A/N: I plan to follow this up with a Natella companion, by the way. So the questions about what happened with Nate and Ella will be answered. Promise.

Enjoy!

angellwings

The Summer I Was a Chump: Jason's Tale

By angellwings

It didn't start out this way. Then again, when does anything start the way it ends? If a journey began and ended as planned movies, books, and television would be a lot less entertaining. But this was life, and one always hopes that in life things go the way they're supposed to. This summer did not go the way it was supposed to.

See, I was supposed to come back to camp and sweep Caitlyn Gellar off her feet. Yes, me, Jason Gray, had a plan to sweep, the rarely flustered, Caitlyn Gellar off her feet. Did that happen? No, of course not.

Would you like to know why?

Because Brown hired another counselor to help Caitlyn with the dance classes. A male counselor. You'd think, as my uncle, he would have realized how big of a pain that was going to be for me. Now Caitlyn spent most of her time planning lessons with this very buff very straight dancer guy and had very little time for me. It sucked.

So, when I wasn't reeling in the Junior Rockers, I spent my free time lurking around the dance cabin hoping to get a few words in with Ms. Always-on-the-go Gellar. The first time I actually managed to catch her long enough for a conversation was a full week after Camp started. I had seen her at meals and things, but other than that it was like we weren't even on the same planet.

"Hey, Caity," I said eagerly as I followed her down the steps.

She paused on the last step and turned to smile at me. "Hey, Jase. What's up?"

"Nothing," I said with a bright smile. "We just haven't had a chance to catch up since we've been here and I wanted to say hi."

Her eyes softened and she nodded. "Okay. Hi."

"Hi," I repeated.

She chuckled at me and pinched my arm lightly. It didn't hurt. "You said that already."

"Oh! Right," I said as I mentally berated myself. "I did, didn't I?"

"Listen," Caitlyn said with a tired sigh and a regretful smile. "I actually don't have much time to talk right at this moment, but…maybe we can meet up tonight after the campers are asleep? Danny and I are going to be choreographing on and off until then, but I promise I'll be free after that. You in?"

I nodded so fast that I nearly gave myself a headache. I could feel myself smiling despite the mention of Danny. "Yes, I am definitely in. Where should I meet you?"

"Um, by the camp fire?" Caitlyn suggested. "Mitchie and Shane are supposed to meet up tonight so one of them will probably keep it burning for a while."

"I'll be there," I said instantly, and I knew I would be there too. Hopefully, the JRs wouldn't be too much trouble tonight. The longer they took to go to bed the less time I would have to talk to Caity. I thought that maybe I could convince Nate to cover for me. He and Dana had broken up a while back and he'd proclaimed that nothing was going to distract him from writing music and teaching his drum classes this summer. Which meant he had no one he needed to meet by the camp fire after dark.

"Dude, I would love to cover for you," He said. I knew it was a lie. Nate was not good with anyone below the age of fourteen. He just couldn't handle it. "But I can't."

"Come on," I whined. "Please? I haven't had a chance to talk to Caity since we got here last week!"

"Think about what you're asking me, Jase," Nate said with a sigh. "You want me to watch a cabin full of nine year old boys? You can't be serious because that situation would not end well."

"It wouldn't be for the whole night," I told him. "Just a couple of hours. I promise. If it'll make you feel any better you can bring someone with you as back up." I racked my brain for someone who was actually good with the Junior Rockers. "Oh! Ella! Get Ella to help you! The JRs love her!"

"Surprise, surprise," Nate said dryly. "A group of nine year old boys love an attractive teenage girl."

"Come on!" I begged again. "Please?"

"Fine," Nate said with a huff. "But you owe me big time. Not only do I have to watch the JRs but I have to keep an eye on Ella too."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You underestimate Ella."

And that was that. Nate was going to cover for me when lights out rolled around so I could go meet Caitlyn. I helped him convince Ella to back him up, but Ella's such a romantic that she didn't need much convincing. One mention of my probably hopeless crush on Caitlyn and she was sold.

"If you don't tell her about this tonight," Ella said in a scolding tone as she waved her finger at me. "I will not be doing you any more favors, Jason Gray. Okay?"

The pressure was on, apparently. I spent most of the rest of the day practicing my speech. I didn't want to have a reason to chicken out. I needed to be prepared. Nine o'clock rolled around and I made my way to the camp fire. On my way there I discretely plucked a daisy from the little garden Dee grew around the back of her cabin. Daisies were Caitlyn's favorite flower.

