Caitlyn Gellar smiled as her friend Mitchie stood on her tiptoes and kissed popstar Shane Gray on the lips. She loved watching people who she knew were meant to be together finally experience their first kiss. There's a certain magic about it.
"AAAW! That's so cute!" She heard an obnoxious voice exclaim from behind her.
Mitchie and Shane pulled apart as quickly as they had come together, and looked over in that direction in embarrassment. Jason Green was staring at the two over Caitlyn's shoulder with a goofy grin on his face.
"I knew it! I knew this was going to happen! You two are just so…CUTE!" Jason exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"Excuse us." Caitlyn smiled briefly at Mitchie and Shane as they gaped at Jason, absolutely mortified.
"Ouch!" Jason squealed as Caitlyn grasped his arm in a death grip and dragged him away from the almost-happy couple.
"What the hell are you doing?" Caitlyn demanded through gritted teeth as she led him in the direction of the auditorium.
"I was just saying…" Jason started, but she cut him off.
"You completely ruined the moment!" She growled.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to!" He squeaked.
"Well of course you didn't mean to, you idiot! What kind of person is a moment-wrecker on purpose?" She snapped.
Jason could only gape at her. "Do… Do I know you?"
"Absolutely not."
"So I'm being insulted by a total stranger?"
"Pretty much."
"Okay. Just checking."
Caitlyn scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Just a few words of advice; if two people are kissing then you do NOT interrupt! You do not say 'AAAAW' or 'CUTE' or 'I KNEW IT'. You say NOTHING! Got it?"
"Um, okay?" Jason shrugged. He actually had no idea who this angry girl was, or what right she had to be giving him instructions. But she was pretty, he would give her that. So he called after her as she turned on her heel to walk away.
"So who exactly are you?"
She paused and twirled to face him. "Caitlyn. Caitlyn Gellar."
"I'm Jason Green."
"I know. You're famous, remember?"
"Oh yeah."
Caitlin gave him a weird look before turning away again.
"So will I see you at the wrap party this afternoon, Caitlyn Caitlyn Gellar?"
"If you're lucky!" She called cheekily over her shoulder, without stopping.
Jason stared after her in confusion. Who did she think she was, talking to him like that? He was a god damn pop sensation for Pete's sake! And she didn't seem even mildly interested in him. Not that he didn't think that was a bad thing. If fact, it was a welcome relief from girls hanging off him because of the "OHMIGAWD, YOU'RE IN CONNECT THREE! YOU ARE SOOOO HOT!" sort of thing. Shane had found Mitchie to like him for he really was. So Jason had begun to wonder if there could possibly be a girl like that out there for him.
Caitlyn scanned the lawn in front of the beach, looking for her friends at the Camp Rock wrap party. She could already see the flock of girls surrounding Connect Three, but noted with a grin that Shane held Mitchie tightly by his side. She smiled at Nate's polite expression in response to all the overwhelming attention, and Jason's slightly horrified one at two girls currently trying to get him to sign their breasts. He caught her staring and returned her grin. She just cocked an eyebrow at the two girls and he shrugged. The girls noticed, and spun around to see who was taking his attention, narrowing their eyes when they spotted Caitlyn.
"Poor kids." Sander commented, appearing by Caitlyn's shoulder as Jason broke eye contact to sign more autographs that weren't on body parts.
"I dunno, I think they kinda enjoy the fact that these girls appreciate their music." Caitlyn sniggered.
"By music, you of course mean their pretty, pretty faces."
"Oh, please, they're not that good-looking."
Sander raised his eyebrows. "Okay, they are pretty fine. But there's more to life that just looks, you know." Caitlin reasoned, but Sander was paying no attention.
"Ooh, CD cookies!" He exclaimed, grabbing Caitlyn's hand and dashing over to the refreshment table.
"Sorry, whoops, sorry, excuse us…" Caitlyn apologised to all the people who Sander was knocking out of the way to get to the food, before her hand was wrenched out of his grasp, she lurched forward suddenly, and collided with the hard ground.
