3. The Aftershock

Mitchie stepped into her house, feeling a wave of victory hit her. She closed her eyes and slid down the door, taking a deep long breath. She survived a Connect 3 concert with her beyond annoying little sister and is still standing in one piece. She must be Super Girl. Mitchie stretched and stood up, wanting to spoil herself with melted chocolate while she lay lazily on her big fluffy bed. She definitely deserved it. Mitchie looked around her living room, realizing that she couldn't make her way through to the kitchen with the lights off. Mitchie turned the light switch on and gasped to what she saw.

Dozens of flowers rested upon her couch, sitting in a certain pattern that reflected their beauty at their best. Boxes of chocolates and small pints of ice cream spread against the coffee table, all of them were samples from collections of Mitchie's favorite. Mitchie giggled giddily, knowing that she wouldn't have to go all the way to the kitchen now to get her chocolate. She walked up to the box and opened it, inhaling the sweet scent of that sweet goodness. That mixed with the aroma of ice creams and flowers combining all together, Mitchie felt like she was in heaven.

Mitchie sat on the recliner next to the couch and popped a chocolate into her mouth. She sighed as she savored the delicious taste. Mitchie wondered who could have done this. She thought that it could have been her parents since they're the only ones who have the keys to her house besides her herself. But why would her parents do that? It's not like Mitchie was worthy to receive a gift that was extravagant as this. All she did was take her baby sister to a Connect 3 concert. There's nothing special about that.

Then who would have done this?

Mitchie looked around her living room curiously and set her chocolates aside. She reached out and picked up a sunflower. She twirled it between her fingers, smiling because she loved sunflowers so much. Mitchie then dropped the flower onto the coffee table. Not many people knew her favorite flower...Who was this person and how the heck did he or she get into her house? Mitchie stood up once she noticed a card on her coffee table. She picked it up and opened it. In an instant, it was like Mitchie's entire mood died down.

Mitchie,

I was really glad to see you there tonight…you have no idea. I haven't played that well in what seemed like forever. For once I was having fun, I was jumping around, singing to my very best, and I loved it. And just to let you know, you were the reason for the success in our concert tonight. You were like my wake-up call, my realization. Seeing you out there reminded me about how much I love music, how much it means to me. It was like you gave me a reason to perform tonight. I'm pretty sure you felt the opposite, but I just wanted to say…thank you and…I miss you. We should…catch up.

-S.G.

Mitchie wanted to ignite a blazing fire in her fireplace and watch this note – along with the other gifts – burn in that small circle of searing destroyers. She didn't care how thoughtful or how beautiful the gifts were. Mitchie wanted them gone. She then shook her head, thinking that imagining things from an evil dictator's mind wasn't the best way to end tonight. It has been a long day, and all she wanted to do was go to sleep. Thinking about those presents will just add stress, and Mitchie needed to get up early for work tomorrow. She stepped away from the presents and trudged upstairs into her room.

She couldn't believe that Shane actually broke into her house to deliver flowers, chocolates, and ice creams. Wait – she could believe it. It's so…Shane Gray: the guy who overdid things when it came to trying to get what he wanted. Mitchie just wished it didn't happen. What was she suppose to say to him the next time the meet? "Thank you" was just not the phrase that came up to her mind when Shane Gray was in her vision. "I hate you" or "Go perish in Hell" was more likely.

Mitchie slipped into her pajamas and walked into her bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror, wondering why the heck Shane wanted her back. She wasn't stupid; she could tell that he was desperately seeking her love back. Her question was: why. Mitchie thought that she made it clear that she didn't want any contact between her and Shane after that big split up. She thought that it was obvious that she didn't want to get back with him – let alone see him. Plus, Shane has a girlfriend. Why would he risk his reputation just to get a small town girl back?

After brushing her teeth, Mitchie skipped back into her bedroom. She collapsed on top of her bed and slid under the covers, pulling them securely around her body. She blinked into the darkness, still wondering. Wondering what she should do with those gifts tomorrow (if she had a blowtorch, then her problem would be solved), wondering what the media would say once they find out where she was living (Jason means well but he always did have a big mouth), but more importantly, Mitchie wondered what would happen if she had to endure another encounter with Shane Gray: rockstar.

