A/N: hey! sorry it's been so long sicne I updated you wont believe the amount of rewrites I've written for this chapter only to decide that I liked the original one the most. So I've tweaked it a little and hopefully made it loads better...I think it is anyway.
I'd love to know what you think so please read and review and thanks to everyone who has done so already and continues to read "The other Gray". You're all amazing for reading this and putting up with my lack of updating so THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
Lol. Anyway. I really hope you like this. I've made a start on the next chapter but with my over reactive imagination and exams coming up next month (OMFG!) it may be a while until I update again. So enjoy! :P
Chapter 27
"Oh My God I am so glad that you're here!" Mitchie yelled excitedly as she yanked open the front door and hurled herself at the bemused woman standing in front of her.
"So am I sweetie." Connie Torres hugged her daughter back once she'd gotten over the shock. "But it would've been nice to have actually gotten as far as to have knocked on the door before you attacked me."
Mitchie gasped and pulled away looking at her mother sheepishly.
"Sorry it's just I was so excited to see you and it's been ages!-I'm really sorry about that by the way! With medical school, helping the guys out when their on tour, coming to camp things have been a little hectic and..."
Connie Torres chuckled slightly at her second eldest daughter before calmly putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Honey I get it. You don't have to apologise. You've got your own life now. One that doesn't need your old fuddy duddy mother."
"Aww mum you're not old!...or a fuddy duddy!" Mitchie exclaimed, adding the last part as a precaution before she rushed over and gave her mother another hug "And I'm always gonna need you...more now than ever."
"What was that honey?"
"Nothing..." Mitchie mumbled into her mother's shoulder. "It's nothing."
Connie pulled Mitchie away from her and at arms length began examining her daughter with a suspicious look. Suddenly she gasped and a wide smile spread across her face.
"Oh my God you're pregnant!"
Mitchie's eyes widened.
"What?! No! No I'm not! I swear to God I'm not. Mum you've gotta believe me!"
"Ah" Connie said nodding her head in understanding and tapped the side of her nose in a conspiratorial kind of way. "You haven't told Shane yet. It's OK. I understand. I promise I wont say a word."
"What! No Mum I swear I'm not pregnant and I don't have to tell Shane anything. There is no baby!"
Connie's face scrunched up in confusion.
"Then what's wrong?"
"Who said anything's wrong?" Mitchie asked in a high tone before nibbling on her bottom lip.
"Ah ah! Now I know there's something wrong!" Connie exclaimed defiantly. "You Mitchie Torres Gray have so many tells I've always known when there was something wrong with you!"
"Tell? What tell?! I don't have any tells!"
Connie sighed and shot her daughter a disbelieving look.
"Since I've got here you've rambled like a chipmunk on speed, your voice has risen so high that dogs 30 miles away can hear you and you've bit you're lip so hard it's bleeding."
Mitchie stopped biting and touched her finger to her lip, groaning in defeat when she saw the smudge of blood on it.
"You're right. Something's really... really wrong."
Connie looked at her smugly.
"See I told you! And to think you doubted me! I'm your mother. I'm always right. Now let me in so we can try and get this all sorted out."
Mitchie smiled warmly and hugged her mother again.
"God I have no idea what I would do without you!"
"Well luckily you'll never have to deal with that, now come on-shift!"
"So." Connie started slowly 20 minutes later once they'd settled down in the kitchen each sipping on a glass of lemonade. "You gonna tell me what's got you so wound up or am I gonna have to go get it out of Caitlyn."
Mitchie groaned and banged her head off the coffee table.
"Please don't talk to me about Caitlyn I can only deal with one problem at a time!"
Connie sighed.
"What happened this time?"
"She and Nate had a huge fight."
Connie scoffed and waved it off.
"Please! Those two fight all the time! They're like... they're like... coke and mentos. That's it! Coke and mentos! Put them together and BANG! I honestly don't know how those two manage to stay together for so long."
"They love each other mum!"
