"You don't remember where you're going. Do you?"

Nate turned and shot her a mock glare. Of course he knew where he was going! He'd spent every summer at Camp Rock since the age of eight, he knew the grounds like the back of his hand.

"Brown's office is that way, Nate."

He gave Mitchie a warning look before turning on his heel. Shane had finally caught up to them, and he reached out to take her hand, giving it a quick squeeze. He hadn't thrown a fit over having to carry his own luggage, and she was proud of him for that. Maybe there was some hope for him after all.

"You totally forgot where Brown's office is."

"Shut up, Mitch."

Shane glanced down at her and smirked, keeping hold of her hand as he quickened his pace. He could see his Uncle Brown watching them through the window, and he let out an annoyed sigh. Since leaving the camp two years earlier, he hadn't made it an effort to keep in touch with his favorite uncle, and while a small part of him still felt guilty, the rest of him had learned not to care about anyone besides himself.
Well, there was Mitchie. In his world, she was the only one besides himself who came first.

"Shane!" Brown swung the door open, holding his arms out. "What's the haps man?"

"Hey." Shane replied, dodging the hug. "What's up, Uncle Brown?"

He blinked for a few moments in surprise before turning to Mitchie. "How about you, love? You're not too 'famous' to give me a hug, are ya?"

She threw her arms around his neck in response. Brown chuckled, spinning her around in a circle before returning her feet to the ground.

"How are you, poppet?"

"I'm great!" Mitchie signed. "Thank you, for making room for me. I can't believe I get to spend the entire summer here!"

He smiled. "Don't ever thank me, Mitchie. You are one of the most talented people I know."

Shane rolled his eyes, reaching out to grab her hand again. "Whatever. Come on, Mitch, let's see if I can get some decent phone service out here, in the middle of nowhere."

Nate shot Brown an apologetic look, allowing the two to enter the office without him so they would be well out of earshot.

"It's good to see you, Brown."

"Not as good as it is to see you, mate." Brown said, holding his hand out. "Nate... You didn't tell me he had gotten this bad."

The curly haired guitarist ducked his head. "Didn't I?"

"You sure didn't."

"Sorry, Brown," Nate sighed. "You know, some days, I think he's actually made progress, like when I see him drop everything to take a picture with our youngest of fans, or when he goes above and beyond to do something for Mitchie, but then he'll pull a stunt like he did during the video shoot."

He nodded in understanding. It had shocked him to see Shane first enter the camp, with his straight hair, skinny jeans and bright white jacket. The Shane he remembered had worn loose jeans, and his hair curly. The Shane he knew and loved was a down-to-earth kid, who loved music, and his family, and his friends. The person his nephew had once been would have never let a record producer change his band into something he didn't believe in.

What had happened to Shane, the camper? The kid in front of him was now Shane Gray, the jerk.

"Don't worry, mate." Brown muttered, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'll get through to him."

The two shared a look before heading inside.

Mitchie had pulled her guitar from its case, and was sitting in a chair by the corner, strumming it softly. Leaning against the wall, watching her with a small smile, was Shane. As she glanced up, she realized that at some point while she had gotten lost in the music, Shane had taken his phone out of his pocket to record her. She narrowed her eyes, leaving the guitar to lean up against the wall before sticking her tongue out at him.

"You are such a creeper sometimes, Shay."

"Sorry Mitch." Shane replied, his famous smirk in place. "I just thought the fans should know how talented our favorite girl is."

"Fans? Shane Adam Gray, don't you dare post that on Instagram!"

"Sorry Mitch." He said again. "I don't have a choice."

"If you post that video, I'll post the one of you singing 'Bad Romance' way off key!"

Shane shrugged. "My fans already saw that video of me dancing to 'Single Ladies.' That's nothing."

"Shane..."

"Sorry Mitchie. Too late."

Mitchie rolled her eyes, jumping to her feet to wrap her hands around his in a lame attempt to get his phone. Shane laughed, easily holding it above his head and out of her reach, his free hand going to poke her waist once.
Brown glanced at Nate and sighed.

It didn't surprise him that Mitchie was the only one who Shane was 'real' with anymore, her accident had absolutely devastated the eighteen-year-old lead singer. Brown had heard about the tragedy through Nate's parents, and by the time he finally got ahold of his then sixteen-year-old nephew, Alex had already been pronounced dead, and Drew had been led away in handcuffs. In a strained voice, Shane announced to his uncle that Mitchie either wouldn't, or couldn't speak, and they were awaiting a diagnosis from a specialist who dealt with PTSD and trauma cases. It was Shane, Brown would later learn, who spend day and night by Mitchie's hospital bed. It was also Shane who was the first to learn ASL so he would be able to understand what she wanted or needed.

