Hey everyone. Sorry this has taken so long. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. It's been a busy summer, so I might not get back to you in 24 hours like I usually do, but I promise I will get back to you. Without further adue: Malibu
LAST TIME
"No. That's next weekend. This weekend I break up with Tess and next weekend I spend with Mitchie."
"Dude, it's not Friday anymore. It's Monday and you only have one weekend to be in Malibu with Tess and at Camp Rock with Mitchie. I know you can multitask, but how are you supposed to be in California and Arkansas at the same time?"
"Oh, my gosh…Snap! What am I supposed to do Nate? I'm breaking up with Tess for Mitchie, but if I go to Malibu with Tess then Mitchie will think I'm stiffing her."
NOW
'Sometimes I have good days and it's good to be me, sometimes I get the best of insecurity. And it's quite alright to be the one and only, but today I feel like the one and lonely'
"Sierra?" Mitchie answered the phone, entering the falling snow as the sun rose above the clouds.
Thank goodness I got a hold of you Mitchie. It wasn't Lilac! She sent the picture to Katrina because Katrina didn't believe she actually was meeting Shane. Apparently Katrina still has a vendetta against you so she pulled this stunt. I can't believe the nerve of her! And to think it could have been me to do that…Mitchie…I almost sent Katrina a picture of the two of you together too… I could have been the one that is causing all these problems. I am so, so, so sorry.
"Sierra, relax. It wasn't you and I know you would never follow through on something like that. You might think about it, but you would never betray me," Mitchie soothed, watching her feet to avoid falling in the fresh snow, "The important thing is that you solved the mystery and now we can start fixing it. So, how is Lilac feeling about the whole situation?"
BEEP, BEEP
She's so embarrassed that she actually thought about transferring to a different school. Katrina thought she was doing us a favor and told the whole school that we knew Shane Gray. Now I can't even go to class without whispering about me or you or Lilac and the whole situation. There are also the people who just bluntly ask me about it and I just have to ignore them. It's only second period and it's so bad that when I tried to hide in the bathroom, girls actually followed me in to ask about if Jason actually was as nice in person.
"So where are you now?" Mitchie asked, entering Cabin One for Algebra 2.
BEEP BEEP
Oh… just the principle's office… Apparently when you become a distraction to everyone else's learning you get detention. Principle Carter said that if it happens tomorrow I am partially suspended.
"Sierra, I'm so sorry. I can't believe this is happening just because of a stupid music video."
It's not your fault and I don't want you to take it that way. I was in the music video too so it would have happened eventually. This might actually be a good thing. I was planning on graduating a year early and going to Arkansas State University anyway. This just pushed up the plans.
"No Sierra, this isn't fair to you. Maybe you can transfer, stay with my parents for the rest of high school. Wait… what do you mean partially suspended?"
Principle Carter said that she would arrange a tutor for me so I could keep up. Mom has been talking about moving so that she could help your mom with the business. She even discussed me being homeschooled next year.
"You can't miss your senior year of high school. What about John? He just moved there and he probably doesn't have many friends and Lilac… What is she going to do without you? Academics are your life; you can't just give up being valedictorian because of some silly little issue with your best friend. Just wait it out a couple days and see what happens. Ok?"
I guess you're right. I'll call you later.
"Alright; I got to go, class is about to start," Mitchie said, eyeing Mr. Levalo folding and putting down his newspaper.
Bye Mitchie.
"Bye Sierra."
Beep, boop, boop, beep, bup, beep, boop… ring, ring, ring…Hey…
"Mitchie, glad I caught you before class… I can't make it this weekend… I have to fly to California for something…"
…this is Mitchie-I'm not here right now; leave a message after the beep…
Shane pressed end before the call could completely go to the voicemail.
What am I going to do? I don't want to tell her I can't make it in a text message…I know she's at school, but I thought she had passing periods… Where is she?
The car stopped outside the 702.3 FM station and a man came to the door to let Shane out. Not a cloud was in sight and the weather could not have been better, but the rain cloud brewing over Shane's head just seemed to grow darker. Nate followed him out with a spring in his step. His mental sky was crystal blue.
A hand reached out for Shane as soon as he entered the building. He took it just like he had gotten used to and pulled it towards the doors to the studio entrance. Tess began to act as she usually did; she would not let go of Shane and held a fake longing in her eyes for him.
