Thanks for the amazing feedback guys :) You're the best! I hope this chapter was worth the wait.
This chapter has been inspired by the band Halestorm.
((Shane and Mitchie are now thirty-seven.))
Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or its characters.
He left. And with him went my heart.
-..-..-
(September 7, 2022)
It is before her alarm goes off that Mitchie wakes up, breathes in deep, and remembers.
Mitchie remembers when she first met Shane, his soulful brown eyes boring into her own as he introduced himself as the new music teacher at Roswell Middle School. She remembers him asking her out, his guitar slung on his back, as she graded papers after school and the way her heart pounded as she said yes. Their first date was simple- dinner and a movie- and the night ended with a soft kiss on the doorstep.
Mitchie's lips curl into a brief smile as she remembers the way he proposed. It was simple because he sat on the edge of her desk and popped open a small black box to reveal a small diamond ring.
She remembers her heart pounding so loud that she could barely hear the question he asked.
She said yes.
Mitchie remembers the way his chest would expand and contract against her back as he held her, the heat of his body seeping into hers. His lips, soft yet rough against her own.
She misses it. She misses him.
Mitchie stumbles when she gets up, almost falls, and then steadies herself when walking to the bathroom. Within seconds the water of the shower is pelting against the tile floor and she steps inside.
It is soothing at first, its comfortable heat seeping into her tired bones. Then it reminds Mitchie of the fight and she closes her eyes tightly, turning the knob so that the water is scalding hot and she rubs her skin raw with her loofah. It feels almost as raw as her heart.
It's only then, in the torrent of shower water that she cries for everything she has lost: her husband, her child, and her sense of home.
Being alone gives a person time to think about life. If you don't know yourself it's quite a shock to realize that you aren't as sure about who you are and you aren't as complete and whole as you think you are.
-..-..-
(October 31, 2022)
Halloween is scary in every sense of the word.
For the children in Mitchie's English class the holiday is nothing but a day to dress up in costumes and knock at people's door for treats. They talk relentlessly about what they're going to do when night comes and it is pointless to try and quiet them.
For Mitchie it is a time to confront her biggest fears and failures which are scarier than any monster she can think of.
At the end of the day Mitchie forces wide smiles and happy goodbyes to the few students who cared enough to say goodbye, then (when the classroom is empty) breathes in deep, dropping into her chair.
A light knock on the door startles her, and she turns around, thinking for a brief second that it may be Shane, only to be met with the sight of her best friend, Caitlyn Geller. Her wide brown eyes say everything and the pity they hold is mocking.
"I'm fine Cait." Mitchie says, knowing what she's thinking without her having to speak.
"No you aren't." she says bluntly, a slight bite to her words. "I know you and you're anything but fine."
There is nothing but silence between them as they hold each other's gaze. Caitlyn is the first to relent and her face softens, her legs carrying her to the desk closest to Mitchie's.
"How about we go out tonight? Nate can watch Alexander and take him trick-or-treating. We'd watch a movie or eat dinner or go bowling- whatever you want. It'd be great and as much as I love you, you need to get out of the house." she smiles a little. "Please Mitchie? I'm worried about you."
Mitchie hadn't given any thought as to how closely the Grey family was knitted together in a long time but it hits her in this moment.
Caitlyn had been introduced to Nate (Shane's brother) through Mitchie herself soon after she started dating Shane. Nate and Caitlyn took to each other quickly and within a year of dating got married. Their son Alexander came soon after.
Friends, now family weaved together- supporting each other when one fell down. And even though Caitlyn didn't say it Mitchie knew that she thought Shane was a coward for leaving her.
"Okay." Mitchie says after a moment, relenting. "Just let me do a couple of things here and I'll meet you at your house. Is seven okay?"
Caitlyn nods, stands, and squeezes her friend's hand. "Sure, whatever you need Mitchie. I'm here for you."
Mitchie stares at her hand, the one Caitlyn had squeezed.
It was her left hand and on it lay the sparkling ring that once gave her so much joy. It too mocks her so she takes it off, placing it in the bottom of her desk drawer.
She doesn't look back.
.._..
Mitchie isn't an idiot. It's been two months and he hasn't come home. He hasn't come back and the chances of that happening now are quickly fading.
She fights with herself about changing the small things around the house... the leftover macaroni & cheese and mixed vegetables in the fridge are sure to be bad, yet she can't bring herself to throw them out. His clothes are on his dresser, haphazard and tangled together (a fact that used to annoy Mitchie to no end), yet now it's endearing. He has also left his marks on the bathroom- the smell of his aftershave still lingering, his hair products and toothbrush mingling with hers.
It's beginning to be more trouble than it's worth, worrying about Shane and what he's doing, but she can't help it. He is her husband, no matter where he is or how long it's been since they've talked. And since she can't talk to him the least she can do is try and let go of what drove them apart to begin with.
