"I think I like Logan" Camille blurted out as I choked on my coffee.
we were currently in my living room, talking, as it has been a while since I last had one on one time with my best friend. I was so occupied with the boys that I didn't find time, and I felt bad, but luckily for me Camille was super understanding.
one of the many things to love about that girl.
"excuse me? where did that come out of?" I said, still trying to process her words.
"I don't know, I'm still not sure- but he's just so cute. his smile, his dimples, the way he always has a plan for every situation, his logical conclusions and smart thinking, the way his eyes spark up whenever he talks about some geeky, nerdy thing nobody else could give a darn about, the way his hair-"
"okay, Camille" I said, giggling a bit.
"that just confirmed your suspicions. but how so soon? it's not like you to crush on someone so quick" I asked and she shrugged.
"I don't know.. I felt it since the moment I first met him. I just didn't realize it until now."
"that's so cool! I'll set you guys up. I'll be your wingman! or I guess... wingwoman." I rambled and Camille laughed.
"thank you, Moore. you're the best" she said and I smiled.
"so, you have a thing for one of the boys minus Logan yet?" she said and I laughed at how protective she was of him already. cute. maybe a tad bit toxic, but in my eyes, cute.
"no, Camille. I told you, I'm keeping our relationships strictly professional. even the friendship we built kind of oversteps that, but I mean those boys mean too much to me at this point. we hang out literally all day every day, I wouldn't be able to let that go anymore" I said, taking another sip of my coffee.
"right, so breaking another one of your dumb rules wouldn't be too bad!" Camille concluded, making me choke on my coffee again.
"Camille, I am not falling for those boys. Kendall is like a brother to me-"
"so that leaves Carlos and James!" she cut me off.
"Carlos feels like a son almost. like a precious, innocent kid I vow to take care of" I explained.
"okay, so James" she concluded.
"James is too egotistical and self centered!" I said, and she laughed.
"oh please, like you don't like boys with an ego. all the characters from the shows we watch who you crush on have egos ten times bigger than James!" she said, and I scoffed.
"oh, please. give me one example" I said and she crossed her arms.
"Vegeta is your favorite anime character, I think that's enough said" she said and I groaned.
"that's different! he's egotistical because he's strong and he knows it!" I said, and Camille smiled.
"and James is egotistical because he's pretty and he knows it. I mean, Logan's just my type, but you can't deny James is hot" Camille said.
"what exactly are you trying to do here? make me fall for one of them? for what reason?" I said to the girl. I admire how persistent she can be with the most unimportant things, but even this was very unlike her.
"I'm trying to get you to live a little? when's the last time you had a crush that wasn't Dak Zevon or Leonardo DiCaprio!" she asked.
"hey! Jack Dawson is way more dateable than any real life boy and you know it!" I defended.
"I'd say you should screw the brother-sister relationship and have a go at Kendall" she smirked.
"I'd say you're insane! that's as if I dated a real biological brother. I couldn't!" I said, and she shrugged.
"then do the right thing and pick the obvious choice." she said.
"which would be just not forcing myself to fall for one of the boys and just be happy as their friend which I currently am?" I said.
"nope, James!" she said and I rolled my eyes, deciding to ignore the girl.
"hey! Emma, you might deny it now because bla bla it's too early in your storybook, but trust me when I say I know what your type is and I know James is it! you like an ego, you like arrogance, you like a guy just like that!" she said and I simply shushed her, grabbing my songbook so I could be busy and she could leave me alone.
just then, I started fixing the big time love song my dad asked me to write, as I did every day since I first began writing it. it had to be done today, and all the lyrics were pretty much there but I needed it to be perfect.
one thing I was struggling with was the melody, and I hoped that was something my father could find. I initially imagined it as a fast paced song, but my father then told me it needed to be slow.
so I'll let him figure it out.
***
3rd person POV
***
back in apartment 2-J, the boys had a similar conversation to the one the two girls shared.
"you cannot convince us you don't like her" Logan said to his long haired best friend.
"I don't! what makes you think that?" he shot back, and his friends laughed.
"you shouting she will be mine every time she leaves the room after doing so much as looking at you" Carlos said.
"you getting stiff whenever she even slightly touches you" Kendall said.
