Author's Note: You know, I don't think the magic of having people actually love your story and give you marvelous reviews is ever going to wear off... which is a great thing. I can't understand why all of you love this story so much, but thank you goes to: fangirl12, zannesa-all-the-way, Mizz Stud Muffin, The Sushi Monster, Lina Mistress of Elements, have-a-cookie, MEbabydevil, Amberle25, reader (anon.), JaBoyYa, foolwiz, monko25, lulu96, SecretSoltice, Sober Hollywood, Banana (anon.), dancerPat, katie (anon.), oOo Endless Rain oOo, PutYourSmileOn, Shizuku Tsukishima749, x miss magic x, L.K (anon.), Konnichiwa Minna, RedRoseInADarkAlley, Jonaswifey11, Florchuchizz, BoredHpfan, kokoro192, epobbp, Blair (anon.), Remedyzero, JennAy9110, x.o.x PceLuvJonas x.o.x, iamflyingmonkey, cdagtcherry, Nicole Kathrine, BrazilianPrincess, Angie-ange, blueSKIES247, Maiqu, PlzBeMineAt705, JustASmile, camprock, AviorHyrax, creative-writing-girl13, SweetSerenityPeacexRose, BlackBeauty613, McSerious, JemiAndLolgan4ever., jamierock5195, NorthernLights25, blonde-gal, XO Miz Blonde OX, xxJemixxZanessaxx, SHAWTii328, xoAlmostFamous, musiclvr21, LosingTrack, sernity1806 and Yuki's Little Girl!
You have all been waiting for this chapter ever since Chapter Four (I believe), so hope you enjoy!
Second Chances
by PiperPaigePhoebe01
Chapter Fourteen
Mitchie began to pace.
One, two, three, she counted with each stride she took. One, two, three. One, two, three.
Turn.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
One, two—
"Would you stop that?" Shane snapped.
Mitchie stopped mid-stride, turning to look at Shane. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked completely at ease, which meant he was in stark contrast with Mitchie, who was so nervous she felt like she was going to throw up. Everyone else backstage at the Camp Rock Theater looked quite at ease... except for her.
"I'm nervous," Mitchie said. "This is my first time performing in front of a crowd like this."
"You'll do great," Shane assured her. "We've practiced nonstop for a week."
"How do you know that?" Mitchie asked, even though she knew she was needlessly worrying. "I just know that something will go wrong. What if I stumble over my words or trip on stage?"
"I'll catch you."
Mitchie looked down, frustrated with the blush that spread across her cheeks at that statement. She seemed to blush much more often now, especially when Shane did something sweet, and it was getting a bit annoying. She had finally stopped denying Caitlyn and Lola's claims of her "crush" on Shane, but she would have definitely preferred it if her face didn't constantly shout "Mitchie likes Shane!" every time he said something.
"Thanks," Mitchie finally said after a few seconds, looking up. "You always know what to say to make me feel better."
"What can I say?" Shane quipped, a small smile on his face. "It just comes naturally."
Mitchie rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help a smile crossing her face. They didn't say anything else, but Mitchie somehow knew that they were both there for each other, and that they wouldn't let the other fall.
Not that Shane will fall, of course.
He's been at this for three years now and I don't think he'll stumble over his words at the small Camp Rock theater, but at least he'll be there for me.
That thought didn't entirely relieve her, but it helped get her mind off everything, and gave her an opportunity to scan over the people swarming the backstage area. Tess Tyler held the most space in the room (as usual), and was rehearsing with two of her newest backup singers, Lily and Katherine, turning back to them every thirty seconds or so to criticize something they were doing. Ella and Peggy were right next to her, sitting on two chairs in the back of the room, talking silently and encouragingly to each other. And, of course, there were all the other people performing at Final Jam, but Mitchie's eyes didn't travel over them long enough to recall their names because, at that moment, she received a tap on her shoulder.
"Are you almost ready?"
Mitchie turned to see Caitlyn right behind her, holding her laptop under one arm, a huge smile on her face.
"Yeah," Mitchie said. "Even though I feel like I'm going to throw up."
"You will both be amazing," Caitlyn reassured.
"Thanks," Mitchie responded.
"And who knows, maybe you'll get a kiss from you-know-who," Caitlyn whispered under her breath, nudging Mitchie in the ribs with a sly look on her face.
Mitchie glared at Caitlyn. "Don't make me laugh," she whispered back, kicking her in the leg and shooting a nervous look in Shane's direction. "He won't do that. He doesn't like me that way."
"He didn't deny it when I talked to him," Caitlyn murmured. "In fact, he doesn't say anything. That means he probably does but doesn't want to admit it."
"He doesn't," Mitchie replied. "I know that, at least."
"Don't be so sure," Caitlyn retorted.
