.:Chapter One – The Rival Band:.

"HOW HARD IS IT FOR YOU GUYS TO LISTEN TO WHAT I AM TELLING YOU AND DOING IT RIGHT?"

Kendall, James, Logan, and Carlos winced at the loud scream that their music producer, Gustavo Rocque, emitted, after another dance lesson. Mr. X was standing in the corner, practically sobbing as he realized that he could never be able to teach the guys of Big Time Rush to ever be able to dance. He had quit choreographing them when he first met the boys, as they were pitiful. But Gustavo said that he would triple Mr. X's salary if he decided to try again. But right now, Mr. X didn't see why he even decided to agree with it. Apparently Gustavo agreed with him because his face had turned an ugly shade of red and he was now at risk of creating another earthquake.

"Really hard because you're pretty much blowing out our ear drums," Logan replied as he wiggled a finger in his ear.

"Quiet!" Gustavo snapped at him.

"Sorry, sir!" Logan squeaked and looked down at the floor.

"Gustavo," Kelly, his assistant, cut in as she held her arm out to keep the large man from bowling the young teens over. "Maybe you should explain to them why you're blowing up instead of yelling at them. We don't want another medical emergency do we?"

"Right, right," Gustavo waved his hand in the air, not really caring. "Listen, you have to be the best, and right now, you are sucking pretty well!"

"Why?" Kendall asked simply. Gustavo snapped his head over to the blonde boy and glared at him.

"Why…what?" he spat.

"Why do we have to be the best?" Kendall reiterated as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Because I was under the assumption that we were just making music for you to get money, you don't really think that we can make it anyway," he shrugged and continued. "So, I don't see why it has to make a difference whether or not we're good?"

Gustavo hesitated as his face started to turn red again. "Dude, calm down," James warned. "The shade of your face so does not go with what you're wearing."

"I still don't like you!" Gustavo snapped as he pointed at James in between the eyes. James nodded simply, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Got it." He replied with a nod.

"Come on guys, let's not get angry!" Carlos cried as he jumped into the conversation, lightly slapping the top of his hockey helmet in effect. "Now, at the risk of making you all even angrier, why don't we just figure out what's going on?"

"I'll explain," Kelly replied pointedly as she ushered Gustavo over to a nearby chair and sat him down. "Gustavo is…worried, to put it lightly," she replied and the boys of Big Time Rush snorted in unison. Gustavo glared at them and then they coughed and cleared their throats, muttering agreements. "You see, the rival company of Rocque Records, Rolling Records, has made their own band and is trying to run you out."

"So?" Kendall snorted. "Why is that so bad?"

"It's bad," Gustavo's loud voice caused them to jump again. He surged up off of his chair and stormed over to the guys, facing them again. "Because they're taking what I'm doing, but doing it better! They're making a Pop-Rock band, who can play their own instruments, write their own songs, and can dance."

"And you think that this is going to hurt us because?" Logan asked as he shrugged, raising his eyebrows as he wasn't really sure how this pertained to them at all. James rolled his eyes as he shook his head.

'And we call him the smart one?' he thought to himself before speaking up. "This is a problem because that means that we might not be as famous as them." James' lower lip started to tremble as he got a determined look in his eye. "And if we're not as famous as them, then we're not going to be famous! And if we're not famous, then I won't be able to start my solo career and then move over into modeling and-"

"We get it." Carlos and Kendall harmonized.

"Right," James cleared his throat, looking sheepish. "Sorry."

"Well, we get it," Logan chimed in and then gave a charming smile. "We'll do better. Promise."

Gustavo looked at Logan and then burst out laughing. The boys looked at each other with confused expression on their faces. Still laughing, Gustavo walked in front of the line of boys and pointed at each of them in turn. He first pointed at Logan. "You are still horrible. Completely and utterly horrible."

"Yep." Logan agreed with a nod.

"And you," he moved over to James, who grinned eagerly. "Knock it off with the bright smile, it creeps everybody out!" James nodded and the smile instantly slid from his face. He moved over to Carlos, who nervously hit his helmet. "And you, what's up with the helmet?"

