"Your right! I don't get why she's such a big problem!" Shane shouted at Jared his manager.
"How many times must I say it Shane! It's hurting your fan base! The girls want to dream about you and if you have a steady girlfriend that's bad enough, but a steady girlfriend whose not famous, that's going to do nothing but hurt Connect 3!" Jared shouted back.
Jared was right; this wasn't the first time that they'd had this conversation. After every fight Shane would tell me that he didn't care and that he loved me. I believed him, I knew that he would give up his music and career for me, and I wasn't sure if I was worth it or not.
I was sitting in Jason's dressing room back stage at one of the boy's many L.A. concerts. Ella was sitting next to me and shooting worried looks at Jason while I toyed with the promise ring that Shane had give me on our one year anniversary. Nate sat on my other sit with his arm wrapped around my shoulders.
It had been two years since Camp Rock. Shane and I had been dating for those two years. It was hard when he was on tour and I was going through my senior year here in L.A. As much as I wish I could say that it had been easy it hadn't been, we'd come close to breaking up a few times, but in the end stayed together and become even stronger. I had turned 19 only a few months ago and graduated. Shane surprised me buy asking me to move in with him. That's when Jared started to put a lot of pressure on Shane to break up with me. Four months later here we were with Shane resisting every one of Jared's attempts to break us apart.
Everything about Jared annoyed me, largely because he tried to get my boyfriend to break up with me on a regular basis. His high pitched voice made it sound like he was always whining and the fact that I could hear him telling Shane reasons why he was too good for me from Shane's next door dressing room didn't really help matters.
Nate tightened his grip around my quivering shoulders when Jared started in on how I was probably only using Shane for money so I didn't matter if Shane dumped me. I could feel the tear building up, ready to spill down my face like tidal wave, but I wouldn't let them, I had to be strong for Shane.
"Mitch, I'm so sorry, Jared's just Jared. But you know that Shane isn't going to let him manipulate us, Nate and I are not going to stand for it either." Jason said upon seeing my glistening eyes.
I will never understand why people always think that Jason is an idiot, I mean sure he can be a little dense and get distractedly but he was an awesome friend and had become like my big brother since Shane and I got together at the end if Final Jam.
"Thanks Jase." I said as the door opened and Shane stormed in.
"I cannot believe him!" Shane growled as he moved to sit in between me and Ella. "To think that I would ever be threatened by him!"
"What are you talking about Shane?" I asked and he slipped his arm around my waist.
"Jared threatened to have the label terminate our contract!" Nate and Jason both gasped in surprise and Ella's mouth hung open. I tensed praying that Shane hadn't done something stupid.
"Well what did you tell him?" Nate asked
"I told him that we were the biggest thing that the label had and that they weren't going to terminate our contract over my relationship with Mitchie, and even if they did, it wouldn't be all that hard for us to find a new label. I mean come on, were Connect 3 for crying out loud." Shane replied.
I positive that we all let out the breath that we'd been holding when we realized that Shane hadn't quit the band or something.
"Connect 3 to the stage, Connect 3 to the stage." The boy's call came over the speakers in the dressing room.
Nate, Jason, and Ella all stood and looked at Shane expectantly, "I'll be there in a second, I want to talk to Mitchie real fast."
As soon as they left the room Shane kissed me. It felt just like the first time that we'd kissed. The butterflies and fireworks never went away. Sadly, the kiss only lasted a few seconds before Shane pulled away.
"You know that I love you right?" He asked
"Yes and I love you too pop star."
"Ouch , pop star, that hurts Mitchie."
"Oh be quiet and just go, you're going to be late going on stage." I told him and gave a slight push towards the door that our friends had disappeared out of.
Shane rolled his eyes but began to walk out anyways. "Shane?" he turned back towards me as I got off the couch and walked over to him. I stretched upon my toes and kissed him with all of my strength.
"I love you; don't ever forget that, no matter what happens." I told him when we broke apart.
"You know that I love you too Mitch."
I smiled and released his neck. "Now go before you're late."
He smiled his smile that made my knee's go weak and walked out the door. I watched, knowing that it was the last time that I was going to ever see him.
