AN: Aww, you guys are soooo awesome! You tied the amazing record of 14 reviews in 1 chapter (starts screaming happily and jumps up and down and all around, ignoring my parents looking at me, thinking I'm crazy.) As utmy123 would say, I mean, write, you guys are the most astounding, fantastic, fantastical, incredible, marvelous, phenomenal, unbelievable, wonderful reviewers ever! I never expected to get as many reviews as I did, since I seriously thought you'd hate the last chapter (for being incredibly sad). But things WILL start to look up soon (hint, hint).
As always, thanks to…
Lilyana, your wish is my command. But the way I'm planning to write it will surprise you (I hope).
ersy, you know I always do. Since you asked so nicely, I'm writing as fast as I can so I can get it up faster.
Arya, thanks for always giving me such positive feedback. I wasn't sure if anyone would like it, but I'm glad I was wrong. I'm pretty sure you (and everyone else) will like this chapter a whole lot more.
epobbp, you're AWESOME! Do you want to write this story for me? It seems like you catch mistakes that I've missed, but I'm glad you still read and review anyway.
AlexaJ, I seriously love reading your reviews. They always make me laugh. You sound just like me. I love what you said…-grabs Mitchie's foot and hangs on-, I must come into the computer and slap some sense into Shane!, I like it too...lots of sugar and cream.) (:. Speaking of which, now I really want some (-:.
Angie-ange, me too! As Joe would say, I went "absolutely insane" when they came on and won all those awards. They definitely deserve all the awards they got (but they should've won all the awards, at least in my opinion).
GothicSorceressRikku15, don't worry, you'll find out how everyone reacts in this chapter.
live.laugh.love.16, aww, I'm soooo happy you love my story, and I'm even happier that you added me to your favorites list.
Nikkieee02, is this update fast enough for you? Lol.
iDreamt, OMG, I'm soooo sorry. I hope I didn't spoil it for you. And I like thanking people in my ANs, because I want to show my appreciation for each and every person who's taken the time to read my story, and review it. I think that if people take the time to review, it's the least I can do to thank them for reading and reviewing).
utmy123, aww, thank you so much! (smiles) I think those are exactly the same words I'd use to describe you and everyone else who reviews. You're (all) awesome, amazing, fantastalistic, incredible, phenomenal, unbelievable, and wonderful. I love you all so much!
Love and Memories, sorry I took so long. I wanted to get it just right, so that's why I couldn't post this up yesterday. And yeah, I want to strangle Tess too, for messing with Smitchie.
Your Favorite Reviewer (or is it My Favorite Reviewer? Lol.) You know everyone's going to overreact. And YAY! I'm soooo happy the last chapter was your favorite (smiles).
xxorangexxmonkeyxx, lol. I love your username. It's soooo cute (and it's one of Joe's favorite animals. That makes it even cuter).
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except Jason…he's mine, I tell you. MINE! I don't care what Ella thinks. I love Jason + Kevin. Oh wait, Jason's fictional. But if he were real, I'd love him just as much as I love Kevin. And I'd have the worst time deciding which of them I'd want to marry more. Lol.
Chapter 19 – What I Go To School For (Part 1)
At the hotel:
"Mr. Cesario?" The receptionist called, as Brown crossed the front lobby.
"Yes?" Brown stopped by the desk.
"There's a letter for you," The receptionist handed it to him.
"Thank you," Brown said, as he opened the letter and read it. His eyes widened, and he rushed upstairs.
Meanwhile, with Tess and Shane…
"Come here," Tess said, pouting the way she knew guys loved. But Shane ignored her.
"Shane…" Tess whined.
"Tess, stop, I'm not interested," Shane said, extremely annoyed.
"I thought you liked me," Tess pretended to be sad. She just knew Shane was pretending not to like her, but she didn't know why.
"I don't," Shane said, getting up and moving away from her.
"Then why'd you kiss me yesterday?" Tess wondered.
"To get Mitchie back for kissing Nate," Shane said. "Why am I telling you this? I'm so outta here."
"Fine, get out then," Tess grumbled, knowing she'd lost. "You and Itchy Mitchie can have each other, I don't care."
"Yeah, you do," Shane said. "Why else would you switch the keys?"
"I didn't switch them," Tess lied.
"Yeah, you did, Jason saw you, and he told me," Shane said. He thought for a moment, then realized what had happened. "So that's why Mitchie and Nate stayed together, and you and me. You did this just to break Mitchie and me up, and Caitlyn and Nate, didn't you?"
"Of course not. How could you believe him? He's a total birdbrain. All he cares about is getting a stupid birdhouse," Tess looked smug.
"No, he's not. At least he knows who his friends are. And that includes Mitchie. And if Mitchie's involved, so am I. I hate seeing her hurt, and if you ever hurt her again…" Shane warned.
"You'll do what? Run to your uncle? That's right, go ahead and tell on me. Then let's see who'll pay."
