A/N: Hi! I have a huge load of started one-shots on my computer and I wanted to get them all finished up. They're all songfics, but as you know with mine, you don't need to have heard the song to understand the story.
I know that this song has been done to death in the entire Fanfic community, but this is based off of the song Leader of the Pack by The Shanri-Las. It's another Rich Alex/Poor Mitchie story, and it might feel a bit like my songfic for Romeo and Juliet, but give it a chance.
My school did the musical, Leader of the Pack, which told the life story of Ellie Greenwich, who with her husband, wrote a vast amount of the hit songs of the 1950's and 1960's and Leader of the Pack was one of them.
Also, I know this song was released in 1964, but the story is going to take place in the 1950's.
Just a quick warning that this was written in about 3 hours. It's very rushed. Sorry for any mistakes.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading!
Disclaimer: I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place or Camp Rock.
-Tribeca Prep: 1950's-
Alex Russo strolled the halls of Tribeca Prep High School in a loose pink blouse and black and white polka dot skirt that ended just below her knees. She sighed as she fidgeted with the small ring that adorned her right ring finger. The band was made of faux gold, and the small stone was a princess cut of cubic zirconium. The ring was not all that valuable to the outside world, but to Alex, it was the greatest gift anyone had ever given her.
She wandered absentmindedly to her locker, thinking about the previous day when she was given the ring, before a voice pulled her back to reality.
"Hey, Alex!" The girl's best friend, Harper caught up to her. Harper wore an almost identical outfit, only her hair was in a side ponytail and she wore bright purple reading glasses.
"Morning, Harper." Alex responded dreamily.
Harper looked at what her friend's attention was drawn to and her eyes widened in delight.
"Say, is that Mitchie Torres' ring you're wearing?"
All Alex could do was bite her lower lip and nod as she smiled.
"Uh-huh." She answered, "Mitchie gave it to me last night when she asked me to go steady."
"Oh wow. That's so great! I'm happy for you!" Harper burst with joy and clung herself tightly to Alex in a celebratory hug.
"Thanks, Harper. She makes me so happy..." Alex's voice drifted off as she remembered the night before.
-Flashback: The night before-
"Thanks for walking me home, Mitchie." Alex smiled as the two walked up to her front door. They had just ridden Mitchie's motorcycle back from the diner across town.
"Ah, it's nothing. A pretty girl like you shouldn't be wandering the streets alone at night – it's the least I could do. And I got to spend more time with you, so that's a plus."
Alex chuckled.
"Well, thank you...Um, I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow?"
"Yeah..." Mitchie nervously bounced on the balls of her feet, which were covered by classic black and white Converse sneakers, "Hey, Alex. Can I ask you something?"
"Of course you can." Alex answered, curious to know what the slightly shorter brunette in the black leather coat wanted to ask.
"Well, we've been hangin' out a lot and uh, I've been having a good time too...A really good time, you know? Um...I guess I should just spit it out...Alex," Mitchie took the taller girl's hands in hers and looked into her eyes, "Would you maybe like to uh, go steady?...With me?"
"I'd love to!" Alex gasped, trying not to sound too eager.
"Really?" Mitchie's eyebrows raised, almost in disbelief.
"Of course. I've had a great time with you too and I really like you."
Mitchie ran her tongue across her lips and leaned forward to meet Alex's. Both girls closed their eyes for the quick couple of seconds of contact they had. They pulled away simultaneously and Alex's eyes were still closed as she was in a fog of bliss.
Mitchie reached into the left front pocket of her tight, straight-leg blue jeans and pulled out a small ring.
"I wanna give this to you. You know, I see squares give their girlfriends pins all the time and I want you to have your own token. It's not as nice as a pin – hell, it's not even real gold or diamond – and you don't have to wear it if you don't want to, but it's yours." She grinned shyly.
Alex reached over and took the ring, placing it on her right ring finger.
"I love it, Mitch. It'll never leave my hand." The taller brunette craned her neck and gave Mitchie a peck on the left cheek, "I should head inside. Can't wait to see you tomorrow. Be careful riding home."
"Always am." Mitchie winked. Once she was sure that Alex was sure she was safely inside, Mitchie strutted back to her motorcycle, the corners of her lips turning upwards into a wide smile.