The interview went as they usually did, questions about the tour, music, and dating. Nate kept his relationship with Caitlyn private and Shane and Tess acted as though they were a happy couple. Tess even mentioned that she would be taking a long weekend in Malibu to visit friends without Shane. Shane played along hiding his anxious feelings from his facial expressions.
After that interview, George, Shane, Nate, Jason, and Tess all piled into the sleek black car to head to the next venue, a morning show. George provided a revised schedule to the three to allow for their weekend at Camp Rock. He begged the boys to change their mind about traveling during time off, but nothing would deter Nate from getting his way and Jason was convinced that he could go bird watching while visiting the camp. Shane kept his mouth closed. He still had to figure out what to do about that weekend.
Beep, boop, boop, beep, bup, beep, boop… ring…Hey…
"Mitchie, I have something to tell you. I know you were looking forward to this weekend, but…"
…this is Mitchie-I'm not here right now; leave a message after the beep…
Shane let out a long slow breath as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and headed for the stage. He shot Tess a worried look as he grabbed her hand for what felt like the hundredth time that day and took his seat on Tyrisha's couch.
Just two more interviews… then you can freak out about Mitchie not calling you back. Two interviews, then you drive Tess to the airport; act like you'll really miss her and go back to the hotel… Tess will call Mitchie when you go on to the stage to play. It's all going to be ok.
"Shane-Shane," Tyrisha called for Shane's attention.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"
"Well, someone was off in their own little world. Who were you thinking about?"
Shane thought for a second.
"Um… Tess of course. I'm really going to miss her while she's in California this week. I might just have to go visit her on my day off," Shane elaborated.
"So the rumors of another girl are wrong?"
"Yea that was just a still from our new music video coming out in December. It's about finding someone who completes you. Tess didn't want the part, so I offered it to a student I had this summer."
"Hey Caitlyn, how was Music Production?"
"Not bad, you'll finish early," Caitlyn commented picking up an orange slice from the buffet table.
"Sweet, so have you heard from Nate today? Tess texted me and said that they're swamped with interviews and shows this week. It's weird… their schedule changed a lot considering the one Tess gave me at the beginning of the school year."
"I think the manager moved some things so they could come this weekend. No word from Nate except that he can't wait to see me. Why?"
"Shane has tried to call me twice, but I've been in classes all morning and I missed his call when Sierra called. I hope everything is ok. Oh, and speaking of Sierra, I need to call Nate about publicist stuff. Sierra found out how the photo leaked and might get suspended because of it."
"What?" Caitlyn spit.
"Yea, apparently her knowing Connect 3 is too much of a distraction to the student body that she got pulled out of class. They're even considering getting her a tutor so she can stay home but stay on track with school until the whole thing dies down."
Sliding into the seat next to Katie, Mitchie plopped her tray onto the table and began to stare at her food.
Who could be hungry at a time like this? Sierra might get kicked out, Shane keeps calling like there's some sort of emergency and I'm so swamped with projects all due in two Fridays that I won't even have time to spend with the guys while they are in town.
Mitchie jumped as Amy tapped her on the shoulder, "You gonna eat that?" Amy asked, pointing to Mitchie's bag of chips.
She shook her head letting Amy take the bag and stood up.
"I'm going back to the cabin for awhile. I have to work on my English paper. I'll see you guys later."
Mitchie walked towards the door, grabbing her winter jacket from its peg by the blazing fire. She stared at her phone as she trudged out into the, now, four inches of snow.
Two missed calls. Why isn't he leaving messages? I can't even call him back because he's doing a show right now! I hate this…Sierra's probably home now…She did say that she had a detention and I'm pretty sure with what was going on her mom pulled her out of school.
Ring, ring, ring…Hello?
"Hey Sierra it's me. How are you?"
Ok I guess. Principle Carter decided on what to do with me. She told my teachers to give me all my homework until Thanksgiving. I'll go back after that. You're still coming here for Thanksgiving right?
"Oh, shoot. I totally forgot about our plans…"
So you're not coming?
"I can't… my parents are taking me to New York and…"
Enough said. You have to go. That's awesome. You HAVE to go to the parade. Make sure to take a lot of pictures for me and wave if you're by a camera. I'll be watching like always.
"Haha, ok Sierra. I promise, just make sure you watch the whole parade from beginning to end. Ok?"
