Chapter 1: To Do List
"Really, Nate," Caitlyn giggled, "A to-do list?"
"Believe me Cait, don't make fun of the list," Shane grumbled plopping down next to a PJ clad Caitlyn Gellar and Nate Gray. "We have all been at the end of that fight, and it's not pretty."
Caitlyn chuckled as Nate glared at his older brother. The couple was going over the to-do list Nate had created. It was to be completed before Connect 3 left to go on tour.
"I hate you," Nate affectionately told Shane.
Just then Mrs. Gray came in and looked over the paper set out in front of Caitlyn.
"Uh-Oh," Mrs. Gray groaned knowingly. "Is that the to-do list?"
"Does everyone hate my to-do lists that much?" Nate exclaimed. The whole room was silent. "I'll be in my room!" he growled snatching the paper from the counter angrily.
Caitlyn sighed. "I'll be right back," she told Nate's family, who understood. It was best if Caitlyn talked to Nate first. She was less likely to have her head ripped off.
She slowly walked up the stairs and down the hallway to Nate and, Nate's younger brother, Joey's room. Caitlyn knocked ever so softly as to not awake the still sleeping Joey. Nate swung the door open, but stopped it before it could slam into the wall loudly. His face was angry and had a glare for whoever had decided to disturb him, but Nate immediately regretted the hostile glare upon seeing Caitlyn's hurt expression.
"I'm sorry we made fun of your to-do list!" Caitlyn said shortly, feeling tears sting her eyes. Nate didn't need to be so cold, it was just a joke! She turned away quickly, not wanting Nate to see her cry.
"Caity, wait," Nate called out. "I'm sorry, I was just embarrassed. I shouldn't have reacted that way, especially not at you."
Caitlyn swiped at her tears and turned around giving her best smile. "It's okay. And don't be embarrassed by your organizational tendencies. I love the 'need to organize everything' attitude you have, I think it's cute," she whispered before kissing him softly.
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Caitlyn looked down at the photocopied list Nate had given everyone a copy of.
Promotional Photo Shoot
The limo suddenly halted and Caitlyn, Shane, Nate, Mitchie, and Jason all stepped out into the cool November air. The street was lined with screaming fans surprising the unwary Caitlyn. Nate grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. The group quickly made their way inside the studio stopping to sign a few autographs on the way.
Once inside the studio the five teenagers were approached by the photographer. "Boys, hello!" the short man with an Italian accent greeted. He was bald, dressed in all black, and waved a camera about in his hand.
"Hey, Aldo," the boys responded in what seemed like rehearsed unison.
"The stylists are behind that white curtain," Aldo said pointing. "I shall be waiting."
Caitlyn watched as the photographer walked towards two scared looking interns. He began yelling at them because they hadn't loaded the film properly.
"He seems a little… intimidating," Caitlyn whispered, grasping for the appropriate word.
"Oh, don't worry about him," Nate laughed. "He couldn't hurt a fly!"
As Mitchie and the guys went to put on the outfits assigned to them, Caitlyn sat down and flipped through a magazine. Mitchie was in the photo shoot since she was opening for Connect 3 on tour.
10 minutes later Nate emerged in grey skinny jeans and a blue plaid shirt. He smiled at Caitlyn before being handed a guitar and was rushed onto the white set.
Nate's shoot began filled with energy. Nate was told to do some tricks and jumps with his guitar, all of which he did like a pro. Then Aldo asked him to carry out some seated shots that were a lot mellower. These photos consisted of Nate playing some soft chords on his guitar. Caitlyn thought these pictures really captured Nate's passion and daily activities, plus they were super adorable. Shane, on the contrary, believed they were boring and super lame.
Once Nate's set of shots were completed it was Mitchie's turn. Aldo called her name and Mitchie stood up, her hands were visibly shaking and this worried Caitlyn, who was seated next to Mitchie. Caitlyn hugged her self-conscious best friend and encouraged her to go and rock the photo shoot.