"you constantly openly hitting on her, I mean come on dude!" Logan stressed.
"that doesn't mean anything!" the boy defended himself.
"you can deny it all you want, James" Carlos began.
"but we've been friends for long enough to know when you're lying" Logan continued.
"and right now, we can tell you're not being truthful" Kendall said.
the boy simply scoffed.
"I mean, you two practically cuddled the whole time we were in the school of Rocque!" the blond added, and Logan pointed to him.
"she was tired and she laid on my shoulder, okay? she did it with Carlos too! and Kendall when we watched movies in her apartment!" their friend defended, and Kendall gave him a smirk.
"okay, that is true" Logan began.
"and yes, while it might be normal for her to do those things, what's not normal is for you to act the way you act. when's the last time you got nervous around a girl that wasn't famous popstar Nicole!?" Kendall added.
"and when's the last time you stiffened at a girl simply laying her head on your shoulder?" Logan said.
"dude, she barely even touched you, and you were paralyzed!" Carlos pointed out.
"I have no idea what you guys are talking about" the long haired boy sighed.
just then, Kendall got a text message. he grabbed his phone to see a text from Camille. without second thought, he opened it, crossing his fingers, his hopes high.
Camille: I'm sorry Kendall, I tried but she won't budge. she says he's not her type. stupid liar. I think the feelings on her end are gonna have to wait
"ah hockey pucks!" the boy let out, as Logan and Carlos looked at him knowingly. he didn't even have to explain to them what happened, as they already came to the conclusion given the boy's displeasure.
James, however, deep down knew. he knew the boys were right. he never got nervous around girls. he'd have full make out sessions no problem, but when it came to Emma, even the smallest contact made the boy stiffen and go mute.
he knew what he was feeling towards the girl wasn't nothing. but he was never gonna admit that. because he knew the feelings weren't reciprocated as it was way too soon for him to be feeling this way, and for the first time, James Diamond was afraid of rejection.
***
Emma's POV
***
I walked over to the pool to see the four boys sitting in the pool chairs.
well, three out of the four were sitting. Carlos was in the pool. That wouldn't be so odd if all of his clothes weren't on.
"hi guys" I chimed, and the boys all looked at me with a smile.
"hi, Ems" Kendall said.
"why's Carlos in the pool?" I asked.
"he tried hitting on the twins and got their names wrong" Logan explained. makes sense.
idiot.
"why can't there be a nice, sweet, nice girl at the palm woods" Kendall began.
"hey!" I said, offended.
"besides you. You have no interest in us!" Carlos defended and I shrugged.
"fair enough" I said.
"somebody not crazy, or stuck-up... that's still really hot" James added.
"from North Carolina" Logan finished, and as if on cue a really pretty new girl walks into the pool area.
"well, it's not North Carolina, but I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay here" Bitters said, walking with the girl and a man who I assumed to be her father.
"let me show you your apartment"
my eyes widened at the coincidence.
she walked past us and greeted us with a small 'hi'. I made a mental note to get to know her later, she did seem really sweet.
"she's mine!" James yelled.
"she's mine!" Carlos then protested, and the boys began to fight once again.
***
at Rocque records, I presented my love song to my dad. he liked the lyrics, but he was struggling to make out a proper melody.
Kelly handed the boys their lyric sheets.
"today, we are gonna sing a love song that Emma wrote" my dad told them.
"it's a slow song. about love" he added.
"the record company wants one of your songs to be a ballad." Kelly said, but I could see the boys weren't fixated on her or my dad, but rather on whatever it was behind them.
I turned around to see what it was they were looking at, only to be met with a huge guy I didn't recognize.
how didn't I notice him until now?
"okay, does anybody else notice the huge guy in the corner?" Kendall asked.
"that is freight train" my dad said.
"my new executive in charge of making people do what I say"
just then, freight train punched a big hole in the wall, to which the boys and I flinched, and Logan hid behind James.
"now, this is a song about when you see a girl for the first time, and you know she's the one" my dad said.
"do you guys know what I'm talking about?"
the boys thought for a brief moment, and then broke into a fit of she' mine's.
"Freight train!" my dad yelled out, and freight train grabbed the boys, stopping them from their bickering.
"that was kind of fun" Carlos said.