Only when I reached the camp fire Caitlyn wasn't there yet. I thought she was probably still in the dance cabin. She had a habit of practicing until she thought everything was perfect. My suspicions were confirmed when I approached the cabin and heard a pumping beat escaping the screen doors. I glanced through the doors and immediately frowned. Danny was there. He was dancing closely with Caitlyn. There was a pumping dance beat playing underneath a slower track and the dance they were performing was very graceful and…romantic. Danny was standing behind Caitlyn with his hands on her hips and she'd reached her arms up over her head to wrap them around his neck.

My first thought was to throw the flower away and run, but I didn't. Instead I took a deep breath and entered the cabin. They were dancing. That's all it was. That had to be all it was.

I sat down in a vacant chair as Caitlyn shook her head and grimaced at their reflection in the mirror. She stopped the music and turned to face Danny. "No, no. That still doesn't feel right. It's too close. The song is about the distance between these two people. We can't illustrate distance with your hands on my hips."

Danny shook his head. "I disagree. There's distance between them physically not emotionally. So, if we choreograph this to illustrate their emotions then I think it works."

Caitlyn's nose wrinkled up in disgust. "I don't know. I'll think about it. Either way, we're done with this for today, I think. If I have to listen to this song one more time I'm going to scream."

Danny chuckled and nodded. "Amen. We'll make the rest of the choreography decisions tomorrow. Good night, Cait."

She nodded and waved to him distractedly. "Night, Dan."

She hadn't seemed to have noticed me yet. She bit her bottom lip and tilted her head as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. I smiled softly as she spun gracefully on one foot. When she came back to face the mirror she scowled at herself. I watched as she pulled her damp hair back and off of her neck. She then touched a hand to her forehead and wiped a bit of glistening sweat off of her brow.

She groaned in frustration and snatched up her bag. "If only I had time to shower. I look like a drowned rat."

"I think you look great," I said before I could stop myself.

Caitlyn jumped and turned around in surprise. "Jase! When did you—I…I didn't see you. How long have you been sitting there?"

"Since Danny's hands were on your hips," I answered. My tone darkened and I muttered a curse under my breath. Way to act like a jealous creep, I thought to myself.

Caitlyn blushed prettily and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's just a dance, Jase."

"I know," I said softly.

"We're working on it for the Camp Fire Jam," Caitlyn added nervously. "No one's ever just danced at a jam before."

"I'm sure you'll be great," I said as she threw a baggy t-shirt on over her leotard and leggings. She shouldered her bag again and I stood up to meet her at the cabin door. "You're always great, Caity."

She shivered as a breeze filtered through the screen and I quickly shed my hoodie.

"Here," I said as I offered it to her. "I don't need it, and you look cold."

She smiled gratefully and nodded. "Thanks."

I opened the door and we walked toward the still burning camp fire. As we got closer I could see Shane sitting beside of it, shifting the logs and encouraging the flame. He was waiting on Mitchie. We sat down across the fire from him on a small log.

"So," Caitlyn said as she snuggled into my hoodie and set her bag aside. "What did you want to catch up on?"

"Just…things," I said lamely. "How's your summer been?"

One of her eyebrows rose and she grinned at me in clear amusement. "Good, considering we've only just finished one week of it. Jase?" She asked as her gaze focused on my shirt pocket. "Do you have a daisy in your pocket?"

The flower! I'd forgotten all about the flower! I fumbled to get it out of my pocket. I held it out to her hurriedly. Only when I looked up did I realize that my hand had stopped mere centimeters from her face. "I—I thought you might like it since daisies are your favorite."

She laughed softly and took the flower from me. "Thank you. I love it." She gently brushed each petal with her thumb before tucking it behind her ear.

"H—how was your school year?" I asked nervously.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Boring. Same as every year. Same popular girls, same tired traditions, and the same closed minded people. God, I can't wait until I graduate next year. I'm so bored with high school."

I furrowed my brow and shrugged. "I never got to experience much of high school, but I always thought it looked like fun."

Caitlyn smirked at me and nodded. "If you went to my high school it would be fun. But you don't. So it's not. How was Connect Three's year?"

I shrugged and repeated her words. "Boring. Same as every year. Same award shows, same parties, and the same shallow people. The only piece of normalcy I have anymore is Camp Rock, and…"

"And what?" Caitlyn asked when I cut myself off.

"And you," I finished hesitantly. I wasn't sure I should have said that.

