(A/N): As promised, an update this weekend! I would have updated yesterday, but I didn't want to take away from the one-shot day.
Thank you to these people for your reviews: Dreamer1992 (Soon, dear reader. Katrina will find out about Evan and Camille soon… But there are some things that have to happen first!), Leah Garcia (There's a sort of hint as to who's going to be targeted next in this chapter. I do have less of Katrina in here too since she's too absorbed with something to talk much. Evan gets his OWN storyline in this chapter! Good to know that your sister's getting better and she still gets to hear this story. Tell her that I wish her a full recovery and that I said hi too! I would show more of Kendall in this episode, but his storyline in the episode doesn't really allow much wiggle room like the others. I've done my best to show PARTS of his storyline cause I do want to add more of him. You want to know something? When I first came up with the Katrina character, she wasn't supposed to be Kendall's cousin. She was supposed to be his love interest and this story was supposed to go a COMPLETELY different way. But that storyline didn't work and Katrina turned into Kendall's cousin instead when I created the Evan character. That's the real reason behind the love triangle because I didn't know which one to put her with. Carlos… Was never really an option for her. Not because I don't like him, I love him, but because they always had that friend vibe in my mind. I could write it if I wanted to, but it wouldn't feel right. ANYWAY. I'll try my best to give Kendall and Evan more parts, but I do have to give some time to the other characters. Especially Katrina since she is the character that I spun this entire story off of. Sorry for my rambling…), FuzzyVampireNinjaTeddyBear (In all honesty, I have never actually heard that whole song… I've heard PARTS of it, but I always turned it off whenever I would hear it because it's not the genre that I prefer.), Derba (It's nice to know that two of my stories are at the top of your list! I have a different way of getting through writers block than reading other stories. I listen to music. I put on a radio station or a CD that I like and listen. That's where the basics of my ideas come from. Then, as I start writing it, I think 'Wait. Wouldn't it go better THIS way?' Eventually, it ends up being the complete opposite of the songs I listened to and I'm good for about ten chapters before I have to start again.), Awesmazing (… I see you have figured out my secret… Actually, no. I didn't base the characters off BTR. I based them off of Scooby-Doo. For instance, there's this one spin-off with Daphne and Shaggy solving mysteries instead of the whole gang. Well, who did this story start with? Katrina and Brandon, the Daphne and Shaggy of their own group. And the first dog that Katrina was walking? A Great Dane! Honestly, I can't believe no one figured it out… Of course, this is without that whole romance tension between anyone… That would be awkward… Oh, and don't forget the duet that James and Katrina would have to sing! That's sure to cause tension too. Remember that they first kissed after James sang a song…), niki1kendra (Carlos and Natalie can work out! Just see this chapter for proof!), Reinoiswriting (James and Natalie? Okay, I've put down your vote. You might want to see how she reacts with the guys first. There is something to be thought of. While Kendall, Logan and Carlos might respect the fact that she does have a boyfriend, James would think 'England is a long distance to keep a relationship going. I might have a chance here.' I don't know. Something to think about…), Lucy Case (Yes, the next episode IS featured in this chapter, although some of the main storylines have almost nothing to do with what's happening in the episode.), Witch Demigoddess (Oh yes. It will be a VERY interesting experience for all when Katrina finds out about Evan and Camille. As for that one shot idea… Interesting… I've got a couple others lined up first, but after those I'll certainly take a shot at that one. I haven't had a chance to work with the one shot spinoffs because I've been too busy with the main story! Glad you like Natalie! I figured that I needed to build some tension somewhere and adding a new female character definitely does that.) and BlueRagingFire (I know you're not up to this chapter yet, but I'm glad to see that you're still reading it! Yeah, this story is kind of long… Once I got to the fifty chapter mark I WAS considering ending it and making a sequel to continue it, but then I realized that I'd have to make a new title and somehow keep you readers informed on which one is which in the series. It's just easier to continue on the same story than to create a bunch of different ones. Besides, it'll be awesome to say that I've created a 100 chapter story once I reach that mark.).
Whoops… I kind of rambled on my answers to you guys… Sorry about that… I hope that my hints haven't ruined this for you. I'm trying to give hints without giving spoilers, but it's SO HARD to not just blab the entire plot and what I have planned for this story. Like I accidently did to my friend earlier when we were talking. Although… It DID get her to want to read this so… YAY! … I think I've had too much sugar… This is what I get for eating cookies.