"what is that smell?" my dad asked. I noticed it too, it was a perfume smell. I didn't hate it, but my dad did it seems.
"it's barracuda man spray" James began, whipping a bottle of the spray out.
"we're in love with a girl at the Palm Woods and this is my edge"
he then sprayed himself, and looked to an invisible camera.
"better wear your cuda" he said, as if he were in a commercial.
"you need an edge?" Kendall said.
"you always get the girl!" Carlos stressed.
"yeah, give us a chance for once" Logan said.
"hey, a games a game" I defended, and James pointed to me.
"she will be mine!" he yelled.
"you said that about Emma too!" Carlos said.
"yeah, you can't do that! she's gonna be mine!" Kendall yelled out, and I facepalmed.
then, all the boys started protesting and fighting again.
my dad signaled freight train to get the boys in the booth, so he did.
"he's really good" I said, surprised.
any kind of guy you want
that's the guy I'll be *ACHOO*
turn myself upside down *ACHOO*
yes I will, yes I will
even without James's constant sneezing, the song was still sounding pretty bad. and that bruised my confidence a lot, considering the last song I wrote for the band was good I was confident in myself for the first time in a while.
but hearing this makes all my confidence shatter to pieces.
"this is a song about love, not sneezing!" my dad yelled.
"but the pollen count is really high today" I defended the boy.
"then get him to a doctor and fix him while I fix the song, because it's horrible!"
"what? why me?" I ask.
"because I say so! now go!" he yelled, and I sighed.
"freight train, take the dogs home" my dad said, and I approached James so we could go to the doctor and get it over with.
"no! I don't wanna go to the doctor! I'm in love! *ACHOO*" James said and I rolled my eyes at the boy as I simply pulled him with me.
"sorry James, but we have to go back to the Palm Woods now. But I'm sure you'll have fun with Emma" Kendall said, and I gave him a death glare.
what is it with everyone and James all of a sudden?
"you are not allowed to talk to her until I'm back!" James ordered, ignoring the boy's last statement.
"I mean it!"
I then dragged James off and we were on the way to the doctor.
***
"now, this should make it all better" the doctor said. I assumed he was gonna give whatever it was he had in his hand to James, but he ended up drinking it instead.
I furrowed my eyebrows.
"what seems to be the problem?"
"the problem is that I'm here when I need to be at the Palm Woods, impressing the girl of my dreams!" James pouted, and I sighed.
"it sounds serious" the doctor said.
"I'm prescribing one dose of black bolero jacket, and a hundred CC's of tight pants"
"awesome" James said, before sneezing.
"he needs to stop sneezing so that he can sing" I said, annoyed by both the boy and the doctor in the room.
"sounds like Roseanne Barr syndrome. the irreversible deterioration of the glands resulting in pain so severe, it can only be relieved by the sweet mercy of death".
James then yelped, grabbing me and tightly hugging me in fear.
"are you sure it's not pollen?" I ask the doctor.
"pollen! of course" the doctor said, snapping his fingers. I rolled my eyes and shrugged James off of me.
"James, are you afraid of receiving giant shots?"
and with that, the doctor pulled out a giant needle and James ran out of the building, yelling in fear.
I sighed, taking off after the boy.
as I was running, I got a text. I stopped to see it was Camille.
Camille: I just kissed Logan!
I smiled at the text, quickly typing out a reply. James was gonna have to wait.
Me: WHAT??? how did that happen?
Camille: I'll tell you the details in person, but long story short he tried hitting on the new girl
I playfully roll my eyes. Camille was so extra.
Me: alright well I gotta go chase James down. my dad ordered me to get him to the hospital so he can get an allergy shot because he kept sneezing. then he got scared of the shot and ran away and now I have no idea where he is. talk later! xoxo
I put my phone back in my pocket and took off running aimlessly again.
I ended up chasing him down.
"James! wait! for the love of God stop running, what do you think I'm gonna do, catch you and carry you back?" I yelled out to him, and he stopped in his tracks and turned around.
"I don't like that guy!" he said, referring to the doctor.
"believe me, I don't either" I said.
"but you need to get that shot!"
"but I'm in love!" he screamed, urgently.
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"James, you don't even know the girl's name! you are not in love, you are delusional! now come with me so we can take that shot and you can sing" I said and he frantically shook his head.
