AN: Thanks for the feedback! I agree that Jett can be a real jerk. This chapter follows the second day of the tour. I hope you enjoy this update and let me know what you thought. Thanks!

There wasn't enough coffee or ibuprofen in the world that would wake me up and stop the pounding in my head. When I rolled out of my bunk I squinted and stumbled my way towards the bathroom. After a few minutes, I felt a little more human but my head still throbbed. I took a seat next to Logan at the small breakfast nook in the front of the bus.

"Hey, guys."

"Morning." James slid the pot of coffee across the table. "So the reviews are in and people liked the show last night."

Hearing this made me perk up. "They did?"

"Both Elle Harper and Big Time Rush know just what their fans want and they deliver. With detailed choreography, solid live vocals, and high energy performances the first stop of the Count Me In Tour should make any fan scramble for tickets. Old fans and new ones alike will appreciate BTR's mature setlist and Elle's return to the stage." He read, smiling as he did so. "This show has something for everyone."

My face broke out into a wide grin. "Does it really say that?"

"They're all really positive. They talk about how it's nice to see the band grow up and see you making a comeback." Logan held up his phone so I could see a different review. "After a rough year for Elle, it's nice to see that she's not letting anything or anyone drag her down."

A blush crept onto my face. "I can't believe this. I hoped it would go well but never like this."

The three of us spent a few minutes nursing our hangovers and reading reviews. I always looked at what my fans thought and most of them seemed happy to see that I was back. Someone had posted a video of my duet with Kendall and it already had 6,000 views. I just hoped the support continued to grow as the summer went on. We were in San Francisco for tonight's show and had a full day of interviews ahead of us.

"I'm going to change and try to look less hungover," I said standing from the table. "Should I wake Carlos?"

"You can try he sleeps in late as it is but hungover Carlos is even worse." Logan shook his head. "It's your funeral."

Life on the road was lonely as a solo artist. There were times when I was constantly surrounded by people but they were all stage crew or handlers who traveled separately. Sharing a bus was a new experience One day in and it didn't seem too bad. But I spoke too soon. When I stepped out of the bathroom after changing Kendall stood with his arms folded.

"Are you done?"

His voice was too loud and I winced. "Good morning to you too."

He stepped around me and shut the door behind him. I heard the shower turn on and rolled my eyes, sharing a bus with three out of four of my tour mates wasn't too bad. I stuck my head into Carlos' bunk and gave him a shake. It was one of those rare mornings on tour that we got to sleep in a bit, it was just after 9 and we were scheduled to go on air in two hours. Even so, Carlos was in a dead sleep.

"Carlos, wake up. We have interviews to do."

One eye opened and he rolled onto his side. "10 more minutes."

"Carlos."

"How are you not hungover?" He groaned taking a second to look at me. "I feel like shit."

I shook my head. "It's called coffee and concealer. But you do look awful so I'll give you an extra 15 minutes."

He rolled back over. "You're a saint."

It took another 20 minutes, a cup of coffee with extra sugar and me promising to let him help direct one of my music videos to get Carlos out of bed. Once he was on his feet he seemed like he was truly awake. But now on the drive over to the radio station, he was slumped against the window, clutching his coffee.

"Can he really sleep anywhere?"

James didn't seem fazed by him sleeping upright. "It's a gift."

We were in the back of an SUV. I was next to James and Carlos, Logan was in the third row and Kendall was next to the driver. I rested my head against the window and fought to keep my eyes open. My headache still lingered just beneath my temples and behind my eyes. The radio was playing softly and when an electronic dance song came on I groaned.

"Anything but this. My head is killing me."

I could have ground my teeth to dust when Kendall turned it up. The bass reverberated through the car and rattled my brain.

"Turn it down." I moaned. "Seriously I don't know what's worse, your taste in music or what it does to my head."

He turned and shrugged his shoulders. He cranked it up a little louder and music filled the car. It was repetitive and techno. It wasn't a bad song but in the morning and with a hangover it was like nails on a chalkboard.

"Leave it to Kendall to like music as shitty as his personality," I grumbled to Logan. "Why do you like this song? It's so repetitive."