Mitchie didn't know what to say to that, but thankfully she didn't have to—Brown had chosen that moment to step backstage for a moment for a last-minute pep talk and as soon as he did so, people automatically looked his way, dissolving into silence.
"Are you all psyched?" he asked, looking as if he was about to bounce around the room out of excitement.
A resounding "YES!" shook the room.
"Good!" Brown replied. "It looks like there are so many talented people here, so this looks to be one of the best Final Jam sessions in Camp Rock history!" Everyone let out a loud whooping cry of excitement at that, and Brown waited until it died down to continue. "But just remember: this is all about fun! So just go out there and sing your hearts out!"
Another booming "YES!" came from everyone backstage.
Brown continued for a few more seconds, then took a microphone from the stand right next to the stage, running out to roaring applause from the audience ready for them to perform.
"They're so loud," Mitchie murmured, a bit overwhelmed.
Shane grinned at her. "Compared to other places you could perform, they're as silent as a mouse," he responded. "Come on."
With that, Shane took her by the arm and began steering her toward the stage, just out of sight, so that they could still see and hear what was going on, but the audience couldn't see or hear them. Brown was pumping up the crowd, getting them to scream their excitement, even joining in with them. To Mitchie, the noise was deafening, but after a moment, Brown cut them off, a broad smile on his face.
"Does anyone know what will happen tonight?" he asked the crowd, his voice excited, booming through the theater.
There was a roar as the campers began answering it all at once, and Brown had to raise his voice to be heard, even over the powerful microphone he was using.
"Tonight, music history will be made once more as we declare a new Final Jam winner!" he declared, and the crowd screamed and clapped excitedly. "And not only that, but tonight, for the very first time in three years, my dear nephew, Shane Gray, will be performing with a camper, making Camp Rock history! Now who's psyched about that?"
It seemed everyone was.
"This isn't helping my nerves," Mitchie murmured as the crowd applauded once more. "They're expecting a lot..."
"We can win this," Shane said reassuringly. "I've told you this."
Mitchie laughed softly. "Right now, I'm not thinking about winning. I'm just thinking about getting through this with my spaghetti dinner still in my stomach."
"You will," Caitlyn responded, coming up behind her, laptop in hand. "Things will be fine."
"I hope you're right."
"I am right," Caitlyn said.
"Just take deep breaths and you'll be fine," Shane said. "I'm always nervous when I perform, but just taking deep breaths helps. Calms me down, gets me focused on what I'm trying to do."
"I'll try," Mitchie said, quickly turning to look at the stage as Brown cut off the applause once more.
"Some of you may also remember what happened the last time my nephew came!" Brown said to the audience. "Shane Gray, along with fellow members of Connect Three, allowed the winner of Final Jam to perform with them in a recording studio last year, and guess what? The same thing is going to happen this year!"
Again, applause.
Mitchie turned to Shane, shock written all over her face.
"You didn't tell me about that!" she said.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," Shane responded.
"Isn't that rigged, though?" Caitlyn pointed out. "I mean, if you're performing with Mitchie, then the judges will already get a chance to hear you perform, so doesn't that mean you'd automatically have a better shot than anyone else?"
"You'd think that," Shane said, "but the judges are fair: they don't judge it on who we perform with, they judge it on musical skill, not on collaboration. So we could be the best duet-singers in the world, but that still doesn't mean they'd want us to actually record together unless the winner is the best singer. Does that make sense?"
"A bit," Caitlyn said.
The applause coming from the Camp Rock theater died down a bit, and Brown continued speaking.
"Along with that marvelous prize, you will also receive a special Camp Rock trophy—and quite a big one, I might add—" he showed the audience the rough size of the trophy, which caused a few newcomers to the camp to gasp—"and your name in the new Camp Rock Hall of Fame!" More applause. "These are amazing prizes, so to make sure the right camper is chosen, we have asked some of the biggest stars in music to come and judge! Give it up for Matthew Laurence, Heather Donahue, and Jaclyn Rose!"
At the judges' table, a tall, handsome man with dark brown hair and startling green eyes stood up, followed by a short, slim red-haired woman with attractive blue eyes and a black-haired teenage girl.
There was thunderous applause.
"How did Brown get Heather Donahue?" Mitchie asked, staring at Shane. "I heard she's really hard to get ahold of!"
"She is," Shane said. "I have no clue how he has the connections, but apparently he does. At least this way they'll make sure the right singer is chosen and, even if they choose the wrong one, Connect Three can review their choice."
Mitchie nodded. "Cool."
"And now," Brown finally said, "give it up for the winner of last year, Peggy DuPree, singing with her best friend, Ella!"
