Title: Believe In Me

Summary: AU. Camp Rock never happened. No Final Jam, no lies that need to be reversed... just a girl that's in love with her music and a guy that has temporarily forgotten what that can feel like.

Pairing/s: Smitchie. Seeing as it's in Mitchie & Shane's POVs, I might just imply other relationships and then you guys can fill in the blanks. I wouldn't know how to give details on the others.

Authors Note: dkjrgdjhfjkfskl you guys rock. End of story. Chapter 11 for you here. There might not be an update tomorrow, because I'm visiting relatives, but Sunday you might get two because I'm feeling this story so much right now that I just keep writing and writing and writing. So maybe. And tell me if you think I'm rushing their relationship, please, because sometimes I read it and think that I am and then don't know what to do and then other times I think that it's fine. So let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Yeah... still don't own any of it.

Music: Open Your Eyes - Snow Patrol

"Get up, get out, get away from these liars, because they don't get your soul or your fire"

I slouched down further in my seat as everyone began making their way into English class. It had been two days since the Rochelle incident and things hadn't gotten much better. Sure, Shane had texted every night after his shows to see if I was okay and Cait had been awesome... but the whispers still followed me and there was no escape. It wasn't even that they were talking about me. It was that they were talking lies about me.

"Look. There she is. I heard that she and Shane did it in the park, they just weren't allowed to print those pictures for legal reasons." A particularly obnoxious blonde girl said, hiding her mouth with her hand but not lowering her voice any. So I could hear the words being said, but not see her mouth moving. You'd have thought I'd have been less likely to work it out the other way around; not hearing it and having to lip read.

Putting my hand in front of my face, I tore my gaze away from the door and the students coming in (most of them watching me) and looked down at my songbook. It had barely left my side since Monday. Inspiration had rarely been far away. Though I had noticed that my moments of inspiration came fairly close to when Shane had just been in touch. Oh. Who am I kidding? The moments of inspiration practically were him. He was so different to what I'd expected of him; so much more real than I'd thought. And I always seemed to know exactly what to write when I put pen to paper and thought of him. There was no way I'd told Caitlin any of this though... I'd just get an 'I told you so' comment.... which, quite frankly, was the last thing I needed.

"Okay class, settle down." My English teacher, a young guy in his early thirties maybe, entered the classroom, depositing a pile of books on his desk before turning to us all. "Who can remember what I told you guys we'd be studying today?"

Emily Dickinson. I didn't say it out loud -why attract unwanted attention to myself if there was just going to be another Shane comment made? But nobody else seemed to either, and one of those silences spread across the class. Mr Redford sighed and scanned the room, evidently looking for someone to pick on.

I slouched down a tad further, my eyes fixed on my notebook and the lyrics I'd scrawled down earlier. Not me. Please not me...

"Ms. Torres."

Damn it. I glanced up briefly, not saying anything and watched him gesture for me to give some sort of answer. Ugh.

"Has someone stolen your tongue, Ms. Torres?" He prompted when I didn't answer.

Someone behind me laughed cruelly. "Yeah, that'll have been Shane Grey. I heard he likes to keep trophies from the girls he's lured into his bedroom."

I took a sharp intake of breath, fixing my stare back on my book. "Emily Dickinson. We're studying Emily Dickinson."

"That's correct. It's good to know that no rock stars have taken your tongue Mitchie." The joke was a poor one and nobody laughed. Especially not me. It wasn't funny, spreading rumors like this. I'd done one thing - one nice thing for a poor, helpless, lost pop star - and suddenly everyone is assuming I'm some sort of -

"Is that somebody's cell phone I hear?" Mr. Redford had looked away from me, but at the sound of the ringing was looking back in my direction. Mainly because the ringing was coming from suspiciously near to me. Oh no. Please, no.

Taking my phone from my pocket, the Clash ring tone that I'd specifically programmed for a certain someone blared out of it. No, no, no. I was just about to turn it off, when a hand swooped down and took it from me, holding it out of reach.

"Mitchie? You know the rules about cell phones. Now, what could be so important that someone felt they had to interrupt English to let you know?"