I promise. I always do. I got to go, homework.
"Yea, I have homework too. The guys are supposed to be in town this weekend and I don't think I'll even get to see anything but the inside of my room because of how many projects the teachers have going. I'll call you later."
Ok bye.
"Bye," Mitchie said into the phone, reaching her cabin.
She dropped her phone haphazardly on her bed as she entered the room and dragged herself to her desk.
If I can just get my math homework done now, then I can focus on my English paper, my Physic project and my dance solo after Music Production and dinner. Thank goodness Brown only wants me to work on my parade song. I don't know what I would do if I had a song due before Thanksgiving too. Actually… that wouldn't be such a bad idea. Ok, x plus seven, squared…
"I love you Mitchie. I could never see myself with anyone else," Shane kissed Mitchie sweetly.
The sun reflected off the pure white snow. Shane brought Mitchie into a hug, his muscular arms around her. Her head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck while he hummed softly to her.
"Oh Shane," Mitchie breathed, "I love you too."
'You need that boy like a bowling ball dropped on your head, Which means not at all, You have too much to give, to live to waste your time on him'
"Shane, why do you sound like Caitlyn's ringtone?"
Mitchie peered up to find that Shane had disappeared. She was no longer in her and Shane's special spot by the lake, but sitting at her desk with only two math problems left to go. She turned in her chair to see her phone lighting up in the darkness of the cabin. Jumping to her feet, Mitchie rushed to the phone to hear the ringtone stop and the light go out.
The beep that followed told her that Caitlyn had left a message for her.
'Hey Mitchie. Um… I just wanted to make sure you were ok. I mean, you missed the last two classes and now the teachers are sending us all to the mess hall for the rest of classes because the snowstorm is so bad that they don't want us outside unless we are going to our cabins. If you get this, call your mom. She's taking attendance in the mess hall and she said to call everyone missing and tell them to stay put. I hope you're ok. I'll see you when the snow stops. Bye'
Oh snap! I'm stuck in here alone until the snow stops…What am I going to do? What about classes? I can catch up on Rachel's stuff and Music Production shouldn't be that bad, but what about History? If I'm one day behind on that, there is no way I will have time for Shane, Nate and Jason this weekend…
After calling to confirm her safety, Mitchie e-mailed her afternoon teachers and asked for the homework. Without the distraction of Abby, Caitlyn and Alicia, Mitchie was able to finish her rough draft on her research paper for English, choreograph her dance project, finish her math homework and complete everything on her physics project. She was just starting on the History assignment that Mr. Demicon had sent to her when her phone rang.
'Everything is different, why do things change? I'm still standing here, but you've walked away. Everything is nothing now that I see, everything we are is everything we're gonna be."
"Hey" Mitchie answered.
There was a silence for a couple seconds.
"Shane, are you there?"
Mitchie, how are you? I've called thirteen times and I texted you this weekend but you didn't call back. Did I do something wrong?
"Oops; I guess I missed your calls, sorry. This weekend was really hectic and my cell service is probably being interfered by the storm now."
Storm? What storm are you talking about?
"I'm in the middle of a snow storm right now. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that I fell asleep doing homework during my lunch period, I would be in the mess hall taking make-shift classes right now."
Shane chucked.
You actually fell asleep during lunch? What could you be so stressed about that you would skip lunch? It's the best meal of the day!
"Well, you had already called me twice by that point and I was worried about why you were calling so much without leaving messages. Then there is the fact that Sierra might be getting kicked out of school, not to mention the mountain of homework that I have this week. All the teachers are piling on the homework so that we don't have to take it on break with us.
"I have a paper, a dance, and a song to perfect for next Friday. Not to mention the stress of having the Marcy's Day Parade in two weeks. Sierra called this morning too to tell me that Katrina, my old rival, is trying to get back at me for something I did six years ago by selling pictures of you and me together, so now I know that it wasn't Lilac but I have a bigger problem because now Katrina has made going to school impossible for Sierra."
Mitchie, you need to calm down and breathe. I get it; you've had a busy morning and a stressful afternoon. Let's talk about something else, get your mind on something not so stressful. How was your weekend?
"It was fun… Rachel's new boyfriend stayed at my house this weekend so we watched movies and played catch. Nothing high stress. Did you know that Tyler Steel was a Harry Potter fan?"
