A/N: Hello lovelies! Emma and Kacee here again. Thank you soo much for all of your reviews, you guys are the sweetest! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy! :)


Caitlyn Gellar shifted uncomfortably in her seat in the classroom, her feet drumming with unconscious rhythm upon the floor. Her gaze was fixed upon the doorway in front of her.

Mitchie.

That was the name that kept repeating like a broken record in her head.

What had happened to her? What had happened to their friendship? It had once been so strong, but now it seemed to have shrivelled and died until it was almost nothing; just an abandoned memory, unwanted and unloved.

Caitlyn ran a shaky hand through her hair, unable to fight the unease that was rising up inside her.

She sat trance-like for a few minutes before finally coming to and shaking her head in disgust.

Why was she acting so nervous?

Sure, she hadn't seen Mitchie since their argument. But that wasn't Caitlyn's fault; Mitchie hadn't been there when she had gone to sleep and she hadn't been there when she had woken up, even though it was obvious that her bed had been slept in. Caitlyn knew she was safe and that she was somewhere on Camp grounds, but she just couldn't shake the nagging feeling of anxiety inside her.

Something wasn't right.

There was a voice in the back of her head screaming that there was more to the situation than she had first perceived; that there was a reason behind Mitchie's heartless actions.

Caitlyn suddenly scoffed, bemused at her thoughts. She was being stupid. She wanted so much to believe that Mitchie had had a good excuse for ignoring her friends that she was making up crazy stories and excuses in her head.

But Mitchie hadn't had a good excuse; she hadn't had any excuse! She had even admitted it herself.

Why would she lie about that? Why would she tell a fib that would result in the end of all of her friendships? No one would do that, surely!

Caitlyn's eyes drifted over to the clock, her foot tapping even more feverishly against the wooden floors. It was five minutes until class. Caitlyn sighed as she returned her gaze to the door, her glare almost burning a hole in the wood. The muffled noises of her classmates conversing reached her ears. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of tuneful voices and hurried drumbeats accompanying her thoughts. She chewed on her nail nervously as she watched the motionless door, not sure whether she would feel relieved or angry when and if Mitchie finally burst into the classroom.

And just as suddenly as she had thought it, a figure entered the room.

Caitlyn leant back in her seat slightly as Mitchie walked through the door, her eyes glued to the floor beneath her and her head hung dejectedly. She watched her wander over to her seat, trying her hardest to be invisible.

Caitlyn was shocked by the lashings of emotions that crashed against her ribs as she watched Mitchie enter the room. She felt the urge to confront her once more, but she held herself back, her fists clenched tightly on the desk in front of her.

Besides, right now there was a stronger urge within her, a crazier urge; an urge to get up and engulf her once best friend in a hug.

There was something about Mitchie that seemed different, lifeless, something about her that was screaming for help…or was it something that was just plain screaming?

Caitlyn was pulled from her thoughts by the scene in front of her.

A gasp escaped her lips as she anticipated the unavoidable event that was about to happen.

But it was too late.

As she opened her mouth to warn her, Mitchie walked straight into the one, the only, Tess Tyler.

The class all turned to watch the action, waiting with baited breath as the rest unfolded in what seemed like slow motion. Mitchie fell backwards with a surprised shriek, having not been fully concentrating on where she was going, and landed in a confused heap on the floor.

Tess was a bit more fortunate.

She stumbled backwards, only to be caught by the two guys who stood loyally behind her.

Her new minions, Caitlyn presumed.

One held onto Tess a little too tightly, gazing into her eyes with a fierce protectiveness that made Caitlyn feel uneasy.

He was of average height and held an easily recognisable muscular physique under his tight shirt. His hair was a dark shade of brown, and Caitlyn couldn't help but notice that he possessed an unconventionally attractive face.

The other male had curls of strawberry blonde hair and his build was a lot slimmer, but he still towered over the other boy. As Caitlyn analysed the guys more she thought she could detect a distinct resemblance between the two.