"Oh yeah that might have something to do with it. So what happened this time? Nate didn't accidentally vacuum up her cat again? Oh my God she set his hair on fire again didn't she!?"
"It was an eyebrow mum and, like with the cat, it was a complete accident... and in both cases the hair grew back fine...although Mr Fluffykins tail did have a little bit of a kink in it afterwards. Anyway that's not the point! This fight is huge! Like cataclysmic huge!"
"It can't be that big of a deal."
"She threatened his guitars."
" What... all of them?"
Mitchie nodded and Connie let off a low whistle as she shook her head sadly.
"Damn. He must've done something really stupid!"
"You think?!" Mitchie shot back sarcastically.
"But what are you so worried about? It's not like this is the first time they've argued like this before. All you've got to do is wait it out and hope things fix themselves before they end up in a divorce court."
Mitchie sighed despondently.
"I know that! But like I said I can only deal with one problem at a time and right now...well..."
"There's more than one?" Connie added helpfully and Mitchie nodded glumly.
"It's like someone's decided that I haven't had enough drama in my life already so decided to give me a whole Pandora's freaking box of it!"
"Whoa! Mitchie calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me what's happened."
Mitchie did as she was told before letting out a loud groan and covering her face with her hands.
"I have no idea where to start." She mumbled sadly.
"Well..." Connie smiled warmly as she lent forward and gently removed Mitchie's hands from her face before tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear affectionately. "I always believe that the beginning is the best."
Mitchie smiled slightly and gave her mother a wary look.
"It's a long story."
"I've got time."
Mitchie sighed and leaned back further in her chair, taking a sip of her drink before starting.
"Well...I guess it all started with Shane's sister and Jason singing together..."
"Wait! Shane has a sister?!"
Mitchie sighed distractedly.
"Yeah-Well half sister really. Her name's Layla. She's 17. I know... it came as a surprise to me as well when I found out. She's been in care for the last 7 years but now she's back with Shane and it was a little tough getting to know her at the beginning but she's absolutely amazing. Trust me mum you'll love her....but that's not the point. The point is Layla and Jason, they sang together, and they were AMAZING! I mean seriously. Way better than me and Shane-"
"I doubt that!" Connie interrupted fiercely. Although Mitchie had an amazing singing voice which had sold millions of records all across the world for both her and Connect 3 they still found it difficult to prove to her just how talented she really was.
"You and Shane are amazing together. You always have been amazing Mitchie and you always will be. Don't ever doubt that. It's like your voices were made to be together."
"That's exactly what I thought abut Jason and Layla!" She screamed excitedly, glad someone else could understand the way she felt. She had tried to explain it to the others at the time but they just didn't seem to be able to grasp just how strongly she felt about it.
"I never knew what you meant when you said that about me and Shane but now I truly understand! When I heard them singing it was like...like heaven. But then Shane and Nate's stupidity went and ruined it all!"
Connie's face contorted with confusion as she looked at her daughter's expression of bitterness and sadness.
"What do you mean?"
"They dragged Jason away and basically tortured him into changing his mind!"
"Oh come on now! I don't believe that for a second! Jason may not be the sharpest tool in the box but he wouldn't let Shane or Nate do anything to him that wasn't warranted!"
"They took him out to the shed, locked him in and said if he didn't change his mind that people would think that he and Layla were dating and people would get a "bad impression" of him."
"As in..."
"As in not only would people think he was romantically involved with a minor but also that he was breaking the camper/councilor relationship rule and you know how much of a stickler Brown is for that particular rule."
Connie nodded her head in understanding as she remembered the first summer Shane and Mitchie came back to Camp Rock as boyfriend and girlfriend.
Shane had come back as a councilor along with the rest of Connect 3 while Mitchie and the rest of the gang had come back as campers. Shane and Mitchie expected it to be the best summer of their lives but within hours of arriving at camp it became the summer from hell.