ANYWAY. As always, I'm a college student that can't afford to be sued. Remember that I have no right to the show Big Time Rush, their characters or the episode, Big Time Sneakers, used in this chapter. However, Katrina, Evan, Natalie, Brandon, Dusty, Tim and Emily ARE MINE! And I can use them in any way I so choose! MUHAHAHAHA! *Flash of lightning* Ahem. Please enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 77: Truly Deserved Frustration
A week had passed since Katrina's surgery which meant that she had to go back for a check on her leg. The check-up went well, mainly because Gustavo had sent Freight Train to be sure that no one would go near her. Since her leg was healing in the expected way, the doctors cleared her to use crutches. She happily switched her wheelchair for the crutches. Her happiness faded though when she heard that she had to go through physical therapy to get her leg back to full strength.
Later that day, Kendall, James, Carlos, Logan, Katrina, Evan and Natalie were all in the lobby. They were each absorbed in their own business when a random voice hit their ears.
"Well, looks like things are hopping at the Palm Woods," the voice began. Carlos ignored the voice as he ran over to the vending machine. "Carlos is hitting the vending machines for his favorite snack." Pulling a bag of Fruit Smackers out of the vending machine, Carlos kissed it. The voice changed over to the group hanging out on the couches. "Natalie's preparing the first episode of her new television series." Chewing on her pencil, Natalie looked down at the script she had written out. "Katrina and Evan are working together to come up with a song for the gala tomorrow. Talk about leaving things to the last minute." The brother and sister had their heads within whispering distances as they conversed quietly about the lines for the song. "Hey, James and Logan are checking out those five hundred dollar custom sneakers everyone's talking about." Logan and James looked over a sneaker ad in a magazine. It was at this moment that Kendall sat down with two pieces of paper in his hands and a camera hung around his neck. "And Kendall couldn't be more excited about hitting the zoo with his sweetheart, Jo."
Kendall turned around to face the person giving the voice, "Do you mind?"
Mr. Bitters broke his narrative character to say, "Do you mind? I'm trying to break into the voiceover business and I'm perfecting my craft!" He got annoyed looks from the people on the couches. At the sight of Katie, Mr. Bitters went back into character, "Oh, here comes little Katie with the mail. Uh oh. Looks like bad news."
With a wince, Katie dropped a magazine into Kendall's lap. Kendall picked it up and read the front cover, "Jo confesses: Jett's my man?!" The others looked on in surprise. Kendall glared down at the magazine cover.
"Ugh, Hollywood drama," Natalie complained. "So glad I'm not involved in it." She got up from the couch and left the scene.
"Maybe we should get Kendall back to the apartment," Katrina suggested. "You know, before he does something stupid like he did when you guys got back from your first tour." Logan, James and Evan agreed. Before Kendall could complain, the three boys had grabbed him and forced him towards the elevators. Katrina followed slowly with her crutches.
In apartment 2J, Logan, James and Evan sat at the counter, reading the article about Jo and Jett. Kendall paced the apartment while Katrina watched everything from the couches.
"Uh, Evan," Katrina broke the silence. "Aren't you supposed to be helping me with this song?"
"Yeah, yeah," Evan waved it off. "In a bit. I gotta read this."
"Wow," Katrina mumbled under her breath so that none of them could hear it. "I'm the girl, yet it's the boys that are reading about Hollywood gossip. Ironic." Shaking her head, Katrina ignored all of them and looked back down at her notebook, working on the lyrics for the song.
"It says things got hot the very first episode," James mentioned something from the article first.
"And that their on-screen chemistry quickly turned to off-screen romance," Logan added.
"And the media always stretches the truth!" Katrina reminded them. "You two should know that after what we went through. I'm sure that Jo can explain this."
Suddenly, the door to the apartment burst open and Jo rushed in, exclaiming, "I can explain!"
"Okay, explain," Logan, James and Evan crossed their arms as they glared at Jo, waiting for a response. Katrina rolled her eyes.
"Guys," Kendall told his friends and cousin. "I can handle this." It was Jo's turn to roll her eyes. Kendall turned to his girlfriend, crossing his arms, "Okay, explain."
"I can't," Jo admitted. James, Logan and Evan didn't seem surprised by this, but Katrina waited until she heard the whole story before passing judgment. "They told me that photo was going to be in a billboard."
"Does this look like a billboard?" Logan asked, holding up the magazine so that James and Evan could point at it too.
"Guys, it sounds like she was tricked into this," Katrina tried to defend the girl being ganged up on. To herself, she mumbled, "Kind of like that whole Jamina issue that just won't seem to go away for good."
"She's probably lying," Evan decided.
"Guys!" Kendall exclaimed, trying to get them to stop interrogating his girlfriend.
With a sigh, Jo continued, "I'm going to see the network publicist right now to get to the bottom of this."
"Yeah?" James responded. "Well, Kendall's going with ya!"
"GUYS!" Kendall gave the last warning. "I got this." With determination, he looked to his girlfriend, "Kendall's going with ya!" Without another word, he followed Jo out of the apartment.
