Author's note: Thanks so much for all your awesome reviews! I'm trying to get new chapters up as fast as possible, but I'm switching between stories so check my other story (Gonna Get Caught) out if you haven't already! Please keep reading and reviewing, it means a lot to me!

Chapter Two

A knot was forming in the pit of Mitchie's stomach as Alexandra shoved her into the room. There was no way she could protest, not in the presence of her current company, so she took a deep breath and feigned a smile.

"Hi Mitchie," Tess said in her fake, sing-songy voice. "Long time, no see!" She flipped a blonde lock of hair over her shoulder and returned Mitchie's forced smile, revealing two rows of perfectly straight, blindingly-white teeth.

"Isn't this great?" Alexandra said quietly. "I haven't really ever seen you with friends, so this'll be fun!" The icy glare Mitchie displayed was lost on her assistant who was too busy pushing her into the closest chair.

"Alright kids, we can get down to business now that we're all here!" The man that spoke up was Eric, one of the record label executives that had discovered Mitchie and offered her deal. "Let's say our 'hellos,' ladies and gentlemen." Mitchie looked around the large table, surveying all the occupants of the meeting room. She had been blinded by shock when she first entered, too distracted to notice that the other two members of Connect Three were also seated around the long table. Nate and Jason gave weak waves, and the awkward tension was very evident.

"So, what is this all about?" Shane asked, not bothering to give any sort of greeting. His question caught Mitchie off-guard-she had been certain he was a part of planning the meeting-but she was glad he was able to ask the things she was too afraid to speak.

"Wow, Shane," Eric replied. "You're usually not the one to be so concerned with business!"

"Yeah, well, Tess and I have a lunch reservation in forty-five minutes," Shane spat. His attitude made Mitchie roll her eyes, realizing that somewhere along the line he'd slipped right back into his old ways. Seeing him act so spoiled and selfish left her feeling a twinge of sadness, but she knew it wasn't her place to judge.

"Calm down, kids, I'll make sure everyone makes it to their other engagements on time. I thought it would be nice if our newest artist spent some time with our most successful band of the decade. You all went to camp together, so you're all about the same age, right? How old are you, Mitchie?"

"I just turned seventeen last week," Mitchie stated, unsure if anyone aside from Eric had the slightest interest in her. She thought she heard Shane murmur a 'happy birthday,' but her mind was still racing far too fast for her to decide whether or not she'd imagined it.

"See, you already have so much in common! That is the exact reason why the label wants the four of you-"

"Ehem." Tess loudly cleared her throat in the middle of Eric's pitch.

"-Excuse me, the five of you to go on a little promo tour for the month leading up to the release of Mitchie's album!"

"A promo tour? Ami really ready for that type of thing?" The question flew from Mitchie's mouth, and she instantly regretted it. She felt a blush burn onto her cheeks, embarrassed that she had shown a lack of confidence in front of the harshest critics she'd ever known.

"Absolutely! I wouldn't suggest it if I thought you couldn't handle it, and you'll have our boys to help you out." Eric motioned towards the members of Connect Three, all of whom wore stoic looks on their faces. Mitchie didn't know what to make of it all, but she was doing the best she could to mask her concern.

"W-what would we be doing?" Mitchie immediately kicked herself for stuttering.

"We're thinking a few appearances and concerts within the state until your album release party. If everything goes well, which I'm sure it will, this could be an opportunity for a nationwide tour." Eric handed a flyer with the tentative schedule to each person seated at the table as he spoke.

"Wow, Eric, it looks like you planned this all before you even asked us," Shane said in a snaky tone. "Why aren't our mangers here? I would think they want some say in this." He scanned the paper one more time before tossing it aside.

"Your 'people' have all been well-informed and agree that the label's plan is a good one," Eric assured. "So really, all we need is the approval of our stars!" The way he seemed to constantly coddle Connect Three's egos blew Mitchie's mind, and she wondered if they found it as ridiculous as she did.

"I'm not sure…" Mitchie had never made a decision about her career without her manager present, and that fact combined with the bored look on Shane's face were making her increasingly timid.

