Chapter 3 – What came next.
"I can't believe it's over." Mitchie said, slumping into the sofa next to Nate. All the guests had left, the wake was over and Nate's parents had cleared everything away before leaving Mitchie and Nate to themselves.
"It wasn't as bad as I'd expected." Nate admitted. He was just about ready to fall asleep. It had been a long day but they'd managed to keep the press away and everyone had spent the evening remembering the good times with Shane. Nate was still in a numb state, despite everything that day, it still didn't seem real. A month ago his brother had been sat in the living room, laughing and joking along with them. Now he was gone and Nate would never see him again. It was almost as if his mind couldn't process it.
"I'm going to get some sleep." Nate decided, leaving Mitchie to her thoughts.
Something didn't add up for her. Shane had seemed fine days before he disappeared. Yes, he'd talked about leaving the industry, about the fact he no longer felt he knew himself and yes, they'd fought, but no more than most couples usually did. So why would he take such extreme actions out of nowhere?
The next day Mitchie returned to work, the label wanted a new album from her by the end of the month and that meant she needed to get writing, to combat the mental block she'd been facing and get pen to paper.
She sat in the label's office, having had a meeting with her manager during which he'd expressed his concern for her well being given the current circumstance (a phrase Mitchie was growing rapidly bored of) but asking her to try to channel her emotion into lyrics. It was like no one understood how it felt to lose the one you loved, but still be questioning the truth of it.
She stared at the blank paper in front of her, willing some lyrics to come. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, letting her instincts take over.
GNG-GNG-GNG
Tyler drove home after a long day, his mind fixed on Mitchie's novel. He hadn't been able to put it down all afternoon and found her writing ability was as good as it had been towards lyrics. He would never admit it to his friends (they wouldn't deem it "cool") but he had once been a huge Mitchie Torres fan. To see she was still trying to make something of herself, years after her sudden departure from the music industry, made him smile. He wanted to help her succeed.
He drove down the New York streets as the sun was setting. It was this time of day he enjoyed the most, there was a sense of peace about it, a feeling that, even if you'd had the worst day imaginable, you could look up at the sunset and feel at ease.
When he entered his home – a luxury 5 bedroom apartment, with views over central park, he went over to his CD collection and selected a single he hadn't listened to in a long time. It was the final one Mitchie Torres released before she refused to ever work in the industry again, and Tyler thought it would be the perfect accompaniment to the end of the novel.
He settled into the sofa and turned toward the end of the manuscript. He'd already read 300 pages since his meeting with Mitchie and was hoping to finish the final 100 before bedtime.
GNG-GNG-GNG
"Mr James?" Mitchie was nervous about this. She'd spent most of the last week talking things through with Nate, who had repeatedly tried to convince her to give it some more time, but she was determined. After completing the single, Mitchie had made her mind up about her future and she knew it was a decision her manager was not going to be pleased with.
"Ah Miss Torres, good to see you. The executives have just heard your new single and are very pleased." Mr James had been her manager since the day she left Camp Rock. Brown had introduced them after Final Jam and as soon as the label agreed to sign her, Mr James had taken full responsibility for her, guiding her through the tough land of the music industry.
"That's good." She replied, certain the nerves were clear in her voice. "Would it be possible for us to talk for a moment?"
"Of course. What's on your mind?" Mr James asked as he took a seat at the ridiculously large meeting table, indicating that Mitchie should do the same.
"I want to quit." She was blunter than she'd meant to be and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she'd phrased it differently.
"Why would that be?" Her manager had been expecting this for the past few days, what with everything she'd been going through, and had already discussed with the label bosses what they would do if she came to this decision. But he wanted Mitchie to give an explanation before he gave a solution.
"With everything that's happened with, well, you know." She paused, pushing away the tears that always fought to escape when she thought of Shane, "It's just, with that last single, my hearts not in it anymore and I want time to get out of the limelight and deal with everything." She wasn't coping with the situation as well as the others thought she was, always telling them she was fine when she felt the opposite. They were all going through a similar thing and she didn't want to burden them with her feelings as well as their own. "I know I signed a contract but this isn't exactly a situation I foresaw when I did. I hope you can understand."
Mr James was quiet for a while, taking in the girl sat in front of him. When he first met Mitchie she was bright, bubbly and always enthusiastic about writing and recording new songs. Now, a year later, at just eighteen, having faced a tragedy many people didn't have to deal with until they were at least 4 times her age, Mr James saw a tired looking girl (he wondered when she'd last properly slept) who'd had to be persuaded to try and write a new song and even then it had taken a lot longer than normal. He knew that if he made her stay, the pressure may push her too far and the label was already dealing with the press pressure of one lost pop star.
"How about I make you a deal?" Mr James replied, explaining the agreement he had made with the label bosses as if he had just thought it up himself. "Release this single, we'll keep the press work to a minimum, then take a break for six months –no work, no appearances, nothing. After that time, come back and see me. If you want to get back into the industry, I'll do all I can to help you, if not, well, you're free to do whatever else you please."
Mitchie agreed to the deal. It wasn't exactly what she wanted but it was better than she'd expected.
A month later her final single was released, after which no one heard from Mitchie Torres, singing sensation, again.
AN: A bit short but there'll be more soon I promise. Please review and let me know what you think!