Title: We Didn't Need To Say Anything
Author: Taya Swan
Pairing: Shason (Shane/Jason)
Rating: K to T. There's nothing mature here, just some angst, romance, and fluff.
Summary: A night from Jason's nightmares comes back, only to be turned into a daydream, starting with the little wooden bench by the lake.
Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock. (Of course I don't! Do you seriously think I would've had Demi Lavoto as the lead if I owned CR?? If I had my way, it would've been all JoBros! :D) I also don't own the song "Unraveling". That song is by Julianne Hough, but in this story I'm just pretending that Jason wrote it. "(Unraveling" is a really good song, BTW, you should go listen to it!)
Author's Note: Okay, this is going to be a long note. First of all, this idea popped into my head and wouldn't go away, so that's why I put it up here before updating my Jovin story, Be My Incantation. Now I need to give you the little key to this story.
This is normal text.
These are words in a flashback or thoughts in the present.
These are lyrics.
A person's thoughts in a flashback 'have parenthesis'.
I'm sorry if it gets confusing, but there's quite a bit of flashbacks in this. So, I hope you like it, because I did! :P I've never really done something really romantic before, so it would be great to get some feedback!
--
-Jason's POV-
I stood in the back of the crowd uncomfortably. On the makeshift stage, Nate was singing one of his own songs. The words "SOLO JAM" seemed to glare at me from where they were written on the banner on the wall. I sighed, picked the guitar case my band mates had made me bring, and headed for the door. I craned my neck to look for anyone who might prevent me from leaving- Shane and Nate had enlisted the whole gang to keep an eye on me- but it seemed like everyone (Mitchie, Tess, Peggi, Ella, Barran, Sander, Andy, Lola, and Caitlyn) was either busy or obscured by the crowd. As I worked my way through the mass of people, my eyes connected with Shane's Uncle Brown. He looked at me with what looked like sympathy and understanding and jerked his head towards the door. I nodded slightly and he returned the gesture, then moved towards Mitchie, effectively blocking her view of the exit. Happy and thankful for this bit of luck, I slipped through the edges of the crowd and exited the room. After all, Brown had been there that night; he knew why I wanted to get out of there, and I was thankful that there was one person who wasn't forcing me to do anything I didn't want to do.
Outside, a light breeze was blowing, and the night sky was filled with thousands of stars. I began to walk aimlessly towards the lake.
"Jason?" A voice from behind me made me spin around. It was Mitchie's Mom, holding a box of cupcakes.
"Oh, hi, Connie!" I said, forcing myself to smile.
"Why aren't you in there?" She questioned, jerking her head slightly towards the building.
"Oh, you know, I got a little bored, and, um...I saw a really pretty robin, and I wanted to get a picture of it!" I said, thinking of an excuse at the top of my head, hoping she'd dismiss it as another idiotic stunt I sometimes tried to pull.
"In the middle of the night?" She asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow.
I forced a confused expression onto my face. I looked at the sky and had a surprised expression creep onto my face. "Would you look at all those stars? I guess I got so exited I forgot!"
"Jason," Mrs. Torres said, coming a little closer, "Are you okay?"
"Sure I'm okay!" I chirped. "Right as rain, only it's not raining now, so-"
"Jason," She cut in, her eyes filled with concern. "Other people may buy the idiot act, but I know that you are an intelligent boy. And I can tell that you are forcing yourself to act like this."
I blinked uneasily. This woman sure is good at reading people! I let the goofy smile slip from my face. "I just- Solo Jam doesn't bring back great memories." I finally let my face show how unhappy I was. "I...couldn't stay in there."
She nodded, accepting that, and stepped forward to pat my shoulder. "Okay. If you stay out, will you be alright?" She asked.
I nodded and replied, "Yeah. I'll be fine."
She stepped back. "Okay, I'm going back to the Jam, then." She said.
"Alright. Bye, Connie." I said quietly. She turned away and headed back into the building. I continued walking towards the lake. I didn't run into anyone else; the whole camp was at the Jam. I walked along the shore, my guitar case swinging at my side. Finally, I came to a spot I hadn't been to since my first year at Camp Rock. It was a simple wooden bench about ten yards away from the water. I ran my hand along the back of the bench, remembering the last time I'd been there. Ironically, it'd been on the night of Solo Jam...
--Five Years Ago--
"Come on, Jace!" Shane said as he tuned his guitar. He looked over at his cabin mate in exasperation. Jason turned over on his side, facing away from Shane. "It'll be like any other Jam we've been in! Why are you being so stubborn about this?"
"No, Shane! How many times do I need to tell you? Just no!"
"Jason, what's different? It's just Solo Jam!"
