"Mitchie, put something else on!" Shane Grey groaned as he clapped his hands over his ears. He and his best friend were driving back to her house after a lazy afternoon at the beach.
"No, Shane," Mitchie Torres set her jaw stubbornly as she glanced over at him, "And if you tell me to change it one more time, I'm turning it up!"
"But Mitchie," Shane whined.
"No 'buts', Shane! Driver gets radio control," Mitchie turned the radio up.
"You could be listening to Connect Three, you know," Shane tried once more.
"It just so happens I love the Goo Goo Dolls, and I've heard all of your songs at least a thousand times each," Mitchie stated as she turned a corner.
Shane sighed and slumped against his chair, muttering under his breath. Mitchie giggled, and his heart started racing. He cursed it as he mentally shook himself. He couldn't feel this way about his best friend.
Her giggles slowly turned into hums as his internal war waged on. Soon, she was singing along:
"What you feel is what you are,
And what you are is beautiful.
Oh May, do you want to get married?
Or run away?"
Shane smiled as Mitchie's voice washed over him. He had always loved her voice, even before he had come to love her. He remembered that day at Camp Rock, where her voice was the only sane thing in an insane world. That had been years ago, and they were now both adults living on their own in the crazy town known as Los Angeles. Still, her voice was the only light to him.
"Shane," her words drifted to him, shocking him out of recollections, "We're here."
"Oh." Shane slowly got out of the car, not wanting to leave. "You're coming over tomorrow, right?"
"Definitely," Mitchie nodded enthusiastically. "See you, Shane."
"Bye, Mitch," Shane wave as he hopped into his own car.
Mitchie watch him drive away with a smile plastered on her face. As soon as the car was out of sight, however, she let it fall off, leaving a sad expression. She loved Shane so much, but she could feel him pulling away. Why else would he be so quiet on the ride home?
She let herself in and walked slowly to her room. She sighed as she muffled her face in her pillow, closing her eyes and waiting for her body to succumb to sleep.
Suddenly, her leg started vibrating. Mitchie flipped over and started digging around in her pocket. With a triumphant grin, she pulled out her cell phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Mitchie, what's up?" Mitchie's closest girl friend Caitlyn Gellar answered.
"I spent the day with Shane. You?" Mitchie asked.
"Nate and I went on a date." Mitchie could almost hear the smile in Caitlyn's voice as she spoke of her boyfriend, Nate Halloway, who was also Shane's band mate. There was a short pause, and then Caitlyn blurted out, "Have you told Shane how you feel yet?"
Mitchie sat up, "What? No!"
"You should," Caitlyn was emphatic.
"No! It'll ruin everything!" Mitchie was shaking her head, even though she knew Caitlyn couldn't see her.
"It might not," Caitlyn shrugged, knowing Mitchie couldn't see her.
"I doubt it," Mitchie sighed. "Look, Caity, I've got to go. Talk to you soon."
"Bye, Mitchie," Caitlyn hung up. She set her phone on the desk in front of her.
Caitlyn stared at it thoughtfully, wondering how she could get Mitchie and Shane together. After a few minutes, inspiration struck, and she picked up her phone quickly.
The next day, Mitchie was lying across Shane's bed, with her head dangling off as she stared at Shane, who was strumming his guitar as he sat cross-legged on the floor.
"Are we going to do something?" Mitchie huffed as she started to feel her head going numb.
"You're going all red, Mitch," Shane commented, ignoring her question.
Mitchie flipped over onto her stomach and propped her head up on one elbow, "Shane, I'm going to leave if you don't entertain me."
"You know, Caitlyn and I had the weirdest conversation yesterday," Shane told her nonchalantly, ignoring her once again.
Mitchie's eyes narrowed. "About what?"
"You'll see," he replied with a mysterious smile on his face. "You want to go downstairs?"
"Sure." Mitchie was mystified by her best friend's behavior, but followed him downstairs anyways. She knew would probably follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked her to.
