James watches Jenna with curiosity. She has been staring out the window of their hotel for the past ten minutes. After finishing the South American leg of the tour, they're back in the US. They traded Griffin's private jet for a tour bus. Now they're in Las Vegas, which they have been looking forward to ever since they found out about the tour. The fans in Vegas seemed to enjoy the show tonight and now the group plans to celebrate. They're gonna go to Tao Restaurant and Nightclub. They're not gonna do anything crazy, just dinner. The adults are gonna see some musical because Gustavo said that he needs a break from the "dogs" and "dogette." Jenna's the dogette. Mercedes and Jennifer won't let him refer to them as "dogettes" because they think it's insulting. Speaking of Mercedes and Jennifer, they plan to party it up tonight. Everyone has asked Jennifer what she's gonna do if pictures of her end up on the internet and her "good girl" reputation goes up in flames (And hello, she has young fans that look up to her!) but she insists that nothing is gonna happen.
But James and Jenna are gonna stay away from the nightclub part of the restaurant. They plan to get a table on the second floor, where they can be alone. They spend many hours on that tour bus with the others, so they're always eager when they get the chance to have a little alone time. Tonight, it's just gonna be the two of them and some tasty food. They'll let their friends have fun downstairs, but they're gonna stay as far from the craziness as possible. Kendall, Carlos, and Logan probably won't do anything stupid, but Mercedes and Jennifer are gonna go wild. They've already made that announcement.
"What are you looking at?" James asks, hugging Jenna from behind. He kisses her cheek and smiles as she takes a deep breath. She looks at him with her pretty green eyes and he gives her a kiss, his eyes filled with concern. He thinks that Las Vegas makes her kind of nervous. She has been talking about how wild Vegas can be and she's afraid that something bad is gonna happen, even though James can almost guarantee that everything will be fine.
"Are you sure this is safe?" She asks him. "I've never been to a nightclub before."
"It's not just a nightclub." James chuckles. "It's also a restaurant."
"What if some drunk guy tries to attack us?" Jenna asks as James leads her towards the door. She stops walking as James opens the door, not making another move. When James notices, he lifts her into his arms and, ignoring her protests, carries her out. The door closes and he starts walking down the hallway, laughing at Jenna's attempts to get away from him. He finally puts her down and when she tries to make a run for it, he throws his arms around her waist and drags her into the elevator.
"James!" She whines, finally giving up the fight. She sighs as James kisses her cheek, annoyed that she's being forced to go to some nightclub in Las Vegas. She promised her parents that she would behave like a responsible adult. They have always been able to trust her and she doesn't want to break that trust. She doesn't plan on drinking, but just being in a nightclub is a bad idea. She can't even believe that Gustavo, Kelly, and Griffin are allowing them to do this. Jenna wishes that she and James could stay at the hotel, while everyone else goes to that nightclub.
"I don't wanna go." She argues.
"You're going." James says, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "You need to loosen up. You're not gonna drink, I'm not gonna drink, the guys aren't gonna drink. If anyone is gonna drink any alcohol, it'll be Mercedes and Jennifer."
"Ugh, they're crazy." Jenna complains as she follows James out of the elevator. This is a really stupid idea. Why couldn't they have went to see a play like Gustavo, Kelly, and Griffin are doing? That would be more fun that going to a stupid nightclub where most of the people are going to be a drunken mess. If any photographers get a picture of them, Jenna's gonna have a heck of a time explaining it to her parents. Chris went to nightclubs when she was younger and she didn't bother telling their parents because she would be in big trouble if she did.
"Hey, the limo is here!" Jennifer shouts, motioning for them to hurry up. James squeezes Jenna's shoulders as they walk out the front door, where the limousine is waiting for them. Kendall, Carlos, Logan, and Mercedes are already sitting in the vehicle. James and Jenna get in and Jennifer follows soon after. Jenna feels really uncomfortable about this, but it's too late to back out now. She is officially stuck.
"Baby, it's gonna be fun." James says, kissing her forehead.
"It better be." Jenna says, giving a kiss.
"If I have to keep watching that, I'm gonna need more than one glass." Mercedes mutters, rubbing her temples. Her cell phone rings and she looks at the caller ID before answering. "Hey, girl! Yeah, The boys, Jennifer, myself, and that...other chick are going to Tao."
"My name is Jenna."
"No one cares!" Mercedes whispers before continuing her phone call. "Yeah! Uh huh...Really? You're in Vegas? Oh my gosh, you should totally meet us there. And bring your hubby, too! McKenna, I haven't seen you or Greg in forever! I miss you guys! Okay, yeah, we'll see you in a little bit."
"McKenna and her husband are in town!" She says happily.