"You will," Caitlyn said, standing right behind Tess.
"Excuse me?" Tess tried to look innocent.
"You heard me, you'll pay for what you did to Shane and Mitchie," Caitlyn said.
"And Caitlyn and Nate," Shane added. Caitlyn silently thanked him by smiling. Shane nodded, then let Caitlyn take over.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tess narrowed her eyes.
"It means, I got it straight from the horse's mouth. You know, your full confession? That you purposely split us up just so you could get Shane to like you?" Caitlyn went on. "You're so full of it, you make me sick."
Tess stalked off angrily, not knowing what to say.
"So, what do we do now?" Shane said.
"I have no idea," Caitlyn said.
"I think I do," Brown said, standing in the doorway.
"What do you mean, Uncle Brown?" Shane was curious. Brown filled them in on what Mitchie had written…
Dear Brown,
Thank you so much for all the advice you've given me. This past summer, you've helped me grow, both as an artist and as a person. I can't thank you enough for everything you've done.
But (I know you don't like me saying that), I can't face Shane or Caitlyn just yet. Could you do me one last favor and tell them that I left the tour and went back home? I just can't handle seeing them right now, especially when I'm the last person they want to talk to. And can you tell them that I wish they'd understand? Thanks, Brown.
Hope to see you next summer,
Mitchie
"You let her leave?" Shane couldn't believe what his uncle just told him. He was beginning to regret what he'd done. Shane had wanted to get back at Mitchie, but now he thought that maybe he went too far this time.
"Yeah, I did," Brown said. "But don't let that stop you from going after her."
"You know, you're right," Shane said, as he bolted for the door.
"What about your tour?" Caitlyn said.
"It doesn't matter," Shane said. "I have to get Mitchie back. Are you coming?"
"Yeah," Caitlyn said, making up her mind. "While we're at it, why don't we bring Jason, Ella, and Nate?"
"That's a great idea," Shane said. "Uncle Brown, could you call the studio and tell them we'll be out for a few days, but that we'll be back right before we have to leave on tour?"
"Now you're talkin'," Brown smiled. He knew his nephew would come around.
Shane and Caitlyn went to look for Jason, Ella, Nate, and Peggy.
"Hey, guys!" Jason said, his usual cheerful self.
"Hey, Jason, Nate, Ella, Peggy," Shane greeted them. "Guys, we need to talk."
"What's up?" Peggy said.
"It's Mitchie," Shane said, looking upset.
Caitlyn took over, and told them that Mitchie had left.
"She WHAT?" Jason looked like he'd just lost his birdhouse. "NOOOO!! She can't leave, I miss her. She was always really nice to me."
"Yeah, and we were going to try out my lip gloss," Ella said, looking upset. "I saved my favorite color just for her."
"Guys, don't you want to hear Operation Get Mitchie Back?" Nate said.
"Wait, we're going to get Mitchie back?" Jason looked confused. "What did she ever do to us?"
"Jason, we meant we're going to get her back, not pay her back," Nate looked exasperated.
A look of realization dawned on Jason's face. "Oh, I get it. Get Mitchie back! YEAH!"
"AWKWARD!" Shane said. "So yeah, I was thinking that we should go pay Mitchie a little visit."
"YEAH!" Jason shouted, getting excited again. "ROAD TRIP!! I CALL SHOTGUN!!"
"What about me?" Ella pouted. "If you get shotgun, I won't be able to sit in your lap."
"Fine," Jason grumbled, frowning. "I'll sit in back." A second later, he looked happy as always, as Ella had jumped on him and kissed him breathless.
"I'll take shotgun," Peggy offered, before either Caitlyn or Nate could call it. She also wanted them to sit together in back, so that they'd be forced to talk, and maybe even make up.
Caitlyn and Nate looked at each other, clearly uncomfortable.
"And what about Brown?" Nate said.
"What about me?" Brown echoed. "I'd love to get a few days off, spend some time around the city, relaxing. You guys go ahead, on one condition."
"What's that?" Shane said, as his uncle smiled.
"Go get your girl," Brown said, winking at his nephew. "You can thank me later." He laughed as Shane pushed him playfully.
Then Shane, Peggy, Caitlyn, Nate, Jason, and Ella left.
The next morning…
"Bye Mom!" Mitchie called out as she left for the first day of school. "I love you!"
"I love you too, sweetie," Mrs. Torres said, a little concerned. The day before, Mitchie had come home, and hadn't said much about what happened on tour. Once Mitchie left, she got on the phone with Brown.
"Brown, it's Connie. I'm really worried about Mitchie. What exactly happened on tour? Mitchie didn't talk about it much," Mrs. Torres wondered. Brown quickly filled her in, and Mrs. Torres' heart went out to her daughter. "My poor baby, no wonder she was so quiet yesterday. Thanks for telling me. I'll make sure that she's OK."