Actually I did. We ended up sitting next to each other at a premiere in New York a couple years ago. So, that's Rachel's new arm candy huh? Well, good for her. She has finally moved on.
Mitchie smiled at his excitement.
"Tyler seems like a great guy too. They're almost perfect for each other."
Almost? What's wrong with it?
"Well, the age difference…"
You're really going to say that? Mitchie, you and I are two years apart and they are only three years apart. What's the big deal?
"I just think that Tyler might not be mature enough for Rachel in the end."
I see your point, but Rachel was a little immature for her age too.
"Maybe you're right. Anyway, I know you didn't call just to check up on me. What's on your mind?"
Tess came up with a good plan for our break up and we're going to put it into action really soon.
"That's great; maybe we'll have it behind us by Thanksgiving."
We will. The plan is that Tess is going to cheat on me with Nick James this weekend. I'm going to fake an emotional break up with her and then we're home free.
"That sounds amazing," Mitchie commented, "wait… did you say this weekend?"
That's why I've been trying to call you…Mitchie, I'm going to try really hard to get out there Saturday night, but I might not make it to visit you this weekend…
"Oh," Mitchie whispered after a couple seconds of silence, "ok. Yea, sure, no problem; like I said, I have homework anyway."
Mitchie, don't make this harder that it has to be. I want to be there with you, but I can't be there the way I want to if I have this Tess thing hanging over my head.
"I told you, I get it Shane," Mitchie defended.
I just wanted to make sure. If I had realized it was the same day I wouldn't have agreed to go to Malibu with her.
"Malibu! She's really playing it up! Are you sure Nick will even show up?"
Mitchie, don't you think you're being a little dramatic?
"Well, she does have a history."
This is why I was scared to tell you. I knew you were going to freak out.
"I am not freaking out," Mitchie said bringing her voice back to a normal volume, "I am simply explaining my discomfort with you and Tess going to Malibu together."
We aren't going together. I just dropped her off at the airport. She's going up now to get buzz going about her being seen with Nick. Oh, by the way she has a date with him tonight. A real date, so don't worry about me. It's not like I'm going to kiss her or anything.
"Shane," Mitchie groaned.
Sorry bad choice of illustrations.
"I got to go. Apparently I have to read an entire chapter in my history book. Call me when you land in Malibu."
Mitchie hung up without waiting for a response.
Caitlyn, Abigail and Alicia came in several hours later with a plate of food for Mitchie. By then Mitchie had finished her History homework and somehow managed to get her English paper's second revision to her teacher.
For the rest of the week Mitchie threw herself into her school work. Caitlyn and Abigail could barely get two words out of her and never saw her at meals. Connie couldn't even stop Mitchie from doing homework long enough to eat and hold a normal conversation with her. Sierra could only get Mitchie to talk by texts and Shane couldn't even get Mitchie to respond to her through Nate. She ignored any Connect 3 contacts completely.
When Mitchie could not distract herself with schoolwork or homework, she made herself useful, helping Ms. Catsing shovel snow off the path ways manually. Mitchie found that if she helped Ms. Catsing out, Ms. Catsing was willing to help her with her choreography for her solo. Alicia only could get Mitchie to talk to her when she needed help with her guitar or homework for classes. Anytime the weekend came up in conversation, Mitchie shut down or would become so frustrated with Alicia that she would stop helping entirely.
The week could not go fast enough for Mitchie, but sure enough Friday came and Mitchie just couldn't wait to hide in her room alone. With everyone trying to comfort her all week, she really just needed her space to think, write, and maybe cry a little.
What Mitchie wasn't expecting was Nate to show up in her last period class with Jason. Nate walked strait up to Ms. Spray and asked if Mitchie could leave. Mitchie had been done with her work and had been doing extra credit when the two had invaded the cabin. Naturally, Ms. Spray allowed Mitchie to go, seeing the improvement in her work that week.
Mitchie unwillingly followed Nate and Jason out of the classroom and in the direction of her cabin. The boys acquired a brisk pace as they past through the camp and directly to Mitchie's cabin door.
Nate opened the door for Mitchie as Jason waited at the door with him.
"Well, those gentleman classes really did pay off, didn't they?"
Nate remained silent as Jason simply looked confused. Mitchie, having every intention of ignoring the whole Shane situation tried to spark a conversation about the tour.
