#coco.0

divider by @enchanthings

Carlos sat upon the neon orange sectional sofa twiddling his thumbs across the keyboard of his cellphone. He stared down at the screen with the giddiest of grins on his face and the girliest of chuckles wavering in his voice while the other guys sat beside him trying to watch television. The incessant screen tapping and high-pitched giggling were hard to ignore. While Logan and James kept their eyes forward in their attempts to tune Carlos out, Kendall crossed his arms, impatiently tapped his foot against the hardwood floor, and glared at Carlos from the side of the sofa.

“Hehehe,” Carlos giggled, happily shimmying his shoulders with his cellphone in both hands.

“Carlos,” Kendall leaned forward, raising his brows. “We’re trying to watch this.”

“Oh, sorry,” Carlos momentarily tucked his head between his shoulders and stretched the ends of his lips downward.

Kendall leaned back against the sofa cushion, dropping his arms to the side and shifting his focus back to the television. Logan and James studied the screen with equally intrigued expressions painting their captivated faces, almost as if they’d never watched this before. Perhaps that was the case. They leaned forward simultaneously, their butts on the edges of their seats as the background music swelled with a symphony of strings.

Logan’s brow was quirked and James was utterly slackjawed in suspense. Kendall wore an annoyingly distinguished look of superiority as if he was the only one watching the show correctly. Katie passed by absentmindedly with her right hand plunging through a bag of salt and vinegar chips—the objectively best flavor—like a crane in a claw machine. She bit down on a handful of chips with an audibly crisp crunch.

Kendall snapped his head in Katie’s direction, shooting daggers at her with a wide-eyed stare. “Shhh!” He brought his index finger to his lips, shushing Katie through his teeth and appearing stiff and still enough to seem statuesque. Katie glanced at Kendall through her peripherals mid-crunch as if she’d just been caught red-handed at the scene of a crime. “Sorry,” she murmured, shielding her lips with the cup of her hand as she swallowed.

Katie’s eyes found the television screen. She saw a familiar ominous fog surrounding the silhouette of a feminine figure. Her eyes twinkled with a not-so-long lost sense of wonder as she recognized this as the surprise ending to New Town High. But amidst this realization, Katie also wondered what the guys were doing watching New Town High reruns. She furrowed her brows at that thought, but decidedly shrugged it off and made a half-interested inquiry on the matter.

“You guys know this episode came out last year, right?” Katie questioned, wanting to confirm.

“We haven’t seen it,” Logan and James answered in unison, their eyes never leaving the television screen.

“Speak for yourselves,” Kendall scoffed.

“We were,” Logan and James replied, simultaneously turning their heads in Kendall’s direction with half-lidded gazes of annoyance.

“Carlos isn’t even watching,” Katie remarked with the point of her index finger.

“Yep,” Kendall replied point-blankly.

“So we’re just going to ignore the fact that he’s staring at his phone with the same expression a groom would use to look at his bride on their wedding day?” Katie queried.

“Yeah, pretty much,” James nodded.

“We’ve just been tuning him out this whole time,” Logan added.

“Cool,” Katie blinked. “Can I watch with you guys?”

“If you’re quiet, yes,” Kendall bargained.

“You got it,” Katie replied mockingly, swiping her thumb and index finger across her lips as if to zip them shut.

She sat beside Kendall with her legs crossed and her lips curved in a faint but noticeably perpetual grin. Just as her eyes fixed on the television, the ominous fog dissipated to reveal Rachel’s surprise return. With airy gasps hitching in their breaths and their hands held out in front of the lower halves of their faces, Logan and James turned to one another with kindred looks of surprise and excitement.

Kendall silently relived the moment he first watched this episode air. The mystery and suspense of it all hanging thick in the air just as the fog previously did still managed to give him goosebumps, but he kept his arms crossed and braced himself for the whirlwind of questions and emotions that stemmed from Rachel’s return. 

The camera panned to Drake and his girlfriend as they dramatically clutched one another, anchoring themselves through the harsh winds blowing through their hair and ghosting over their faces as Rachel crossed the threshold of the door into the room. “You…” Drake breathed, equipping a handsomely theatrical smolder as he held his girlfriend flush against his chest with the promise that no one would ever tear them apart.

“Bleugh,” Kendall’s face soured as he was forced to bear witness to Jett’s desperate attempt at one-upping his co-stars yet again. He hated the way Jett played Drake. They were almost indistinguishable with their dramatic gestures, inflated ego, and insatiable need to be the best looking person in the room. This part in particular always irked Kendall. But Katie couldn’t look any more amused. She ate up every second of this, and she adored how dramatic and over the top the acting was. As ridiculous as everything looked, Katie relished in the absurdity of it all. A knowing grin graced her lips with a small chuckle to follow as she watched the rest of the scene unfold.

Just as Drake and Rachel were about to exchange their final words, Carlos’ cellphone chimed with a brief message tone. His big, brown, exuberant eyes hurriedly skimmed the words of the message he received until he was happily and repeatedly stomping his feet against the floor. The sounds of his joyous laughter and shimmying body atop the sofa drowned out the voices of Drake and Rachel until the scene cut to black.

“Carlos!” Everyone cried in unison as the end credits ensued.

“What?” Carlos looked up from his phone and saw the credits rolling on a black screen. His eyes widened with worry, and he swallowed thickly as he felt the eyes of everyone in the room swarming around him like insects. “Oops…” he muttered apologetically.

“Now we have to wait for them to rerun the entire show again!” James threw his hands up. “Unless…”

“No! We are not pirating the last episode!” Logan declared sternly.

“Aw, c’mon! I can’t keep waiting this long,” James whined as he fell back against the sofa.

“It’s too risky to watch it on the internet, James,” Logan cautioned. “We’ll likely spoil it for ourselves before we even click on the thumbnail.” “Y’know—” Kendall pointed his index finger upward as he sat up to begin a subpar explanation of New Town High’s conclusion.

“Don’t you dare think about spoiling it,” Logan snapped, his voice gruff and gravelly in its threat while he pointed a stern finger at Kendall.

“Okay,” Kendall murmured as he laid back once again and sunk into the cushion of defeat both figuratively and literally.

“I’m really sorry, guys,” Carlos shrank his posture and lowered his hands until he held his cellphone in between his knees.

“Why is Carlos so giddy to be on his phone away? Did it propose to him or something?” Katie queried with a chuckle, being split between the absurdity of her query and the concern that there’s a small chance it could somehow be true.

“No, but it might as well have,” Kendall donned a familiarly snarky look in his eyes the same way he would a pair of sunglasses. He wore it so effortlessly that it was impossible not to notice the irritation in his gaze or the sarcasm in his voice.

“I’m just texting Dara, that’s all,” Carlos replied innocently while pointing a delicate finger at his phone screen.

“Seriously?” Katie narrowed her eyes in disbelief, rooting through the last of her salt and vinegar chips with curled fingers.

“Ever since we did that cameo on Coco.0, he’s been texting and calling Dara nonstop,” James remarked with open palms.

“They’ve been at it for weeks,” Logan added with a shake of his head.

“You guys act like I talk to her all the time,” Carlos retorted.

“Because you do!” Kendall, Logan, and James exclaimed simultaneously.

“I do not!” Carlos refuted.

“You text her in the middle of recording sessions,” James scrunched up his face in a childlike pout. “Which take forever, by the way, because you can’t stop giggling into the mic.”

“You FaceChat with her during breakfast, lunch, AND dinner,” Logan listed as he recalled all the endless meals in which he fought back the overwhelming urge to hammer Carlos’ laptop into a pile of dust and debris. “I have no idea where either of you are getting all these minutes from.”

“You’re in the middle of sending her a helmet selfie right now!” Kendall hollered, rising to his feet and extending his arm to gesture his whole hand at Carlos.

Carlos held out his phone with one hand while forming a peace sign with the other against the trim of his hockey helmet. He made a kissy face into the front facing camera, a white flash striking his face as he pressed the shutter button. The overtly smitten boy immediately pressed send the second his picture was taken, but slowly lowered his phone to his chest once he realized he no longer had a viable defense. “Okay, you may have a point.”

Kendall brought his palm to his forehead with an audible slap and fell back down onto the sofa. He allowed defeat to bury him in its cushiony tomb once again while everyone else stood at an awkwardly silent standstill.

“Wait… you know what this means, right?” Katie uttered at the midst of a light bulb moment.

“That we’re doomed to suffer from Carlos’ digital romance forever?” Kendall muttered from the sofa.

“No,” Katie shook her head. “Carlos needs to see Dara again.”

“I guess that makes sense,” James shrugged. “They clearly still like each other a lot if they’re talking this much.”

“Yeah, but Dara is a super successful actress with a following of over fourteen million fans,” Logan explained. “How is Carlos going to find a way to get into her busy schedule?”

