A/N: Hey guys, its Kacee here. :) So this is my first fan fiction, please review! Constructive criticisms are welcome, flames are not. I usually prefer to read and review other peoples fan fiction than to write my own, but I decided to give it a go anyway! OK, so this is set about a day after Tess exposes Mitchie's lie to all of the campers. Enjoy :)

HARDER TO BREATHE

"I'm going home."

The statement was bland, yet it had the intended effect. Connie spun around with an exasperated sigh.

"Mitchie, not this again. Camp's nearly over! I'm sure a little tiff with your friends isn't enough to make you want to miss out on Final Jam."

Mitchie avoided her mothers eyes. "They're not my friends."

"Oh Mitchie, this is ridiculous! Why don't you just go over to them and apologize? I'm sure they don't hate you as much as you think."

"They do."

Connie reached out and squeezed her daughters hand. "Honey, you know you should never have lied in the first place."

Mitchie pulled away and buried her face in her hands. "I know."

A sob escaped, and Connie placed a comforting arm on her daughters shoulder as she continued to speak.

"I just wanted to fit in and be popular for once in my life."

Connie looked surprised. "Mitchie, what are you talking about? You are popular! You have lots of friends back home."

Mitchie looked up at her mother with watery eyes. "No I don't! I have one. One friend. That's all!"

She stood up abruptly, and walked out the door, leaving her mother in stunned silence.

No one understands me. No one cares.

Her mind was spinning as she marched out the door and broke into a run. She didn't know where she was going, and she didn't care. She just wanted to escape.

"Mitchie!"

The shout brought her out of her reverie. She stopped running and spun around to face a pair of alarmed eyes. Caitlyn.

"Are you OK?"

"Do I look OK?" Mitchie answered, with a little more venom than she had intended. Caitlyn was her friend after all. The only camper that would still talk to her after what she had done.

Caitlyn bit her lip and shook her head nervously, though her eyes were still brimming with concern.

She's not concerned, Mitchie corrected herself bitterly. She feels sorry for me. That's all it is. Sympathy. Fresh tears sprang to her eyes, but she blinked them away. She didn't need anyone's sympathy.

"Where are you going?" Caitlyn whispered tentatively, as though she were afraid Mitchie might crumble into a million pieces if she talked any louder.

Mitchie turned her back on her friend and the campsite. "I don't want to talk, Caitlyn," she replied heatedly, walking away. "I need to be alone."

Why did this have to happen? Shane thought angrily.

He stared out the window of his cabin, wondering the same thing over and over. The scenery did little to distract him from the whirlpool of thoughts contaminating his brain, which he couldn't seem to ignore.

A day had passed since he had found out that Mitchie had lied to him, but he still couldn't get it off his mind. The truth was, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

He had thought she was different, but he had been wrong. She was just like everyone else.

She only wanted to be friends with Shane Gray the rock star, he sighed bitterly. Not me.

He gazed moodily out of the window once more, but instantly regretted it. A girl with long dark hair was running towards the woods. Shane couldn't see her face, but he didn't need to. He already knew who it was.

Mitchie.

The last person he wanted to see right now.

He turned away from the scene and debated whether to call Nate and Jason, but decided against it. They wouldn't want to hear about his troubles.

He ran a hand through his hair, looking out the window once more as he did so.

She was still there. Talking to Caitlyn.

It's a wonder she has any friends left, Shane thought with a tight lipped smile.

But there was something about her that made him look closer. He squinted harder so he could see her face, and a pang of guilt encumbered him when he saw that she was crying.

He shook it off quickly. It serves her right, he told himself. She doesn't deserve any sympathy, not after what she did.

Mitchie shivered and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to protect her from the cold.

Why didn't I bring a jacket? She scolded herself inwardly.

After feeling the ground beneath her and making sure it wasn't damp, she sat down gratefully, and let out a shallow breath.

She'd been running in an emotional frenzy for what seemed like hours, and it was becoming difficult to breathe. She needed a rest.

Darkness was beginning to set in around her, and she didn't have a clue where she was. Great, Mitchie, just great. Her thoughts were dripping with sarcasm. How the hell do you manage to get yourself into these situations? Your asthma's acting up again, it's dark, cold, and you're lost. Perfect. How perfect.

After the confrontation with Caitlyn, she had wanted to be alone. She had run aimlessly into the forest, not bothering to stick to the path. Her troubled thoughts had defeated her common sense.

It was dark now, and the chill of the night sent goose bumps up her arms.

Regret plagued her mind, and a raspy cough escaped her lips. What had she been thinking? Running off into the forest like this. Mitchie thumped the ground in frustration. If only she hadn't acted so stupid earlier, she wouldn't be in this mess. She'd be safe and warm in the cabin, lounging on her bed and thinking about how great the day had been. Ha. She wished.