Kendall sighed as if my question was a hassle. "What can I say I have a one-track mind? It caught my attention. It's a good song. Maybe if you didn't get so drunk last night you wouldn't be so hungover."

"Piss off, you got fucked up last night too. You're just being a dick."

Kendall twisted back around in his seat and I rubbed my forehead as the song blasted loudly. The high pitches and electronic sounds caused me to clench my jaw. I was grateful when Carlos leaned up and shut it off.

"She's right, I'm sleeping." He said with a yawn. "Be an ass later."

This was enough for Kendall because he didn't fiddle with the radio again. I looked out the window sleepily as we drove up steep hills through San Francisco. It was already warm despite it being early in the day. When we pulled up to the station I was surprised to see a crowd of people waiting for us.

"There they are!" Someone shrieked.

Security stood outside of the car and opened the door. We all climbed out and the screaming was deafening. I took a few pictures with fans and did my best to smile at everyone.

"Elle!"

I turned to see two guys close to my age standing by the gate. I walked over, smiling widely.

"Hey boys." I greeted. "Thanks for coming."

"You're so hot." The shorter of the two said.

"Dude shut up." The other one hissed. "Sorry, he's an idiot."

"No, you're fine. It's cute, you both are." I laughed, looking between them. They both had the same sandy blonde hair. "I take it you two are brothers."

The tall one nodded. "Unfortunately. I'm much better looking and older though."

We joked for a minute and took a selfie. "It's nice to meet you guys. Tag me in the picture."

"Bye Elle!"

As security ushered inside Kendall snorted. "You just flirt everywhere you go don't you?"

"It's called being nice, you should try it sometime." I shot back, fixing my hair in the elevator's reflective doors. "It wouldn't kill you."

"I'll be sure to stare at your tits and act like an idiot too." He smirked. "That seems to be your definition of people being nice to you."

"Whatever." I brushed off his words, I was still buzzing from the tour review. "You aren't ruining my day."

Once the five of us and our security team stepped out of the elevator we were greeted by Kelly and Liz who had arrived ahead of us to make sure things were going smoothly. Press junkets for a tour were always stressful due to the time crunch we were under. A typical day had interviews and appearances, soundcheck, the show and then it was a late night on the bus.

"Good morning guys." Kelly greeted. "You're going into makeup in a few minutes and then you'll each perform and do a quick interview."

"And then it's onto another interview and a meet and greet at the arena." Liz finished. "But for now help yourselves to some breakfast."

I knew from experience this would probably be the only time I'd be able to eat until just before the show. I made my way to the craft table and fixed myself some fruit and a bagel.

James came up next to me and made a coffee. "Are you excited for tonight?"

"Of course," I smiled. "Now that I know I won't be a total shit show. Any plans for parties tonight?"

"You were never going to be a shit show," He took a sip from his cup. "And not really, have to stay sharp you know?"

My tea had finished steeping so I filled the rest of the cup with cold water and added honey. By now the guys had filled their plates too.

"I actually planned on spending some time on the studio bus soon. If you guys want to have a writing session one night."

"Sounds like fun." Logan offered. "We could write a song together."

Kendall looked lonely at the end of the table so I jostled him teasingly. "I don't know, the last time I worked on a song with someone it was with Kendall."

"And it's a good song so you're welcome." He replied dryly. "Maybe I'm lucky."

His joke took me by surprise and I smiled half-heartedly. "You wish. But who knows maybe a little Kendall is all I need for a good song."

His face flushed just a bit, but before he could speak I was guided to a chair for makeup. While I was being worked on I scrolled through my feed and finished my breakfast. I liked the picture those boys had tagged me in and followed them. Everyone who had seen the show last night seemed to enjoy themselves and I hoped this continued.

"You look nice, not even slightly hungover." Carlos pointed out when I joined them in the studio. "Meanwhile I have concealer on and still look like shit."

I laughed. "You missed the part where they attacked me with foundation. Why we have to wear makeup for a radio show I'll never know."

"Because everything gets uploaded online eventually and you want to look good." Liz reminded. "Now don't forget to smile and be polite."

At this Kendall smirked. "At least when this gets posted you won't be naked."

"Was that the first time you've ever seen a naked girl?" I hissed back at him. "You sure do talk about it a lot."