People did indeed give it up. As soon as Brown ran backstage and gestured for the music to begin, Peggy and Ella began their performance. It was quite unlike Ella's performance with the Hasta La Vista Crew last year, and yet very different from Peggy's solo (or at least she thought it was, considering Mitchie hadn't been there to hear any of it), but it grabbed the audience's attention all the same. Mitchie was struck by how well their two different tones of voice managed to harmonize together and how their performance expressed so much raw passion—it was amazing.
"They're great," Mitchie whispered to Shane.
He looked impressed as well. "Yeah, they are."
Of course, everyone performing at Final Jam was great, whether it was Peggy and Ella's first performance, the Hasta La Vista Crew's catchy tune (complete with trampolines), Tess's slightly arrogant and pop star-y lyrics that involved, once again, mirrors (without the fall and embarrassing ending, of course), or the numerous other groups and singers that performed.
With each performance, however, Mitchie grew more and more nervous and, when Brown announced there were only two more performances, Mitchie knew she was shaking like a leaf.
"Come on, we can do this," Shane whispered to her. "I'm going to the entrance of the theater now. We need to be in our places before Brown announces us. You'll be okay, won't you?"
Mitchie nodded, even though the intense feeling of nausea in her stomach told her otherwise. "I'll be fine," she said, managing a small smile. "Go ahead. I think all I need is to just start singing. Then things will get better."
"All right," Shane said. He reached for the table with the microphones, picking one up, then slipped out of the backstage room, down the hall, and toward the place they had designated for him to remain until halfway through their performance.
Now there was only Caitlyn and Mitchie in their group and soon Caitlyn would have to be separated from her.
"Don't worry," Caitlyn said. "You'll do great."
Mitchie nodded, trying not to act like she was a pathetic loser who couldn't sing in front of a group of people without feeling like she wanted to throw up. She closed her eyes, hoping that the next performance would last a long time to give her time to get herself together, but the second to last performance went by quickly, and soon Brown was on the stage again.
"We're just about finished," Brown proclaimed, "but we have one more performance, one that I'm sure you've all been waiting for. So, put your hands together for Mitchie Torres, Caitlyn Gellar, and my nephew, Shane Gray!"
"Let's do this," Caitlyn whispered, hugging Mitchie tightly and pressing a microphone into her hand. As Brown ran backstage once more, Caitlyn untangled herself from the crowd, running to the other end of the stage, where she would begin the music. Mitchie waited for what felt like a second to her nerves for the music to begin and, once it did, she took one deep breath, stepping out into the public eye, out on the stage, for the very first time in her life.
She began singing, the words and the moves she had choreographed with Caitlyn and Shane running through her mind.
I've always been the kind of girl
That hid my face
So afraid to tell the world
What I've got to say
Mitchie's voice was low and hesitant even to her own ears at the beginning but, as she got into the song and walked to the back of the stage, toward the center, she felt the words swelling inside her chest, pushing her nervousness firmly down. The next words came quickly, easily, as she turned her back to the audience, allowing them to hear her voice, not see her face.
But I have this dream
Bright inside of me
I'm gonna let it show, it's time
To let you know
To let you know
She moved to the rhythm of the music, smiling broadly as the music swept into the chorus and she turned. Her hair flew around her face as she began the chorus, but she didn't care, merely focusing on the words of her song.
This is real, this is me
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now
Gonna let the light shine on me
She switched her microphone to her other hand.
This is where I'm supposed to be. I am letting the light shine on me.
Now I've found who I am
There's no way to hold it in
As if to express that, she swept her arm out, moving to the beat of the music. She was so caught up in actually singing, her nervousness all but entirely evaporated by now, that she didn't notice anything excepther voice and the music.
No more hiding who I wanna be
I haven't hidden who I want to be for a month now.
And I'm not about to start.
This is me
It definitely is.
Do you know what it's like
To feel so in the dark
To dream about a life
Where you're the shining star
Her hand went up, quickly and nearly imperceptibly pointing to the audience watching her every move, hearing her every word, their eyes widening as they realized that this song was the one that had captivated the Shane Gray.
Even though it seems
Like it's too far away
She moved around the back of the stage, letting her feet dictate where she was going.
I have to believe in myself
It's the only way
She returned to her original position, her heart beating quickly as her hand went up to press against it for a moment before falling back to her side.
This is real
This is me
Mitchie brought her head down, getting more power in her voice, then brought it up, her hair obscuring her view for a split second before she moved, shaking her hair back into its original position.
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now
Gonna let the light shine on me
Both hands went up, her right reaching behind her head to brush against her hair.
I never thought I'd enjoy having the light shine on me this much.
Now I've found who I am
There's no way to hold it in
No more hiding who I wanna be
This is me...
-
Shane watched Mitchie's performance from the front of the Camp Rock theater, right in front of the long walkway leading up to the main stage. Since the entire theater except the stage was bathed in darkness, he wasn't noticeable, so he was free to stand right at the beginning of the walkway, the hand gripping his microphone growing a bit sweaty.
