AN: Happy update day! Thanks for the feedback last time and for helping me finally break 50 reviews. This chapter covers Elle's album release and is one of my favorites so far. There's about a month left of tour at this point fyi. I hope you enjoy and please review. Thanks!

Seattle had been rainy and overcast for the day we had been here. The Space Needle dominated the skyline and I felt like I had walked straight into the world of Grey's Anatomy. Or Sleepless in Seattle given the fact I still couldn't sleep, but the weather did little to dampen my spirits. Even though I was still struggling with my broken heart and insomnia the guys made it hard to be in a sour mood. That and the fact that we were just a few hours away from the midnight release of my album.

"Come on, don't be shy." James quipped as he dragged me alongside him. "Seattle, look who it is!"

The crowd cheered as I walked onto the stage and greeted the guys. I had been watching their performance when James ran offstage and grabbed me by the hand. It was the very end of their set and they only had one song to go, I was confused, to say the least.

"Does anyone want to give me a hint about what's happening?"

Carlos waved off my question and spoke into his mic. "As you may know, our incredible friend Elle has been working her ass off all summer."

"And you may also know, she's incredibly talented and a badass," James added on. "She's amazing."

"Just like her album which comes out tomorrow!" Logan made his way across the stage and wrapped his arm around my waist. "We just wanted to take a second to tell you we're all so proud of you. Aren't we proud of this girl, Seattle?"

The cheering and applause were even louder than it had been when I walked onstage. My smile was wide and my throat was tight. My friendship with the three of them meant the world to me.

"Guys, stop." I blinked and fanned my hand in front of my eyes. "You're making me cry."

Logan scoffed at this and jokingly wiped his hand across my cheeks. "Don't cry. We're proud of you."

I gave him a hug and his friends when they joined us. For a brief moment, it felt like the night we had sung Windows Down. But when I looked across the stage, Kendall was sad instead of annoyed. I pretended not to see it and frankly, I didn't care.

"Thank you." I leaned into James' mic. "And thank you guys for always sticking by me."

"So, what are you guys going to do tomorrow?" Carlos asked. "You're going to buy and stream It's Kind of a Long Story, right?"

"And you're going to tweet about it, right?" James followed.

"And you're going to tell Elle how much you love it, right?" Logan finished with a grin. "She's worked so hard."

The arena burst into cheers and chanted my name as I waved. I ended up titling the album It's Kind of a Long Story because the road to putting out this record had been long. From Jett to Kendall and everything in between I never thought I'd get to this place.

"Thank you guys, thank you so much." I sniffed loudly. "I hope you love it as much as I do."

I ended up sticking around to sing Big Time Rush with the guys and it had been fun. It reminded me of the start of the tour when things were easier. And just like the beginning of the tour, we were having a 'social gathering' according to them. The guys had managed to convince Liz that I could drink and that they'd take care of me. We were on my bus, that way Kendall couldn't crash our little party. So I found myself in the back lounge and the music was pounding.

"To Elle!" James declared as he raised his beer in a toast. "And her album which is going to fuck up the charts!"

"Elle!" Logan and Carlos agreed.

We all tossed back shots and I shrieked as we looked at the countdown on my Instagram. There were ten seconds to midnight and it'd be official, my album would be online and in stores. The world would be able to hear the songs I had poured my heart into. My stomach was a bundle of nerves and the guys all had a hand on my back.

"Ten, nine, eight!" We counted down at the top of our voices. It felt like New Year's Eve. "Seven, six, five, four!"

"Oh god, oh god, oh god." I was rocking on the balls of my feet and clutching Carlos' shoulder tight. "Here it comes."

"Three! Two! One!"

The countdown hit zero and the bus went wild. We were all shouting and clinking cups, I was reduced to tears. I was overwhelmed with relief and with pride. I really thought this day would never come. I thought that I'd either have zero fans or be dead, I honestly had. But I was surrounded by my friends and I was so happy I could cry, so I did.

"Happy album release day!" James hugged me and held up a bottle of champagne. "It's time for the good shit."

Carlos was supplying with tissues and rubbing my back. "Congratulations, I'm really excited for you."

