❝it's like a million little stars spellin' out your name❞
- untouchable : taylor swift
By the time that the bus pulled to a stop outside the Palm Woods, Kit practically sprang from the vehicle. She gathered her things in record time and sped off to the elevators without waiting for anyone to catch up to her. Months spent in cramped hotel rooms and airplanes with each other left Kit and the boys itching for some time alone. She ached for a nap on a real bed.
The boys watched her as she sped past, offering only the briefest of waves.
"Okay," said Kendall, eyebrows raised.
James chuckled. The boys stopped, clutching their duffle bags, as they stared at the Palm Woods.
"Well," continued Kendall. "BTR's whirlwind world tour is officially over."
"And, now it's back to the Palm Woods," Logan gestured to the building. "Where the new kids have moved in, and none of them will know us."
He frowned.
"Which means," Carlos lifted a finger to accentuate each of his points. "We have to re-establish our Big Time pool, lobby, and hallway cred... All over again."
James grimaced, "I hate re-establishing cred."
"Hey!" Kendall jumped in. "After four continents and our hotel rooms being broken into 19 times, I'm looking forward to a little 'Nobody knows us at the Palm Woods' relaxing time."
The boys nodded in agreement.
Whatever solace the boys found in that idea only carried them into the doorway of the lobby. A crowd of residents filled the reception area, holding signs and rattling noisemakers.
"Welcome back!"
The boys shared looks, grinning.
Carlos's eyes scanned the crowd. The Jennifers stood in the very front. Each girl wore a bright sundress over a bathing suit, but Carlos remained more interested in how excited they were to see Big Time Rush. Between them and Lucy, Penny stood with a handmade BTR sign. She grinned at her friends. Carlos lifted a hand excitedly to wave at them.
Kendall and James equally found themselves drawn to Lucy's grin. She held up a sign that read: "Welcome Home 💛 Big Time Rush." Kendall's lips quirked upwards at the hand-painted yellow heart.
"Huh," James said. "Maybe things will be different this season."
As always, though, Bitters had to ruin it. The manager drove a large golf cart right through his lobby, pulling to a stop before the band. A banner with his own face printed onto it ran along the bottom of the cart. "Bitters' Big Time Experience" sounded like trouble. Each of the boys eyed it with concern.
"And here's Big Time Rush," Bitters lifted the intercom system to his lips and spoke into it. "Now would be a good time to use your complimentary scissors to get some souvenir hair"
Concerned, Kendall and Logan agreed: "Very different"
Abandoning their luggage, the four took off running as fast as their jetlagged legs would carry them. Only through the narrow hallways did they finally make it with all their hair still intact.
They slammed the apartment door shut behind them, happy to finally be out of Bitters' reach. Mama Knight and Katie stood at the kitchen counter.
Incredulous, Kendall turned to his family. "What is going on around here?"
Katie held her hands out, as if it were obvious. "One," she said. "You're famous now. And two, I'm jealous that Bitters thought of the Big Time Experience before I did."
Kendall took a quick look around the apartment. Kit noticeably hadn't stuck around.
Mrs. Knight narrowed her eyes at her youngest daughter, unamused. She held her arms out. "Three, welcome home hug!"
More than happy to oblige her, Kendall met her embrace. He gave his mother a tight hug.
Katie checked the time on her watch. Once she saw the numbers flicker from 3:59 to 4:00, she raced over to turn on the television. A special E! News segment began to play. At the sound of a familiar laugh, the teens' attention turned to the celebrity gossip show.
They followed the youngest into the living room. Logan collapsed himself in the middle of the couch, eyebrows quirked. The other boys also scattered soon after. As soon as realization fell over him, James smirked.
It caused an unwelcome feeling to bubble up inside Logan. He cleared his throat. Cheeks flushing, he asked: "Er, what are you watching?"
Katie's reply fell on deaf ears, though. The television flashed scenes from Logan's biggest fears to mock him. He wanted to snatch the remote away from Katie and throw it right into the flat screen.
A 2D version of Kit flashed across the living room. The bright flash of the cameras pulled the green out from her hazel eyes. Her soft waves cascaded over her shoulders effortlessly, a few loose curls framing her face. She wore a lacy black dress that really made her red lipstick pop and drew attention to the sparkle of her silver star necklace. Logan couldn't tear his gaze away from her.
She buried her face shily into James's shoulder as if to hide from the cameras. Logan could do nothing but watch as James pulled her under his arm or as Kit turned her attention to James. His daze finally broke once the couple shared a kiss for the press.
Logan sank lower into his seat.
Katie cocked an eyebrow. "Okay," she said. "I'll bite. What's up with you?"
Logan groaned in response. "James."
"James?"
Katie knit her eyebrows at him.
Logan crossed his arms tightly over his chest.
"Wait," she perked up. "I know that look. You want to date Kit, don't you?"
"Yep," he said.
"But Gustavo says Kit has to date James."
"Glad you're up to speed," he said sarcastically.
Katie plopped her feet off the coffee table. She sat up to face him.
"Dude, look," she said. "I don't see what the problem is. None of that is real. She likes you"
Logan simply gaped up at the television. It didn't look that way to him. James looked at Kit with a certain light in his eyes that Logan had never seen in all the years they'd been friends. Kit simply glowed. She must make for one hell of an actress, he thought.
The reporter grinned into the camera. "I think it's safe to say that Hollywood has a new favorite couple. These two are so in love that it's like no one else exists-"
Grimacing, Katie clicked it off.
"I'm gonna let her make the first move, thus protecting myself from the dating disadvantage of being the pursuer instead of the pursuee. It's love science."
Katie rolled her eyes, "It's something. Tell me, how's that worked out for ya for the past, oh, I don't know, nine years?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't question love science!" He said, pointing an accusatory finger in her direction.
Carlos tossed his now-empty bag of snacks into the trash can on his way into the living room. He plopped down on the couch beside Logan.
"Speaking of love," he said. "Now that BTR is famous and has a top 10 hit, the Jennifers will totally date me."
Logan shared a confused look with Katie. The girl scoffed.
"The Jennifers, really?"
"Yeah," Logan nodded. "I thought maybe, you know, you might give things a try with Penny."
His cheeks pinkened. Carlos tilted his head, as if to consider the idea. Quickly, he shook it off. Carlos hopped back up to his feet. "Nah, that wouldn't work."
"Okay," said Logan. "But isn't that kinda shallow?"
The boy nodded as he took off his hoodie. "Yeah," he tossed it aside. Carlos paused for a passing moment. He called over his shoulder as he fled the apartment: "Bye!"
James walked into the living room from his bedroom. He strolled past the group to grab a water bottle from the kitchen. "Huh," he said. "So, with Carlos pursuing the Jens, that leaves me with sole dibs on the love of my life: Lucy."
Katie shot a sidelong glance at Logan, who simply shot her a harsh look.
"Um," Kendall scoffed. "Lucy is the love of your life, really? Because I've heard that one before..."
"Well," he said. "She's smart and hot, so yeah."
Katie raised her eyebrows. Sounds a lot like someone else, too. She bit back a laugh at his obliviousness.
"What would you say if I told you that she winked at me before we left for tour, you know, when we sang by the pool?"
He gestured towards the window with his thumb.
James rolled his eyes. "I would say she probably had something in her eye and didn't wink at you."
"Okay," said Logan. He grabbed Katie by the arm. "I think that is your cue to leave."
"But I think they're gonna fight," she protested.
Under the three boys' glares, she relented. Raising her hands in defense, Katie retreated to her bedroom.