"Yeah, I mean, we play in Jams all the time!" Nate added, looking through his notebook that held all his songs.
"Yes, we play in Jams! Together! You two sing, and I play my guitar!" Jason said loudly. "It's SOLO Jam; we'll have to play separately!"
"So?" Shane asked, but Nate seemed to get what Jason had said. He got up and walked around Jason's bed so he was facing his cabin mate.
"Jace...are you afraid to sing by yourself?" He asked softly.
Jason sat up straight. "Of course not!" He laughed, as if the very idea was ridiculous.
"Well, then, there's no problem, is there?" Shane asked brightly. "Look, I'll even pick your song for you! All you have to do is play and sing!" He moved to where Jason kept his things, picked up his songbook, and plopped back onto his bed.
"I-" Jason started, but halted when he saw Nate's encouraging expression and Shane's excited one. "Fine." He sighed.
"Yes!" Shane smiled and started to look for the song Jason would play. Nate shook his head at Shane's enthusiasm and looked back down at Jason, but the older boy had buried his face in his pillow.
--
"Jason, can you walk on your own, or will I have to carry you?" Shane demanded as he dragged his reluctant friend towards the building where Solo Jam would take place. "You agreed to this, remember?"
"I...I..." Jason stammered, desperately trying to get out of his predicament. "Ooh, look!! A pretty bird!" He wriggled out of Shane's grasp and started moving in the opposite direction.
"Nice try." Nate said as he grabbed Jason's arm to prevent him from escaping. Eventually, Shane and Nate got Jason into the building (although it took a lot longer than it should have.)
"I'll go sign us all up!" Shane said and disappeared into the crowd.
"Nate-" Jason started to plead.
"No go-backs, Jace. Isn't that your own version of the golden rule?" Nate asked.
Jason bit his lip. Yes, he did say that. 'And I never go back on anything- except for this!' He thought.
Before he could answer, Shane reappeared. "Okay, we're signed up. It'll be me, then Jason, then Nate." He reported. Nate nodded, and then went off to get something to drink. Shane turned to Jason, "Remember, you're singing Unraveling. I've never heard it, but the lyrics look good. You'll do great!"
Jason's heart sunk lower and lower as the night went on. He watched the lone people onstage with growing apprehension and dread. And after they caught him trying to leave twice, Shane and Nate decided that they'd babysit Jason until it was his turn.
Dee La Duke, the slightly eccentric announcer, called Shane's name. He turned to Jason and smiled. "Wish me luck!" Jason forced himself to smile, but his insides were churning so much now he couldn't even form words. He watched with Nate as Shane went onstage. Jason watched his friend's glowing face as he began to play a fast-paced song. 'See, it's not so hard. Shane can do it!' Jason thought. When Shane finished with a flourish and a bow, Jason thought he might faint.
"Thank you!" Shane said as the crowd cheered loudly. He walked offstage and back to where his cabin mates where standing.
As Nate congratulated Shane, Dee came back onstage and said, "Now, will Jason Addison please take the floor!"
"Go on, Jace!" Shane started to push his panicking friend towards the stage.
"Shane, please, don't make me do this!" Jason begged, his eyes beginning to burn a little.
"You'll be great, Jace! Don't worry!" Shane said. Jason stumbled onstage. He moved towards the microphone instinctively. He looked out at the crowd; saw all their faces turned towards him. That's when Jason lost it. It wasn't the people that scared him; it was performing without Shane and Nate onstage with him. It felt so...empty; he felt so...alone. He stood there, frozen, until Shane's face came into view. "Start playing!" His friend mouthed.
That snapped Jason out of his reverie. 'You can do this, you can do this!' He thought. 'Just sing one word at a time, one word at a time!' He strummed a few notes on his guitar and whispered the first line of the song, "Broken..." And, as if in response to the word, his voice broke. 'No, I can't DO this!! No!' He thought. He had to get out of there! Quickly, he pulled the guitar strap over his head, dropped his precious instrument onto the stage, jumped off the stage, and ran through the crowd and out into the night air.
He ran blindly in a random direction, tears stinging his eyes. 'Getawaygetawaygetawaygetaway...' He repeated over and over again. Jason ran until he heard the sound of water; he slowed and saw he was next to the lake. He simply turned to the left and kept running, stopping only when he came across a bench by the water. He collapsed onto it, drawing in quick, sharp breathes. The tears started to flow freely. 'How could you let them persuade you to do this?! You KNEW that would happen!' Jason screamed at himself. He tried to force his hands to stop shaking, but to no avail. He let his head fall backwards, leaning it on the bench. His eyes slid shut; he knew that crying always exhausted him and wished for something, anything that would take the horrible scene from his mind. Despite his less- than- comfortable seat, Jason found himself drifting off to sleep in less than a few minutes.