"What the hell?!" Tess shrieked, dragging Caitlyn back to reality. Tess tittered forward as her new followers pushed her upright. "Watch where you're going!" she scorned as she glared at the brunette who was still sprawled upon the floor.

Her eyes widened with distaste as she recognized her.

"Oh, it's you! Great." Tess muttered, rolling her eyes sarcastically as Mitchie looked up at her. "So Mitchie…what's mother going to be this year? The president of the United states perhaps?" Tess teased. The two guys, as if reading a script, began to laugh harmoniously at Tess' cruel jest.

Caitlyn shook her head in disgust as she realised that the friendly and apologetic Tess had been exterminated over the last months. The corrupt and self-loving Tess was back for a second year and a second round.

Perfect.

Caitlyn watched as Mitchie slowly pulled herself to her feet, the laughter of the click still growing in volume.

She uncrossed her arms, deciding it was time to intervene. No matter how angry she was at Mitchie, she was not going to sit back and watch her be bullied. But before Caitlyn could even rise from her seat, Mitchie opened her mouth…

"Shut up, Tess," she muttered, causing Caitlyn to raise her eyebrows. She hadn't expected Mitchie to stand up for herself.

"Ooh, good comeback," Tess teased through her laughter. "So how's good old Connie? Still cooking up a storm?" Caitlyn opened her mouth to speak but was once again cut off by Mitchie.

"Seriously Tess, how can you even ask me about my mum? You're not exactly one to talk, when was the last time you even saw your mum?" Mitchie spat, a satisfied look appearing on her face as she watched Tess' smirk disappear.

"Shut up," Tess retorted. The muscular guy beside her clenched his fists warningly at Mitchie.

"Good comeback," Mitchie taunted, stepping a little closer to Tess. She lowered her voice till it was nothing more than a hiss. "I'm not going to take any of your crap this year, Tess," she warned fearlessly. "So why don't you just go and screw up another performance."

Mitchie pushed past Tess and took her seat as the majority of the class erupted into cheers and laughter.

Tess narrowed her eyes and stalked from the class, her minions close at her heels. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the experience except for Caitlyn, whose own eyes were narrowed. She pursed her lips as she analysed Mitchie, her mind reeling over the sudden and abrupt change in her ex-best friend.

"Hello Campers." Browns voice crashed into Caitlyn's mind a few minutes later, forcing her to finally tear her eyes away from the back of Mitchie's head. "Is everyone glad to be back? And I see we have some fresh new faces." Brown began, his eyes skimming over the students in his class, most
of whom cheered and greeted him with gleeful voices.

"Ok, ok, let's start this year off with a song from…" Brown extended his arm, letting his finger dance over the heads of each student, a few groans protruding as 'the finger' bypassed them. "You, Mitchie," Brown said with a smile. Mitchie's neck snapped up. "I'm not singing," she retorted. Brown chuckled slightly, and Mitchie blushed as she realized that everybody's eyes were on her.

"That's not an option my dear, the finger picked you," Brown laughed, waggling his finger in front of her. "Now up you get, why not give us a Mitchie original?"

"I said no!" Mitchie spat, causing Brown to furrow his eyebrows as he looked down at the fragile girl.

"Now Mitchie, I know it's scary but you'll have to do it again one day. You've done it before so just get up and give us a sample," Brown encouraged gently, knowing all too well to be careful with Mitchie.

"I.. said... NO!" Mitchie shouted, unable to stop the anger from erupting inside her. "You can't make me do anything I don't want to do! Why can't you understand that this stuff doesn't interest me anymore?!" Angry tears stung her eyes and her breaths came out in haggard gasps.

The fury was bubbling up inside her.

She hated this place.

She hated the people.

They were staring at her now, the intrigue clear in their eyes, and she couldn't stand it.

The feeling of claustrophobia overwhelmed her, and she leapt up from her seat, throwing her bag aggressively over her shoulder. "I don't want to sing!" she shouted furiously. "I don't want to be in this stupid class with all of these stupid people! I'm sick of Camp Rock; I never even wanted to come back in the first place, so just leave me alone!"