Kendall turned his attention back to James. He lifted his hands, shrugging. "All I'm saying is that she winked at me."
He stepped closer to James.
"And all I'm saying is that you should follow," he reached his left arm out to pull down the poster. "The Rule of Dibs"
It was a piece of paper, dyed to look old, with Sharpie written over it. Kendall raised his eyebrows at the paper. He recognized it as the same set of rules they made to add to their Best Friends Code back in middle school. It read:
The Rule of Dibs
The first person to utter the word "dibs" has proprietary claim on:
• All Car Seating
• Remote Controls
• All Found Moneys
• Tasty Snacks and/or Treats
• Girls
Any violation of said "Dibs Rule" will result in the violator having to run one half-mile through a crowded public area in his underwear.
Each of the four boys had signed it.
James proceeded to explain the rules, as if Kendall had not been present when they were written.
"Anything else? I didn't think so."
He didn't so much as break eye contact as he unscrewed the lid to his water bottle and took the first sip.
Kendall lowered his hand. He exhaled slowly. If there was one thing he knew about James, it was that he didn't let things go easily. Especially when it came to girls.
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Carlos stepped out onto the pool deck with a newfound confidence. His smile only grew as he caught sight of the Jennifers sitting at a pool table and reviewing their scripts. With them sat Penny, who rifled through a set of her own papers. Audition information, he presumed.
Before he could even approach them, his world went dark. Two sunglasses-clad men draped a black bag over his body. The men lifted a screaming Carlos in their arms and carried him away from the pool deck.
His cries of protest drew the attention of the girls. All four of them lifted their heads towards the screams, confused. Penny tilted her head: "Was that Carlos?" Blonde Jennifer simply shrugged in response. They went back to their work without another word.
As soon as the men released him, Carlos pulled himself free again. He was unsurprised to find himself face-to-face with none other than Arthur Griffin himself and his enforcer, Abdul.
In a particularly cheerful voice, the C.E.O. greeted him. "Hello, Carlos," he said. "Welcome back."
"Griffin? You could have just called, you know?"
"No," Griffin denied. "I always prefer to do business face-to-face. With sacks."
Carlos gripped the sack in his hands.
"Okay, well," he said. "It was great to see you, but I need to return to–"
Griffin reached a finger up to turn on the radio. It spoke over Carlos:
"What's up, yo? It's JoJo on the radio and tomorrow we've got a special double surprise for you. Big Time Rush and Kit Knight are each gonna be here live to debut their new singles."
Griffin turned the radio off again.
"Sweet," said Carlos. He paused. "Wait, why isn't Kit here?"
"Simple," Griffin dismissed him. "We already know what her single is going to be. And, even sweeter, Gustavo and I have decided to let you pick which Big Time Song JoJo plays."
Carlos's jaw dropped. "Great," he said. "Um, okay, I pick, uh–"
"'Love me, Love me,' I agree," Griffin interjected. "Let's go tell Gustavo."
Confused, Carlos held his hands out. "Wait, I thought that I was gonna pick."
"You are, as long as it's 'Love Me, Love Me.'"
Griffin played the song in question over the limo's stereo system as it drove away from the Palm Woods. Carlos spun around in his seat, peering out the back window at the disappearing building. He thought of Penny and the Jennifers, who felt so within reach. The lovesick boy sighed deeply, collapsing into his seat.
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Logan was deep in the throes of a pity party. He couldn't seem to get his mind off of that stupid E! Segment and the looks on James and Kit's faces. Or off how much he wanted her to look at him like that. He felt sick with sharp pangs of jealousy.
It didn't help that Katie's words rang in his head like an echo. How's that worked out for ya for the past, oh, I don't know, nine years?
His frustration only grew. Logically, he knew perfectly well that Katie was right and it was past time for him to get over himself. Not that it made it any easier.
Logan mumbled to himself as he paced back and forth across his bedroom. This was entirely out of his wheelhouse. Not even love science could tell him what to do next. There wasn't a rulebook for how to cope with secret dating in Hollywood, at least none that Logan could get his hands on. He hated that more than anything.
His feet moved against his stubbornness. Logan reluctantly marched up to Katie's bedroom door. He lifted his fist to knock, but paused. With a deep breath, he steeled himself and rapped three times against the wood.
As she opened the door, Katie smirked at the sight of Logan standing with his tail tucked firmly between his legs.
Katie's shit-eating grin almost sent him running back to his room in shame. Logan swallowed his pride. "I need your help," he admitted.
"Yeah," she snorted. "No kidding."
Katie stepped aside and gestured for him to enter. As the door closed behind him, she turned to face him expectantly. Logan paced the length of her bedroom as he wrung his hands together. Each step burst with nervous energy.
Katie picked up one of the decorative pillows from her bed and tossed it at him. He caught it and stopped in his tracks. Frowning, he offered her his attention.
"Logan," she called. "Sit down."
He sat himself on the desk chair.
"So, are you gonna tell me what happened or...?"
His cheeks pinkened as he filled her in on London, the kiss, and the weeks since. Gustavo hadn't made it easy for them to explore their budding romance. The teens made do with what little stolen moments they could find backstage and whenever no one was watching. While Kit charmed the crowd with her guitar, Logan took whatever chance he could to sneak a peek at her before he had to go onstage himself. Kelly would catch him nearly every time and send him off to warm up his voice, her eyes sympathetic. He was also the first to greet Kit after each show.
Paris was the worst. Even the City of Love could offer them no sanctuary. Logan wanted to kiss her atop the Eiffel Tower and hold her hand as they strolled through the Louvre, no matter how touristy it was. Instead, he ate his body weight in bread with Carlos and Kendall while James got to pose for pictures with Kit as they climbed the Eiffel Tower together.
It was their last night in Paris that everything changed.
Logan stood outside Kit's hotel room, a dozen yellow roses in hand. He told himself that it would all be worth the headache if he could just tell her how he felt, once and for all, under the Parisian stars.
Then Kit stepped out of the elevator. She lit up at the sight of Logan, but he hardly noticed. His gaze got caught up with James and the red lipstick smeared all across his lips. As if that weren't enough to rattle him, Gustavo was right behind them.
"Good job tonight, you two," he said to Kit and James, though he wasn't really looking at them. "And you-!" He pointed to Logan. "A minute?"
He didn't look happy. That one vein popped on his forehead as warning to Logan of the oncoming outburst.
The other two teens shared a glance. Each offered Logan a silent good luck as they scattered to get changed. It left him alone in the hallway with Gustavo.
Gustavo pressed his hands together. He sighed. There was a time when he would have had sympathy for Logan and Kit and been more willing to turn a blind eye. But he'd been in this business far too long for that. He knew it would only take one slip up for this to all unravel. And it wouldn't be James or Logan's reputation that would take the worst hit in the media if it failed.
"Stop distracting Kit!"
Logan knit his eyebrows. He'd barely spoken to her all day. "But, Gustavo, I-"
"Eeh," he yelled, cutting the boy off. "Today, I narrowly saved your butts. Would you mind telling me how a hotel busboy ended up with this photo?"
Gustavo held out a newly developed Kodak photo, presumably taken on a disposable camera. In it, he could clearly see Kit, grinning ear-to-ear, as a figure that certainly wasn't James pressed a kiss to her cheek. Logan's face wasn't fully visible, but anyone who knew the first thing about BTR could identify him by his profile. His heart rate sped up as he realized that he couldn't explain this away.
Logan didn't want to know what Kelly and Gustavo had done to silence the worker. He had a feeling that it involved smashing a camera and further destruction of property.