Mitchie surveyed her surroundings with a sad smile. Yup, she was definitely lost. The sweet smell of nature engulfed her from every direction.

She sighed.

There was no use in kidding herself, and hoping that someone would realize that she was missing and come find her. Everybody hated her because of what she'd done.

She brushed a stray tear from her cheek as she remembered how mean she'd been to her mother and Caitlyn earlier. It's not their fault that everyone hates me, Mitchie thought with regret. It's my fault.

Absent mindedly brushing a few leaves from her hair, she made her decision. If no one was going to come rescue her, she'd just have to find her own way home.

Mitchie got slowly to her feet and looked around, before beginning a slow jog in the direction that she had come from. Or at least, she hoped she had come from…

"Shane! Shane, wake up!"

Shane lazily opened an eye. The person shaking him stopped suddenly and sniffed.

"Caitlyn?" he said, sitting up in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?" He looked over at his alarm clock and muttered something under his breath. "For God sakes! It's after 11pm!"

He rubbed his eyes and stared up at her grumpily. His expression changed to one of confusion when he realised that she was upset.

"What happened? What's wrong?"

Why did girls always have to be so emotional?

Caitlyn wrung her hands together in distress. "It's Mitchie, she's gone!"

"What do you mean, she's gone?" Shane replied sleepily.

"I mean that she ran off into the woods hours ago and she still hasn't come back!" Caitlyn said, worry lines etched plainly on her face.

"What did she do that for?" Shane asked flatly.

Caitlyn let out an annoyed squeak. "That's not the point, Shane! Aren't you worried about her? She's never been late for curfew before, it's just not like her. I know something bad has happened. She could have been kidnapped, or gotten lost, or murdered, or…" Unable to finish the sentence, she burst into tears. The possibilities couldn't be real, could they?

Shane looked up at Caitlyn calmly, disguising his concern. Secretly, his heart was racing. What had happened to Mitchie?

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Caitlyn," he reassured her, although worry lingered in the back of his mind.

"How can you say that?" She cried in disbelief. "Mitchie's out there somewhere! In the cold, and the dark, with no shelter, or anything! Even if she's only lost, she could catch pneumonia or something! She could die, Shane! And all you can say is she'll be FINE?!"

Shane sighed in exasperation. Boy, this girl was dramatic.

"Caitlyn, you're overreacting. I'm going back to bed." He rolled over and faced the wall. He didn't want to look at her anymore. It was making him feel guilty.

A moments silence followed. Shane continued to stare stubbornly at the wall.

"Shane," Caitlyn spoke cautiously. "I'm sorry. You're right, I overreacted. Will you help me? Please. I know you're still mad at Mitchie for lying to you, but you don't know the real reason behind it. She just wanted to fit in. And she's sorry. She knows she shouldn't have done it, and she's really beating herself up about it. No one will talk to her anymore. Don't you think that's punishment enough?"

Shane squeezed his eyes shut. His emotions were going crazy. He knew he should still be mad at Mitchie for doing what she did, but he couldn't deny it. His anger at her was dissolving. There was just something about her that was special. Even though she had lied, there was still a strong bond between the two of them, stronger than anything he had ever felt before.

And, no matter how hard he tried, he could not block out the vision of Mitchie lying hurt in the forest. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

Finally, he turned and faced Caitlyn. "OK. I'll help you."

A raspy cough escaped her lips, and her breath came out in short, sharp gasps. Uh oh. This was not good.

The pain in her chest was worsening; she was struggling to keep her breathing under control.

Mitchie's eyes widened in panic as she realized that she had left her inhaler on the kitchen bench. How could she have been so stupid? Her wheezing was becoming louder, which wasn't a good sign.

Anxiety overcame her. She had never had an asthma attack before. What was she supposed to do?

She tried taking deep breaths, but found she couldn't.

Her chest felt like a rubber band had been stretched over it; constricting and becoming tighter and tighter. Why hadn't she stopped running earlier when her breathing had first became laboured? Tears streamed down Mitchie's cheeks as she realised the danger of her situation.

Night had fallen, and the sky was pitch black. The gentle moonlight illuminated the ground in front of her; its beauty seemed to mock the helplessness of her situation.

Another cough shattered the forests silence.

She was lost. Still. She had run for hours but had failed to stumble within reach of a path that would lead her back to camp. Just my luck, Mitchie thought bitterly.

Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. It was cold, and she was alone. That's the worst part, She thought to herself, as she gasped for air.

She was alone.

A/N: Sweet, so that's the first chapter over and done! Please review! I'm new to this so I'd love to know what you thought and whether you think I should continue it or not? So please just click the pretty purple button down the bottom left of the screen, and review. It would mean a lot :) I'll try to update this story soon. Thanks for reading! :)