Brown had insisted that Shane and Mitchie weren't to have any contact with each other after a camper complained to their parents about unfair treatment (2 guesses what camper that was) and so the "no camper/councilor relationship" rule was created. Those first few days as they fought their case to be together to no avail had been some of the roughest any of them had been through and her forehead furrowed in worry at the thought of the same thing happening to Jason-especially if their was no need for it.
"Oh I know exactly what you're talking about. How could ever forget?! Now let me guess? The boy folded?"
"Like a pack of cards! One word from Nate claiming that the band would lose their contract and Shane would kick his ass and he caved!"
" Well that's unfortunate but how exactly is this causing you so much trouble? And I've yet to hear how this has got anything to do with Caitlyn and Nate."
"Wait a minute! I told you this story was long! God! You're so impatient! Now I know where I get it from."
Connie's eyes narrowed.
"Mitchie Grace you may be 23 and married but don't think you'll ever be old enough to sass me!"
"Sorry mum." She mumbled shamefully under Connie's authoritative gaze.
"So you were saying?"
"I was?" Mitchie looked at her confused for a second before finally working it out. "Oh yeah! So Jason gave in like the gutless wonder he is and all hell broke loose. Because Layla...well to say she's a lot like Shane would be an understatement. That's probably why we all get on she well with her but unfortunately she shares a lot of his bad traits as well..."
"Stubborn little thing isn't she?" Connie smirked knowingly at the expression on Mitchie's face.
"As a mule! I swear sometimes she's worse than him and that's really saying something. And you know what he's like! That girl...well sometimes she's just too stubborn for her own good!
Anyway she found out that Jason had lied to her about not being able to sing with her and wouldn't give up until Jason blabbed..."
"Ah I get it now." Connie nodded in understanding Finally glad she'd gotten to the root of her daughter's troubles.
"Jason told and now Layla's pissed and making everyone's lives a living hell. Typical teenage tantrum. All you need to do is..."
"No that's not it."
Connie's eyes widened in surprise.
"It isn't?"
Mitchie shook her head slowly.
"Surprisingly no...well...sort of. Not over this anyway. For once he actually held his ground. Layla may share some of her brother's skills but the one thing she doesn't share is the look. Not that one anyway.
Oh no she's got one of her own, much more frightening and troubling but completely useless in this type of situation. She didn't have the look so Jason held strong and put up with all Layla's crap just to protect Shane and his brother."
"Wow." Connie breathed, truly shocked by this turn of events. "That was the last thing I expected! I never knew he had it in him!"
"I know but it gets better...or worse...depending on your perspective I guess."
Mitchie's forehead scrunched up in thought at this but she quickly shook it off and continued with her story.
Connie's eyebrows raised in amusement at this but she leaned in closer as she listened closely, desperate to find out what happened next.
"So Layla's acting completely bitchy to Jason for like 3 days, never speaking to him unless he talks to her first and always giving him short, clipped answers. I mean before they were like glued to each others sides and then all of a sudden she couldn't stand to even be in the same room with him for more than a couple of minutes. It was weird.
But then one morning-that morning I called you asking to come do the catering-they had this huge argument over God knows what and Layla ends up covered head to toe in all kinds of stuff attacking Jason in the middle of the hallway."
"Wow this Layla really is like her brother." Connie said dryly, referring to the time not so long ago when she walked in on Caitlyn and Mitchie trying to pry Nate and Shane off each other after a fight broke out in their living room, but having little success in doing so.
Until Mrs Torres stepped in and helped them out of course. Something she never let them forget causing Mitchie to groan as she banged the palm of her hand against her forehead.
"How many times do I have to tell you? It was pre wedding stress and Nate started it! Shane never meant to bump into those guitars, Nate just flipped out and charged at him. Shane was defending himself! It was only after Nate messed up his hair that things got out of control and even then we managed to sort things out without any major damage. No harm no foul right?"
Mitchie saw the look on her mother's face and knew she wasn't buying it but that was conversation for another time. Right now she had to deal with the matter at hand.
