This One's For You

“So, what do we think?” Carlos asked in a hushed tone, looking through the cut out in the wall between the two rooms. He saw the back of Kate and Kendall’s heads, seeing as the couch faced the opposite way.

“I like her. Anyone who can put you two in your places is a friend of mine,” James said, taking a sip of his soda. Logan and Carlos pretended not to hear the last part.

“She’s defiantly the coolest girl I’ve ever met. And she has some mad video game skill,” Logan admitted, hopping up onto the counter-top.

“I’m glad we’re all on the same page. However, the real question here, is what Kendall thinks,” Carlos said slowly, spying on Kendall and Kate.

“He likes her. Even if he said he didn’t. He’s an awful liar, really,” Logan said.

“Didn’t he say she had a boyfriend?” James asked, trying to figure this out in his head.

“Yeah. He said he was okay with it though, because after the Hanna thing…” They all shuddered; there was an unspoken agreement not to talk about her.

“Let’s just see where it goes. Besides, we all like her. Why scare her away? She’s been here for an hour, and already she feels like a friend,” Carlos stated, and they nodded in agreement. Finally, they embarked out of the kitchen, and rejoined the other two.

“So, it’s almost time for dinner. I don’t wanna burden you guys. Maybe I should just head back to my apartment,” Kate said, and started to stand. They looked at her, and Carlos went to block the door, his arms crossed.

“No way. We aren’t going to let you go eat alone. Friends don’t do that,” he argued, and slowly, the corners of her lips turned up.

“Yeah? What are we gonna do then?” she asked, but inside, she felt a warmth spread over her that she hadn’t felt in a long time. The feeling of being a friend, of people actually wanting you around.

“Well, I’ll order pizza,” James offered, joining Carlos. Logan followed, and so did Kendall.

“I’ll look for a movie,” he declared.

“I don’t know…” Kate trailed off, hesitant. The boys weren’t backing down though, and she knew it.

“What else would you do? Go back to your apartment and eat ramen noodles all alone?” Kendall asked, and she knew they had her.

“Well, I guess I don’t have a choice, now do I?” With that, she plopped back down on the couch, a big smile on her face. The guys let out a cheer and then got to their jobs. James looked for the pizza delivery number, Logan pulled out a box full of movies, and Carlos and Kendall sat down on either side of Kate.

“What kind of pizza?” James called, poking his head through the window between the rooms.

“Anything, really. Whatever you guys want,” Kate called back, and he laughed.

“What kind of movie are we looking for?” Logan asked from his spot on the floor.

“Comedy?” she asked, looking at both Carlos and Kendall, who nodded. “Comedy!”

By the time they were arranged in the living room, everything was set. The pizza was on the coffee table in the middle, along with soda cans, the lights were off, the blinds shut, and the movie starting. Kate, Kendall, and Carlos remained where they were, while James returned to his favorite recliner, and Logan was sprawled out on the couch. Kate felt more at home than she had in a long time.

“Everyone be quiet! The movie’s starting,” Carlos called, and Kate turned to him, laughing.

“No one said anything,” she whispered, and he rolled his eyes.

“Now you did. Shush, this is my favorite part.” Kate laughed, grabbed a slice of pizza, and leaned back to enjoy the movie.

“Does he always do this?” she asked Kendall, her voice not daring to go above the quietest whisper.

“Oh yeah. He doesn’t like to miss a second,” he replied, picking up his own slice. There was a comfortable silence, aside from the movie and the traffic, which Kate had learned to ignore by now. She took a bite of the pizza, being careful of the cheese that threatened to pull off with it.

The movie was full of laughs and cheap shots, like the best comedies. The pizza was perfect, and reminded Kate of movie nights back home. It was the first time she thought of Maine without an ache in her heart. She knew it was because she finally wasn’t alone anymore.

The two hours flew by, and when the credits rolled, Kate couldn’t believe it. They all stood, stretching and yawning. The pizza hadn’t lasted very long, and the empty box was spread on the table. Empty soda cans were scattered around, too.

“I haven’t laughed that hard in awhile,” Kate admitted, and the others looked at her strangely.

“Well, then we’ll just have to make this a weekly thing,” James said, and everyone made sounds of agreement.

“I’m glad you’re our new BFF Kate,” Logan teased in his best girl voice, picking up all of the trash.

“Yeah. It’s nice to have a girl around,” Carlos said. She couldn’t help but laugh as he made a goofy face at her. He went to put the DVD away, and James hit the lights. There was a simultaneous groan at the brightness.

“Told you they like you,” Kendall said, elbowing her lightly. She just elbowed him right back, unfazed.

“I suppose you did. You know, I’m glad I agreed to your tour of LA,” she whispered, and his grin lit up his face.

“So am I.”

“What now?” Carlos asked eagerly, and Kate pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to check the time.

“I have to head home guys,” she announced, and they all grumbled.

“It’s only eight!” Logan countered, but Kate shook her head.

“It’s been a long day. It’s not like we won’t ever see each other again. Heck, you can call me tomorrow,” she exclaimed, and they all smiled.

“We actually get your number?” Kendall asked, and Kate tapped her finger against her lips in thought.

“I suppose so. As long as I don’t get any crazy prank calls,” she teased, and tossed her phone to Kendall, who then passed it to the others. Meanwhile, she put her number in all of their phones. By the time she had her own phone back, she was smiling at the names they had typed in.

“Okay, goodnight Kate,” Carlos called, being the first to get his phone back.

“It was so nice to meet you, and so much fun destroying you,” she replied with a grin. He made a face, but accepted her hug.

“Bye Kate,” James said, opening his arms for his hug.

“Goodbye James,” she mumbled into his chest, seeing as he was near crushing her. When he finally let her go, she was red and laughing.

“Logan!” she exclaimed, running over and squeezing him.

“Kate!” he screamed back, returning the hug. “Next time, for the record, I will annihilate you!”

“Sure, sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night,” she joked, then turned to Kendall.

“Get home safe, okay?” was all he said, and she nodded, a half smile on her face. She walked towards him, embracing him gently.

“Thank you Kendall. For all of this,” she whispered into his shoulder, then looked up at him. He nodded, and let her go. They watched for her to exit the building, making sure she found a bus or cab okay. Once she did, they all sat in silence for a bit.

“I think she liked me most,” Carlos said, a grin moving up his face. Three pillows hit him in the head, and an argument ensued for another hour.