, sure," Kendall agreed. He, Jo and Brandon gathered over by Camille. Evan soon joined them with the bag of chips. Kendall and Jo exchanged confused looks, feeling like they had just missed something.
The group didn't have long before the door opened again. They looked over to watch Carlos, Logan, James and Katrina come into the room. James and Carlos were each holding two carriers while Logan wheeled Katrina's wheelchair.
"We have a problem," Katrina announced. That's when the others noticed that Katrina had a real baby in her arms.
(A/N): Cue the dramatic Oh oh oh oh that Big Time Rush sings! So, the teens are learning how to be parents by using mechanical babies, but Carlos's got switched with a real one! I bet that none of you expected that one! So, Logan and Katrina are a fake couple. And sang a duet together. And are making compromises…. Hmm… This fake couple thing is making them very close… Kendall, Brandon and Jo all know about Evan and Camille and are using it against them. Will it work or will it come back and bite them in the butt? We've learned a few things about Evan's past. Poor guy. No wonder he can't stay in a relationship. He's still in love with this girl named Emily even though she died eight years ago. On the word of her mother. That's it. No funeral service, no seeing of the body, no doctors saying a word and no showing of any sickness before her death…. Sounds suspicious… Once again, Katrina is ignoring her doctor's orders. That can't be good for her leg… That duet is very… sultry…. But there are some interesting things there that sound a lot like Logan's and Katrina's relationship. She tries and he shuts the conversation down. He's trying to figure things out. She'll wait for him because she thinks he's worth the waiting. He thinks that she knows he likes her, but she's probably having doubts because he's still with Camille and she can't read his mind. Is their relationship so obvious now that even Gustavo gets it? Too bad that's not enough of a reason for Logan. Evan and Camille came so close to kissing again. And we all know what would happen if they did. Especially since Kendall, Jo and Brandon almost caught them. And now the big thing of this chapter, Carlos's mechanical baby got switched with a real one. Whose baby is that? How long do they have before someone dies? And who would die? Did the Zizi make this switch? Oh wait… I said in the last chapter that the Zizi wasn't in this twist… Well then… Who did? Can the bands find out before it's too late? You'll have to wait to find out!
As I mentioned in the beginning author's note, I might be having another voting contest. Not sure what I'd put in it or when I'd have it, but I'm considering it. I can tell you one thing. Because I feel so bad about beating up James in this story, one of the choices would probably be the introduction of a love interest for him. If any of you have ideas about twists or OCs or anything really about this story, let me know. I might squeeze it in somewhere or use it in a voting contest. Until next time, happy reading!