"Shane, stop pacing. You're going to burn a hole through the carpet," Alan chuckled as the anxious rock star stopped for a while. Alan, Marie and Shane were in the living room, waiting for the rest if Connect 3, Tess and Caitlyn to arrive. Shane looked uncertainly at the blue-eyed old man.
"Alan, Marie, what if Mitchie still doesn't wanna get back together with me?" he asked worriedly. The old couple shared a look before Marie motioned for Shane to sit down beside her. Once he had taken his seat, she took his hand and smiled kindly at him.
"Then you become her friend and always be there for her until she gets well. When she's assured that she won't be leaving you, that she won't be hurting you, then she'll come back to you. You have to remember, Shane, that the only reason she broke up with you was because she felt that she would be holding you back," Alan answered.
"Was that the reason you were pushing Marie away? You felt that you were holding her back?" Shane asked softly. Alan nodded, smiling sadly.
"I was afraid, Shane. I kept telling myself that I was holding her back. That she deserved better. Mitchie probably feels the same way."
"But she isn't. She's my love, my world, my everything. She knows better than that!" Shane exclaimed.
"Does she really?"
Shane stared at the old couple, shocked into silence. How could Mitchie not know that? How dare she even think about thinking that she was not good enough for him? How dare she think that she was holding him back? Suddenly filled with anger at Mitchie, Shane Grey did the only thing he did when he was angry. He paced again.
Marie looked worriedly at her husband. She knew exactly what Shane was feeling. Heck, she had gone through the almost exact same thing. She sighed as she leaned her head against Alan's shoulder. A few minutes later, Tess Tyler made her usual dramatic entrance with Jason, Nate and Caitlyn trailing behind her. Shane jumped, startled.
"OKAY! TESS TYLER IS HERE! MAKE –" she was cut off as Shane clamped his hand against her mouth and glared at her.
"Shh! Mitchie's asleep, Tess. She'll be asleep until 11 in the morning. It's Saturday," he hissed. Tess rolled her eyes.
"Wow. You memorized her timetable. That must've been quite an accomplishment for you, Shane Grey," she retorted sarcastically. Shane glared at her harder this time. Nate and Caitlyn rolled their eyes, having been used to their friends not getting along, while Jason sniffed the air greedily.
"TORRES PANCAKES!" he screamed as he made a mad dash towards the kitchen – only to be stopped halfway by a very murderous looking Shane Grey.
"I just told you Mitchie's sleeping. If you wake her up, Jason, I swear to God I'll –"
"You'll what?" his older brother challenged. Shane smirked smugly.
"I'll smash your birdhouse," he stated evilly.
"You wouldn't," Jason gasped. Shane raised his eyebrows.
"Try me," the young pop – sorry – rock star said. Jason sighed in defeat as Shane smiled triumphantly.
"Urgh, you two are so immature," Tess scoffed as she headed up the stairs towards Mitchie's room with Caitlyn.
"Hey! Where are you going?! You can't wake Mitchie up! It's only 10.30!" Caitlyn rolled her eyes and continued making her way towards her best friends' room and left Tess with Shane.
"Haven't you heard that it's rude to keep your guests waiting?" Tess smirked as she strutted up the stairs. Shane looked worriedly at his brothers.
"MICHELLE ELIZABETH TORRES!"
Shane began banging his head onto the wall. So much for letting the love of his life sleep in.
Camp Rock – Sacrificing Your Love
"MICHELLE ELIZABETH TORRES!"
Mitchie groaned as Caitlyn drew the curtains open and the morning sunlight filled her room. She had been tossing and turning all night and had only finally managed to get some sleep at around 3 a.m. in the morning. It was nothing new. She had been having sleepless nights since she broke up with Shane.
Mitchie stretched and yawned as she tried to shake any thoughts of her ex-boyfriend out of her mind. Wasn't it enough that memories of the times they had together had kept her awake almost all night? She didn't need them ruining her day.
"Seriously, what is with you people and my last name?" she asked, frustrated at her best friends for ruining her sleep. Tess rolled her eyes at the brunette while Caitlyn offered a sympathetic smile. Like Mitchie, she too had been woken up the same way by Tess.
"Gee, I don't know. What is it with you and boy clothes?" the blonde asked sarcastically. Mitchie looked down at the oversized sweatshirt she was wearing and blushed.
"Shane gave it to me," she shrugged. Caitlyn and Tess shared a look as Tess groaned in frustration.
"I don't get you. You're wearing his clothes, you're watching videos on YouTube about the two of you and you hug a picture of him when you go to sleep. I thought your relationship was over, Michelle?" she sneered. Mitchie glared at her.