Caitlyn blushed and pulled her hands into the sleeves of my hoodie. My eyes fell to her knees as they shifted toward me. They were covered in a pair of thin black leggings. When I looked up I realized she'd scooted a little closer.

"Still cold?" I asked in concern.

She grinned at me secretively. "Not so much anymore."

"Hey, Cait," another voice said.

Danny. Stupid Danny.

Caitlyn groaned and turned to face him. "Yes?"

He held an extremely distressed notebook out toward her. "I grabbed your choreography notebook by mistake. I thought I'd better get it to you before I forgot."

She huffed and forced a pleasant smile as she took it from him. "Thanks. G'night."

"Good night," Danny said as he turned and walked away again.

"Sorry about that," Caitlyn said to me as Danny left.

"Why are you sorry?" I asked. At that moment, I desperately wished I could dance. Maybe then I'd be the one Caitlyn was spending all of her time with.

Caitlyn's brow furrowed and she looked at me in confusion. "Well, I guess because…Danny, sort of, interrupted us."

I shrugged. "No big deal. I mean, we were just talking."

Caitlyn's face fell and she looked down at her shoes. "Oh. I see."

"Caity?" I asked worriedly. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah," She said with a sigh. "I think I'm just tired. I should probably go to bed. It's been a long day."

I felt my face droop as she said that. "But…we've only been talking for a few minutes. You can't leave yet."

"Why not, Jase?" Caitlyn asked. "We have all summer to make small talk and talk about what we've been up to. It's not exactly something that can't wait."

"But—but Caity," I said with a whine. "I…I miss you."

"Miss me?" Caitlyn asked. "Jason, we're in the same place for once. I mean, this is the only time of year that we're in the same place. How can you miss me…now?"

"Because I never see you. You're always with Danny," I said with a clearly jealous sneer. "This is the first time we've actually sat down and talked to each other since camp started!"

"I'm working with him," Caitlyn said with a huff. "It's not like he's taking me behind the dining hall to make out or anything."

"Doesn't mean he couldn't," I muttered darkly.

"Alright," Caitlyn said as she stood up. "I'm going to bed before this turns into some sort of a shouting match. I don't have the energy to argue with you right now."

"I bet you wouldn't be so tired if you were talking to Danny."

I regretted it the minute I said it. If I wasn't being petty enough already I knew that that topped it off.

"God, Jason, what is your issue with Danny?" Caitlyn asked loudly. "He hasn't done anything. Not to you and not to me."

"There is no issue," I lied with a scowl. "I have no issue with Danny or with the fact that he had his hands all over you earlier. I don't care."

"Wait," Caitlyn said. "Are you jealous?"

"N-no."

Caitlyn rolled her eyes. "Well then why do you dislike him so much?"

"I…I don't know."

Caitlyn ran a hand through her hair and groaned in frustration. It was almost like she knew I was lying. But I thought that wasn't possible. She couldn't have known.

"Whatever, Jason. But…do us both a favor and don't talk to me until you figure it out, okay?" Caitlyn asked with a sigh.

I frowned and nodded reluctantly. This was quite possibly the worst night of my life so far. She didn't want to talk to me? I watched silently as she turned and walked off in the direction of her cabin. Why was I so stupid? Tonight was supposed to be about telling her how I feel, but instead I acted like a chump. Once she was out of my range of vision I stood up, waved sadly at Shane, and then headed back to my cabin. I hoped the Junior Rockers would be asleep. I wasn't in the mood to make them go to bed.

I arrived at the cabin to find Nate and Ella having a quiet conversation out on the porch. I paused in front of the cabin and blinked in surprise. They were sitting on the steps, and they were sitting just as close as Caity and I had been earlier. Nate must have enjoyed Ella's company more than he thought he would. He certainly looked like he was enjoying himself. He was smiling and laughing softly at something Ella had said. He'd barely smiled all summer. Until tonight he'd been Captain Broody (or at least that's what Shane and I called him behind his back.)

Ella saw me and eagerly greeted me. "You're early! How'd it go?"

I groaned. "It didn't."

"What do you mean, bro?" Nate asked as he stood up to join us.

"We ended up fighting and she told me not to talk to her, instead."

Ella smacked my arm and glared at me. "What did you do?"

"Why does it have to be my fault?" I asked with a scowl.

"Because you're a boy and boys are dumb," Ella said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Aren't they, Nate?"

Nate blushed and cleared his throat. "Yes, yes we are."

I gave him a strange look. "Okay, what happened between the two of you tonight?"