I knew what my teacher was going to do before he did it, but that didn't stop my protest. "Please, no do-"

Too late. He'd already answered it, and was crooning a hello into it, greeting Shane Grey in a way that he probably never thought he'd be greeted in when he decided to call me.

"Mitchie is in an English lesson just now, but seeing as she seemed to think it was appropriate to leave her phone on in such a lesson, I'd be happy to take a message."

All eyes were on me, and I slid even further down in my seat until I almost wasn't even visible above the desk. Please. Please just hang up and don't say anything about him being -

"Well Mr. Grey. Not everyone is a rock star and some of us have to be in classes. Ms. Torres included."

The buzz around the room that this statement caused was electric, and the whispers grew fiercer.

"Oh my God is that really him?"

"Are they dating or something?"

Rochelle, from her seat near the back, could be heard clearly. "Puh-lease. That isn't Shane Grey. Mitchie has probably just gotten one of her little friends to call up and pretend to be him. I mean, come on. Shane Grey would never be calling her, even if they did hook up."

"Mr. Redford, please just give me the phone. Please?" I sat up straighter in my seat, not above begging for my phone back.

He looked down at me, hearing the various comments from around the room and then giving a sigh. "Two minutes. I have a lesson to teach."

Taking the phone from his outstretched hands, I tried to ignore everyone else, who were watching me like hawks. "Shane?"

I heard the mimicking of my voice from the back of the room, but just closed my eyes against it. Jealous. They were jealous. Why, I'm not sure. Shane would probably much rather have someone who looked like Rochelle.

"Mitchie? I'm so sorry, I didn't know when lunch was..."

I laughed with no humor. "Well... not now, that's for sure."

"Is that bitch who said those things the other day at lunch there?"

"Yes..."

"Tell her I hate her for me, would you?" I could tell he was trying to lighten me up, but it wasn't really working. It was taking everything I had to ignore everyone else in the room.

"Shane, no offense, but I'm in class and I don't think you called just to get me to say that to someone..."

"Oh! Yeah. Sorry. Well... what time does school end?" There was more to this, I just knew it, but whatever the rest of the story was, Shane Grey wasn't telling.

I wrinkled my nose, sitting up even higher in my chair. "Two thirty. Why?"

"Oh... no reason."

Lie. There obviously was a reason otherwise he wouldn't have called at all and then this whole scene would've been avoided.

"Anyway!" Now he sounded eager to get off the phone; his mission was accomplished and he had other things to do. "I guess I have to let you get back to English. Say hi to your teacher for me. He seems to think I'm a rock star."

Despite the fact that every eye in the room was on me, I couldn't help but smile at that, rolling my eyes at the same time, of course. "You've obviously brainwashed him, pop star."

"Oh yeah, because I have nothing better to do with my time than brainwash your English teachers..."

I opened my mouth to reply but was cut off with a reminder from Mr. Redford. Two minutes had been and gone. "I really have to go..."

"I know. Okay, say that I'm sorry for disturbing the lesson, that I hope your education does not suffer as a result of this phone call..." He hesitated after that, as though wondering whether to say something and then obviously decided to go for it. "... and I'll see you at two thirty."

WHAT? I was bolt upright in seconds. "What do you mean, see me at two thirty?"

But Shane obviously wasn't going to tell, because the next thing I heard was the dial tone, telling me that he'd hung up. See me at two thirty? See me? Was he here? Why was he here? Oh man, people were going to mob him. Screaming fans. It was daylight. Why was he here? He was on tour.

I stared at my phone for a good minute before Mr. Redford's voice cut into my thoughts.

"Well. Now that Ms. Torres has planned her hot date with a rock star... what do we know about Emily Dickinson?"

Returning to my slouched position, I kept my gaze on my notebook once more. The whispering was worse now, as I knew it would be for the rest of the day. It wouldn't take long for everyone outside of this room to find out. Rumors spread like wildfire around this school, and this week, I was the fuel.

---

I spent the rest of the day ignoring the increased amount of whispers and worrying about what exactly Shane had meant when he said he'd see me at two thirty. Other people had their own version of events, some saying he'd travelled all this way because he'd fallen for me (yeah, right) and some saying that I'd been bugging him so much that he was coming to break my heart once and for all. They were all wrong, I figured that much. But that just made me wonder more. He was supposed to be in New Jersey or something, not Massachusetts. Not Cohasset.