He lowered his gaze, unable to come up with a good excuse. Gustavo ripped the photo to shreds and stuffed the pieces into Logan's free hand.
His voice held firm as he left Logan with one final warning:
"Do not mess this up for her!"
His stomach sank. Logan glanced from the flowers in his hand towards her door. He sighed. His speech would have to wait.
"So, I didn't. Er, actually, we haven't talked all that much since."
Katie knit her eyebrows. She turned around the room as if to look for an audience.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she said sarcastically. "Is Gustavo here right now?"
He blinked. "Well, no, but we're not supposed to–"
"When has that ever stopped you before?"
Logan paused to consider the possibility.
"I don't know," he hesitated. "Gustavo does have a point. I don't want this to end badly."
"Well, you like each other, don't you?"
He simply nodded.
"Then, what's the problem?
He sighed out, "It's... complicated."
Katie didn't see how. She rolled her eyes. "Just talk to her," she said. "I have no idea how much longer this thing with James is gonna drag on, but you can't keep avoiding her forever."
Unsure, he shrugged. "I guess."
Logan paused. For a moment, he considered the idea.
"Oh, and don't wait for her to make the first move," Katie added.
The shaky grasp he started to feel over the situation slipped again. He thought of James's hands on Kit's waistline and that stupid little smirk he made before kissing her. It all made it harder for Logan to ignore his insecurity and the jealousy rising within him.
James Diamond had never had any trouble finding love. Logan could hardly say the same, so long as his heart stayed hung up on Kit Knight. That much never changed for him. Kit may have even told him herself that her heart lied with him, but Logan was quick to write that off as the aftermath of their near-death experience. As much as he wanted to believe that Kit's feelings for James were in the past, he struggled with it.
The fear crept back into his mind and Logan allowed it to push him back into the cycle of looking for answers with love science. Answers he never seemed to find.
Logan shook his head.
"Never mind. This was a mistake," he sighed. Logan rose to his feet. As he made his way to the door, he added:
"You know nothing of teen love."
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Kit was quick to seek out her friends. She was in desperate need of female companionship after far too many weeks spent trapped with four boys. So, she rushed over to Penny's as soon as the coast was clear from Bitters. Camille was already there and waiting for her by the time she made it.
While they waited for maintenance to fix the leaky faucet in Penny's apartment, Camille and Kit gathered with their friend by the entrance to 2H.
The secret hung in the air a moment after Kit confessed it. Penny clapped her hands together quietly while Camille let out a squeal.
"Hold on a second," she couldn't contain her grin. "So, you two kissed?"
"Yeah," Kit said, her voice shy. "But that was at the beginning of the tour, and we haven't really talked about it since. Actually, now that I think about it, we haven't really talked about anything at all, lately."
"What, you mean like he's avoiding you?"
She shrugged, "I guess."
Kit leaned against the wall. A deep sigh rattled through her. "I don't know what his problem is."
"Uh oh," a deep voice startled the girls. "I know that look. Boy troubles?"
Kit turned her head to find Buddha Bob— and Plungy, his trusty sidekick— standing nearby with a grimace.
Camille chuckled. "Something like that, yeah."
Kit sighed. "Technically," she said. "I'm not allowed to be with the person I want to and I think he's jealous of my fake boyfriend. And now I think he might be avoiding me. You got any ideas?"
"Huh," Penny scrunched her nose. "It sounds a lot weirder when you say it out loud."
"Ah," Buddha Bob nodded. "The classic Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes/Doris Day-Rock Hudson scenario"
Camille chuckled. "Pretty much."
Kit asked, "What do I do?"
"Simple," Buddha Bob shrugged. "Logan has to make the first move this time."
She chuckled nervously. "Oh, I didn't— ha! I didn't say it was Logan–"
Buddha Bob turned Plungy towards him, so that they could share an unconvinced glance.
"Didn't have to," he said matter-of-factly.
Her cheeks warmed. Kit fiddled with her hands, uncertain what to do next. "And you're sure that'll work?"
"Just trust me. It's love science."
Kit's ears perked up at the term.
"Oh, hey," he handed the conflicted girl a walkie talkie. Staring warily at apartment 2J, he added: "I'll be on channel 4 if you have any more man or bathroom problems or man-in-the-bathroom problems"
With that, he and Plungy left the girls to fend for themselves.
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Lucy stepped out of the elevators. She paused mid-text, lifting her gaze to the voice that had interrupted her. Her eyes widened.
"Lucy," it was James. "Do you know what I was thinking about all tour long, besides: 'Does this have nuts in it?'"
He gave her no chance to respond before adding, "You."
Her eyebrows shot upwards. "Well," she pretended to think. "Actually, I was going to say your girlfriend."
His eyes widened. James's eyes darted around, looking for any prying eyes. They seemed to be alone. His shoulders relaxed some at this. Nervously, he breathed out a laugh.
"Yeah, uh, about that-"
Lucy held her hand up to his face. "Relax, Romeo," she said. "Kit and I are friends. I know."
He breathed out a sigh of relief. "Okay, good," he nodded.
She blinked her eyes up at him flirtatiously. "Now," she said. "Say no more. Close your eyes–"
By the time that he opened his eyes again, she was gone.
James grumbled to himself. He ran after her.
In her efforts to flee from James, Lucy neglected to look properly at where she was running. She collided with a soft force. The pair of them fell to the lobby floor. She blinked, ready to apologize, but instead found herself staring down at Kendall. Their faces were mere inches apart. Her jaw dropped. She broke into a wide grin. "Hi," she said.
Kendall returned it, though nervously. "Hi."
She helped him up. Still grinning, Lucy pushed some of her hair behind her ear. "So," she said. "How was your tour?"
Kendall clicked his tongue. He pointed his fingers at her, rolling his lips inward. "Maybe you should ask James about that."
Her eyes fell on the green and brown friendship bracelet tied around his wrist. She remembered something Kit had once told her about a crafting phase she went through ages ago and found her heart warming at the notion that he had never bothered to take it off since she made it for him.
Lucy frowned. "I would, but he's crushing on me again, and you're not crushing on me, which means that we can have, you know, an intelligent conversation."
For reasons she chose to ignore, Lucy's stomach dropped as these words left her lips. She pushed past it.
"Ooh, yeah," Kendall tsked. "Can't do that right now."
"Why not?"
"Because," he explained. "Then, I'd have to run a half-mile through a crowd in my underwear."
She burst into laughter at the ridiculous notion. It died in her throat as she remembered the whole figure skating fiasco. This was Big Time Rush, after all. Her grin faded.
"Oh, my god. You're serious?"
Kendall didn't answer her. Instead, he pointed his fingers into a mock gun, shot her a wink, and raced out of the lobby.
Confused, Lucy watched after him. "Why are you all so weird?"
The Bitters' Experience made her a stop on its tour.
"And on your right, a possible future love interest for Kendall."
Lucy blinked under the tourists' camera flashes. She held her hands up to block some of it out. As happy as she was for her friends' new found success, Lucy also wasn't too sure how much more she could handle of Bitters turning their home into a meet and greet.
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Griffin dropped Carlos off at Rocque Records. Still intent on making it back to the Palm Woods before peak tanning time was over and the Jennifers left the pool, he marched right up to a waiting Gustavo and Kelly.
"Carlos," Gustavo boomed. "I was just going to call you."
Kelly offered him a faint smile in greeting. Pressing his hands together, Gustavo continued to explain:
"Griffin and I always argue over which new song to release, so we've decided to let you pick it."