"We'll do it," Nate spoke up suddenly, as if he had read Mitchie's thoughts.

"We will?" Shane was nearly speechless, a feat rarely achieved.

"That is fantastic!" Eric gave a little clap. "That's all I needed to hear; you're all free to go about your business." He gave a wave of his hand to the rest of the table, ignoring the groans he received from Shane. The lead singer grabbed Tess by the arm and stormed out of the room with the rest of Connect Three on his heels, leaving Mitchie and Alexandra alone with Eric.

"This'll be a great little tour, Mitchie, honestly. You really couldn't ask for a better start in the business." What Eric was saying certainly sounded true, but Mitchie just wished it could involve a more accommodating set of people. No one in Connect Three seemed particularly interested in spending time with her, but she couldn't really blame them considering the way things ended at camp. Also, she was having a very hard time figuring out how Tess fit into the equation…

"Mitchie?" Alexandra tapped Mitchie lightly on the shoulder, jarring her from her thoughts. "Do you want to go do something? We have nothing scheduled for the rest of the day, and Eric says you should enjoy your time in public while no one knows who you are." It took everything in Mitchie not toe laugh at the idea, unable to believe she would ever receive the type of attention Connect Three got from the media. Most days she had to pinch herself just to make sure her life was really happening, that she actually had a record deal and an album releasing in just over a month.

"Sure, Alex, let's go." The two excused themselves from the room and began walking down the hallway. Mitchie was two steps in the lead, and Alexandra nearly crashed into her when she suddenly halted.

"Can you believe this?" Voices had just become audible from around the corner, and Mitchie thought it'd be best not to interrupt whatever conversation was taking place.

"It'll be fun, Shane, as long as you don't ruin it like every tour we've done." Jason was speaking, his comment coming across as hilarious and unintentionally harsh. Mitchie stifled a laugh, remembering the way he was always around camp to provide his innocent humor.

"Well, I don't appreciate being volunteered for things," Shane growled, obviously addressing Nate.

"What is the problem, exactly?"

"You know what the problem is," Shane snarled. Even from down the hall Mitchie could tell he was talking about her, but she knew she needed to face it eventually.

"Don't," Alexandra whispered as she shook her head, but Mitchie ignored the warning and took the steps to round the corner. She instantly regretted her impulsive decision, however, as the group fell silent at the sight of her. All eyes were locked on her, and no one seemed ready to budge until she broke the quiet. She took a deep breath and carefully chose her words.

"I didn't know about any of this, either; if it's not something you're all interested in, it's totally fine. I can't blame any of you for not being a fan of the idea." Mitchie set her sights on the closest elevator, prepared to leave with her head hung low until someone spoke up to stop her.

"Mitchie, wait." Nate reached out and grabbed Mitchie gently by the arm. "Don't let the attitude of our rock star Shane fool you; we think this little tour will be a nice change."

"You really think so? Honestly, I feel like you all think I had some part in this plan, but I definitely didn't. They're throwing all this stuff at me left and right, and I don't want you to hate me more than you already do."

"Oh no, we see how green around the gills you are, Mitchie; you couldn't possibly have dreamed this up on your own." Tess gave Mitchie a look that could only be described as 'bitchy,' but her remarks came as no surprise. She was the same typical Tess she'd been back at Camp Rock, displaying a sickeningly sweet, fake persona that faded the second she was out of earshot of authority figures.

"Sorry, Tess," Mitchie said slowly. "I'm a little confused about what you have to do with all of this; are you on the label, too?"

"Tess?? No way, she's just Shane's clingy girlfriend! That keeps her busy enough," Jason interjected as he burst out with laughter.

"Excuse us, but we do still have that lunch reservation," Tess huffed, having discussed the matter enough for her liking. She pushed past the group as she made her way to the elevator, making sure the sharp heel of her tall shoes came in firm contact with Jason's foot.

"Whatever guys, call me when you have everything figured out," Shane sighed, following Tess into the elevator just as the doors were shutting.