"why do you have to make this so difficult?" I ask.
he then sighed.
"fine. I'll go get the shot" I breathed out a sigh of relief, and as I went to turn around-
"but" he continued, and I winced, knowing that but's don't usually end good.
"only if you agree to go out with me afterwards" he smiled, and I furrowed my eyebrows.
what could I possibly say to that? I mean, going out once doesn't have to mean much, so it'd be smart if I agreed to just get this whole thing over with.
but, I knew Camille and James would both get the wrong impression and the boy wouldn't leave me alone, and on top of that I wouldn't hear the end of it from my best friend.
"I'm waiting" James urged, and I gave him a threatening glare.
"look, the only thing stopping me from running away to the Palm Woods and going out with the new girl is the possibility of going out with you. so yes, and I take the shot, or no, and I run away?" James said, and I sighed.
"no" I said, but before he could run away I grabbed his ear and pulled him back towards the hospital.
"ow! ow!" he kept yelling the whole way there.
as we got there, I let him go.
"you're mean, you know?" he asked, and I turned around to face him.
"oh, I know" I smiled.
"and you know I can still run awa-" and with that, I pushed him back onto a hospital bed which the doctor and I strapped the boy to.
"look i- I'm not sneezing anymore so I.. I guess I can go back to the Palm Woods now, and I definetly don't need that shot!" James said, before contradicting himself as he sneezed.
"James! it's not gonna hurt a bit." the doctor said, and I let out a sigh of relief as he was at least putting in the slightest bit of effort to calm the boy down.
"it's gonna hurt a lot"
and with that, I sighed, trying to stop the headache that would kick in any moment now.
James let out a yelp, as he pulled out a bottle of his man spray.
"stay back! I'm not afraid to use this" he said.
"barracuda man spray!" the doctor said, pulling out his own bottle of the product.
I sat down, I couldn't believe what I was dealing with. Logan would be of better help than this doctor, and he's barely 16!
"is there anything besides that shot that can get him to stop sneezing today?" I asked lowly, getting extremely irritated by the second.
"hmm.. there is one thing that could work" the doctor said, deep in thought.
"do you think I need a chin implant?"
oh boy
***
any kind of guy you want
that's the guy I'll be
turn myself upside down
yes I will, yes I will
the boys sang, but when it got to James... all that was heard were strange muffles.
the doctor gave him a gas mask.
"what was that? what was that!" my dad yelled, slamming his hands onto the piano.
"you told me to get him to stop sneezing, and I did" I defended.
"but he can't sing! and we have to sing this love song, because the record company wants a love song, and I still hate this song!"
"well he refuses to take an allergy shot, and I'm not a nurse!" I yelled back.
"your yelling has improved" my dad complimented.
"but more like this. GET HIM AN ALLERGY SHOT!"
just then, James did the last thing I expected him to do.
"it's my fault Gustavo, I need to do this. I'll go get the shot" he said, taking off his mask and sneezing in the process.
and with that, James and I were off back to the doctors.
or so I thought.
as soon as we got out of the building, he turned to look at me.
"I'm sorry for this, Emma" he said, and I gave him a puzzled look.
"huh?" I ask, genuinely puzzled.
then, the boy just took off running, taking me by surprise.
"darn it!" I yelled.
then, I made my way over to the hotdog stand in front of the Rocque records building, and I bought myself a hotdog and a coke.
soon enough, the rest of the boys ran out, running over to me as they spotted me by the stand.
"where's James?" Kendall asked.
"I dunno. we were gonna go get the shot, but he ended up saying he's sorry and taking off. probably to the Palm Woods" I explained.
"I couldn't be bothered to chase after him this time"
then, the boys all ran away, and I continued eating my hotdog until I got a text from Camille.
Camille: just letting you know I'm hanging out by the pool with the new girl. she's actually really nice, and I asked if we could all hang out at her place later. you think you could make it?
Me: I'll see. I'm still struggling getting James to get that shot. is he at the Palm Woods or should I be concerned?
Camille: how sweet, you worry about him!
Me: we're friends, of course I worry about him
Me: besides, my dad would kill me if he found out I was the reason one of his new pop stars got ran over by a truck!