Mitchie raced out of the class without looking back, slamming the door shut as hard as she possibly could. The walls shook from the shear force of it, and the class was left in a painful and deafening silence.


"She did what?" Shane gasped as he skidded to a halt, Caitlyn's tales of her previous class causing his pulse to quicken. His muscles tightened at the image of Mitchie shouting at his uncle.

He couldn't imagine it.

It wasn't Mitchie, or at least not the Mitchie he knew. The old Mitchie would never have done anything like that.

"You heard me." Caitlyn replied glumly, turning to face Shane. "She refused to sing as well." Her voice grew quiet. She knew as well as Shane that this wasn't normal Mitchie behaviour.

"She refused to sing?" Shane repeated. It wasn't quite a question; he was just testing the words on his tongue to see how it felt.

And it didn't seem right, not by a long shot.

Mitchie loved to sing, it was her life.

Shane rubbed his hands over his face as Caitlyn's previous words echoed around his mind.

Something was wrong.

They both knew it; they just had no idea what it was.

"What's the matter with her?" Shane questioned almost inaudibly, his eyes locking onto Caitlyn's, positive that the concern and fear that he saw in her eyes was most likely mirrored in his own.

"I don't know," she replied slowly, pressing her lips into a hard line as she replayed Mitchie's shouts in her mind, her eyes flickering back up to Shane's as she remembered too much. "Have you seen her, I mean, really seen her?" she asked after a moment.

Shane frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Of course he had seen her. It had only been briefly though, and he had been so consumed by anger that he couldn't really remember truly seeing her.

"Don't worry, I'm probably just being silly," Caitlyn said after a long pause. "Let's go get some lunch."

She forced herself to stop chewing on her lip and turn back towards the Mess hall. Shane followed her, sensing that there was something that she wasn't voicing.

"Everything will be alright Cait, you'll see. This is probably just a big misunderstanding. Don't worry, we'll fix it," Shane said sincerely as he caught up with her, giving her a one-armed hug. "I'll talk to her."

The final statement took both of them by surprise and Caitlyn whispered her subdued approval before they entered the Mess hall. The smell of burgers that wafted up to their noses was overwhelming. They couldn't help but wish that Connie Torres was still the chef, for more than one reason.

"She's over there," Caitlyn whispered in Shane's ear a few seconds later.

Shane followed her gaze, his eyes resting upon a girl he could only presume to be Mitchie. She was sitting alone, her hair settled messily over her face as she stared down at a plate of food.

Shane took a deep breath and took a step forward, his mind whirling as he heard Caitlyn whisper "Look at her…"

"M-Mitchie?" Shane stuttered once he reached her table. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous. "Mitchie?" he said again when the brunette refused to look up. "Mitchie!" Shane repeated, more vehemently this time, taking a seat opposite her and reaching out to touch her hand.

"What!?" she hissed, her neck snapping up as she snatched her hand away. Shane stiffened. His eyes scanned over her features, and he suddenly realised what Caitlyn had been talking about. He sucked in a breath, unable to believe that Mitchie was really the empty shell of a being that sat before him now.

Her eyes were framed with raven circles.

Her hair was lank and colourless.

Her once rosy face was now a pale ivory, and hauntingly so.

She looked like a zombie.

It wasn't just her appearance that made Shane think so. It was the feeling that she emanated. It was dull, lifeless; the spark that he had adored so much had been extinguished.

"Are you okay?" Shane questioned timidly, stumbling over his words as he tried to shake the fear from his mind.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Mitchie retorted, returning her gaze to the untouched plate of food in front of her.

"I don't know," Shane admitted. He clasped his fingers together nervously. "Tell me what's wrong?"
His voice was tender as he examined the girl in front of him.

"There isn't anything wrong," Mitchie replied almost instantly, letting her fork slide through her food. She said it in a way that convinced Shane that it was a line that she had used numerous times before.

A lie.

He pursed his lips as his gaze transferred again to her face, his chest tightening as he noticed the way her cheeks sunk in slightly, the way her eyes lacked their usual lustre and vibrancy. He abruptly dropped his eyes to her body, his fears being confirmed as he noted an unhealthy amount of weight loss.