"Not what we're talking about right now, Gray," Ella said sternly. "What did you do?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I said stubbornly before I motioned to the cabin. "Are they asleep?"

"Yes," Nate said with a sigh and a nod. "They're asleep. How do you deal with them every night?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't talk down to them, I guess. That's what you did, isn't it? You know, that's why I told you to ask Ella for help, right?"

Ella smirked triumphantly. "He knows now."

"I just want to go inside and crash," I told them tiredly. "I'll see you both in the morning. Thanks for your help."

"G'night," Nate said as he patted my shoulder and started to walk away. He paused when Ella didn't move. "Ells, you coming?"

She nodded and then turned to me. "You're going to fix this, right? I mean whatever it is you did…you'll fix it, won't you?"

"I—I don't know," I said honestly. "I'm too tired to think about that at the moment."

She bit her bottom lip and then hugged me hesitantly. Ella was the only person besides me who actually enjoyed hugs. I smiled weakly and hugged her in return. "Don't give up, Jase. Be honest with her and make it right, okay? Promise?"

I sighed and nodded as I released her. "Promise."

"Good," Ella said brightly. "I'll see you at breakfast."

"Sleep tight, Ella," I said with a friendly wink. "Thanks for keeping Nate in line tonight."

Ella blushed and chuckled. "No worries. It was fun."

"Ells," Nate said with an impatient huff. Was he…glaring at me? "Come on."

She quirked a brow at me pointedly and rolled her eyes at Nate. "I'm coming, dude. Keep your shirt on." She paused thoughtfully and then turned to Nate. "Actually, I take that back."

I chuckled as I watched Ella skip off after Nate and then went back inside my own cabin. Sleep first, and then I would fix things with Caitlyn. The next morning when I woke up I realized we were already running late. I rushed the Junior Rockers to get ready and popped over to the girls' cabin to find that Lola was already headed out the door. The girls didn't look frazzled and unkempt like the boys did. I sighed and told Lola that boys and I would meet them at the Mess Hall.

When I walked into my own cabin the Junior Rockers whined and grumbled at me as I rushed them out. We finally reached the Mess Hall and I let them go.

"Sit where ever you want," I told them with a sigh. I wasn't in the mood to hear the whining that would come if I made them all sit together. I went through the line and grabbed a plate of food before turning around to find a seat for myself. I immediately searched the room for Caitlyn, and found her.

With Danny and Sander. One of them on either side of her. I sighed again and hesitantly sat down across from her. "Morning, Caity."

"So, Danny," She said as she pointedly ignored me. "I was thinking…you were right about that choreography last night. We'll do it your way."

I tried very hard not to let out an angry growl, but I think I failed because Caitlyn glared at me. If looks could kill, I would have been very dead. Danny gave me an intimidated glance.

"Um, that's okay, Caitlyn. I think I like the choreography better your way after all."

"Fine," Caitlyn said with a huff. "Whatever."

"Caity," I said again. "We need to talk."

"I'm eating right now, Jason," Caitlyn told him sternly. "You'll have to wait."

"Your plate is empty," I said as I motioned to the empty white plate sitting in front of her.

"I still have orange juice left, thank you very much."

Ella sat down next to me suddenly and beamed at all of us. "Good morning, all. How are we today?"

Sander cleared his throat and spoke up sarcastically. "Just peachy, El. You?"

"Oh, I am wonderful," Ella said with a soft sigh. "I seriously think I had the best night ever."

"Yippee for you," Caitlyn said dryly.

"Hello, boys and girls, what's the drama today?" Nate asked in a surprisingly chipper tone as he sat down on my other side. He leaned forward and winked at Ella secretively. "Ells."

"Nathaniel," She said with a blush and a grin. "How are you?"

"Pretty great, actually," He answered brightly.

"Me too," She said with a soft giggle.

"Oh God, kill me now," Caitlyn said suddenly as she stood up. "I'm getting out of here before I barf."

We watched her go before Ella jabbed my side with her elbow. "Don't just sit there, go after her."

"She didn't seem to want to talk, El," I said with a huff.

"Who cares? Go corner her and make her talk or better yet just pounce already," Ella said with a sigh as she tried to push me off the bench. "Go."

"Alright, alright," I said as I stood up. "I'll go, but somebody watch my breakfast? Don't let Shane eat it, okay?"

"Yeah, alright, geez," Ella said with a glare. "Just get out of here."

I turned and jogged after Caity. I paused outside of the Mess Hall and looked around for her. I caught sight of someone moving in the trees, and made my way to the woods. I found Caitlyn leaning against a tree and glaring at the ground.