Just then a commercial ensued with a familiar face gracing the screen. Every head in the room snapped in the direction of the television as they watched Coco and Lindsay evade any wandering eyes from the student body through a seemingly endless corridor of lockers and classrooms. Lindsay pulled Coco by the wrist, led her into the science lab, and boarded up the door with any furniture she could manage to pull. Coco stood off to the side, just barely clinging to her balance as she tried her best to stifle the sparks of electricity stemming from the exposed wires and circuit boards in her forearm.

“P-Processor overheating… hydraulics f-failing…” Coco muttered in her choppy, robotic voice as she involuntarily twitched and convulsed, her joints sparking with each movement.

Sharp sounds of crackling electricity caught Lindsay’s attention and urged her to Dara’s side. “Hang in there, Coco!” Lindsay cried, her eyes worriedly darting in every direction in search of a solution. The longer she panicked, the more severe and hazardous the wayward sparks of electricity became. Lindsay averted her gaze, shielding the upper half of her face with the back of her hand when an idea finally struck.

“This better work…” she grumbled as she reluctantly pried her trilby hat off her head and plucked a few bobby pins from the back of her wispy, sideswept curls. They billowed and unfurled at her shoulders, expanding and taking up space in their natural state. Lindsay cautiously used the bobby pins to clip the snapped ends of exposed wires together and hastily slammed the open latch to Coco’s forearm shut.

For a brief moment, the irises in Coco’s eyes were replaced with buffering wheels. Her voice buzzed and her body stiffened until the reboot was complete. A monotone beep chirped from Coco’s internal processor and reverted her motor functions and outward appearance back to semi-normal.

“Thank you, best friend Lindsay. I’m starting to feel better. Though I think my hydraulic actuator is still a bit—” Coco trailed off, her head twitching to the side and buzzing with static. “—fried.”

“Seriously? I sacrificed my hair only for you to be seventy percent normal? I’ve had test scores higher than that!” Lindsay groaned in defeat.

Coco’s face dipped, an apologetic frown stretching downward from her lips as a laugh track played to exacerbate Lindsay’s dismay. Carlos chortled in response to Lindsay’s quip while the rest found it to be slightly underwhelming at best.

“I-If it’s any consolation, I think you look pretty—bzzt!—electric,” Coco grinned weakly, hoping to lift her best friend’s spirits by any measure despite her inadvertent sparking.

Cameras shift to another setting and follow Coco and Lindsay overhead as they awkwardly scuttle through the stormy seas of stone-faced students. Coco’s shoulders rise to her ears at the realization that people might be staring at her. The atmosphere thickened with tension, alerting Lindsay of everyone’s growing suspicions and urging her to quirk a brow at Coco’s spiking apprehension. She glanced at Coco through her peripherals and found that her nervous buzzing and short-circuiting were becoming increasingly difficult to hide.

“Are you okay, Coco?” Lindsay gently brought her hand to Coco’s shoulder but loosely hovered her fingers over it so as to not accidentally shock herself.

“I feel like everyone is—bzzt!—staring at me,” Coco confessed worriedly. “Is there something wrong with my outfit?”

“Now that you mention it, yeah. Your shirt is striped,” Lindsay observed, raking her eyes over the coral and white stripes of Coco’s shirt.

“But you told me that stripes were ‘so in’,” Coco curled her fingers in stiff air quotes.

“Yeah, vertical stripes,” Lindsay corrected as she pointed a limp finger at Coco. “Those are horizontal.”

“Uh oh, better—bzzt!—reboot,” Coco whimpered, her arms bent at ninety degrees as she spoke.

A pair of two honey blonde popular girls emerged from the crowd, unyielding and unwavering in their stance like solid teflon. Coco and Lindsay cowered in their presence and braced themselves for the verbal fisticuffs to ensue. “Uhm, what did she just say?” The taller blonde spoke with her hand atop the hem of her peplum top and a villainous scowl that bore into the depth of Coco’s sensors. “Kinda sounded like robot-talk to me,” The shorter blonde teased with a mocking grin, airing out her suspicions for all to see.

The crowd hindered with a myriad of gasping voices. Some chose to flee the scene and others braced themselves against the wall partly out of fear that the popular girls’ suspicions were true and partly out of anticipation to watch Coco’s reputation come crumbling down with just a few words.

“Pshh, no! Coco said, uh… better be cute !” Lindsay segwayed, somewhat proud of herself for thinking light on her feet but masking it under the severity of the situation. “Yeah, Coco needs a cute new outfit to meet with her boyfriend later.”

“W-What?” Coco squeaked in shock.

“What?!” The popular girls repeated with a similar amount of shock and disbelief.

“You heard me. Coco has a boyfriend,” Lindsay doubled down with crossed arms, silently swearing at herself for doing so but refusing to let the popular girls see her falter. “A really real boyfriend.”

“Oh, really? Then you wouldn’t mind if we meet this ‘really real boyfriend’ of hers,” The shorter blonde proposed, shifting her focus to Coco and relishing in her robotic cowardice. “Right, Coco?”

“Uh…” Coco mumbled, nervously picking at the hem of her shirt as the pressure of Lindsay’s proposal on her behalf set in.

“Oh, you’ll meet him, all right,” Lindsay narrowed her eyes in determination. “Meet us at the gym after school. He’ll be there.”

“Great! And if he isn’t, we’ll tell the whole school that Coco’s a robot,” The taller blonde promised, turning on her heel with the shorter blonde at her side and striding away among the crowd of students who have already started to gossip.

Lindsay stood tall and unafraid until she was sure the popular girls were out of earshot. “Sorry…” she mumbled as she turned back around to face Coco.

The scene cut to a bubblegum pink backdrop with pictures of the cast shuffling in accordance with the movie trailer narrator’s voice. “Coco.0: Robots Can Love, Too! Coming this fall to theaters near you,” the narrator began, perfectly enunciating each syllable and dramatizing the sounds of every word. “Starring Hollywood favorites like Dara Laramie, Lindsay Miller, and—”

Carlos swiped the remote from the coffee table and plunged his thumb into the pause button. He carelessly tossed the remote on the sofa behind him as he scrambled toward the screen and stood before it proudly with a tenaciously determined grin gracing his lips. “Big Time Rush!” Carlos announced confidently, finishing the narrator’s sentence.

“No! Absolutely not!” Kendall barked in protest.

“Oh, c’mon!” Carlos whined, throwing down his arms.

“Carlos, it’s one thing to do a cameo on an episode of Coco.O,” Kendall explained. “But to do an entire movie that’s already well into production is ridiculous!”

“Well, what’s the alternative? He keeps texting and calling Dara in the middle of everything forever?” James wagered.

“And,” Logan chimed, pointing at Carlos from across the coffee table. “Look at him.”

Kendall’s face fell at the sight of Carlos’ quivering lip. He unsheathed it like a sword from its scabbard and blinded him with the reflection of light bouncing off the metal of the proverbial blade. The conflicted blonde was powerless to stop the raw emotion beaming at him through those big, brown, lovesick eyes. After twenty long and painful seconds of holding his breath in his attempt to not succumb to Carlos’ weaponized lovableness, he eventually yielded with a heavy exhale and shrank in posture.

“I’ll call Gustavo…” Kendall surrendered.

“And I’ll call Dara!” Carlos rejoiced.

“Take it outside,” Logan and James commanded in unison, simultaneously pointing at the door.

“Right, okay!” Carlos obliged, skipping along the hardwood floor and dialing Dara’s number as if it were second nature. “Dara, guess what!” he beamed as he leapt into the hallway with his cellphone against his ear.

Kendall lifted his head from the bowels of defeat and was met with Katie’s attempt at mirroring Carlos’ quivering lip. Her eyes were far bigger and browner than his. Maybe that was what caused Kendall to give in quicker than he previously had. Or perhaps it was due to the fact that he was already down. He couldn’t combat such a maneuver when he was already battling a preceding loss.

“Fine, you can come, too,” Kendall exhaled.

“Yes!” Katie cheered with the pump of her first.

- ‘ ᰔ ’ -

“Okay, Coco, you see that guy over there?” Lindsay asked, pointing at a random blonde boy from across the cafeteria. They watched as he slowly sauntered into view with a tray full of food that has yet to reach his table. “Go ask him out.”

“Negative, he is one of the most popular boys at school,” Coco declined. “And according to my statistics, my success rate is zero to—bzzt!—ten percent.”

“But we’ve spent all afternoon trying to get you a boyfriend and not one guy has said yes,” Lindsay rebutted. “We’re running out of time and, frankly, out of boys to ask out. So it’s either him or nothing.”

Coco wagered the stakes in her control system, her circuit boards buzzing and beeping with second thoughts. Every attempt she made at asking out a boy thus far has resulted in failure. It went against her programming and her better judgment to not only proceed after numerous failures but additionally attempt to ask out a boy of which could result in statistically the highest possible failure. But time was running out and her options were limited, so she swallowed her pride and wore the bravest face her effectors could muster.

