That's All She Wrote || James Diamond

Everybody (Backstreet's Back) (2.1)

There was nothing more in this world Roxy longed for than the comfort of her own bed. Her aching, toured-out body was starting to break under the pressure of sleeping on the couch for three entire months; she deserved the world's longest nap, even if she and the band were currently barreling through the doors to the lobby of the Palm Woods.

Big Time Rush, however, did not share this sentiment, noisily cheering as they ran into the building - duffel bags flying this way and that with every step they took.

"There's no place like home!" Cried Logan, dropping entirely to his knees and bowing his head onto the disgusting, blue-green carpet before planting a kiss on the well-traveled entryway.

The lobby, full as ever, was crowded by faces the teens didn't recognize, but this fact didn't bother James at all, calling out "Hey! Big Time Rush is back!"

His four friends let out their own shouts of excitement, hoping at least someone before them would remember their arrival date, but the hotel patrons just stared at them, googly-eyed, as if they had just screamed in the middle of a library before going back to their previous conversations.

Cocking his head to the side, Carlos scanned the crowd, presumably looking for one of their many friends, before confusedly asking, "Who are all these people?"

"It's fall," An annoyed voice, Bitters, shared as he walked by the teens on the way to the front desk, "And all the new kids with new dreams have arrived. Whoo."

"So sad to see the hotel isn't doing well..." Roxy trailed off, attempting to crack a sarcastic joke as she tried to find the fastest route to the elevators. There was no question: she needed a nap, then she needed to see Jo and Camille immediately afterward to break down everything that had happened to her on tour with the band.

Spotting an entrance to slip through between two new cliques, she moved to step forward before Mrs. Collins blocked her path. Their teacher wore a dazzling smile, gently peering between Roxy and her friends as she held up a mountain of paperwork.

"Welcome back! You've missed three weeks of school." The woman deadpanned, going down the line of teens as she dropped a load of papers into each of their hands. "You're behind on your book reports, all your math homework, and your science projects"

"Okay-" Logan tried before their teacher spoke again, "And they're all due tomorrow."

The studious boy and his assistant let out a pair of twin cries at her words, watching in horror as she made her way back to the tiny classroom at the back of the hotel.

Gripping the papers in her hand, Roxy grit her teeth, "What the hell? Gustavo said he talked to Mrs. Collins about our time off, didn't he?"

"Guys, guys, chillax!" As he held up one of his hands, Kendall tried to calm his friends. "The tour is over. We're back at the Palm Woods, and everything is gonna be cool."

"If you think you can steal me from my old boyfriend, you're right."

Familiar sound floating down the hallway, Roxy lit up at the sound of Jo's voice - not even taking time to process her words or take note of the beautiful boy walking beside her as the pair emerged from the elevators.

Too engrossed in whatever they were doing, Roxy watched in confusion as the boy slipped his arm around Jo's shoulders and led her out towards the pool.

She got my letter, didn't she? I swear I wrote our return date.

Though she felt Kendall tense up beside her, the writer was far too concerned with her own situation to even feel slightly sorry for him - even as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he began to fall backward onto the floor with a thud.