I'd been thinking about this for awhile, and after tonight I knew that it would be the best for everyone, if I just disappeared. "Shane would find someone that made him happy and the label approved of." I reasoned as I walked towards Shane's dressing room to collect my purse. When I had I paused and looked around, I was going to miss him and Nate, Jason, and Ella but they'd be okay. I realized that I need some sort of explanation to leave. I grabbed a pad of paper and fished a pen out of my purse.
Shane, Nate, Jason, and Ella
I'm sorry that I'm not there in person to say good bye, but I knew that if I tried to do this in person you four would manage to talk me out of it. It may not make any sense to you right now but, me leaving is the best option. Please don't try to find me, it will be useless. I'm going somewhere that you will never find me. Take care of your selves, I will always love you guys and you will always be my best friends.
All my love, Mitchie
I left the note on Shane's table and turned to go, only to run into Jared.
"Oh it's you." He sneered at me.
"Don't worry, I'll be gone soon enough." I said softly and tried to step around him to the door.
"Where are you going?" He demanded.
"Somewhere I'll never be found. Take care of Shane for me." I said and pushed past him into the hall and strode towards the doors, ignoring all of the strange looks that people were shooting me.
I walked out the back stage door and climbed into the first taxi that was waiting to take fans home after the concert.
"Where to miss?" the cabbie asked in a gruff but fatherly voice.
I told him the address of the apartment where Shane and I had been living since I the summer.
I looked back at the stadium only and watched it as the cab took me away from the man that I was in love with. I could hear the cheers and smiled knowing that this crowd would demand the boys sing an encore and by the time they realized that I was gone, it would be too late to catch me.
I spend the rest of the ride in silence, watching the blurred lights flash by. When we reached the apartment I asked the cabbie to wait knowing that I wouldn't be longer the 15 minutes.
The elevator delivered me into the penthouse and I jogged over to the bedroom that I shared with Shane. It only took me ten minutes to pack all of my clothes and hair products into the suite cases my parents had bought me when I went on tour with the boys this year.
I grabbed a few pictures of Shane and me, and a few more of me with everyone else. I started to walk towards the door, but stopped. I felt guilty walking away from my life with only one note as an explanation. I decided that I owed Shane more then that.
Shane,
Have you ever heard someone say that if you love something, you have to let it go? Well, that's what I'm doing. I love you more than I thought it was even possible, it was harder then I imagined something could ever be to make this decision but, I'm hurting your career. I know that you'd give up your music for me but I couldn't let you. Please don't try to find me, because you won't. Take care of yourself; find someone knew to inspire you. Please, keep making music Shane.
-Mitchie
I tucked the note into an envelope and left it under my promise ring on the dining room table. I grabbed my bags and trudged to the elevator and tried to stop the sobs that were threatening to turn me into a basket case.
After an eternity, I stepped into the lobby and walked to the cab, only to find Jared standing in front of it.
"Excuse me, Jared, I have to put my bags in there." I snapped at the man who had ruined my life.
"You're really going." Was all he said as he picked up one of my bags to put it into the trunk.
"No, I pack put all my clothes for fun!"
"Is there anything that you need?"
"Just take care of Shane for me."
"Will do." Jared said as he walked back to his own taxi and I climbed into the back seat of the cab.
"Where to Miss?" He cab driver asked again.
"Um, the airport please." I replied in a shaky voice as when I realized what I was doing.
I spend the ride taking the sobs under the surface so that I didn't look like a nut job at the airport.
When we arrived I loaded my luggage on to a cart and headed straight to purchase a ticket.
"Welcome aboard" The stewardess greeted me as I entered the plane. I nodded in response and walked to my seat. It took too long for all of the passengers to load and I began to worry the Shane may catch me if they didn't hurry. Finally, the plane began to travel forwards and we lifted into the sky. I sat and watched the lights of L.A. shine from the night sky. I wondered of they'd gotten my note yet, or if they were already searching for me. It didn't really matter.
I was gone, they would never find me and we would all be better off. But, inside I knew that Shane would look, no matter how many times I asked him to stay away and not look for me. I prayed that Montana was big enough that even a world famous pop star wouldn't be able to find me.