Kelly held her hand up and sighed. "Kendall, Elle try not to be at each other's throats, please. Gustavo doesn't have the patience for it. And since this is going to be recorded get along."

He rolled his eyes. "Yes Kelly, you've only told us a thousand times."

"And apparently you still can't comprehend what it means." This came out as a mumble under my breath.

There was no time for him to respond when the radio show's host came in. Kendall let out a deep sigh and I smirked victoriously. We all shook hands with Jay and introduced ourselves. We were doing an interview first so I slipped my headphones on along with everyone else and settled into my stool.

"Good morning San Francisco! You're listening to 94.9 The Wild, I'm your host Jay Warner and I'm here with Big Time Rush and Elle Harper." She spoke into the mic animatedly. "How are you guys this morning?"

"Excited to be here." Carlos offered warmly.

Jay scrolled through her laptop. "So you kicked off your summer tour last night in LA and everyone is going crazy. How does that make you feel?"

"Stoked, it feels really great to be back out on the road," I answered, smiling widely. "I missed the fans and performing."

"Seems like they missed you too. Some of them camped out here all night to see you and the guys."

My heart warmed. "That's incredible."

"The tour is called the Count Me In tour where did that come from?"

"It's actually a small line in the first single, it's in the background," James answered. "Logan and I sing it."

Jay nodded. "What's the line?"

"Time to count it down, you can count me in. Time to set it off so let's begin."

That was my favorite line in the song it was cool that it inspired the name of the tour. Jay seemed to agree with me because she said she liked it when she heard it too.

She turned to the guys looking at her notes. "So Big Time Rush and Elle Harper are on tour. It seems like an odd match but it works so well. How did this come about?"

"Well, the guys and I are all growing up. We're definitely not the same people we were 5 years ago and we wanted to do something new and mature. And Elle seemed like a solid fit." James explained simply. "It seemed natural to have someone with an older fanbase."

Logan nodded. "Yeah, yeah we wanted to create a new image, a new sound."

"And you're creating that new sound on the road. What's it like recording while on the road?"

I leaned into the microphone. "I've done it for my past two albums and really enjoyed it. There's going to be tons of new material and hopefully some collaborations."

Jay looked at her computer screen and I saw a video from last night's show. "Speaking of new material, last night was the first time you played your new single Night Like This. It's been requested nonstop since you released it. Any chance we get to hear it today?"

For the sake of both our management teams and the camera in the room, I raised my eyebrows playfully at Kendall.

"I don't know Kendall should we play them a little something?"

He forced a laugh and adjusted how he was sitting so he faced me. "Only because Jay asked nicely enough and only if she plays Big Time Rush's new song too."

"Done and done." Jay held up her hand in a mock oath. "Stay tuned Bay Area, we'll have an in-studio performance from Elle Harper as well as BTR after a word from our sponsors."

With that, she hit a button and took off her headphones. Commercials played on the station as we situated ourselves in the next room so we could perform. I cracked open a bottle of water and hummed to myself to warm up.

"Do you need anything?" Liz asked walking into the room. "You look good."

"I'm fine."

She looked over to the guys who were talking to Kelly. "Kendall isn't bothering you is he?"

I shrugged. "No more than he usually does. Why?"

"Just make sure to smile. You were good onstage last night but there aren't fans here to interact with instead of each other."

"Be nice to him and act like he isn't a dick with mood swings." I deadpanned, closing my water. "Got it."

Big Time Rush was performing first so I stood at the side of the room with Kelly and Liz. Gustavo was at the venue to keep things running smoothly. They were doing an acoustic version of their single Just Getting Started. It was catchy and easy to dance too, it was great to see live. It was the perfect opening number and hyped up the crowd.

"Hello, hello, you're listening to the Wild and you're just in time to hear Big Time Rush's new hit Just Getting Started," Jay announced from the room next to us. "Take it away guys."

Kendall started off the song and he and the guys clapped along quickly on the beat. Carlos joined in next and sang about how no one had seen the whole show yet and then it launched into the chorus. James and Logan harmonized in the background while Kendall sang about how they were just getting started and how the best was yet to come. He smiled as he tapped his foot to the rhythm. Just like my song, there was a lot of whoas in the chorus and the different voices created a layered effect. They each took turns and James and Logan had my favorite line in the song.