"It doesn't mean I'm over him, Tessania. Shane's my first kiss, my first boyfriend, my first love. I can't just forget him," Mitchie whispered the last sentence, tears slowing flowing down her cheeks. Tess Tyler's angry face softened as she hugged the now sobbing brunette. A few seconds later, Caitlyn joined in. A few minutes later, the three pulled away. Mitchie was feeling a tiny bit better, Caitlyn was glad her friend felt better and Tess was, well, Tess. She was always up to something.
"Get dressed and get downstairs. There are some people who want to meet you."
"Who?"
"You'll find out soon," Tess smirked. Mitchie's eyes widened and Caitlyn shrugged. Oh boy. That could not be good.
"I'll be down in ten minutes."
Camp Rock – Sacrificing Your Love
True to her word, Mitchie was down in ten minutes. She froze on her spot as Shane turned around to look at her and she saw him smile softly. Behind him, on the couch, sat an old couple while Tess, Caitlyn, Nate and Jason on the floor. She was sure she had seen the old couple before but she just didn't know where she recognized them from.
MItchie felt her heart beating faster as Shane walked closer to her. Damn it. He still had that effect on her. As he came closer, she couldn't help but think about how different he looked. He was thinner, that was for sure. He had dark circles under his eyes, something he rarely had. And his hair... Mitchie almost gasped. It looked like he hadn't been to his favorite salon for a haircut in days.
"W-What are y-you doing here?" she stuttered.
Shane didn't answer her for a while as he stared at her. God, she looked beautiful. Sure, she looked like she had lost a lot of weight and the usual twinkle in the eyes were gone but she still looked beautiful in Shane's eyes. She always would remain beautiful in his eyes. He walked closer to her and stopped directly in front of her before cupping her face gently in his hands.
"I need you to trust me, Mitchie. I brought Alan and Marie here because I think they're the only ones who can help you."
"Help me what?" she asked softly, enjoying Shane's gentle touch once again.
"Help you realize that I'm not going anywhere and that I love you," he answered, looking at her in the eyes.
"Shane…"
"Mitchie, please. For me?" he asked with a hint of desperation in his voice that made Mitchie's heart melt. A desperate Shane was not a good thing. She would know. She sighed and nodded slowly. Shane smiled thankfully and led her to the couch beside Marie and Alan and he introduced them.
"Mitchie, this is Marie and her husband, Alan. Marie, Alan, this is Mitchie."
Mitchie smiled politely at the old couple as she shook their hands. Alan seemed like a friendly old man who had gone through a lot on life. He had the vibe of a wise man who had learned many important things in life that should be shared with others. Marie looked like a kind lady with a big heart. Mitchie could tell that the smile on her face was genuine even though she had only met the lady less than five minutes ago.
"Why, Mitchie, I must say. Shane wasn't exaggerating when he told me that you were beautiful. In fact, I think he didn't do any justice to what he told me," Marie said kindly. Mitchie blushed and thanked her quietly.
"Thank you. I don't want to seem rude or anything but why are you here? Why did Shane bring you here?"
"Mitchie, I'm going to tell you a story. And I want you to listen carefully to it. I would also appreciate it if there were no interruptions. Can I ask that from? From all of you?" he asked pointedly as Tess, Caitlyn, Nate, Jason, Shane and Mitchie all nodded their heads. Shane, Mitchie, Marie and Alan were sitting on the couch while the rest were on the floor.
"Well, fifteen years ago, there was this man who was diagnosed with stomach cancer and the doctors told him he only had one year to live. When he was told about his illness, he felt very angry. Why did it happen to him? What had he done to deserve it? What had he done to have his life shorten? When his friends were out drinking, he was the sober one. He was the one who drove them home, who never had anything to drink. When his friends smoked and had tempted him to, he didn't. So, why the hell did he have to stomach cancer? Why couldn't it have happened to one of his friends?"
Alan stopped as he sipped some water from the glass Tess had given to him before Mitchie had arrived. Mitchie looked down as she felt the tears stinging her eyes. Why was Alan telling her this story? It wasn't like she could relate to it. She had never wanted her friends to get cancer. But then again, she could relate to it. She too had cancer and she too had little time to live. She had asked herself why it happened to her. She had asked herself what she had done to deserve it. Seeing the young brunette in deep thought, Alan continued his story.
