This One's For You

Kate struggled to focus in her classes the following week. Ever since she met the boys, it seemed her mind was always on them. Over and over she had warned them about presents, but she got the strange sense all of them were ignoring her. Except for Carlos, of course, whose gift was a ticket to the concert, and with that, the fair.

The thought of the fair actually brought a strange twitch of a grin to Kate’s face. She loved fairs, all of the rides, snacks, and games. They were filled with lights and laughter, every memory relating to a fair, in Kate’s mind, was happy. Even the time she’d thrown up after one too many rides, right on Jesse. Yeah, that was a good year.

Jesse was going to the Big Fresno Fair, with Jay, of course. Ever since they’d met at the diner, the two were joined at the hip. Kate didn’t mind though, because seeing Jesse this happy made her happy too. If her premonitions were right, she heard wedding bells in their future.

Saturday the twenty-fourth rolled around, and Kate found herself in a cramped bus with the boys. The air outside was cool and nice, but being squished between Carlos, Logan, Kendall, and James, plus their band and instruments, made the bus stuffy. Even in her gray slouchy v-neck and cutoff denim shorts, she found herself uncomfortable. However, she wouldn’t let it ruin the day. Her smile was wide as ever as she watched the bus approach the festival.

The music of all of the rides mixed together in an eclectic harmony, and the smell of popcorn and funnel cake wafted through the air. But what really caught Kate’s eye, however, were the capsules of the Ferris wheel. It had always been her favorite; she remembered her parents used to ride with her every year. She tapped her mint fingernails against the window, anxious to escape the overcrowded prison of a bus.

“A little excited, there?” James teased, hitting her with a stray drumstick. She nodded, looking much like a small child after too much cake.

“I love the fair,” she raved, running her slim fingertips through her subtle waves. The guys exchanged a smile, all anxious as well. If everything happened correctly, Kendall’s plan would be carried out. Tonight.

“Well, we have two hours before sound check…” Kendall hinted, and Kate’s eyes lit up like Christmas lights.

“You guys will come with me?” she asked hopefully, batting her long dark eyelashes.

“Of course. I mean, it’s only fair, seeing as you’re gonna sit through our concert,” Logan joked, and Kate nudged him playfully.

“I already know I’ll love it,” she assured them. “We have to go on the bumper cars first.” The guys laughed at her attention span, the way her head turned at every noise. And yet, they followed her. They followed her to the bumper cars, where she and Carlos dominated.

She dragged them along to all sorts of rides, which seemed to taunt gravity. Some of them looked questionable, like they barely met regulations. Yet, the boys were brave, and you could almost hear over their shrieks. The only shrieks that escaped Kate’s glossed lips were of laughter, a fact that made the boys question her sanity. Eventually, however, she realized they’d had enough, and dragged them to find food.

“We’ll have two nachos, a funnel cake, a popcorn, two waters, and three 7-ups,” Kate told the vender, then, in a careful balancing act, carried it all back to the squeaky picnic table the guys sat at. All of them looked a bit queasy, and she smiled apologetically as she passed out the food. She handed Kendall the water, kept one for herself, then gave the others the sodas. Then, she tore herself a piece of funnel cake, the powdered sugar floating into the air in a white cloud.

“This explains so much,” James muttered jokingly under his breath as he saw Kate wistfully watching a corkscrewing ride.

“Oh, shush,” she scolded, turning her attention back to them. “We didn’t get to ride the Ferris wheel yet.” She gnawed down on her bottom lip, the crazy lights glistening off of her front teeth.

“We can go on it after the show, I promise,” Kendall assured her, smiling softly. She nodded, meeting his gaze. The moment froze, like it did the first time they saw each other.

“We have to get to sound check,” Logan said, breaking the moment. Kate shook her head slightly, her braids tickling her neck as she tried to clear her thoughts. Kendall rubbed the back of his head, eating one last nacho before standing up. Everyone eventually followed, and Logan led their little pack to the main stage.

Kate followed the boys on to the stage, and stood, mouth agape, looking out at the area. All of the tickets had sold, and there would be, she realized, a lot of people. Her tiny body filled with admiration for these boys; she knew she would never be able to do what they did. As she spun around, taking everything in, she watched the boys warming up. Occasionally, one of them would catch her eye and smile.

“Okay, Kate. You’re gonna watch from here,” Kendall explained, leading her to the side of the stage. She nodded, following behind him carefully, trying her best not to trip over all of the cables. The rest of the boys joined them as the seats started to fill. Kate could feel her heart thudding against her chest, and she wasn’t even the one performing. Her respect for them continued to rise greatly.

“You guys ready?” James asked as he finished wiring a microphone on his head.

“Let’s do this,” Carlos cheered, giving a lopsided grin. Kate couldn’t help but smile at his goofy expression, like always.

“Break a leg,” Kate said enthusiastically, wrapping them into a group hug. She heard the cheers starting, and out of the corner of her eye, saw the lights go on. A small looking man in his mid thirties walked on stage, announcing the boys to the crowd.

“Hope you love your present,” Carlos whispered quietly, and she smiled up at him, then watched as the boys ran out on stage. An upbeat, familiar tune started; she recognized it from when Logan played her some of their songs. Kendall’s voice broke through the notes, and Kate was awestruck. She’d never actually heard him sing before. His voice was possibly as beautiful as his soul.

The boys danced in sync with each other, their movements well coordinated. All of the boys, Kate noted, had truly amazing voices. From her spot, she could see the pre teen girls screaming, singing the lyrics right along with them. She could tell from the boys’ faces the way they fed off of the energy. The noise was unbelievable, but still, the smooth harmony prevailed.

After a few songs, Kendall approached the main microphone. Girls screamed his name, and Kate felt a twinge of jealously brewing beneath her tanned skin. However, she quickly pushed it aside, because it was his job, and they weren’t even really dating. Instead, she focused on what he was going to say. Carlos, Logan, and James were all smiling like mad men, and Kendall glanced quickly at her.

“So, tonight, there’s a very special person here watching us. And well, for nearly a month, I’ve been trying to figure out how to explain to her my feelings.” Kate felt every muscle in her body freeze as Kendall’s voice filled the amphitheater. “Finally, though, I’ve figured it out. So, Kate, this one’s for you.”

The lights changed color, dancing around Kendall’s blond hair. The music’s tempo suddenly changed from upbeat to slow and sweet. She recognized the melody of it; it was Elton John’s Your Song. Kendall’s voice dominated the sound waves, the other threes’ vocals backing him up. Kate’s eyes were fixated on jade ones, which kept flickering her way. Her whole body was still, and the world seemed to slow, and Kate was lost in Kendall, a soft smile making its way on her lips and in her eyes.