"Time to count it down, you can count me in." James' voice was energetic.

"Time to set it off, so let's begin." Logan finished while Kendall and Carlos sang on top of him.

The song was about how the band was far from over, after being together for five years people assumed they were almost done. But this proved otherwise, they were constantly improving and making the albums and tours bigger and better. I swayed to the beat and mouthed the words to myself as I clapped with them. When they noticed this they seemed to like it. Even Kendall look at me, clearly amused.

Once they finished Jay did a small filler praising the song. Kendall and the guitarist stayed where they were and the others moved to the side of the room. I sat on the stool next to him and shortened the microphone stand.

"And now here to perform her already smash hit Night Like This, here's Elle Harper and Kendall Knight."

The guitarist counted me in and I started the song. This was the second time I had sung the song other than the recording booth so it was still a little nerve-wracking. Kendall joined in and smiled at me, it was almost reassuring. Once we got to the chorus and both clapped I relaxed, letting myself move to the music.

"I can feel my heartbeat, electric to my fingertips. Whoa, oh, oh." Our voices blended together. "I can feel anticipation through my veins."

We finished the first chorus and got to the line about getting to know me better. Kendall seemed genuine when he sang it and he leaned closer to me, he grinned and danced a little. To anyone watching we seemed comfortable, friendly even. Which was exactly what I needed to happen. If only the fans knew that he was temperamental and rude behind the scenes. But to his credit he was a good actor, it seemed like he actually enjoyed my company. I made sure to interact with him and play to the camera in the room. We reached the end of the song and I really made an effort to get close to him.

"Oh, anything can happen on a night like this."

He returned my smile. "On a night like this."

The camera was still rolling so we gave each other a high five. Pretending to be friendly came easily when there was an audience to hold us accountable.

From the studio, next door Jay clapped and spoke to the listeners.

"I'm calling it right now Night Like This is going to be the song of the summer. I just want to thank Elle and Big Time Rush for coming down today. There are still a few tickets left for their show tonight. I know I wouldn't want to miss it."

She slipped off her massive headphones and joined us. The six of us took a picture together and we signed a tour poster for a giveaway. And then just as quickly as we got there, we were ushered out by our handlers and security.

"That went well, you both sounded good." Liz complimented as we piled into an SUV. "Gustavo is waiting at the venue for a tech rehearsal."

Kelly confirmed this and checked her watch. "After that, there's a meet and greet for some contest winners which is the basic picture and signing deal. You have two interviews scheduled that will bring us to soundcheck and then you'll go into makeup."

Just hearing my schedule for the day was exhausting but I wouldn't have it any other way. Tour was grueling at times but being back out on the road and with fans made it worth it. And having friends like James, Logan and Carlos made things much more enjoyable.

"We all discussed it and it seems that your friendship with the guys is something the fans really like so keep playing that up onstage." Liz cut in pointing at all of us. "So far everyone believes you all like each other."

It had been nearly two months since first announcing the tour with Big Time Rush and we had grown pretty close. So, for the most part, it wasn't hard to mess around with the guys other than Kendall, but even that was getting a bit better. Between last night and how we just interacted at the radio station made me think that we would be able to keep up our professionalism.

"That won't be hard. As long as these guys don't get sick of me."

"Sick of you?" James questioned, faking shock and then flashing a grin. "I could never."

"We're only two days into the tour, Diamond. I wouldn't be so quick to say that." I turned, gesturing in front of me. "We have a long summer ahead of us."

Logan leaned forward from the third row. "You'll be sick of us by then."

"You remember who I've toured with," I said referring to some of the other pop stars and girl groups I had spent summers with. "I'm just happy there won't be any catfights or girl drama. And who knows? Maybe by the end of the tour, Kendall won't hate me."

He snorted. "Hate's a strong word. I prefer the term strongly disagree with on a fundamental level."

"I'd call that progress." Carlos offered, jostling him. "Maybe by the end of the tour you won't strongly disagree with her on a fundamental level."

A wry smile slid up Kendall's face as he considered this. "We'll see about that."