Still, when the bell went to signify the end of the school day, I took my time leaving my math class. Yet when I stepped out into the hallway it was practically deserted... and I hadn't stalled for that long. What could that mean? I wonder.

Deciding to leave everything in my locker - I'd skip homework for tonight seeing as it was almost the weekend anyway... or Wednesday but still - I made my way out of the entrance of school...

And into chaos. It seemed as though the entire student body was there, watching three guys get out of a bus that had parked selfishly directly in front of the school. How was the school bus going to pick anyone up? Not that it looked like anyone was getting ready to leave anytime soon. Connect 3 had only just arrived.

I walked slowly down the steps, trying to navigate my way through the mass of people. Which wasn't hard actually, because when they saw me, the whispering began and they parted. It was like parting an ocean.

Well... apart from Caitlin, who instead of moving away from me like everyone else, ran towards me, an excited look on her face. "Mitchie! He wasn't kidding!"

By this time, a clear path had been forged between me and Shane. He was engrossed in conversation with Nate but at a nod in my direction from his band member, he turned to look at me and his face broke into a grin as he walked forward.

This is going to sound so stupid, but it seriously was like we were the only two there. Forget the crowd of people watching our every move and Caitlin who was surveying me closely and the other two in the band... it felt like me and him. Just him and me.

"Hey Roof Girl," he called when he got a little closer, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie that was very unglamorous for grin was contagious, but I still rolled my eyes, taking my own tentative steps forward. God, this was so like a scene from a teen movie.

"You weren't kidding when you said you'd see me at two thirty, Pop Star."

"I thought about crashing your lunchtime but I figured I'd interrupted enough of your school day... sorry about that again, by the way." He really did look sorry, but the smile didn't leave his face.

I shrugged, waving a hand in the air. He was actually here. Standing in front of me. And everyone could see him and that he did care. As much as Shane Grey could care about someone other than himself anyway. "Gave them all something else to talk about."

"Speaking of..." His grin faded and his expression softened. "Is she here?"

I didn't have to ask who he meant. But I didn't really want to answer. "Shane, the whole school is here..."

"Mitchie..." He didn't speak demandingly per say... but I gave in anyway.

Taking a glance over my shoulder, I nodded in Rochelle's direction. "Blonde, pretty, blue top... yapping into her cell phone like there's no tomorrow... probably talking about you... you see her?"

He nodded, grabbing my arm and pulling me over to her, ignoring my protests. I did not want this.

"Hey," he said casually as we reached her. I tried to take a step backwards, back to Caitlin and away from this whole scene, but he obviously saw me out of the corner of his eye and tightened his grip on my wrist. "You're one of Mitchie's friends, right?"

I did my best to keep my expression blank - first because I wanted to yell 'WHAT?' in all kinds of different volumes and second because as soon as the words escaped his lips, Rochelle's expression changed. As she tried to work out what agreeing to this statement would bring her.

"You could say that..." That was the answer she eventually gave, twisting a strand of fake blonde hair around her finger and smiling at Shane flirtily.

He didn't seem to be fazed at all by the flirting though. His face hardened, and he pulled me forwards. "What would you call it, Mitchie?"

"Shane... can we please just..."

I was ignored - not that I expected anything less from Shane Grey - and he carried on, as though I'd answered the way he wanted me to. "Because I wouldn't call being a total bitch to someone a friendship. Though that might just be me."

The look of utter shock on her face was almost worth it. As was her goldfish impression.

"So whatever you might have to say about Mitchie to make yourself feel better... don't. Just don't. Because no matter how much makeup you put on, she will always be a better, nicer, prettier person than you. Spread that rumor."

And with a final look of disdain, Shane was pulling me along again, heading back in the direction of the bus. I heard a frustrated scream come from behind me, and then some laughter in amongst the hoards of other students, but honestly I didn't have much time to hear anything. Shane obviously had somewhere to be.

"Where are you pulling me?" I asked, still in awe of what he said. He thought that? Or was he just standing up for me because I was standing right there? Would he have said all those things if I hadn't been next to him? Did he really think that I was prettier than her? Better?