"Ow." She groaned, pushing herself up and rolling over onto her back, glaring at the two girls who had tripped her. She recognized them as the pair who were talking to Jason earlier.
"You okay?" She heard a light voice chuckle as strong arms lifted her up from behind.
"I'm fine!" She snapped, turning around to come face to face with her helper. His nose wrinkled as he saw the furious expression on her face. "Oh… It's you." She mumbled.
"Well, I was me last time I checked. I could possibly be someone else though by now. Hmm." Jason stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Was that a joke?" Caitlyn smirked.
"I think so. Sometimes I don't know if people laugh with me or at me."
"I wasn't laughing."
"Then it wasn't a joke."
"Are you sure? It sounded like an attempt at humour to me."
"Are you telling me what I said? Because I'm pretty sure I know what I said, and that it wasn't a joke!"
"Fine, whatever you say. It wasn't a joke, then!"
"It actually was. It just wasn't very funny."
"I know. That's why I didn't laugh."
"You could have at least pretended, that would have been the polite thing to do."
"But I wasn't sure if it was a joke or not! I can't very well laugh at you if you didn't tell a joke, can I?"
"…What was the joke again?" Jason asked.
"I don't remember!" Caitlyn laughed.
"Jason!" Nate's call startled them both.
"What?" Jason groaned.
"The press is here. They want a picture of the band with the winner of Final Jam." Nate replied.
Caitlin looked behind Nate, where an impatient photographer stood next to an elated Peggy. She smiled slightly at Caitlyn, who gave her an encouraging thumbs up.
"I'll be right back," Jason whispered in Caitlyn's ear, and she shivered, although it was relatively warm outside. She hadn't realised they had physically gotten so close. Not that she minded.
Her eyes followed him as he made his way over to his band-mates, and wrap one arm around Peggy's shoulder while they all smiled cheesily at the camera.
"She's so lucky," Mitchie sighed, appearing at Caitlyn's side. "Imagine actually getting a recording contract. How amazing would that be?"
"Pretty amazing." Caitlyn sighed, and turned around to continue looking over the campers.
She could see Barron and Lola flirting, Sander scoffing cookies, Andy tapping away on a tree stump, Tess smiling at Peggy, and Ella smiling at Jason. Caitlyn's eyes widened. Why would Ella be checking out Jason? No way, Caitlyn thought. I must be seeing things. She's probably checking out Nate. But it was obvious the petite girl had her eye firmly locked on the oldest member of Connect Three. Why do I care so much anyway? Caitlyn scolded herself. But she couldn't help glaring at Ella as she sidled up to the group as soon as the photographer was finished.
"HI!" Caitlyn heard her squeal as she approached.
"Guys, this is my best friend Ella." Peggy introduced Ella, who proceeded to enthusiastically shake each boys hand. She lingered on Jason.
"This is so exciting! I can't believe Peggy gets to record with you!" Ella babbled.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool," Shane shrugged, before going off to find Mitchie. Jason was about to do the same, taking a step back towards Caitlyn, when Ella's grip stopped him.
"Wanna come hang with us?" Ella gestured to Peggy, Nate, and Tess, who had joined them.
"Um, I kinda already was 'hanging' with someone else…" Jason pointed towards Caitlyn, who smiled and gave a little wave.
"She can come too!" Ella grasped at straws.
"Okay, awesome!" Jason nodded, and went back over to meet Caitlyn.
"Wanna go talk to those guys over there?" Jason pointed to the small group.
"Ugh, no thanks." Caitlyn wrinkled her nose.
"Why? What's wrong with them?"
"See the blonde?"
"TJ Tyler's daughter?"
"Bingo. Let's just say that she and I aren't exactly on the best terms."
"Why not?"
"She's mean. REALLY mean. She's the one who got me kicked out of Final Jam. And her two lackeys don't do anything about it either; they just follow her like the mindless drones they are."
"They seemed nice to me."