Later, at school…
"Hey, Sierra," Mitchie said, happy to see her friend.
"Hey, Mitchie. How was your summer?" Sierra said.
"It was great!" Mitchie said. The truth was, camp really was great. The rest, not so much.
"So, I heard a certain hot rockstar went to your camp. Did you get to meet him or what?" Sierra burst out saying.
"Yeah, he was just like every other guy. Nothing special," Mitchie said, her heart breaking as she said those words.
"Come on, I know you love him. I saw you drawing hearts around Mitchie and Shane last semester. If I didn't know any better, I'd say something happened. Did he go out with someone else?" Sierra askee.
"I told you, nothing happened," Mitchie wished she could tell her best friend the truth, but she didn't want to go into details just yet.
"OK,": Sierra said doubtfully. "If you say so."
"Sierra, I'm serious. Nothing happened between Shane and me, I promise," Mitchie lied.
"What? Did you just say Shane? As in, Shane Gray?" Katie Quinn said, passing by. Katie was captain of the cheerleading squad, and the most popular girl in school. Mitchie and Sierra thought she was Tess' long-lost, and just as evil, twin. (AN: I really did know a Katie Quinn in school, but she was one of the nicest people. So if she ever reads this, I don't mean to offend her in any way).
"Yeah, why?" Sierra wondered.
"Duh, Shane's like the hottest guy ever," Katie said matter-of-factly. "You actually talked to him?"
"Yup," Mitchie said, as Katie's friends started taking notice of her.
"Wow," breathed Katie's friends, as they crowded around her.
"Excuse us," Katie said, rather rudely. Her friends instantly backed off, giving them some space.
"Let's talk over lunch, 'k? You can tell me all about Shane, what he's like, how cute he is, everything. Sit at our table. You know, the VIP section? Later," Katie walked off, followed by her group of Katie wannabes.
"Oh snap," Sierra said. "I was going to tell you all about my trip to China."
"How about you tell me about it during study hall?" Mitchie said.
"OK," Sierra agreed.
At study hall…
Mitchie and Sierra were talking quietly at the back of the room. Just then, Mitchie got a text. (AN: Mitchie's girlwiththevoice, and Shane is thevoiceinsidemyhead.)
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Mitchie?
girlwiththevoice: Go away!
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Not until I get to talk to you, face to face.
girlwiththevoice: I don't want to talk.
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Fine, just listen to me then.
girlwiththevoice: Why should I?
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Because…I don't love Tess.
girlwiththevoice: I don't believe you…you've said that before, and then you kissed her. Again.
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Only because you kissed Nate. And I'm gonna kill him for it.
girlwiththevoice: Don't. What happened with Nate was a mistake, and it'll never happen again. Caitlyn would kill me if it did.
thevoiceinsidemyhead: So, can I see you or not?
girlwiththevoice: Not.
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Mitchie…
girlwiththevoice: No, Shane, it's over. Ever since you kissed Tess. We're done.
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Think again…
girlwiththevoice: ??
thevoiceinsidemyhead: (signs off really fast before Mitchie can text him back).
girlwiththevoice: Wait, what do you mean, think again?
thevoiceinsidemyhead has signed off.
girlwiththevoice (frowns).
girlwiththevoice has signed off.
"Who were you texting?" Sierra looked curious.
"No one," Mitchie quickly said. She knew Sierra'd flip if she knew Mitchie had been texting Shane Gray.
"OK," Sierra said doubtfully.
An hour later, just as Mitchie had gotten her lunch and sat down, she got another text.
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Mitchie, I really want to talk to you…
girlwiththevoice: NO! I don't want to talk to you! Just leave me alone!
thevoiceinsidemyhead: That'll be kind of hard…
girlwiththevoice: What do you mean?
thevoiceinsidemyhead: Just look outside…
Mitchie looked up, and saw about 50 girls in a crowd screaming hysterically. She went outside, and heard everyone talking excitedly. She pushed her way through the crowd, and once she got to the front, she couldn't believe who was staring right at her.
"Shane?" Mitchie couldn't believe her eyes.
"Hey, Mitchie," Shane said, smiling.
"Hi, Mitchie," Nate and Jason said. They were with Shane, and Ella and Caitlyn were off to the side, but they all smiled at her.
"OMG (Oh my Gray!), it's Connect 3!" Sierra screamed, as all the girls started shrieking hysterically.
AN: So, what'd you think? Will Mitchie give Shane a second chance? Will Shane mess up again? Will Nate and Caitlyn ever make up? Will Mitchie stay with Sierra, or go back on tour with Connect 3? Who knows? Anything could happen. It's up to you guys...what do you want to have happen? Please let me know by reviewing. I live for reviews! Oh yeah, and if you have any song ideas for the next chapter, like songs about asking for second chances, or forgiving someone, I could definitely use them. Now please, go hit that purple button and review! Lol.