"It's like a safety for him," Kendall explained. "You know, some people hide behind their hair, Carlos hides behind a helmet."

"You're just weird," Gustavo concluded as he looked away from Carlos. He started to stride out of the studio. "All of you get out of my sight! I have some major butt kissing to do at Rolling Records!" he left the studio with Kelly hurrying after him, typing something into his cell phone.

"Cool, day off," Kendall rubbed his hands together eagerly, leading the boys out of the studio and towards the Palm Woods Hotel. "So what do you guys want to do now?"

"I'm thinking…we hit the pool." Logan replied after a second of thought.

"Then the pool it is," James agreed as he whipped a small comb out of his pocket and started to pull it through his hair. "I bet you that today I can make one of the Jennifer's notice me."

"You mean apart from the disgusted way they do now?" Carlos teased.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean." James replied and shoved Carlos' shoulder, sending him into Kendall, almost knocking the two of them over. "I bet I'll be able to get one of them out on a date."

"I have five dollars on the bet," Kendall declared as he laughed at his friend. "That you're going to crash and burn." He looked at Carlos and Logan. "Are you guys in?"

"Yep."

"Of course."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, guys." James muttered as he rolled his eyes.

The boys of Big Time Rush quickly went to their hotel rooms and got changed for the pool. As they reached the warmed area, Carlos went to talk to Guitar Dude, Kendall went and laid down on a beach chair, James went over to the Jennifers, and Logan was just walking around the pool deck, trying to decide if he wanted to have a drink before he swam, or go swimming before getting a drink.

"What with the possible swallowing of pool water, which will result in the possible dehydration, I think I'll go with the smoothie first," Logan said to himself and then walked over towards the smoothie bar. Getting distracted by two kids who ran by, screaming at the top of their lungs, Logan didn't notice a girl in front of him until he walked right into her, causing her to drop a book to the ground and fall onto her back. "Oh, I'm so sorry." He cried.

"Why don't you watch where you're going?" she snapped in disgust as she lifted herself up off of the ground, and brushed off the back of her pants.

"I-I was paying attention to where I was going." Logan stammered.

"That much is obvious!" the girl snapped back as she checked her hands and legs to make sure that she wasn't bleeding. "Do you ever walk much? It's not that hard!"

"I'm sorry."

"You already said that!"

Logan was taken aback by her harsh tone and he studied her. Black hair with a single purple streak, dark blue eyes, small frame, and from what he could see quickly, she had a scar in her eyebrow. When she looked up at him and glared, he could see little freckles on her cheeks. Logan looked down in his hand and held the black book out to her.

"Here, you dropped-"

"You didn't look in it, did you?" she demanded, looking more curious than angry now. She looked like she was going to punch him out if he did, so Logan was glad that he didn't even bother looking.

"No," he quickly shook his head. "I just saw it on the ground and picked it up." He held it out even further. "Here you go." He added.

"Thanks," the girl hesitated before taking it from him. "Uh," she looked annoyed. "Sorry about snapping at you. I've got a headache and those little kids aren't helping much." She added, gesturing to the screeching kids that just ran by.

"It's ok," Logan replied with a small smile.

"Well," she paused and nodded. "See ya."

Logan watched as she walked away before getting a smoothie and walking back over to his friends, who were looking at him with looks that held a mixture of amusement and curiosity.

"What?" Logan questioned as he sat down on an empty beach chair.

"So, who was that?" Kendall asked after a second of silence, a smug expression on his face. Logan looked over at him before replying.

"I don't know, I didn't get her name," he replied.

"Why?" James demanded as he slapped Logan's shoulder. "You had her eating out of the palm of your hand."

"One, Ow," Logan slapped James back on the leg. "And two, because knowing my luck with girls, she's just going to realize that I'm a nerdy math guy and not want to go out with me."

"Yeah, you're probably right." James agreed.

Logan made a face and looked at Kendall and Carlos, who had similar expressions of annoyance on their faces. At the same time, they reached out and shoved James into the pool.

"Thanks," Logan smiled and leaned back against his chair. "I feel better now."