"Well, they kinda got pissed at her and told her off at Final Jam, but they still lack majorly in the personality department."
"That's kinda harsh, don't you think?"
"Look, if you had any idea what those girls have put me though over they years, you would hate them too!" Caitlyn snapped.
"What did they do to you?" Jason reached out and took her hand sympathetically.
"That," Caitlin spoke icily "is none of your god damn business." She wrenched her hand out of his and ran in the opposite direction, towards the cabins.
Jason sighed and avoided the glares of Caitlyn's friends who had witnessed the incident, turning back towards Ella and her friends.
"Oh, did she not want to come?" Ella smiled insincerely.
"Um, nah, she's feeling bad. Sick. Real sick. Like, mega super vomitous. Bad seafood." Jason gushed.
"Dude, they're not serving seafood." Nate raised his eyebrows at his friend.
"I know! But, she, uh, had some fish last night for dinner that just turned her stomach!" Jason tried to cover for Caitlyn again.
"We had chicken for dinner last night." Tess gave Jason the same look as Nate.
"Remind me never to ask you to make excuses for me." Peggy laughed.
Jason laughed, disheartened, and tried to join in the conversation around him. But he couldn't stop thinking of those sad eyes filling with angry tears, glaring at him in spite. He felt responsible for Caitlyn having to think about her past, bringing up painful memories.
"HA! That is so funny! Right, Jason?" Ella's laugh brought Jason's head out of the clouds.
"What? Sorry, I have to go fix something." Jason said quickly, and took off in the direction Caitlyn went, not even bothering to answer Ella's frustrated calls after him.
Caitlyn kicked the seat at the pier, fuming. She had tried to cool off her temper in her cabin, but she found no solace there. Not wanting to face the humiliation of bursting into tears in front of the entire camp, she had find the only seemingly isolated place at Camp Rock; the lake. She closed her eyes as two tears trickled down each of her cheeks. She heard footsteps on the platform and quickly wiped her face, turning on the person who had disturbed her peace.
"WHAT?"
"Are you okay?" Jason's eyebrows drew together in concern.
"Why do you care?" Caitlin sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve.
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Because… You don't know me!"
"Yeah, I do. You're Caitlyn Gellar."
"I know you know my name!"
"I know you know I know your name!"
"Huh?"
"What are you even talking about?"
"I'm talking about how you don't know ME, as a person. I'm more than just a name."
"I know!"
"No, you don't!"
"Yes, I do!"
"What's my favourite band, Jason? My mom's name? Where do I live? YOU DON'T KNOW ME!" Caitlyn shrieked, her face wet with tears.
Jason reached out to give her a comforting hug, but Caitlyn batted him away and took a step back. Unfortunately, she was standing on the edge of the pier, and that one step back sent her toppling over into the lake.
"Caitlyn!" Jason cried, before diving in after her.
Caitlyn emerged from the waist-deep water and stood, spluttering, to yell at Jason, who she assumed would still be standing on the pier, most likely laughing at her. She was shocked to find he was nowhere to be found. She screamed as she felt something take hold of her leg, lost her balance, and plunged her into the water once again. She gasped as she felt arms wrap around her torso, and choked on the water that flooded into her mouth. Floundering, she broke to the surface, coughing, and glaring at the pleased face of the boy who held her in his arms.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She screamed.
"I rescued you!" Jason exclaimed proudly.
"I didn't need rescuing! The water's only three fucking feet deep!" Caitlyn struggled against Jason's grip, punched his arm, and he released her. She disappeared into the water with a splash.
"Sorry!" Jason helped her out of the lake apologetically.
She found her footing and turned on him angrily. "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?"
"I was just trying to help!"
"I don't need your help!"
Jason could only gape at her. He was lost for words. He had no more comebacks, no more excuses for being around her. This was the last straw. If she wanted to be left alone, then fine.
"You know what? Don't worry about it! I don't know why I even bothered!" He spat.