“Okay, best friend Lindsay, I will interface with the popular boy,” Coco declared, marching toward what she hoped wouldn’t be her downfall.

As the popular boy reached for a miniature carton of chocolate milk to pair with his lunch, Coco stumbled into his field of vision and stood awkwardly before him as if the words she had yet to speak were suddenly nowhere to be found. She’d sweat if she had the glands to produce it.

“Can I help you?” The blonde boy quirked his brow.

“Y-Yes, my name is Coco and… I was wondering if you’d like to be my—bzzt!—boyfriend,” Coco proposed nervously.

“Uh… what?” The blonde boy narrowed his eyes at a small spark of electricity escaping Coco like a loose thread that was one hard yank away from unraveling an entire article of clothing.

“I was wondering—bzzt!—if you’d like to be my boy—BZZT!” Coco trailed off, her hydraulics betraying her and urging her to inadvertently jolt forward. She headbutted the blonde boy’s lunch tray onto his chest, causing his cafeteria pizza to slide down his salmon pink button-down shirt and his chocolate milk to splash in his face. “...friend.”

Slackjawed and speechless was the blonde boy as his lunch stained his outfit and ended up on the cool linoleum floor. Every head in the room turned to him and an overwhelming radio silence followed the countless gasps and expressions of shock from the student body. “I think you know the answer,” The blonde boy scowled as he fled the cafeteria in search of the nearest restroom.

“C’mon, Coco,” Lindsay muttered as she reached out for Coco’s shoulder and led her in the opposite direction. “Let’s just keep looking.”

“And cut!” The director exclaimed from beyond the set. “Let’s reset those cameras and prepare for the next scene!”

Big Time Rush stepped into the backlot of Coco.0, marvelling in the small ways things have changed. The atmosphere felt featherlight and there wasn’t a single frown or grimace to be found. It was a stark contrast to the overwhelming gloom lurking around every corner under Dara’s stepmother’s evil reign that they previously experienced on the set. It was refreshing to see the cast and crew be almost as lively as they are onscreen.

“Okay, does everyone have their scripts?” Kelly inquired, awaiting confirmation from Big Time Rush one by one.

“Yep,” Kendall nodded firmly, twiddling his script in his right hand.

“Got it,” Logan confirmed after clicking his tongue and flashing a finger gun.

“Right here!” James grinned, pointing to the cover page of his script.

“Carlos?” Kelly peeped, narrowing her eyes in confusion as he remained silent.

Carlos stood at the foot of the set, his upper body leaning forward and his arms hanging loosely below like white flags of surrender. Behind every twinkle gleaming in his cedar brown eyes was an entire galaxy’s worth of love and longing for Dara. He lost himself completely in the sight of her; the way her silky ringlets of hair bounced as she threw her head back in laughter, the way her grin could only stretch to one side at a time, and the way she smiled with her eyes before it could catch up with the rest of her face. She was beauty incarnate, and Carlos would likely spend the rest of his days worshipping her like the princess—no—the queen she is.

“What’s wrong with him?” Kelly turned her head.

“Her,” Kendall, Logan, and James replied, each pointing a finger at Dara from beyond the set.

Kelly brought her palm to her forehead with a moderate smack as Carlos continued to admire Dara from afar. Gustavo rolled his eyes, not quite understanding how Dara could have such a strong effect on Carlos or even wanting to understand for that matter. Katie observed both parties from the sidelines, studying them with a look of deep intrigue. She didn’t care how bothersome it was for the others to watch Carlos’ attraction for Dara unfurl because in her mind she was getting the “tweenage romance” she yearned for.

“Wow,” Carlos breathed, his voice airy and light like the gust of a summer breeze. “She’s even more beautiful than I remembered.

“Dude, you saw her, like, two and a half weeks ago,” Logan furrowed his brows in annoyance.

“Feels like a lifetime,” Carlos sighed as his head began drifting to the side like a cloud passing through the afternoon sky.

“Carlos!!” Gustavo squawked, pulling the lovesick boy out of his daze and watching as he stumbled to face him. “Where’s your script?”

“Oh!” Carlos pulled his script out from behind his back. “Got it right here.”

“Good. So let’s get those lines memorized for the next scene and head to wardrobe because we have a lot of work to do,” Gustavo advised, slowly losing the boys’ attention word by word.

“Hi, guys!” Dara beamed, scuttling toward Big Time Rush and fluttering her fingers in a gentle wave. 

“Hey, Dara,” Kendall, Logan, and James replied heartily as they all turned to face the girl who had effortlessly captured their best friend’s heart.

Being the last to turn around, Carlos turned slowly and painstakingly. He swallowed thickly at the sight of Dara. His voice fled his throat like his soul leaving his body at the brink of death. Carlos’ lips parted as if to say something, but try as he may, no words ever managed to leave him.

“It’s great to see you all! I’m really happy I get to work with you again,” Dara occasionally lifted her shoulders as she spoke, urging her curls to bounce and coil in tandem with their movements.

“Well, they are just as happy to be working with you,” Gustavo replied on Big Time Rush’ behalf.

“Here’s Carlos,” Kendall, Logan, and James interjected, each extending an arm to push Carlos in Dara’s direction.

“Hi, Carlos,” Dara grinned, her lips first stretching to the right and then to the left, just as Carlos grew to love.

“H-Hiii…” Carlos trembled, his muscles tightening and limbs stiffening as Dara’s stepmother stepped into view right when he was about to make his move. Or trying to, at least.

“Here, Dara. I have your updated script for the next screen,” Evil Stepmother said, handing Dara a freshly printed script and widening her eyes at the sight of the boy band in her peripheral view. “Hello, boy band,” Evil Stepmother greeted, her voice just as monotone and sinister as the boys remembered but her eyes noticeably less hostile than before. “Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Thank you for… having us?” Kendall replied with a severe lack of certainty.

“I’m sure you all know where you need to go next, you’ve done this before,” Evil Stepmother remarked, placing a gentle hand atop Dara’s shoulder as she looked down at her. “If you need me, I’ll be with the camera crew.”

“Thanks, Stepmother,” Dara nodded, watching as her stepmother slinked away like a defeated lioness after failing to catch her prey.

“She still works here?” Big Time Rush questioned, all wearing kindred looks of confusion and concern.

“Well, yeah. She still oversees the production of the entire show,” Dara answered. “In fact, she’s the one who pitched the idea for the movie.”

“Really? But she was so mean and terrifying before,” Carlos uttered in disbelief.

“I know, and I know a lot of people still don’t trust her. I can’t say I blame them,” Dara confessed. “But I have faith that she can turn things around. She’s been doing her best to make some changes around here.”

“That would explain why everyone here seems noticeably happier,” Logan commented, observing passersby happily exchanging words with one another and feeling comfortable enough to move more freely than before.

“What changes has she made exactly?” Kendall inquired hesitantly.

“For starters, Stepmother allows me in the writers’ room from time to time to give my feedback on scripts before they’re approved,” Dara explained. “I like to consult the cast beforehand though and bring their thoughts and ideas to the table so everyone can contribute to how our story progresses.”

“That’s so nice of you, I’m sure they appreciate that a lot,” Kelly clasped her hands together.

“Well, I don’t want anyone to feel like it’s just my show,” Dara continued. “I know I play the lead role, but it still wouldn’t be Coco.0 without everyone else, and I think it’s important that people recognize that.”

With every word passing through Dara’s spellbinding lips, Carlos fell deeper and deeper in love with her. She’s so kind and selfless that he’d be a fool not to adore her as much as he does. Though this was only one of many reasons why his heart swelled in her presence. Carlos’ lips buzzed with a hum of contentment as he rested his chin in his palm and gazed at Dara the same way he would a work of art.

“Good on you ‘cause this script is leagues better than the first one we read,” Katie quickly skimmed over the script and found herself smiling at how they maintain their sense of humor while also giving the characters the liberty to express themselves beyond their unilateral archetypes.

“She’s right!” Kelly chimed in as she looked through her own copy of the script. “Aww, and the movie ends with Carlos and Coco sharing a kiss.”

“No spoiling! I’m not done reading!” Katie cried.

“Ooooh!” Kendall and James playfully nudged Carlos in his shoulders.

“So, what other changes has your stepmother made?” Logan queried.

“Oh! She’s actually allowed us to put more funding into craft services, so now our snack table is pretty good,” Dara answered.

“Did you say snack table?!” Logan and James froze, wide-eyed and waiting for confirmation from Dara on bated breath.

“Yeah, it’s really boosted our—” Dara blinked, and suddenly Logan and James sprinted away without so much as a warning. “—morale…”

While Kelly and Gustavo massaged the bridges of their noses to ease away the headaches threatening to strike at any second, Katie snickered at the speed and urgency at which Logan and James fled. It was almost cartoonish the way their feet barely touched the floor as they ran.