"Thank you, Los." I wiped my cheeks and shuddered. "God, it's here."

"Yep, and they're going to love it. You've worked your ass off and it's going to show." Logan said wisely as he blew a puff of smoke. "Here, hit this, you'll feel better."

The bong was heavy in my hands and I tutted. "Liz thinks I'm just drinking, not hitting a bong."

Logan rolled his eyes and took a large hit and placed his lips firmly to mine. He exhaled the smoke and it filled my lungs in the way cigarettes couldn't. When he pulled back he had a smirk on his face.

"What was that?"

"Well, technically you didn't hit the bong. We just kissed and it just so happened to fill your lungs." He shrugged and leaned against the couch. "Was that okay?"

I laughed and pushed him. "At least I'll be able to tell her the truth."

"Leave it to Logan to find a loophole so he could kiss you," Carlos grumbled next to us. "We can't all be geniuses."

There was a scoff from the doorway and James had returned with a now open bottle of champagne. "Wait, are we making out again?"

"No you idiots, I shotgunned with Logan that's all." I finished off my vodka and held out my cup. "Fill it up."

We toasted with champagne and I watched as the guys passed the bong around. I didn't partake other than the first hit, I was content to drink. It was obvious that Logan wanted to shotgun again but I casually ignored it. I wasn't scared to have sex like I had been after the Jett Incident, but something about hooking up on the same tour your ex was currently on seemed messy. I did, however, appreciate the fact that the last pair of lips on mine were no longer Kendick's.

The music was pounding and I could feel the vibrations in my chest. The guys and I danced together for a while, feeling hands that weren't his on my skin was a welcome change. James' hands were softer than his, Carlos didn't smell like mint he smelled like cinnamon, and Logan's eyes were a warm shade of dark brown instead of green. And the three of them made me feel a lot safer than their friend ever had.

"Guys l-look! It's trending." I hiccupped as I waved my phone at them. "People like it."

#ItsKindofaLongStory and #Elle were the top two worldwide trends. So far the feedback had been positive and fans were liking the album, my tears started all over again.

"I did it! They like it."

"Of course, they do. It's a great album."

I was drunk and emotional so I pulled them into a group hug. "Thank you for always being so nice to me guys. I-I mean it, you, you never treated me like a whore or tried to fuck me as a bet, and you're all so fucking n-nice. So nice and not scummy." My voice was high pitched and I swayed a bit. "You're g-good people, so fucking good."

Carlos laughed and nodded as he took my cup. "I think you've had enough."

He was probably right, my head was spinning. I hadn't been drunk since I was back in L.A. and my tolerance was low. We had finished the bottle of champagne, I had at least half a bottle's worth of vodka and some of Carlos' beer. I had come back from the bathroom and put on a shirt. I was still laughing and grinning at my phone when I climbed on to the couch.

James was the soberest of us all. "Do you want to sleep in your bunk?

"No, I'm too drunk to climb up." I rolled my eyes and took the water he was holding out. "M'fine here."

Carlos patted my arm before stumbling out. "Night, Elle, proud of you."

I waved limply and stretched out. "Someone stay. Can't sleep when I'm alone."

"I'll stay."

"Thanks."

My eyes were heavy as a blanket was placed over me. The music was shut off but it still buzzed in my ears, the night had been fun. I had let loose in a way I hadn't in a while. Being with my friends on such an important night meant the world to me. I was completely and foolishly happy as I fell asleep.

The sun was painfully bright as it filtered in through the windows. I winced and without opening my eyes, I buried my face deeper into the pillow next to me. An arm tightened around my waist and someone cleared his throat.

"Shh, my head."

"Wasn't me, it was James."

I recognized the first voice as Carlos' and I squinted around the room. James was sleeping on the other small section of the couch, Logan was stretched out next to me and Carlos was on the floor. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up and yawned. I was definitely hungover and my mouth was dry.

"Morning," I muttered. "Logan, move."

He moved his arm from my waist and I staggered to my feet. My only focus was finding the tallest glass of water I could get my hands on. I went out to the kitchen area and pulled open the fridge. I chugged the bottle and leaned my head against the cool cabinet.

