CHAPTER 1 – Say Hello To Summer
A.N. This is my first ever Camp Rock fanfic. Please be nice. I will try my best to keep the essence of the characters intact. Anyway, so I made the Connect 3 unrelated to each other here. They're just band mates. And I kinda extended the camp days after the Final Jam. I don't want to have to deal with all the school things Mitchie has to go back to. Sorry if I can't concentrate on some characters. There're just too many of them, I can't have to play with all their roles. I wanna establish my OC characters and their relationship with the main stars. (e.g. Connect 3 and Mitchie) ANNOUNCEMENT: To the readers of "Chances", please go to my LJ account. It's cheetoslover. livejournal. com. You can have the full explanation and what would happen there. Thank you very much.
Disclaimer: I have no intention whatsoever to claim the ownership of this franchise. I am simply a fan trying to express my desire to be selfish through my own stories with my idols. Please don't banish me to hell for this.
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Mitchie Torres was all smiles as she exited the cabin that she shared with her mother. It was the day after the Final Jam, but the memory of yesterday was still playing in her mind. Everything had worked out more than she had hoped for. She was the new "It" girl in Camp Rock. But the most important thing was that she worked things out with Tess and Shane. Even better than that was the fact that the rest of Connect 3, namely Jason and Nate, were staying at the camp for the remainder of the summer. It was the best.
Stopping in her tracks, she turned around when she heard the familiar voice of her mother. She smiled, running towards her and helping her with the box of chips she was carrying. Connie thanked her daughter before they continued walking. On the way to the kitchen, they ran into Caitlyn, who volunteered to help out, saying that she enjoyed working in the kitchen with them before. About an hour after that, Mitchie and Caitlyn bid goodbye to Connie Torres, going straight to the mess hall to join their fellow campers for breakfast.
"Hey, Mitchie! Caitlyn!" Peggy called out from their table. "Come sit with us!"
"Morning," Mitchie greeted as the two of them sat down beside Tess and Ella.
"Last night was so awesome! We should totally have Final Jams everyday!" Ella stated, making Mitchie smile.
"There's still the Summer Concert," Tess reminded. "We should do a killer number together."
"I'd love to!" Mitchie exclaimed, smiling at Tess.
"Connect 3 in the house!" someone exclaimed, getting the attention of everyone.
"Hey, girls," Shane greeted, walking over to Tess' table. "Good morning."
"Morning, guys!" the girls all greeted.
"What's for breakfast?" Nate asked, looking over at their plates.
"Ooh! Cereal!" Jason exclaimed in excitement, squeezing in-between Tess and Mitchie.
"Are you doing anything this afternoon?" Shane asked, looking at Mitchie. "I was wondering if you'd go canoing with me."
"I'd love to," Mitchie said, smiling at him. "But I'll have to ask my mom first. I might have kitchen duty."
"Alright," Shane said, nodding his head.
"Everyone, may I have your attentions please? I have an announcement to make," Uncle Brown stated, walking in the middle of then room. "Apart from Connect 3 joining us this summer, we have another guest here with us."
Suddenly, the door opened and a tall and somewhat angelic looking girl walked in, making everyone's jaws drop. In an instant, screams from adoring fans erupted inside the mess hall. Each one of them trying to restrain themselves.
"Sis?" Nate called out in surprise.
"Babe?" Jason asked, standing up.
"What?!" Shane exclaimed, his eyes wide.
"Nate!" the girl exclaimed as Nate came over to hug her. "I missed you, little bro! It's been months!"
"I missed you too," Nate said, pulling away. "I thought you were in Madrid."
"Yes, well, Uncle Brown called me to be here," the girl explained as Nate wrapped an arm around her waist. "I couldn't resist returning to this place now, can I?"
"Uncle Brown called you?" Nate asked, obviously surprised.
"Babe!" Jason exclaimed, running over and engulfing her in a big hug.
"Jason!" the girl practically screamed when Jason twirled her around. "Hey, chill. Put me down."
"Sorry," Jason apologized, setting her down. "I missed you so much!"
"I miss you too, sweetie," the girl said, giving in as he hugged her tight.
The two parted and smiled at each other before theirs eyes landed over to Shane Gray. The girl raised an eyebrow before Shane approached them.
"Shane," the girl acknowledged, eying him carefully.
"Summer," Shane said, finally saying his name.
"I see camp didn't help much with your attitude," Summer commented.
"I see Madrid didn't help much with yours either," Shane shot back before looking at Uncle Bown. "What is she doing here?!"
"I asked her to come back," uncle Brown replied, walking over to them. "She's now a camp counselor, along with you three."
"WHAT?!" Shane exclaimed once more.
"Come on, Shane, you know what she can give to this camp," Uncle Brown said, patting Shane on the back. "Now, why don't you unpack? Your first class is in an hour."
