Mitchie stared up at the banner. She didn't even know why she was hear when she hadn't spoken to anyone since September, let alone sung. But she wanted to come here; needed to come here. She needed to find herself again, even the smallest trace of who she was and who she used to be.
Mitchie sighed. She wondered if the old Mitchie was here, a dead ghost from the times when everything was fine. When she had friends and her parents were together and when she didn't push everyone away. That's what her counselor said she was doing, keeping everyone at arms length. But she wanted to be alone, too. She was through with people hurting her, through with crying, through with…everything.
Her mother is here and her mother is not far away. She hasn't seen her mother since October and she wasn't looking forward to seeing her again. She had greatly enjoyed her time away from her depressed, selfish, psychotic, mother. After the divorce, had become depressed. She would cry big boo-hoos and my-life-is-horrible and I-don't-want-a-divorce. If she didn't want a divorce, then why did she leave? It didn't make any sense to her at all.
So after a month of dealing with her mother's depression and practically planning her life around it, Mitchie had decided she had had enough of it. She didn't want to deal with it anymore; she couldn't deal with it anymore. She was a child, not a therapist. She had spent many nights lying in bed, thinking it over. Where would she go? She didn't want to run away, and she did not want to live with her lying father. But there was no where else to go, was there? Mitchie was an only child, no brothers or sisters. She had no friends – she had pushed the kids from her new high school away her friends from her old high school wanted nothing to do with her. So out were three options. There was always Aunt Mira in North Carolina…no, she was…well, Mira. It would've been worse than staying with her mother. That left her uptight, do-it-right-the-first-time, Grandmother Hilda. It wasn't her favorite option, but it was her only option. So off to stay with Grandma Hilda it was. It was agreed she would stay there until June when Camp Rock would start up again. A eight month break from each other to figure their selves out and for her mother to get help.
Now it was June and Mitchie did not want to be here. If she had it her way, she would never have to see her mother again. At least for a couple years when she was good and ready to. But she knew that was impossible. For a couple reasons; one: Her mother only wanted to spend so much time away from her. Two: Grandma Hilda can only take so much of her. Three: She can only take so much of Grandma Hilda.
"Mitchie!" A familiar voice screamed, slicing through her thoughts. She turned and saw Caitlyn Gellar running towards her, arms out wide, ready for a hug. Mitchie froze, a statue. Soon enough she was being engulfed be the sweet smell of Caitlyn Gellar, being strangled by her skinny arms. "Ohhhhh, I've missed you SOOOOO much!! How have you been?!"
Mitchie's throat burned. She wished she could talk to Caitlyn, open up to her like she used to. But she knew she would never be able to open up to someone on that level ever again. It was too dangerous, too risky. If she learned anything in the past nine months, it was to keep your mouth shut; don't say anything and no one gets hurt. After too months of saying all the wrong things to all the wrong people, she swore she would never speak a word ever again. Even if it killed her.
"Mitch?" Caitlyn was pulling away gently, slowly. That's what always happened. Someone would hold you for a second make you feel happy and loved, and then they pulled away. She wished someone would just hold her forever. "What's wrong?"
Mitchie stared at her, wishing she could say something. She brought a shaky hand up to her throat and hope Caitlyn understood the meaning behind it. "Aw, sore throat?" Mitchie nodded. "That sucks! Man, sore throat and Camp Rock. What a lovely mix. Here, let me take you to the nurse's cabin and we'll get you a cough drop, all right?" Mitchie nodded; thankful she had a friend as chatty as Caitlyn to fill up all of Mitchie's silent spaces.
"Hey," Caitlyn said, "I saw your mom earlier. How come you two didn't come together?"
Mitchie took a deep breath. She had prepared for people asking questions and even people finding out, but she didn't think it would happen so fast. Mitchie shrugged and Caitlyn nodded, thankful again for Caitlyn understand simple gestures, and how she seemed to understand this was something she didn't want to discuss yet, if she ever even did discuss it.
They walked the rest of the way in silence.