Last chapter. I'm not going to say anything.

Chapter 9

"Caitlyn, I don't like this. It's not a game anymore."

Her eyes glinted with a feverish light.

"So was that all it was, Shane? A game? Was that what this was to you?"

He stepped back nervously, hands held up, retreating from her shaking form. She seemed to come to her senses after a brief moment, though, tossing her head and crossing her arms over her chest. Shane took a deep breath.

"It's gone too far."

She whirled around, blonde hair whipping. The mere sight made him wince. But he had to say it, had to get it done. If no one else would, it was up to him to put things right. Mitchie had been right to reject him. Everything that had happened here was his fault. His little episode last night had got him thinking. If she would never accept him back, the least he could do was to make sure that she was happy with the one she was with. He cared about her enough for that. One last shot at making things the way they should be. That was it. And what had to be said would be said.

"Caitlyn, just look at them, look at what you –"

Here he paused, uncertain.

"Look at what we've done. I'm not proud of it, but I know when to stop. They're hurting, Cait, just look!"

Her mouth turned up in a smirk.

"Good"

Shane frowned, watching her as she paced back and forth along the length of his room.

"I want her to suffer. She deserves to suffer. I want to see that girl burn in hell" she whispered, almost as if she was talking to herself, convincing herself.

"But what has she ever done to you? You were the one who broke her heart!"

His voice was desperate, pleading. What had Mitchie ever done to make her best friend hate her with such a passion? She looked up at him abruptly, cold grey eyes calculating.

"If I remember correctly, you're not without due blame. After all, I wouldn't have been able to break her heart alone." Caitlyn stepped forward, twirling a strand of hair around her index finger. He flinched. Her words had hit their mark.

"I...I know, ok? I've regretted that ever since the day she found out. But she moved on too, and found Nate... Well, I hold no grudges against her for doing so. What's done is done. Leave the past well alone, Caitlyn. She's happy now; surely even you can see that?"

Her eyes hardened, frosty, distant.

"This was never about her happiness. It's about payback, returning the favour, if you would call it that"

He was now more confused than ever.

"But why, Cait? Why are you doing this? Why do you keep doing this, again and again? Surely nothing Mitchie ever did could make you do this?"

Her laugh was cold, mocking, cutting to his heart.

"Oh, how little you know of the real Mitchie Torres. You really never knew her at all, did you? I'll tell you why I hate her so much, why I'm determined to make her pitiful, guilt-ridden existence as miserable as I can possibly make it. Because she ruined my life. 'Little Miss Perfect', with her smiles and laughs. She was nobody before I helped her, raised her to the top. Without me she would have gotten nowhere, been nothing, still stuck in Tess' gang. She would have been nothing. Yet, who got all the credit when she sung at Final Jam? Her. Suddenly, no one wanted to know plain old Caitlyn Geller."

Her tone grew bitter.

"Well, people pretended to, but of course, I soon found out that they were only interested in one little person. After all the hours, days, weeks of work I put in to make her someone, she turned around and deserted me. That's why. She deserves to crash and burn the way I did. That's payback"

He was speechless. How any one person could be so bitter, so spiteful, still baffled him. And to turn her anger on Mitchie, who would never even hurt a fly?

"When did she ever desert you, Caitlyn? The one time she really did, she had a perfectly valid reason to do so – more than a reason!"

Caitlyn gritted her teeth. She wouldn't be dissuaded now. It had gone too far to turn back. Her heart knew what Shane was saying was true, underneath all the pain, all the hate. Her head ordered her to carry on, to finish what she had started.

"No! Stop it! Just stop it! Why should any of that matter!? She left me! She left me, after everything!"

Her voice grew wild, eyes frantic. Shane took a step forward.

"Caitlyn, I won't be a part of this anymore. It's gone far enough now. It's time to stop."

Her nostrils flared and she turned on him angrily. She had counted on him being there, depended on him always encouraging her along; been the one person who she had hoped could understand her reasons, the feelings and motives behind the actions, the one person who hated Mitchie enough to pull her through with him. Without him, the walls broke down, the castle crumbled. She couldn't do this on her own. She needed him. Forcing down a sob, she steeled her emotions.

"Are you deserting me, Shane? Are you leaving me? Because I think it's a bit too late for that. Half of her pain is you. It's your fault as well. You can't back out of it now!"

His eyes flashed and she glanced up at him warily. Anger crackled in his head, blocking out all other thought.

"I've done many things that I regret, but I'm stopping here. I've got a choice, as vehemently as you may deny it. And now I'm deciding. You won't dictate my life any longer. I was too stupidly blind to see what you were really like when I first met you; we all were. So, congratulations. But do you know what I'd forgotten over all those months? Sometimes you can be a real bitch."