Caitlyn was taken aback. She didn't know why she was being so rude. Something about this guy made her want to trust him with everything. But in her experience, blind faith never did anyone any favours. That's why she put up as many walls around herself as possible. But she didn't realise people like Jason would be hurt when he ran into her walls at full force.
"Wait!" She groaned.
"What?"
"The Dandy Warhols, Carol, Toledo Ohio."
"…Excuse me?"
"My favourite band, my mom's name, and where I live. Well, where my grandma lives. I stay with her most of the time, since my parents work on a cruise ship and aren't even in the country for most of the year. And I'm the one who should be sorry. Thanks for trying to help me. It's too bad you ended up looking like a kraken from the sea in the process."
"Me? You're the one who's looking kraken-ish!" Jason laughed as he wiped some algae off Caitlyn's shoulder.
Caitlyn started to laugh, and Jason joined in. Soon, the two were in inconsolable hysterics, still standing in the lake.
"Caitlyn! Oh my gosh, what happened?" Mitchie gasped as her friend squelched back to the wrap party.
"Ask him!" Caitlyn nodded a distance behind her at Jason, who Shane and Nate were pointing and laughing at.
"What did he do?" Mitchie giggled, looking at her boyfriend smack Nate on the back, as he appearing to be choking on his laughter.
"Broke down a few of my walls." Caitlyn smiled softly.
"What?" Mitchie faced back to her.
"Nothing. I'm going to go get changed. Be back in a few minutes!" Caitlyn jogged away to her cabin, oblivious to the suspicious glare Ella was giving her.
"Dude… Dude…" Nate wheezed, trying to catch his breath.
"Seriously, dude, why would you dive into the lake, fully clothed?" Shane shook his head in amusement.
"I thought she was going to drown! She might not have been able to swim for all I knew!" Jason defended.
"Exactly! You don't know her! Why are you so interested all of a sudden?" Nate had stopped gasping for air and managed to form a few words.
"I dunno. She doesn't treat me like the famous Jason Green. She treats me just like regular Jason. She talks to me like Mitchie talks to you." Jason shrugged at Shane.
"I had the whole summer to get to know Mitchie! You've known about this girl for, what, four hours?" Shane smacked Jason on the back of the head. "Get a grip, man!"
"Aw, Jason, are they being mean to you?" Jason cringed at the baby voice that piped up behind him.
"Nah, just being their usual jerk selves." Jason shot a glare at his friends before turning to come face to face with Ella.
"Oh my god, you're wet!" She exclaimed.
"Really? No way!" Jason remarked sarcastically.
Ella didn't get it. "Yes, you are, silly! Come with me, I'll get you a towel!"
"Actually, Peggy already… Uh, okay." Jason changed tack as Ella grabbed his arm in a vice-like grip and dragged him towards the cabins.
"It's funny how you and Caitlyn both appear out of nowhere, sopping wet. I mean, what are the chances of you two actually going swimming in your clothes together, right?"
Jason tried to ignore Ella's shallow small talk, and instead thought about Caitlyn. What is she doing now, he wondered. Probably getting changed out of her wet clothes. Gah! Jason immediately shook his head to rid the thoughts of Caitlyn peeling a wet t-shirt off her body, shimmying out of her damp pants. But at the same time, he really didn't mind imagining those sorts of things about her.
"And then the banana was like 'you should have told me to stay away from microwaves!' Ha ha ha! Jason? Jason, are you listening to me?" Ella's tinkling voice distracted him.
"Huh? Oh, thanks for the towel!" Jason snatched the towel out of Ella's hands, not noticing the annoyed look on her face.
"You're welcome." Ella murmured seductively, standing so close to Jason that her body was pressed against his.
"Uh, what are you doing? You're going to get wet." Jason stated blankly as Ella curled her hands around his biceps.
"I don't care. I like being close to you." Ella fluttered her eyelashes,
"Um, thank you?" Jason was unsure of how to react.