"Because you are the most honest person we know," Kelly elaborated.
He glanced off to the side, thinking.
"Well," he brushed it off. "I'm not always honest."
Kelly grinned. "See?"
Carlos's grin faded.
"Now, Griffin wants 'Love Me, Love Me,' but I think our new song should be 'Elevate–'"
Carlos lifted his finger, "I like 'Love Me, Love Me.'"
"No, you don't!"
Gustavo's yelling caused the boy to flinch. He lowered his hands.
"Yes, I do," he repeated.
Confused, Kelly knit her eyebrows. "Why?"
She hadn't expected him to agree with either man right out the gate.
"Because 'Love Me, Love Me' connects to today's 12-to-21-year-olds, who possess the most cash, thus selling more Big Time Rush merchandise."
Narrowing her eyes, Kelly shot Gustavo a look. This had Griffin written all over it.
It didn't take the duo long to find him. Griffin and Abdul stood over the pool table in the break room. Kelly noticed the microphone they must have been feeding Carlos information through.
"Ahem," Gustavo cleared his throat loudly. Together, he and Kelly inquired: "What's going on here?"
"'Love Me, Love Me' is our next Big Time Hit," said Griffin simply.
Gustavo stepped towards him.
"Uh, no," he denied. "'Elevate' is."
"'Love Me, Love Me.'"
"'Elevate.'"
The back and forth continued, voices rising with each mention of the song title.
Carlos burst into the room. "Hey!"
The men paused their bickering to look at him.
"Doesn't anybody want to know what I think the next hit should be?"
Kelly nodded. This drew a smile from Abdul. Gustavo and Griffin, unfortunately, did not waver. In unison, they yelled: "No!"
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Logan resolved to get Kit's attention by any means necessary. It wouldn't be against love science, so long as she came to him. At least, that was the explanation he gave to Katie when he begged for her help.
As she stood on the balcony of Penelope's apartment, trying to get the perfect reflection of sunlight to land on Logan, Katie found herself wishing she hadn't gotten involved in his pursuit of Kit. Once the light hit him, Logan laid back in the pool chair.
Annoyed, Katie lifted the walkie-talkie Logan had insisted on using up to her lips. "Just make the first move!"
Logan shook his head. "Katie," he fussed into his own radio. "You know nothing of teen love!"
The younger teen merely rolled her eyes at this. Logan continued:
"Now, this is around the time that Kit usually comes down to the pool to work on some songs, but instead, she's gonna be drawn to me."
He glanced briefly through his peripherals. Kit strolled through the lobby holding her songbook. Logan flickered his eyes ahead and posed on the lounge.
Between Katie's reflected sunlight and the oil he borrowed from James, he shimmered under beams of light.
Kit froze in her path at the sight of him. She blinked, jaw agape. Ducking behind a fake plant, she tuned her own walkie-talkie to channel 4.
"Are you sure I can't talk to him? He's glowing and–"
"You can't make the first move."
"Did I mention that he's glowing?"
"Shield your eyes and get out of there. Run."
With that, Buddha Bob cut off his radio.
Kit took one last longing look at the pool deck, then covered her eyes with her songbook and rushed off to the elevators.
From her vantage point, Katie could clearly see her sister— crimson cheeks and all. Her eyebrows quirked as she came to the realization that Kit had gone to someone else for relationship advice. Walkie-talkies certainly weren't Gustavo or Griffin's style.
She lifted her own radio to her mouth. "Kit just walkie-talkie'd to someone and then left."
Logan blinked, "Someone told her to leave me?"
The boy rose to his feet. Defeated, he exclaimed: "Man, I just wanna be loved!"
Bitters's golf cart rolled to a stop near him. He answered Logan's frustration with: "Okay, everyone, now would be a great time to get out and tackle glowing Logan."
Unfortunately for Logan, the wheels in his head turned a bit too slowly. He could barely register the situation before a crowd of squealing fans tackled him onto the harsh concrete of the pool deck. To say the least, it certainly wasn't how he envisioned spending his afternoon.
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If looks could kill, apartment 2J would be a crime scene. Under James's glare, Kendall sighed.
"You saw me talk to her."
"Yeah I did," James narrowed his eyes.
"Because she bumped into me. Did we kiss? No. And, maybe, the rule of Dibs is stupid–"
Betrayed, James gasped.
"Without rules, like Dibs," he gestured towards the sign which was still hung by the fridge. "There's only chaos, utter girl chaos. Total girl chaos. And, if Kit has taught me anything, it's that even if that sounds good, it isn't."
Kendall remained unphased. "Aren't you the one who said that some rules were made to be broken?"
After all the Hell that James had raised in his efforts to date Kit, Kendall found it rather ironic that he was so strict about this.
James shrugged. "Okay, true." he paused. "But, this is not one of them."
He planted his hands on his hips. "How would you like it if I–"
His eyes scanned the room. James grabbed the bowl sitting on the counter.
"Undibbified the fruit pie, cupcake, mini donuts, and Pinkie Puffs that Carlos, Logan, me, and oh, you called dibs on in the seventh grade?"
Eyes widening, he pointed an accusatory finger at James. "You put those down, those are mine."
"Oh, I'll stay away from your Pinkie Puffs, and you stay away from my Lucy."
"Fine," Grumbling, Kendall agreed. "I'll stay away."
He turned to storm out, but stopped himself. Kendall turned back to James, curious. "Hold on," he said. "Shouldn't you also be mad at Logan? I mean, he is sorta breaking the No Ex-Girlfriends rule with Kit and–"
James's eyes narrowed. "I'll handle it," he said simply.
Kendall eyed him warily, unconvinced. He paused only a moment further, then nodded, storming out of the apartment as originally planned.
One step. He made it one step outside of the apartment before he ran into Lucy again. He held his hand up to cut her off before she could speak. "Don't talk to me," he said.
Kendall hurried away before he could dwell on the hurt in her eyes.
However, rather than taking the hint, he only angered her further. Lucy stormed after him all the way through the Palm Woods park.
"So," she called to him. "You can't talk to me anymore?"
Kendall stopped in his tracks. He sighed. Every cell in his body wanted to look at her, but his stubbornness— and the reminder that Bitters' tourists would surely capture him in his underwear if he did— held him back.
Lucy trudged on, eager to get some sort of response out of him. "You're some big star now who doesn't have any time for his friends?"
At this, Kendall broke. He grabbed Lucy by the shoulders and rushed to pin her against a nearby tree. She shot him a look, confused.
"James has dibs on you."
The hurt quickly melted into anger.
"That's why I can't talk or hang out with you."
"James has dibs on me?"
He tried in vain to quiet her voice.
"So," she let out a dry laugh. "Big Time Rush just picks out a girl and decides who they can and cannot date?"
"Yeah," he nodded. Kendall repeated James's words from earlier. "But it's rules that prevent total girl chaos, which sounds good, but it isn't"
Lucy gaped at him. She assumed Kit had put up with a lot of ridiculousness in her life, being so closely intertwined with those boys, but she never imagined it was this insane. She smirked.
"Well," she said. "What if I called dibs on you, huh?"
Kendall tilted his head. "Huh," he mumbled. "I guess we never really thought about–"
She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the open. "Hey, everyone." she called. "Dibs on Kendall. And no girl can talk to or look at him."
Kendall stiffened. His eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights. Concerned, he turned to Lucy, shaking his head rapidly.
In an overly-dramatic fashion, she grabbed his face in her hands and planted a big kiss to his cheek. Lucy stepped away to face him, grinning.