“I’m gonna go after them and make sure they don’t eat everything,” Kendall declared as he shuffled away in search of his snack-brained friends.

“Anyway, now that I have my new script,” Dara began, gesturing to the script in her hand as she made her proposal. “Would you want to run lines with me, Carlos?”

“You mean… just the two of us?” Carlos’ breath hitched with anticipation.

“Mhm!” Dara nodded quickly.

“O-Okay!” Carlos blurted out.

With that, Dara took Carlos by the hand and led him away from the set to her makeup trailer. Kelly and Gustavo were left dumbfounded by how quickly and effortlessly they’d lost the boys before even getting them to wardrobe. Katie, on the other hand, found herself with her nose in the script and studying each word as if she’d be paid to memorize its contents.

Carlos scuttled along like the lovesick rag doll he was as Dara whisked him away from anyone in a position to catch a mere glimpse of them. He’d hardly noticed his surroundings blurring behind him as he traveled closer and closer to the ends of the production lot. Dara climbed the pair of small steps leading to the door of her makeup trailer. Carlos practically levitated on his way inside. He mirrored Dara’s movements as if he replaced her shadow, but shook himself out of his daze at the sound of the door clicking shut behind them.

The previously entranced boy’s head darted in every conceivable direction to make sense of his new surroundings. Though he was confined to a comparatively smaller space than before, Carlos found himself succumbing to the cozy and homey atmosphere Dara’s makeup trailer provided. “This is your makeup trailer? It’s so cute!” Carlos remarked as his eyes raked over the trendy decor and cutesy knickknacks accenting the space. From the strawberry toffee wallpaper with accents of ivory white to the polaroid photos stuck to the vanity mirror by star-shaped stickers, Carlos fell in love with how every little detail was so uniquely Dara.

“Thanks, I was hoping you’d like it,” Dara replied, swiping her glossy sugared maple lipstick from her vanity table and applying it in the mirror.

Carlos passively gazed at the vanity mirror and studied Dara’s reflection with curious eyes. A silent hum buzzed in his throat as a faint grin of contentment spread across his face like a streak of paint cast upon an empty canvas from the flick of a brush. He took a couple steps backwards and leaned against the end table behind him. To his surprise, Carlos’ lower back was met with a framed picture that was one small push away from falling off the edge. Dara’s eyes wandered from her reflection and caught a glimpse of the framed photo behind Carlos just as it was about to fall. “Careful with that!” Dara gasped as she dropped her lipstick to retrieve her photo before it could hit the floor.

“Oh, sorry!” Carlos squeaked apologetically.

Just as Dara fixed her posture, the photo held securely in her hands slanted forward and provided Carlos with the opportunity to steal a quick glance. He blinked twice under the impression that he was imagining what he saw, but the longer he looked the quicker the reality of it set in. “Hold on, is that you and—”

“My stepmother, yeah,” Dara interjected, her eyes never leaving the frame.

Carlos’ gaze hardened as he bore witness to Dara regressing to a mere shell of herself. It was as though the old version of her stepmother had entered the room and forced her to cower in her presence just as she’d done countless times before. She looked as timid and frail as she did when they first met. Something about that was painfully chilling and gave Carlos the worst possible goosebumps he’d ever had the displeasure of feeling.

“Hey, I’m really sorry if I—” Carlos trailed off.

“No, it’s… it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Dara assured weakly as she returned her framed photo to its rightful throne atop the end table. “It’s just that this photo means a lot to me.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Carlos agreed softly. He took one hard look at Dara, watching the myriad of memories flurrying in her mind and circling her brain with its nostalgic whirlwind. There were innumerable stories behind her eyes that went unspoken. Carlos returned his focus to the framed photo once more and lost his breath at the stark contrast between who Dara and her stepmother were and who they are now.

Dara looked to be an exuberant young girl full of life and energy with the cutest wavy bob draping her cheekbones like curtains. Her stepmother, while not being as cheery as Dara, looked significantly happier. She had long, beautiful, jet black hair that billowed at her shoulders. Carlos raised his brows as he observed the absence of Dara’s stepmother’s signature grey streak of hair or her fashion sense that was eerily reminiscent of far earlier times. 

“This must’ve been forever ago,” Carlos commented. “You two look so different.”

“Yeah, this was the day we filmed the first episode of Coco.0,” Dara reminisced. “We were so excited to meet everyone and be onset for the first time.”

There was an airy lightness to the way Dara spoke when recalling her memories from her first day on the set of Coco.0. It was clear from the smile on her face and the way her eyes sparkled that she looked back on that time quite fondly. But like the aftermath of a wave splaying across the shoreline and erasing the footsteps lingering in the sand, her joyous reminiscence washed away all too soon.

“But it was really scary just how quickly and drastically things changed when she took over,” Dara confessed, immediately regretting it right after. “I’m sorry, forget I said anything. Let’s just—”

“You know you don’t have to stay with her, right?” Carlos stood firmly.

“W-What?” Dara peeped.

“You’re the Dara Laramie—America’s sweetheart. You’re one of the most popular and successful actresses around!” Carlos declared with the utmost certainty. “I’m sure plenty of people would be lining up to be your manager.”

“Carlos, do you think I’d actually fire my own stepmother?” Dara shook her head.

“Kinda…?” Carlos winced, suddenly not feeling as certain of himself as he did a moment ago.

“Look, I know she has a long way to go before she earns people’s trust back, and I really appreciate your concern,” Dara sighed. “But I need you to understand that getting rid of her is a huge decision, one that I just don’t feel comfortable making right now.”

Carlos’ shoulders sank and his face fell. He was silenced by the disbelief he felt toward Dara’s confession. Of course, he could never fully understand what it’s like to be in her position or the thoughts she has to make certain decisions. Still, he worried a great deal about Dara and felt the need to protect her should the situation call for it.

“I had no idea you felt that way,” Carlos’ gaze softened.

“I have a lot of complicated feelings about this,” Dara nervously rubbed her hands together. “But I want you to know that I don’t feel like I have to stay with my stepmother, or at least not anymore. I am choosing to stay with her.”

As skeptical as Carlos was, he admired the strength and fortitude it took for Dara to be so open and honest with him. He could only imagine the pressure she must feel from wagering the stakes of such a successful career under these circumstances. The thought of it made his heart wince like a frightened pup in the heart of a storm forced to brave the elements on its own. Carlos clenched a nervous fist, his fingers restless within his own grasp. The urge to shield Dara from harm was painfully overwhelming, but Carlos trusted her enough to know that she could make her own decisions and this was certainly not one she’d made in haste.

“Okay,” Carlos replied with a heavy exhale. “I respect your decision.”

“Really?” Dara clasped her hands together.

“Of course. If you trust her then I trust her,” Carlos declared.

“Oh, Carlos!” Dara leapt into Carlos’ arms and hugged him at the neck, squeezing him like the cuddliest plushie money could buy. “Thank you, you’re the best!”

Carlos threw his arms around Dara’s torso and held her close, gently mirroring her squeezes. He eased into her touch, releasing an audible sigh of contentment and relief while allowing himself to let his guard down for both their sakes. They held one another for a brief moment, ear to ear and chest to chest. Their hearts beat in tandem with one another, drumming to the rhythm that they’d composed together. 

“Just promise me one thing,” Carlos perked up, pulling away only slightly so that he and Dara were face to face.

“What is it?” Dara blinked.

“If you ever run into trouble, please don’t hesitate to call me, okay?” Carlos inhaled, holding his breath.

“I promise,” Dara assured, tracing the collar of Carlos’ shirt with her fingertips. “You’re the first person I’d call.”

“Thank you,” Carlos tilted his head, raking his eyes over Dara’s silhouette.

They stayed loosely in each other’s embrace, relishing in their closeness and not feeling the need to separate even for a moment. Dara was intrigued by the way Carlos studied her frame, as if she’d magically disappear if he ever dared to blink. No word in the English language could ever describe the feelings stirring within her as a result nor could any number or unit measure the weight or severity at which she felt them. 

“We should… uhm, probably run our lines before they call us back onset,” Dara nervously cleared her throat, struggling to break away from Carlos’ embrace.

“Uh huh,” Carlos blinked, never fully registering the words being spoken to him.

“Carlos?” Dara removed Carlos’ hands from her waist and gently returned them at his sides.

Entranced couldn’t even begin to describe the state in which Carlos found himself. With hearts for eyes and a grin strung across his face like a string of fairy lights, the only thing occupying his mind was just how beautiful Dara looked up close. He’d weep if he could come to his senses and blink even once. Although Dara was utterly flattered that Carlos was so effortlessly taken aback by her, it was becoming excessive and she started to worry about his well-being.

“Carlos!” Dara waved her hand in Carlos’ face to grab his attention.