Camille: well, you're in luck because he's making his way here right now
Camille: Jesus, you didn't tell me the allergies were THIS bad, he looks like a total freak! it's funny, really. you should've seen the look on his face when he realized!
I furrowed my eyebrows, and as I was about to type out a reply, I got a call from James.
I picked it up, only to be met with the boys panicking voice.
"Emma, get over here! I need that shot now!" he screamed and he hung up.
I sighed, and practically ran over to the Palm Woods, and when I saw James I couldn't help but laugh. he was wearing a football helmet, which hid his face, and also a pair of big gloves.
"what could've happened in a matter of fifteen minutes? come on, take that off so I can see your face" I said, reaching for the helmet and he grabbed my wrists.
not gonna lie, I was dying to see what he looked like. from what Camille described, it was hilarious.
"shut it! let's just go!" he yelled, not letting go of by wrists and pulling me so I'd follow him.
"you could've went alone if it's so urgent, you know?" I told him.
"oh you know I'm not that brave!" he stressed.
"why won't you let me see it?" I asked, rising an eyebrow as he continued walking.
to that, he stayed quiet.
as we got to the hospital, James started throwing a fit.
"give me a shot! now!" the boy yelled.
"I'm not afraid anymore and I am not pretty under here! and I'm in love, and..." he rambled, but the doctor simply gave the boy a shot in the arm, shutting him up.
James let out a scream, but quickly realized it didn't hurt.
"hey... that wasn't that bad" he said, right before collapsing to the floor.
"nice jacket" the doctor commented to the unconscious boy.
"what did you give him?" I asked, concerned.
"something for his panic attack. we're you not here?" he said and I gave him a death glare, my body filling with rage. I was over this.
"he's got to sing a song!" I yelled harshly at the doctor.
"sing a song, sing a song, sing a song shot.. sing a song shot..." the doctor searched.
I went to sit down again, as I felt myself getting dizzy.
I wasn't the type to get mad often or easily, yet this guy filled me with pure rage.
I texted Camille, letting her know I wouldn't be able to make it to hang out with her and the new girl, as I was still occupied with the long haired boy.
after a while, the doctor ended up giving James a shot, and he ordered me to stay with him until he got better, as he had "something to take care of". he said the shot would make him dizzy for about half an hour, and standing up wouldn't be too smart of an idea, let alone walking back to Rocque records. most he was allowed to do was sit.
great. my dad was gonna kill me.
"so" he began, as the doctor left, wasting no time sitting up.
then, he took of his gloves.
"my hands are back to normal" he commented, taking a look at them.
"and your face?" I asked, and he shrugged.
then, I went to reach for the helmet, but he stopped me again.
"dude! take it off. we have to know if the shot fully worked" I said.
"turn around" he ordered, and I gave him a confused look.
"why?"
"because what if it's not back to normal and I'm still not pretty!" he yelled, and I sighed.
"why does that matter?" I asked.
"it's gonna ruin my chances!" he stressed.
"who said- nevermind" I said as I sighed and turned around.
just then, I could hear the shuffling of his helmet being taken off. every ounce of me wanted to look back in hopes he wasn't back to normal and I'd get to see what his face looked like, but I knew that would be mean, even if I had no intent on dating the boy regardless.
"okay, you can look now" he said, and I turned around to see him contently checking himself out in the mirror.
and again, I was observing how hot the boy was. he was wearing a long sleeved, brown/orange top which complimented his muscles well, with a pair of simple blue jeans. he also had a necklace on, which added to the look.
he noticed me staring, so he turned around with a smirk.
"was Emma Moore just checking me out?" he asks and I rolled my eyes.
"in your dreams, Diamond"
***
here I am, there you are
why does it seem so far?
next to you is where I should be, where I wanna be
something I, want so bad, know what's inside your head
maybe I can see what you see, tell me what you see
I gotta keep on believing, that everything takes time
I'll make up any reason, to make you mine
if you're staying or leaving, I'll follow your lead
so why keep pretending? open your eyes, I can be what you need
any kind of guy you want girl, that's the guy I'll be
turn myself upside down, yes I will, yes I will
any kind of guy you want girl, you know I'll agree, turn your whole world around
yes I will, yes I will
any kind, any kind, any kind of guy you want
you decide, change your mind
I will be there
won't you try, one more try, be my any kind of girl?
you decide, it's alright, I will be there
let me know if I'm getting through, making you understand
if it's wrong I'll try something new
don't look away
cause I'm here to stay
if it's a game, then I'm gonna play
any kind of guy you want, girl, that's the guy I'll be
turn myself upside down
yes I will, yes I will
any kind, any kind, any kind of guy you want
you decide
change your mind
I will be there
the boys sang, as Griffin, Gustavo, Kelly and I watched them. a smile was plastered on my face the whole time.