"What do you have to say about that?"
His gaze flickered to lock eyes with James who stood behind her. Rolling his eyes, Kendall added: "Do you mind holding my pants?"
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Carlos slumped onto the couch, feeling defeated. Any hopes he had of catching up with Penny were squashed; he hadn't been allowed to leave Rocque Records all day. It didn't help that Gustavo had asked Kelly to turn on the radio just to mock him.
"JoJo on the radio here. And remember, tomorrow, Kit Knight and Big Time Rush. They're each gonna be here live to play their new singles."
Kelly sat down in the empty seat next to him. Smiling sympathetically, she asked: "So, what's that song gonna be, Carlos?"
He sighed. "Well," he said. "If it wasn't for Gustavo, I'd still be in Minnesota, shoveling driveways–"
"You're darn right ya would!"
Kelly shot Gustavo an unamused look. Carlos brushed the comment aside. The boy struggled to contain his excitement. He continued:
"But I love the pony that Griffin got me."
He turned around to greet his newest pet. The horse neighed in recognition. Carlos beamed. He turned back around in his seat at the sound of Griffin's voice.
"And there's more ponies where that came from!"
Carlos gasped in excitement. His jaw dropped. His cheeks flushed as an idea crossed his mind. He stored it away for later.
"Not fair," whined Gustavo. "You're trying to buy Carlos's vote."
"Wrong. I'm simply doing business, with ponies."
Griffin lifted the edges of his palms from the rests of the chair he sat in. He rose to his feet, adjusting his suit and tie.
"Now," he continued. "What song's it going to be? 'Love Me, Love Me–?'"
The sound of Abdul's knuckles cracking caused Carlos's eyes to widen in fear.
"Or," Gustavo shot to his feet. "'Elevate?'"
He reached his hands over to push the man's fist together again, forcing another crack.
Carlos scrambled to pull his helmet on. He grimaced under the men's gazes. In a panic, he sprang to his feet on the couch. Carlos hopped over the back of it and swung his legs over and into the saddle of his new pony. Grabbing the reins, he shouted:
"Wildfire, away!"
With that, the pair made for the Palm Woods.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Kendall had just about had enough of James today. As if it weren't bad enough that he'd already had to run through the Palm Woods nearly naked, in front of Bitters' tour, no less, James's incessant whining was getting on his last nerve. Kendall brushed it off as confusion on behalf of his sister, who had to pretend to be the boy's girlfriend, whilst he ardently pursued Lucy. The bubbling feelings that he'd been having towards Lucy all day told him otherwise. Kendall pushed the thought aside, instead turning back to James.
He set his sandwich down onto the counter, rolling his eyes. Kendall took his seat, adding: "But, Lucy thinks we should take girls off the Dibs rule, and maybe she's right."
James lifted his palms. "Oh yeah," His voice rose slightly in pitch, mocking Kendall. "Then you can go tell her how amazing she is to win her laugh."
He pushed out a fake chuckle to which Kendall simply rolled his eyes.
"Plus," added James. "You need all four members present to remove a dib-ulation"
He sipped angrily at his water bottle.
Movement in his peripherals caught Kendall's attention. Kit carried her lunch over to the counter. She settled next to Kendall. At the sight of her, he remembered the latest addition to the Code.
Kendall smirked as the realization dawned on him. "Actually," he said. "That would now be five members. And something tells me that Kit might agree with me on this one."
James narrowed his eyes. He knew Kendall was right, sure, but refused to give him that satisfaction.
Kit thought it over as she sipped from her drink.
"He's right," she said simply. "Actually, you both are. Kind of."
Confused, James eyed her uneasily. Kendall quirked an eyebrow.
"I was there when you signed that stupid thing."
"–As you can see, Kendall and James are having lunch with Kit."
From the second floor balcony, Bitters and his tour group invaded their home with cameras and Big Time Rush t-shirts. The sudden interruption startled the twins.
It alerted James, who promptly reached across the table to press a kiss to Kit's lips. Like one of Pavlov's dogs, it had simply become second nature to him that cameras meant he needed to look enamored with Kit. By the end of their tour, he didn't even bother to question the urge to grab her hand or peck her on the cheek. It was simply what Gustavo had told him to do. Nothing more than that first kiss on a Palm Woods park bench. Kit, on the other hand, forced a smile for the fans, but her eyes simply trailed above James's head, lingering on the tiles behind him.
"And, if you'll all look left, this is the time Mom usually exits the bathroom."
"Bitters!"
Mrs. Knight rushed from the bathroom after him, grabbing a frying pan from the counter on her way. Bitters's eyes widened.
"And this is the part of the tour where we leave very quickly, go!"
The group fled, narrowly missing the frying pan as it hit the balcony.
Kit pushed her plate away, no longer interested in the remainder of her sandwich. She wiped at her lips with the back of her hand, trying to wipe the salty taste of James's lunch away. He frowned at her.
"Okay," she sighed. "Bye!"
James stared after her a moment before he whirled on his heels to eye Kendall. The corners of his lips curled into a pout.
"Um, what was that?"
Kendall simply shrugged. He couldn't keep up with the whole James-Kit-Logan mess. When she felt ready, he figured that his twin would tell him how she felt. Until then, he wanted to keep his promise and let her make her own choices.
Logan entered the room as soon as he heard the front door close. His eyes landed firmly on the youngest Knight, who had just made her way into Kit's now-empty seat.
"Katie," he called. "Let's go!"
"No," she said firmly. "I don't understand teen love, remember?"
"We have to find out who's coaching Kit and meddling with my love science."
Jennifer Knight crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Or," she suggested. "You could just talk to Kit, and I'm sure she'll tell you what's wrong–"
Logan ignored her. "Let's go."
"No," she challenged.
Despite her best efforts, Katie found herself dragged out of the apartment. Logan pushed a measuring cup into her hands and directed her to apartment 2H.
Katie glanced warily at the glass. She sighed, put on a terse smile, and knocked on the door.
Soft pop music played in the background of Penelope's apartment when she opened the door. She leaned against the doorframe, suppressing a giggle. The girl tilted her head at the sight of Katie Knight unexpectedly at her door, coppery ponytail bobbing with the movement.
"Katie, hi," she beamed. Penny jabbed her thumb towards her living room. "Are you looking for Kit?"
"Uh, nope. Could I trouble you for a cup of sugar?" Katie thrusted the measuring cup forward. Penny shrugged, gripping onto it.
"Okay," she said. "Sure."
She stared down at it for a moment, confused. Katie didn't strike her as the baking type, unless there was some sort of profit involved. Penny took it to her kitchen nonetheless.
Kit and Camille shared a glance. The two girls stepped over to the apartment door, curious as to what the youngest Knight was up to.
Her socks slid across the hardwood floors as Kit came to a stop in the doorway. Camille, not far behind her, raised an eyebrow at the thoroughly unhappy look on Katie's face.
"Hey, baby sister," Kit began. "You do know that we have sugar at home, right?"
Katie shrugged, "Forgot."
Kit parted her lips to respond, but lost the words as Logan came into view. The boy tried his best to appear as if he just happened to be passing by. The t-shirt from the Venus exhibit at the planetarium, the globe, and star charts in his hands said otherwise.
"Oh," he said casually. "Hello. What's going on?"
Camille crossed her arms over her chest.
"Logan," Kit beamed. "What are you up to?"