Sleep, however, did not help him. His dreams replayed the horrible moment over and over again. And at the very end of the replay, Jason couldn't run. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't move his feet an inch. When he dropped the guitar all Jason could see was Nate's sad expression and Shane's shocked one.
His little whimper was suddenly swallowed by something that jolted him out of his dream, leaving only a faint haze of darkness keeping him from the waking world. Soft, warm lips pressed against Jason's for a single moment, then vanished. That was enough to pull Jason out of unconsciousness. He looked around wildly, but the person who must have been there had vanished. Jason blinked the sleep out of his eyes and saw that his guitar was sitting next to him on the bench.
--End Flashback--
I sat down and set my guitar case next to me. I leaned my head back and gazed at the thousands of stars. Things were different now; I was a camp counselor instead of a camper. This was the second year in a row the whole of Connect 3 had taught in Camp Rock. (Shane persuaded Nate and me to teach last summer, and we didn't need any persuasion to come back this year.) Shane was teaching hip hop again, Nate was teaching song writing, and I taught guitar- of course. I sighed. Last year I'd faked sick to avoid Solo Jam. Shane and Nate had to have seen through my act, but they didn't say anything. They probably remembered the fiasco last time. I thought. Mitchie and all the other girls had been upset.
"Everyone wants to hear you sing by yourself!" Mitchie had said.
"Yeah, do you know how many fans want to hear you sing solo?" Tess added. "I've met girls who'd be happy with a few words!" I'd shrugged and mumbled an excuse, then added a cough. Nate had then herded the girls away, and Shane had just followed them, not even looking at me.
This year, I'd apparently run out of excuses. In some way or another, most of the gang had found out what had happened five years ago. I wasn't that surprised- nothing that ever happens in Camp Rock is forgotten. Nothing embarrassing, at least. "Whatever has happened in the past," Shane had said this morning, not wanting to say exactly what happened, "You ARE going to Solo Jam."
"Shane, I-"
"Come on, Jace, whatever happened back then doesn't matter now! You must've gotten over that by now!"
I hadn't answered; just looked down at the ground.
"How about this," Nate broke in, trying to keep the peace. "Jason comes to Solo Jam, he brings his guitar, but he doesn't have to play. He can sing if he wants to."
Shane had muttered a "Fine", but I didn't say anything.
"I thought you were supposed to stay in the building." A voice from behind me pulled me out of the past, nearly making me jump off of the bench in the process.
I twisted around to see Shane walking towards me. "Nate never said I had to stay there the whole time." I muttered.
There was a moment of silence as Shane moved my guitar case and sat next to me. "You do have a point there." He said, stretching out on the bench. "But I did think the gang would've kept you in there a little longer."
"I was very sneaky," I joked half-heartedly.
"Obviously." He turned his head, trying to catch my eye, but I looked away. "Jason," He sighed. "We never asked you, but Nate and I have always wondered...what happened five years ago? When you... left the room, everyone- I - was shocked. What happened?"
"I..." I struggled to form words. "I..."
"Jason, you can tell me. Please."
"I- I can't... do it without you!" I said sadly, turning my head so I could watch his confused face.
"Can't do...what?" He asked slowly.
"I feel alone when I'm up there. The stage is so empty when you and Nate aren't playing with me. And...I'm just the guitarist, the least valuable member of Connect 3. Guitarists don't sing solos...I don't." I said brokenly.
"Jason," Shane reached out and grabbed my hand. "That's not true! You're not 'just the guitarist' and you are very valuable! Your voice is good!" He said fiercely.
"How did you find me?" I muttered, trying to change the subject. I noticed that he was still holding my hand, but I didn't pull away.
"I've seen you here before."
What...? When could he have seen me here before? "When?" I asked, confused.
Suddenly, I felt Shane scoot closer. He removed his hand from mine, then placed both of his on my face, turning it so I was facing his. He got closer and closer, and before I could say anything else, Shane pressed his lips against mine.
I felt like I was five years younger; his soft, warm lips felt exactly the same. We remained like this for a few moments, and then Shane pulled away. "You are precious, Jace!" He said passionately.
"Y- you-" I stammered, not able to form words.
As if he could read my mind, Shane cut me off. "Yes, it was me all those years ago. Back when I still wasn't sure about my feelings for you. But ever since then, I've realized..." Shane leaned forward again quickly; as if afraid I'd pull away. He kissed me lightly and mouthed the words "I love you" against my lips.
I gasped slightly at those silent words and pulled away. I stared into his dark brown eyes. They were shining with passion and hope. "Shane..." I whispered, not believing what was happening. "I- you- I don't think-" But before I could finish what I was going to say, Shane stood up.