"Your house. We've got a proposal for your mom and dad," he replied, not slowing down any. As we passed Caitlin, who was also in awe of what had just gone down with Rochelle, he jerked his head in the direction of the bus. "Want to tag along?"

She squealed (yeah, so much for keeping her cool) and nodded. "Yes! That would be made of awesome."

"Come on then!"

I shot a smile at Nate and Jason as I was dragged past them and pulled up the steps and onto the bus. There was no way I'd be able to slow Shane down any, so I was just not even going to try. There'd be plenty of time later, while they were... wait, what? "Wait, what are you asking my mom and dad?"

"You'll see," was the reply I was given, along with the smirk that screams 'I-know-something-you-don't-know'. How I hated that smirk.

Two minutes later, everybody of concern was on the bus, and it began to move again. But not before I had chance to look out of the window and see the screaming begin. While they'd actually been standing in front of them, it was sheer shellshock. Now they were leaving... well. Nobody wanted them to.

I didn't want them to.

"Oh my gosh!" Caitlin gushed, sitting down on the couch next to me as Shane said something to Nate quietly. "Can you believe this? That was so awesome. He just... and you just... and seriously, you cannot deny that you like him anymore."

I glanced over at Shane to see whether he'd heard that, and was immensely relieved to see that he was so wrapped up in his conversation that he hadn't been paying attention to Caitlin and her out of control mouth. "Seriously Caitlin, we're just friends."

She looked at me, an unconvinced expression written all over her face. We'd been best friends forever, and unfortunately, she could read me like a book. But that didn't mean I had to confirm her suspicions. After staring at me incredulously for a few seconds, she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Just friends my - "

But her final word was drowned out by Shane, who turned to me and motioned for me to stand up as he did so himself. "You need to help us find where you live... because you were totally right. I can't remember where it is."

I grinned, forgetting all about Caitlin and her accusations, and stood up beside him. "I knew you wouldn't."

"Yeah, yeah, Mitchie. Yeah, yeah."

---

"You want Mitchie to what now?!"

Trust Caitlin to get over the shock first. And come out with something like that.

My kitchen was full of people - my mom and dad who had both had a rare day off and were shocked to see Connect 3 arrive outside, me, Caitlin, Shane, Nate, Jason (who was riveted with our kitchen tiles for some reason...) and their manager and PR agent. I think the last time our kitchen was ever this full was at Christmas, when the whole Torres clan came over for the day... and we don't speak about that one anymore.

Four of those people, including me, were currently frozen to their seats, having just heard what had to be the craziest (but that didn't mean I didn't like it) idea ever. They wanted me to go on tour with them. Not to perform, but just to be there. To give off the illusion that we were just close friends.

"What... Connie, say something..." my dad stuttered, obviously trying to find the words. I had no idea whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Did I want to go on tour with them?

Um... yes. I just had to look at them to see that. Yes, I did. I wanted to experience that. I mean, it had been my dream since forever. And alright, I wouldn't be performing, but I'd be there. On tour. It could change my life.

Oh. And the fact that Shane was there wouldn't be all that bad either.

"Um... I don't know what to say, Steve. What would you like me to say?" My mom asked, obviously just as shocked.

"Well I couldn't think of anything, which is why I asked you..."

I rolled my eyes, leaning forward and glancing at Shane, who was staring right back at me, before I looked at my mom and dad. "How about... yes Mitchie, you can go on tour? Because that sounds pretty good to me..."

"You want to go then honey?" Mom asked. She was probably the one that would take my feelings into consideration, which was why I was glad that she'd recovered slightly quicker than Dad.

I nodded. "Well... yeah."

Nobody seemed to know what to say after that; there was just a whole lot of looking around at each other as someone searched for the words. I caught Shane's eye, almost begging him to say something without actually speaking. He nodded and then took a breath.

"Mr. and Mrs. Torres, it probably seems totally... weird. I know. But we all talked about it - all of us on tour already - and we decided that it was probably the best way to stop the kids at school talking about her the way that they are. And this way people think that we're just friends as opposed to..." he trailed off, and I was kind of glad he did.