Nate walked up to Caitlyn who looked almost as nervous as Mitchie. He smiled and put his arm around Caitlyn's waist.
"How's Mitch doing?" Nate asked.
"She's ball of nerves. Nate, I'll be surprised if she doesn't throw up on the set," Caitlyn said seriously as she watched Aldo try to coax the confidence out of Mitchie.
An hour later Mitchie was done and Aldo promised her he had gotten some good shots. Shane and Jason then began their shoots, but rather then watching them, Nate pulled Caitlyn into the wardrobe area.
"Your turn," he smiled.
"Huh?"
"You're going to do some shots with me. They won't be used on the tour posters; they're more for us," Nate said kissing her cheek. "And, I'm sure the press will get their hands on them too," he added bitterly, as an after thought.
Caitlyn gulped nervously and Nate just laughed.
"Are you sure?" Caitlyn asked Nate uneasily. Nate gave her a grin before walking back towards the set, leaving Caitlyn with a set of stylists.
They put Caitlyn in a cute yellow top, which fit as though it were made for her, and a pair of jeans with some black stilettos. The hairstylist took out Caitlyn's bun and curled her unruly hair to perfection. The final touch was a light dusting of make-up. Caitlyn then stepped out from under the curtain, being extra careful of her hair and spotted Mitchie.
"Mitch, have you seen Nate?" Caitlyn asked, walking toward her best friend.
"Yeah, he's over by the-" Mitchie turned to look at Caitlyn. "Whoa, you look so pretty, Cait!"
Caitlyn laughed, "Thanks Mitch, but where's Nate?"
"He's over by the drinks. He's probably drank all the Diet Coke in the building by now!" Mitchie joked.
Caitlyn nodded then set off towards her boyfriend. When Caitlyn spotted him with his back turned to her she smiled and decided to sneak up on him.
"Hey, stranger!" Caitlyn exclaimed as she lunged at his back.
Nate jumped and choked on the grape he had in his mouth. Caitlyn hopped down and watched as he finished swallowing the grape.
"Oops, I didn't know you were eating, sorry!" Caitlyn smiled innocently.
"Its okay. Now come on. Aldo called us a couple minutes ago, he's ready for us," Nate said, his arm around her waist, steering her towards set. "By the way, you look beautiful," Nate whispered making Caitlyn blush.
Aldo ushered them into position and gave the couple some pointers, none of which were necessary. Caitlyn and Nate were so comfortable with each other they did what Aldo wanted before he could even ask.
Aldo got shots of Nate with both arms wrapped around Caitlyn and a few of the couple laughing with their foreheads pressed together. Finally, Aldo got a picture of a sweet and innocent kiss Nate had softly placed on Caitlyn's awaiting lips.
"Okay, thank you guys. We're done!" Aldo shouted, pulling Nate and Caitlyn from their kiss.
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"Alright," Nate said once everyone was settled back in the limo. "Next on the list are tour clothes!"
Caitlyn looked at her list and sure enough Nate was correct.
2. Tour Wardrobe
The five teens pulled up in front of a warehouse looking building. Inside they saw, that it was, in fact, a warehouse FILLED with clothing. It was like Mitchie and Caitlyn's dream!
Shane made his way to a section of the warehouse where a few desks were set up, almost like a reception area.
"Hi, we're here to see Nadia," Shane smiled at the receptionist.
"Of course, right this way," the young girl responded before leading the group down a path, through the maze of clothes. At the end of the 'maze' was a tall woman with short brown hair.
"Hi, guys," Nadia, Connect 3's stylist, greeted. "I've got a section for you all to choose from just over here."
The whole group walked over to the only open area in the building which housed a row of hanging curtains which acted as dressing rooms. Once again, Caitlyn was left to read a magazine while waiting for her friends to return from the change rooms.
Jason came out first. He was dressed in a dark suit that was highlighted with gold.