The first thing Gustavo said to me when I walked into the venue was surprisingly positive. In fact, it took me a few seconds to comprehend it.

"Elle, last night was better than we could have hoped for, the critics and both labels really liked what they saw." He said in lieu of hello. "Enjoy it, be proud and do it again tonight."

"Uh, yeah. Of course, I will." I stuttered out. "Thank you."

Gustavo wasn't one to stroke egos and moved into a quick tech rehearsal. It was simple, all we did was test out our microphones and do a safety run through so we knew where all the fireworks were. Once we were done with that it was onto a meet and greet with a group of fans.

We walked into a hallway where a background had been set up to take pictures in front of. There was a long line of fans who screamed when they saw the guys and few girls who called out to me.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming out." James welcomed them all. "We're going to get to all of you so just hang out and enjoy yourselves."

There hadn't been a meet and greet last night so this was the first time I was really interacting with fans.

"Oh my god, I missed you." One girl with braces gushed. "I was in serious withdrawal."

I laughed. "I missed you too. Thank you for coming out."

I wrapped my arms around the girl as the photographer took a picture. I signed her poster and sent her on her way to pick up a gift bag.

The fans were all sweet as we took group pictures and signed posters. The Rushers had been more welcoming than I thought they would be, which I was thankful for. The guys knew how to interact with their fans on a personal level which was really endearing. When a small girl had been crying out of excitement they wasted no time comforting her.

"Don't cry." Carlos put his arm around her. "Come on, don't be shy."

Logan crouched down to the girl's level. "You want us to sign your poster?"

She held it out for them to sign. "T-Thank you."

Kendall picked her up and put her on his hip. "You want to smile for the camera?"

We crowded together and posed for a picture. The girl had seemed to calm down a bit and hugged Kendall before he set her down.

"Have a good time at the show." When he stood up he saw me looking. "What?"

"I don't know, seeing you being nice to children is strange."

He looked over at the girl who was holding her mom's hand. "You don't like kids?"

I shrugged. "Not the biggest fan, but I didn't think you'd like them more than I did."

"I told you, I'm nice I just disagree with you."

"On a fundamental level?" I mocked, elbowing him in the ribs.

He shook his head, smiling as he did so. "Exactly."

The meet and greet continued as more fans got their pictures taken and posters signed. We had even been given gifts, one girl had made a detailed sketch of me and two girls had made the boys a scrapbook. Seeing how much care went into these gifts was touching. The fans were mostly girls with a best friend or a parent so when a guy walked up I was surprised.

"So are you a fan of me or Big Time Rush?" I greeted. "Because you're not exactly typical."

He pointed to the seven-year-old who was animatedly talking to the guys. "That would be my sister. I, however, am a fan of yours."

"Is that so? It's always nice to meet a fan. I'm Elle."

"Connor." He shook my hand and smirked. "Can I get a picture?"

I put my arm around his shoulders and he wrapped his arm around my middle. We posed for a picture and I signed his poster, looking up at him as I did so.

"Hope you enjoy the show."

"You bet."

I waved as he took his sister and walked off. We wrapped up the meet and greet as the final fans got to meet us. It had been so long since I got to really interact with them one on one. It felt good to give something back to those who had supported me. That fact they stayed by my side when most people had left meant the world to me. I couldn't thank them enough so it was more than a pleasure to take the time to meet them. Seeing their excitement made me stoked for tonight's show and it made having to sit through two more interviews almost unbearable.

"You just flirt everywhere you go, don't you?" Kendall asked under his breath as we walked down the hall. "First at the radio station and now here. No wonder it's so easy to get you undressed."

"It's called being personable." I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of pissing me off. "It's not affecting you."

The guys and I had settled into a back room, waiting for our interviews to start. He sat on the couch, looking smug.

"It just puts everything into perspective. How you flirt to get what you want."

"Or I just have talent and a strong work ethic," I said quickly as the first interviewer walked in. "I'm not getting into this right now."

To his credit, or more likely the threat of Gustavo scolding him, Kendall behaved during our interviews. He laughed at the jokes I made and when we played a game he was on my team. When he was asked what it was like to work with me he was polite.