“Huh?” Carlos quickly shook away the hypnosis clouding his mind.

“Did you hear me? We need to run our lines,” Dara advised.

“Oh, right!” Carlos retrieved his script and flipped it open, his eyes skimming the pages in search of his name. He saw the names of his friends pieced in between his exchanges with Coco and figured it’d be best to fill in for them in lieu of their absence. 

“I’ll start us off from the popular girls’ line,” Dara declared, punctuating her words with a soft ahem. “Time’s up, Coco. Looks like your ‘really real’ boyfriend is—”

“Right here!” Carlos proclaimed, pretending to burst through the gymnasium door.

“Carlos!” Dara rejoiced in relief.

“We heard the rumors and we’ve come to set the record straight,” Carlos asserted, strengthening his stance and puffing out his chest. “Coco does have a boyfriend. A really real boyfriend.”

They pause briefly, allowing Carlos to take Dara by the hand as stated in the script before the next line and brush his thumb over her knuckles. She offers him a quick smile and a glance then returns her gaze to the page below and continues following along.

“But she is also—” Carlos waited a moment, breathing in. “—a robot.”

“Carlos, what are you doing?!” Dara gasped as she creased the pages of her script in her vacant hand.

“Just… trust me on this, okay?” Carlos whispered, his voice fading out of existence like the end of rainfall. Dara tucked her lips inward and gestured for Carlos to continue with a hesitant nod of agreement.

“Yes, Coco is a robot, but that doesn't make her any less of a person. She may walk a little differently, talk a little differently, or even act a little differently but deep down she’s just as human as any of you,” Carlos declared. “Inside Coco are thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams—all things that make us who we are. She deserves to be treated just like any other human being. But most importantly, she deserves love.”

Carlos’ eyes drifted to the bottom of the page. His glance shifted back and forth between Dara and his script before he mustered up the courage to say what was next. “And I love her,” Carlos confessed as he struggled to keep his eyes off Dara. “Circuit boards and all.” He took a step forward and leaned in closer as his fingers grazed Dara’s skin as they snaked up her forearm.

“N-No, don’t!” Dara squeaked as she held up her hands to stop Carlos from coming any closer. “I—bzzt!—don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m not afraid of a little shock, Coco, and I’m certainly not afraid of you,” Carlos glanced down at the page for the final time and lowered it from his line of vision. “And then it says that we kiss.”

“I guess it does,” Dara tucked her hair behind her ear lobe.

“Do you want to do that now or would you prefer to wait until we’re onset?” Carlos inquired sheepishly. “Because I’m fine with either! I just want to know what you’re okay with.”

“I’m okay with doing it now,” Dara shrugged. “Are you?”

“I’m okay with it if you’re okay with it,” Carlos replied.

“Then it seems we’re both okay with it,” Dara affirmed.

“Okay!”

“Okay.”

Dara leaned forward, her hand brushing up against Carlos’ chest and rising above the peak to his shoulder. Carlos brought his lips together in a tight pucker, his eyes pinched shut and his body as stiff as a board. He’d sooner hold his breath to the brink of unconsciousness than move any closer. It was an odd and off-putting display to bear witness to. Dara stopped herself from leaning in and tugged her brows together in a look of confusion and concern. She found herself wondering why Carlos looked as though he’d never kissed anyone before. 

“You’re not leaning in,” Dara observed worriedly, watching Carlos open one eye at a time.

“R-Right, sorry,” Carlos muttered apologetically.

“Are you okay?” Dara queried. “You seem a little nervous.”

“Yeah, I might be,” Carlos confessed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.

“Why? You’ve kissed me before,” Dara turned her head.

“Yeah, but that was different,” Carlos refuted. “Everyone was watching us, the stakes were high, and we were on the verge of pulling off something huge. I felt… heroic.”

“I don’t understand. You're basically doing the same thing in this script,” Dara narrowed her eyes.

“I know, but it feels different now that it’s just us,” Carlos admitted. “It feels more personal.”

Dara sighed at the realization that Carlos struggled to assume the role of a character and distinguish their actions from his own. It came so naturally to her after having done this for a number of years, but it was something that still required some getting used to on Carlos’ part. She curled her lips to the side at that thought and kept her script just below her line of vision.

“We don't have to kiss if you don't want to,” Dara stroked her arm.

“No, no, I want to kiss you! Trust me, I really do,” Carlos pleaded. “I think it's just a little harder for me this time around to separate kissing Coco from kissing you because… I’d like to kiss you sincerely.”

“You would?” Dara put her hand to her chest.

“More than anything. I mean, I really like you, Dara,” Carlos replied truthfully, his voice occasionally cracking under the pressure of his words. “We’ve spent so much time lately talking and getting to know each other that kissing you is kind of all I think about.”

A tinge of reddish pink spread across Dara’s cheeks like a wildfire, starting at the tip of her nose and stretching as far as the tips of her ears. Perhaps her and Carlos’ feelings for one another were as evident as ever, but without a gesture or words of confirmation to prove the chemistry brewing between them, Dara wasn’t certain they’d ever make it out of the talking stage. If ever there was a sign that romance had the potential to not only blossom between them but flourish, this was it. “Give me your script,” Dara held out her hand.

“Why? What are you going to do with it?” Carlos queried, awkwardly handing over his script in surrender.

“I’m going to put it away,” Dara declared as she took Carlos’ script and set it down beside her own atop her vanity table. “So that you can kiss me—no scripts, no pressure, just us.”

Carlos’ breath hitched with a small gasp, his hands raising as high as his shoulders and his fingers curling in anticipation. With a graceful smile adorning her lips as she stepped forward, Dara lowered Carlos’ hands and held them firmly in her grasp. Their fingers hooked around one another and locked in a nearly unbreakable embrace.

“On the count of three,” Dara began. “One.”

“Two,” Carlos continued.

“Three,” They whispered in unison, leaning in together and joining their lips in a blissful kiss of reunion. 

Carlos and Dara tilted their heads in opposite directions, deepening their kiss the very moment it began. A wave of love crashed over them, sweeping the teens away from the shoreline of reality, never to return. Carlos’ heart burst in his chest like confetti from a cannon. Dara smiled against his lips, sensing the ecstasy surging through him and wanting to explore the blossoming feelings and sensations between them.

The longer their kiss lingered, the weaker their grips on each other’s hands became. Dara inched closer, not enough to be flush against Carlos, but enough to let her hands roam his chest as they pleased. She placed one hand gently over his heart, feeling as it drummed against her skin. Carlos braced one hand onto Dara’s waist and the other to the small of her back. They melted into each other’s embrace, marvelling in their togetherness and riding out the final cadences of their kiss before their inevitable withdrawal.

Carlos and Dara ensnared one another in a smoldering, electric stare at the time of their lips’ departure, a novel’s worth of words behind each pair of eyes that told Shakespearean stories of all the things that went unspoken. Although they found such sweet solace in each other’s voices, there was no longer a need for talk. It was clear from the way Carlos and Dara clicked together like the world’s most perfect pair of puzzle pieces that their feelings for one another were as real as the breath in their lungs and the blood in their veins.

But unfortunately for them, a knock at the door had shoved them head-first back over the threshold of reality all too soon. Dara turned her head toward the door, her face souring with disappointment while she knuckled the fabric of Carlos’ shirt in her hands to cling to any remnants of ecstasy still willing to linger.

“Dara?” Kendall uttered from beyond the door.

“Yes?” Dara answered politely.

“Is Carlos in there?” Kendall inquired. “Katie told me he might be with you.”

“Yeah, I’m here,” Carlos replied.

“Great, so if you’re not busy, I could really use your help getting Logan and James to wardrobe before the entire cast and crew are forced into a snack table famine,” Kendall pleaded.

“I’ll… meet you there,” Carlos assured.

“Cool, thanks,” Kendall turned on his heel and fled, his footsteps quickly fading out of earshot.

Dara turned her head back around and met Carlos’ gaze, watching as the magic from their previous kiss flickers out of existence like fairy dust. She loosened her grip on the fabric of Carlos’ shirt and laid her hands flat on his chest. Carlos noticed something amiss in her. Though she was directly facing him, Dara’s eyes wandered to the side as if she no longer possessed the courage to look at him.

“Are you okay?” Carlos brushed his fingers against Dara’s face and cupped her cheek in his hand, hoping to catch a glimpse of her gaze.

“Yeah, I’m just…” Dara’s shoulders shrank under the weight of her exhale as she succumbed to Carlos’ touch. “I wish our moment would’ve lasted a little longer.”

“Me too,” Carlos chuckled with the tilt of his head.

“Are you going to be okay kissing me on camera?” Dara’s palm met the back of Carlos’ hand.

“If it was anything like what we just did, I think I’ll be golden,” Carlos declared confidently.

“Good, I’m glad,” Dara giggled.