"I understand, Jace. I was just hoping- But I understand.I- I'm gonna go back to the party." And before I could say anything, Shane ran down the path and back towards the cabins.
"No, Shane, wait!" I shouted, standing up, but he either didn't hear me or pretended not to. I grabbed my guitar and ran after him. By the time I reached the steps of the building, the door was already closed, and I assumed Shane was already lost in the crowd. I sat on the bottom step, taking in slow, deep breathes. I knew what I had to do. And this time I wouldn't run away.
-Shane's POV-
I stood in the most quiet place I could find- which was still fairly loud- and tried to stop myself from crying. How could I have been so stupid?! Why did I even assume for a second that he'd feel the same way? How ironic. Almost every girl in the country wants to marry me and I can't get the one person I want the most.
"Shane!" I turned to see Nate walking towards me. He did a double take when he saw my face. "You look terrible, man! What's wrong?"
"He- he doesn't feel the same way." I whispered brokenly. Nate tensed, then walked up to me and hugged me quickly. Nate was the only one I'd ever told about my feelings for Jason, the only one who knew how much I cared for my band mate.
"Its okay, Shane." He whispered, pulling away. "You'll be okay." Faintly, I heard Dee La Duke announce excitedly someone else was going to sing, but I didn't turn to face the stage; I just stared at the wall. Suddenly, I heard Nate- and the whole room- gasp. A second later, the most beautiful voice I'd ever heard started to sing.
Broken
White lights alone on the freeway
Sun falling down into your eyes
I feel your hand reach for...my hand.
I turned around rapidly and stared. Standing on the stage, singing his heart out, was Jason. An awed silence had fallen over the crowd- no one had ever heard Jason sing so beautifully. As I stared, he turned his head and our eyes connected. He kept his gaze locked on mine and continued the song.
Poetry fading in motion
Looks like I'm fading in twilight
Under, over, I am falling
And suddenly, you're in two places I've never been
Something transparent like seeing through who I am
Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm 'bout to let you in
I am, I am unraveling
Words are unnecessarily spoken
I am an open book, waiting for you to uncover me
Tangled, wounded, perfect
And suddenly, you're in two places I've never been
Something transparent like seeing through who I am
Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm 'bout to let you in
I am, I am unraveling
As Jason sang, I felt my heart beat faster and faster and my smile grow wider and wider. He's like an angel... I thought as Jason's eyes bore into mine, and in those hazel orbs I saw so many mixed emotions- excitement, happiness, exhilaration, triumph, and...love.
Take me down, take me in, take me anywhere you want to go, I'm not leaving
Tell the world, crumble down, like starlight... around us.
Under, over, I am falling
And suddenly, you're in two places I've never been
Something transparent like seeing through who I am
Baby, I'm crazy, but I'm 'bout to let you in
Yeah, I am unraveling
Yeeah, I am unraveling
Ohhhhh, I am, I am unraveling
"I am unraveling..." Jason whispered the last line and strummed the final notes. There was one heartbeat of pure and utter silence, and then the room exploded. People were cheering, clapping, and jumping up and down. Jason finally turned his eyes from mine and said, "Thank you, thank you so much." He smiled his breathtaking smile and walked off the stage. As the crowd converged on him, I turned the other way and walked outside. I walked back to where I'd been less than a half an hour ago- that simple wooden bench, where everything had started. I knew he'd know where to find me.
I waited for what felt like an eternity and a split second at the same time, his amazing song playing in my mind over and over again, until I heard footsteps coming up from behind me. I turned to see the object of my affection. Jason was absolutely glowing as he set his guitar down and moved to stand in front of me.
"Jason...That was..." I whispered, unable to describe that song.
"Shhh..." He whispered and stroked my face gently with his hand. "You still need to know..." He leaned forward, looped his arms around my neck, twined his hands in my hair, and kissed me so sweetly I thought I would melt. "I love you, too." He moved his lips against mine, forming the words but not speaking. But we didn't need to say anything as I wrapped my arms around his waist and pulled him closer. All we had was this quiet little place by the lake and each other- and that was all we needed.
--
A/N: Awww! I'm really proud of myself with this; I haven't really dappled in the romance stuff yet. So, tell me what you think with the nifty little review button down there. As for the flamers, you have the right to remain silent.
Just a little trivia, (not that anyone probably cares, but I'm a loser so I'm gonna say it anyway) what Jason was going to say before Shane ran off (When he said "I don't think-") he was going to say he didn't think he was worthy of Shane's affection. But he was wrong, because Jason is just awesome like that! :3
So please review, 'cause I really want to know if I'm any good at romance, and I'll try to have the next chapter for Be My Incantation up within the week! Thanks!
-Taya Swan