Mitchie turned to the other side, pressing that linen pillow to her body. She grasped her hold against the feathers inside, trying to find her inner peace. Mitchie closed her eyes and breathed against the fabric, attempting to snooze off. All she would have to do is sleep so that Shane Gray will finally escape her mind. But once again, it was like the entire universe hated Mitchie and she couldn't doze off even a little. Whirlwinds of anger and confusion swirled around her head, causing unwanted tornadoes to overcome her. Even at the perfect surroundings of tranquility, Mitchie just couldn't find serenity in her mind.

She couldn't believe how much Shane intimidated her, even at this moment. She couldn't believe that she actually began to refer him as Shane Gray, something she thought she would never do again. It made him sound like he ruled the world with an iron fist – which technically, he does. He has the music world bowing down to his every need. Shane was their biggest money making scam. Without him, music would be uncared for again. And it was too obvious that Shane hated the way the music industry saw him. He was just a toy. Once that toy got too old, he will be replaced by a newer toy. So Shane tried to show that he wasn't one to mess around with. And God, did he have his way of showing things. Because of his actions, Mitchie grew even nervier with Shane.

Mitchie shut her eyes tight, desperately willing herself to go to sleep. She had work early tomorrow, and she needed the rest. Victoria wouldn't allow half-awake waitresses serving her Barney's Burgers. And she definitely wouldn't take the excuse Mitchie would give her. Shane Gray was haunting my mind. Mitchie even tried counting sheep! By the time 1:00 AM rolled by, Mitchie gave up. She – no matter how much she didn't want to – began to think of a certain lullaby to put her to sleep.

But tonight…I'm gonna fly…yeah tonight…I'm gonna fly! 'Cause I could go around the world and never be satisfied…if I couldn't see those…eyes…

And with that short verse, Mitchie fell quickly asleep. No matter how much she hates Shane Gray and is scared to heck with him, his voice is still, by far, the sweetest and calmest melody to her ears.


Shane stared at his phone blankly. Every time he tried to reach for it, it was like an electric fence shocked him, causing his attempts to fail. It was past midnight, and he still hasn't collected enough courage to call Camille and break things off with her. Really, he wasn't over Mitchie. Really, he never loved Camille. So it would be obvious – and right for every reason – that Shane should break up with her. Every person in the world might actually think that he had common sense for once.

Shane sighed and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He's been staring at that cell phone for three hours straight. He never thought that it would be this hard to just end things with a girl he didn't even like. "Why is this so difficult?" he complained, throwing his head back in pure irritation. "Come on, Gray, you can do this." He muttered trying to build up that high self-esteem he normally has. Shane picked up his cell phone and pressed the first number to Camille's number. Shane immediately dropped his phone. It was like lightning struck him or a plane crashed into him. Shane just couldn't do it.

"You know you want Mitchie back. You know that you need to end things with Camille. Why can't you just do it for God's sake?" Shane hissed. Shane's cell phone suddenly vibrated. His eyes lit up with relief. He thought that Camille called him instead, so he didn't have to waste his time staring at his phone anymore. Shane frowned to see that it was just Nate who was calling him. Shane answered the phone reluctantly, making sure to give a hard edge on Nate for disturbing him. "What?" he asked, his voice filled with aggravation.

"Okay, I know you're going to say that I'm paranoid or something, but seriously, where the hell did you go after the concert?!" Nate roared into the phone. Shane winced. He swore his eardrums shattered. Before Shane even got the chance to speak up and explain, Nate continued to yell. "You could have at least called us! We had the freaking police looking for you! Then hours later you finally decide to call Jason and tell him that you had 'things to take care of'! What is wrong with you?!"

"Nate, dude, relax." Shane said. He knew that he pushed Nate's final button. The kid he grew up with and always knew was now finally giving Shane a taste of his own medicine. God, it was sour. And to make things worse, Jason wasn't in the back round. Shane had no one to help him out now.

"Relax? You're telling me to relax?! I know you're not over Mitchie and all, but if she doesn't want you back, and if your current girlfriend has an unhealthy love struck obsession over you, then you should be smart enough to realize that you're completely wasting your time in Dallas! What the hell did you even do?!"