-End Flashback-
"Gee, Alex. That's a really cute story! By the way, how did you two meet? You've been seeing each other for over 2 months and I don't think you ever told me that story." Harper encouraged her.
"I met her at the candy store..."
-Flashback: About 2 months ago-
Alex was alone in the local candy store, picking up some treats for herself and her two brothers - one older, one younger. Just as she reached for the last cherry lollipop, another hand lightly bumped into hers.
"Oh, sorry." She chuckled. Finally looking up, Alex was met with a small, thin girl in a white shirt and black jacket. Her hair was light brown and wavy, ending below her shoulders.
Upon seeing the girl, Alex slightly tensed up. She had never come in contact with too many people from the other side of town except for school, but from what her parents, brothers, and friends have told her, they weren't to be messed around with.
"You can take the last one." Alex said quickly.
The other girl chuckled, used to people being intimidated by her tough appearance.
"Nah, it's all yours." She smirked. Alex felt her heart melt a little at the soft features in front of her, "I'm more partial to the green apple anyway."
"Well, thank you." Alex nodded and grabbed the lollipop. She noticed that she was standing closer to the green apple flavor than the other girl, so she reached over and handed her the candy, "Here you go." She smiled.
"Oh, thanks." The mystery girl was taken aback by the small gesture. Judging by Alex's high ponytail and clean clothes, she knew she was a rich square. Squares were never known to be outwardly courteous to people like her.
"My names's Mitchie." She introduced herself before her brain could stop it. Alex looked down at the hand that was thrust forward, slightly smudged with faint streaks of black.
"Whoops, sorry." Mitchie wiped her hand on her jeans, "I was working on my bike with some of my boys before I came here."
"Your boys?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. They're goofin' off outside." Mitchie pointed to the window behind Alex. The taller girl turned to see 3 boys of about 3 different ages smoking cigarettes and laughing in the parking lot next to a couple motorcycles. One was short short with curly hair, one was tall with hair that was greased back and combed through, and the third had curly hair also, but with two distinct sideburns to top it all off.
"That's Nate, Shane, and Jason Grey." Mitchie informed the girl in front of her.
"You know the Grey brothers?" Alex had heard stories, but never seen the infamous teenagers in person before.
"Yeah, we're close buds. Pretty much do anything I say, which comes in handy every so often."
Alex was intrigued.
"How come I've never heard about YOU in any of the stories?"
"Eh, I like to stir up a little bit of trouble every now and then but I try to keep out of their major shenanigans."
"Hmm... Well, Mitchie. My name's Alex." Alex put her right hand forward and Mitchie shook it, "So what are you up to today?" She casually asked as they let go.
"I dunno. Probably ride home and get some peace and quiet before my old man gets home." Mitchie shrugged.
Alex took another look at the girl. She looked so strong and tough, but at the same time, like she could never hurt a fly. She said she doesn't like to get into TOO much trouble, so she can't be all bad.
"Do you maybe wanna take a quick walk around?" She couldn't believe what just came out of her mouth, but there was a hint of something in her stomach that hoped Mitchie would say yes.
"You...want to hang out...with me?" Mithie clarified.
"Yes." Alex answered simply. No turning back now.
Mitchie glanced out the window. The Grey's had each other. They could go one day without their "leader".
"Uhm...sure. I guess I could hang for a while." Mitchie pulled out a nickel and tossed it onto the counter while Alex grabbed two dimes and paid the man at the register. They walked outside and the three delinquents stopped their conversation to eye their friend.
"Hey, Mitch. What's with the square?" Nate asked, shielding his eyes from the sun.
"Can it, Grey. This is Alex. She and I are gonna hang out today. Go find some mischief or something." Mitchie waved them away. The boys sighed as they all mounted their motorbikes and sped down the street toward their home, "Sorry about them. If you didn't know it, you'd think they were raised by wolves or something."
Alex chuckled and the two girls began their walk around the corner, with no particular destination in mind.
They reached a park where they sat down and started talking, getting to know each other more. Alex found it surprisingly easy to get along with Mitchie, who was much more articulate and smarter than the stereotype her fellow "squares" have given the people from the other side of the tracks.
Before the girls knew it, an hour later, the sun was setting and their conversation was nowhere near finished.
"...So YOU were the one who took Principal Laritate's car apart in the parking lot?" Alex asked in amazement.
