AN. So this chapter is just foucusing more on Carly and James. So it's just their journey to the costume shop. Since that's the main focus other than Staphine modelling for a headshot. But I didn't think that was that relevant for the story line of James and Carly.
Okay, carry on.
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"Since taking ownership of the studio, I've really had a hard time juggling everything. I wish I hadn't given Chris the day off. I could really use that extra help right now" Kate said.
"Hey Kate" Carly said As she walking into Kate's office. "Hey, Carly" Kate said while looking for something. "What's up?" Carly asked her. "I just I can't find this little black book" Miss Kate said.
"I can see that she's really overwhelmed" Carly says.
"Erm, is there anything I can do to help?" Carly asked. "Actually yes. If you could pick up the sample costumes from the costume store, that would be amazing. You have to get them before they close though" Kate said.
"It's so important to get the sample costumes today because the shopkeeper is gonig away on vacation" Kate explains.
"Oh, ok, don't worry. You can count on me. If I was a superhero I'd be Get It Done Girl" Carly said. "It's kind of a lame superhero" Miss Kate told Carly. "Oh, is it?" Carly asked them picked up the book Kate wanted. "Here's your book. Not so lame now, is it?" Carly said. "Thank you" Kate told Carly then Carly walked out f the office.
James did a flip but he didn't land it right. "Ooooooh!" Beth said after he landed it wrong. Beth ran to him and asked if he was okay. He said he was good.
"Right now, I'm practicing my back hand back tuck, and I can't get the landing" James says.
"Typical James. He just shows off to everyone" Carly said.
He did the flip again and didn't land it right. "Woo. Sure you don't want help?" Beth asked him. He ran to Carly who was grapping her bag. "Yo!" He said to her. "Where you gonig?" James asked Carly. "Ummm, nothing, I'm jist donig something for Kate" Carly told him. "I didn't ask what you're donig. I asked where you're gonig. Listen up" James said. "Okay, well, I'm jist gonig to pick up the sample costumes" Carly told James.
"I don't know why James is approaching me right now. I mean I do not have time for it" Carly says.
"All right, I'll tag along" James said with a smile. "Don't you have to get back to your girlfriend?" Carly asked him, pointing at Beth.
"The thing about James is he flirts with all the girls and all the girls love it and I'm not talking for it" Carly says.
"Beth? She's not my girlfriend" James says to Carly. "And does she know that?" Carly asked with a laugh. "Hey, yo, Beth! You're not my girlfriend!" James shouted across the studio to Beth. "Kay" she says awkwardly.
"I want to go with Carly because I want to spend some time with her. I mean, in the past, she's avoided me. Not this time" James explains.
"She's not my girlfriend. Just to let you know" James said while pointing to Beth. "Ok, well, I gotta go" Carly said then walked away.
"Kate is trusting me to pick up these costumes and there is no way I'm letting James mess this up" Carly says.
"And I'm coming with you" James said to himself then grabbed his bag.
"Carly has no idea right now, but her days about to get a lot more interesting" James says.
Carly is on the bus and just before the bus pulls off, James stops it.
"I want to go because it's a great time to hang out with Carly one on one without the distractions from the studio. So I think maybe if she spent some time with me, I can show her that we can have fun together" James explains.
"Hey" James said as he sat down next to Carly on the bus. "What are you donig here?" Carly asked James. "I told you I was coming" James stated. "I told you not to come" Carly told him. "Really?" James asked her. Carly nodded. "That's wierd cos I could have sworn you told me to come" James says.
"I really do not want James to come. I mean, he's just annoying. He never takes anything seriously" Carly says.
"I love this area. You know, I grew up in this area. My mom bought her car from that dealership. Me and my buddy Danny, we used to skateboard there every day!" James says.
"Is he even concerned about what everyone else is thinking? I mean the whole bus does not have to hear his life story" Carly said.
"And I used to have breakfast right there every morning before school, just down the street. My mom used to make me walk, of course. And I definitely had...." James kept on saying. "Ok, do you ever stop talking?" Carly asked as she grabbed James hand to put it down. "No, I like talking to people. As a matter of fact, you know how much I like talking to people?" James asked. "What?" Carly asked confused. "Watch this" James said then went to tap a lady sitting in front of them. "No, no, no, no, don't..." Carly tried to say. "Excuse me, sorry to bother you. But I jist had go tell you your hair looks gorgeous" James told this lady. "Oh thank you" the lady said.
"I was just hoping for a little peace and quiet on the bus. But it looks like that's not happening" Carly says.
