A/N: Here's my latest Camp Rock drabble-y ficlet. It's another Tess Tyler introspective, because well I'm fascinated with developing her character. This started as a short drabble then kind of ran over what I planned, it's a bit repetitive but there it is. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! –Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock.

Seen

Tess Tyler needed to be seen. She needed to stand out. She needed to be the center of attention. She needed to shine—and shine brighter than any of the people around her she would do whatever it took to be seen.

Tess wasn't satisfied unless at least one magazine had her face plastered across the cover. It didn't even matter if it was only a tabloid spreading rumors that didn't even have an inkling of truth to it. Because even if it isn't true, she is still being seen.

Some stars won't leave their house when the paparazzi begin to mill around outside their gates. Tess, on the other hand, won't open her door unless there are at least a dozen cameras pointed in her direction. She wanted to be seen and she would brave a million flashbulbs to get that.

Some people might have said she sold out. She let the label she signed with control her. They changed her sound, they changed her lyrics—she conformed to the image they had envisioned (even as she lost all credibility as an artist). Tess couldn't care less if she was a "sell out" or not. Doing as the label executives said got her pictures in the magazines, her videos on TV, her presence for interviews on every major talk show, her CDs on the shelves at every major music store, and her face on ads and billboards just about everywhere. Even if she kinda hated all the songs on her debut CD—they weren't really her and they held no relevant meaning to her—people were seeing her face across the country, across the world and the label's decisions got her there.

She wasn't going to let that go over a few words and a melody people could dance to.

She had already spent enough of her life invisible. Poor little Mitchie Torres thought she was the one no one saw, thought she was the one without the light shining on her. But Mitchie had two loving parents that saw her talent and were proud to call her their daughter. Mitchie had the Shane Gray who saw her beauty and loved her voice, and didn't want her to leave his side. Mitchie thought she should be jealous of Tess because Tess had the high life—well, Mitchie couldn't have been more wrong.

Mitchie had everything Tess hadn't had her whole life leading up to this point.

TJ Tyler never saw Tess. In fact, she did all she could to avoid looking at her daughter because if she did really look she might just feel a little regret fro not being a better mother. And that would only interfere with her busy schedule and she couldn't have that now could she? Shane Gray never saw Tess. He only had eyes for "the girl with the voice" and he hadn't even seen her. Then he found out it was Mitchie and that was game over for every other girl who would have loved to toss her hat in the ring for the popstar—Tess included. Mitchie, Caitlyn, Peggy and Ella never saw Tess—at least not the real Tess (that Tess got locked away years before around the time TJ perfected the "mommy's busy but your nanny would be happy to fill in the blank here" excuse).

The only person who had even relatively seen Tess was Nate. The only problem with that was Tess had never really seen him. All she seemed to see was that he wasn't the front man, the first choice—he was only second best to her and Tess Tyler didn't settle for second best. It was unfortunate because things might have been a lot different if she had realized that being seen the way Nate saw her was much better than being seen the way she was now.

Instead, Tess relies on publicity, so the world can see her. That's good enough for her—even if it's the only way she'll be seen.