"Piece by piece." Mitchie laughed. It had been one of the rare times that she pulled off something so drastic, but they always turned out to be the best memories. The shorter girl glanced at the beat-up watch around her left wrist and perked up, "Oh crud. I gotta get home. My dad's gonna be steamed." She shot up from her sitting position.
"If you wanna walk back to the candy store, I could give you a ride home." Mitchie offered.
"Didn't you just say you're going to be late getting back?" Alex was confused.
"Well I'm gonna take the heat anyway. I might as well do someone a favor in the process."
"Take the heat?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, where I come from, everyone brings up their kids by smacking them around. Keeps them in line." Mitchie brushed it off as if it were nothing. Meanwhile, Alex was on the verge of mortified.
"Your dad actually hits you?" She gulped.
"What? It's no big deal. Don't sweat over it or anything."
"...Okay..." Alex let the subject drop. It was not her place to judge how people raise their children.
The girls quickly arrived back to the parking lot and Mitchie handed Alex her helmet.
"I've only got one, so you wear it."
"What about you?"
"You ask a lot of questions." Mitchie smiled. Alex just tilted her head in a serious fashion. "I ride without a helmet all the time."
Alex sighed, not wanting to argue with someone she had just met, and put the helmet on her head. She mounted the bike behind Mitchie and pressed her front to the other girl's back, blushing at the contact.
"All right, now wrap your arms around my stomach. I'll go slow." Mitchie assured her.
Alex did as she was told and slid her arms under Mitchie's and rested her hands on the girl's stomach. She gulped again, this time out of pleasant surprise, when she felt strong, toned abdominal muscles under the white tshirt.
As promised, Mitchie made the ride very easy for Alex, who tightened her grip at every turn, not even trying to hide the fact that it was her first time on a motorcycle. They arrived in front of Alex's house and Alex ungracefully got off the vehicle.
"Thanks for the ride home. That was really fun." She took off the helmet at placed it on Mitchie's head before smoothing out her own hair.
"No problem." Mitchie laughed, "I better get going. I have to be at my place ASAP." She looked at her watch again.
Alex quickly rushed forward and hughes the girl in the leather jacket. Mitchie, not used to ANY kind of affection was slightly at a loss of what to do, but awkwardly patted Alex on the back with her right hand.
"Sorry." Alex pulled away, "I don't know why I did that, but let's forget that just happened...I hope we can hang out again sometime."
"Will do. I'll catch you later, Alex." Mitchie smiled and turned her bike around. She repositioned herself and started the engine with a roar. Alex waved once more and turned to enter her house. She looked back to see Mitchie disappearing around a corner at the end of the block.
-End Flashback-
"Wow, that's amazing." Harper was mesmerized, "It's like a fairy tale or something."
"Morning, ladies."
Alex and Harper turned around to see Mitchie in her signature outfit with a bit smile on her face as she put her left arm around Alex's shoulders and brought her in for a 'good morning' kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, I was just telling Harper the good news!" Alex smiled.
"Pretty exciting, huh?" Mitchie sighed happily.
"I think it's great, you guys. I'm happy that you're happy."
"Aww, thanks, Harper." Alex put her hand on Mitchie's waist to pull her in for another kiss but was startled when Mitchie gave a slight wince.
"What? What's wrong?" She asked, worriedly.
Not caring that she was in the middle of a public hallway, Mitchie lifted her shirt to reveal a large bruise that covered from the side of her rib cage to her lower stomach.
"It's gonna take a day or two to heal up."
"Did your dad do that?"
"Yeah. When I got home last night, he'd been drinking and we got into a bit of an argument. Nothing major." Mitchie tried reassuring her newly declared girlfriend.
In the 2 months that Alex had known Mitchie, she knew this was a regular thing. No matter how many times Mitchie told her to shrug it off, it always upset her to see the girl in any pain.
Alex pulled the shirt back down and gently rubbed her palm over the affected area, which seemed to soothe Mitchie's soreness for the moment.
"Better?" She asked.
"Much." Mitchie smiled and gave Alex a peck on the lips.
The school bell rang loudly throughout the building and everyone began to shuffle around, getting to their classes.
"I'll catch up with you at lunch." Alex hugged Mitchie before leaving with Harper to their first period.
"Hey, Mitchie!"
Mitchie turned around and saw the Grey's walking toward her.