"Well," Katrina began once the door slammed shut. "At least this rumor doesn't involve me this time!"
"Thank God for that," Evan sat next to her. "Now, back to the song writing." He and his sister looked down at the notebook in Katrina's hands.
Natalie leaned up against the wall nearby the vending machine, still chewing on her pencil as she looked over the script for her show.
"This has to be perfect," Natalie mumbled to herself. "But I highly doubt that teens are going to be excited about this episode: how a television works. I mean, how am I supposed to make it fun? There's nothing fun about how a television works. Maybe I should find another way to look at it. What are average teens interested in?"
Suddenly, Carlos came up to the vending machine and put some money in it, expecting to get some Fruit Smackers from the machine.
"Carlos, what do average teens like?" Natalie asked.
"Fruit Smackers," Carlos answered without looking away from the machine. He checked the compartment at the bottom of the machine, not finding the candy there.
Natalie scoffed at his answer, "You know that too much of that is a bad thing, especially with your dental hygiene."
"That we don't care about," Carlos pointed out. Natalie furrowed her eyebrows as she looked to the vending machine, thinking about Carlos's words. Carlos stood up straight, staring at the candy that wasn't falling. He banged on the glass, "Hello! Where are my Fruit Smackers?! Hey!"
"Uh oh," Mr. Bitters came over to them, speaking in his voiceover tone. "Looks like somebody didn't look at the new vending machine prices."
Carlos looked at it and his eyes went wide, "Four dollars?!"
"That is a ridiculous price!" Natalie agreed.
"Hey!" Mr. Bitters exclaimed. "Voiceover lessons are expensive!"
"Yeah," Carlos responded. "But the nearest convenience store is like two miles away!"
"Which is why you'll pay the four dollars," Mr. Bitters laughed evilly as he walked off.
"Rude," Natalie mumbled. Carlos turned to the machine, pressing a bunch of buttons to try and get it to give him the Fruit Smackers anyways.
Katie came over to ask, "What's he evilly laughing about now?"
"He upped the vending prices!" Carlos replied. "Now I can't afford my Fruit Smackers!" He pressed his face up against the glass. "And I love them so much."
"We REALLY need to talk about your attachment to sugary substances," Natalie decided. "This can't be healthy." Carlos ignored her, continuing to weep into the glass.
Katie rolled her eyes and went over to the machine, sticking her arm in to reach up and pull out one of the bags of Fruit Smackers. She placed the bag in Carlos's hands.
"Thanks, Katie," Carlos told her.
"Don't mention it," Katie responded before walking away.
As Carlos opened the bag to start eating his Fruit Smackers, Natalie smiled slightly, an idea coming to her mind, "Hmm. Maybe if I follow Carlos around, I'll get some ideas on how to make these episodes fun." Tapping her mouth with her pencil, she watched Carlos devour the candy pieces.
"We are going to get this done before tomorrow," Katrina insisted, staring down at the notebook in her lap. Pieces of paper littered the floor around her. Her hair looked like a bird's nest due to the amount of times she had put her hands in it. Evan had given up helping and was playing with a paddleball as he laid down on part of the orange couch. Logan and James were over at the counter, searching the internet. "We have to. There's no other option."
"Why don't we just sing one of the songs we've already done?" Evan suggested.
"No," Katrina shook her head. "I'm not a song recycler. We HAVE to debut with something new at this gala." Vigorously, she crossed something out on the sheet of paper. Her actions were so forceful that she caused the paper to rip. Groaning, she tore the paper out of the notebook, crumpled it up and threw it to the side.
Evan twitched as he missed the ball and it ended up hitting him right in the face. He turned his head to face his sister, "We have songs that we haven't performed yet. We could try one of those. Like maybe one of the ones that Gustavo or I wrote." Katrina looked up from the notebook to glare at him. "Or not." She continued to glare at him. "I'm sure you'll come up with something before tomorrow night." With a smile, she went back to the notebook. Evan rolled his eyes and went back to playing with his paddleball.
"Okay," Logan began. "Now, before we buy these limited edition Buster Clydes together, you agree: These are not for wearing, but for reselling and getting rich."
"If we can even get a pair," James replied. "The selling starts in thirty seconds!"
Logan slapped a contract down on the counter, "But, you agree: You no wearie, we resellie." He held out a pen for James to sign the contract.
"Wait a second," Katrina perked up. "James, is that what you're doing with the two hundred and fifty dollars I loaned you?!" James didn't respond, instead choosing to grab the pen out of Logan's hand to sign the contract.
"Sign here," Logan pointed to a spot on the contract. James signed it. "Thank you very mu-"
"Logan!" James interrupted him. "It's time to order!"