"So how was the Tyrisha show? Any chance you got me an autograph?"
"Actually I did," Jason spoke up, "It's in my bags. I got you an 'I Love NYC t-shirt too."
"Jason! That's not why we pulled Mitchie out of class early! Keep your focus!" Nate punched out frustrated.
"Sorry Nate; I'm just so happy to see Mitchie, I couldn't help myself."
Nate rolled his eyes and pulled Mitchie over to her desk chair. She sat down with hesitation as to what Nate was about to say.
"Mitchie, I know you're mad at Shane, but you have to talk about it. You won't talk to Caitlyn or Alicia and you ignored all our calls this week. Now you have to talk."
"Technically we could sit here in silence and not talk. I'm perfectly ok with that," Mitchie tried.
"Oh, no, that's not going to happen. Listen Mitchie, Shane wouldn't be going to California if it weren't for you. He wants to end it with Tess so that you two can finally have a real relationship without all this stupid jealousy between it."
"First of all, who said I was jealous? Second of all, couldn't he have warned me earlier? I mean… come on, we've been on the phone multiple times since I found out you guys were coming to visit. Thirdly, why does he have to be there to watch Tess cheat on him? If the press sees Tess with Nick then what's the point of Shane being there? Fourth of all, I know what he's doing is not that big of a deal, but next week is going to be really stressful and we really won't have much time together while we're in New York because of family stuff and the parade."
"So that's what this is really about," Nate pondered allowed, "You want special time with Shane just like I wanted special time with Caitlyn this weekend. I thought that might have something to do with this. Well, I guess there's only one thing to do then."
Jason nodded, for once knowing some of what Nate was talking about. Nate pulled Mitchie to her feet and led the way to the door. Outside the cabin sat a pink stretch limo.
Mitchie threw Jason a confused glance. Jason just smiled in response as Nate led the way to the car. Jason opened the door and summoned Mitchie into the back seat. As soon as she was in, Jason followed, taking a seat next to her and closing the door. The car started to move almost directly.
"Jason! What's going on? Why are we moving? What's with the pink limo? We don't have time for an intervention. I have homework to do!"
"I know; that's why I grabbed your backpack and computer on the way out and your guitar is in the trunk."
"Jason, you can't kidnap me! What about my mom and Caitlyn? We're supposed to make dinner and I have to get a lot done this weekend. My dad wanted to meet you guys before we left for New York."
"I met your dad and got permission to kidnap you. Everything is going to be perfect. As for where you're going, I'm not even allowed to know. The driver knows and the driver will take us directly to where we need to go. The pink limo was Nate's idea; he thought you would get a kick out of it."
"You met my dad? He's ok with you kidnapping me? What did you pack my clothes too?"
"No, that would be your mom. We got here around lunch time and Nate told her the plan while you were eating lunch and she was setting up the dishwasher; you know how loud that thing is. When you went to class, she went back to your house and packed you up. She also told me to give you this," Jason said, pulling out a credit card.
"What? Why do I need a credit card?"
"You buy stuff with it so I suppose that she must have thought you would want to buy something while you were gone."
"Gone? So we aren't going to be back until Sunday night?"
"I don't know. I told you, I don't know anything, and I'm just supposed to be your companion. Oh, we have to stop by Caitlyn's last class before we leave."
Just as he spoke, the car pulled to a stop outside Caitlyn's math class. Caitlyn ran out and threw a wig through the window along with a slew of make up simply smiling at Mitchie and Jason before running back inside and out of the falling snow.
Mitchie grabbed the gold mane with a questioning look, but proceeded to put it on. Jason stowed the make-up in Mitchie's backpack for a non-moving time and handed her a baggy sweatshirt.
Mmm…Mitchie thought as she slid it over her head, it smells just like Shane. I should probably call him. Did I tell him to call me? I don't remember…
'Everything is different, why do things change? I'm still standing here, but you've walked away. Everything is nothing now that I see, everything we are is everything we're gonna be.'
Jason, closer to it, took Mitchie's phone as she reached for it from the side pocket of her backpack. She tried to take it from him, but he put an arm up to block her opening and closing hands.
"Hello?" Jason answered, "Shane! Hey buddy, how are you? No, Nate said I wasn't allowed to let you. I promised him that I wouldn't. Yea I can do that. Ok. Bye."
"Jason! Why can't I talk to Shane?"