"Alright, Uncle Brown," Summer said, smiling at him.
"Why does she have to stay here?!" Shane asked, following Uncle Brown as he walked away with a grin on his face. "Uncle! Uncle!"
"Come on, Shane, it's gonna be fun!" Jason stated, patting his back.
"Of course, it'd be fun for you!" Shane exclaimed in aggravation. "She's your girlfriend!"
"You're creating a scene," Nate commented, looking calm.
"Listen here, Summer, I don't think you should be here. Just go back home or do a concert or something," Shane said, walking back towards her. "Go do the things you're good at! Just not here!"
"You know, I really hate these non-moments we have, Shane," Summer stated, annoying Shane even more.
"This is a camp, Summer. Not a spa," Shane said, looking at her.
"You better think straight from now on, because that attitude is not gonna work on me," Summer warned. "This isn't your world anymore."
"And it's yours?" Shane shot back. "Face it, Summer, you just want to annoy me."
"Wow, you figured that out yourself?" Summer mocked. "But I'm staying, and you're gonna have to drive me away if you want me out."
"Oh, you are gonna wish you never said that," Shane said, a smirk on his face.
"Bring it," Summer said, raising an eyebrow.
Mitchie watched amusedly as the two superstars exchanged string words and glares. She, along with everyone else in camp, knew that Connect 3 and Summer Sanders were childhood friends, even going way back to their preschool days. What surprised them was the attitude Shane and Summer were showing towards each other. It seemed as if their fight has been going on for years, or possibly even longer than assumed. Mitchie wondered if Shane would tell her what the heck was going on between him and singing superstar Summer Sanders.
--
"Sure, honey. I can handle kitchen duty for awhile," Connie Torres said, gesturing for her daughter to leave. "Now go. You're gonna be late for your first class. Brown will surely get mad if you will."
"Thanks, Mom," Mitchie said before stepping out of the kitchen.
"Hey, Mitchie!" Caitlyn called as soon as she saw her. "Come on! We're gonna be late!"
Mitchie laughed as the two of them ran towards their first class of the day. As soon as they got inside the classroom cabin, they spotted Connect 3 standing in front of the entire class, as if waiting for them to arrive. Mitchie's face filled with confusion.
"You're teaching this class?" Mitchie asked, walking over to them. "Isn't Brown supposed to be our teacher in this class?"
"Actually, we're just here to observe," Nate said, placing his hands inside his pockets.
"Why?" Mitchie asked before the door opened.
"Okay, take your seats," Summer ordered as soon as she walking inside. "What are you three doing here?"
"We're here to see how you'd do on your first class," Jason replied, smiling at his girlfriend.
"You're late," Shane stated, earning a look from Jason.
"You're early," Summer shot back, focusing, instead, on her students. "Alright, this is Vocals, right? Okay, since I'm new here, I'd like to hear each one of you sing. So, one by one here; starting with you."
"Me?" Ella asked in surprise. "I can't sing in front of Connect 3 and Summer Sanders."
"Sure you can," Summer said. "Do it."
Ella, startled by Summer's aggressive attitude, quickly stood up and walked in front. She turned around and faced the crowd before starting to sing. Summer stood there, Nate beside her, listening to Ella sing the chorus of a famous Whitney Houston song. Nate placed as hand on her shoulder, silently sending her a message. Summer smiled back and nodded. As soon as Ella got back to her seat, Summer spoke up.
"That was..." Summer paused, glancing towards her brother. "Awful."
"Huh?" the students asked in surprise, looking around.
"B-but...but..." Ella stuttered.
"Listen, I don't think you guys know me. I'm really a nice person, and I'm also very honest," Summer said, walking closer to them. "When you saw me guest judge in American Idol and I was harsh, I really was. It wasn't an act. I may look judgmental but I'm not. If I say that you're bad, I mean it. I don't care if you get hurt or cry or weep or whatever. You ask for an opinion, I give you my most honest one. Since this is a class, I'm obliged to say something, and I did. Deal with it. Look, this is not a day care center. This is Camp Rock. And from this day forth, you will drill in your heads that I am your worst nightmare. I am your teacher and you are my students. Expect our relationship inside this classroom to be purely professional. I am a very strict teacher and I play by my rules. This is a classroom, and in this classroom, we are not friends. I don't care if you are shy or sick, when you attend my class, I expect you to bring it on. I expect you to give me your best performance – no amateur singing. If you suck, then you can blame no one but yourself. And please, don't cry in front of me."
The class sat in silence, letting the words of Summer sink in deeply. It was known worldwide that Summer Sanders was a sweet and caring person. One of the best role models there is. They've also reported that she was one of the most honest people in the face of the earth, but the campers never expected her to be that honest. They never expected her to be that harsh with words and her comments. But then again, she did admit to being harsh.
