AN: I know I haven't been updating that quickly, but school gets in the way sometimes. And work. Ugh.

Anyway, please keep those comments coming, unless you don't like this story or are tired of it. I'm starting to get that feeling that you don't like it as much anymore. Am I right? If so, please tell me why. I want you to like it, so if I'm just boring you with my ideas/storyline, then I'd rather stop.

10 reviews and I'll post the next chapter. I wonder who the 400th reviewer will be (hint, hint).

I don't own anything, except for Dina and her friends, and my ideas. You know what they are...

Previously…

"OK, relax, you can do this. Your mom's T.J. Tyler, Grammy-winning artist," Tess tried to psyche herself up. "And you're Tess Tyler, on tour with only the hottest band EVER! Connect 3!"

"Who are you talking to?" A young woman came in, looking at Tess like she was crazy for talking to herself.

"No one," Tess said. "I'm Tess Tyler."

"Hmm, that sounds familiar," the woman said. Then she snapped her fingers. "That's right! I went to school with you."

"You did? What's your name?" Tess looked shocked.

"I'm Dina," the woman finished, looking at Tess like she was stupid. "Don't you remember me?"

Tess gasped and stood there, unable to say anything else.

Chapter 35: Here We Go Again (Part 1)

"Of course I do," Tess quickly recovered. "I'm just surprised to see you, that's all."

"Same here," Dina gave Tess a once-over, just as Brown came in the door. Shane had tipped him off about Tess' interview with Dina, but he didn't know they were enemies.

"Tess, everything all right in here?" Brown said, watching both of them warily.

"Everything's fine, Brown," Tess said, more than a little relieved now that she wasn't alone.

"Excuse me, I'm having a private conversation in here," Dina snapped rudely.

"Oh, don't mind me," Brown winked at her. "Pretend like I'm not even in here. Please, go on with your interview…" He slunk off into the corner, and sat down, still watching them.

"Fine," Dina grumbled. "So, Tess, are you still the same old sellout you used to be?"

"No, of course I'm not, Dina," Tess laughed merrily, as Dina looked confused. "To be a successful singer, you constantly have to connect with your audience. So I sing about things that other people can relate to. Relationships, friendships, that sort of thing. Anything that's a positive message to others is great, because other people can feel what you're feeling, and that makes them think you're just like them, even though you might not be."

"And you'd consider yourself a successful singer?" Dina looked down her nose at Tess, but Tess shrugged it off.

"Not yet, but I will be soon. I just have to keep working at it, and not let anything get me down," Tess said cheerfully. "The more exposure I get, the more experience I get. And even though I might make a few mistakes here and there, I learn from them, and I grow from my experiences. They make me stronger, and better, and I hope other people can benefit also."

Brown looked satisfied with Tess' answers, but Dina, on the other hand, was completely undaunted in her mission to humiliate Tess.

"What big mistakes have you made?" Dina asked, extremely interested.

"I've made a few, but probably the biggest one is underestimating others. You can't take anything for granted in this business, but you can appreciate the lessons you learn, and the friendships you've made. The most difficult part about being a celebrity is knowing who to trust, and who to watch out for. You can't be too trusting, but at the same time, you can't be too wary either. It's a fine line, but it's one to watch out for," Tess explained, thinking about her own situation with Dina.

"And who do you watch out for? Do you have any enemies you'd like to name?" Dina probed.

Tess' POV: You, of course.

"I can't name names, but I'm much more careful about who to watch out for, now that I'm becoming more famous," Tess said.

"What's it like to tour with Connect 3?" Dina frowned, but changed the subject anyway, and Tess felt more comfortable answering her latest question.

"It's a total blast. The guys are great, they're so nice, and they're always writing new songs, or rehearsing, or playing their guitars. They're like my brothers, only they're not," Tess gushed.

Dina shot Tess an evil glance, then turned off her tape recorder.

"So, Tess, how'd you ever make it this far in the music business? Did your mommy help you write songs and sing for you? Because you sing like a frog, you look like a beaver, and you're shaped like a hot air balloon. No, wait, I take that back. You're a hot air balloon, because all you do is blow out hot air, and you make everyone and everything around you a lot worse," Dina said coldly.

Brown was about to tell Dina off, but was surprised when Tess answered her insults.

"What's your problem, Dina?" Tess shot back. "At least I made it this far in the music business. What have you been doing? Oh, that's right. You're interviewing major celebrities. Like me… And 10 years from now, I'll still be at the top of the charts, and you'll be right where you are now."

"Ladies, ladies. Please, can't we be civilized?" Brown had been sitting there the whole time, and heard where the conversation was headed. He didn't like it one bit, because he'd been through many interviews in his day, and in Shane's, and this certainly wasn't anything like he'd expected.

"Ooh, that's right. Tell your English bodyguard to back off and mind his own business," Dina smirked.

"I will as soon as you mind your tongue," Brown warned. "On second thought, forget it. You're not worth our time. Come on, Ms. Tyler, we'd better get you ready for your concert tonight. And I'll make sure security's tight, so no nosy press people allowed," Brown said, glaring at Dina.

Dina faked a big smile and said cheerfully, "Whatever. I don't want to hear Tess screeching at the top of her lungs. She makes my ears bleed."

"OK, first, I'm a great singer. It's in my genes. And second, who are you to tell me I'm not a great singer? Have you heard yourself sing? Of course not, you've probably broken every mirror and glass trying to sound half as good as I do," Tess gloated.

Brown smiled as Dina whipped out her phone, pressed 1 on her speed dial, and said, "OMG, Katie, you'll never believe what just happened."

