You guys are awesome! I love reading your reviews. The last chapter was especially difficult to get through without crying up a storm and feeling bad for Jason and his mom, but that part really needed to be written.

DemiLenaJonas, to answer your questions, yes, yes, and I know their real dad wouldn't do that to him, or any of them. And yeah, I know it totally sucks, but unfortunately, it does happen to a lot of kids.

L is for Left, I know…I had this written, but I wanted to get it just right. FYI, I'm pretty sure there'll be more flashbacks in later chapters.

SapphireJKH, I couldn't agree with you more about everything you said. Even if it goes against their SOS song (where they sing about hugs being overrated…I don't think so, and I'm sure they don't either – or they wouldn't hug their mom).

Chapter 8

Jason smiled, thinking about how his mom supported him and was there for him, no matter what he wanted to do. He thought about how his mom came to see him and his friends on the final day of camp, and how his dad was too busy on one of his frequent business trips to be there to support him and his dream.

"Guess what?" Nate said, coming into the cabin that he shared with Jason and another boy named Shane Gray. Nate Black was one of those people who had musical genius written all over him. He sang, played guitar, piano, and drums. He could play any instrument, as long as he had enough time to learn how to play it.

"You built me a birdhouse?" Jason asked hopefully.

"No, Jase," Shane said, following Nate and sitting down. "I'm sure Nate didn't build you a birdhouse. Nate, what is it?"

"I heard there will be agents looking to sign new talent at Final Jam tonight. You know, if we play really well, we could get a record deal!" Nate said, his eyes shining.

"No way!" Shane jumped up and hi-fived Nate. "We'd better practice then."

"Yeah, we should. Let's go," Nate said, as Jason followed them.

At Final Jam…

"Next up, Shane, Nate, and Jason," Brown Cesario, the camp director and Shane's uncle, announced, standing center stage. He ran backstage and spotted his nephew and his friends. "Get ready to rock, boys. You're on…"

Shane walked out on stage first, loving the sound of girls screaming and calling his name. He loved to be the center of attention, getting the crowd worked up.

Jason trailed behind, lost in his thoughts. This was it. This was his time to show the world who he was. This was his time to lose himself in his music and be free, like the birds. It was time for him to fly, time for him to soar.

At the end of their performance, the crowd was on their feet, the applause deafening.

Brown went out and silenced the crowd. "As you know, the winner of Final Jam gets a record deal with Hot Tunes. Now it's time for our judges to pick the Final Jam winner. Be back in a few…" He jogged off stage, and the lights dimmed down.

"What do you think?" Brown asked the judges.

"The last group. That was awesome!" One of the judges said.

"I know. That one kid…Nate? He plays everything! Guitar, piano, drums…you give him an instrument, and he'll be playing like a pro in no time at all. That kid's going places," a second judge added.

"And the one in the middle, he's got stage presence…he's your nephew, isn't he?" A third judge said.

"Yes, my sister's son," Brown beamed.

"He's incredible. He knows how to move on stage, how to get the crowd going. Did you hear how the crowd cheered for them at the end? That was amazing," the third judge said."He's got my vote."

"So…that's it, then? My nephew's group?" Brown said. The judges nodded, wrote it down on a piece of paper, and gave it to him. Brown jogged back out to center stage, and tapped the microphone.

"All right, settle down," Brown said, clearing his voice. "And the winners of Final Jam are…Shane Gray, Nate Black, and Jason Green!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, and the boys went up on stage to talk to Brown.

"Congrats, boys, I knew you had it in you," Brown smiled at them. "You just got yourselves a record deal."

"NO WAY!" Shane yelled happily, as Jason hugged him. He pushed Jason away, looking confused. "Dude…I don't do hugs."

"You don't?" Jason said, surprised that anyone would turn down a free hug. But Shane was already high-fiving Nate.

"We got a record deal!" Nate high-fived Jason. "What should we call ourselves?"

"How about…The Birdy Bunch?" Jason said. "I love birds! And group hugs."

"Oh no…" Shane muttered. "I don't think so, dude. I don't want people to think we're birdbrains. And we're definitely not going to call ourselves The Huggers, or anything related to hugging."

Brown laughed at the boys' conversation.

The three of them stood there, thinking hard, as Brown watched them.

At last, Nate snapped his fingers. "I've got it! How about…Connect Three?" Nate suggested. "You know, like the game, only there's three of us. And we connected when we first played together just now."

"Yeah," Shane murmured. "Connect Three. I love it! Jase?"

"I don't know…I like the Birdy Bunch better," Jason said.

"Uncle Brown?" Shane said, hoping his uncle's opinion would settle it.

"No, Shane, I'm not getting involved in this," Brown held up his hands and backed away. "Jason, if you want to be called the Birdy Bunch, you'll have to find three girls to join your group."

"Girls?" Jason's face paled at the thought. "On second thought…Connect Three it is! GROUP HUG!"

"Not again…" Shane and Nate groaned, right before Jason engulfed them in a big bear hug.

"YAY!" Jason said excitedly.

Then Jason's mom came and took them all out to a celebration dinner, and Brown tagged along, saying he had to watch Shane, for his sister's sanity, and everyone else's.

Then Jason remembered their first tour, and what it was like to be on stage performing in front of thousands of fans. It was nothing like Jason had ever experienced before, and it was beyond amazing.

Jason kept his promise to his mom, and took her out on tour with them as the group's chaperone. The manager thought it was a great idea, not to mention marketing strategy, and Jason's mom had been with them from day one. She still stayed with Jason and his band, wherever they went, and once the group had made their first few million, they bought a house that she could stay at when they weren't on tour.

Jason thought about how his life had been up to that point, and how he overcame the odds and proved his dad wrong. If he could play a concert to thousands of screaming fans chanting his name, talking to Liz wouldn't be that hard, would it?

Jason was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see where he was going, and he bumped into someone. Three someones, actually.

"Jason?" Liz said, her throat closing up.

"Liz?" Jason said, then looked at the other girls with her. "Mitchie? Caitlyn? What's up?"

"Um…" Mitchie was at a loss for words.

Caitlyn thought fast. "Liz really wants to talk to you, and we're here to support her."

"She does?" Jason said. "I mean, you do? I was just coming to…" Jason tried to think of something intelligent to say. "…check on your knee. Are you OK? Do you need a hug?"

"I'm fine, Jason," Liz laughed as Jason pulled her into a hug anyway.

"How's Big Bird?" Jason asked. Mitchie and Caitlyn looked confused.

"He's fine…Just doing his job," Liz said seriously. She pointed at her knee, and Mitchie and Caitlyn smiled at each other.

"Good, because I need to talk to you about something," Jason gulped, then took a few breaths to calm down. It didn't work.

"Um…would you excuse us, please?" Liz looked at Mitchie and Caitlyn.

"Are you sure?" Mitchie asked.

Liz nodded. "I think so…Yes. I'll be fine."

"OK," Caitlyn said, looking doubtful.

"Come on, let's give them some room," Mitchie said, pulling Caitlyn away.

"But I want to hear what they're saying," Caitlyn whined.

"Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it later," Liz promised.

Satisfied, Caitlyn and Mitchie left.

AN: Next up, Jason and Liz talk…What happens? You'll just have to wait and see.