"You know what that's not the point right now. The important part of this is the dress!"
"What dress?"
"The one Layla was wearing when she was fighting with Jason! Tess brought it for her and it..."
"Tess? Tess Tyler?! Aww Mitchie! You let that evil harpy get her claws into that poor girl! If it wasn't bad enough that she's been in care, separated from those that she loved but then you let her be around Tess?!
That girl's a grade A bitch! I could tell from the second I laid eyes on her!"
"Mum!"
Mitchie exclaimed with embarrassment, not used to her caring, loving mother using such language about someone else but she quickly got over it once she realised the truth in it.
"You're right though. Tess completely wigged out about the whole dress thing and finally snapped, revealing her "dastardly plan " to the guys..."
Connie's eyebrows raised at this and she smirked slightly.
" Dastardly plan ?"
"Yeah you know...the usual. Blackmail...deception...corruption of innocent young minds etc..."
"Ah. So it was Tess and her "dastardly plan" that caused all this drama then."
Mitchie winced slightly and Connie groaned, knowing instantly that her hypothesis had been wrong and there was more to come.
"Not exactly. You see it was more Jason's fault really...and I might have helped out a little...but only a little! And totally unintentionally! You know it's just sometimes I can't keep an handle on my temper and..."
Connie sighed deeply and began rubbing the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on.
"Just...tell me what happened."
"Well Jason kinda told Layla all about what Tess was up to and yours truly just happened to be listening in..."
Connie gasped in horror and slammed her hands down on the table in anger as she stared intently at her daughter.
"Mitchie Grace Torres Gray were you snooping?!"
Not intentionally!" Mitchie exclaimed in defence.
If there was one thing Mitchie learned growing up it was that out of all the pet peeves her mother had lying and eavesdropping were top of the list.
"Layla had just fainted and I was checking to see if she was okay. Honestly..."
Mrs Torres looked at her suspiciously but indicated for her to continue.
"Anyway." Mitchie carried on, trying to shake off the intent look her mother was giving her. "Jason had just got to the part where he was telling Layla that Tess and Shane dated that first year at Camp Rock..."
"WHAT!?" Connie exploded loudly. "Where is that boy?! I'm gonna beat some sense into him once and for all!"
Mitchie rolled her eyes.
"Mum just calm down! It's sorted. And believe me...once I'm finished with him he'll wince every time he even thinks of the name Tess Tyler...or more importantly...his wallet will. And believe me with Shane...that's where it will hurt the most."
"Continue." She snipped tersely as she finally sat back down. She wasn't completely mollified by the plans Mitchie seemed to have in store for her husband but at the moment Connie was more concerned with finding out what had got Mitchie so frazzled.
Beating some sense into lover boy could wait until later and it was something Connie was sure her husband and Mitchie's father Steve would be more than happy to help her with.
"Oh yeah!" Mitchie exclaimed suddenly remembering what they were talking about. Connie rolled her eyes slowly. She loved her daughter but Mitchie's attention span was less than to be desired!
"So, like you, I completely flipped out and started this huge shouting match with Shane in front of everyone-Tess included."
"Is this the part where her "dastardly plan " comes into action?"
Mitchie nodded.
"Tess wasn't too happy about Shane managing to calm me down so quickly so she turned her attention onto everyone else-starting with Nate and Caitlyn."
Connie's face paled significantly.
"I think I know where this is going."
Mitchie's eyes widened in astonishment.
"You knew?!"
Connie nodded sadly.
"He came to me a couple of days after it happened. Apparently Tess turned up on his doorstep the next day and told him that she intentionally got him drunk and slept with him to create a rift between him and Caitlyn.
He didn't really go into much detail but from what I could make of it it sounded like she was blackmailing him. Using him to get favours that only Nate from Connect 3 could get. Apparently even being Tess Tyler, big time singer and daughter of TJ Tyler still isn't good enough in showbiz.