She threw back her head, laughing, the sound echoing false and hollow in her head. How he couldn't see right through her amazed her.

"Is that it? Your grand speech of defiance, a measly little insult thrown across the playground? Shane, do you really think you have a choice anymore? None of the others trust you. You're alone. Looking at it from my point of view, I'd be pretty glad that you have me, if I were you."

One hand curled delicately around his face. With a flick of her wrist, she brought her fingers to his face, the stinging pain causing him to flinch, his hand flying up to his cheek, wincing as the red mark grew more defined.

"It's more than you deserve" she whispered, rubbing a hand across her face, wiping away the tear that had fallen at the moment she had struck him. Shaking his hair out of his eyes, blocking the dull ache in his cheek, he knocked away her fingers, still lingering in the air as if hesitant.

"That's it. I'm not your obedient pawn any longer. I invited you on this trip, now I'm kicking you off. Your little charade is over, Caitlyn. You're not causing any more heartbreak. A long time ago, I once told you were far more important than Mitchie could ever be. What an idiot I was. You're cruel, conniving, and jealous. To put it bluntly, you are a first class bitch. I don't want you on here any longer. None of us do. Pack your stuff. We'll drop you off at a station tomorrow morning. That's the most I'll do for you."

A range of emotions flickered across her face, shock, anger, disbelief. This couldn't be happening, was all some sort of nightmare. She needed him, she couldn't leave him. Surely some part of him still loved her? Still believed she was good? Some part?

"Shane?"

Her voice was a whisper, pitiful and broken. He glanced at her, startled, but refusing to let his feelings take over and run to her side, wrap her in his arms and tell her everything was ok. She didn't need him anymore. She gave him one last glance of such tortured, heart-rending pain that stunned him, rooted him to his spot, and then streaked out of the room, an arm held over her streaming eyes, slamming the door behind her. Lying to the world to try and fool her heart. Failed.

The first light slunk out from behind the hill, casting a rueful glow over the station. Caitlyn stood on the platform, suitcase propped next to her, shoulders straight and head held high in spite of the situation. Her eyes glimmered with what looked suspiciously like tears, but she quickly shook them away. Mitchie watched her best friend with a heavy heart. Even for a girl like Caitlyn, she wouldn't have wished this fate upon her. She stepped forwards, opening her mouth to say something, but the train rattled in to the station, enveloping the platform in a cloud of noise.

"Caitlyn"

She turned from her position on the train, mouth fixed into an unwavering line.

"What do you want? There's nothing more to say"

Caitlyn turned again, hauling the case onto the dirty once-blue floor. Suddenly, a pair of hands shot out, knocking the breath out of her in a long-forgotten hug. She allowed herself a reluctant smile as the girl's silky, brown hair whipped across her face.

"Cait?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry"

Someone had seen. Finally. Someone. Caitlyn's mouth turned up in a smile.

"Yeah. Me too"

Taking a step back, she gently untangled the girl's hands from her waist.

"Now get off before the train leaves with you on it. Not sure your boyfriend over there would be too happy about that"

They both smiled, glancing over at Nate's waiting form. Mitchie stepped off the train, tears running freely down her cheeks.

"Take care of yourself Mitchie. And you, Nate"

He nodded briefly. She turned her gaze on the person standing next to him.

"Shane"

He didn't reply, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground. Caitlyn sighed, moving her attention to the others.

"Well, that's it. Thanks, everyone. And – I'm sorry"

No one replied, and the words hung in the air as the train moved slowly out of the station, picking up speed. Eventually, the final glimpses of the station became distant figures. Caitlyn turned away from the door, a glistening tear sliding down her cheek. It was time to leave things behind her, start again. She had caused enough pain to last her a lifetime. She had learnt her lesson well. Flicking through her list of contacts on her phone, deleting Nate, passing over Mitchie, her thumb hovered over Shane. With a shake of her head, she shut her phone, sliding it back into her bag. In a few years time, maybe, just maybe, she would return. But not right now. Right now, it was time to go.

*sigh* That's it. Story over. I feel really wierd at the moment. I have to find some other story to write. Although I am thinking about writing a kind of epilogue to this. Please tell me if you think it will do any good. :) To everyone who took the time to read this, thank you, I hope I made your time worthwhile, and a huge huge huge thank you to .happiness17 who has been an amazing reviewer ^^ You made me keep writing. Well, that's it for my speech. Thank you for reading, and look out for my next stories!