Hello readers, both old and new! Let me just take a moment to say welcome to the story and tell you a bit about it. First off, this won't be like One Year and The Final Year because things have changed quite a bit since then.
For instance, those of you who read The Final Year and read our authors notes were aware that Aden had two girls last summer. So sadly, she won't be a huge part of this story, but she did help with the first 10 chapters and she will be helping later in the story, so it's not like she's completely gone.
Another change is that I, Tianna, have been preparing myself for my last couple of years of high school, and life has a tendency to get in the way of things, so updates won't be every other week like they were for One Year and The Final Year.
So those are the two main "negative" changes that have been made, but there are some positive changes too! Like, this story does have a plot, but it's not set in stone, so in this story, you all will be able to add your suggestions and twists and so even though this is mine and Aden's story, this is also your story too! Another positive change is that, for personal reasons, I will be transferring out of the traditional high school setting and completing my last year and one fourth by doing online schooling. So that means more time to write, meaning more updates!
So I think I've rambled enough for the first chapter. I would like to, finally, present to you:
Speak Now
"Mitchie! Come on!" a voice called. Looking around the now empty cabin, I smiled as I thought of how Camp Rock would live to see another summer. My mind floated back to that first summer. How I had let myself get caught up in trying to be part of the cool crowd even. How I had made some friends who really didn't care who my parents were or how much money I had. How I had met some of the best people in my life. Caitlyn, Ella, Peggy, Lola, Barron, Sander, Shane, Nate and Jason were the closest people I had in my life apart from my mom and dad. And now we were saying goodbye to each other for another school year.
Nobody knew if they'd be back for sure the next summer. Some would be getting ready for college in the fall. Some would have jobs that wouldn't allow them to take the time off. And some were international rock stars that would be too busy with a concert to come and see their small town friends. We couldn't promise each other that we'd see each other again, so we all exchanged numbers and e-mail so we could stay in touch. We didn't talk about it, because none of us wanted to really come to terms with the fact that this could very well be our very last year being together.
"I'm coming Caitlyn!" I called back.
With one last look, I left the summer home I had grown to love.
Giving the summer home that I had fallen in love with so quickly one last look, I walked out, closing the perfectly sanded wooden door behind me. Turning quickly, I ran into a clearly pumped up Caitlyn Gellar.
"Are you ready to tell everyone goodbye?" she asked excitedly.
Smiling at her excitement, I nodded my head in agreement. She reached down and grabbed my hand and we began running towards the stage where the greetings were held at the beginning of the summer.
Slowing to a walk, I smiled at the view of Shane, Jason, and Nate setting up the equipment for our final, unscheduled, impromptu performance to tell everyone at camp that we loved them and would miss them.
"So Mitch, you ready to give everyone your last hurrah?" Caitlyn asked.
Laughing lightly at her word choice, I nodded again. My mind went to the night before, how we had spent many hours practicing for this big moment. We had gone from the campfire to the guys' cabin and had not come out for another four hours. If anyone else had been around, they would have accused us of "doing the dirty" as Caitlyn so eloquently put it.
"Yeah. I'm ready," I told her honestly. We made it to the stage and watched the boys finish setting everything up. Shane was the first to notice us. He quickly said something to Jason and Nate and they all turned to see us.
"Hey you two. Ready for this?" Shane asked. We both nodded.
"More than ready. I'm pumped for this! This will just wrap up the summer perfectly," I told them. They all nodded in agreement.
"So…who wants to sneak into Brown's office and tell everyone to come to the stage for a final performance?" Caitlyn asked. We all looked at each other uncertainly.
"Nose goes!" I cried, placing my finger on my nose. Caitlyn, Nate, and Jason all quickly smacked their hands to their faces. Shane stood there with an obviously confused look on his face.
"I'm sorry…what?" he asked.
"Nose goes means the last person to touch their nose has to do it," I explained.
"Oh…okay. Well then let's try it again," he said. I nodded and we all paused for a moment. We were all silent and Shane looked at us expectantly.
"Aren't you gonna-" he began, but I quickly threw my finger to my nose as Caitlyn called out, "Nose goes!"
Shane stood with his jaw dropped and his hands at his sides. We all laughed as his dumbstruck expression.
"Looks like Shane gets to go and break the rules," Jason said happily. I laughed and the four of us walked up to the stage.
"Come on Shane. We want to get this started soon," Nate called. Shane just stood there in shock. I rolled my eyes.