"God, I hate her," Jason cursed under his breath once the couple was safely out of earshot.

"Is she as bad as I remember from camp?" Mitchie asked, offering her arm to steady the Connect Three guitarist as he bent down to rub his now aching foot.

"Definitely worse," Nate said with a nod. "She latched onto Shane the day he dragged us out of there, and we haven't been able to escape her since." He grimaced at the mention of Tess, giving Mitchie a bit of delight inside.

"But that doesn't mean we haven't tried, a lot," Jason agreed through gritted teeth. Mitchie looked back and forth between the two boys, trying to find a tactful way to pose her next question. There was no easy way to ask it, but the thought had been floating around in her mind since the last time she had seen the band.

"Does Shane totally hate me because of what happened at camp? I mean, has he ever talked about it at all?" Mitchie finally spat out the question, but the quiet reactions she got from both Jason and Nate immediately made her wish she could take it back.

"Who am I kidding?" Mitchie stammered again. "I probably didn't even register on his radar. Forget I even asked, and please don't tell him I said anything."

"No, no, there's a story to tell about that," Jason confessed.

"But that's something we should save for another day; it sounds like we need to go pack!" Nate ushered the rest of the hall's occupants towards the elevator, and Mitchie was left wondering why he was so quick to change the subject. The two boys had admitted there was a story she needed to hear, but the question was when she'd finally get the chance to be told. She followed the boys out of the building, hoping she wouldn't have to wait too long to get her answers.

A week later Mitchie was standing outside of the record label building once again, this time with her bags in hand. She watched as several interns shoved the belongings of Connect Three into a large tour bus, wondering to herself why the boys couldn't do it themselves.

"Ms. Torres?" One of the interns asked meekly.

"Mitchie."

"Sorry, Mitchie. I guess it's my job to tell you that this bus is only for Connect Three; we're supposed to put your bags in the van." He pointed to a small, slightly dingy looking van a few yards away. Mitchie looked down the street and nodded, biting her tongue. She knew enough not to expect star treatment on her very first tour, but she still felt a bit jealous.

"Oh no, Mitchie can ride in the bus with us." Nate appeared behind Mitchie without notice, throwing an arm around her shoulder.

"I was told she would be riding in the van-"

"Is it not my bus? She's riding with us." Nate interrupted. The intern gave him one quick nod and then hurried away to take care of Mitchie's bags.

"I know what it's like to be just starting out," Nate continued to explain. "Tour after tour in empty clubs, driving around in a piece of crap van; I want to do what I can to help you avoid that."

"That's really sweet of you, Nate, but can I ask why? I mean, one of your best friends hates me, so why would you do me any favors?" Mitchie looked over at Nate with skeptical eyes. She knew there had to be some sort of ulterior motive, and she was right.

"Well, the two of us," Nate began, motioning to an oblivious Jason who stood clicking away on his Blackberry. "We hate Tess, that's no secret. But you, you're different; we liked you back at camp, and we like you now. The bottom line is, Mitchie, that someone needs to save Shane, and we think you're just the girl for the job."

"Oh, hell no! You've got to be crazy, Nate. I appreciate the thought, really, but it would never work. Have you forgotten how much Shane hates me?" Mitchie shook her head vigorously and gave a little chuckle at the ridiculous suggestion.

"If anyone knows Shane, it's me; I know what makes him tick. This is fool-proof, so just trust me! I'll give you all the details, but for now we need to hit the road. Come on, Jason!" Nate signaled for his band mate, and together the two opened the bus door and pushed Mitchie inside. She climbed the few stairs cautiously, letting out a small but audible groan as she realized she stood face-to-face with Tess.

"You just had to weasel your way onto this bus, huh?" Tess demanding, wasting no time. "You better stay far, far away from my boyfriend if you know what's good for you." She turned on her heels and stomped off towards the back of the bus, leaving Mitchie standing alone in awe. Between a rock star's jealous girlfriend and the awful scheme she'd just been pressured into, Mitchie could tell she had a long month ahead of her.