"Save some for the rest of us."

I turned and saw Logan rubbing his eyes. His hair hung limply in his face and he reached around me for a bottle of his own. The only sound for a moment was the crunching of the plastic as he downed the water. We both winced at the sound and he laughed a little.

"Sorry." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I haven't been that fucked up in a while."

"Me either, the last time I was drunk was when I got back to LA."

The fact that I had tried to kill myself that day wasn't lost on either of us. I would have laughed it off but I was too hungover to bring myself to even smile. Logan simply placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, I'm glad you're alright. I would have hated if anything happened to you." His said earnestly and he cleared his throat. "You're one of my best friends."

"So are you, thank you. Oh and thanks for the shotgun last night." I shielded my eyes from the harsh lights of the bus. "I'm almost regretting drinking instead of smoking, there'd be less of a headache. We should have convinced Liz to let me smoke instead."

He was rummaging through the cabinets for breakfast. "You know if you ever want to shotgun I'm down. Or you know, leave the weed of out the equation entirely."

I crushed my empty bottle and threw it at him. "Nice try, you just want to make out."

"I can't confirm or deny that." He avoided my eyes as he poured cereal into a bowl. "We hear what we want to hear. But I'm not saying you're wrong."

Logan was obviously attractive and he had the same dry sense of humor I did. I'm sure we'd get along pretty well and I knew for a fact that he was a lot sweeter than Kendall. And it had crossed my mind that none of this would have happened if I dated a different member of the band. But after Jett and Kendall, I knew I wouldn't be interested in anyone for a long time.

"Well, I don't know about shotgunning. But maybe I should start smoking more, I'd finally be able to sleep." I rubbed my hand over my face and yawned. "Liz needs to get my prescription sorted out."

"Liz needs to what?"

I turned and saw my manager walking onto the bus. "I need to sleep again."

"Later." She waved off my comment as Carlos and James joined us. "Have you checked your phone?"

"No, why?"

Liz's smile was wide as she handed me hers. I nearly dropped it and a grin pulled at my face. It took me a few reads to come to terms with it but when it hit me, I started crying.

"What is it?"

I tried to speak but the words got lost in my sobs and laughter. "Oh my god."

"It's Kind of a Long Story is number one on Billboard, Spotify, Apple Music, and it's selling out in stores," Liz explained, the pride was evident in her voice. "And fans online are loving it as well as critics."

Hearing it aloud made me dizzy and I had to hold on to her arm to stay upright. Tears ran down my face and for the first time in a long time, they were tears of joy. After all the hard work I put into making this album it had paid off. The guys engulfed me in a tight group hug as they cheered. We stayed like this for a moment and I caught my breath.

"This isn't real." I kept shaking my head as I read the messages that were flooding my phone. "Oh my god."

But it was.

EverythingisElle: #ItsKindofaLongStory is the best album of our generation.

ElleHarperUpdates: Elle's album came out last night! Make sure you buy it AND stream it. Proud of you ElleHarper

BigTimeElle: I'm crying every song is amazing. She did THAT!

Those were just a handful of tweets, they were coming in so fast and in so many languages it was hard to keep up. But there lots of heart and crying emojis and I was still the number one trend. And that was just Twitter, my texts were blowing up too. Lucy Stone had sent me her congratulations, my label, and so many celebrities, I was starstruck.

"You did this, we're all so proud."

"Thank you." I took the tissue Carlos held out and wiped my face. "Can we go buy a copy?"

"That's the tradition," Liz said as she handed me a paper cup full of tea. "Get dressed and we can head over."

James looked confused. "What's the tradition?"

My smile was wide. "Just wait."

When I released my first album Liz and I started a tradition of going to the nearest store and buying a copy. Over the years it had become my thing, no matter where I was in the world I went to see my hard work in person. The fans were always surprised when they saw me browsing the CDs. I never did any interviews the day an album came out, I let the music speak for itself. Today was no different and I found myself in a Target somewhere outside of Spokane. The guys had joined in too.

"Guys look!" My voice was loud and giddy as I raced towards the display. "It's here."