Carlos and Dara allowed their embrace to linger for a moment longer before time started to run out. They could only stay in each other’s arms for so long until people would start looking for them. As reluctant as he was, Carlos pulled away and headed for the door.

“I should probably get going,” Carlos swiped his script from Dara’s vanity table. “I’ll see you out there.”

“Wait!” Dara cried out, catching Carlos by the wrist while his foot was just barely out the door. She brought her lips to Carlos’ cheek, pressing a gentle kiss onto his skin and leaving behind a neutral pink lipstick stain in her wake. “For luck.”

Carlos wore an adorable puppylike grin on his face in response to Dara’s gesture. Every touch, every word left him feeling like the only man in the world. He was invigorated and determined to give this movie everything he’s got.

“Thank you,” Carlos replied, smiling from his lips to his eyes as he closed the door behind him and returned to the set of Coco.0.

- ‘ ᰔ ’ -

“Guys, are you serious?!” Kendall squawked with his hands braced onto his head. “I left for two minutes and you’ve already ransacked ninety percent of this table!”

Logan and James turned to Kendall with mountains of miscellaneous food items in their arms. They looked at him, wide-eyed and bread-handed like the two most unsuccessful thieves to ever walk this Earth.

“No we didn’t!” James rebutted, his words muffled by the croissant he clung to with his teeth.

Logan was not nearly as brave or strong-willed as James was in their endeavor to collect all that craft services had to offer. He cowered beside him until a loose bagel fell to the floor from his left pocket with a soft plop.

“Oh, nice going, Logan!” James whined after spitting out his croissant.

“I told you I couldn’t fit any more in my pockets! You made me do it!” Logan retorted.

“You two should be ashamed of yourselves,” Katie crossed her arms, feigning authority.

“Oh, don’t you start,” Kendall hissed. “You were supposed to watch them while I went looking for Carlos.”

“Oops, guess I got distracted,” Katie hovered her copy of the script over her face and continued to indulge in a long overdue fictional romance.

Logan and James shared a glance as they slowly tiptoed backwards in hopes to slither away from the consequences of their actions. But their belligerent blonde leader was far from finished with them. He continued to exercise his role as the voice of reason and urged them to right their wrongs.

“Put it back!” Kendall demanded, gesturing both of his hands toward the nearly barren snack table.

“Fine,” Logan and James obliged in defeat, reluctantly surrendering their cornucopia of cuisine.

“Hey, guys!” Carlos beamed as he hopped into view with a skip in his step and a smile on his face.

“There you are! What took you so long?” Kendall exhaled, relieved at the fact that he now has the band all in one place.

“Nothing, Dara and I were just talking,” Carlos replied, immediately dropping his smile like a hot potato.

“Yeah, ‘talking’,” Logan repeated teasingly as he and James nudged each other at the sight of the kiss stain on Carlos’ cheek.

“C’mon, it’s not like that!” Carlos refuted.

“Yeah. Sure, buddy,” James winked with his mouth ajar.

“Never mind that! We have to get to wardrobe before Gustavo—” Kendall trailed off as he was the last to notice the evidence of Dara’s affections still lingering on Carlos’ skin. He turned his head and narrowed his eyes as he stared at the kiss stain through a side-eyed glance. “What is that?”

“What?” Carlos blinked innocently. “Is there something on my face?”

“Yeah, you have a little, uh…” Kendall grimaced, not wanting to address the kiss stain outright. In lieu of his inability to verbally acknowledge it, he pointed to his own cheek in hopes Carlos would get the message. “On your cheek.”

Carlos brought his hand to the cheek opposite of the one Dara had previously kissed. He dragged his fingertips down the scale of his face, gently pulling down his skin until he ran out of surface to touch. “Did I get it?” Carlos furrowed his brows at his empty hand.

“Y’know what? It’s fine,” Kendall quickly shook his head. “Now let’s get to wardrobe before Gustavo realizes we’re still not there.”

Walking side by side without a single piece of food to their name, Logan and James begrudgingly follow Carlos and Kendall from the snack table to wardrobe. Katie followed closely behind the boys with her script acting as an anchor through the sea of cast and crew. She sailed in a straight line with her eyes glued to the pages. Kendall and Carlos walked firmly at either side of Katie, alternating between each other in their endeavor to steer the captivated tween away from colliding with any wall that stood in her path. Just as they reached for the door to wardrobe, Big Time Rush tiptoed past the threshold and sighed in relief for having made it in the knick of time. Kendall carefully ensnared the doorknob in his grasp, his fingertips grazing the metal one at a time with an inaudible touch. The door clicked into place and shut completely thus giving everyone the green light to turn around and breathe. Just as their backs faced the entrance of the room, the sound of a familiar short-tempered music producer clearing his throat with a vexed ‘ahem’.

Big Time Rush screamed in terror at the sight of Gustavo and Kelly waiting impatiently for their arrival at the other end of the room, their spines curled, their heads tucked between their shoulders, and their arms bent against their chests. Just as the final cadences of their screams fluttered away, the boys turned their gazes to Katie who seemed to be shockingly and upsettingly unfazed. Each boy narrowed their eyes at her, signaling the indifferent tween to join in.

“What?” Katie grumbled as she reluctantly lifted her eyes to meet those of the boys shaking in their boots beside her. She noticed them cowering before their ticking time bomb of a producer and huffed in annoyance at the signal they fearfully sent her way. “Ahhhh,” Katie feigned terror as she loosely shook her script in her not-so-trembling hands with the most unenthusiastic scream to ever leave a person’s lips.

“Seriously?” Kendall lowered his arms to his sides.

“What? I’m busy,” Katie flipped through the pages.

“Just. Get. Dressed. I don’t have time to chase you dogs around the lot all day,” Gustavo declared exasperatedly. “And I’m certain Dara’s cast and crew don’t have the time to make up for you wasting theirs!”

While Gustavo fought on the frontlines of his psyche to ward off the onslaught of a stress-induced migraine, Kelly handed him a glass of water paired with an eighty-one milligram tablet of Aspirin. He thanked her silently, pressing the tablet to his lips with a small sip of water to follow. Big Time Rush suddenly split down the middle, leaving two boys on either side of the door as they shared awkward glances to brace themselves for the continuation of Gustavo’s lecture.

“You all need to start taking things more seriously,” Gustavo continued. “We did not have to be here a second time, and we are very lucky that Dara’s stepmother was generous enough to not only squeeze us in mid-production but also change the entire direction of the movie’s ending for your cameo.”

“Gustavo’s right, you guys. We really don’t want to be wasting any more of the cast and crew’s precious time. It’s a huge privilege to be back here again,” Kelly chimed in, cushioning the blow of Gustavo’s reprimanding. “So let’s all agree to not let any shenanigans keep us from doing a good job—food, romance, or otherwise.”

“You got it,” Kendall assured. “No more shenanigans.”

“Mhm!” Logan, James and Carlos nodded simultaneously.

“Thank you,” Kelly sighed in relief as she and Gustavo headed for the door. “Katie, let’s go.”

Katie failed to move or respond. The absence of her voice caused everyone in the room to look in her direction. Eyes widened and lips grimaced at the sight of the eerily silent tween flipping through the pages of her script in the corner like a fantasy-obsessed gremlin. She giggled nefariously with a tone of voice that seemed almost otherworldly, and her spine curled like a bendy straw as she stayed hunched over in her crouching position.

“Uh…” Kelly stammered speechlessly.

“Ugh, what’s wrong now?” Gustavo groaned, sliding his fingertips back and forth across the canvas of his forehead.

“Nothing, just go wait outside,” Kelly replied as she urged Gustavo out the door. She immediately returned her focus to Katie and looked to Kendall for a solution. “What is wrong with her?”

“Don’t worry, I got this,” Kendall huffed as he waddled over to Katie, tucked his hands under her arms, and lifted her up from the floor. He trudged across the room in his attempt to carry his baby sister out to the hallway and nearly broke down halfway through from how remarkably still she was. “C’mon, Katie, you’re getting way too big for me to have to carry you…”

As Kendall finally managed to reach the door, he gently set Katie down in the hallway for Gustavo and Kelly to tend to in his absence. He brought his hand to the small of his back and stretched backward to recover from the unexpectedly difficult physical labor he endured.

“Wait, what am I supposed to do with her while you guys are getting ready?” Kelly queried frantically.

“I don’t know, just watch over her until she’s done—” Kendall replied, abruptly cut off by Katie.

“Okay, I’m done!” Katie interjected in announcement, springing up from the floor with a fully read script in her newly invigorated hands.

“—reading…” Kendall finished in a defeated murmur.

“You read that entire script?” Kelly raised her brows.

“Cover to cover,” Katie answered proudly.

“Okay then…” Kelly blinked confusedly. She and Kendall shared a concerned glance, one that begged thousands of questions that would never receive any logical answers. “So, we’ll see you onset in five?”