"I'll go with him," I said quietly to Caitlyn. I walked off the stage and walked over to Shane.
"Come on. I'll go with you," I told him quietly as I pulled him. He closed his mouth and nodded quietly. I felt him intertwine his fingers with mine as we walked to Brown's office.
"How much trouble am I going to get in?" Shane asked. I laughed lightly at his question.
"After Brown sees our performance? Only a little bit," I answered with a playful smile. Shane smirked.
"Then I'm taking my reward for breaking the rules before I actually break the rules," he said, pushing me against a tree. Smiling, I welcomed his warm lips as they pressed against mine. It was short and sweet, but it still knocked me off my feet. Taking his hand again, we resumed walking. We made it to Brown's office and quietly slipped inside. It was empty and looked like it had been that way all day. I grabbed the speaker and handed it to Shane. He looked at me unsure of whether or not he should do this. I nodded quietly. He nodded and took the speaker from me. He pressed the button and we heard it click on outside.
"Attention all Camp Rockers. Please make your way down to the stage for an impromptu performance. Thank you," Shane announced. He turned the speaker off and grabbed my hand.
"Run!" I exclaimed as we tore out of the office and down to the stage. We got there and saw Jason on his guitar, Nate on the drums, and Caitlyn on the keyboard. Shane and I quickly ran up the stairs and Shane grabbed the other guitar. We all came together for one last moment before everyone started piling in.
"Good luck everyone," I whispered. Everyone whispered a good luck and we all broke apart. Shane grabbed my hand before I could get back to the microphone.
"Good luck Mitch," he said quietly, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. I smiled and ran back over to the mic. I saw that just about everyone was there, including my mom and a not so please but certainly interested Brown. I smiled at everyone.
"Hey everybody. I bet you're wondering what you're doing here," I said. A series of replies came out of the crowd that we had gathered.
"Well…last night after the campfire, the five of us up here wrote a song and perfected it just so we could share it with you before the end of the summer," I told them. Another wave of excitement passed through the crowd. I smiled at their reaction.
"So, this song is called Wherever I Go and we all hope you really like it," I said. I smiled and nodded to Caitlyn as she began playing the keyboard. I looked out at the crowd and began counting off the beats to my entrance.
"Here we are now,
Everything's about to change.
We face tomorrow,
As we say goodbye to yesterday," I sang. I heard Nate come in with the drums, allowing me to stop counting off beats in my head and just trust where the beat landed.
"A chapter ending,
But the story's only just begun.
The page is turning,
For everyone," I sang. I heard Jason and Shane come in with their guitar as the chorus started.
"So I'm moving on,
Letting go,
Holding on to tomorrow.
I've always got,
The memories,
While I'm finding out who I'm gonna be.
We might be apart,
But I hope you'll always know,
You'll be with me,
Wherever I go," I sang. I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes as I watched my friends in the crowd sway back and forth, taking in the lyrics.
"So excited,
I can barely even catch my breath.
We have each other,
To lean on for the road ahead.
This happy ending,
Is the start of all our dreams,
And I know your heart is with me.
So I'm moving on,
Letting go,
Holding on to tomorrow.
I've always got,
The memories,
While I'm finding out who I'm gonna be.
We might be apart,
But I hope you'll always know,
You'll be with me,
Wherever I go," I could feel the tears falling down my face as I sang to everyone. I walked over to Caitlyn and took her hand and pulled her away from the keyboard as Shane took over the keyboard so we could have our moment.
"It's time show the world,
We've got something to say.
A song to sing out loud,
We'll never fade away.
I know I'll miss you,
But we'll meet again someday,
We'll never fade away!
So I'm moving on,
Letting go,
Holding on to tomorrow.
I've always got,
The memories,
While I'm finding out who I'm gonna be.
We might be apart,
But I hope you'll always know,
You'll be with me,
So I'm moving on,
Letting go,
Holding on to tomorrow.
I've always got,
The memories,
While I'm finding out who I'm gonna be.
We might be apart,
But I hope you'll always know,
You'll be with me,
Wherever I go," we finished. I quickly turned towards Caitlyn and engulfed her into a huge hug as the crowd began cheering for us. We pulled away and laughed as we wiped our teary eyes. We thanked everyone for coming to camp rock and to have a safe year. Once everyone had left, we began putting everything away.
"That was wonderful Mitchie," Brown said, hugging me. I smiled.