"Heard you made Alex your girl! Nice job, hot-shot!" Shane gave her a congratulatory punch on the arm.
"Hey, let's go grab some real breakfast at the diner." Jason suggested.
"All right, but we have to be back by lunch. I told Alex I'd eat with her." Mitchie said.
The boys burst out into fits of laughter and began making whip noises.
"Hey, cool it!" Mitchie put her hand up and they immediately stopped, "Can we just leave already?"
They quickly nodded and then the 4 teenagers left out the back door and down the street.
-The Russo household: Later that evening-
"But, Dad that's not fair!" Alex argued with her father at the dinner table. Her brothers had been excused to go finish their homework, leaving Alex the opportunity to tell her parents about Mitchie. They did not take the news very well.
"Well, life isn't fair." Her father, Jerry stated. He saw tears of frustration well up in his daughter's eyes and his voice softened, "Listen, honey. It's not that Mitchie is a girl. We can accept that... It's the fact that... She's been brought up in a completely different world than ours, you know? She's rough and tough, a troublemaker. I don't think that Mitchie would be the wisest choice for a girlfriend."
"She's nothing like you think, Dad. She's different. Mitchie is smart and she really cares about me." Alex put her defense up.
"You may think that, Alex. But in the end, people like her always end up hurting someone." Theresa Russi piped up.
"She's just misunderstood." Alex said quietly.
"Sure. That's what they all say." Jerry scoffed, "...You better stop this before it goes any further. Find someone else, Alex. There are plenty of people from our side of town you could be interested in."
"What? No! I don't want anyone else. I want Mitchie!"
"You end this, young lady." Jerry's tone turned very serious.
"Or what?" Alex challenged him, looking directly into his eyes.
"I know people around town. And if you don't break up with that girl tonight, I'll make sure she never comes around again." Jerry put up a threatening finger.
Alex felt tears immediately well up in her eyes and her shoulders dropped. Living in New York all his life, her father had made some connections with a bunch of sketchy people in the area.
Alex had no choice.
She walked out the front door and just as she stepped foot off the porch, Alex heard a clap of thunder and rain began to pour down onto her head. She turned around, silently asking her father if he could wait until the next day to do it, but he only stood his ground, staring at the window, which told her she had to to this now.
Alex sobbed on the whole way to Mitchie's house, which wasn't a long walk, but it was quite short either. As much as she tried to come up with something to say, Alex's mind drew a blank. Just 24 hours ago, she agreed to take the leap into her first relationship and now she has to end it because "daddy said so."
There were no words. Alex could not even fathom the thought of intentionally breaking Mitchie's heart, but it was either this or Jerry would get one of this friends to do God-knows- what to her.
Alex stopped at the house he had only seen from the outside. Mitchie did not want her to see her living space or her father, as she was embarrassed by both. Alex rang the doorbell and shortly after, Mitchie answered, her eyes almost popping out at the sight before her.
Alex was shivering on her doorstep, soaking wet from the rain.
"Oh my god, Alex. What are you doing here? Are you okay? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Mitchie asked, her words coming out a mile a minute.
"C-c-can we t-talk outs-side?" Alex's body shook, both from the sobs and the cold.
"Uh, sure. Let me grab you something." Mitchie grabbed two identical jackets off of a chair behind the door and helped Alex into one before tossing the other onto herself, "So, what's wrong?" She spoke loudly over the rain.
"Mitchie...we have to break up!"
"Break up? Alex, it's barely been one day. I'm not THAT awful, am I?" Mitchie tried to make a joke, hoping Alex would laugh along and tell her she was just kidding.
"I'm serious, Mitchie. I told my parents about us and they were really against it."
"Wait, so we're not even gonna try because your parents said 'no?'" Mitchie's face scrunched in disbelief. Tears that were invisible in the rain ran down her cheeks when she realized exactly how serious Alex was being.
"I tried to change their minds, Mitchie. I really did...But my dad said that if I didn't stop this whole thing tonight, he'd send one of his connections to take care of you."
"What, your dad would put a hit out on me?" Mitchie asked, "He'd put a hit out on me..." She repeated, this time, more as a statement that answered her own question.
"I'm so sorry, Mitch." Alex cried. She walked closer to her girlfriend and hugged her around the neck, bringing her close.