On the shelf was my CD. I picked it up and ran my hand over the packaging and looked at my picture. It never got old seeing the physical proof of your hard work. We had shot the cover photo while we had been back east, before I left. It was bittersweet, the Elle in these photos had no idea of what was coming.

"Elle?"

Behind me was a small group of fans who were all shocked to see me. I waved excitedly and stepped out of the way so they could grab their own copies.

"Oh my god, I streamed it last night and cried the whole time." One girl exclaimed as she held up her phone with shaking hands. "Can I please get a picture?"

I put an arm around her waist and smiled. "Thank you so much for listening to it."

"Elle, it's you!" Another girl was crying real tears. "I love you so much."

We hugged for a long moment. "I love you too!"

I posed for pictures and signed a couple copies of the album. The guys got in on it too and talked with the small group of fans that assembled. I was in the middle of singing a CD for a girl who was speaking so quickly my head spun.

"Colors is so good. Ooh and Delicate and Night Like This." She was gushing. "My friends are never going to believe I met you. We tried to get tickets but they sold out."

Hearing this was exciting because there was another tradition I liked to do when an album came out. "You see that woman over there? That's my manager Liz and she is going to get you all into tonight's show as a thank you for buying the album."

She looked like she was going to fall over as she thanked me. My heart was full and fit to burst, seeing the fans' excitement made everything worth it. When my first album came out, I gave anyone who seemed slightly interested in the album a ticket to that night's show. I had been trying to fill seats. But over time it became a secret gift to the fans who bought a physical CD. After all, they could stream it for free but chose to spend their money on something I made.

"I think that's everyone." Liz put away the list of fans' names and numbers who had tickets. "We should check out."

The guys and I grabbed our own copies and headed for the checkout. On our way to the front of the store, we handed out a few more tickets to fans. And once we were in line the guys had a chance to talk to me.

"That's really sweet that you do that." Carlos was scanning his CD. "You give out tickets to fans who happen to be at the store."

I shrugged. "They do so much for me and it's so easy to stream an album. Liz and I do it for every record."

"That's awesome." James insisted as we climbed into our SUV.

"The fans are awesome, they stuck with me through all my drama. It's the least I can do."

Back at the venue, they guys' hangovers had fully kicked in and they went to their bus to sleep for a while. They had the right idea so I went back to mine and found a large bouquet of flowers from my label on the table. It was a sweet gesture. Liz was inside the arena, going over some stuff for the night's show. I climbed in my bunk but I ended up glued to my phone instead of napping. I was liking tweets and thanking fans. I just so happen to see the picture a fan and I had just taken. I was in the middle of replying to her when my phone buzzed. And for some reason, I answered.

"Hello?" I was cautious.

"Congratulations, Len."

The sound of his voice made me scowl. "What do you want Jett?"

"I listened to the album and it's really good. The songs about me are good." He then chuckled a little. "I guess that bet and video of us aren't so bad after all. Plenty of inspiration."

The way he joked about the two worst things in my life made me angry. "You're disgusting."

"We should celebrate." He ignored my frustration. "Remember when the last album came out?"

Unfortunately, I did. He took me to a rooftop restaurant, bought me expensive jewelry and flowers. The pre-Jett Incident me thought it was romantic but now it made me sick.

"I'd rather eat glass."

"Don't be a bitch. I'm trying to be nice, I said the album's good." He didn't miss a beat. "I mean there aren't as many songs about me as I had hoped for but-"

"Lose my number."

With that, I hung up and rolled out of bed. I wasn't going to let that weird exchange get me down. I finished replying to that fan and joined Liz in the kitchen area of the bus. The TV was on and I stopped when I heard my name.

"Elle Harper's newest album It's Kind of a Long Story continues to be the top story here at Backstage Access. The album is getting rave reviews from fans and critics, it's breaking records and already has close to a million streams in the 12 hours it's been out."

"That's fucking insane." I shook my head and rested my chin in my hand. "I just can't believe it's finally here. I didn't think this day would come."

"Me either," Liz said candidly as she muted the TV. "I mean I knew you had the skill and the fans. But between the boy troubles and the hiatuses, I was worried you would give up. I'm really proud of you Elle, honestly."

