*Disclaimer*

I do not own Camp Rock or its characters nor do I own the song used in this chapter.

Chapter 10: So I'll Give a Kiss & Say Goodbye Cuz We're Not Gonna Work This Out Tonight

No, we're not gonna work this out tonight
(We won't work this out)
No, we're not gonna make this right
So I'll give a kiss and say goodbye
(Give a kiss goodbye)
'Cause we're not gonna work this out
Tonight

Well, there's no need to fight, we're just wasting time
(Tonight)
If you give it a try well then maybe you'll find
(We might work this out)
Well, we know we're in love so let's keep it alive
(Keep it alive, keep it alive)
(Tonight)
I'm starting to see the morning light
We finally worked this out

~"Tonight" by The Jonas Brothers

I opened my eyes as the last note drifted to an end and the crowd was once again cheering. My tears threatened to spill once again but I forcefully held them back. The euphoric high I had just felt from performing the song was still running through my veins helping me maintain my composure.

I felt good, proud of myself despite the tears. I had accomplished what I had been putting off for months now. I had basically said goodbye to Shane. No more tears, no more drama, no more silly romantic dreams of what could be. It was time for me to move on and forget him.

"Mitchie Torres everyone!" Brown shouted into the mic as he came onstage to escort me offstage to where I was met by the sight of Connect Three who were tuning up for their set.

Shane was the first to notice me.

It was instinctive, our eyes met and held.

He stopped in the middle of his vocal warm ups with Nate immediately alerting Nate and Jason to my presence.

His eyes were a sea of emotions and I found myself momentarily breathless by their intensity. I caught myself and then felt foolish for forgetting my promise. I broke my gaze away from his first. He then made a move towards me but so did Jason.

Jason was the first to reach me as he scooped me up into a hug lifting me off the ground.

"You were totally awesome out there Mitchie!"

"Great job Mitchie. Sounds like you've been working hard on some new stuff. Jason, don't twirl Mitchie with your guitar on!" Nate chastised.

Jason pouted sadly but set me back on the ground looking like Nate had just taken away his favorite candy.

I couldn't help but do a little internal happy dance after Nate's compliment.

Like Shane, Nate was a great musician and songwriter. I've sat with the band through their rehearsals and jam sessions before. Nate was a perfectionist and a hard person to please at times. He knew what was good and what wasn't so to be compliment was kind of a big deal.

"Thanks you guys." I said blushing under their praises but then instinctively my gaze found Shane's once again.

Damnit. You are so weak Mitchie, it's pathetic.

"You were awesome up there Mitchie. Even better than I remember," he said softly.

"Thanks," I replied not knowing what else to say.

It was going to take time. To have loved him the way I did and then to just forget those feelings just wasn't going to happen overnight. That much I knew but it certainly wasn't helping that every time he was near, sent my heart racing.

I decided to distract myself from Shane by turning to Nate asking, "So what song are you guys going to be performing tonight?"

Nate looked to Shane unsure whether to answer or not. It was obvious that he could sense the tension between us.

"It's something I think is long overdue," Shane replied for him.

"Oh… Well I'm gonna go sit and watch with Cait and the rest of the gang." I said excusing myself and turned to leave.

"Hey Mitchie."

The smart thing to have done was to just ignore him. Just leave him be Mitchie. Pretend you didn't hear him. Go back to Caitlyn…but no.

I stopped and turned to look at Shane who was standing alone now.

Nate and Jason had already gone towards the stage leaving Shane standing there capturing me in his gaze again.

There was a faint hint of a smile as he told me, "I'm hungry."

*FLASHBACK*

Camp Rock had been over for a little over 2 months now. The guys had been working hard, writing all new songs for their new album and then trying to convince their record label to actually allow them to release it. Finally after many weeks of endless negotiating and one minor temper tantrum from Shane, the record label cut them a deal.

They said that they will allow the band to have a concert and basically showcase their new songs for the fans. If the fans at the concert like the new sound, the record executives will have no problem in backing Connect Three's new album.

So the guys went into work overload. The guys recorded and mixed all of the songs that Shane had written during his time at Camp Rock including "Play My Music" and "Gotta Find You" plus a bunch more that they wrote together. Then they started working on the promotional stuff such as radio interviews, television appearances, and taking over almost every cover story of every single magazine.