I told him to tell Caitlyn but he said he couldn't. Said Caitlyn would never forgive him and he couldn't stand to see her get hurt. God I've never seen him look so bad before! Poor Nate. He really didn't mean to do it you know. It doesn't excuse it...but he really loves that girl...he'd do anything to keep her happy."
Mitchie nodded sympathetically.
"I know. I just wish Caitlyn did too. She wont believe him and now Nate's chasing her around like some lost little puppy begging for forgiveness and she won't even talk to him. It's been 3 days and it's driving him and the rest of us crazy! Sure she's been angry with him before but three days with no speaking at all...not even shouting...that's serious mum!"
Connie leaned across the table and squeezed Mitchie's hand affectionately.
"Mitchie, honey, I know they're your best friends and you want to help them but you need to let go. This is something that they need to sort out on their own. I know I said earlier that those two are like coke and mentos but sometimes you need that. It makes life less boring.
They may fight a lot and you may find yourself caught in the fall out but together they create something...special. Coke and mentos are great on their own but together well...together they create something spectacular-messy- but spectacular. All you can do is sit back, watch and hope it doesn't cause too much trouble."
Mitchie smiled weakly.
"Thanks mum. Who would've known that one of your strange metaphors would make me feel so much better."
Connie laughed at this and Mitchie soon joined in but their laugher was cut short by the sound of loud pounding on solid wood and Shane's loud booming voice.
"Layla open this damn door right now!"
The was a pause for a moment before a muffled "Fuck you Shane" could be heard from the other side of the door followed by further shouting and banging from Shane which was quickly drowned out by the sound of pumping music coming from the teenager's room.
Mitchie groaned again and let her head fall onto the table.
"I'm guess this is also something to do with Tess or has Shane's sister always been this...delicate ?"
Mitchie sighed and thought for a second before answering.
"You know how I said things were complicated...between Layla and Shane?"
Connie nodded.
"Well that was an understatement." There was a loud sound like a door being knocked off it's hinges, followed by the sound of music abruptly being turned off and other round of shouting.
Mitchie sighed again.
" A huge understatement!"
"Go on."
"Well when Layla found out the real reason why Jason couldn't sing with her she went into hysterics and ran off- especially when she heard that Shane and Nate had something to do with it.
Things have been rocky between Shane and Layla but this was the final nail in the coffin. Any trust shared between the two was completely obliterated when Layla found out the truth about what happened that night."
"God, poor Layla! She must have felt terrible when she found out!"
Mitchie nodded in agreement.
"I know. And it doesn't help that that girl has some serious abandonment and trust issues. She was beginning to work through them too before all this happened. Letting us get closer to her again...especially me, Shane and Jason..."
"But..." Connie prompted.
"But...Thanks to Tess she found out about the real reason why Jason pulled out of Musical Jam."
"And that warranted all of this drama?"
"No but the fact that Layla went completely off the rails and got arrested might have had something to do with it."
Connie's eyes almost fell out of her sockets and she spluttered on the mouthful of lemonade she was attempting to swallow.
"Good God. This kid is more like Shane than I realised!"
Mitchie narrowed her eyes and glared at her mother. Connie loved Shane like a son but at the end of the day she always had her daughters best interests at heart therefore watched Shane's every move with a keen eye. Although she knew he'd changed she (like many others) was always on the look out for any signs of him returning to his bad boy partying ways.
"Do you want me to continue or not?" She snapped.
Connie nodded her head enthusiastically indicating her to continue.
Mitchie was right. This story had so many twists, turns and unbelievable plot lines that it really was beginning to sound like a soap opera!
"Well after Tess had finished with Nate and Caitlyn we thought it was over. Layla had managed to get her out of the cabin and into her car. The key was in the ignition and raring to go when suddenly everything went wrong. They had some sort of stand off-I don't know what happened, she wont tell us-but Tess drove off into the sunset and Layla ran off not long afterwards without a word to anyone.
