A/N: This is an amazingly fast update for me (Kacee). I'm usually terrible at updating, but Emma's great and we are having so much fun writing this story so we got the next chapter written even faster than usual. You all deserve it! Thanks so much for the wonderful reviews, this is your reward :)

Tess Tyler strutted into the Mess Hall, a smug smile occupying her lips.

The place was filled with hungry animals, all talking loudly amongst themselves as they ravaged the meals in front of them.

A few of the female members of the Camp had turned to stare at Tess, awe and jealously glistening in their eyes. But of course that was to be expected. This was the greeting Tess always anticipated and always received. After all, she was Tess Tyler; daughter of the famous TJ Tyler and reigning queen here at Camp Rock.

She ignored their stares just as she always did, expertly flicking her hair behind her shoulders and holding her perfect features high in the air. Her footsteps slowed until she finally came to a graceful yet meaningful halt in the center of the room, where she surveyed her surroundings.

She narrowed her heavily mascara covered eyes as they searched the hall, wavering over each unimportant head until she found the least important one of them all.

Mitchie.

Tess fought back the smirk that threatened to rip across her face as she strolled casually towards her.

Inwardly, her heart was swelling with excitement.

This was it.

Her one chance to bring Mitchie down.

The fact that the girl had been through a hell of a lot in the last few months didn't play on Tess' heartstrings at all. In fact, it only increased her enthusiasm.

It would be simple now, so simple; Mitchie had made herself an easy target. And from such a close range, there was no chance that Tess could miss hitting the bull's-eye. The thought made her glossed lips twitch, curling into the beginnings of a smile.

No. There was no chance at all.

Tess eyed Mitchie thoughtfully as she advanced.

Somehow, she seemed even more dismal and depressed than she usually did; picking despondently at her food, her face pale and devoid of all emotion. And she was alone; sitting by herself in the far corner of the Mess Hall, trying desperately to appear invisible.

But no one could hide from Tess Tyler; no one could run from her malicious schemes. It was far too late now, anyway. Tess knew exactly what she wanted and she refused to stop until she had it.

Mitchie won't remain unnoticed for long, Tess thought cruelly to herself. Not when the entire Camp hears exactly what I've got to say.

Tess spun around with a flourish just before she reached Mitchie's table. She put her fingers to her lips and let out a shrill whistle. The chatting and laughter ceased as if by magic.

Every camper turned to stare, hundreds of curious eyes upon Tess. A few people began whispering to each other, wondering what was going on.

"If I could have everyone's attention," Tess purred loudly, smoothing her hair back behind her ears. "I have something I'd like to say." A few
people rolled their eyes and turned back to their meals, but most of the campers seemed to be paying her their absolute and undivided attention. Tess glanced quickly around the room, gleefully taking in all the inquisitive faces before opening her mouth to speak.

"I wonder if you've noticed," she began as smoothly as if she were discussing the weather. "That amongst all of the happy faces here this year at Camp Rock, there appears to be one person who doesn't belong; one person who doesn't want to sing, who doesn't want to play the guitar, the keyboard, or socialize with anybody. One person…" she continued with a sad smile, "…who doesn't even want to be here."

She took a few steps to the side so that the whole room could see Mitchie.

Tess looked over her shoulder stonily at the frail girl in the corner, the girl whose eyes had widened dramatically, her body stiff.

"What have you got to say about this, Mitchie?" Tess asked silkily, taking a slow taunting step towards the brunette. "Anything?" She barely managed to restrain the laugh that was bubbling threateningly within her throat.

There was a moment of silence. Mitchie cautiously shook her head, her cheeks developing a small ounce of color as a blush formed. She kept her eyes on her food, her body shivering slightly. The room was silent, everyone's eyes flicking excitedly between her and Tess.

"Nothing? Are you too afraid of what the other campers will think?" Tess pressed, her smile mocking. "Too afraid of what your friends will think? Is that it?" Tess moved closer, her voice dripping with fake sympathy.

There was no reply, and Tess' voice hardened. "Why don't you tell them, Mitchie? Why don't you tell them why you've been acting so strangely? Why you don't want to be here?"

The accusation was too much.