Seeing Shane with Mitchie still gave him hope that his nephew would be able to find his old self.

"And... Posted!"

Nate pulled out his own phone to see the latest update.

Shane Gray:
Maybe this summer won't be such a bore if
Mitchie_Torres is here to suffer through it with me. You never cease to amaze me with your talent, Mitch.

The video already had over three hundred likes, and sixty some comments. He shook his head, shoving the phone back into his pocket with a smile. His fans were so dedicated to their social media profiles, he had to give them that.

"Nate." Brown muttered, clapping him on the shoulder. "Why don't you take Mitchie, and get her settled in her cabin. I'd like a few minutes alone with my nephew."

Shane opened his mouth to protest, but Nate had already taken hold of her arm, slowly leading her out of the room. He only paused to offer Brown a nod, and throw her duffle bag over his shoulder.

"We'll catch up with you later, man."

"Nate..." Shane called after him. "Hey, wait. I can take care of her..."

Nate shook his head. "Don't worry. I've got her."

He let out an annoyed sigh. It seemed like any chance he got to be alone with her lately, Nate was always there, somewhere in the background, ready to whisk her away if he thought things were getting out of hand.

"Why don't I show you where you'll be staying?" Brown offered, holding the door open. "You can get unpacked, and then you can go and check up on your girl."

Shane grudgingly followed him outside, his expression unreadable. "I don't need a chaperone."

He raised an eye brow. "After that stunt you pulled at the video shoot... You sort of do."

The rock star rolled his eyes, glancing up the pathway. He could just make out Nate and Mitchie in the distance: she was trying to take her duffle bag back from him, but he wouldn't allow it. Nate threw an arm around her shoulders, holding her close so she couldn't try to hit him again. He tried to ignore the pang of jealously he felt: deep down, he knew that Nate and Mitchie had a brother/sister relationship, but he loved being the one that she goofed around with, the one she would pretend to be mad at for three days straight because he refused to allow her to carry her own luggage.

Mitchie was the only thing that was going to make his 'summer of hell' bearable.

He wasn't trying to be rude, he really wasn't. Brown was his favorite uncle, and after Shane's father had walked out on the family, he'd taken on a fatherlier role for the future teen sensation. He just didn't want to be back at Camp Rock, no matter how much he had once loved it there.

"I didn't sign up for this." Shane snapped. "Get my agent on the phone."

That comment made him stop in his tracks. Who was this person standing in front of him?

"'Get my agent?'" Brown mimicked. "What happened to you, man? That kid on that T.V., that's not who you really are."

The two stared each other down for a few moments, unsure of what to say. Finally, fed up with the attitude, he frowned and pointed to his nephew's chest.

"What happened to the kid who just loved music?"

Shane scoffed, as if the answer was obvious. "He grew up."

"Big whoop!" Brown shot back. "Stop acting like it's all about you."

"In my world." He muttered, glaring down at the ground. "It is."

In the world of the rich and famous, the only person he could ever count on was himself. He never had any idea whether the people he met liked Shane, the kid who just loved music, or if they liked Shane Gray, the pop star they could benefit from.

"What about Mitchie?"

His jaw tightened at the mention of her name. "She's part of my world, isn't she?"

She was one of the most important things in his world, though he'd never admit that aloud in fear of being killed by Jason.

Brown frowned. Shane really was turning into a hothead. Oh well, he knew just the thing to cool him

"Oh look! We're in my world. And in my world- you're considered an instructor at this camp, which means you've got to intruct. Starting, with hip-hop dance at two. And 5, 6, 7, 8."

Shane could only watch in disgust as his Uncle Brown began to do the robot. The moment of distraction was all Brown needed to grab Shane's legs and hoist him over his broad shoulder, before heading off in the direction of the lake.


"Alright, Mitch... Cabin Six."

"You don't know where you're going... Do you?"

"Shut up." Nate grumbled. "I know my way around here better than you do."

Mitchie smiled back at him innocently.

"Let's go, Michelle."

"Lead the way, Nathan."