Regardless of how busy they were, Shane never failed to call me at least once a day to tell me how the album was coming along or even sometimes 'accidentally' leaving his cellphone with me still on the line during their recording sessions so I could get a sneak preview of some of their new songs.

It was stressful but now the big day had arrived. Today was the big concert, at the Staples Center in L.A. no less. Since it was also the first concert for the band since Shane's attitude adjustment at Camp Rock as well, the media were swarming all over the center.

Claiming that they needed us for moral support, the guys had flown Caitlyn and me in for the weekend. I certainly wasn't going to argue with that. So that was where we currently were.

It was our first real Connect Three concert and of course the guys made sure we had front row seats as well as full access backstage passes. They had even sent us a limo to our hotel to drive us to the center earlier this morning so we could hang out with them all day before the concert.

We cheered for the guys while they rehearsed some of their little tricks that they perform during their concert and gave our opinions on how a certain set could be played better. Shane tried his hardest convincing me to sing "This Is Me" with him onstage but I was nowhere near ready for that sort of crowd. We even had fun raiding through their wardrobe of costumes that they would be changing into throughout the concert.

The boys were currently in "Lockdown" where they literally lock themselves in a room so that they can mentally pump themselves up for when they have to hit the stage. No one is allowed in or out of the room till show time. Normally it was the boys and their manager but since all three begged and pleaded, Caitlyn and I were given the privilege of being in "Lockdown" with them.

Shane had been feeling pretty confident all day with how well the concert would turn out. I swear, there were moments where I wondered how his big inflated head could fit through some of those secret stage compartment doors they disappear under during their rehearsals without getting stuck. So when his gaze locked with mine and I saw the panic and fear I immediately rushed over to him.

He moved us near a corner on the far side of the room, not wanting to worry Jason and Nate I suppose.

"Mitchie…what if the fans don't show up? What if they leave halfway or five minutes into the show?"

"What?"

Was Shane crazy?

"Shane…you know this concert sold out in like seven minutes and that fans are flying in from all over for this comeback concert, right?" I said all this slowly as if I were explaining something to a child.

"I highly doubt they're gonna waste their money like that and not even sit through the whole show."

"Yeah but then what if I forget the lyrics?"

Okay, now he was just being ridiculous!

"Shane, you've been rehearsing all day and all month long. I think you could do it in your sleep now."

I would have teased him further but there was real fear in his eyes. Shane was truly afraid.

"But then what if the songs do badly? They're gonna hate it. They're gonna hate us because it's not the stupid cookie-cutter PopStar crap. The label-"

"Forget the label Shane." I said sharply cutting off his rant and grabbing onto his arms as if to shake some sense into him.

"Forget the label, forget the fans! This is about you and the guys playing the music you want to play. This is your sound and you have to believe in it. I believe in it and most importantly I believe in you," I stated seriously trying to convey the amount of faith I had in him through my eyes.

Shane only stared at me for a moment in disbelief. His gaze seemed to search my eyes for any signs of deception but I met him stare for stare. There was nothing I believed in more than Shane. He had worked hard and I knew he would do well.

Shane then pulled me tight against him. I was momentarily surprised but didn't resist or try to loosen his grip on me. If anything I just pressed myself closer to him knowing he now needed physical reassurance, that of which I was more than happy to provide. No words were spoken; none were needed as we clung onto each other.

Then I remembered something.

"Oh hey, are you hungry," I asked not even waiting for an answer and walked to the small little box I had left on a table nearby.

I opened the box and pulled out 2 of my mom's chocolate chunk cupcakes; Shane's and my favorites. Then I walked back to his surprised expressions and presented them to him. One was with vanilla frosting the other with strawberry frosting.

"Here, my mom and I made them especially for us, one for wishes and one for luck. Wishes are mine and luck is yours. You can take it or leave it, the choice is yours."

Shane was momentarily speechless but then looked like he was debating the decision over in his mind. His brows were furrowed and he seemed deep in thought but then he looked at me smiling.

*END FLASHBACK*

Despite my current determination to hate Shane, I couldn't help the smile that found its way onto my face as I recalled that memory. Although the vanilla frosted cupcake was suppose to be for me, Shane wound up eating the majority of both cupcakes that night.