As he watched, there was no other word for it: Shane was amazed.
He knew what her voice was like, sure, but he had never imagined that she would take so naturally to the stage, considering how nervous she had been before actually going out there and doing it. Mitchie looked like she was born to be on the stage—she didn't seem to notice the audience at all, and Shane knew how hard that was to accomplish.
She was worried for nothing...
He smiled as Mitchie got further into the song. As she swept into the second verse and eased into the chorus for a second time, Shane readied himself. This was it. This was their performance, and he couldn't let her down now.
This is me...
Mitchie stopped singing. Shane waited a heartbeat, then joined in, stepping out of the shadows, onto the dimly lit walkway.
You're the voice I hear inside my head
The reason that I'm singing
A smile spread across Mitchie's face as she heard him sing. Shane took a few more steps forward.
I need to find you
I gotta find you...
And I did.
Mitchie stepped down from the back of the stage, moving closer to him.
You're the missing piece I need
The song inside of me
By now, they were walking toward each other at a quicker pace and Mitchie joined in, a large smile on her face.
I need to find you
I gotta find you
And they reached each other.
They were now less than a foot away—if he wanted to, he could reach out and touch her, but he knew he couldn't as he stopped singing for a moment, allowing Mitchie's to take center stage.
This is real
This is me
Passion filled Mitchie's words as she sang those two lines solo.
Wow. We were good before, but not this good...
Shane smiled, joining in once more.
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now
Gonna let the light shine on me
Now I've found who I am
There's no way to hold it in
Their eyes met as they sang and Shane just knew his were expressing all the things he had tried to say, but knew he couldn't. Their performance was so much more powerful than he had ever imagined it—if he was concentrating on anything other than Mitchie, and if she was concentrating on anything other than him, he would have thought there was no way they couldn't win.
But he wasn't, and he was concentrating just on Mitchie, just on the song.
No more hiding who I wanna be
As they sang that line, it was as if their connection deepened. Before they both sang their separate lines, Shane let a small smile show on his face, which Mitchie reciprocated.
(This is me)
You're the missing piece I need
The song inside of me
Shane had no doubt in his mind during that moment that there was something between them that couldn't be explained by mere friendship. They had something... new, something even he couldn't explain.
I wish I knew what it was.
(This is me, yeah)
You're the voice I hear inside my head
The reason that I'm singing
How true.
They bound together the separate threads of their song, connecting it in the last chorus, their last chance they had to impress everyone in the Camp Rock Theater, and probably the last time they would ever sing this song together.
Now I've found who I am
Shane suddenly felt a need for some sort of physical contact—he reached his free hand out, gripping Mitchie's tightly. She looked surprised for a split second, but the emotion was wiped off in a moment as they wound their song to a close.
No more hiding who I wanna be
Their hands rose almost before he realized it.
This is me...
Mitchie's smaller hand mirrored Shane's larger one as they broke their contact for a moment, then he heard a small gasp of shock and surprise as Shane moved to intertwine his fingers in hers. He knew it was cliched to say "there were sparks as soon as we touched," but he did feel something new as their hands intertwined, clasping tightly together, as the music ended and people began to applaud.
It seemed they were lost in a trance. Mitchie began to smile, smaller at first, but then it grew larger, until it dominated her whole face. Shane couldn't help smiling back as the hands holding their microphones dropped and he stared at Mitchie, straight into her eyes.
This went on for a moment, but then Mitchie seemed to realize where she was—she abruptly let go of Shane's hand, slowly backing away from him, yet her eyes were still locked with his. He followed her backstage, to where everyone was applauding, even Tess, and smiled at her, only letting his gaze drop from her eyes as Caitlyn practically jumped her, squealing excitedly.
He smiled as his uncle gave him congratulations for his performance, but he couldn't help thinking of only one thing:
That he should have kissed her.
-
Author's Note: I loved writing this chapter, I really did. Nervous!Mitchie was fun to write and so was the part where they sang. I love writing songfics, so I really hope you enjoyed reading it. It's a lot like what happened in the movie, but only because I didn't want to change it too much. I guess you could say I made it a bit more realistic (because, really. What are the odds Shane and Mitchie would be able to pull off a duet that amazing without any practice? Come on, they're pretty slim), but I kept it for the most part the same. Hopefully it kept you entertained!
Unfortunately, this is the second to last chapter. I know, it's been a lot of fun, but now that this chapter is written, there's only one more loose end to tie up. (Well, two, if you count the little hint I gave you in the last chapter.) However, this will not be the end. I already have an idea that I'm fleshing out in my head, so I hope you'll check it out. I'm planning on giving you a little sneak peek next chapter in the end author's note, so I hope you'll want to read it.
But anyway. Enough of my blathering. Please review?