"Nate, relax!" this time, it wasn't Shane who said that. Shane sighed in relief to hear Jason's voice. "What would you do if you were in this position? I know that Shane was being irresponsible, but give him a break. All he's trying to do is get a girl he likes back." Right there, Shane immediately took back every bad thing he's ever said about Jason.

"Thank you, Jason," Shane said. He could feel Nate roll his eyes and Jason smile happily. "And all I did was drop a couple of stuff at someone's house. No biggie." Shane said casually, trying to keep his explanation as vague as possible while trying not to get on Nate's nerves again.

"What do you mean? Whose house did you go to and what did you drop off?" Nate asked, his voice calming down a little. Shane scratched the back of his neck and kept silent. He stared down at the receipt from the store he bought the things for Mitchie and the paper of directions leading to Mitchie's house. Shane bit his lip, indicating where he went. His silence was enough of an answer. "Oh God. You actually went to her house? What did you do?" Nate asked, the annoyance reaching back into his voice.

"I just dropped her favorite flowers, a couple boxes of chocolate, and ice cream. Nothing you should worry over." Shane said, trying to sound as innocent as he possibly could. Surprisingly, both Nate and Jason began to howl with laughter on the other line. Shane furrowed his eyebrows and frowned. "What?" he demanded.

"I am not surprised. Good night, Shane!" Jason said.

"Wait-"

But the line went dead. Shane groaned and threw his cell phone on top of the nightstand. He took a glimpse of the clock and read 2:07 AM. Shane grabbed the other set of directions leading to another place from his back pocket. He smirked and set them besides his phone. Shane rolled under the covers and drifted off to sleep. Anyways, he needed the energy. He was going to do a lot tomorrow.


Mitchie groaned to the sound of her buzzing alarm clock. She nearly fell out of bed as she tried to get up. Mitchie unwillingly walked into the shower, hating how she only received six hours of sleep last night. She allowed the steam of the hot water from the shower and its burning touch wake her up. Mitchie was almost fully awake once she stepped out of the shower. She wrapped her bathrobe around her body and stepped out of the tub. Mitchie looked at the mirror that was covered with steam. She wiped it in circles, revealing a wet version of herself.

"Just another normal day for you, Mitchie. Just move on with the day." She muttered. Mitchie dried herself before walking out of the bathroom. She slipped on her uniform and tied her hair into a side pony-tail, lettings loose strands of her chocolate colored hair escape. Mitchie jogged down the stairs, not bothering to make her bed, and stepped into her kitchen. She grabbed a banana and headed towards the door. She tried to ignore the gifts that still settled on top of Mitchie's furniture uselessly. She had plans for them later on.

Mitchie opened the door and unlocked her car. She stopped abruptly, almost stepping something on her doorstep. She raised an eyebrow to see a beautifully woven basket that proudly carried dozens of sunflowers. Mitchie had to smile. She bent down and picked the basket up, taking one sunflower into her fingers and smelling it. Her eyes closed slowly as she took in the alluring scent. Mitchie almost forgot who sent it to her. Almost instantly, she placed the basket next to the rest of the flowers and grumbled angrily. She found in unbelievable of how Shane could ruin her day this early.

Mitchie stepped into her car and drove to Barney's Burgers. She had burgers to cook and hungry mouths to serve. When she parked her car in front of the restaurant, Mitchie noticed the small box sitting on the passenger seat. Mitchie stared at the purple velvet box incredulously.

How the heck does he do this?! She demanded. Unless Shane stole her car keys in the middle of the night, Mitchie just couldn't find an explanation to this. But curiosity won against her tolerance, and Mitchie opened the box. She took in a soft breath once her eyes met a pair of beautiful diamond earrings. She stared down at the price that Shane forgot to take of – typical. Mitchie almost felt guilty. $2,872.00.

Mitchie placed the earrings back in the tiny box and safely tucked them into the depths of her bag. She swung the strap of her purse around her shoulders and walked out of her car, locking it behind her as she stepped into the restaurant. Mitchie checked in and sat behind the counter, already waiting for this day to end.

She looked around, seeing that there was nothing else to spend her free time. Old folk drank their coffee in the corner as they stared up at the TV, complaining every few seconds about what was on the news. The other waitresses around Mitchie, who were high school teenagers working since their dream summer jobs were all taken, were gossiping unsubtly about who hooked up with whom. And Victoria was counting money avariciously as usual. Mitchie rolled her eyes, thinking that she was surrounded by a crowd of petty people.