"Excuse me, miss, isn't it rude to talk to people on your phone when you're supposed to be doing an interview?" Brown snapped.

"No, and anyway, it's just my cousin Katie. She's about her age," Dina said, motioning at Tess. "And Katie has a problem just like mine. Only mine's Tess, and Katie's is some girl named Mitchie, whoever that is…"

"Did someone say my name?" Mitchie said, coming into the room.

"You're Mitchie?" Dina looked Mitchie up and down, and grimaced. "So…this is how the lower half live."

"All right, that's enough," Brown commanded. Dina scowled and Tess and Mitchie looked amazed. Brown wasn't the type of guy who would stand by and let other people he knew to be insulted like that.

"Yeah, Dina, it's time to take out…the trash, "Mitchie seethed, as Shane held her back.

Dina breezed by them as she glided out the door, but not before she smiled evilly at them.

As soon as she was gone, Tess let out a huge sigh of relief.

"What was that all about?" Brown wondered. Tess filled him in, and Brown's eyes widened.

"Oh, no she didn't," Brown gasped.

"Oh, yes, she did," Tess confirmed.

"So, let me get this straight. Dina was the original IT girl, and you wanted to be just like her? Why would you do something like that?" Brown was having trouble understanding Tess' rationale.

"Because, she had talent, she had friends in high places, and everyone looked up to her. I wanted all of that, so I changed and did everything the way she would. And pretty soon, I started getting noticed, and I started liking the attention, and...you know the rest," Tess said.

"I know it well," Brown said, glancing at his watch. "Oh snap, look at the time. It's time for us to go. Everyone will be waiting for us at the hotel."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Tess practically flew out the door, and Brown followed her, hoping to catch up.

Later, at the concert…

"Hey, everyone, we're Connect 3. I'm Shane…" Shane shouted to the cheering crowd.

"I'm Nate…" Nate said, as the spotlight fell on him. Then the light moved to Jason, who was staring out into the crowd, gazing at a girl who was holding up a sign that read "Jason, I made a birdhouse for you!". The girl put down the sign, and then held up a birdhouse for Jason to admire, which he did. Jason didn't say anything when the light was on him, so Nate quickly yelled out, "And that's Jason!" Jason snapped out of his trance-like state, and picked up his guitar.

The crowd cheered as their favorite band started playing, and Shane called out, "OK, guys, it's time…"

"It is?" Nate joined in, pretending not to know what was going on. "Are you sure?"

"YEAH!" Jason shouted loudly. "It's time…to PLAY MY MUSIC!!" The crowd screamed as Jason plugged Shane's song, and there was lots of cheering, clapping, and screaming as their fans began singing along to the boys rocking out on stage.

After the concert…

"Man, that was a blast!" Shane said, running off stage and grabbing a towel. He wiped his face with it, then threw it aside as he flung himself into Mitchie's waiting arms.

"I missed you," Mitchie murmured as Shane kissed her passionately.

"I missed you more, Mitchie," Shane said softly as he pulled away from her. "I love you so much," Shane couldn't help smiling at her.

"I love you too," Mitchie said breathlessly, amazed that her idol loved her as much as she loved him.

"So, what do you want to do tonight?" Shane asked, as he held Mitchie's hand.

"I don't know, maybe go out for dinner?" Mitchie said.

"Great idea, I'm starving," Shane said.

"Maybe we should ask Jason and Nate to join us," Mitchie said, glancing at them. Jason was talking with Ella, and they both looked sad. Nate was standing alone, and giving Caitlyn occasional glances.

"No, I kind of want to be alone, just the 2 of us," Shane said, not wanting to invite his bandmates along on his date.

"Come on, maybe we can work things out between them," Mitchie encouraged. "It looks like they could use a little help. Please, Shane?"

"OK, you win," Shane conceded. The truth was, he wasn't sure how his bandmates were doing in their relationships. Not that he was worried about them…his main focus was on Mitchie.

Meanwhile…

"What was that all about? Huh?" Ella had her hands on her hips, and Jason looked a little nervous.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked. Ella glared at Jason.

"Don't play dumb with me, Mr. Build-Me-A-Birdhouse, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Ella spat out angrily. Jason continued to look confused, so Ella went on. "Up there, on stage, when you guys were doing introductions, and you just spaced out when the light was on you…"

"Oh, that," Jason shifted uncomfortably. "That was nothing…"

"Oh, really?" Ella said, extremely upset. "Then why did some girl come up to me backstage after the concert and tell me to give you her number?"

"What? Who?" Jason asked excitedly, forgetting he was with Ella.

"Here, take it," Ella said, tears beginning to stream down her face. "If you want to call this girl, then it's over between us. Me or her, take your pick."

"Ella…" Jason looked at the crumpled piece of paper that Ella had thrust into his hand. He was about to tell her that there was no one else for him but her, but Ella had taken off crying.

"Nate…" Ella sobbed, a few feet away from where she'd left Jason.

"Ella, what's wrong?" Nate pulled Ella into a hug, and Ella broke down.

"He…he likes someone else…" Ella cried harder, as Nate patted her back and held her close.

"Nate?" Caitlyn spotted them hugging, and turned away.

"Caitlyn, wait, I-" Nate couldn't push Ella away, but he wanted to chase after Caitlyn and explain what happened. But Caitlyn walked over to Jason, and in view of everyone in the room, she grabbed Jason and kissed him, long and hard.

AN: Whoa, I didn't see that coming! Will Caitlyn and Nate ever get back together? Will Jason fall for the girl in the audience? What happens next? You'll just have to review to find out. The faster you review, the faster I'll post the next chapter.