"That patch of grass must have done something really awful to you," I said with a hesitant smirk.

"I'm imagining it's you," Caitlyn muttered darkly.

"Oh," I said nervously. "Right. If it helps at all, I am sorry. I'm not quite sure what went wrong, but I…didn't mean to offend you."

"That's the problem," Caitlyn said with a sigh.

"What is?"

"That you're not sure what went wrong. I mean, it can't be that hard to figure out, Jase," Caitlyn said as she kicked the grass in front of her.

I leaned my shoulder on the tree next to hers and gulped nervously. "Can I—can I ask you something? Without, you know, fear that I'll be smacked?"

I watched as Caitlyn fought a smirk and nodded silently.

"What part of what I said last night caused this?"

She bit her bottom lip and spoke up softly. "You said, 'we're just talking."

My brow furrowed. "Well, we were talking…weren't we?"

"Yes, but…God, Jason, it was so much more than that," She said in a frustrated tone before she paused and blushed. "Wasn't it?"

My eyes narrowed and I grinned as I realized just what she meant. I stepped toward her and she gave me a wary sidelong glance. But I didn't stop, not until my chest just barely brushed up against her shoulder. She gasped and briskly turned to face me.

"What are you doing?" She asked in a snippy tone.

"Caitlyn," I said quietly.

She glared at me. "Don't call me Caitlyn. I don't like it when you call me Caitlyn."

I smiled gently and nodded. I know she probably thought a smile at this moment was strange, but I couldn't help it. Caitlyn wanted more from me. That was why she was upset with me. She thought I didn't want more or that I was in denial or something. "Okay, then. Caity, happy?"

"Not yet," Caitlyn grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest and continued to glare at me. "I hope you're planning to say more than my name, Gray."

"I'm sorry," I said as I reached forward and tugged one of her arms away from her chest. I held her hand and laced my fingers with hers. "After Danny showed up last night I…well I acted like a chump. A jealous stupid chump. You're right, it was more than talking. I wanted it to be more than talking. That was my intention from the very beginning."

Caitlyn smiled slowly and lightly tightened her hold on my hand. "…really?"

I nodded. "I wanted to tell you something, and…we never got to it because I said something stupid."

"Wh—what did you want to tell me?" Caitlyn asked nervously.

I took another step toward her and she was forced to lean back against the tree again. "Caity, I like you. I like you more than I've ever liked any one, and more than anything I'm hoping that you'll feel the same."

"You…like me?" Caitlyn asked.

"As more than a friend and as more than a summer fling. I like you so much that I'm afraid…well, I'm afraid I might scare you away if I fully explained it."

Caitlyn smiled and bit her bottom lip. "You like me that much, huh?"

I took a deep nervous breath and nodded. "Yes."

"You like me so much that you'd call yourself a chump," Caitlyn said with a chuckle. "Which is a highly amusing and outdated word for jackass, right?"

I grinned in amusement and rolled my eyes. "Yes, Caity."

She smiled brightly and threw her arms around my neck. "I like you too, Jase. I have for years now."

Before I really knew what was happening Caitlyn pressed her lips to mine. She held me tighter and kissed me more persistently. Eventually the shock wore off and I groaned. I placed my hands on the tree on either side of her head and pinned her to the tree as I deepened the kiss. She let out a muffled whimper and I felt her fingers slip into my hair.

"Oh! Oh geez!"

Caitlyn and I reluctantly pulled apart and turned to face the person who'd interrupted us. I instinctively glared at him and held back an irritated groan as Caitlyn pinched my side. It was Danny.

Caitlyn mouthed the words "be nice" to me once she realized who it was.

"I—I'm sorry," Danny stuttered. "I just came out here to check on Cait. I didn't realize—"

"That someone else came after her first," I said curtly.

"Y-yeah," Danny said in a nervous tone. "I'll, um, I'll be going now. See you later, Caitlyn."

Caitlyn smiled at him apologetically and gave him a small wave. "Bye, Danny."

"Bye, Danny," I said mockingly once he was out of earshot.

Caitlyn laughed and rolled her eyes. "Leave the guy alone. He's harmless."

"Harmless, ha," I said with a scoff.

Caitlyn's arms went around my neck again and she wrapped a finger around one of my curls. She smirked at me and winked. "Jason, don't be a chump. Shut up and kiss me."

Maybe this summer wasn't going to be so bad. Sweeping Caitlyn off her feet right away probably wouldn't have felt as rewarding as this.