"It's gorgeous, right, Carly? Look at it" James asked Carly. Carly nodded her head smiling. "Oh, Carly, thank you" the lady said. "The perfect amount of volume and curl at the same time" James commented. "Oh, yeah" Carly agreed. "Tell me, where do you get it done? Cos maybe... she could maybe use like a good hairdresser, right?" James asked the lady while putting his hand around Carly.
"I'm super embarrassed. I mean, who does that? Who randomly talks to a stranger?" Carly said.
"Strangers, they're just friends you haven't met yet" James says.
"You work that hair, girl. Work that hair, Mary!" James told the lady as she got of the bus.
There was a little bit of quiet on the bus until James spoke up again. "Oh my gosh. I totally forgot! My favourite shawarma place is up the next block. We need to get a shawarma!" James told Carly. "We are not getting a shawarma" Carly said. "Carly, have you ever had a shawarma?" James asked. "No" Carly replied. "Then you cannot even say a word" James said. "Ok, it's ok..." Carly starts. "We're going to get a shawarma...." James said cutting her off then pressed the bell so the bus stopped. "No, we're not getting a shawarma. What are you doing?" Carly asked. "We are getting a shawarma. It's right here. Right there" James said.
"I'm sidetraking Carly because the longer we take, the more time we get to spend together" James said with a smile on his face.
Let's go" James told Carly then tried to pick her up. "Seriously! If I am late to pick up the costumes, I swear!" Carly said annoyed. "Carly! Let's go" James said again. "I am not doing this. No" Carly says as she got up from the seat.
"I find myself following him. I don't know why but all I do know is that this can't end well" Carly stated.
"We got the shawarma's and it didn't take that long so we do still have a bit of time to pick up the costumes for Kate" Carly said.
"Transfers please" the driver said as they got on the bus. "Uh, I don't think I have my transfer" James said then looked at Carly. "Ok" Carly said then showed the driver her transfer. "I'm, van I get on the bus without a transfer?" James asked the driver. "No" the driver said.
"I guess if James can't get on the bus, then he won't be around to slow me down anymore" Carly said.
"Um... are you actually gonig go go without me?" James asked Carly as she tried to get past. "Yeah, who's going to get the costumes?" Carly asked. "Carly, is that even the right time? Can you hold this?" James asked then ripped her transfer. "Yes it is the right time..." Carly started then looked at what he did. "Oh. I'm sorry" James said imminently. "You did not just rip my transfer" Carly said more of a statement then a question. "Sir, is this valid any more?" James asked the driver. "No" the driver said. "But you saw it before, it was valid...." Carly started. "Not any longer" the driver interrupted.
"The bus driver saw the transfer in my hand, I don't understand why he won't just let me on the bus" Carly said annoyed.
"Get off the bus, I'm on a schedule" the driver said. "Oh, you heard him, schedule. You know, we should just go. Thank you" James said to Carly then the bus driver. "You're welcome" the driver said. Carly and James got of the bus as the driver shouted "bye bye." The driver closed the door then pulled off. "Are you kidding me?" Carly asked James annoyed.
"Like, really, why did he do that?" Carly says.
"Just cos I want to spend more time with Carly" James says.
"Are you sure this is a short cut?" Carly asked James as they walked through a park. "Yes, I'm positive, I know this area" James said. "We've been walking for ever" Carly said As James goes to sit down on a bench.
"We've been walking through the park trying to get to the costume shop and I look over my shoulder and I find him sitting down on a park bench smelling his shawarma" Carly said confused.
"What are you doing?" Carly asked as she walked over to James. "Pardon?" James asked. "What are you doing?" Carly asked again. "Oh, well, you see, I get indigestion when I walk and eat at the same time. So I just thought I'd enjoy it on the bench" James explains. "Ok, no, we really have to go" Carly said. "Carly, let's be serious. You're not going to win this. Sit down" James said. Carly breathes in and out then sat down.
"I'm going to teach Carly that sometimes in life you just gotta stop and smell the shawarma" James said.
"Smell the shawarma? Is that like a metaphor for something? Smell the shawarma" Carly asked confused.
"Can we please just go?" Carly asked James. "Yes, I'm ready to go" James said then stood up. "Jamie!" This random woman said. "Auntie Cathy!" James said.
"Go figure. Just when I'm about to give Carly a break, my favourite aunt shows up" James said.
"This Is my-- ummm, my friend Carly, from dance" James said.
"At first the distractions were kind of irritating, but now I'm getting really annoying with James" Carly said.
"What's going on, kids? Why aren't you dancing right now?" His aunt asked. "Ummm, well, we just came from dance actually" James said. "Really?" Cathy asked. "Why? Did you wanna to see some? Cos I have time" James told his aunt. Carly shook her head. "If you've got some moves, I'm ready to see em right now" Cathy said.