"Hey, M," Cassandra, the only other adult worker besides Mitchie and Victoria in Barney's Burgers, greeted, making her way over to Mitchie. Mitchie smiled in return, having no effort or interest to talk to Cassandra today. Cassandra is a nice girl, but she's too perky and optimistic to Mitchie's liking. She was downright annoying as well. "God, did you know that Connect 3 is all over the news? Just because Shawn Grain found a heart or something." Cassandra said. Mitchie almost laughed. It was like she was having a conversation with a pre-school girl who just mistaken Santa Claus for her fat grandpa.

"It's Shane Gray, Cassandra." Mitchie said.

"Oh…I thought you didn't like them? Anyways, I just think that it's funny how a band is all over the news just because he's acting nicer. People are acting like Jesus came back from Heaven to save us or something."

"What do you mean that he's all over the news?" Mitchie asked oddly. Cassandra pointed at the TV hanging above the old men.

"Connect 3 had their last concert of their summer tour at Dallas, Texas, and let me tell you that it was the most memorable concert these girls has seen in what seemed like forever. For three years straight, each concert Shane Gray has performed resulted in catastrophe or frantic blow ups. But last night's concert was considered as 'the best concert Connect 3 has ever played in a long time'. Could it be that the magic these men are coming back to them, or do you think that it's something else?" the news reporter stated. Mitchie blinked. And this wasn't E! news they were watching, this was a regular news casting station.

"What is wrong with the world?" Mitchie muttered, giving the television a strange look before looking back at Cassandra. She couldn't believe that a real and serious news station would actually care what a popstar does. "They all make it seem like Shane Gray is this god to them. It's…so…unbelievable."

"Enough talking, you two, and serve that customer." Victoria said, cutting in between Mitchie and Cassandra. She pointed at the newly arrived man whom was wearing a light brown and tattered coat with a black hat sitting above his wavy hair. The man adjusted his dark sunglasses before taking a seat in the very back of the restaurant. "Well don't just stand there, move!" Victoria said, snapping her fingers in front of Mitchie and Cassandra's faces. Cassandra walked into the kitchen, waiting patiently for Mitchie to give her the order while Mitchie made her way towards the strange man, her notepad and pen ready.

"Welcome to Barney's Burgers, how may I help you?" Mitchie asked, faking as much enthusiasm and kindness into her voice. She stared at the man, wondering how a disguised person could still be capable of looking beautiful. He was practically wearing rags yet he still appeared to be handsome and mesmerizing. The man smirked at Mitchie's staring and began to chuckle. Mitchie's self-esteem began to tear down as this man laughed at her. She blushed immediately, hoping that it wasn't too obvious that she was gawking at him.

"I knew you were going to be here." The man said. And as those words left his luscious lips, Mitchie recognized the voice. Of course, it wasn't that hard. She's heard his angelic voice right off of those gigantic speakers at the concert last night. She's bound to memorize it eventually during that dreadful period.

"What do you want, Shane?" Mitchie asked, folding her arms across her chest furiously. Shane's smirk grew, amused. He just enjoyed watching Mitchie's irritation dance in her eyes. Shane slid his sunglasses up to his nose and gave Mitchie a charming smile.

"I want lots of things, Mitchie. Lots of things." He winked. Mitchie sneered at Shane, trying not to get intimidated like last night. She was going to fight her way through this and a cookie-cutter popstar like Shane Gray wasn't going to win her war.

"Oh, well too bad because people don't always get what they want. So what do you want for breakfast?" Mitchie asked, grabbing her notepad and pen indignantly. Shane laughed at Mitchie's words.

"Now, now, you know that I can get whatever I want. Why do people always tell me that? But more importantly, I can get you whatever you want, whatever makes you happy." Shane said, sincerely this time. Mitchie's eyes moved down at her shoes. She didn't think that she could withstand the power of Shane's tempting cinnamon orbs when he sweet talked her like that. "Did you like my presents?" he asked cheekily. Mitchie scoffed, the enticement disappearing from Shane's appearance.

"Yes, they absolutely made my day." She said, sarcasm hanging on with each word. Shane smirked, brushing off Mitchie's rude comment.