Summer shook her head before sighing heavily. She asked the next student to continue on with the activity as follows. Just like before, Summer was harsh, totally honest of her opinion. Everyone could see that Connect 3 were not surprised by her attitude as they had expected. It was as if they were already used to it. As Summer finished her comment, it was Mitchie's turn to sing.
Mitchie stood up and walked slowly upfront. She glanced towards Shane, seeing him smile and nod towards her. She smiled and faced the crowd, breathing in heavily at the sight of them all staring at her. She froze, staring at her classmates' faces. She gulped loudly, realizing that fear was creeping up on her spine once more. Mitchie, you've done this before. You can do it again.
Summer watched her closely, taking in every move that she made. Glancing towards Jason, she perceived that there was something in that girl that concerned the famous Shane Grey – in more ways than one. Looking at her, Summer instantly remembered the day she first sang in front of that class years ago. It was the first time she had sung in front of a crowd, which later resulted into projectile vomiting.
Shane smiled as Mitchie sang her heart out at the song she composed herself. He couldn't believe that after a long and taxing search, she was the girl that he had been looking for. Luckily, everything cleared out in the end, with the Summer Concert just their only worry, or so he thought before.
"What's your name?" Summer asked the moment Mitchie finished singing.
"Mitchie Torres," Mitchie replied, looking shyly at her.
"Well, Mitchie, I liked your song," Summer commented, smiling at her. "Was it an original?"
"Yes," Mitchie answered.
"You got skills at composition," Summer stated. "But you kept on hitting high notes in the song it sounded like you were screaming, plus it sounded so blah. And you have such a big mouth; a fly might get in any minute."
Everyone gasped in shock at the harsh words that Summer had just told Mitchie. They looked from one girl to another, half-expecting Mitchie to say something back. Some of them looked ta Shane and the rest of Connect 3, waiting for them to say or do something. Both Nate and Jason did nothing, not even Shane.
"Listen, Mitchie, no matter how beautiful your voice or the song is, if you keep on singing it that way, with no consideration to the meaning of the song, the outcome will end up like trash. It'll be worse than a broken record. In this industry, enunciation is a key point. And the fact that you open your mouth so wide may affect in your enunciation of the words. In truth, I liked the song, but I hated the way you sing," Summer explained. "I know I'm being brutal. But I am being brutally honest. And it's up to you to believe me or not."
Mitchie nodded slowly before dragging herself back to her seat. After she sat down, Tess stood up and confidently walked upfront. She smiled at Summer as she gave her the floor. In an instant, Summer knew that she was the reigning Queen Bee of the camp. She watched as Tess sang, realizing that she was singing a TJ Tyler single. Looking at her closely, Summer guessed her to be the Grammy-winner's daughter.
"That was unremarkable," Summer said as soon as Tess finished. "I expected more from TJ Tyler's daughter. Not like I expected her to be one of my students, but seeing as you are, I would have to say that I am very disappointed."
Tess walked back to her seat and sat down. She didn't look around at the faces of her friends because of utter embarrassment. It was the first time she had been insulted like that.
"I am so disappointed at all of you. I thought this was Camp Rock, but apparently, it's an amateur singing contest," Summer stated, obviously stressed. "Has the quality of Camp Rock gone downhill? However did your performance in the Final Jam became a huge success is just beyond me. I hated the way you all sang."
Nate placed a hand on Summer shoulder and squeezed it, trying to calm his sister down.
"Alright, this is gonna take a lot of work and I am willing to take on the challenge. Fine, since this is my first day, I will act as if I am patient. I will at least have to make you guys sound decent for the Summer Concert," Summer commented. "Tomorrow is a new day and I expect a little improvement at least. We'll begin lessons tomorrow. We'll meet up at the lake. Dress in your suits. Don't be late. You may go now."
The campers all filed out of the cabin, leaving the four superstars alone tot themselves. Summer looked up at Jason's face, seeing him give her a small smile. She smiled and excused herself before leaving the cabin as well. On her way back to her cabin, Summer suddenly stopped and turned around when she heard a familiar voice call out to her. She looked at the person in front of her and breathed out heavily, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What?" Summer asked, looking at Shane's face.
"Why are you here?" Shane finally asked the question that has been bugging him since that morning. "Why'd you come back, Sum?"
"You heard it. I came back because Uncle Brown wanted me back," Summer replied, looking away.
"You could've begged off. You have your whole career ahead of you. You could've just steered clear of this place," Shane shot back. "Why are you here, Sum? Why are you back?"
"I came back because I wanted to," Summer stated before walking away.
"Don't walk away from me," Shane said, stopping summer on her tracks.
"What do you want from me, Shane?" Summer asked, not facing him.