That night was also the start of a new tradition for Shane and I. Anytime I was able to go see the guys perform I always brought along some freshly baked cupcakes for luck.

Shane and the guys were awesome that night; their concert was a huge hit just as I knew it would be. The guys had fun chasing Caitlyn and I around backstage afterwards. They wanted a big group hug but Caitlyn and I didn't want to hug a bunch of sweaty Popstars. Afterwards the guys took us out with them for a private dinner to celebrate.

It was funny that after so long the memories were still as fresh as if they happened yesterday instead of 4 years ago.

"You always loved my mom's cupcakes… You wound up eating both of them that night." I stated accusingly but grinning to show I wasn't really upset over it.

He smiled back at me and tried looking innocent.

"What? I needed all the luck and wishes I could get that night. I was so nervous. The sugar rush really helped too," Shane explained sheepishly.

"Doesn't look like you need those anymore Popstar," I stated sadly looking away from Shane.

It was true, Shane had been a star even before he came back to Camp Rock and then after he left, him and Connect Three just exploded into even bigger superstardom.

No more luck needed, no more wishes… No more me.

"You're right, I don't need those anymore."

I was so deep into my own musings that I hadn't even realized that Shane had moved closer to me so that there was only a foot of space between us. By the time the realization hit me and I tried to move away it was too late.

Shane grabbed onto my arm forcing me even closer to him so that my front was pressed against his. I gasped in surprise, the blush rising to my cheeks. Even back then when Shane and I were close he never grabbed me and held me like this. My chest was pressed up against his and I could feel the hard contours of his body.

Not wanting Shane to see the effect his nearness had on me and partially in fear of being captivated in his gaze once again, I averted my gaze to towards the ground.

This of course did nothing to deter Shane. I felt his hand come and brush up against my cheek. His hands were rough and calloused by years of playing the guitar but his touch was warm and gentle. Even though I knew it wad wrong, I couldn't help but lean into his soft caress.

He then trailed his fingers gently along my jaw until he reached my chin. Slowly he tilted my face up to his.

I tried one last weak attempt to avoid his gaze by shutting my eyes from him since I couldn't muster the physical will power to pull away from him.

"Please don't shut me out Mitchie."

Maybe it was the desperation in his voice or the pain or perhaps the fact that Shane Gray actually sounded like he was chocking back tears that made me open my eyes and look at him.

When my gaze met his, I saw the desperation and urgency but most of all I saw the glimmer of unshed tears.

"Please don't push me away Mitch. I may never need those other things again but I still need you. I always will and I always have," Shane pleaded.

The raw need and pain that was evident in his eyes held me and left me breathless.

There wasn't even a single doubt in my mind that Shane had meant every word and this realization sent my mind reeling.

Shane needed me?

Taking advantage of my shock Shane leaned in even closer and then did something I never would have expected. Before I realized exactly what he intended to do, his lips met mine.

Before my mind could even register the fact that Shane was kissing me and should not be kissing me, Shane was already pulling away and heading towards the stage where Brown was announcing the band.

I admit, I was outraged but my body had still yet to catch up with my mind. Like an idiot I stood there as if in a trance.

Then Shane turned around to throw me one last glance. Seeing that he had momentarily rendered me speechless the jerk had the audacity to smirk.

"That was for luck," and then he winked and rushed out onto the stage where the audience greeted him with deafening cheers.

Even after he was long gone and I could hear Jason playing the opening chords for their first song, I stood there in shock.

Shane's words rang through my head and my lips were still tingling pleasantly from his kiss.

I lifted my finger to brush across my lips. It was as if Shane had permanently left his lips imprinted on mine.

He kissed me…and I liked it.

Oh boy… I was in trouble.

Okay, so I feel a little guilty for just posting up one chapter this week but to be fair, it was a REALLY long chapter. I'm just really preoccupied this weekend and for good reason too! Jonas Brothers World Tour tickets!!!

I still haven't gotten all of my tickets yet so it's kind of been stressing me out. I'm crazy and I want to go to two of their concert dates but so far I only have seats for one for them. LoLz* Good news is though, if I do manage to get all my tickets then all of you can expect LOTS (like 3-4 chapters worth) of updates.

So for now REVIEW and wish me luck!