"Elle is really talented and has this way of writing songs that I'm jealous of." He flattered, jerking his thumb toward me. "She's great to work with."

But when the cameras were off and we were alone his maturity vanished. I couldn't help but point out the hypocrisy as I was about to go on stage later that night.

"You're such a fake person. Aren't you?" I questioned as I attached my inner earpiece to my outfit. "You're an asshole to people but suck up to them in public."

He shook his head dismissively. "Or it's just part of my work ethic."

Clearly, he was mocking what I said earlier. "So mature Kendall. Really it's astounding."

"At least I don't have to flirt to make an impression."

I leaned up and whispered in his ear and my voice was harsh. "At least I can actually flirt and my game isn't weak."

"There's nothing weak about me. I'm just not a slut."

"Of course there's nothing weak about you." I pretended to be sympathetic. "But just because you're dating the most boring person on the face of the earth doesn't mean I can't have fun."

This got under his skin because his nostrils flared. "Jo isn't boring don't bring her into this. At least she knows how to respect herself. You, on the other hand, get drunk and let anyone have a turn with you and call it fun to make yourself feel better."

My stomach sank when I heard his words. He didn't know just how accurate he was. I called what happened with Jett meaningless fun as a way to live with it. But he didn't need to know that. So I drew in a breath and ruffled my hair.

"I'll show you just how much fun I can have."

My opening set went well. The fans were just as welcoming as they were last night, they sang and danced along and it felt like I was in the right place. Night Like This proved to be the highlight of the act. When Kendall came out the screams were louder and the crowd all moved as one. Even though I was singing with him it was still fun, because I knew that I had written most of the song. I was now lingering by the side of the stage waiting for my cue to join the guys during their set.

I walked out onto the stage just before my verse. I cozied up to James and Carlos and danced with them.

"Hey baby you drive me crazy, it ain't about what you've done for me lately." I sang grinding my hips against James'. I then turned to Carlos and winked at him "It's all about you. No lie it's the truth. Just want to say I got a big-time crush on you."

I pressed my hand to Carlos' cheek and smiled at him while I sang that line. The fans all shrieked. And from the other side of the stage, Logan was chuckling at Kendall who was trying not to roll his eyes.

"I know you know, we've got something." He sang back to me.

We finished the song and launched into Count on You. Unfortunately, a good deal of the song was sung with Kendall but I danced around instead of singing with him. When I was done with my guest appearance I waved and thanked the fans once more. I loved headlining a tour but there was something about being the opening act that I found relaxing. I was done early and comfortable on the bus by the time the guys returned.

"That's another show officially in the books." Logan was saying as they walked in. "And a good one I might add."

I raised the water bottle I had on the table. "And to all the other ones to come!"

"Who could forget our incredible opener?" Carlos asked sitting next to me. "That was priceless."

"He said I had too much fun," I said simply. "I wanted to show him what fun really looked like."

James looked up from his phone. "He's always been intimidated by people who can let loose. He's more uptight than Logan is sometimes."

"Rude." Logan punched him in the arm. "But he's not wrong. We try to tell him there's nothing wrong with being laid back."

I stood from the table and grabbed my purse. "I'll be back."

I walked around to the side of the bus and lit up a cigarette. I blew smoke from my mouth and let myself decompress. My eyes were shut as the nicotine helped me unwind.

"Ugh, fuck me." I heard a groan of irritation.

I opened one eye and saw Kendall coming around to the side of the bus, a cigarette hanging from his mouth.

"I'm fine thanks." I joked. "But you can smoke. I don't care."

He stood a few feet away from me and we smoked in silence. I made a point to blow my smoke in his direction just to be petty.

"The fans really like you." He spoke up. "When we sang together you could see it."

"It's because I like to have fun. But they like you and the guys too." I turned to face him. "And say what you want about me but we make a good team."

"I never said we didn't." He pointed out. "We just don't get along."

I scuffed my shoe against my cigarette to put it out before stepping into the bus. "You implied it though."

Our next show was in northern California so we didn't leave San Francisco right away. This gave us time to see how the fans responded to tonight's show. We were all scrolling through our social media when Carlos broke into laughter.