"I want you to tell me the truth, Sum," Shane asked, walking closer to her. "Why are you back?"
"I came back for Jason and Nate," Summer said harshly before walking off once more.
Shane watched her as she walked away from him. Memories of the past suddenly flashed before him and Shane couldn't help but feel as if he was getting sick. Summer was back and he was about to be with her once more. If only his life were that easy, he wouldn't even be standing there and watching her walk away.
--
Mitchie sat on the bench near the lake, watching as the birds flew up at the sky. Not a moment sooner, someone plopped down next to her. She turned to the person and smiled, finding it to be Shane Grey, just the person she wanted to see at the moment. Shane smiled at her before the two of them walked over the canoe, finally getting into some sailing. As soon as they reached the middle of the lake, they stopped, setting the paddles on the canoe. Mitchie looked up at Shane before finally speaking.
"Can I ask you something?" Mitchie asked, looking hopeful.
"What is it?" Shane asked, eying her.
"Why don't you get along with Summer Sanders?" Mitchie asked, looking at him.
Shane laughed, expecting the question.
"It's a long story," Shane said, giving her a smile.
"I got time," Mitchie stated, earning a look from Shane.
"Let's just say that it's too much for you to handle," Shane said, looking down at the waters.
"Why?" Mitchie questioned. "What's so deep about it?"
"Look, Mitchie, I just think that you are not the one to hear about this. It's nothing personal, but it's my private life, and I don't believe we're that close to be talking about it," Shane reasoned. "It's complicated. And as much as possible, I wanna keep it to me, Summer, Nate, and Jason."
"So they know what the reason is?" Mitchie asked, still pressing on the subject.
"Yes, and I swear to you, they won't tell you a single thing either," Shane said, getting annoyed. "Mitchie, I just don't wanna talk about it."
"Alright, alright," Mitchie said, silencing herself.
The two of them sat quietly on their won before Shane spoke up.
"When it comes to class with Summer, you gotta listen to what she's saying," Shane said, his voice soft.
"She was pretty harsh back then," Mitchie commented. "She scared the heck out of everyone."
"That's Summer," Shane sighed, smiling to himself. "But she knows what's good and bad. She didn't win 11 Grammy's for nothing. That's why she's a Camp Rock legend."
"It's scary how she's so abrasive with us," Mitchie said, looking at Shane. "I always thought she was sweet."
"Summer can be a lot of things. But I don't think I'm the one who should be telling you that," Shane said. "You should find out for yourself."
"You know, I have to be honest with you. I can't believe that she's dating Jason," Mitchie said, making Shane laugh.
"I couldn't agree more," Shane said. "But they love each other. That's all that matters."
"They do look cute together. It's like Jason's normal around her," Mitchie stated. "It's like he's still himself, only better."
"Yeah, Summer can do that to you," Shane commented.
"Despite her being hard on us, I'm really happy that she's here."
"Oh, big fan?"
"Who isn't? Come on, she is like the best singer ever!"
"And what am I supposed to be?"
"Oh, please! She's different!"
"We came from one camp! How is she different?"
"She has a different genre. And besides, she's a girl. Of course she's different."
"I'm still better than her!"
"She's right. You haven't changed one bit!"
Mitchie continued to laugh as Shane remained quiet. For a while, he thought back to his first day out of camp, when they got signed. It was a happy day, but things had changed. He changed, and he wasn't sure if he was back just yet.
"What's wrong?" Mitchie asked, noticing his unusual silence.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about our record label," Shane replied, smiling at her.
"They're gonna love your song, Shane. Trust me," Mitchie said, trying to encourage him.
"It's still a stretch. It's different from our usual stuff," Shane admitted. "I doubt they'd give it a chance."
"Sure they will! It's the real Connect 3! They'd love it!" Mitchie continued to encourage.
"You always know what to say, do you?"
"Hey, got an earful from me, didn't you? What more could you expect from Mitchie Torres?"
"You know, we should do a number together at the Summer Concert. The one on the Final Jam kinda left me hanging. I'd love to sing with you again."
"Really? Because I would totally love to do a number with you!"
"Great. We'll work on it soon then."
Mitchie nodded and smiled at Shane. As the afternoon closed, they decided to get back to the shore. It was almost time for dinner. Walking back to her cabin, Mitchie couldn't help but think about Shane. She had never really had a crush on him and he never found him that interesting. But upon meeting him, Mitchie admitted that he did make head's turn. And getting the attention of girl was as easy as pie for the young superstar. It was only a matter of time before Mitchie gets captured as well. Then again, summer's about to end in just a couple of weeks. There might be more distractions underway.
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A.N. So, what do you think? I know, it's kinda lame. But please review! I would really love to hear from you! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! Review! I know, I'm annoying. Sorry! Review! Haha!