"McKenna Leighton?" Carlos questions. "The super hot twenty two year old that was engaged to that Greg Cooper guy?"
"And guest starred on New Town High?" Kendall gulps.
"Yes." Mercedes says. "Actually, I've heard that she's gonna become a main character in the third season. You know, since Jo left. I mean, she was the star of the show and now that she went off to film that movie, someone needs to replace her. Don't get me wrong. Rachel was my favorite character on the show, but I think McKenna's character could be a huge success. She showed a lot of potential in those few episodes that she did."
"I think she's been looking kind of...heavy lately." Jennifer comments.
"Will you stop making fun of people's weight?" Mercedes snaps. "Except for Jenna! You can make fun of her."
Jenna rolls her eyes, feeling James squeezing her even tighter than he already was. She strokes his face, hoping to prevent him from losing his temper. He gets so overprotective of her sometimes and he can't stand when people are mean to her. Frankly, she doesn't care if anyone makes fun of her weight. She happens to be at a healthy weight for her height, so she doesn't need to care what Mercedes and Jennifer think. They make fun of other people, too. It's not like they're treating her any differently than they would treat anyone else.
"You know, you're a real..." Logan starts to say, until he sees the warning looks that Kendall and Carlos are giving him. "Hey, Jenna isn't fat."
"Oh, Logie, do you have a crush on your best friend's girlfriend?" Jennifer asks coolly.
"No, I don't." Logan says adamantly. "But she is my friend and I don't appreciate you making rude remarks about her."
"Don't worry about them." Jenna tells him. "These two skanks aren't worth it."
"Excuse me?" Mercedes says in disbelief. "I don't think you have any room to be calling us skanks."
"Okay, who is the one who has been dating the same guy for almost two years?" Jenna asks her. "Not you."
"I don't even know why James dates you." Mercedes retorts. "You're not rich, you're not famous, and you sure as hell ain't pretty. He could do so much better than you. Girls like Jennifer and I are considered hot. You're just average and James is pretty cute, so he could really find someone more attractive. He obviously doesn't have a very good taste in girls."
"In fact, none of you have a very good taste in girls." Jennifer tells the four guys. "Jo is annoying, Stephanie is a jerk, and Camille is just crazy."
"Okay, if you want to hang out with us, you're not gonna have to stop being so catty and rude." Kendall warns them.
"Ugh, calm down." Jennifer says before moving to sit next to James. She wraps her arm around his bicep and smiles flirtatiously. Jenna gives her a look, wanting to know why the girl's arms are anywhere near her boyfriend. She's glad to see that James doesn't seem to be enjoying it. He feels tense and Jenna hates that Jennifer is making him so uncomfortable.
"Let him go." She snarls as the limo comes to a stop.
"Hey, he's hot! How could you expect me to stay away from him?" Jennifer asks in a calm voice.
"You were never interested in any of us." Logan tells her. Suddenly, the door is being opened for them and they glare at eacb other as they step out of the limo. Jenna clutches James's hand as they walk into the dark nightclub. She squeaks and gets even closer to him, relaxing when he wraps his arm around her. As long as she stays close to him, she'll be safe.
"Aww, is the baby scared?" Jennfier says in a baby voice.
"Shut up!" Jenna snaps.
"Hey, Jenna and I are gonna go upstairs." James whispers to the guys. Then he guides Jenna toward the staircase, rubbing her arm as they walk up the stairs. James doesn't know what has gotten into Mercedes and Jennifer, but they have been extra rude today. Most of the time, they ignore Jenna, but they've been having a field day with her today.
"You up for some spicy tuna rolls?" He asks her.
"Um, sure." Jenna smiles as she sits in a booth. James places a soft kiss on her cheek before walking back downstairs. He struggles to get through the crowd, barely being able to see his friends by the counter. At the very back of the nightclub, Mercedes and Jennifer are sitting at the bar with McKenna and Greg. James rolls his eyes at the two girls and goes to order some food for himself and Jenna.
"Um, two spicy tuna rolls." He tells the waiter.
"Alright, I'll have that out for you in just a moment." The waiter tells him.
"Hey, what's the deal with Mercedes and Jennifer?" Carlos asks. "They've been really rude today."
"I don't know." Kendall shrugs. "Maybe they're just in a bad mood."
"No, that can't be it." Logan says, shaking his head. "They were having way too much fun."
"They're just mean people." James sighs. He taps his fingers against the counter, waiting for those spicy tuna rolls.
"Sweet Jenna Harper is sitting in a nightclub?"