“You bet! We’ll be out there in ten,” Kendall replied with a snap and a finger gun. But unfortunately for him, his upbeat gesture and response were met with impatient scowls and the firm crossing of arms. “Oh, come on! You can’t both be upset.”

“Uh, says who?” Katie snapped. “This script is everything I’ve ever dreamed about! My heart yearns for Carlos and Coco, and if I don’t see some romance on that set in the next five minutes I’m going to be pretty darn upset.”

Kelly and Kendall continued to share a glance, only this time their eyes were at war for reason and control. They were surprised to know Katie felt as strongly as she did toward the storyline for the movie, but Kelly was just glad to have someone back her up. With that in mind, all other oddities and surprises seemed like small potatoes.

“You heard the girl—chop, chop!” Kelly chuckled with a mocking grin.

“Ugh, fine. We’ll be out there in five,” Kendall surrendered begrudgingly as he shut the door.

- ‘ ᰔ ’ -

“Don’t you guys think it’s kind of weird that we’re wearing the exact same clothes we wore the last time we were onset?” James quirked his brow while dressing the lapels of his charcoal blue blazer with his hands.

“That’s what you’re worried about right now?” Logan scoffed as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket.

“All I’m saying is I don’t think this outfit does the best job at expressing who I am a second time around,” James combed his fingers through his hair.

“Your face does all the talking. What else is there to express?” Logan leaned his forearm against the set wall keeping the fake gymnasium doors together.

“Guys, quiet! We might miss our cue,” Kendall warned in a hushed tone. 

He peered through the small window of one gymnasium door while Carlos stood before the other. The lovesick boy’s trembling body wriggled in Kendall’s peripherals and caught his attention like a fish on a hook. The blonde turned his head and watched as Carlos nervously bit his fingernails while his eyes darted across every end of the set it could reach.

“Carlos, you doin’ alright?” Kendall asked out of concern as he reached for Carlos’ shoulder.

“Ngh!” Carlos yipped as Kendall’s fingertips grazed the fabric of his slate gray collared shirt. “O-Oh, sorry. Did you say something?”

Kendall, Logan, and James blinked owlishly as they bore witness to Carlos’ nerves manifesting in such visceral physical reactions. They’d never seen him in such disarray before. It was almost impossible to react or speak upon the matter.

“Are you… feeling okay?” Kendall tilted his head. “You seem, like, really nervous.”

“Just watching Dara is all,” Carlos mumbled in reply, his eyes never leaving the set.

“Psyched for your big kiss, huh?” James playfully nudged Carlos in the arm but was taken aback by a painfully forlorn look in his eyes. “Woah, what’s going on?”

“Are you having second thoughts about kissing Dara?” Logan chimed in worriedly.

“N-No, of course not!” Carlos assured. “I want to kiss her, that’s why we’re here.”

“Then why do we get the feeling that something is still wrong?” Kendall lowered his brows.

Carlos swallowed thickly, his heart swelling up in his throat and restricting his airflow like an anaphylactic shock. He felt insurmountable pressure to nail this cameo and put his best foot forward. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself if anything went awry. But Carlos didn’t want this cameo to be the sole reason for him seeing Dara again nor did he want the end of his time onset to be the end of their time together. 

“Dara and I… we were running lines earlier and I was having trouble kissing her because I couldn’t separate Coco from the real person,” Carlos confessed. “I told her I wanted to kiss her sincerely, so we got rid of the scripts and then it just kind of happened.”

“Well, that much was obvious,” Kendall replied with a shrug as James and Logan twiddled their fingers together in the background.

“Wait, you knew I kissed Dara?” Carlos shook his head in disbelief.

“It wasn’t exactly a secret,” Logan and James chuckled in unison.

“Just keep going,” Kendall encouraged, gesturing with the twirl of his hand.

“Right, so I kissed Dara and it was honestly pretty great,” Carlos scratched the back of his neck with a nervous grin. “But now I’m feeling all those conflicting feelings from before and I’m scared I’m gonna mess things up.”

“Because you want to kiss Dara instead of just Coco?” Kendall asked, trying to make sense of Carlos’ thoughts.

“It’s… more than that now,” Carlos stepped away from the door.

“What do you mean?” Kendall braced his hand onto Carlos’ shoulder.

“What happens after I kiss Dara? We go home and I go back to just talking to her on the phone all the time? I don’t want that!” Carlos proclaimed as he raised his arms in a frenzy. “I don’t want our cameos to be the only reason I see her. I want to still be around her. I want to be with her.”

Kendall loosened his grip at the sound of Carlos’ final words. He’d never seen his best buddy feel so strongly about another person before, and he’s fallen for countless girls in the past. This, however, was assuredly different. Such an honest depiction of earnest emotion was enough to make any heart on the lot melt with ease.

“I guess it’s a little silly when you think about it—weaseling my way onto the set of Coco.0 just to see her again,” Carlos chuckled at himself, wallowing in self doubt.

Kendall immediately took Carlos by the shoulders without warning and stared at him square in the face. Carlos leaned back as far as he was able to somehow sustain the sliver of space between him and the blonde keeping him captive in his embrace.

“What are you doing…?” Carlos trembled.

“I smell speech!” Logan exclaimed with the upward point of his finger.

“Listen to me, Carlos,” Kendall began. “Nothing about what you’re doing is silly, but you don’t need a cameo as an excuse to go see Dara.”

“I don’t?” Carlos peeped in query.

“Of course not,” Kendall affirmed pleasantly. “You can always make a date with her outside of the set, and honestly I think she’d prefer that.”

“I guess you’re right,” Carlos nodded. “But you guys have always been there to help me out when I like a girl. I’m not sure I know how to do this on my own.”

“Then maybe it’s about time you learn,” Kendall advised warmly. “You’re not always going to have us here to push you in the right direction.”

“But for right now he does,” Logan and James chime in as they usher Carlos through gymnasium doors with the help of Kendall.

“Time’s up, Coco. Looks like your ‘really real’ boyfriend is—” The popular girls trailed off.

“Right here!” Kendall, Logan, and James proclaimed, grouping behind Carlos and giving him a collective shove as he stumbled onto the set.

“Carlos!” Coco rejoiced in relief as she hurdled toward him and leapt into his arms.

Carlos instinctively buckled his arms around Coco’s waist, keeping her above the floor long enough to spin her around in a circle. The skirt of Coco’s dress danced below her like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings and her loose, hickory brown ringlets coiled near her chin like clouds draping the sun. They clung to each other as if they’d spent countless years apart. Coco’s feet gracefully returned to the floor without a sound, almost as if she’d been levitating.

“You’re doing so good,” Dara whispered in the shell of Carlos’ ear before she pulled away just enough to look him in the eye. Nothing and no one was strong enough to hold back the grin that followed. Carlos gazed into Dara’s eyes as if they’d only just met, channeling all the warm, fuzzy, blissful feelings that brewed in his belly when love first struck. From that moment on, their embrace was virtually unbreakable.

“We heard the rumors and we’ve come to set the record straight,” Kendall asserted, addressing the entire gymnasium.

“Coco does have a boyfriend,” Logan assured.

“A really real boyfriend!” James affirmed.

“But she is also—” Carlos turned back to his friends who all nodded at him in understanding. He nodded back, receiving their positive vibes and silent encouragement from across the room and mustering up the courage to carry on. “—a robot.”

The gymnasium broke out in gasps. Not a single face in the room was left without the force of shock and disbelief wilting their features. “Carlos, what are you doing?!” Coco winced, creasing the fabric of her boyfriend’s shirt beneath the curl of her fingers while the entire student body murmured amongst each other about her.

“Just… trust me on this, okay?” Carlos assured as he took Coco’s hands in his and lowered them from his chest. As frightened and reluctant as she was, Coco gave Carlos the green light to continue with a single look that connoted her understanding and trust in him.

“Yes, Coco is a robot,” Carlos turned to address the crowd. “But that doesn’t make her any less of a person.”

“She may walk a little differently,” Kendall began.

“Talk a little differently,” Logan added.

“And even act a little differently,” James chimed in.

“But deep down she’s just as human as any of you,” Carlos declared.

The gymnasium began filling with a mixture of reactions from the student body. While Big Time Rush definitely caught their attention, they weren’t entirely sold on Coco’s personhood just yet and needed further convincing before they could see Coco as one of them.

“Inside Coco are thoughts, fears, hopes, and dreams,” Kendall continued.

“All things that make us who we are,” Logan proclaimed.

“She deserves to be treated just like any other human being!” James advocated.

“But most importantly, she deserves love,” Carlos turned back toward Coco, brushing his thumb over her knuckles and speaking without a hint of uncertainty to be found. “And I love her—circuit boards and all.”