"Oh, you know," he shrugged. "Just thinking about Venus. Can never read too much about the Planet of Love. You know, I read somewhere that we might able to see it tonight through a telescope–"
Kit blinked. Her heart beat rapidly as she tried to think of anything other than her hand brushing against his in the dim lighting of the Planetarium and the overwhelming desire she had to kiss him that day.
"Well, I'll see you guys later."
He offered the teens a short wave before continuing on down the hallway.
Penny returned just as his figure fell out of view. Handing Katie her sugar, she glanced warily between her friends.
"Okay, well," said Katie. "Thanks for the sugar, Pen."
"Anytime."
As she closed the apartment door, Penelope turned to her friends.
"Was that Logan I heard?"
Camille nodded. Kit exhaled sharply. She reached around the pockets of her jeans for her walkie-talkie. Buddha Bob would know what to do.
Penelope chewed on her lower lip. "Kit Kat," she said lightly. "Are you sure you don't wanna just talk to him?"
She shook her head. "Nope."
With that, she continued on her quest for answers.
Meanwhile, Katie met Logan around the corner with a walkie-talkie of their own. The pair tuned the radio until they came across Kit's familiar voice.
"I'm telling you, he's too cute. I don't know how much more of this I can take!"
"Think about boogers hanging out of his nose and kinda danglin' in the wind–"
Katie's eyebrows shot upwards as the unmistakable voice of their building's maintenance man gave her sister love advice. Even she could have offered something better than snot.
Logan clicked the device off in frustration. He threw his hands up in bewilderment.
"Buddha Bob is what's stopping her, really?" Logan rose to his feet. "Well, not for long!"
Katie rolled her eyes and gathered the globe he left behind. She reluctantly followed a few feet behind him.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Kendall strolled through the Palm Woods lobby. He waved to a few girls he recognized from his classes.
"Hey."
The girls returned his greeting with wide eyes and cold shoulders. Each busied themselves quickly, shoving their noses into magazines or homework and not offering Kendall a second glance. The second group was even quicker to avert their eyes. By the time a girl he recognized from science class had deliberately walked away from him, Kendall's peppy mood had died off.
Lucy smirked as she approached him. Kendall grimaced at the ridiculous signs in her hands. He pushed away thoughts of whether his head always looked that big.
Instead, he frowned. "Will you please un-dibs me?"
She glanced at the signs, as if to consider it.
"No girls at the Palm Woods will even look or talk to me."
"Do you know what the term 'DIBS' stands for?"
Kendall shook his head.
"Dealer identification book, as in farmers would put a chalk mark on the back of cows that were for sale. Am I a cow to you?"
"You're not a cow," he said calmly. "You're great. And you're an awesome guitar player. And you speak your mind."
"Heck, yeah, I do."
He continued, "And you're kind of mysterious."
"Oh, I'm very mysterious," she challenged.
"And you're a good... cheek kisser."
For the briefest of moments, Kendall forgot about James and the impending threat of humiliating himself half-naked, yet again. He simply allowed himself to return the warm smile that Lucy gave him. The butterflies in his stomach were much harder to ignore, this time. If he had been less wrapped up in her, he might have seen James coming. The death stare he burned through Kendall spoke for him.
Lucy grimaced. "Do you need me to hold your pants?"
"Yeah," Kendall nodded.
She folded his jeans neatly and could only watch as he once again jogged the perimeter of their building in nothing but his boxers.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
After a quick stop by the crib to change into his favorite hoodie, — one that Kit had stolen on more than one occasion— Logan continued his pursuit of answers. He spotted Buddha Bob from across the Palm Woods Park. The man's eyes darted around to anything but the gardening hose in his hand, which doused a nearby bench. With Katie not far behind, Logan marched up to the man.
"Why are you telling Kit to avoid me, huh?"
Startled, he turned off the hose.
"I want some answers, now," Logan said, pointing his index finger to the ground to punctuate his speech.
"Well," the man began. "Clearly, you have commitment issues and you'll never be a steady boyfriend until you conquer your insecurities and your fear of rejection."
Logan blinked at him, mouth agape. "Not those answers!"
Buddha Bob shrugged. "Sorry, kid, but it's not gonna be easy as long as James is in the picture. Kit needs someone secure enough to handle that."
"Oh," he muttered.
With a sympathetic grin, the man added: "Also, you might try telling her the truth, instead of avoiding her?"
He sighed. Logan hung his head. Squinting in the sunlight, he gave a faint: "Yeah."
Katie and Buddha Bob watched the boy disappear.
"So," the preteen mused: "What are the chances that they actually end up together?"
As he stared off into the distance, he said: "Oh, they will. The question is when."
Buddha Bob shrugged. He flicked his eyes upwards, shoved a hand into the front pockets of his jeans, and added, "It's written in the stars."
Katie knit her eyebrows. She wondered what he could possibly be seeing up there in broad daylight. Maybe Logan was right. Katie still didn't understand teen love.
Just as she turned to leave, her sister strolled up to the pair of them. Kit looked conflicted. Her shoulders sagged slightly and the corners of her lips pulled downwards, defeated.
"Have you seen Logan? I-I know you said not to talk to him, but I just–"
"You just missed him," Katie answered.
With a curt nod, Kit thanked her. She took on a brisk pace as she headed towards the crib. Hopefully, she found him before he could hide himself away from her again.
The pair met up in the empty stairwell. Kit spotted him just as he passed the doorway.
"Logan, wait," she called.
The moment's hesitation was all she needed to catch up to him. Kit's wide eyes pleaded with him to not walk away from her again. She hesitantly reached out to grasp his hand in hers.
"What's going on, why are you avoiding me?"
Kit frowned at him. After London, she foolishly thought that they had taken the next step in their relationship. That kiss they shared meant more to her than every peck she and James had ever put on for the cameras all wrapped up into one. Couldn't he see that?
Logan hesitated. His lips parted, ready to deny her. But he promised himself that it would be different, this time. Maybe Katie was right. He needed to get over himself.
Unfortunately, that proved easier said than done. It took only one look at the bandana still tied around her wrist for him to panic. His mouth had a mind of its own.
"Shouldn't you be with James?"
Her hands fell to her sides. Her shoulders sagged, hurt. The edges of Kit's lips curled downwards into a frown. "That's not fair, Logan," she said.
He scoffed. "Isn't it? How do you think I feel every time I turn around to see you making out with him? It's all over the news and social media."
Her eyes softened. Kit bowed her head. Sighing, she dared to look back up at him. "This isn't exactly fun for me, either, you know."
The dry laugh that her words drew from him caught Kit fully off guard. She stared at him firmly.
He shrugged, "Could've fooled me."
Her face fell. The crestfallen slump to her shoulders sent a pang to his heart. Kit slowly lifted her gaze to him once more. "I thought, after London... That meant a lot to me."
His hands fell to his sides. "Well, yeah," he paused. "For me, too"
The faintest of smiles spread over Kit. Her hands shook slightly as she reached for him.
"I want to be with you, Logan," she confessed. "I really don't know how I can make that any clearer."
Flabbergasted, Logan's jaw dropped. He stared at her as the words he had prepped with Katie earlier left him.
He cleared his throat, blinking. "That's, er, I, um..."
Her pinkened cheeks swelled into a smile. Kit swallowed her nerves as she locked eyes with Logan. "Well," she said teasingly. "If you manage to find your tongue before then, I'll be at the roof spot after Bitters is clocked out for the night. You are welcome to join me."
He smiled after her. Logan hung back to think things over as she headed up the flight of stairs to their apartment. Before she fell out of earshot, he stopped her.
"Kit," he called. "I'll be there. And I promise to be less of an asshole."