"Oh, now you want to talk to him? All week you have been avoiding the three of us and now you want to talk to Shane?"
"Yes. Can I please have my cell phone now?"
"Sorry, I am under strict instructions to keep it away from you. Nothing you do will make me give it back to you until I get the all clear from Nate."
"But Jason, Shane is going to be even more upset than I know he is with me if I don't call him back. I told him to call me today and now you're making it so I can't talk to him?"
"I'm sorry Mitchie…Nate said so, but I can tell you that Shane says hi and he's sorry."
Mitchie leaned back onto the seat in a huff.
Shane looked down at his phone. Friday had been his only hope of making things right with Mitchie. He had respected her will to be left alone by only trying to talk to her through Nate and keeping his calls to her to twice a day with one text message to tell her he still cared about her. Now that Friday had come, Nate had shut down any possibility of talking to Mitchie.
Nate knew Jason's one weak spot. Once Jason made a promise he always followed through to the end. Shane knew about this weak spot too and used it to the best of his ability when he could. The biggest problem always came when Nate was trying to keep something from Shane that Jason needed to know about.
"I promised him that I wouldn't"
Who would have known that two stupid little words could mean so much to a rock star was beyond Shane's wildest dreams, but he supposed that is what made Jason such a true and valued person.
Shane put his phone back in his pocket as he rose from the cushioned seat and made his way out of the plane. There at the terminal stood Tess with open arms acting slightly paranoid at the cameras that were constantly flashing all around her.
"Tess," Shane said with a smile reaching her, "How's your week going?"
"Oh Shane…you're so…thoughtful," Tess said back, "Come on let's get your bags and we can talk about it in a more… private setting. How was your flight?"
"Pretty short," Shane answered, keeping the conversation light and casual.
Shane grabbed Tess's hand for what he hoped would be one of the last times and waded through the crowd of paparazzi towards the baggage claim. When they had finally reached it, Shane was over taken by fanatics who had seen him walking through the terminals. After a half an hour of signing autographs and taking pictures, Shane and Tess made their way out into the "fresh" air of California.
"Shane, what are the rumors about you and Torres?"
"Tess, how do you feel about Shane being in the arms of another woman?"
"Shane, where is your band?"
"Tess, how long are you staying in California this time?"
"Tess, what's the deal with you and Nick?"
Shane and Tess ignored each question as they made their way to Tess's pink convertible. A kind member of the paparazzi helped open the trunk, hoping for a little jackpot picture of their own and soon Tess and Shane had hit the open road.
"So, now that we can talk, have you heard from Mitchie at all?" Tess questioned.
"I tried to call her, but Jason answered the phone and wouldn't let me speak to her. Have you talked to Nick about the betrayal?"
"Yea, it's set for tonight. You and I'll have dinner and then you'll drop me off at my hotel room with paparazzi watching. Then you'll leave and go back to your room as if you need to go grab something. While you're gone, Nick will come up and knock on the door and I'll let him in. Two minutes later we'll walk out into the hall in a lip lock at which time you will walk back to my room with a beach towel like we were going swimming. Throw the beach towel on the ground, get red in the face and walk slowly back to your room."
"Wow. That's almost perfect. That means that I could get to Mitchie before breakfast tomorrow."
Tess nodded her head as she pulled into a hotel driveway and parked the car.
"Nate, where's Mitchie, Shane and Jason? I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on," Caitlyn stated, with a childish stomp.
"Come on Caitlyn, if I tell you where Mitchie's going you will tell her and as for Shane, Mitchie really didn't tell you?"
"No, Mitchie has been irresponsive all week. She wouldn't talk to anyone. Mrs. Torres even came to me to beg me to get her to talk, but any time I tried to get her to talk; she would leave or put her headphones in. She won't say a thing to anyone. What's really going on Nate? You tell me to give her the stupid Hannah Montana disguise and then leave me hanging. That's not fair. I'm worried about her."
Nate took a deep breath and gave Caitlyn a hug as the tears started rolling down her face.
"Shane isn't coming this weekend… He's in Malibu with Tess-"
"WHAT! No, this can't be happening. This can't be really after all Mitchie has been through with Shane."
"Relax," Nate comforted, putting his hands on her shoulders, "He went to break up with Tess. It's part of the plan, but Mitchie was really upset that Shane wasn't coming. I guess she just shut down."