Mitchie couldn't take it any longer.

She couldn't stand having everyone's eyes on her, just waiting for her to speak.

She looked up, eyeing Tess darkly.

"You don't know," she told her quietly. "You don't know anything."

"Oh, don't I?" Tess replied, raising her eyebrows cruelly. "So I don't know how worried your mother's been about you all these last months? How you've not been eating, how you've stopped socializing, stopped going out with your friends? You don't have any of those now though, do you Mitchie? No. No friends at all." She laughed at Mitchie's look of hurt and continued loudly. "You've stopped playing your guitar, stopped singing, stopped writing songs; you don't even listen to music anymore. And it used to be everything to you. You've-"

"Stop," Mitchie whispered, her voice weak and frail as she used her strongest breath for one last plea. Each sentence had torn at her heart,
shredding it to pieces, one by one. She clutched her head tightly in her hands, shaking uncontrollably. Hearing about how she had been behaving in the last few months was agony for her.

She couldn't handle it.

She had to get out.

With the thought of escape fresh in her mind Mitchie rose feebly to her feet, one hand gripping tightly onto the table.

"And do you want to know the reason for all of this madness?" Tess continued boldly, turning to the rest of the campers. "Why Mitchie's been acting this way?"

A few whispers broke out, but Tess waved her hands to silence them.

Mitchie looked up at her through watery eyes. Her hand clutched even tighter onto the table, the knuckles a tense shade of white. She shook her head slowly, her mouth dry as she felt all the energy drain from her. Her legs shook uncontrollably beneath her, threatening to fall or perhaps even snap under the pressure.

"Tess, please…" Mitchie managed to choke out, her voice coated with despair.

"Two months ago," Tess began, ignoring Mitchie completely. "Mitchie's father was…"

She paused for dramatic effect; a smile gracing her lips before she uttered the words that she knew would destroy Mitchie from the inside out.

"…killed in a hit and run accident."

The room seemed to gasp simultaneously the second the words rolled destructively from her tongue.

A deathly silence followed.

Everyone sat frozen, too scared to move; terrified of making the first noise.

The overwhelming silence dragged on, refusing to disappear.

Tess grinned triumphantly as she looked around the stunned room, opening her mouth to shatter the eerie silence. "And she's never gotten over it."

Her words seemed to drag Mitchie back to reality. She blinked dazedly, taking in the crowd; Tess' cunning smile, the campers' sympathetic eyes, everybody staring at her. At her. A tear leaked down her cheek as her Dad's face filled her mind.

He was gone.

Gone forever.

His life had been selfishly taken by some idiot who had collided with him on the street; some idiot who hadn't even stopped to see if he was ok; some idiot who had taken his life away in seconds, without a single thought, who had crushed his future and Mitchie's heart all in one swift motion.

Through her tears she could see Tess moving even closer to her, she could see Shane and Caitlyn sitting next to each other, their eyes shining with concern and realization.

So she did the only thing she knew how to do; she turned and ran.

The tears streamed down her cheeks as she raced through the Mess Hall doors and out into the Camp grounds. She could hear someone calling her name, but she didn't stop or look back.

The fact that someone cared only made her run faster.

She didn't deserve anyone's sympathy.

She hated Tess, and she hated this place, but it was herself that she hated more than anything else in the world.

She was weak.

Breakable.

No better off than a fragile piece of china.

A pathetic excuse for a person.

After years of thinking she was invincible, one traumatic loss had shattered her into a million pieces. And as she finally felt her legs give out beneath her, she knew she was irreparable...

"Mitchie's father was… killed in a hit and run accident."

Tess' words were enough to make Shane's mouth drop open. He turned to stare at Caitlyn in disbelief, and he found his own emotions mirrored in her eyes.

"Is that true?" Caitlyn whispered shakily after a moment of stunned silence.

Tess continued before Shane could answer. "And she's never gotten over it."

Shane's eyes fell upon Mitchie, and his heart almost stopped at what he saw. She looked terrible. Her eyes were strangely unfocused and she was
swaying dizzily; it looked as though she were about to pass out. The room broke into alarmed whispers and Mitchie finally looked up, her eyes filled with tears. She glanced at Shane and Caitlyn for a moment, and a sob escaped her lips.