We were going crazy trying to look for her especially when we got back to the cabin and found Shane's car and its keys missing but there wasn't much we could do. Not until Shane got a phone call from her friend and the local police department..."
"Oh no...I think I know where this is heading."
Mitchie pulled a face.
"You're right this would be the bit where she got done for under age drinking, resisting arrest and DUI but it's not exactly what you were thinking. Layla did get arrested but it wasn't exactly in the type of situation you would expect."
"Why what happened?"
"Well turns out Tess knew quite a lot. More than the rest of us did actually. Not only did she know about the real reason why Jason couldn't sing with Layla but she also found out that Shane had lied to Layla about how she'd ended up in care.
Shane always told Layla that he had sole custody but that wasn't true. It was joint... Nate and Jason did too..."
"But Nate would've only been 13 at the time! He was still a minor himself there was no way he could have looked after Layla too!"
"Exactly so is would've been up to Shane and Jason to look after her but with the band just about to go on tour they made a team decision and came to the conclusion that the best thing for everyone was to leave Layla behind.
The plan had been only to leave her for a year but then Shane went off the rails and when he finally sorted himself out he was so worried he'd relapse that he didn't go back for her for 7 years."
Connie gasped and shook her head sadly.
"That's terrible! Poor Layla."
Mitchie nodded in agreement.
"I know, no wonder the girl has abandonment issues. We thought she was finally getting over them but this..well you can sort of understand...she kind of snapped and with none of us there to stop her she managed to sneak into a club with one of her friends from camp and you can probably tell what happened when she got there."
Connie's forehead wrinkled in confusion.
"I don't get it. Why is Shane so angry? That boy got into more trouble when he was a teenager than I can remember. Surely sneaking into a bar and getting a little drunk..although serious...wouldn't be that big of a deal for him."
"Except Layla's on...four... different types of medication all of which require that she doesn't drink. More than that they specifically state they shouldn't be mixed with alcohol as they may create irrational behaviour and...hallucinations."
"Uh oh."
Mitchie nodded.
"Couple of shots of vodka and the girl was out of it! We're not quite sure what happened before the police found her as Layla doesn't remember or just wont tell us but somehow she'd managed to leave the club and her friend behind before crashing Shane's car into a lamppost a mile down the road. When the police found her the car was completely totalled on the side of the road, the back doors wide open and she'd disappeared into the night.
They caught up with her half an hour later standing on someone's roof fully kitted out in bright pink fairy wings proclaiming that she was Tinkerbell and that she could fly. By this time Layla's friend had already called Shane and he arrived just in time to see half the police department hovering around, waiting for her to jump . It took him almost an hour to convince her that she wasn't Tinkerbell and talk her down off the roof then another 20 minutes to chase her around the block and keep her still enough for the police to put the cuffs on her.
They didn't come home until early the next morning after Shane managed to talk them out of pressing charges and they'd made a quick trip to ER at the local hospital to make sure there wasn't any lasting damage.
God I don't know what he was feeling more-angry or heartbroken at seeing his sister like that."
They heard a loud crash and turned to face the door where the screaming had increased.
Mitchie and Connie grimaced.
"I'm guessing he's settled on angry."
Mitchie nodded sadly and Connie couldn't help but feel sorry for her and the mess she'd suddenly found herself in.
"Yep he seemed to have settle on that when she stormed into our room this morning and informed us that she's moving out."
There was another loud crash followed by a cry of anger which made Mitchie and her mother flinch before all went quiet again.
Connie saw the tears collecting in her daughter's eyes and felt her heart constrict with pain at seeing her daughter his way before she leaned across the table and hugged her tightly.
"God I'm so glad you called me Mitch! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I wasn't here to help you through this. You may be a grown up now but you'll always be my baby and this is way too much for you to handle on your own."
"Thanks mum." Mitchie sighed gratefully as she hugged her mother back. "You have no idea how great it sounds for you to say that!"
"Well I'm here as long as you need me. Don't you forget that."
Their was another loud crash followed by even louder screaming and yelling from the hallway as Mitchie let go and stood up slowly.