"You won't believe this." He showed me his phone. "People are taking your joke seriously and started shipping us."

"No way." I looked at his screen and someone had posted a picture of me touching his face. "It's in the song of course I said I had a crush."

James crossed his arms. "You flirted with me too and we'd be a way better couple."

I ruffled his hair. "Don't worry you'll get your turn."

He brightened and pulled me into a hug. "Sorry, Los."

I smiled, they were ridiculous. But it was nice to be friends with guys without it being weird. Even though we all flirted it was clear we were all joking. But if it got the tour more attention I would keep it up.

"Are you going to fool around with all my friends?" Kendall asked, taking out an earbud.

I gave a shrug and winked. "If they let me. I do have a lot of fun. Isn't that right boys?"

James pushed me against the counter and pretended to kiss me on the neck. He just buried his head there without actually kissing me.

"Tons of fun." Logan and Carlos agreed.

"Seriously man, stop being a wet blanket." James encouraged. "Loosen up."

"I am loose. Just not as loose as her."

I didn't let that insult get to me. I was in too good of a mood tonight to let Kendall get to me with such a cheap shot. Once the bus started toward the next stop we all went our separate ways. Carlos and Logan went to the lounge to play video games. James had decided to turn in early and Kendall was in his bunk too. I was alone in the front of the bus, writing. The rocking of the bus was relaxing and helped clear my head.

If I was being truthful I was still out of sorts from seeing Jett last night. Coming face to face with the man who had assaulted me had been stressful and circled in my brain. He had been so casual as if he had done nothing wrong. I could still feel his warm lips kiss my cheek. I could see his smirk and hear the way he lingered on my name. And I thought about the aftermath of that night. Not just about what did it did to my career I thought about one of the many other secrets. There had been so much fallout from the incident. It still stung and I needed to get my mind off of it. So I had buried myself in a new song, there was no title yet but it was about how what he did still hurt me. How he was a desperate, drug addict who was so high most of the time he didn't know what it was like to be normal.

"You're only happy when your sorry head is filled with dope. I hope you make it to the day you're 28 years old."

Jett had always joked about joining the 27 club and some days I had believed him. I worked on the song for a while before needing to stretch my legs. I had only written a few songs about what had happened to me but each time was difficult. I walked over to the fridge and grabbed a fresh bottle of water. I leaned against the counter as Kendall walked out from the bunks. His hair was mussed and for the first time, I noticed the tattoos he had. A sugar skull was on his upper arm and there was a stitched up heart on the other. Those weren't the only ones but they were the most prominent. For someone who was so big on having a good image, it was surprising.

"You're still awake?" He questioned.

I shrugged. "I'm writing. Nice tattoos by the way, very out of character for Saint Kendall. First the cigarettes and now this."

He actually snorted at this, smiling a bit. "Like I said I'm full of surprises."

"I can see that."

He looked over at the notebook on the table. "Is it going well?"

"Well enough I guess. It's just hard."

"You'll figure it out." He reassured me, reaching towards the fridge. "I meant what I said about you being a talented songwriter."

For some reason, this was exactly what I needed to hear. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."

The bus took a sharp curve and Kendall was sent crashing into me. He braced himself against the cabinets. Both of his arms were over my head and his tall frame leaned over me. My body brushed against his and I steadied myself by grabbing his hips. He looked down at me, his face was unreadable but he bit his lip.

"Sorry." I flushed, moving my hands. "Must have taken a wide turn."

Kendall still had his arms above me and he let out a small breath. His green eyes wandered down from mine, stopping at my lips and he lingered just a moment too long.

"Kendall?"

He blinked a few times and inhaled sharply before he realized he was still pinning me to the counter. Quickly, he dropped his arms and took a step back. He grabbed his water and cleared his throat.

"Uh, sorry." He muttered. "Good luck with the song. Goodnight."

I watched as he shut the door leading to the bunks with a slam. He couldn't get out of the room fast enough.

"Thanks," I called out, alone once more. "Goodnight, Kendall."

AN: Kendall and Elle's relationship seems to be growing! The next chapter picks things up a bit focuses on their rivalry. What did you think of their little moment at the end of the chapter? I hope you enjoyed Rushers, see you next week!