"And you couldn't tell me this all over the phone when I was freaking out earlier this week?"
"Well, no…I didn't really know how bad the situation was until I saw Mrs. Torres today. I came up with a plan to fix all of this, but I can't tell you or Shane or Mitchie or Jason."
"You expect this plan to work then?" Caitlyn asked, standing up and beginning to pack for Mitchie's house.
"Yes, I do. Mitchie and Jason are taking a trip together this weekend, Shane and Tess are in Malibu, which leaves you and me together for the whole weekend without distractions," Nate explained, wrapping his arms around Caitlyn's middle.
Caitlyn smirked as she zipped up her suitcase and turned to face Nate.
"I love your brilliant plans," she said, gently laying a kiss on his cheek.
"Excuse me Jason, we have arrived," the driver said over the intercom.
"Thank you," Jason said back, as the car stopped and he opened his door.
After being helped out of the car, Mitchie took her first look at her surroundings. She had spent the entire car ride trying to get answers out of Jason while playing with her chipping nail polish. Jason had forced her to drink something because she looked like a ghost, but she had only finished half a water bottle.
Now, as the car drove away leaving Jason, Mitchie and their stuff behind, Mitchie found herself standing on tarmac next to what looked like a private plane. Jason's wide eyes told her that he truly did not have any clue where Nate was sending them.
Jason grabbed his and Mitchie's bags and passed them to an airport employee before guiding Mitchie to the stairs and onto the plane.
At the entrance the flight attendant handed Mitchie a DVD and a note. She took it saying a quick "thanks" before taking a seat in one of the lounge chairs that scattered the plane. Mitchie then opened the note to find instructions in Nate's untidy cursive.
Mitchie-
I'm going to guess that you are freaking out about now. You probably have figured out where you're going but watch the video before fighting Jason to get off the plane. Just so you know Jason really doesn't know anything about what's going on, he's just acting as a good friend to get you through this. Caitlyn is even more in the dark than Jason so don't try to weasel information out of her. I have set up all the arrangements. There will be another pink limo waiting at the gate when you land and it will take you to the place you're staying. Don't worry; the people will be very good to you when you get there. I found this tape in my suitcase when I was packing up to leave yesterday. It was addressed to you so I figured you should see it. I swear Mitchie I don't know what's in it and no one has seen it…that I know of.
Enjoy your flight,
Nate
P.S. Everything this weekend is on me. The place you're staying has a credit card for you to use.
Mitchie looked over at Jason as he took his seat with a similar letter in his hand. She pulled her laptop out of her backpack and inserted the DVD into the disk drive.
At first all Mitchie saw what appeared to be a large bed in the moon light that must have come from a window source somewhere else within the room. Then she saw a dark figure sit down on the bed and flip on the light on what Mitchie assumed was a nightstand to the side of the bed.
Shane's figure became clear as well as the burgundy sheets of the unmade bed he was sitting on.
"Hey Mitchie," Shane whispered, "I know you're mad, but please hear me out before you stop the DVD… I'm trying really hard to be what you want me to be. You weren't ready for a relationship, but with Rachel on my tail you and I decided that this Tess thing was the right thing to do. Now, with the picture I'm trying to fix this again.
"I never wanted this to hurt you. That would never be my plan. I-I think I might be in love with you."
Mitchie paused the DVD.
Did he actually just say what I thought he did?
She rewound the DVD to the beginning again and listened through again before letting it move on with butterflies going crazy in her stomach.
He loves me; he just said he might be in love with me. What am I supposed to say back to that? Do I love him too? Is that why my stomach gets all queasy when I see his face on a billboard or in a poster?
"Mitchie, my mind is always on you and every time I see a picture of you or we see the edited music video I get all shaky. You haunt my dreams or you make it impossible to sleep.
"The night before I told you I couldn't come visit this weekend…I didn't sleep at all. I was so nervous about your reaction that I tossed and turned all night. I thought Nate was annoyed with me so I-I kinda went for a run at three in the morning. I still couldn't sleep when I got back to the room at all…I probably handled the whole situation poorly when I told you I couldn't make it. I didn't know what to do… I can't wait to see you when I get in on Sunday. Yes, I still plan to get in before the weekend is over so that we can spend some time together.