"Could you hold onto that thought for a second I gotta go sort something out."
Connie nodded slightly.
"Of course and remember I'll be here when you need to talk."
Mitchie smiled slightly before taking a deep breath and opening the kitchen door, Suddenly the sound got even louder and Connie gasped as she heard the sound of glass smashing into solid brick wall.
"You're such a dick Shane! God I can't believe I wasted my 7 years of my life waiting around for you!"
"Well guess what?! You did and now I'm here so DEAL WITH IT AND GET YOUR ASS BACK IN THIS CABIN!"
Mitchie rolled her eyes and shot her mother a withering look.
"Duty calls." She sighed before closing the door behind her and suddenly three angry voices could be heard as Mitchie attempted to shout some sense into the two hot headed Gray's but Connie wasn't paying attention.
Not anymore.
That voice...It sounded so familiar but Connie couldn't quite put her finger on it.
It took her a while but the second she heard Shane's sister scream her hatred for him (using her own brand of colourful and imaginative language) Connie finally realised where she'd heard that voice before and her eyes widened in shock and horror. She gasped and suddenly her blood ran ice cold.
No! It couldn't be!
But there was no other explanation. No other person would have the imagination or attitude to use language like that. She knew that voice and not because she'd heard it in the background of one of Mitchie's phone calls or seen her in one of Connect 3's early videos...oh no Connie knew that voice because she knew the person it belonged to.
Quite well in fact.
She'd seen her eating in her kitchen, smiling and laughing with her friends in the park, her arms wrapped around her boyfriend as they slow danced at his senior prom...seen her go crazy and scream at said boyfriend when she found out the truth...seen how pale she was when she was lying in that hospital bed just hours after being attacked and left to die by the same person she screamed at only weeks before hand.
Connie Torres knew that voice because it was the voice that haunted her and her family every day.
It was LJ.
"Oh God...No! This can't be happening not now!" She muttered as she frantically scrambled around searching for her phone and finally finding it buried at the bottom of her bag. With speed she never knew she possessed she began punching in the number she knew oh so well and put the phone to her ear, tapping her fingernails impatiently on the hardwood table as she waited for the annoying dial tone to finally disappear.
"Come on..Come on..pick up!" The phone connected and she let out a sigh of relief as she heard a voice on the other end of the line. "Oh thank God! Steve!...No nothing's wrong. Not yet. Just... I need to know... Where are Casey and Kyle? WHAT?! They're on their way here I thought they decided to go out of state! Oh God I've got to go..bye!"
She quickly hung up and stared at the phone in shock for a second before darting out of her chair and running out the back door. She was halfway across the garden fiddling around with her keys, trying to find the right one when she crashed into someone.
"Whoa!" Jason called out as he grabbed hold of Connie's arm just before she fell to the ground. "What's got you in such a rush?!"
"N-nothing." She stuttered. "Nice to meet you again Jason. I'd love to catch up but I'm a little busy right now so..."
Quickly she grabbed the keys off the floor from where they'd fallen out of her hands during the run in and hurried towards her car.
"Wait!" Jason followed her as she made her way across the driveway. "This isn't about Layla is it?"
Connie suddenly tensed and dropped her keys in shock at the mention of her name.
Slowly she turned around and gave him a slightly lop sided smile.
"Layla?" She said as calmly as possible, not wanting to give way any hint that there was something going on. "Why would it have anything to do with Layla? I don't even know the girl."
Jason sighed deeply and shot her a look.
"You don't have to lie to me Connie, I know everything. Layla told me."
Connie gasped.
"She told you everything?...I mean about Kyle and..."
"And the fact that he abused her for months then attacked her and left her for dead in some back road? Yes she told me."
Tears came to Connie's eyes as she rushed towards him, grabbing his arms and directing him towards her forcefully so that he had no choice but to look at her.
"He didn't mean it! I know he didn't! My son's a good boy! He can get a little out of hand sometimes but..."