Their child.
It was too soon to tell what gender it may have been and what the child may have looked like but Mitchie always liked to think it would have been a girl with Shane' dark hair and eyes with her porcelain skin and usually gentle demeanor.
It's this picture in Mitchie's mind that brings her to this place.
Mitchie stands at the big black wrought iron gate of the cemetery, a single flower in her hand. She knows it isn't much but she holds her jacket close, moving to the symbolic, almost insignificant mound of dirt at the edge of the cemetery.
The wind blows, making it seem colder.
"It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." she murmurs, bending down.
Mitchie doesn't cry- there has been too much of that already- and when she straightens the weight on her heart is lighter. It was time to let go and she did.
It's how we live that defines us- what we change and what we leave behind.
..-..-..
(November 21, 2021)
William Moseley was the handsome new math teacher at Roswell Middle School.
He had moved into town a few weeks previously from England and when he found out that all of the female teachers swooned about his accent he blushed, obviously embarrassed.
He was so shy that it wasn't surprising he was drawn to the friendly (and pretty) brunette with sad brown eyes and no ring on her left hand.
It wasn't long after they became friends that he asked her out, his voice shaking as if he dreaded that she'd say no, but Mitchie didn't hesitate about saying yes. She felt free and was happy he knew nothing about her or her past.
Mitchie liked that William was the opposite of Shane.
William kept up with his appearance, always having a tie on underneath the sweater vests that accentuated his muscular biceps. He was a good speaker and focused on facts rather than taking impromptu trips to anywhere he wanted. She liked the way he said her full name- putting emphasis on the first 'e' because it was impossible for him not to.
He liked to engage in talks about controversial subjects like politics and religion and to take walks in the park even though it was cold outside. Evidently it wasn't really cold compared to the weather he had dealt with over the years.
"Michelle," he says suddenly, breaking off whatever he was saying. "you seem like your mind is elsewhere. What's wrong?"
"I'm sorry." she says automatically tightening her grip on his arm, flashing him a quick smile. "I'm okay, I just zoned out. What were you saying?"
The wind blows and the scraping of dried brown leaves on the ground is heard everywhere.
He pulls her gently to a stop, making her face him.
"You are always zoning out." he says gently, the American saying sounding strange with his accent. "What's wrong?"
A chill comes up her spine, not because of the weather but because he has almost figured out her darkest secret that still gnaws at the back of her mind from time to time. Instead of answering his question she grabs the lapels on his jacket, pulling him to her.
It's a kiss that is needy and desperate and rough. And it ends as quickly as it begins because Mitchie pulls away, aware suddenly of what she just did. Williams lips that looked so pink and kissable were too soft, too gentle. They weren't his.
"I'm sorry." Mitchie says, her voice sounding far away, like she was underwater. "I have to go."
As she runs she can hear William' voice calling after her. It's bewildered.
"Michelle, wait!"
But she doesn't. She runs away, like a coward... like Shane.
I guess you could say I miss you a little. A little too much, a little too often, and then a little more each day.
..-..-..
(December 10, 2021)
Mitchie listens to the wind howl as snow and hail pelt to the ground. She is curled up on the couch trying to read a book and in the background the radio is on low playing classical music. It's too hard to concentrate because there is now guilt is gnawing on her stomach to go with the denial in her brain even though she broke off whatever the hell she had with William. He had wanted to know too much and it didn't feel right to be with him.
Mitchie shuts her book and closes her eyes just as a knock sounds on the door. She throws off her blanket, eyebrows creased as she smooths down her hair and straightens her ratty t-shirt and grey sweatpants. She wasn't expecting any visitors with the weather as crazy as it was so she's a little self conscious.
She opens the door to a tired looking man with a familiar dufflebag at his feet.
Shane.
He stares at her with his familiar brown eyes and her hand drops from the doorknob, their life together flashing before her eyes in seconds.
Mitchie is torn between hugging him fiercely and slapping him silly. She decides to do both apparently because her hand moves forward on its own accord and his head whips to the side, her hand-print on his face. Then she surges forward, hugging him so tightly that it hurts.
In this moment it doesn't matter what either of them had done the past few months, they just revel in each other.
"I'm sorry." he says, his voice wavering.
He buries his face in the crook of Mitchie' neck, his shoulders beginning to quake. He repeats the words so much that they begin to not sound like actual words anymore, and she grips him tighter. Her own tears fall on his shirt.
They have a lot to talk about but this is it- what they had been waiting for.
A new start.
I'm sorry it's taken so long to update, school/life has been crazy. I should post the next and last chapter soon but I do have exams so please bare with me. Please review because it'd make my day!