Suddenly she turned and fled; staggering through the silent crowd and out through the open doors, barely managing to keep her balance.

"Mitchie!" Shane shouted after her, standing up from his seat worriedly as she disappeared from sight. The room erupted into sound, but Shane barely heard a thing.

All he could think about was Mitchie.

"I'm going after her," he told Caitlyn, his voice anxious. But when he looked around, the seat where Caitlyn had been sitting was empty. Nate
wasn't at the table any longer either, and nor was Jason, who Shane had barely gotten a chance to talk to since arriving at Camp. There seemed to be a crowd forming around the center of the Mess Hall, but Shane's curiosity at what was going on was completely overshadowed by his worry for Mitchie. He sprinted past the gathering crowd and raced through the wide doors, his gaze intent on the small figure just vanishing into the distance.

"Caitlyn, don't be stupid," Nate told her firmly, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her back.

"Nate, let me go," she muttered, her angry eyes still focused on Tess who was watching her, eyes challenging, from the center of the room.

"It's not worth it, Caity," Nate said in frustration, gripping tightly onto her arm as she thrashed against him.

"It is worth it! I can't believe she just did that!" Caitlyn cried furiously, her heart pumping in her chest as she tried to escape from Nate's grasp. "She's not going to get away with it."

"You should be worried about Mitchie right now, not about killing Tess Tyler," Nate reminded her.

Caitlyn finally managed to pull away. She glared at Nate, her eyes full of hurt. "I am worried about Mitchie, of course I am! But Shane's dealing
with that now, look." She pointed at the figure racing through the doors. "So I'm going to deal with Tess."

Before Nate could stop her, she spun around. In a few quick strides she was in front of Tess Tyler, fists clenched tightly by her sides, ready to wipe the satisfied smirk off of her face.

"Oh, you heard about your little friend then, Caitlyn?" Tess asked with a sneer. Daniel and Eric, her two faithful bodyguards, now stood protectively on each side of her. "Sad, isn't it?" she laughed.

"How dare you," Caitlyn muttered through clenched teeth.

She flexed her fists angrily, her knuckles a violent white. "Mitchie would have told us when she was ready. You had no right to tell the whole Camp about her father, that's private. It was none of your business, and it's none of anybody else's business, either."

"Really?" Tess said mockingly.

People were beginning to gather around now, intrigue buzzing throughout the hall.

Tess laughed gleefully.

She loved having an audience. "You're just jealous that Mitchie confided in me, Caitlyn, and not you."

"She didn't confide anything in you," Caitlyn spat, although there was a tiny sliver of doubt in her mind. "She hates you."

A few people in the crowd laughed, but Tess merely smiled. "Aren't you pleased that now you finally know what Mitchie's problem was? I mean, it's not like she would have told you. I thought I was doing you a favor, Caitlyn."

"Liar," Caitlyn breathed, taking a step forward so that she was only a few inches away from Tess' face. "You did it to hurt Mitchie."

Tess smirked.

Caitlyn shook with a fury that was only heightened further when Tess let out a high, tinkling laugh.

That was it.

She couldn't take it any more.

She finally exploded, unable to control herself any longer.

She lunged forward, her balled fist soaring through the air until it collided, satisfactorily, against Tess' jaw.

A small shriek escaped Tess' lips as she stumbled backwards, straight into the arms of two furious males.

Caitlyn stepped back also, a smile upon her lips and her breathing heavy.

Man, that had felt good.

She looked down at her fist. It was thumping with pain, but a pain that Caitlyn was enjoying very much.

"You deserve a lot worse," Caitlyn whispered as Tess' cursing subsided.

Suddenly her vision was blocked by the puffed out torso of Daniel. She shuddered as she looked up at his intense, almost murderous gaze. "What!?" she snapped, desperate not to show an ounce of the fear she was feeling as he towered over her.

"You shouldn't have done that," Daniel muttered maliciously. He took a step closer, threateningly cracking his knuckles in front of Caitlyn's masked features. She gulped silently as she took a step back, eyeing the ludicrously muscular torso in front of her. "How dare you touch Tess," Daniel fumed, taking another intimidating step closer.