"Good," he said.

"Okay, now what do you want?" Mitchie asked, just wanting to get down Shane's order badly.

"You and me, hanging out like we used to. Hey, to make it even better, let's go out on a date instead!" Shane said, throwing his hands up in the air as if the war was announced over. Mitchie placed a hand on her hip and gave Shane a look.

"You honestly think that you're going to win me over like that? I don't think so, Shane. Now tell me what you want to order before I have to throw you out." Mitchie threatened. Shane jeered and shook his head.

"And you honestly think I'm going to give up that easily?" he challenged. Mitchie inched closer towards Shane's face, glaring intensely into his eyes.

"You do realize that all of the girls I work with here are teenage girls who love Connect 3, right?" she asked, smirking at him. Shane finally frowned. He sunk back into his seat, raising an eyebrow at Mitchie.

"You wouldn't." he dared.

"Watch me." Before Shane could open his mouth, Mitchie screamed shrilly at the top of her lungs. "Oh my God! It's Shane Gray from Connect 3! Oh my God!" Mitchie squealed, perfecting the fan girl anthem that she's heard millions of times. Mitchie immediately stepped away as a clump of teen girls rushed towards Shane, attacking him with pictures, random objects to sign, and creepy confessions. Mitchie smirked at Shane and walked back behind the counter.

"Whoa, what a coincidence, right?" Cassandra laughed. "Who knew that Shane Gray would be in our little restaurant?" Mitchie shrugged as she proudly stared at the mess she created for Shane. Take that, Gray.

"Oh, alert the local news station! This will definitely add more profit to our restaurant if Connect 3 fans find out that Shane Gray was here!" Victoria said, reaching out for the phone. Mitchie rolled her eyes while Cassandra shook her head. Of course Victoria would be the one who would only care about how a self-centered popstar could make more money for the restaurant.

"Don't worry, they won't come. They'll think that they're getting prank called. I mean, I don't even believe that Shane Gray is at Barney's Burgers in Dallas, Texas, and the guy is right there." Cassandra murmured towards Mitchie. Mitchie laughed, trying to hide the emotions that were building up inside of her. Deep down, she hoped that the news station did think that they were getting prank called.


"What the hell was that?" Shane demanded as Mitchie stepped out for her lunch break. He's been trapped in that one booth for the past couple hours, having no possible place to flee from those girls. He had to crawl his way through them, his clothes ripped off or stolen in the process.

Mitchie laughed and shook her head, heading towards her car. "You were being difficult. You just had to be punished." She smirked, unlocking her vehicle.

"Well you owe me a new shirt, new pants, and new shoes." Shane said. Mitchie stared at his attire and burst out laughing. "It's not funny." He gritted through his teeth.

"No, it's hilarious!" Shane looked down at his shredded clothing and his missing shoes. "And I don't owe you anything. I'm going out to eat." Mitchie declared, stepping into her car. Shane sat in the passenger seat and gave Mitchie a smirk. Mitchie squinted at him, her patience wearing thin with each second. "Come on, Shane, you already know that I didn't want to 'hang out' with you. Just let me eat my lunch in peace." She begged, pushing him towards the car door. Shane, who was a whole lot burly than Mitchie remembered, stayed still, having no affect with Mitchie's attempts to push him out. He smirked and intertwined Mitchie's fingers with his.

"I'll pay for your lunch. You know you wanna." He teased. Mitchie slipped her fingers away, wiping them against her jeans. She gave Shane an exasperating look and drummed her fingers against the steering wheel. "I promise not to annoy you." Shane said. Mitchie could see the desperation through his smirk. She sighed and placed her keys into the ignition.

"Fine, but you better not do anything. And you're paying." She mumbled, staring the car. Shane smiled in satisfaction. Now all he had to do is to get Mitchie to fall back in love with him. But after seeing her get frustrated with him in every possible way, getting Mitchie to fall back in love with him does not seem easy at all.

A/N: Guess what today is! My last day of school and first day of summer! You have no idea how happy and relieved I am! Plus, I want to thank you guys again for your really sweet reviews. You guys are amazing. Sorry that this chapter was kind of short. I realized that I didn't update for some time now, and I just really wanted to. I don't know if you would consider this as a filler chapter or not, but it wasn't meant to be. lol.