I knew the song was meant to be sang at a fast pace the moment I was writing it, and I'm glad my dad realized it too.
but what made me smile is the way the boys put the song together. it's moments like these that are my favorite.
sure, I like writing, but my favorite part about it is giving the song out to the boys and them just bringing it to life with their incredible voices and ability to harmonize together. they had voices that complimented each other so well, and sounded so smooth together.
like the band was meant to be. it was hard to believe that these are actually just four best friends, and it was a pure accident their voices blend so well together.
it was incredible.
Griffin turned around in his chair.
"I tell you I want a slow love song, and instead you ignore me and give me... a hit!"
I breathed out a sigh of relief.
"but I still love a slow love song. and put the word baby in it. yeah, that's good" the man said, before patting my dad's face and walking off, until he stopped in front of freight train.
"and what's your name?" he asked him.
"freight train"
"of course it is" Griffin said, before leaving.
my dad then gave the boys a thumbs up, signaling they did good as they were anticipating to find out if Griffin was satisfied.
and, just like last time, I made my way over to them, pulling them into a big hug as we all cheered.
"you boys are amazing" I said, genuinely proud of them.
"I mean, this is only the beginning, and you've already got me more than impressed" I rambled.
"thanks, Ems, we appreciate it" Kendall said.
"I actually have been meaning to talk to you boys about something" I said, and they all eagerly listened, making me chuckle.
"look, I wanted to say I appreciate you boys a lot. and I know we still haven't known each other for very long, I mean you boys have been here for less than a month, but I'm grateful that you're a part of my life. and you really turned everything around for me, big time" I began.
"I mean, I never had friends besides Camille who nag me to hang out every day, who are so eager to have me around, who make me feel so safe and just at home. and if I'm feeling this way so early into our friendship, I can't wait to see what this grows into. I want you guys to know right off the bat, I'll always be your biggest fan, and I'll do anything I can to keep this band alive because you boys no joke mean more to me than any band my father ever produced for as long as I've been alive" I rambled, my eyes getting teary.
just then, Kendall pulled me into a hug. then Carlos joined. then Logan, and finally James. and we stayed there, group hugging for god knows how long.
***
back at the Palm Woods, I invited Camille and the new girl over as I felt bad about missing out on hanging out earlier.
"so, you do have a boyfriend?" Camille asked the girl who's name I learned is Jo.
"no, but I can't deal with them every day!"
"remember, Logan's mine" the brunette reminded, and the blonde nodded her head.
"got it"
"so, you got an eye out for any of them?" Camille nagged, and I sighed.
"you don't have to attack her with that question already. she barely moved in!" I laughed and Jo did too.
"it's alright, and I mean I guess Kendall's pretty cute. he seemed nice, and it seemed as though he was the only one even being himself. though I didn't get to talk to James much" she explained.
"oh trust me, James would've unapologetically been himself" Camille said.
"she's right" I agreed, as the blonde looked at me.
"he seems like a bit of a douchebag" she said, and I laughed.
"tell me about it" I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
"which is exactly Emma's type, and exactly the reason she will ask him out!" Camille said, making me choke on my beverage for the 3rd time today.
"no the hell I won't, I told you I don't like him!" I defended.
"yet" the girl mumbled under her breath.
"I heard that" I said, and she smiled.
"you two would look so cute together" my best friend kept pushing.
"dude, seriously, why are you pushing it this bad?" I ask, genuinely confused. it wasn't like Camille to act like this.
"no, I totally see it. you two would easily be the prettiest Palm Woods couple" Jo said.
"you two are delusional" I raised my arms up.
I knew my best friend, and I knew she wasn't letting this go any time soon.