This was more than Liz usually talked about the past. "Well, I wouldn't be here if you hadn't worked out this deal. I remember being pissed about touring with Big Time Rush, but I'm actually glad I did. Thank you."

We hugged as her phone chimed. I was reading the card on the flowers the label sent to me when she groaned. "What?"

"Are you sure you're still happy to tour with them?"

"Yeah, why?"

She handed it to me and I instantly rolled my eyes. Kendall had tweeted, he was holding my album. I could tell it was him from the tattoo on his wrist, I tried not to notice the black and white string bracelet he wore. I had bought it for him.

Proud of you.

There was a heart emoji after it. It was a stark departure from the tweet he posted about me in New York. Fans were replying to it, telling him to leave me alone and stop being desperate. I handed her phone back.

"I know he took an Uber when we got back. Kelly and I assumed he was going to buy more cigarettes. We can have him delete it."

"Don't," I answered quickly. "This is my day and he won't ruin it. He can do what he wants. I don't care."

Kendall was speechless as he sat in his dressing room. His headphones were still on even though the music had ended minutes ago. He had listened to Elle's album for the first time and was honestly at a loss for words. It told the story of the summer, the story of them. It started with songs about Jett, then to songs about a crush, to songs about being in love, to songs about heartbreak. He had known he had fucked up since the moment he told her to do everyone a favor. But hearing her songs was another reminder.

How had they gone from Delicate to Fix a Heart?

He could still feel prickly heat in his cheeks from the first time she had sung Crush. He had tried to deny his feelings for her but she was too smart to not see them. The memory of her grinding to Body Say was enough to make his mouth go dry. And he could still feel her on his lap in the back of the cab as they filmed that music video.

Everything had gone to shit and it was his fault.

And then he was on his feet. He wasn't really thinking as he pushed out of his room and to the backstage area. When he saw his friends his voice was so loud they jumped.

"Where's Elle?" He blurted.

They looked up and James rolled his eyes. "Dude, you've gotta stop tweeting about her. It's weird."

"Where is she?" He huffed impatiently. "Please?"

"On her bus. But Liz is with her so you won't be able to do anything stupid."

That was all Kendall needed because he was racing out the doors. The only thing on his mind was that he had to fix this, he had to try to get the Elle who wrote those early songs about him back. The rain was falling in heavy sheets and his hoodie was already wet as he pounded on the bus door.

She said she was done but he had to try.

A loud knock made me jump out of my skin. It was relentless as I went to the door, it swung open and I frowned. Kendall was standing in the rain, holding my album.

"I-I listened to it. All of it." He stammered out. "I just finished."

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. "Do you want a gold star?"

Surprisingly he let out a laugh at this. "No. I-I want to fix this."

"Fix this?" I was indignant. "Fix the way you absolutely humiliated me? You made a fool out of me and hurt me. There's no fixing this."

My cold tone obviously wasn't enough to send him on his way because he pressed on. "I know I fucked up. Trust me when I say it's something I'm going to feel awful about for the rest of my life. I'm sorry for everything. I've never not been sorry but hearing how I hurt you, I don't know, I just want to make it better."

Liz was on the bus still and I didn't want to cause any more drama. For the sake of privacy and so she wouldn't worry, I stepped out into the rain and shut the door behind me. It was cold and gave me goosebumps immediately.

"You just don't know how to stop, do you? We had what we had and it's over. You ruined that and us the moment you tweeted that, I don't know how to make that any more clear. If you really had listened to my album you'd know I'm hurt and that I'm done with you."

Kendall's blonde hair was so wet that it looked brown and it was matted against his forehead. He let out a long breath and pushed his hair back before closing some of the gap between us. The hand he placed on my arm was warm against my chilled skin.

"I have listened to it, hearing what you wrote about me when we were happy compared to now is eating me up inside. But I also heard how you were falling for me. I have feelings for you, Elle." The corner of his mouth twisted into a small smile and his voice was soft. "And I think you still have feelings for me too."