Shane took a deep breath as fear clutched onto his heart, gripping tighter with every hasty beat.

"Why aren't you eating?" Shane asked, deciding now was not the time to be subtle. He needed answers and he needed them now.

"I am, I'm just not that hungry," Mitchie replied after a tense silence. As if on cue she raised a fork full of sweet corn to her mouth, but Shane noticed the flicker of repulsion that crossed her features as she tasted it. He watched in silence as she chewed on the food, her eyes showing the agony and hardship that she felt.

"Ok." Shane was still unconvinced. He tried a new tactic. "Mitchie, I'm not an idiot. Please just tell me what's wrong, I can help."

"There's nothing wrong, Shane!" Mitchie snapped, her raised voice causing a few surrounding campers to turn their heads in interest. "Stop acting like you care, you threw my apology back in my face yesterday. I know you hate me," she spat, letting her fork drop onto the plate as she eyed her food in disgust.

"I don't hate you!" Shane retorted, his eyes wide. "I only said I didn't forgive you because you never gave me a reason why you've been avoiding us all this time! So tell me, Mitchie! I want the truth, why did you ignore all of my phone calls? Why are you pretending that there's nothing wrong, when it's quite obvious that something is? I'm not stupid, I know there's something bothering you...Just let me help…please," Shane recited, his voice growing softer as he went on, the last few words almost inaudible. His eyes were shining with genuine affection and fear.

Mitchie seemed taken aback by his sincerity.

She ran a frail hand through her knotted hair, trying to decipher her own thoughts. When she finally looked up at him he could have sworn that her eyes were glimmering with unshed tears.

"Shane…" she started, her voice cracking as she looked down at the table. Shane was positive that she had succumbed to his pleas, but she quickly composed herself, raising her head with determination. "There is nothing wrong with me. Thanks for the concern but I don't need it. For the last time... I. AM. FINE."

Shane shook his head in disbelief at the lie, but Mitchie continued before he could object. "And just so you know, even if I wasn't, you would be the last person I confided in… Why would I want your help?" Mitchie asked sourly, her knees quivering under the table.

She couldn't understand what she was doing. All she knew was that she had to get Shane away from her, stop him from pressing the topic which he knew nothing about, the topic that sent excruciating pain throughout her body.

Shane rubbed the back of his neck in frustration as he digested the words, letting the bitterness stab into his heart. "Fine, I won't help you," he whispered, rising up from his seat. "You can deal with whatever it is you're going through by yourself, I don't even care."

He turned away from Mitchie, inwardly cursing himself for being so blunt, and for joining her in her lies.

Of course he cared, more than he would have anyone know, but it was that devotion that caused his heart to beat with painful images of Mitchie's deteriorating state, his heart aching beyond belief as he walked away from a girl he knew was far from 'fine'.


Tess Tyler paced the grounds of Camp Rock, sharp puffs of air being pushed from her pursed lips as her designer shoes crashed against the gravel. She had never been so humiliated in her life, and she couldn't believe that someone as insignificant as Mitchie Torres had been the cause.

"How dare she talk to me like that!" she cried furiously, balling her hands into fists. A growl escaped her lips as her feet continued to stomp over the earth, her white pumps growing darker as dirt began to cover them.

This was the type of thing that normally would have infuriated her but right now she was engulfed with her monumental loathing for Mitchie Torres.

"Babe, calm down," Daniel cooed, his lips twitching into a slight smile as he watched Tess stalk around in a wide circle, anger radiating from her.

"Shut it!" Tess snapped, causing her boyfriend to chuckle slightly. He wandered backwards, leaning nonchalantly against a tall tree.

"What's the big deal?" Eric, the strawberry blonde, asked dumbly, his attention clearly on that of a squirrel that was making its way up the path, bristly tail waggling carelessly in the air.

"What's the big deal?!" Tess fumed, edging closer to the wide-eyed Eric. "Are you joking or are you really just that dumb?"

