You're Not Invisible

one.

Oh, Los Angeles High. The place where Palm Woods School wannabes go. The best place in the world to find queen bee bitches and jock horndogs. Ten times worse than any other public high school, because everyone here was under the delusion they were going to be big and famous. I had the better chance of becoming famous than anyone here; then again, I was the one with the super close connections, and at least they weren't rude to me like the Palm Woods kids, because they knew this too, and not only wanted to use me to meet BTR, but maybe make them famous too.

I stood in the lunch line, waiting to get a freaking sandwich. About 10 guys cut me to "stand by" their girlfriends, but I knew they were getting sandwiches too. I wanted to say something so bad, but I just turned my iPod up louder and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Turkey," I told the lunch lady when I finally got up to the food.

Finally the tools in front of me noticed because I'd spoken. "Katie!" the blonde whose name was Ashley or Brittany or Jessica or something like that said. I took out one headphone. "So I heard your brother and Big Time Rush are coming back to L.A. later this week. Think you could—"

"Piss off," I told her, taking my sandwich and heading as far from the cafeteria as I could. Everyone said I was the problem, that it was my attitude that was the reason for my having no friends. It was them. So maybe I had an attitude. If they all hadn't used me so many times when I was a naïve freshman fresh from the Palm Woods, maybe I wouldn't.

Okay, I'd always had an attitude, and that wouldn't change. But seriously. I used to LOVE L.A. I still do. It's just all the people I'd rather hang with are way more mature (i.e. out of high school).

I knew I'd get in trouble, but I didn't care. I headed outside and plopped down under a tree with my styrofoam tray. Normally I ate in the library, but even that was becoming less safe once people found out I was in there.

There was a guy sitting against the wall a little ways away from where I was under the tree. He looked up at me when I sat down. I knew he was a freak, like me, but I didn't know his name.

"Like, oh my God, you're that one guy in that one boy band's sister, like right?" the guy said, and I couldn't help but smile.

"My brother's name is Kendall, FYI. And if you're asking for a date with him or one of the boys, the answer is no, I'm not his sister."

The guy laughed. He was about to say something else but was interrupted when I got a text and turned my attention toward my phone.

New Message

From: Kindle

I hit read now.

Hey sis, you in school today?

Yes, I replied. Why...?

"So," the guy said, "I'm Liam." He held out his hand.

"Katie," I replied. "But, I guess you already knew that."

He leaned back against the wall and put his hands behind his head. He had snakebites and blue-green eyes. His bangs were swept to one side and covering most of his face in the "emo" fashion.

"Katie Knight," he said, "what brings you to the world of the outcasts? Why aren't you eating inside like everyone else?"

"Okay, first off, are you stalking me?" Seriously. "Second, why would I want to be in there with all those..." I didn't continue. He knew what I meant.

"Lemme guess. They all just 'like you' for your brother."

It may have been mean, but I said, "You know what? I can see why you're out here." I started to stand and leave, then thought better of it. I blew out a breath. "Sorry."

"It's cool. I get 'creep' all the time."

He was honestly too cute to look creepy, but he was seeming creepy... But I should have thought about hanging with the "freaks" sooner. At least I could have friends who liked me for me.

He was still laying back against the school building, with his arms bent behind his head, and even though it was a hot L.A. spring day, he had on a long sleeve flannel shirt over his t-shirt that said Sleeping With Sirens. But with his arms like that, his sleeves had moved up a little bit, and that's when I saw his wrists. Red. And practically sliced up.

He must've seen my gaze, because he too looked at his arm and then dropped both of them. I didn't know what to say after that; things had just turned awkward.

"Why do you do it?" I asked quietly. I genuinely wanted to know. Everyone had different reasons. "Because of them?"

"Don't kid yourself, Katie Knight," he replied snarkily. "I could care less what those bitches say and do."

He was masking it though, I heard it in his voice. That may not have been all, but that was at least part of the reason why.

"Hey, I don't judge," I said. "I'm just curious, that's all."

I looked down at my sandwich, then at my phone again. Nothing else from Kendall. Which got me wondering...

The bell rang, but it was loud enough to be heard from out here. I had to slip inside and blend with the crowd undetected so I didn't get detention or something. I hadn't eaten a bite of my sandwich, I noticed, as I started inside. I turned back to Liam. "You want this?"

He shook his head and I just shrugged.

My phone vibrating woke me in Chemistry, my last period. I looked at the clock on the wall before I checked it; about 5 seconds until the bell rang. I quickly gathered my stuff and was out the door immediately when it rang; no way was I about to be swept in the crowd going down 3 flights of stairs.

I didn't have time to check my phone till I made it out the glass doors beside the cafeteria.

New Message
From: Kindle

Are you outside your school yet?

I started replying, what?, but I looked up after wh—and there was my blonde brother, leaning against a black car, wearing sunglasses to cover his face (although the signature eyebrows were still visible, and every girl here would probably recognize him, so it was pointless).

I started running toward him. I waited to cry, "Kindle!" until I was up to him and being swept up in a flying hug. I was still really petite and light, so it wasn't a challenge at all for Kendall to lift me up and swing me around a bit.

"Hey, Sis," he said.

"What are you doing here? Without telling me? You're not supposed to be back in L.A. until Friday!"

Kendall smirked. "I wanted to surprise you and Mom. We actually finished up early, for once."

My happiness was short-lived when I realized he wouldn't even be coming back to the apartment with me and Mom, but going back to his own place.

"Aren't you sick of those boys? Don't you want to come stay with me and Mom for a change?"

He laughed and squeezed me tighter. "Same old little sis."

Right then James Diamond's head popped up from the driver side of the car. "Can we hurry it up here?" he said impatiently. "The last thing I want is to be stampeded by a bunch of high school kids." Almost all of their fans were high school kids. He dealt with that everyday. He was nuts.

"Yeah, right," I mumbled under my breath, but Kendall heard and chuckled. "Can you shut up, James?" Seriously, he knows I never get to see my big brother. You do not mess with our reunion. Even though I knew he was right, and we should high-tail it out of there...

James walked around the front of the car. "Hey, Katerz." He tweaked my nose.

"Don't call me, Katerz, Jamesy. I'm not 10 anymore."

James had on sunglasses too, and his fluffy hair covered the rest of his face, so I couldn't really see it. But I could see the amusement on my brother's, and he laughed loudly. "Ah, Katie. Some things never change."

Suddenly Logan Mitchell's voice came from the other side of the car. "Uh, guys?" I heard, just as I also heard cries of, "OH MY GOD KENDALL AND JAMES FROM BIG TIME RUSH!" "OH MY GOD THEY ARE SO SEXY LOOK AT JAMES'S MUSCLES OH MY GOD!" Just like that, no pauses or anything.

I looked up when Logan said that and when I heard the squealing and, fearing for our lives, screamed, "RUN!"