"Leave it out," another voice growled.

Caitlyn quickly realized that Nate had pushed his way between the two, one of his hands nervously in front of Daniel's chest, the other hovering protectively over Caitlyn.

"No Nate, I can take him," Caitlyn said cockily with a forced laugh. Of course she didn't really believe that, but hey, Caitlyn Gellar would not show
cowardice.

The last thing she noticed was Nate's head snapping around to face her, anger glinting in his eyes.

Two arms suddenly snaked around her waist, pulling her from the circle and through the doors.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?" Nate cried as Jason placed Caitlyn down on her feet. She staggered a few steps forward, the cool breeze tickling her bare throat and she choked, taking in a deep gulping breath.

Oh my God.

What had she just done?

Nate and Jason were standing above her.

Jason looked stunned, but Nate looked furious.

"What were you thinking?!" he shouted. His anger sliced at her like a dagger, and she couldn't help wincing. "Did you not see those two guys Tess had with her? That one guy looked like he was going to kill you!" Nate paused for a moment, breathing heavily. "I'm going to tear him apart if he looks at you like that again," he mumbled under his breath. He kept his eyes trained upon his foot, which he was kicking violently into the dirt.

Caitlyn's breaths came out in sharp gasps; she seemed dazed as she continued to titter on the spot. "Are you okay?" Nate asked suddenly. He took her arm, his touch gentle, the anger in his voice transforming to concern.

"I'm fine," Caitlyn assured him after a moment. She took in another deep breath of air and sighed, smoothing down her T-shirt.

"Wow, you really flew at her," Jason told her, his eyes gleaming with admiration. Caitlyn let a small half-hearted laugh escape her lips.

"You could've gotten hurt," Nate said as he frowned sternly at Jason.

"I wasn't planning on doing that," Caitlyn admitted soberly, looking towards the Mess Hall doors at the campers beginning to trickle out. "But she just made me so mad…I…" she trailed off, clenching her fists again at the memory of Tess' gleeful laughter. When Caitlyn finally looked up at
Nate, he was surprised to see the blush that crept across her cheeks. "Sorry I didn't listen to you," she murmured. "I know that was stupid. And thanks…both of you…for stepping in."

Nate sighed, nodding. He looked at Caitlyn closely, and for the first time detected the sadness in her eyes. "Caity, what's wrong?" he asked
softly, gazing at her with concern.

"Nothing. I… I'm just wondering where Mitchie is," Caitlyn said slowly, shaking her head. "I feel awful, I really hope she's okay."

"Don't worry," Nate told her gently. "Shane will be with her. She'll be fine."

When she still looked unsure, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a soft embrace. Her pulse sped up at the touch of his skin upon hers, and she sunk into it gratefully. She smiled tenderly at Jason over Nate's shoulder, closing her eyes comfortably as he raised his hand to touch her cheek. Her fears melted away for the briefest of moments.

Shane was gaining on the figure in the distance, his long legs far faster than her small frail ones. "Mitchie!" he yelled. "Wait!"

To Shane's frustration she didn't stop, instead she seemed to gain speed slightly, the sound of his voice seemingly fueling her legs. But suddenly the figure in the distance came to an abrupt halt. Shane slowed a little, his brows furrowing in confusion as he studied the figure. His heart leapt into his throat as he watched her legs buckle, her body falling into a crumpled heap upon the floor.

"Mitchie!" he bellowed anxiously, increasing his pace once more, desperate to be at Mitchie's side.

It didn't take him long to get there, his legs pumping faster than he could ever have imagined possible. He breathed a sigh of relief as he neared the mess of limbs, his feet grinding to a halt as he crashed to his knees at her side, his hands hovering over her hair covered face as he watched his friend begin to shiver with sobs.

"Mitchie," he whispered. He sucked in a deep breath, his stomach feeling empty at the sight of the broken girl in front of him. "Mitchie," Shane
whispered again as her sob's increased in volume and severity.

He had never wanted to hold her more, but he was terrified that she would reject his attempts of comfort. But as another cry echoed through the grounds and stabbed him violently through the heart, he couldn't resist.