"Just leave him alone, honey," Daniel sighed from his spot by the tree, watching as Tess backed away from the timid boy and Eric's eyes quickly returned to the squirrel.

"Ergh, I don't even know how your idiot cousin got into this bloody camp," Tess replied under her breath, brushing her silky blond locks from her eyes.

"Because you have to be talented to get in, not smart," David answered, watching as Tess's gaze snapped over to him, her glare alone threatening to make his heart stop. "Why don't you go sort out your Mitchie problem….turn her into Brown for bullying or something," Daniel offered.

Tess's face lit up at the suggestion, her lips twisting into an evil smile.

"You are a genius!" Tess exclaimed, sauntering over to Daniel and placing a soft, lingering kiss on his lips. She sighed into the kiss as Daniel tugged her closer, clearly enjoying the closeness.

"That is exactly why you're my girlfriend," Daniel agreed. "You've got the beauty and I've got the brains. We're perfect for each other."

Tess grinned.

"Sure. I'll be back in a bit, babe," she whispered as she pawed at Daniel's shirt, winking at him as she backed away. She waved seductively and stalked off in the opposite direction, leaving her two loyal followers behind her.

Tess clenched her firsts as a sharp burst of excitement shot through her. The thrill she received from scheming and coming up with new and incredibly evil plans had always scared her slightly, but nowhere near enough for her to stop.

She smirked to herself as she played out her fantasies of Brown excluding Mitchie from Camp Rock forever. Tess's feet moved her hastily past the cabins and the artefacts of nature that surrounded her. She ignored the environment, just as she always did; right now her mind was unable to tear itself away from imagining Mitchie's demise.

Her devious smile grew wider as Brown's office came into view, his door open for easy access. Tess skipped over the last few steps, taking one last stride into the office.

"I'm not sure why she didn't want to sing, I thought that would help her."

Tess stopped abruptly. Brown was sitting on his desk with his back to her, lost in his conversation. She sensed he was talking about Mitchie, but she wasn't sure exactly who he was talking to.

"Any child would handle this badly but this has gone too far, I mean, she's getting worse."

Tess's eyebrows rose as she heard Connie Torres' voice enter the room through the speakerphone.

She pursed her lips.

So something had happened to Mitchie over the summer...

Something that she had no doubt Mitchie wanted to be kept secret...

Tess quickly re-evaluated her plan as she stepped a little further into the room.

She tried not to breathe, knowing that one little sound could give her away.

She listened with building apprehension, awaiting the piece of information that she knew was only seconds away.

It was only a matter of time before someone discovered Mitchie's secret anyway, and shared it with the rest of the campers. It was inevitable. What harm could it do to speed up the process?

Tess's eyes gleamed cruelly.

She was about to find out Mitchie's secret, the reason why she was acting so unlike herself.

If the moment hadn't been so tense, she would have laughed. It was almost like last summer all over again.

She held her breath as she heard Connie's weary voice come over the speaker.

Her eyes widened as she took in what Connie was saying, but it didn't take long for the surprise to wear off and a slow smile to creep across her face.

Perfect.

The news was devastating; news that for anyone else would cause a pang of pain or sorrow, even a few tears, but for Tess was merely something she could use against her already despondent rival...

She crept out of the office, her mind twisted with images of Mitchie's face; those sunken cheeks, emotionless eyes, angry tears, begging her not to do it, not to expose her secret.

But it was too late now.

Tess Tyler knew too much, she was already in far too deep.

Anyone who thought she would let guilt and sympathy get in the way of her cunningness was wrong.

Very wrong.

Mitchie's secret would no longer be kept under lock and key.

No.

It would be exposed for all of Camp Rock to hear, and Tess Tyler would be the one to do it.

Tess Tyler would be the one to finally bring Mitchie Torres down.


A/N: Naughty Tess!

Ha ha. =)

What do you think Mitchie's secret is? Correct guess gets a virtual cookie! ;)

Thanks for reading, we'd love it if you could review and tell us what you think?

Hope you're enjoying this story!

Hugs,

Emma and Kacee

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