He snorted, keeping a firm grip on her hand as they neared the cabin. He was a little wary of leaving her to spend her sleeping hours in a room with strangers, but Brown had made sure that both he and Shane were continently housed nearby. He knew that Mitchie's condition would cause a lot of questions (why can't she talk, again?), and he also knew that he would have to be the one to translate for her. He figured that he could use the shortest of excuses to explain why Mitchie couldn't speak, that she had been in a bad car accident, but he absolutely refused to tell the rest of the story to a bunch of strangers. No one needed to know that his girlfriend had died in the same accident, or that the person he had once considered to be his best friend had caused it after getting behind the wheel while drunk.

While he loved his fans, it was really none of their business.

He had kept Alex's name away from his own in his public life for her family's sake, and he'd refrained from using Drew's names in any interviews to protect Mitchie. He was still so angry at Drew, Drew had made the decision to drive drunk, Drew had started an argument with Nate over Connect 3's rising career, Drew had called Mitchie a name he would never be able to take back, Drew had jerked the wheel to the right, causing his Range Rover to crash into another car, before it began to roll, launching Alex forward from the backseat.

"Nate."

He kept walking, too engrossed in his own thoughts to notice her frantic signs. Mitchie rolled her eyes, and tried to yank her hand back. He still ignored her.

She knelt down, grabbing the first thing she could find, and chucked at him.

"Ouch, Mitch!" Nate turned to glare at her, rubbing at the back of his head with his hand. "Did you really just hit me with a pinecone."

"Sorry." Mitchie signed, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I was trying to get your attention."

"Oh." He muttered, shooting her an apologetic look. "I was just thinking about... You know what? Never mind. What's up?"

"Cabin Six is back there."

Nate cursed under his breath, causing her to fall into a fit of silent, hysterical giggles. He cracked a smile, turning on his heel to lead her back towards the cabin. They took the steps two at a time, Nate pausing at the door to offer her an encouraging wink before swinging it open. She was in luck, it looked like she would only have one cabin mate. He could only pray that it was someone kind, and understanding.

"Hello?" He called, hesitantly stepping into the room. "Anyone here?"

Mitchie poked her head inside. "Wow!"

Nate raised an eye brow, but then it hit him. Mitchie had stayed in a dorm room during her summers at that dance camp, she had never really gotten the whole 'camping experience.' Camp fires, s'mores, water fights that started off with super soakers, and ended with everyone jumping into the lake to avoid the chilly air, mosquito bites, staying out late to watch the stars, there was so much she had missed out on.

He was determined to make sure that she had the best summer of her life, even if his primary job was to keep an eye on the hothead. She was going to get everything she wanted, she deserved that much.

"Hello?" He called again, pulling on her hand until she was standing beside him. "Hello?"

When there was still no answer, the two teenagers shared a look before entering the cabin. Nate dropped her duffle bag down onto the empty bed and glanced around the room.

"Brown promised that Shane and I would be close by." He said. "But either way, I'll keep my phone on 24/7, and I'm guessing that Shane will be doing the same."

"Great." Mitchie rolled her eyes. "So it'll be just like at home then?"

"Mitch." Nate sighed, taking hold of her hands yet again. "Come on. You know we're just looking out for you. If Jason was here-"

If Jason would have joined them for the summer as well, she wouldn't have had a moment of alone time. He had been protective of her since the day she was born, and those instincts had only increased after the death of their parents, and the accident. Mitchie loved Jason, it was just exhausting to put up with him.

"You're gonna have a great summer, Mitch." He muttered. "I promise. You won't regret-"

The cabin door swung open again.

"I don't know what they told you." A voice called. "But this is supposed to be a girl's cabin."

"Not me!" Nate stuttered. A rare blush rose to her cheeks. "Her. She's your cabin mate. I... I'm down the path, somewhere..."

The curly haired girl laughed, letting the door fall shut behind her. "Relax, kid. I'm just messing with..."

She trailed off as their eyes met. He took a step back, his jaw falling slightly. He regained his composure in a matter of moments, forcing a smile as he spoke her name for the first time in years.

"Um... Caitlyn..."

She had to be dreaming. He was not standing in the doorway of her cabin, gripping another girl's hand too tightly. He wasn't really there, calling her by name as if he still knew who she was, and he wasn't smiling at her in that way of his that had always made her go weak in the knees.

Caitlyn never thought she would see Nate Black at Camp Rock again, but she wasn't dreaming, the only boy to ever break her heart was right there in front of her. It was going to be a long summer,