He placed a gentle hand on her back. She stiffened suddenly under his touch, apparently only now becoming aware of his presence.

"S-Shane?" she stuttered through her tears. She shifted her body, her miserable eyes looking up at him.

"Yeah Mitch, it's me," Shane whispered quietly. At his words she recoiled, forcing herself into a seating position and pushing herself away from him.
"Mitch…" Shane said sadly, watching as she used her feet to propel herself backwards, tears staining her cheeks.

"I-I..." she stuttered through her tears, her eyes wide with fear.

"Mitch, you don't have to say anything. I'm sorry….about your Dad," he said slowly, scared of how she would react as he stayed in his position. Mitchie closed her eyes at the reference to her father, the stab of pain which she always felt dispersed through her, although somehow it seemed
different. Dare she say less painful?

She opened her eyes again, swallowing as she watched Shane's fearful stance. He looked as though he were desperate to comfort her, yet too scared to cross the boundary that she had selfishly enforced upon the pair.

"I…I…" she started again, shaking her head as she fought against her weak body. "I'm… Sorry I didn't tell you."

"Mitchie you don't have..." Shane started, but Mitchie held a trembling hand up to silence him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she repeated despondently, trying to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I'm sorry I ignored your phone calls and I'm sorry I yelled at you. I should have spoken to you about it, you and Caitlyn. I was stupid and…I just…I'm sorry." Her voice cracked as her mind drifted back to the last few months. She had been stupid. Why hadn't she realized how much she had pushed them all away? "I understand if you hate me," she added as more tears forced their way from her eyes, pushing roughly through her eyelids.

"Mitchie," Shane said sadly, his heart threatening to break as he watched her renewed sobs.

Her words kept echoing through his mind.

He instinctively crawled over to her quivering body, wrapping one arm tightly around her shoulder as if trying to hold her together. There was a moment of silence. Shane held his breath sharply, waiting for her reaction.

Mitchie smiled ever so slightly as a small amount of warmth transferred through her body, Shane's touch was tender against her cold skin, his contact sending small tingles through her limbs.

Shane closed his eyes slowly as he felt Mitchie move into his hug, tilting her head to rest it upon his shoulder, her hand upon his stomach where she bundled his shirt between her fingers. He felt his throat tighten as his shoulder dampened with her tears, his jaw clenching as he felt how skinny she truly was. He moved his hand to clasp hers as he fought back his own tears. They sat like that for an uncountable amount of time; Shane's other hand moving gently against her back as he soothed her tears, placing soft kisses against her hairline as he waited for the tears to run dry.

"You know I could never hate you, right?" Shane whispered once he was certain that her tears had stopped. She froze, clutching his hand desperately.

"I thought because…"

"You thought wrong," he said strongly, not even allowing her to finish.

"Really?" her small voice questioned.

"Really."

Mitchie felt a wave of relief and happiness wash through her at his words.

"Everything's going to be okay now, Mitchie, you'll see," Shane assured her, brushing a stray hair tenderly from her cheek. Mitchie remained quiet, ignoring the skepticism she felt. "I mean it," he added sternly, sensing her doubt as he held her a little tighter. "Me and Caitlyn, we're here for you. And I promise that even if you don't want us to be, we're not going away. I don't care how long it takes, I'm going to help you, Mitchie," Shane declared, looking down as he heard Mitchie sniff, her eyes glistening with tears once more. "You'll get through this."

"Shane, I…Thank you, but…" Mitchie bit her lip tentatively. "You don't have to do this, you know."

"I know I don't have to…But I want to," Shane said sincerely, placing a light kiss on her forehead as he felt her shift deeper into his arms.

He knew that it would take some work.

He wasn't stupid enough to think that everything would be fixed with just a click of his fingers, but Shane was willing to do whatever it would take to help Mitchie.

He didn't care what, or who, got in his way.

He vowed then and there, as he held Mitchie protectively in his strong arms, that he would not rest until he saw her beautiful smile once again at home upon her saddened features.

A/N: Aww. Don't yall just love Smitchie? =)

Thanks for all your guesses! Congrats to the couple of you who guessed correctly too, nice job ;)

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