Mitchie put her hands on Alex's waist and returned the gesture. As they pulled away, Mitchie aggressively stepped forward into Alex's body, almost knocking her over with a kiss so full of passion, Alex's knees almost buckled right then and there.
Alex tangled her hands into Mitchie's wet hair, needing to feel her as close as physically possible. When neither girl could breathe any longer, they pulled away and back into their previous hugging position, tears freely falling from both pairs of brown eyes.
"Do you need a lift home?" Mitchie asked calmly.
"I'd be in so much trouble if my parents saw you drop me off. I'm okay walking back. I promise. Are you gonna be all right?"
Mitchie paused.
"I don't know. I was really looking forward to this. I really like you, Alex... I think I'm gonna take a ride. I need to clear my head."
"In this weather? Don't tell me you're serious." Alex begged.
"Please, I've biked in the rain hundreds of times. You know that." Mitchie reasoned.
Alex sighed, "Just be careful, okay? Helmet and everything."
"Of course...Goodbye, Alex." Mitchie said, walking to the side of her porch and taking the tarp off her bike. She fastened her helmet strap and guided the bike to the street.
Alex waved and watched the motorcycle begin to pick up its pace. At toward the middle of the long block, Mitchie was reaching a much faster speed than Alex had ever seen it go. She was just about to yell out for Mitchie to slow down at the intersection, when out of nowhere, a green Camero came shooting through, ignoring all traffic laws.
"MITCHIE! LOOK OUT! MITCHIE!" Alex yelled.
The biker's figure was illuminated for half a second before the sickening sound of metal crushing metal echoed through the otherwise quiet street. Alex watched in complete terror as Mitchie's body was thrown from the motorcycle, onto the hood of the car (which hadn't made any effort to slow down), where she was slammed into the windshield, and rolled at least 5 times over the roof of the car and onto the trunk, landing motionless in the street as the larger vehicle sped away. The totaled motorcycle had slid off into a gutter about 60 feet away. A large pool of red formed underneath the unmoving body, and this time, Alex's knees really did buckle.
She slumped to the ground with her right hand cupping her mouth and her left hand reaching out to Mitchie, yet there was not one ounce of strength in her to stand up. She had heard loud, hysterical, incoherent screaming and yelling throughout the whole ordeal, not knowing who it was. When Alex finally took a breath in, the soreness of her throat informed her that they were her distraught screams all along.
Neighbors came out to see what all the commotion that was going on, but none were prepared for what was just outside their houses. In 10 minutes, the police and an ambulance arrived on the scene. From the distance, Alex stared in shock as medics looked over Mitchie, then to the cops, have them a sad shake of the head, and the cops nodded. The medics draped a white sheet over the body, covering the face, and hoisted it up onto a stretcher, that was soon loaded into the back of the ambulance.
Alex waited as the sirens and lights faded away. She stood up and tried her best to smooth out her hair before starting her trek back home. She was in a state of complete shock - as if she was not a part of this planet. Alex felt like she was walking down an endless black path - no scenery, no light. Just blackness until she reached her front door, where she entered and immediately collapsed into her Mother's arms, shaking with an uproar of newly found sobs.
-A week later-
Alex stepped foot into the school hallway for the first time in a week since Mitchie's death. Before, she was unable to even get herself out of bed, let alone go to school. She spent every night crying her eyes out because of nightmares and flashbacks and every day, she sat in her room with the lights off, laying in bed, imagining what her life would have been like if everything had gone well. She really believed that, given the chance, she and Mitchie would have made a great couple.
But now she'll never know.
"Alex." Harper came up behind her friend and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
Alex sadly nodded, silently expressing her gratitude to the redhead for just being there. They shared a long hug and parted when the first bell rang. Alex sat down at her desk and stated at the small ring that was still on her finger. That ring and the jacket Mitchie put on her that night were the only objects she had to remember the girl by.
Alex slid the ring off of her slim finger and brought it to her lips. She kissed it and said a silent prayer for Mitchie before returning it to its place on her hand, where it would remain for the rest of Alex's life.
Just as she had told Mitchie it would.
All right! There's the story! Sorry it's sad, everyone. Also, sorry it's super rushed. I really wanted to upload it and I couldn't sleep until it was finished. It's 6:30 in the morning right now and I haven't slept a wink yet, so I apologize if there are any typos or other errors.
Hope you liked it!