The rest of the afternoon passed quickly. Shane made sure she was kept busy, though he had to keep running out of the room to take 'important calls'. Her confusion only grew as she noticed when Shane was in the room, he was always very quiet. Needless to say, Mitchie left his house that day very dispirited.
Later that night, after Mitchie had crashed onto her bed and fallen asleep, Shane, Nate, Caitlyn, and Jason Freeman, another band mate of Shane and Nate's, snuck into Mitchie's backyard. Each of them was carrying an instrument, except for Caitlyn, who was carrying a microphone and amp.
"Oh! It's an owl!" Jason shouted as a bird flew across the sky.
"Shut up, Jason!" Caitlyn hissed. "We can't wake Mitchie up yet!"
"Sorry," he shrugged his shoulders sheepishly.
"Are you sure this is going to work, Caitlyn?" Shane whispered anxiously. "What if she doesn't feel the same way?"
"You're an idiot, Shane," Caitlyn informed him as she shook her head. "Now, get ready!"
Mitchie was tossing and turning up in her room, barely asleep. Because of her almost conscious state, she was able to hear the strains of music playing softly. She smiled as she thought she was sleeping peacefully, but then jolted awake and sat upright as she heard a loud thump.
"Mitchie!" a voice called through her window.
Mitchie rubbed her eyes and slowly got out of bed. She threw her window open wide.
"Hey Mitch!" Caitlyn called out softly and waved.
Mitchie rubbed her eyes, as if she couldn't quite believe her eyes, "Caitlyn?"
"Who else would it be?" Caitlyn retorted with a laugh. "Come on, I've got a surprise."
Almost a minute and thirty seconds later, Mitchie was standing next to her best friend, "You better have a good reason for waking me up."
Caitlyn rolled her eyes, "Trust me. You're going to be thanking me for a long time." She turned to the bushes in Mitchie's backyard. "Okay guys, now!"
"What are you talking -" Mitchie broke off as Shane emerged from the bushes, carrying the guitar he had played at Camp Rock.
He pressed a finger to his lips with a smile, and then started to strum a familiar melody, singing softly along:
"And the streets
Turn me inside out.
Everything shines,
But leaves me empty still.
I'll, I'll burn this lonely house down,
If you run with me,
If you run with me.
And I'll stay with you,
The walls will fall before we do.
So take my hand now,
We'll run forever,
I can feel the storm inside you.
I'll stay with you."
At that moment, Nate and Jason also emerged, backing Shane up in vocals and guitar. Mitchie gasped and felt her eyes welling up.
"Am I fooled by my own desires?
I twist my fate just to feel you.
And you,
You turn me toward the light.
And you're one with me,
Will you run with me?"
Shane paused at this moment, and silence engulfed everyone. Mitchie, after getting that Shane was really asking her the question, stepped up to Shane and sang:
"I'll stay with you,
The walls will fall before we do.
So take my hand now,
We'll run forever,
I can feel the storm inside you.
I'll stay with you."
Shane smiled the biggest smile Mitchie had ever seen. He dropped his guitar and took her in his arms. Nate, Caitlyn, and Jason quietly exited, leaving Shane, Mitchie, and the guitar in the middle of her yard.
They stood staring at each other for a long time, just enjoying the feeling of finally getting their hearts' desires. Mitchie came to her senses, however, after a raindrop hit her face. She smiled as Shane kissed it away, and then whispered into her ear:
"Now, come in from this storm,
And I taste you sweet and warm.
Take what you need,
Take what you need from me."
Mitchie quickly untangled herself from Shane's embrace and jogged inside, calling over shoulder:
"Now,
Wake up this world,
Wake up tonight,
And run to me,
Run to me now."
Shane, of course, happily obliged, only pausing to grab his guitar, and the rest, as they say, is history.
"And I'll stay with you
The walls will fall before we do.
So take my hand now,
We'll run forever,
I can feel the storm inside you.
I'll stay with you.
And I'll stay with you."
A/N: I know, I know. Major cheese. But, I kinda like cheese :) Tell me what you think, please!