"Thanks, but I couldn't have done it without these four," I said, gesturing to Caitlyn, Shane, Nate, and Jason. Brown nodded and smiled.
"Well boys, have you picked out your opening act and special guest for your tour?" Brown asked.
"Yeah. We've just gotta make sure the label is okay with that, and then we'll ask them," Shane said smiling.
"Who is it?" I asked curiously.
"An undiscovered talent," Nate said simply, but his eyes were gleaming as if he had just told an inside joke. I shrugged and continued packing everything back up.
"I'm going to miss this," Caitlyn said, laying down on the sand as we patiently waited for Caitlyn's parents and the Connect 3 limo to arrive. Nate sat down about two feet away from Caitlyn and Jason laid down beside him. Shane sat down on the other side of Caitlyn and I took a seat right on his lap. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I just relaxed against him.
"Me too," Nate said.
"Are you going to miss Dana?" I asked him. I saw Caitlyn stiffen for a millisecond, but immediately relax again.
"Nah. Not really," Nate said honestly. We all raised our eyebrows at this.
"Oh really? Why? I thought you were head over heels for this girl," Jason said. Nate shrugged.
"I realized that there was somebody else that I'm closer to. Plus, I like her way more than I ever liked Dana," Nate said. Everyone nodded in understanding at his reply.
"So…who is it?" Jason asked. Nate didn't reply, but a small smiled crossed his and Caitlyn's faces for a moment as we took in the silence.
"It doesn't matter Jason. My guess is that she already knows," Nate said. I smiled lightly and settled into Shane's embrace.
"Caitlyn! Your parents are here!" my mother's voice called, breaking our serene silence. We all reluctantly stood up and I immediately began tearing up.
"I guess it's time," I whispered. The boys all stood up and we made our way to the camp entrance. Caitlyn's parent's got out of the car and waved to her. She smiled and waved back halfheartedly. I turned to her and opened my arms. She pulled me into a bone crushing hug.
"I'm gonna miss you Mitch," she said quietly.
"I'll miss you too Caity," I told her. She and I pulled apart hesitantly. She gave Jason a hug and they did their small handshake. She went to hug Shane. I don't know what she said to him, but he pulled away looking very serious and semi-terrified. I smiled as she and Nate embraced. I watched him reluctantly let her go.
"Love you all," she said as she began walking away.
"Love you more," I called out. She turned and smiled at me.
"We'll see about that!" she said, the smile on her face brightening the whole camp. I watched as she climbed in the car and it slowly pull away. Shane pulled me into a comforting embrace.
"You'll see her again soon," Shane said reassuringly. I nodded in agreement.
"I know…summer will be here again before I know it," I whispered. We watched as the Connect 3 limo then pulled up. My heart immediately began aching. I held onto Shane tighter than before.
"Hey…just like Caitlyn, you'll see me soon," he said. He kissed my forehead and let me go to give Jason and Nate a hug. I hugged Jason and told him that the next time I saw him, we'd make more bird houses just like the one the junior rockers made for him. I went to Nate to see him waiting for his hug with open arms. I hugged him tight and then pulled away slightly.
"Hurt her, and you're going down," I whispered. He chuckled lightly.
"I think she said the same thing to Shane," he said. I laughed lightly. I pulled away and went back to Shane.
"I'll miss you," I said quietly. He leaned in and gave me a soft kiss on the lips before pulling me into a desperate hug.
"I'll miss you too," he said. He pulled away and began walking away. He turned back towards me and waved lightly. I waved back at him and watched him climb into the limo and then it take them away. My mother walked up to me and hugged me from behind.
"Don't worry Mija. You'll see them soon," she said quietly. I nodded.
"Yeah…summer will be here before I know it," I said in disbelief.
"Who knows."
So, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Print it up, rip it up, roll over it with a tow truck, tape it back together and then burn it until it's only a small pile of ash? I'm honestly really nervous about the reviews to this story, but I want you to be honest. Should we continue, or should we scrap it and go back to the drawing board?
Also, I just would like to say we're sorry for missing our deadline. We had scheduling conflicts as well as technical issues. It was my younger sister's birthday and so I couldn't update. But Aden and I had a system set up that if one of us couldn't update the story, the other would. Unfortunately, Aden's computer has been having difficulties lately and was not able to log into the account to post the story. Sorry if some of you thought we weren't going to update!
Until next time!
~TiannaMarie~