"Nadia," Jason started nervously. "I don't mean to be rude, or sound snobby, but these clothes seem really cheap." Jason tugged at his sleeve a bit and it ripped away from the torso of his jacket.
Caitlyn watched in amusement as Nadia attempted to explain that the clothes were special. They were designed to be rip-away so the guys could change quickly between sets.
Soon Nate and Shane came out wearing similar outfits to Jason's. The central highlighted theme seemed to be the colour gold.
Both guys came over to Caitlyn and asked what was going on with Jason.
"He doesn't quite understand the concept of rip-away clothing," Caitlyn laughed. Shane sighed and walked over to the distressed Jason who looked utterly confused, and tried to help Nadia.
Nate and Caitlyn laughed at their crazy friends before Caitlyn turned to her boyfriend.
"So, rip-away outfits, huh?" Caitlyn smiled mischievously. "That could always come in handy," she joked, wiggling her eyebrows as she held on to the front of Nate's jacket.
"I must agree," Nate laughed.
Mitchie then rounded the corner in a pretty white dress that caught Caitlyn's eye and she instantly abandoned Nate.
"Oh my gosh, Mitch, that's such a cute dress!" Caitlyn squealed.
"Okay, I'll just stand over here, alone!" Nate called out, causing Caitlyn and Mitchie to roll their eyes and laugh.
The girls gushed over all the outfits set out for Mitchie, while the guys went along with Nadia's suggestions and allowed her to take final measurements to alter the clothes.
Once Mitchie and Caitlyn approved all of Nadia's choices, they went and found the boys who were looking at accessories.
"Oh these must be mine-" Shane said as he lifted a pair of shoes that he liked. "Nate? No, these would never fit Nate's tiny feet!" Shane was utterly confused as he stared at the little tag that had Nate's name on it.
"Shut up!" Nate growled snatching the shoes from Shane's grip. "My feet have grown since sixth grade you know!" Nate rolled his eyes, he referring to the shopping trip 5 years ago when Nate's feet were uncharacteristically small.
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"Now for my favourite item on the list!" Shane exclaimed rubbing his hands together happily.
3. New Shoes
The whole group walked into a shoe store with huge windows. Shane and Jason ran at the walls covered with shoes and began drooling over them.
"Could we not have found a store with smaller windows and maybe a little more privacy?" Mitchie whined as she shielded her eyes from the flashes the paparazzi's cameras were emitting.
Caitlyn rolled her eyes at Mitchie's developing diva attitude and followed Shane and Jason's example, but this time dragging Nate along with her.
"Oh my gosh, look at the sparkly lime green converse!" Caitlyn squealed. "I have to have them!"
Caitlyn began pulling shoes of the racks 4 at a time and setting them in a pile next to a bench. Nate was also looking at shoes nearby, but he was no where near as excited as Caitlyn.
Once Caitlyn had a huge pile she decided it was time to try them on. Nate sat next to her and did the same, but only trying on a couple pairs.
"Nate, are you buying new shoes for tour?" Caitlyn asked. "I mean, it's not as though you enjoy shopping."
Nate smiled. "You're right, I don't, but it's a sort of tradition. We have always bought a new pair of shoes before leaving to go on tour. Before we got signed Mom bought them, but now that we have some money, we can afford them on our own," Nate laughed. "Instead, we buy our Mom at least one pair of shoes on each tour."
Caitlyn 'awed' and went back to her pile of shoes. Nate decided to turn his attention to his brothers who were pointing out all the shoes that they liked, didn't like, and already owned.
"Hey guys, instead of talking about shoes, why don't you buy some shoes!" Nate laughed.
Jason and Shane gave their younger a mocking look. Shane then went back to flipping a shoe around in his hand, like he normally did with his microphone, trying to impress Mitchie.
"Oh, very good, Shane!" Mitchie laughed, clapping her hands together in delight.
Nate shook his head at his brother's inability to tell the girl that he loved his true feelings about her.