"There is no way we'regetting to the costume shop on time. You gotta do the stuff that you have to get done first then you can do the other stuff. That's how life works" Carly said.
Carly and Cathy sat down. "My talented nephew is about to do something" Cathy says. "Gimme a beat" James said. James aunt Cathy started to beat box.
"I think James's aunt.... Is a little kooky" Carly says.
"Oh, he's so good. Oh, magnificent. Oh, ow!" Cathy says as James doesn't land the flip right. "I can't get that landing!" James says fustrated.
"I keep practicing this flip and I can't land it. I don't know why" James says.
"Why doesn't James just give up and smell the shawarma?" Carly asked.
They walk to the costume shop and when they got close to it, Carly runs to the door to see that they were closed.
"I took a risk with taking so much time in getting to the costume shop and it just backfired on me" James said.
"I cannot believe we're late and the store is closed all because of you. You and your Jamesness. You followed me into the bus, then you start talking about your neighbourhood as if I even care" Carly started to ramble.
"I'm speechless. There's no words that can describe how fustrated I am right now" Carly said.
"And you pull me off the bus so that we can get your stupid shawarma's, "Oh, Carly, you've never hadxa shawarma, have a shawarma, have a shawarma", I don't like shawarma, I hate shawarma's! And then by the time we get back, you rip up my transfer so that we have to take your stupid short cuts through the park, meet your kooky aunt Cathy- nice lady, but still kooky" Carly was still rambling.
"I guess I thought deep down that she was glad I came. Bit she's really mad right now" James said.
"By the time we get here, we're late and it's closed. Closed. Do you understand that, James?" Carly asked him as she was say on the bench and he was just standing there.
"Kate counted on me to get the costumes, and now that the store's closed, we might not even have costumes for regionals" Carly said.
"It means we will be dancing at regionals in our underpants. Underpants!" Carly said then looked out on the road.
"I messed up. But I'm going to fix it" James said.
"You done?" James asked. James went and sat beside Carly. "Yo, don't worry about it, I'll get us in the store" James told her.
"James always acts super cool. And sometimes there's just things that even James can't do" Carly says.
"Watch this" James says then gets up. He keeps knocking on the window of the store. This man comes to the window. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey kid, we're closed" the guy said. "Can you let us in?" James asked him. "No, no, no! Look at the sign" he said. "We need to get our costumes" James told him. "We're closed. No" the guy says. "Please! We're from the Next Step!" James told him. "No. That's it, we're closed" the guy said then walked away.
"I knew it! We're not getting in there" Carly said.
"I'm not done yet" James said to Carly. James keeps repeativly knockes in the door and then an older guy comes. "What are you donig to my glass?" He asked James. "Ummm.." James started. "My partner told you we'reclosed. Get away" he told James. "Can you please let us in? We need our costumes!" James told the old man. "We're going on vacation, come back in three weeks" he told James. "We're from the Next Step" James told him. "Yeah, yeah, back in three weeks" the old guy told James then walked away. "What?" James asked.
"Every second that the costume owners don't open the door, I feel like I'm losing Carly more and more" James says.
"Still not done" James said to Carly. "Yeah" she whispered. "You watch me work my magic" James told Carly then went back to knocking on the door. Both of the owners came to the door.
"I'm not giving up. I don't give up on anything. Not even math" James says.
"What is he doing?" The younger owner asked the older owner. James did the flip, he's been donig all day and landed it wrong again. "Stay, stay" James told the owners then did the flip again and didn't land it. "What is he doing?" The owners kept asking each other. "Just one more" James told them.
"So when I can't get this flip, Carly finally says...." James says.
"You need to set" Carly told him. "What?" James asked her. "When you do your back tuck, you need to set, and then tuck your legs into your chest" Carly explains.
"I've been watching James do this flip all day. Maybe I was paying more attention than I thought" Carly says.
"Wait, how do you know that?" James asked Carly. "Don't even worry about it" Carly says. James laughs then does the flip and lands it.
"Finally. Thanks, Carly. Now that's what I call teamwork" James says.
"Come on, let me in! Please just let me in! I need those costumes. I just flipped!" James says.
(Imagine James says Carly's name, not Riley)
Carly and James got the costumes and are now on the bus to go home.
"After today, I kinda see James I na new light" Carly said.
Carly's POV:
"I keep looking at James hand and debate whether or not to hold it. After a few moments of looking at his hand, I swallow my pride and just hold it" Carly said.
James looks shocked and I keep my head foward. I felt butterflies in my stomach.
James POV:
"I look at Carly then back to our hands. Maybe she was glad I came after all" James says.
I felt butterflies in my stomach when I look at our hands fit together.
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Aww, how cute. What are your guys favriout song? Like your go to jam song??
XOXO Kisses
K