"A little out of hand! Connie listen to yourself! He made her life a living hell for over a year just for fun..."
Connie winced at this but didn't argue. She'd heard it straight from her son and knew the damage he'd caused to someone they all loved and thought he loved.
"Then when she finally got out he stalked her and attacked her! That's not a little out of hand that...that's..."
"I know! I know! But he's changed I swear he has. He's started going to counselling. He's starting to work through his issues now. Everything's better now-I swear it!"
She knew that her son had caused irreparable damage but still felt the need to prove his innocence.
At the end of the day he was still her son and she refused to give up on the possibility that he was good. That's why she'd given him and Casey the opportunity to come with her to Camp Rock. It was something they'd always dreamed of when they were younger, especially Kyle who found inspiration in the success of his big sister, and Connie saw it as the perfect chance for Kyle to make something of himself.
By working part time with her in the kitchens and attending classes at camp he would have a chance to learn something new and maybe reconnect with the passion for music and dance he'd had before everything went wrong. Except now he was on his way here along with his sister and was about to run into the girl that had caused all this mess.
Not that Connie blamed LJ. She loved her like a daughter (and still did even now) but what she did know what that Kyle and Layla being in the same place with Casey hanging around would mean disaster for everyone and all the work Kyle and the family had done over the months trying to get him back on track would have all been in vain.
"It's just a little bit too late don't you think Connie? The damage has been done. To Layla anyway.
Do you think she's gonna feel any better knowing that Kyle's perfect now while she has to take a pill every morning just so she can leave the house without freaking out?!"
Jason's comment brought Connie out of her thoughts with a jolt and her head snapped up at this and she stared at him in horror. Connie hadn't seen LJ since that day she walked past her hospital room on the way to visit Kyle and what she saw was enough for Connie to never want to see her (or rather what her son) had done again.
Not that Connie had had much choice in it anyway. LJ's guardian at the time, Cassie, had taken out a restraining order against the whole family when it became apparent that both of the Torres twins were involved in this whole mess.
After that she just disappeared. Obviously to go and live with Shane and join him at Camp Rock...only she hadn't know that at the time. Maybe it she did then they wouldn't be in this mess.
Connie shook her head slightly in an attempt to clear her thoughts and returned to the subject at hand.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean after Kyle attacked her she finally snapped. Her body healed but her mind didn't now every time she leaves the house she has to take one of those pills just so that she doesn't feel like he's waiting around the corner ready to get her."
Connie's face paled and cursed silently under her breath as she pushed past Jason and headed towards her car. She's just unlocked it and pulled open the driver's side door when a hand came out and pushed it firmly shut.
Spinning around she glared at Jason who was determinedly stopping her from entering the car and leaving him behind.
"What do you want Jason?"
"I want you to tell me what's going on. First you almost knock me over you're so desperate to get out of here and then the second I bring up Layla and Kyle you're all jumpy and apologising for him like it suddenly matters what my opinion is of him. And now I tell you she can't go out without seeing him and..."
Connie listened anxiously to Jason's ranting demands as she waited for him to work it out. Suddenly his voice tailed off and his eyes went wide as he stared at her in horror.
"He's here isn't he? At Camp Rock? You INVITED HIM HERE! After everything he did to her you let him come here!!"
"I didn't know she would be here! I didn't even know she was Shane's sister. I swear Jason I had no idea any of this would happen! If I did i would have never let this happen! I thought this was over with...done. i was wrong and I'm so sorry Jason I am but I didn't know!"
"And you think that makes it better!?" Jason roared furiously.
He loved Connie Torres as much as the others did but looking at her pleading and grovelling for his forgiveness made him shake with anger. "She's a mess Connie and you just made it a thousand times worse!"
"How can it get any worse. From what I've heard she's already at breaking point!"
Jason's eyes, cold and hard with anger, snapped up to stare straight into Connie's.
"Because you just let the one thing that will finish her off walk straight into camp!"