"This Tess thing was to make our, your and my, lives better. I would never go to Malibu with Tess for a serious romantic weekend, especially after spending this much time with her on tour. Sure, she's become a tolerable girl and we've become friends, but she's not you and you're what I want. I know I don't deserve a girl like you after the bad image I've been holding onto the last couple years and how many times I've seemed to mess up. I don't know how I got you either and the last thing I want to do is upset you or worse… lose you.
"You wanted Tess and I to get along after the whole incident, but I thought after something like that you would already know how much I really care about you. I almost flew out to you that day. Do you remember that, Mitchie? I had bought a ticket and everything. I didn't even care that I had a coach ticket to Arkansas. The Shane Gray from before you would have gone mental if he had to ride coach.
"I have considered coming out multiple times tonight just to spend tomorrow with you, but I wanted to respect your wishes to keep the fans and the band first just like you are keeping school first. I've packed and unpacked my suitcase three times in the last two hours.
"I'm exhausted from waiting for you to answer my calls or call me or even send me a chain letter by e-mail. Wow…that sounded a lot cooler before I said it. Mitchie, I've never been like this EVER before. You do something to me that only you can do. I'm pretty confident when I'm on stage, but every time I try to call you I get butterflies in my stomach. I've played that Teentube video so many times I have it memorized because it was the only way I could see you. You're MyFace is my only source of information and you haven't used it once this week. I know that sounds really stalkerish, but I'm freaking in love with you."
Tears started to fall both on the screen from Shane's eyes and also began trickling down Mitchie's cheeks.
"There, I admit it. I love you Mitchie Torres. I love your contagious smile, the chocolate pools in your eyes, your voice that plagued me only a couple months ago and radiate anytime I listen to music in the car, your infectious laugh, your readability, your understanding when I have no excuse, your long straitened hair that smells like roses, and so many more qualities. Mitchie Torres, you have made an indestructible superstar into a blubbering weakling."
The screen went black. That was it. That was all he said.
"Jason," Mitchie cried out in a watery voice, "I need to talk to Shane. I know Nate said no, but I really need to talk to Shane."
Jason looked up from his letter. His face showed concern. Tears falling down his own face, Jason leapt from his chair and came to Mitchie's side holding her tightly in a bear hug. He did his best to dry her tears, but they continued to run down her face.
What most people did not know about Jason was that he was a contagious crier. This meant that when people he cared about began to cry he would join in and cry with them. When he was in elementary school people used to call him a cry baby, but he had come to terms with the situation and found it actually a nice quality with the ladies (not that he was too concerned about catching girl's attention).
Mitchie's tears slowed and her breathing pattern returned to normal as she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
The next thing Mitchie knew, she was being gently shaken awake by Jason.
"Mitchie, we're here. It's time to get up."
Mitchie's eyes flittered open to reveal the setting sun coming through the plane windows. Jason offered her a hand and helped her up out of the chair before escorting her out of the plane and into the next pink limo.
Who knew that there were so many pink limos in the world, let alone the country? We are still in the United States, right?
"Jason, where are we?" Mitchie questioned, hoping that Jason would at least know this knowledge.
"This time I can't tell you. I know, and you'll know soon, but Nate told me to let you figure it out on your own."
Mitchie sighed loudly as the limo began to move.
Only minutes later the limo stopped in front of what looked like a very normal house and the driver opened the door.
"Ms. Torres," the driver addressed her.
"Thank you," Mitchie said, stepping out of the car.
A short, curly, brunette girl exited the house to greet the car.
"Jason!"
"Hey Sarah! How's my little buddy doin'?"
The girl who's name was Sarah, pushed Jason slightly before hugging him. She then left his side to give Mitchie a hug.
"Mitchie! I've heard so much about you. It's so great to finally meet you! I'm Sarah," the girl introduced herself while continuing to hug Mitchie.
Two adults followed Sarah out of the house both with equally as curly hair. They greeted Jason and Mitchie similarly before helping them with bags.
Danni, Sarah's mother, helped Mitchie carry her suitcase up to one of the many guest rooms in the large house.
"So, Danni, I know Jason through camp. How do you know Jason?"
"Oh, how silly of me. Of course Nate didn't tell you about us. I'm Nate's mother. Welcome to the family Malibu beach house."
So... what do you think? I really want to know so don't deprive me! Thanks for sticking with me even thought I'm not a weekly update! Lacey