Jeff picked up where he left off, reassuring them yet again. "As we said, sleeping arrangements have been organised. Shane has said he'll sleep on the couch - "

"Really?" Caitlin just had to ask, the disbelief in her voice painfully obvious.

Shane looked at the floor, shrugging. "Yeah."

"Shane has said he'll sleep on the couch," Jeff repeated, looking from me to Shane once before carrying on. "It would be hardly any extra cost, she'd get to see all of the shows for free... and honestly, even if it did cost the record label any extra, they'd see it as worth it."

This caught my dad's attention, his head snapping up. "And why would that be?"

"Shane. They haven't seen him this happy in a long time. He's changed, believe it or not, and it's all..."

"Would they all be safe?" My mom jumped in, after looking from both me to Shane and finding that we were both staring at inanimate objects as though they were going to do some sort of trick.

He changed? So it wasn't just Caitlin that saw that? Everyone did? The record label, management... did the public see it too? Did they watch his shows over the past few days and see a difference in him?

And was it all down to me?

"Completely. I'm in the bus almost all of the time and the boys have a bodyguard who I'm sure would be delighted to look after Mitchie too."

"And what about school?"

Nate offered an answer for this one. "I have to do schoolwork on tour, Mitchie can use some of my resources. Or you could speak to teachers and ask them to email her things to do. We'll make sure she does it..."

Dad looked at me, sighing as he realised that it was almost the time to make a decision. And he didn't look like he wanted to. "I guess it all really comes down to... do you want to go?"

"Yes." I nodded. "I really do."

My parents looked at each other, evidently doing that scary parent thing where they make an agreement just by looking each other in the eyes and changing their expressions only slightly. Sometimes I can tell what they're going to say. Sometimes I can't. This was one time that I couldn't.

When they turned back to us, it was like everyone in the room was holding their breath while they waited for the answer. Usually that would have made me laugh, but I wanted this. I wanted this so much and laughing probably wouldn't sway their decision.

"Well?" I asked, hoping for a yes. Praying for a yes. I'd do anything to get a yes. I'd become a vegetarian. I'd never eat chocolate again. I'd throw out all my clothes and wear my mom's for the rest of my life if I had to, just to get a yes.

"We've decided..."

Seriously. You could've heard a pin drop in that room.

"That you'd better start packing your bags, Mitchie. Especially if you want to get on the road to be in New Jersey by tomorrow."

I screamed, standing up and running to hug my mom. "Seriously? You mean it? Yes?"

"Yes! Yes, you can go but you have to call me every day because I'm gonna miss you! And no walking at midnight. And Jeff, she is still grounded for a week so she has to stay on that bus, okay?"

Jeff nodded, slightly bemused by that request. It was okay, I could work on getting around that one later.

I hugged my dad, grinning. "You guys rock, do you know that?"

"It's been said. I'm just a fly guy," my dad responded, causing me to roll my eyes at him.

Caitlin had also squealed when my mom and dad had said yes and hugged me before saying something about packing my clothes and running off to do just that. Helpful Caitlin.

The PR agent who had remained quiet stepped forward, speaking to my parents. "This is not going to sound reassuring when you've just agreed, but I just need you to sign some insurance papers. They won't be needed probably; they never have been. But it's just in case..."

I stopped listening to her, walking over to where Nate and Jason were talking to a very happy looking Shane. When they saw me looking over, Nate spoke a little louder. "So we'll just go and sort out the bus... it's a bit of a mess and we don't want you having to put up with that..."

"What are you talking about Nate? We tidied it this - " Jason didn't get a chance to finish, because he was being hit over the head and pulled out of the kitchen, leaving me standing opposite Shane. Jeff had joined in the legal conversation and we were the only two left in the kitchen. Wow, it emptied fast.

"So... they said yes," he said, the smile playing on his lips. He was obviously ecstatic about it. Not that I wasn't. Because I so was.

I nodded. "Yes they did. This is... amazing. Thank you. You didn't have to..."

He shrugged, his hands back in his pockets and his gaze back on the floor. "What are friends for?"

"Right." I said, feeling slightly disappointed. "What are friends for?"