"Okay," Logan waited for the timer on the computer to stop and then pressed a button to submit their order for the shoes.
"Come on," James and Logan spoke as they stared at the screen. "Come on!" At the sound of a ding, the two boys cheered. Their order had been placed. They grabbed each other's hands and jumped up and down, chanting, "We did it!" Katrina shook her head in disbelief at their actions. Evan stopped his paddleball game to stare at the boys, raising his eyebrows.
Suddenly, Mrs. Knight walked into the room, carrying a laundry basket. She stopped and stared at the two boys with amusement. They stopped their jumping and released each other's hands to tell her, "We bought some sneakers online."
Mrs. Knight shrugged, "Okay." Without another word, she left the apartment to go do the laundry. The boys watched the door shut before they looked to the computer, finding out that their order was already ready to be picked up.
"Time to go get those sneakers!" Logan announced, leading James towards the door.
"James!" Katrina called out. "You do realize that if you make any money off of those shoes, I get some because I loaned you that money!" James chose to ignore her again, shutting the door after him and Logan. Katrina groaned and turned to her brother, "Would you watch them?"
"Can't," Evan replied, getting to his feet. "I gotta find a date for the gala tomorrow." Katrina narrowed her eyes as she watched Evan traverse the apartment to the door. "Going to those things alone always bums me out and I can't go with you and Brandon because you're going with Logan and Brandon's going with Tim."
"Did you have anyone specific in mind?" Katrina asked, raising an eyebrow and hoping that Evan would tell her who he's been seeing behind her back.
Evan shook his head, "Nope. Think I'm just gonna go to the pool or the park and wing it." He put on a pair of sunglasses and smirked. "Don't wait up." Katrina didn't get a chance to ask again before Evan disappeared into the hallway. Sighing in frustration, Katrina turned back to her notebook, determined to get a song written before the gala.
Natalie leaned up against the wall beside the vending machine, eyes on the notebook in front of her. She had decided to rewrite the entire episode. Chewing on her pencil, she stared down at the top piece of paper. There were a few lines on it, most of them scratched out. Doodles of geometric shapes lined the boundaries of the paper. Sighing, she looked up and stared at Carlos and Katie. The two of them were hunched out of sight behind a plant, Carlos with a tree hat on his head.
"Natalie!" Carlos shout-whispered at her. "Get down! Bitters will see you!"
"I still don't see the reason that we have to hide," Natalie responded.
"Just do it!" Carlos insisted. Grumbling to herself, Natalie kneeled down beside Carlos. "Now, since I'm camouflaged, Bitters won't see me when I check if it's safe."
Natalie raised an eyebrow, "Since when is a tree hat camouflage?"
"Shh!" Carlos shushed her. "Someone's coming!" He poked his head up just in time to see Kendall storm through the lobby, paparazzi following him. "Coast is clear."
Natalie and Katie poked their heads up. As Katie went over to stick her hand up the machine, Natalie watched with her head tilted while Kendall disappeared in an elevator. "Wow. Someone in that family always seems to be attracting media attention."
Suddenly, the sound of an alarm coming from the vending machine made the three of them jump. Everyone in the lobby turned to stare accusingly at the group. While Natalie and Katie backed away, Carlos banged on the machine, hoping the alarm would stop. Mr. Bitters came over and pressed a button on his key bob to stop the noise. The guilty party turned to look at him.
"Did you not notice my new vending machine with tiny arm alarm and digital password encoding?" Mr. Bitters asked. The three of them looked at the machine.
"Surprisingly, no," Carlos admitted.
"I thought something was different," Natalie brought up.
Mr. Bitters frowned as he went over to the machine and pressed buttons on it. Once he finished, he addressed the group, "Now, if you want a Snackers Smackers, it's going to cost you five dollars." Carlos screamed in agony, rushing over to the vending machine while Mr. Bitters walked away triumphantly.
"You know," Natalie mentioned. "If I have some time with this machine, I could probably figure out a code that could unlock it and you could have anything in the machine for free."
"Really?!" Carlos looked to her excitedly.
"Give me a chance to do it the easy way first," Katie went over to the machine. She spoke as she pressed the buttons. "One, two, three, four, five." The machine beeped, password denied. "Five, four, three, two, one." Once again, the password was denied. "Zero, zero, zero, zero, zero." The password was accepted and allowed them to set the price. Natalie shook her head at Mr. Bitters' incompetence. "Idiot. Five cents."
Carlos turned to the Palm Woods kids, yelling, "Hey! Who wants Fruit Smackers for a nickel?!" The Palm Woods kids rushed over to get the candy from the machine, Carlos first in line.
Natalie looked over the group of kids, mumbling, "I sense that the dentists in this area will be pleased in a few days."