"Yes, Lacey." Jenna says, her cell phone against her ear. She got bored while waiting for James, so she decided to call her friend. In the background, she can hear "What You Want" by Evanescence playing, as well as the sound of Gabriella jumping on the bed. She giggles when Lacey quietly tells Gabriella to be still, certain that the Gabby is driving Lacey insane. It's funny that Gabby is a year older (Twenty years old) than Lacey, yet she's kind of immature. She argues that she's simply fun loving, but most people see her as immature. Some think she's "cute," but she's pretty crazy.
"Lighten up!" Gabby says, followed by Lacey growling in annoyance.
Jenna sighs as she looks at the first floor. She can see James waiting for their food, while talking to the other guys. She sighs dreamily. She is completely head over heels for that boy. He's everything that she has ever wanted in a guy. That's why she got so defensive when Jennifer was "flirting" with him in the limo. No one else can flirt with her man and expect to get away with it.
"Man, you're more daring than I thought." Lacey laughs.
"Hey, I was forced." Jenna tells her. "Don't think I'm here because I wanna be. James thinks that I need to learn how to have fun. Honestly, I would prefer to see a show with him, but he insisted that we go to this nightclub. I tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't listen."
"I'm glad he made you go." Lacey responds. "You need to loosen up."
"You don't wanna loosen up too much." Jenna warns. When she looks up from her menu, she sees James walking up the staircase. "Hey, I've gotta go."
"Okay, have fun with your man." Lacey teases before hanging up.
"Who was that?" James asks, sitting across from her.
"Lacey." Jenna smiles, accepting one of the two spicy tuna rolls. She takes a bite, actually pleased with the taste. She has never really liked sushi, but this isn't all that bad. It's different, but it's different in a good way.
"Now let's talk about you and me." James says, taking her hands in his. He kisses each hand and strokes the backs of them with his thumbs. He lets go of her left hand so he can touch her cheek, listening to the music blaring through the speakers. "Hold It Against Me," a Britney Spears song that he loves singing to Jenna. It's his special "act like a total idiot in front of my girlfriend" songs. Oh, he's gonna have fun with this one.
Jenna gives him a weird look as he sits next to her, wrapping his arms around her.
"If I said my heart was beating loud
If we could escape the crowd somehow!" He sings in a soft, off key voice.
"James, stop!" Jenna giggles.
"Hey, what happened to my special nickname?"
"Jamie?"
"No, not that!" James says.
"Jay?" Jenna says cutely.
"That's better." James says, pulling her into a kiss. He keeps singing, finding amusement in her giggles."Cause you feel like paradise and I need a vacation tonight!"
"You're weird." Jenna says quietly, smiling as he kisses her cheek. She would love to question his normality, but he's just too cute. Therefore, she doesn't really care about his sanity. She just cares about how adorable he looks.
"But you love me?"
"Yes, I do."
Gustavo watches as Kelly and Griffin dance along to the music. They both agreed on seeing Rent, so it was two against one. They have a production of Cats being performed down the street. That was Gustavo's first choice. Okay, so Gustavo is a Rent fan, but Cats is his favorite. He saw Rent last year, but it has been five years since he saw Cats. Of course, the cast of this Rent puts on a pretty good show. A few months ago, Jenna and Lacey brought their friend Gabriella to Rocque Records and she said that she played Mimi Marquez in a production of Rent at UCLA.
He finds himself humming to himself, not mentioning out loud that Out Tonight is his favorite song from this musical. What? It's catchy and fun. If he ever signs a female singer to Rocque Records, he would definitely like to write something like this. Of course, he already has his hands full with those Big Time Rush boys, so he doesn't know how he would put up with another singer. Maybe if he could find someone with a normal size brain, it might work, but most of the people in LA are pretty...eccentric.
"I like this song! Don't you, Gustavo?" Griffin asks him.
"Yeah." Gustavo says awkwardly. He hopes that those dogs are getting along with Mercedes. Griffin may see calm and collected on the outside, but he takes his daughter's well being very seriously. Mercedes has her dad fooled. He thinks that she's a sweet little angel, but she's really not that innocent. She's spoiled, mean, and thinks she's better than everyone else. Gustavo doesn't know why Griffin doesn't see that.
"This show is awesome!" Kelly cheers, dancing along to the music.
Gustavo sighs heavily. The boys are performing in San Diego in two days and Gustavo needs to make sure that they get enough sleep. He didn't even like the idea of them going to a nightclub and neither did Kelly, but Griffin seemed totally okay with it. Whatever Griffin says, they can't tell him otherwise. He's their boss and they're very careful about what they say to him. It's just surprising that he would approve of his daughter going out to a nightclub. Gustavo and Kelly trust Jenna and the guys, but they don't trust Mercedes and Jennifer at all.
They only have a month left of this tour and, from what Gustavo can see, it's gonna be a really long month.