Every person in the room cooed on cue, grinning from ear to ear and melting as they bore witness to Carlos’ public displays of affection. It seemed Big Time Rush’s words had finally won the crowd over and convinced the students to see Coco the way they did. To say this was a triumph would be an understatement. “That’s so beautiful!” The popular girls squeaked on the verge of tears. “Told ya she had a boyfriend!” Lindsay puffed out her chest and basked in how swimmingly these circumstances progressed. With all the positive energy engulfing the room like a flash flood, Carlos recognized it was time to begin his big kiss with Coco. He choked back the nervous lump in his throat like a pill that was hard to swallow and started to lean in with puckered lips. “N-No, don’t! Dara yelped, holding up her hands to stop Carlos from coming any closer. “I—bzzt!—don’t want to hurt you.”

“I’m not afraid of a little shock, Coco,” Carlos gently grabbed hold of Coco’s hands and lowered them from her face. “And I’m certainly not afraid of you.”

Carlos’ actions betrayed his words. Even in the limelight he still remained fear’s prisoner. But self doubt and anxiety had no place in his mind when Dara’s eyes beckoned him through the guise of Coco. He saw something past her exterior—a glimmer of hope, a twinkle of reassurance that floated in her irises like a snowflake just above the ground. It served as a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel and kept Carlos from falling back. With that in mind, he swallowed his pride, braced his hands onto Coco’s waist, and dove head-first into her lips.

Coco was taken aback by the urgency of Carlos’ kiss. She found it difficult to anchor herself at first and struggled to keep herself afloat in his embrace. Carlos felt a slight resistance and started to panic internally. “Everything was going so well! Why did I have to mess things up right at the end? What should I do?!” he thought to himself with furrowed brows. 

To keep his downward spiral under wraps, Coco mirrored one of Dara’s previous gestures by raking her hand over Carlos’ heart and letting her skin absorb the drum of each beat to ground him until it slowed. He loosened his grip on Coco’s waist, bringing one hand up to cup her face and brush his thumb along her cheek as a token of gratitude. She grinned against his lips in response, eliciting cheers and applause from every end of the gymnasium.

“Yes! This is what I’ve been waiting f—” Katie cheered from beyond the set until she was cut off.

“Shhh!” Gustavo and Kelly swatted their hands over Katie’s mouth.

Carlos and Coco slowly broke away for air, letting the magic of their kiss settle and linger in the atmosphere like gloomy skies after rainfall. They ensnared one another in an ardent, wistful eyelock while the applause reduced from a boil to a simmer. But something pulled Coco out of her daze. She mapped out the landscape of her torso with her hands, gently patting every inch of surface she could reach while desperately searching for answers to the questions she’d not yet voiced.

“My processor—it’s fixed! I’m not short-circuiting anymore!” Coco exclaimed in shock. “But… how?”

“Would it be cliché to suggest it was true love’s kiss?” Carlos shrugged with an eager grin.

“Carlos!” Kendall, Logan, and James shook their heads with their hands on their hips in typical sitcom fashion.

“Does that mean I can have my hairpins back?” Lindsay groaned from the crowd, her hair still frizzy and voluminous in its natural state.

A generic sitcom laugh track ensued, filling the room with an additional assortment of chuckles and chortles that the student body couldn’t provide on its own. Once enough conclusionary footage was recorded, the casting director ended the scene with a hearty, “And cut!”

Cameras stopped filming, overhead lights flickered off, and the cast mingled among themselves without having to assume the roles of various characters any longer. Kendall, Logan, and James were seen high-fiving each other in the background and reveling in the satisfaction of a job well done.

“That’s a wrap!” The casting director declared from behind the cameras. “Great work, everyone!”

“You did it!” Dara beamed, hooking her arms around Carlos’ neck and squeezing him into a celebratory hug. 

“Couldn’t have done it without you,” Carlos remarked, hugging Dara back just as tightly.

Amidst the bliss and clarity of their embrace, Dara’s stepmother sauntered into view and spooked Carlos out of Dara’s arms. He yipped as he loosened his grip on Dara and jolted backward as a knee jerk reaction. The Evil Stepmother grimaced at the sight of Carlos’ cowardice, but chose not to verbally acknowledge it out of respect for the moment he shared with Dara.

“Come, Dara, it’s time to go,” Evil Stepmother asserted with a firm hand on Dara’s shoulder. “Yes, ma’am,” Dara replied instinctively, withdrawing from Carlos and turning on her heel to leave. “Bye, Carlos.”

This is exactly what Carlos feared; watching Dara slip through his fingers like sand and having to go back to only seeing her through a screen. He couldn’t go back to that, not after everything he and Dara shared. His heart twinged with a forlorn ache as he watched Dara slowly tunnel out of view. There was only one way to ensure their romance wouldn’t be confined to the digital world, and that meant learning how to push himself in the right direction for a change.

“W-Wait!” Carlos cried as he outstretched his hand.

Dara and her stepmother stopped in their tracks and turned back to face the boy refusing to let them leave. While they both shared a similar level of curiosity, their faces connoted a stark contrast of emotions. Dara looked relieved—excited even to stay in Carlos’ presence a little longer. Any excuse was a good excuse to be around him. But her stepmother was frustrated and annoyed. Despite the small changes she’s made over the past two and a half weeks, her feelings toward Big Time Rush hardly changed. She was just as disillusioned with them as she was when they met, especially when it came to Carlos.

“Yes, Carlos?” Dara batted her eyes as she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear lobe.

“I was just wondering if you maybe… wanted to get a smoothie with me?” Carlos proposed nervously.

“Really?” Dara excitedly clasped her hands together.

“Yeah, if you’re not busy after this,” Carlos answered, his shoulders grazing the bottoms of his ears and his hands loosely in his pockets.

“Wait…” Dara stroked her hair with both hands. “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“Uh…” Carlos looked back at his friends who all wore kindred smiles of encouragement, each with two thumbs way, way up. He was certain that if they all believed in him as much as they do that he had the courage and fortitude to conquer this on his own. Carlos turned back to face Dara and began his response with a firm nod. “I guess I am.”

“Oh, Stepmother, can I?” Dara pleaded desperately, her hands nearly impossibly to pry apart. “Please, please, please?”

The Evil Stepmother’s eyes bounced back and forth between Dara and Carlos. Hindering her reluctance and skepticism felt like an unattainable feat; one that required a certain level of trust and sacrifice that she has never exhibited before. But that look in Dara’s eyes—the pleading twinkles, the hope, the excitement—it was all too much to bear. Even the most strong-willed individual couldn’t withstand such strong waves of emotion. The Evil Stepmother had no choice but to give in and allow Dara the space to make her own decisions, even if it tore her apart. 

“Fine, go ahead,” Evil Stepmother said in surrender.

“Oh, thank you, Stepmother!” Dara rejoiced as she threw her arms around her stepmother and held her closely. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Just please make good choices,” Evil Stepmother warned with a souring expression on her face as she recoiled in Dara’s embrace.

“I will, I promise!” Dara swore, finally releasing her stepmother and stepping back to join Carlos.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her,” Carlos assured as he took Dara by the hand and looked her in the eye with the intention of never looking away again.

“You’d better…” Evil Stepmother grumbled as she begrudgingly watched her stepdaughter be whisked away by the boy who captured her heart.

As Carlos and Dara fled the backlot hand in hand, Kendall, Logan, and James twiddled their fingers together triumphantly to celebrate their best buddy’s victory. Words couldn't express the sense of pride they felt from the satisfaction of having seen Carlos conquer his fears and take the initiative to be the change he wanted to see.

“Mission accomplished! Looks like Carlos had it in him after all,” Kendall remarked proudly.

“They grow up so fast,” James brought a finger to the corner of his eye to wipe away a tear in pretend.

“He’s going to make a great boyfriend,” Logan stated confidently.

“Okay, guys, time to go,” Kelly declared as she strolled into view with Gustavo by her side.

“But what do I do with her …?” Gustavo inquired helplessly, gesturing to the sobbing tween in his arms.

“Woah, Katie, what’s wrong?” Kendall rushed to Katie’s side and brushed her hair out of her tear-stricken face.

“She’s been crying ever since Carlos and Coco’s big kiss,” Kelly sighed in response.

“And she won’t stop!” Gustavo squawked in frustration.

“It was s-so beautiful!” Katie managed to say in between sniffles as she cradled her script like a baby. “Th-They love each other s-so much!”

“There, there…?” Kendall gently patted his baby sister’s head without the slightest idea of how to efficiently console her.

“Wait… where’s Carlos?” Katie queried as she blinked through the tears.

“He and Dara just left to go on a date?” Logan answered as he pointed toward the door at the end of the lot.

“WHAT?!” Katie barked as she sprang out of Gustavo’s arms and sprinted toward the nearest exit in search of her only supply for tweenage romance. “Carlos, Dara, come back! I need more romance!”