Kendall burst through the door to the apartment, slamming it shut behind him.
Looking up from her notebook, Katrina glared at him, "Really? I ALMOST had it. Do you people not want me to get this song finished?!"
"Well, I'm SORRY for disturbing your workspace," Kendall snapped. "But I've got problems of my own."
Katrina's eyebrows rose, "You sound pissed. I take it the meeting with Jo's publicist didn't end well?
"Ya think?" Kendall collapsed on the spot next to her.
After staring at him for a second, Katrina asked, "Alright, what happened? I'm not going to get any work done until you're gone, so spill."
"If Jo and Jett fake break-up, she loses her job," Kendall explained. "And Gustavo's trying to get a picture of me and Jo making-out to post to the internet."
"I can sympathize with that," Katrina remembered back to the time that Gustavo publicized her and James together.
"How can you be calm with being the center of attention of the media?" Kendall asked. "Watching you deal with the paparazzi made me think that it would be annoying, but not this bad."
"That's cause it was never focused on you," Katrina replied. "For some reason, the media loves to report on me." She got a confused look to her face. "Actually, now that I think about it, why aren't they as focused on Evan as they are on me? We're both Wolffs. What's the difference?"
"So, what should I do?" Kendall asked for some advice.
"Well, when it became too much for me, I went into hiding," Katrina advised. "It's the real reason I disappeared from the world after the Wolff Family Tragedy. The damn paparazzi followed me everywhere."
"Maybe we should have gone to Sweden," Kendall mentioned.
Katrina chuckled, "Ah, but then you would have no chance with Jo."
"I could have taken her with me instead of you," Kendall responded, a teasing smile growing on his face. "If I put a wig on her, she could pass off as – Wait a second." Kendall looked off into the distance, an idea forming in his head. "That's it." He got off the couch and ran off.
"Glad to be of help!" Katrina called after him. Kendall gave her a quick wave before the apartment door shut behind him. Sighing in relief, she turned back to her notebook, "Now, where was I?"
Suddenly, a squawk echoed in the room, "FOOD!"
Katrina groaned, looking over to Dusty's bird cage, "Right. I have to feed you." Grabbing her crutches, she used them to get over to his cage. Leaning one of her crutches against the cage and using the other for support, she started to fill the food into Dusty's food dish with one hand. "So, what do you think about this line for the song? Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow."
"Don't turn your back on all your sorrow," Dusty sang in response.
Katrina stared at the bird in surprise, "That actually sounds good together. Can't run away from your fear of tomorrow. Don't turn your back on all your sorrow. I like it!" She finished the feeding and grabbed the crutch leaning against the cage. "Now, I just have to figure out the rest of the song."
Dusty squawked, "No envy."
"Say," a smile grew on Katrina's face. "You wouldn't happen to know who Evan's dating behind my back, would you?"
"Zizi know all," Dusty squawked. "Zizi hide all."
Katrina furrowed her eyebrows, "I have no idea what that means."
"Zizi hide," Dusty continued. "Katrina can't know, so Zizi hide. World can't know, so Zizi hide. Use later when of benefit."
"Wait," Katrina mentioned. "Does this mean that the Zizi know who Evan is dating, but they're hiding it from the media? And how would you know this? You've been here the entire time that Evan's been supposedly dating someone."
"BREAK-IN!" Dusty screeched. "FIND ANYTHING YOU CAN! THEY CAN'T CATCH US! STUCK AT HOSPITAL!"
"Oh my God," Katrina figured it out. "The Zizi broke in while everyone was at the hospital. What if they planted cameras? What if they're watching our every move? What if Evan was right? What if we should have run when we had the chance?"
Suddenly, the door to the apartment burst open. Katrina screamed, dropped her crutches and held up her arms to protect herself from whoever was at the door.
"What's wrong?" Logan's voice reached Katrina's ears. Lowering her arms, Katrina noticed Logan and James standing in the doorway to the apartment, eyebrows raised at Katrina's reaction to them coming in.
"Uh," Katrina looked at her bird before turning back to the boys, "I dropped my crutches while I was feeding Dusty. My arms were up cause I wanted to protect myself in case I fell."
"Good plan," James nodded. "Although, you probably would have ended up breaking your arm if you did fall."
"I'm not that accident-prone that I break something every day," Katrina put her hands on her waist, jutting out one side.
"True," James agreed. "It's more like every week." Katrina's jaw dropped in offense.
Logan gave James the shoebox he was carrying and went over to his girlfriend, "Let me help you over to the couch." He picked up the crutches. Katrina leaned against him as they made their way to the couch. "You should have waited for someone else to feed him."
"He was whining about food," Katrina explained, sitting down on the couch. "Thank you for helping me over here."