"And then he felt sad. What was going to happen to his girlfriend? He loved her and he knew she loved him. He knew she loved him so much that she was willing to sacrifice everything she had for him. And it hurt him to know that he would be hurting her. It hurt him to know that he would be leaving her. He knew she was going to be miserable without him. And to protect her from the unbearable pain he knew she would go through when he was gone, he had to hurt her so that she wouldn't go through it. He had to hurt her to protect her."
Shane squeezed Mitchie's hand as she laid her head onto his chest, tears falling freely down her cheeks. On the floor, Caitlyn and Nate were holding each other's hands and Jason was awkwardly patting Tess Tyler's back as tears streamed down her rosy cheeks. Nobody had noticed Steve and Connie Torres at the living room door, listening in on the story. On the couch, Marie had tears in her eyes as memories of the hardest time in he life came to her mind again. Alan continued, oblivious to the others in the room, lost in his story, in his memory.
"For the next two months, he pushed her away. He threw dirt at her. He said things he would never forgive himself for and he even broke up with her for a while. But the love of his life just stood by him all the while, silently enduring all the hurt and pain he was putting her through. He could see that he was hurting her and deep down it was hurting him too. He continued torturing her emotionally, pushing her away whenever he could and then one day she snapped," Alan chuckled humorlessly, a sad smile forming on his face. He looked over at his wife lovingly and held her hand.
"He would always remember what she said to him. She had slapped him across his face in the middle of his driveway and yelled at him to stop being selfish. She told him he was hurting her and that he was a coward. He was afraid of the treatments that could cure him. He was afraid of getting his hopes high up. And then she kissed him. She gave him the most loving kiss she had ever given him. And right then, he realized that he had to live. He had to fight for his life. If not for him, then for her. So, he went for the treatments."
"And then what happened?" Jason asked. Alan chuckled and kissed Marie's forehead.
"Well, that man is now sixty-five years old, cured from his stomach cancer and married to the same woman who had given him the strength to live. And right now, he's in a living room, with his wife, telling his life story to a bunch of teenagers and a girl who needs to have a little leap of faith," the old man replied as he looked at Mitchie with a smile on his face. Mitchie nodded at him slowly, silently telling him that she got his message. She stood up and walked away from the sofa. When she was halfway out of the room, she turned to look at Shane sadly.
How could she push Shane away? He was the love of her life and if she had to keep fighting to make him happy, then she would. She had been thinking about Shane and what would have happened to him if she didn't survive with the treatments but she hadn't thought about what would happen to them if she did survive. Alan was right. She did need to have a little leap of faith.
But with all the treatments and everything, wouldn't she be holding Shane back? Was she even good enough for him? Shane Grey had a life and she didn't want to be the one holding him back. He deserved so much better than a sick girl who needs treatments.
From the look on Mitchie's face, Shane could tell she had had a change of heart and smiled thankfully at Marie and Alan. His Mitchie was back and he knew she was going to fight for her life. There was no way in hell now that she was giving up her life just like that. However, he did still see the uncertainty on her face.
Rolling his eyes, Shane got up and stood directly in front of her and lifted her chin up gently so that her eyes were locked with his. Aware of the other people in the room, he smiled softly at her.
"Mitchie?"
"Yes, Shane?"
"Am I going to have to slap you too?" he asked playfully, earning a few chuckles from the room and a glare from Steve. Mitchie giggled as she shook her head, all feelings of uncertainty and hesitance gone. Shane smiled as he leaned closer to her and kissed her tenderly on her lips. Mitchie smiled into the kiss as her friends cheered happily. When they finally broke apart, Shane smiled. As soon as the smile had appeared, it disappeared as Shane cringed at the sight of Steve Torres and Mitchie giggled again.
"OH MY GOD!" Jason shrieked as he pointed at Alan and Marie with a shocked look on his face. Everyone in the room looked at him worriedly.
"Jason, what's wrong, dear?" Marie asked, concerned.
"Alan and Marie are the two people in the story!" he pointed out the obvious. Mitchie chuckled as Shane and Nate groaned while the others laughed at Jason's slowness.
Mitchie smiled as she looked at each one of her friends and her parents. Jason was the slow one, Nate was the smart one, Tess was the bitchy one, Caitlyn was the tough one and her parents were her rock. Shane was the love of her life and she wouldn't survive without him. Her family and friends were pretty messed up but she wouldn't have it any other way.
Suddenly feeling a wave of dizziness wash over her, Mitchie held Shane tighter. Sensing something was wrong with his girlfriend, Shane looked at her and began worrying when he saw that she looked very pale.
"Mitchie? Are you alright?" he asked gently. Mitchie shook her head before darkness took over and the last thing she saw as Shane's perfect face in a state of panic.
A/N: Review! The last chapter will be up soon.