Ella took his confusion as a good sign. In one swift movement she hand grabbed the back of his head, and bent it down to meet hers, kissing him deeply. Jason was frozen in shock. It wasn't as if most girls voluntarily made moves on him. Usually, after about five minutes of discussion, they realised he was clueless, and moved onto another member of the band. Only one girl had even carried a conversation with him for more than a few sentences. And her crestfallen face was the first thing he saw when he finally managed to release himself from the kiss.
"Caitlyn…"
Caitlyn could not believe it. Two minutes ago she had been thinking about the one boy who had gotten her to open up, and imagining all the ways they could spend time together. That had all come crashing down before her eyes as she watched that same boy kiss one of the girls who he KNEW she hated. When he broke away, his eyes met hers, and his face filled with guilt.
"Caitlyn…"
"Fuck you." She spat, as she turned and sprinted into the woods.
"Caitlyn!" Jason cried, and took off after her.
"Jason!" Ella shrieked, but he paid her no attention.
Caitlyn's eyes filled with tears once again as she ran. She didn't know why she was so surprised. Jason was just another thing that one of those plastic girls who had made her life miserable had beaten her to. This was why she never trusted anyone in the first place, right? So she wouldn't get hurt? And so she put her trust in a guy she hardly knew, and look where that got her. Running through to woods at her summer camp, desperately trying not to break down and cry. She rounded a corner on the dirt path, but turned too sharply. The gravel skidded underneath her feet, and she ended up sprawled on her stomach, all the wind knocked out of her.
"Caitlyn! Are you okay?" Jason ran to her side and knelt beside her as she rolled over.
"Do I look o-fucking-kay? And stop asking me that! You don't care!" Caitlyn yelled as she got to her feet, Jason following her.
"That's not true, I do care!"
"No, Jason, no you don't! You know I hate her! I told you!"
"I didn't kiss her!"
"Oh my god, are you kidding me right now? I saw you!"
"She kissed me!"
"You didn't say no!"
"I didn't get a chance! Geez, are you always so stubborn?"
"Are you always so stupid?"
"Yes, okay? Yes! I am stupid! I've always been stupid! I know! But that doesn't mean that I don't have any knowledge!"
"What knowledge could you possibly have?"
"Your name is Caitlyn Gellar. You live in Toledo, Ohio, with your grandmother. Your mother's name is Carol, and your favourite band is The Dandy Warhols. You find it hard to trust people, especially here, where image is everything. But you trusted me, and I let you down."
Caitlyn was speechless. "You know, you're a lot smarter than people give you credit for." She smiled weakly.
"Thank you!" Jason yelled angrily, still in argument mode.
"I just gave you a compliment!" She yelled back.
"You did?" Jason hesitated.
"And you wonder why I doubt your intelligence?" Caitlyn threw her hands in the air in frustration.
"Intelligence is overrated! I just know what I like and what I don't like. And I know that I don't like Ella, and I do like you." Jason looked at her through his lashes shyly.
"You are such a… What was that?" Caitlyn faltered.
"I. LIKE. YOU." Jason spoke slowly, with purpose, like he was talking to someone with a limited mental capacity.
"W-Why?" Caitlyn spluttered.
"Because you're interesting! Because you don't treat me like a complete doofus! You make me feel like I'm worth talking to!"
"Really?" Caitlyn beamed.
"No, I'm making this up as I go along." Jason rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Of course! I like talking to you. I like spending time with you. I feel like a real person with you. And I just want you to know, you can trust me. I promise."
Before he knew it, Caitlyn arms were flung around his shoulders, and her lips were pressed against his. But this time he didn't freeze up. He returned the kiss, linking his fingers together at the small of her back, pulling her closer, moving his mouth in time with hers.
"I think I just accumulated some more knowledge about Caitlyn Gellar." Jason grinned, pulled away for a brief second.
"And that is…?"
"She wears pineapple flavoured lip gloss."
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Jaitlyn. Review and let me know what you thought!
BLEH sorry for screwing this around again. I liked it better as a oneshot.