"No problem," Logan responded. Katrina closed her eyes and puckered her lips slightly, expecting for him to kiss her. When she didn't feel his lips against hers, Katrina opened her eyes. Logan had gone over to James and the two of them were staring inside the now open shoebox that was sitting on the counter.
Katrina shook her head in disbelief, "I can't believe he chose shoes over a kiss."
"They're beautiful," James and Logan spoke about the shoes. Katrina facepalmed.
"Okay," Logan told James. "Don't take them out of the box. We have to maintain their freshness." He grabbed the nearby laptop and brought it closer to him. "I'm posting online they've never been touched." The sound of crinkling paper made him turn to James. He screamed when he saw James touching the one of the shoes. Katrina watched the boys, knowing that whatever happened next was going to end badly.
"These shoes smell amazing," James declared.
"Put them in the box NOW," Logan insisted.
"Can't," James hugged the shoe. "I'm in love with them."
"You can't wear them!" Logan yelled, attacking James. Katrina stared at them, shaking her head again at their behavior. The pretty boy held the shoe out of reach while the smart one did all he could to grab the shoe. This put them in an awkward situation, right as Mrs. Knight walked into the room with her earbuds, about to go for a jog. She noticed the boys and raised her eyebrows.
"We're fighting about sneakers," James and Logan explained.
"Okay," Mrs. Knight gave them a strained smile before leaving the apartment.
"I can't believe that you two are at the top of my list of guys I'm attracted to," Katrina mumbled so quietly the boys didn't hear.
Logan pulled the shoe from James's hand before reminding him, "You signed a contract that states we sell these for one thousand dollars once they sell out and you won't wear them."
"I need to be seen in these shoes," James insisted. "Just once. Please? Pretty please?" Logan sighed and looked down at the shoe.
Katrina raised her eyebrows as James slid on the floor, wearing the bag covered shoes.
"One lap around the Palm Woods and then right back here," Logan instructed James. "The shoes have to stay in mint condition to sell."
"Got it!" James responded.
"Okay," Logan waved him off and James left the apartment.
"You do realize that you just gave up one thousand dollars, right?" Katrina brought up.
"James will be fine," Logan insisted. "Besides, if you haven't noticed, we're all alone in the apartment." He sat down next to her, smiling.
The corners of Katrina's mouth turned upward in a grin, "You gave up one thousand dollars to make-out with me?"
"Actually, I was thinking that I'd help you out with that song you seem to have trouble with," Logan replied. "But your idea is SO much better." Closing their eyes, the couple leaned in toward each other.
Suddenly, a ping sound came from the laptop. Logan immediately got up and ran over to it. Katrina, unable to stop herself, fell forward onto the couch. Glaring over at Logan, Katrina blew a strand of hair out of her face.
"Woo!" Logan cheered. "Those sneakers are now worth two thousand dollars!" He turned to Katrina. "Aren't you happy that you're gonna have a rich boyfriend?"
"Ecstatic," Katrina responded even though her tone of voice said something completely different. Logan didn't seem to notice as he turned back to the laptop and eagerly typed on it. Sighing in frustration, Katrina grabbed her notebook and tried to write more of the song.
Evan stood in the pool area, scoping the place for a girl to ask to the gala. Finding a girl he found attractive, Evan went over to her.
"Hello there," Evan greeted the girl. Looking up from her script, the girl gave Evan a genuine smile. "I'm in need of a date for a red carpet event. Would you be interested?" Right before words could come out of the girl's mouth to respond, her eyes went wide and she ran off. Evan scratched his head as he watched the girl disappear. "Huh. That's never happened before. Maybe I've got bad breath." Quickly, he checked his breath. "Hmm. It's not bad, but I guess some gum would be nice."
Suddenly, Camille appeared in front of him, holding out a pack of gum, "Here you go. Gum to help your breath. Maybe we could go find a place to switch the gum from your mouth to mine."
"Camille," Evan glared at the girl. "Were you standing right behind me making threatening gestures to that girl?"
"Why would I do something like that?" Camille asked, laughing nervously. "I mean, she obviously left because she realized that –" Her expression went as serious as it could get. "You belong to me."
Evan backed away from her, "Uh, that's very clingy. I don't do clingy."
"Oh, come on, Evan," Camille responded. "We can play this game all you want, but we both know that you always are going to come back to me. The only thing left to do is to break the news to your sister. What better way to do that than on the red carpet where she has to grin and bear it and neither of us will get killed?" Evan backed away from her again. "You were planning on telling your sister about us eventually, right?"