"Hmm," Caitlyn pondered, pulling Nate from his thoughts. "Nate, I can't choose between the orange, green, purple, and yellow ones. What do you think?"
Caitlyn set out all 4 pairs of shoes in front of Nate for him to decide. Nate groaned. He was horrible at making choices.
"Um, why don't you just get them all?" Nate asked. "It'll be my treat!"
Caitlyn squealed and hugged her boyfriend, "Thank you!" She planted a kiss on Nate's lips before bringing all the shoes to the cashier.
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After the shoe store, the boys and Caitlyn dropped Mitchie off at her house, promising that they would pick her up tomorrow at 6:30pm for take-off. Caitlyn was staying with the Gray family, since she lived in L.A. which was a long ways away from New Jersey.
At the Gray house, the whole family plus Caitlyn ate dinner and then went to get ready for bed. Before bed, all the boys and Caitlyn decided to watch a movie in the family room. The plan was perfect and relaxing, until Mrs. Gray walked in and interrupted them.
"Shane, Jason, Nate, I have some chores I want you to do. Shane, take out the trash, please. Nate and Jason, I have something I want you guy to move for me," Mrs. Gray said expectantly.
All three boys sighed, but did as they were told.
Once the guys were gone Joey and Caitlyn stretched out over the whole couch and Joey snuggled up to Caitlyn resting his tired head on her shoulder. Caitlyn smiled and wrapped her arm around his little body. Just then Nate and Jason walked by carrying a heavy box.
"Hey! Joey, are you trying to steal my girlfriend?" Nate joked.
"Maybe!" Joey exclaimed, sticking his tongue out. Nate pouted.
"Oh, Nate, don't worry, there's always room for you. Just help Jason put that away first, Muscle Man!" Caitlyn teased.
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"Wakey wakey, Caity," Nate said rubbing his girlfriends back.
Caitlyn groaned and rolled over. "What time is it?"
"6am" Nate responded indifferently.
"Nate, you're nuts!" Caitlyn grumbled, before throwing the covers over her head and shooing Nate from her guest bedroom in the Gray's house.
"But, Caity," Nate whined. "We have to pack; we leave for the airport in 12 hours! That doesn't leave us a lot of time!" Nate accompanied his claim by pointing at the final item on the to-do list.
4. Pack
"No, you have to pack, now out!" Caitlyn's clothes were already packed up in her suitcase which sat in the corner of the room.
Nate sighed and begrudgingly left the room, moving on to the only space in the house that he had not yet been kicked out of; his parent's bedroom.
Three hours later everyone in the house had finally woken up and it was becoming a mad dash to get things packed.
Nate had all his clothing packed since he'd been up since 5am, but he still had some sports stuff that he wanted to bring along, that still sat in the garage.
Caitlyn, having nothing better to do, agreed to join him and sat watching as Nate gushed over all his sports paraphernalia. It was clear that sports were his main passion next to music.
"Nathan," Mrs. Gray said breathlessly, popping her head into the garage. "Oh, Caitlyn too, I should have known. Can you two come and supervise Joey? I still have a lot of other stuff to do and I can't keep an eye on him as well."
"Sure, Mom," Nate said putting his final baseball bat in the bag and lugging it with him and Caitlyn into the house to place with the rest of the luggage.
Once inside the house Nate and Caitlyn climbed the stairs to the two youngest brothers' room. Inside Joey was shoving as many toys into his bag as he could, before an adult returned.
"Joey," Nate moaned. "You're not bringing ALL your toys again!"
"But Nate-" Joey began to refuse.
"Joseph, listen to your brother!" Mrs. Gray said firmly, walking past the doorway.
Seven hours later everyone's bags were packed and the whole family was waiting in the limo for Shane.
"Always the last one out the door," Mr. Gray said laughing once Shane finally got into the vehicle.
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Caitlyn and Mitchie said on the private jet bouncing excitedly.
"I cannot believe this is happening right now!"
"Me either!"
Both girls screamed excitedly in agreement as the jet began to take off.