She chuckled. Despite her best efforts, Kit broke out into a grin.
"It's a date, then."
Logan's heart jumped to his throat. A date.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
An angry Kendall led James to confront Lucy by the pool. The boys glared at her. Lucy folded up her magazine.
"Well," she smirked. "If it isn't the dibsy twins."
Kendall crossed his arms over his chest. "Go on," he turned to James. "Ask her. Because I am done running 95% naked through the Palm Woods"
Lucy's eyes flickered between the boys. Curious, her lips parted slightly. Her heart sank once she realized where this was headed.
After another slap from Kendall, James spoke up. He put on one of his signature grins.
"Lucy," he said. "I have been thinking a lot about you and was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me."
She smiled, setting her magazine aside. Lucy rose to her feet.
"You're really sweet, James, but it's like I said before. I got out of a messy relationship, and I'm just not ready for another one."
"So, it's not a no?"
"Oh," She chuckled. "It's a no."
"Right," said James. "Because you like Kendall, and you winked at him before we left for the tour."
"First of all, I never winked at Kendall. Second, I'm not so sure that you're quite over Kit yet, so–"
Kendall shrugged his shoulders, interjecting: "Uh, yeah you did."
"I might have had some dust in my eye but I never winked at you."
The smugness wiped clean off of Kendall's face. He looked at James, surprised.
James took this as a win. "So, you don't want to go out with Kendall either?"
She took a deep breath. "Let's just say..."
Lucy leaned over to lift the large "Back Off" sign into the air. She raised her voice to announce to the whole of the Palm Woods: "Kendall's un-dibbed."
With that, she tossed the sign and waved the boys goodbye.
James watched after her a moment longer with a dreamy expression. He turned to Kendall. "Well," he said. "Glad there's no more confusion."
Kendall looked over James's shoulder to watch Lucy walk away. He knew what he saw. Maybe Lucy just didn't want to admit it in front of James. As she turned to glance at him over her shoulder, Lucy lowered her right eye into another wink.
Alarmed, he leaned forward slightly. "Is it dusty out here?"
"No," James said, confused.
Kendall looked after Lucy again, mind racing. He was definitely right about one thing. Lucy Stone was very mysterious.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Logan met Kit at her secret spot. He shifted his eyes briefly at the sky. It wasn't Paris, but it would do. His heart skittered as he saw her. Kit leant against the railing with her head tilted up past the city skyline. He watched her as she watched the sky. Kit captivated him in a similar silent power.
He stared, longer than he meant to. Long enough for her to notice his arrival. Under his gaze, Kit's cheeks flushed. Logan couldn't help but to mutter, "Wow." The soft pink floral dress she wore looked beautiful on her. It swished as she turned to face him.
"Hey," Kit couldn't quite contain her grin.
"Hi. I, uh, brought you this," he said. Logan offered her a single yellow rose.
She twisted the flower between her fingers as she took it, careful not to prick herself on any of the thorns. "I love it."
"So," she said. "I know you were just kidding about Venus earlier, but I'd still really love to stargaze, at least for old time's sake?"
Logan agreed. He helped her arrange pillows and blankets into a suitable pallet on the hard concrete, illuminated by strings of fairy lights and far off city lights. Gently, she placed her rose on the ground beside it. Then, she lowered herself down to lay on the blankets.
He laid down beside her. Her hair fanned out behind her head and across the pillows. Kit and Logan stayed in comfortable silence. It transported him to a memory of camping out in the Knight's old treehouse and waking up at sunrise with Kit cuddled in his arms and a steadiness he didn't expect. It was pure comfort, like home. As their eyes met, that old security washed over Logan.
"Hey, so uh, can I tell you something?"
"Of course," She nodded. "You can tell me anything, Logan."
His lips quirked upwards a little. "I wanted to tell you this in Paris. I had a whole speech prepared and everything, but–"
Kit reached her hand to loosely wrap around his. Her touch eased his nerves. Logan continued:
"It's kinda funny, actually, because I spent so long trying to find answers in love science but looking at you now, I don't really remember why. I like you, I like being with you, and I can't stop thinking about you. All I ever wanted was you, Kit, and I can't keep running from that. I don't want to anymore."
She gave his hand a squeeze. Kit watched after him with starry eyes. Her heart thumped heavily in her chest, threatening to jump right out of her throat as she answered with a confession of her own.
"I like being with you, too, Logan. Always have. You're my best friend, you really are, but I don't want to just be friends with you. I- well, I'm not sure I can."
His smile shined as brightly as the moon above at this admission. The certainty and earnestness in her voice quieted his insecurities.
Eventually, he asked the one question that held him back.
"But, what about James?"
She paused. "We'll figure it out. I just need you to trust me, okay?"
Logan nodded. His fingers tangled in her hair, curls twirled around them like coiled snakes. Kit hooked her thumb just behind his ear to cup his face. Every promise she wanted to make but couldn't poured from her lips into the kiss.
Tomorrow, she would have to go back to being James Diamond's girlfriend, but at least for tonight, she belonged wholly to Logan Mitchell. That was everything to the both of them.
She rested her head on his chest, just above his racing heart. Kit cozied up to him and they fell into silence. They admired the sky above in quiet giddiness.
It was Logan who broke the silence.
"I'm just glad there are no more secrets between us."
Kit's stomach dropped. She propped herself up by the elbow. One look at the hopeful glint in his brown eyes was all it took to wipe away any thoughts she had of admitting the true origin of her and James's relationship.
"Yeah," she said instead. "Me too"
What Logan didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Penny leaned against the railings of her balcony as she called out to Carlos below. She probably should have expected as much when she got an urgent call to meet him out on the balcony that ended abruptly with a faint neighing in the background. Carlos never failed to surprise her. Penny gestured to the animal he had with him:
"Who's your friend?"
His lips spread into a goofy grin. "This is Wildfire. And we need your help"
"Okay," she agreed. "I'll be right down."
Penny retreated inside her apartment. On her way outside, she grabbed a few baby carrots from her fridge for the horse (and for Carlos, too, if she were being honest).
By the time she made it outside to meet him, Carlos had dismounted and was absently petting the horse's nose. His other hand held the reins.
He perked up a bit at the sight of Penny. She took a few carrots from her pocket and offered them to the horse with an open palm. The boy beamed as he watched Wildfire gently take the peace offering.
"So," she said to Carlos. "What's the matter?"
"Gustavo and Griffin are gonna kill me if I don't pick their favorite song to play for JoJo on the radio."
He took a carrot of his own from her, nibbling on the end of it. Penny knit her eyebrows.
"Well," she said. "What song do you want to play?"
He lowered his snack. "Huh," he muttered. "No one's really asked me that yet."
"But you have one in mind?"
He nodded.
"Good," she said. "Then, just play that one."
He shook his head. "Oh, yeah," he said sarcastically. "I would love to! But, question: how does that solve the 'kill me' part?"
Penny grinned, a hint of devilishness behind it and gleams of mischief in her eyes.
"Do you still keep hockey sticks in the crib?"
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
"Good morning, L.A. It's JoJo on the Radio in the studio with Kendall, Logan, James, and Carlos of Big Time Rush. And, of course, Ms. Kit Knight."
The radio host glanced at the boyband. He had to admit this was probably the first band to bring hockey sticks into his studio for an interview. JoJo assumed it was some sort of inside joke once he caught sight of the field hockey stick laid across Kit's lap. Despite his mounting questions, he continued:
"Carlos, I understand you have BTR's next hit single with you."