Evan looked around for a way out. He spotted James strutting into the pool area. Pointing, Evan spoke, "Oh look. There's James. We can't let him see us together! He might tell Kat! Quick, go hide!" He pushed Camille into a nearby tent and walked away at a brisk pace. Passing James, Evan told him, "Nice Clydes, dude." The two shared a high five and Evan continued into the lobby. Once he was out of sight of James, Evan burst into a sprint out of the Palm Woods, eager to get as far away from Camille as possible.
Finally, Evan felt he was far enough away to slow down once he reached the Palm Woods Park. Relaxing on a bench, he decided to try something different. Pulling out his phone, Evan dialed Natalie's number. When the smart girl answered it, Evan spoke, "Hey Natalie. I was wondering if you'd go with me to the gala tomorrow." He waited as she responded. "Yes. I know you have a boyfriend. I was thinking that we'd go as friends." There was a few seconds of silence on Evan's part. "Right. What was I thinking? Just friends never go together to these things. Good luck with your attempt to wean Carlos off sweets even though I know it's never going to happen. Bye." Evan hung up and put away his phone.
"Okay," Evan talked to himself. "I just have to ask the first girl I see before Camille figures out where I am." He watched as Mrs. Knight walked past, holding her head and groaning about hitting a tree. "Except for Aunt Jenn." Spotting a woman, Evan quickly made his way over to her. He tapped the woman on the shoulder and said quickly, "I'm going to a red carpet event and I was wondering – HOLY SHIT!" The woman had turned around, revealing himself to be Kendall in a wig. Evan crinkled his nose in disgust. "What the HELL are you doing, Kendall?!"
"Hey Evan," Kendall greeted his cousin. "It's kind of a complicated story." Evan shivered as he continued to stare at Kendall, his jaw dropping. "I had to dress up as a girl so I could see Jo without the paparazzi taking pictures of us."
"Oh," Evan nodded, giving Kendall a sympathetic smile. "I see. The media is finally giving you as much attention as Kat and I do. Not fun, right?"
"Does it LOOK like I'm having fun?!" Kendall exclaimed.
"Don't worry," Evan assured him. "It gets better." He looked off into the distance. "Well, unless a scandal shows up. Then, the media is just an annoying bitch. Now, please go change before the Zizi decide to create a story that you got a sex change and leak that to the press."
"Good idea," Kendall agreed.
As the two of them walked towards the Palm Woods, Evan brought up, "You wouldn't happen to know of a girl that I could take to the gala tomorrow?"
"Please don't take Camille," Kendall insisted. "Kat might be able to deal with that one day, but tomorrow is not that day."
"I know that!" Evan replied. "Why do you think I was about to ask you before I found out you were you and not a girl?" Kendall and Evan froze in their tracks, an awkward silence fell between them. Looks of disgust formed on both of the boys' faces. "I think I'm gonna stay here."
"And I'm just gonna go," Kendall added. The cousins walked off in separate directions.
Katrina looked up from her notebook as the door opened to the apartment. James came in with a smile on his face. The shoes were still in the bags, but they were off his feet. Taking one look at him, Katrina knew something was wrong, "There goes my two hundred and fifty bucks."
Logan looked up from the laptop to tell James, "Great news, my friend!" James's smile disappeared. "Buster Clydes are sold out everywhere and a sheik wants our pair for three thousand dollars!" James gave his best friend a fake smile. Logan glared at him, excitement completely gone, "What did you DO?!"
"Pft," James laughed nervously. "Nothing." A second later, he ran back out of the apartment.
"James!" Logan screamed, chasing after the boy.
Katrina shook her head as she stared at the open doorway, "Boys."
Suddenly, Kendall walked into the apartment, still dressed as a woman. He took one look at his cousin whose jaw was dropping slowly. "I can explain."
Katrina moved her mouth, but no words came out. She tried again to find herself still speechless. Throwing her notebook in the air, Katrina exclaimed, "FINE! I don't need to write a freaking song! Why don't I try surfing in the pool or bungee jumping off the roof? I might as well do something crazy because EVERYONE ELSE IS!" She stopped her rant, breathing heavily.
"Whoa," Kendall commented. "Sounds like you've got some pent up frustration there."
"YOU THINK?!" Katrina screeched.
"Maybe you should put that anger into your song?" Kendall suggested.
Katrina stared at him for a second before mumbling, "Fear and anger. They go together. People hide their anger and sadness out of fear of others. That's it." She grabbed her notebook and began writing furiously in it.
"What's it?" Kendall asked.
"GO!" Katrina pointed towards the bedrooms. Kendall didn't question her again, running off to go change.
Carlos, Natalie and Katie sat beside the pool. Natalie shook her head as she looked upon all of the people eating Fruit Smackers while Carlos and Katie were enjoying the sugary snack.