I drew in a sharp breath and threw my hands up. "This isn't a movie or a crappy book, Kendall. You can't drag me out into the rain and confess your love for me like it's going to change something." I jabbed my finger hard into his chest. "You hurt me and that's not okay. You don't get to act like the victim because I don't want to be with you after all you did to me."

Kendall swallowed hard and his fingers toyed with the frayed edges of the bracelet he wore, he avoided my eye. His words were thick as they came out of his throat.

"I-I just need a second chance. I swear to god I won't mess this up ever again." He lifted his head. "Please. Trust me."

"Do you know how long it took me to trust someone after Jett? Almost two years and what happened? You treated me like shit, you pushed me, you made me want to kill myself. And now that I'm back and trying to move on, you still won't leave me alone." My words were high pitched as my throat tightened and I fought tears. "I mean shit, what more do you want from me? What else could you possibly take from me?"

The sound of my voice cracking made him wince. "Len, I'm so sorry."

"You don't get to be surprised that I'm still hurt." The rain was cold and my wet hair dripped down my back. "I'm going inside before I get pneumonia."

I turned to enter the code to get on the bus and knew my hands weren't trembling from being cold. My fists clenched and blew air between my teeth.

"I'm not surprised, you have every right to be mad. But I love you, I'm so in l-."

That was it. I had officially had enough.

"Don't you dare say that to me!" The shove I gave him was rough enough to make him stumble. My throat was hoarse as I shouted at him. "I am done with empty words from stupid guys!"

He sighed and shook his head at me. We were both absolutely drenched and the rain fell heavier now, it stung my skin. One hand held my waist and the other held my face. His green eyes stared into mine, full of intensity and regret. His thumb wiped at the hot tears that mixed with the cold rain. The cries that came out of me were uncontrollable and ugly. I was completely exhausted and devastated.

"Elle, talk to me."

"I hate it when you touch me. All I can think about is how there used to be a time I wanted nothing else. It reminds me of every night I took my clothes off for you without knowing it started as a joke." My knees were buckling and I made a weak attempt to push him off me. "I'm done with you. Don't ever touch me again."

He caught my wrist as I turned away. "I'll make this right."

"Tour is almost over, give it a rest Kendall." I laughed to stop myself from crying even more. "In a few weeks, this will be done."

"I'll do anything for a second chance, to get you back." His mouth was a thin line as he fought tears of his own. "I have feelings for you and I think you do too."

The rain was almost deafening as it poured down around us. His accusation hung in the air and I was quiet for a long moment while I pushed the hair out of my eyes. My voice was nearly drowned out by the sound.

"I had feelings for you but I can't be with someone I can't trust."

"I'll earn it b-back. I swear to god, Elle." He was desperate now, he held my face between his two hands. "I'm not giving up."

His mouth was hot against mine and he held the back of my head. He kissed me with enough force that it took my breath away.

"That was the last time you ever get to do that." I hissed at him as I stepped back. "Don't fucking touch me again."

His eyes were sad. "Eleanor. Baby, please."

My words were void of any emotion as I punched in the code to the bus. "Tour's over in a few weeks. After that, we'll be strangers again. I won't know you and you won't know me. It's for the best."

"No! Please don't say that." He begged but when he saw me flinch as he tried to grab my hand, he choked on his words. "I just need another chance. One more chance."

Water soaked both of us to the bone and I stared at him with nothing but pity and disdain. He could plead and he could beg and he could make all the speeches in the rain that he wanted. It didn't change anything. I shrugged my shoulders as I stepped onto the bus.

"I'm fresh out of chances." I fought like hell to keep my voice from shaking. "Get over it, I know I have."

And then, I shut the door. Leaving Kendall out in the rain.

AN: Elle's album is breaking records and Kendall is desperate for another shot. My favorite scenes were Elle seeing how well the album was doing, her little conversation with Jett and the scene in the rain at the end. I'm a sucker for anything involving a kiss in the rain. What was your favorite part? Do you think Kendall deserves another chance?

We are reaching the final bit of this story and I'm really excited for what's ahead. I hope you'll stick around. It'd be really awesome if you left even a short review. I live for positive feedback!

Let me know what you thought and I'll see you soon.