From behind the glass partition, Carlos suffered the glares of Griffin and Gustavo. His nerves eased up as his eyes landed on Penny. She held a hockey stick threateningly with both hands as she stood beside the two men.
She mouthed to him, You got this.
Leaning forward, Carlos spoke into his mic. "I gotta be honest, JoJo. It's my favorite song on the album."
Penny brandished her hockey stick at the men. Both exchanged short glances at the girl. They then proceeded with their argument.
Griffin turned smugly to Gustavo: "It's gonna be 'Love Me, Love Me.'"
"'Elevate.'"
"'Love Me, Love Me–'"
Rolling her eyes, Penny simply watched and waited for the real song to play. The bickering ceased as the first few chords of "Windows Down" played. As they each lunged at the glass to threaten Carlos, Penny tapped them each harshly in the sides with her hockey stick.
"Hey!"
Startled, they stared down at her in awe.
"And who are you?" Gustavo demanded.
"Oh, hello, Penelope," Griffin eyed her. "What are you doing here?"
She hesitated a moment. Arthur Griffin rubbed elbows with many people and Penny wasn't sure she wanted her past to invade her life at the Palm Woods just yet. She liked being just Penny, for now, living freely from the shadow of her father. The Lewis family's real estate empire kept Andrew Lewis busy; too busy, even, for his own daughter. Yet, his legacy followed her. It left her with the fourth most powerful CEO in the country watching over her. She probably shouldn't have been surprised; it sounded like her father, anyway.
She turned to glance again at Carlos. The corners of her lips turned upwards. "Being a good friend," she said simply.
Gustavo's internal growls turned into another shout. "I will destroy you!"
"Oh, please," she rolled her eyes. "I've been a competitive dancer since I was three. Trust me, I've handled much worse. You don't scare me."
Griffin chuckled lowly as Gustavo's face grew redder. He turned back to watch the sound booth closely. It might not have been "Love Me, Love Me," but if JoJo liked it, the song was sure to make him money. Gustavo, on the other hand, wanted it more for his pride.
Their little pause stopped and they resumed their tapping at the glass. Penny sighed, shoving her hockey stick between their torsos and the glass. It kept them at bay for the remaining three minutes of the song.
As it came to a close, the boys— and Kit— nervously caged Carlos in with a hockey stick shield.
"I gotta say, guys," JoJo began. "I like that song. I predict that is the next Big Time Hit right there."
At this, Griffin and Gustavo let up. They each shot the boys a thumbs-up.
A sigh of relief washed over the room. Lowering their hockey sticks, the boys each turned to Kit for the reveal of her latest song.
"Now, Kit, you're also here to premiere your new song, 'Untouchable.' Is there anything in particular, maybe someone, that inspired you to write this?"
Kit put on her best PR front. She chuckled easily into the mic. Coyly, she grinned. "Maybe. I guess you'll just have to make up your own opinions about that."
She chanced a sidelong look to Logan. He offered a weak smile in return and his cheeks dusted pink.
JoJo laughed. "Sounds like a challenge. Now, for Kit Knight's latest, 'Untouchable.'"
Like a distant, Diamond sky
James's ears perked up at this. He turned his head to look over Logan and Carlos's shoulders at Kit. A sour taste returned to his mouth as he reconsidered Lucy's assessment. He should have known that Kit Knight wouldn't be so easy to get over.
By the time the last strum of Kit's guitar faded over the recording, the nervous bouncing of Logan's knee had ceased. Kendall gripped his friend's shoulder reassuringly.
"Special guests, Big Time Rush and Kit Knight, thank you guys again for hanging out."
"Thanks for having us," the five of them chimed into their mics.
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Carlos excitedly gathered Penny to come see his new pet again, before Griffin likely took him back. He stood, feeding him treats, as Penny brushed out Wildfire's mane.
She hummed as she braided the pony's hair. Carlos broke the quiet.
"So," he said. "Since when are you close with the Jennifers?"
Penny knit her eyebrows at this. She shrugged. "What do you mean?"
Carlos flushed. "I saw you were hanging with them by the pool earlier."
"Yeah," was all she could think to say.
He trudged on. Carlos stared at the braids she worked on as he said: "Cool. Cool, so I was thinking, now that I'm back from tour, maybe I could ask one of them out on a date...?"
Penny's ears perked up. She blinked up at him. It sounded almost like he was asking for her permission. Confused, she stopped playing with the horse's mane and turned to look at him.
She forced her lips into a smile. The Jennifers were her friends, sure, but that was precisely why Penny wanted them nowhere near her sweet Carlos. She had seen firsthand just how willing they were to take advantage of his kindness. It would kill her if they gave him a chance just to inevitably break his heart.
None of that came out that day. Instead, she swallowed the sticky, bitter taste (jealousy) rising within her and offered her friend some moral support.
"That's great, Carlos," Penny said.
Rather than the confidence boost and reassurance he'd hoped for, Penny's response unsettled Carlos.
Carlos channeled his confusion into petting Wildfire. The boy couldn't quite put his finger on why her approval hadn't made him feel better. Dating a Jennifer had been a goal of Carlos's since his first day at the Palm Woods, so why did it feel so much like he was trying to convince himself it was a good idea, too?
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
All five members of the Council gathered in the kitchen of apartment 2J. The Rule of Dibs poster still hung on the shelf.
James addressed the group. "Now that we're all assembled and have agreed that dibs on girls creates total girl chaos, rather than preventing it..."
"Girls are hereby removed from the Rule of Dibs," Kendall finished.
Carlos asked, glanced past Logan's shoulder at Kit. "That includes boys too, right?"
James and Kendall shared a look. Shrugging, he said: "I guess so, yes."
Kendall smirked as he lifted a Sharpie into the air. This signal silently asked his fellow councilmen to voice their opinions.
The four others spoke in unison. "Agreed."
James ceremoniously plucked the Sharpie from Kendall's grip. In a thick stroke, he crossed out the Girls section to the Dibs Rule.
Kendall clasped his hands together. "And now, let's celebrate this historic occasion by feasting on the snack cakes that we've coveted and dibbed for almost six years!"
Kit did not share in the boys' excitement. Even for processed foods, over 5 years seemed far too long a shelf life. She imagined one of them would break a tooth on a mini donut turned powdery rock. As Logan and Carlos whirred past her to charge at the bowl of ancient snacks, Kit stayed back to watch the chaos unfold. She made her way over to sit with Katie on the couch.
Once the girls got a good look at them, they each smirked. Lowly, Kit asked her sister: "Should we tell them?"
More than happy to take a front row seat to the ensuing chaos, Katie set aside her copy of Time Magazine. Turning her attention to the boys, she said: "You guys know you're eating all the wrong snack cakes, right?"
The frantic chewing paused as her words hit them. Crumbs fell from their grubby fingers and some frosting smeared across Carlos's lips. They each looked like toddlers caught sneaking forbidden cookies at daycare.
"Yep," Kit nodded. "Kendall dibbed the fruit pie; James, the cupcakes; Carlos, the Pinkie Puffs; and Logan, the mini doughnuts"
Shocked, Carlos pulled the half-chewed fruit pie from his mouth. Kit scrunched her nose in distaste.
Thoughts of finishing their snacks now abandoned, the four boys reluctantly unbuckled their belts. As Big Time Rush set off running in their underwear, the Knight sisters shared a high five.
Kit tiptoed over to the counter, sneaking a taste of the leftover chocolate cupcake. She smirked in victory. Somehow, she doubted that this would be the last time in a while she heard the word "dibs."