"You know what?" Carlos mentioned. "We're like Robin Hoods. We steal from the Bitters and then give to the poor Palm Woods kids who can't afford his overpriced snacks." He flipped his hood up in triumph.
"You do realize that by stealing, he could just call the cops and have us arrested," Natalie brought up.
"Don't ruin it," Carlos insisted.
Suddenly, the doors to the pool area from the lobby opened and Mr. Bitters walked out, heading for the group.
"And here comes the sheriff of Eatinghamm," Katie joked. "Deny everything."
Mr. Bitters stopped in front of the group, "You can't-"
"I deny everything," Carlos interrupted him. Natalie facepalmed.
"You have to wait until he finishes!" Katie told Carlos. The Latino seemed disappointed in himself.
"Attention Palm Woods Losers," Mr. Bitters called out. "Fruit Smackers and everything in the vending machine is now SIX DOLLARS!" The teens of the Palm Woods groaned with complaints. Carlos and Natalie winced. "Thanks to Robin-" He pointed at Katie. "Hoodie-" Carlos was pointed at next. "And their Maid Marian." He finished his gesture with Natalie. Giving the group a smirk, Mr. Bitters walked away.
"Do NOT call me Maid Marian!" Natalie yelled after him. "I am NOT Carlos's love interest!" Mr. Bitters didn't seem to hear her for he disappeared into the lobby. She, Carlos and Katie looked around them, noticing that the Palm Woods teens were glaring at them.
"Great," Katie complained. "Now the townspeople hate us."
Carlos got to his feet, "Yes, but our legend grows." He looked off into the distance dramatically. "Put your hoodies on." The two girls exchanged looks before they flipped their hoods on over their heads.
Evan poked his head up from his hiding place inside a bush at the Palm Woods Park. A tree hat covered his blonde hair.
"Okay, you know the plan, right?" Evan asked.
Suddenly, Tim stuck his head out of the bush, "And why did you ask me instead of your best friend?" A tree hat was on his head as well.
"Because Camille would know that Brandon's covering for me," Evan explained. "She wouldn't expect you to be trying to stop her from stopping me from asking a girl out." Tim raised an eyebrow. "Plus, we haven't ever had a chance to talk and you're dating my best friend."
Tim nodded, understanding Evan's reasoning, "So, you want me to wait here while you go find a girl to ask out. If I see Camille, I'm supposed to come out and distract her so she can't scare away the girl."
"Exactly," Evan responded. "Now, let's do this."
Before Evan could leave his hiding spot, a female voice reached his ears, "Evan?"
"ABORT MISSION!" Evan screamed. "WE'VE BEEN SPOTTED!" He ducked back into the bush to hide.
Tim turned around to look at the girl, informing Evan, "Uh, that's not Camille." Evan came back into view to see what Tim was talking about. Standing beside the bush with a confused expression on her face was Emily.
(A/N): Ooh… I bet that NONE of you saw THAT coming! So, who ya gonna pick, Evan? Are you gonna bring Camille to the gala or Emily? And how are the others going to react to your pick? What's Emily going to do once she finds out that she's been LIED to by the Zizi on who Evan REALLY is? Is Camille gonna fight for Evan or let him go and make his mistakes? What's gonna happen when Evan finds out that Emily's been working for the Zizi this entire time? Poor Kendall is starting to feel the sting of the media. As we all know, that's part of the episode. But… Is that ALL the taste of media attention that he's gonna get? He is, after all, related to Katrina and Evan… Is Carlos gonna be able to get Natalie to see the fun side of life for her to make her show entertaining or will her show end before it even begins? Looks like Logan's and Katrina's beginning relationship stage is over. Now that they're in the more serious part of their relationship, are they gonna be able to handle it or will temptations draw them away? Logan DOES seem to be more interested in the shoes than kissing his girlfriend. That can't be a good sign. Once again, Dusty is a blabbermouth. Looks like the Zizi paid the apartment a little visit. What could they be planning? Is Katrina gonna have the song done in time or will she succumb to the pressure and pick a song that's already written? Why is she having trouble with writing a song anyways? Is there something wrong or different that's causing her to be unable to write? Guess you'll have to wait to find out!
Remember people. It's all up to YOU on who ends up with Natalie. Who's it gonna be? Kendall, James, Carlos or Logan? You can vote by review, PM or the poll on my author page! Because there are so many people that are voting one way, I've decided to do something special to make things a little more interesting. Whoever gets voted as first, gets her in the end yes, but whoever gets voted second will end up in a love triangle with her and the first place person (because you ALL seem to LOVE love triangles…)! This way, the voting contest gets WAY more interesting. Because right now, the second place person is a tie! SO KEEP VOTING! IT MATTERS! Until next time, happy reading and VOTE!