Hey! Wow, I am so sorry for not updating in so long! I didn't think I would be this busy. So I am so extremely sorry. Sorry! And I got so many reviews and stuff! I'm sorry I'm still a bit stuck on what should happen next in this story, but please continue to read it!

Thank you to the people that encourage me to continue writing: elisabeth2me for reviewing (im sorry that it was rushed ): ) supersupernaturalgirl for reviewing (im glad you loved it!) xsodapopx7 for faving, dancinggirl42609 for reviewing (im glad youre so excited about this!!) utmy123 for reviewing (haha your right, nates kissing too many people D) XDpurpletiggersXD for reviewing (yay you liked it!) live-in-dreamland1 for reviewing (haha I hate the twins too) tessa411 (hopefully I'll improve in the near future, writers block sucks haha) NANI Hanani03 for reviewing (sorry I couldn't update that fast) 101pacey for faving, Zialicious for alerting and reviewing (thanks for that nice review, it's the first time someone's told me I have talent :D) and faving me and the story, vanessadsx for faving me/story, putting me/story on alert and reviewing (im glad you liked it!), Twilightfan59 for faving, alerting, Cassiecaseyox for putting me on alert, faving me, and reviewing (haha I hope you continue to like this story!) faving, alerting, AsitThunders for alerting, and reviewing… twice (I hope this is up to expectations!) Demonkitty2007 for alerting, losergrl181 for faving, alerting, xwritingxisxmyxlifex for faving, xxxlatzxxx for faving, and reviewing (thank you!) Buchworm13 for alerting, a Forgotten Fairy for reviewing (truthfully I have no idea who Bianca is :D) and alerting, WhatRulookinat for alerting, faving me/story, and reviewing (your welcome your welcome your welcome :D haha) HarleyQuinn 14 for alerting, Crazyforreading for alerting, and reviewing (you're one of the few people who tell me im good at writing, thank you :D )

Yes! It's getting longer :D Anyway, this chapter is shorter than my normal. Once again, I really am so sorry. This chapter isn't my best, I am super sorry! Please continue to read it! You make my day, all of you. And hopefully this new chapter will make yours :D Please Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Another Cinderella Story or Camp Rock

Chapter 17: End of Night

-

Marys POV

"Jason?" I asked incredulously as I rounded the corner and almost ran into him. You would think that since it was so late at night, they would have turned on the street lamps. But only a few were flickering every few feet and I had to squint to see where I was going.

"Mary?" Jason asked me, then heaved a sigh of relief and pulled me into hug. "I was just about to go find you. Tami was freaking out when you didn't come ten minutes ago. She thought Dominique had abducted you." I laughed.

"In those crazy heels? She couldn't catch me even if she tried. Anyway, I'm sorry, I was… I had some difficulty getting here." I smiled sheepishly at him. "She's just parked five minutes or so down the block, right?"

Jason nodded. "Do you want me to follow you?" I shook my head and jerked it in the direction of his house. "Shane and Nate are going to need all the backup they can get. Even the military would be scared at the hands of Dominique."

Jason laughed. "Alright. See you tomorrow okay? Be careful!" He waved, turned and hurried off into the night.

I sighed and leaned myself against a nearby pole. Five more minutes. I looked down at my right foot and tried to move it up and down. I could feel a sharp pain shoot up my leg and I instinctively winced. With my foot like this, it would be another ten more minutes to get to Tami.

I groaned and wiped sweat from my forehead. Tonight was going to be a long night. A very, very, long night.

--

"Mary! I thought I would have to call in the Marines! Or the navy! Or… whatever," Tami complained when I had finally climbed into her truck. I smiled weakly at her, wiping away the cold sweat on my forehead. "Mary?" Tami asked me, her eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"Are you okay? You look… pale." I shook my head and smiled. "I'm fine," I managed to croak out. She bit her lip and shook her head stubbornly. "I've known you far too long." Why was it that Mitchie and Tami always played that card? I sighed.

"I know I know. You know something else is going on, apparently you always do." I teased. She smiled and revved the engine. The Great Pumpkin wheezed to life as we started to rattle down the street.

"Then you should know by now not to lie to me—or Mitchie." I shrugged. "It doesn't hurt to try."

Tami groaned in frustration. "Just tell me what happened." She paused to glance at my feet. "And why is your right foot shoeless?" I could feel my cheeks burn as I blushed. "I twisted it… I think. I'm not sure, but it hurts."

"You did what?" Tami screeched.

"Watch out—Tami pay attention!" I screamed as Tami nearly hit a car. She swerved to the left and shot an apologetic look at the driver when he honked. "Why are you so careless Mary? Didn't Mitchie and I already drill you to take care of yourself? As much as we would like to, we can't always be there to help you Mary! We're trying but we can't be there 24/7!"

I squirmed in my seat and twisted myself to the side to glare at her as she drove. Tami bit her lip determinedly and kept her eyes on the road. "I told you many times, I don't need your help! I feel bad enough as it is troubling you for rides!" I protested.

I had argued with Mitchie and Tami about this endless times. But it was too difficult to convince them— whenever we argued it was always two against one.

"We're your best friends Mary! It's only right we do what we can for each other. You would do the same for us." Her tone had gone accusing. I sunk back into my seat, admitting defeat. They were right; I would do the same for them too. Besides, I was too exhausted—physically and mentally—that I didn't really have the heart for an argument.

I tried to move my right ankle again, but this time the pain was almost unbearable. It left my leg tingling with pain. "Seriously, what happened to your foot?" Tami asked again, leaning over to examine it as she stopped at a red light.

"Oh brilliant, Mary. Just brilliant. It's swollen! What did you do? Talk to Nate by doing flips in the air?" She asked as she sat back up. I groaned. "That wasn't the least bit funny Tami."

She laughed and turned back to the wheel as the light turned green. "You're not doing a very good job of telling me what happened, so I guess I can't exactly guess what did go down. I'm randomly saying what comes to mind."

I rolled my eyes in the dark. It was so hard to stay angry at Tami. She had this way about her. It was her charm. She was nice, and upbeat. I didn't think anyone could stay angry at her for more than five minutes. They would have forgotten they had even argued. Mitchie was the slightly quieter one, but she was still pretty loud. In a good sense. She used to be shy, but ever since she came back from Camp Rock, she was so much more comfortable with herself. I liked it that way. She was happy. She always had a knack of making people happy too. She was just contagious. Maybe that was why Shane had fallen for her. And as for me? I was the quietest in the group. And apparently, the most clumsy.

"I… I kind of… fell off a tree."

Tami scrunched her nose. "You've done weird things before, but you fell off a tree? I'm not going to ask what you were doing on a tree in the first place, but… wait what am I saying? Did I just say that?"

I cocked my head to the side as I listened to Tami talk to herself. "You really need to stop doing that Tami." I laughed.

"Not funny Mary." She frowned. "What were you doing in a tree?"

I looked at my hands that were resting in my lap. "I was trying to get out of Nate's room. There was no other way… so I was hanging onto the tree branch and Bianca came in… and I fell. When I landed, I landed in an awkward position. I tend to do that, I know Tami, don't even say it. I think I heard a crack. Or something, and the next thing I knew I was lying in the grass, my foot throbbing."

"And Nate didn't help you?" Tami asked incredulously. "Because if he didn't he better not come to school tomorrow."

"He did! Well, he would have. Nate was… preoccupied .He couldn't help it."

"Preoccupied? He was too busy to help out his—I'm just guessing—girlfriend? Too busy to help someone who just fell off a tree?" She scoffed. "Some guy."

"Tami!" I warned. It seemed like I was warning a lot of people these days. "I'm okay, aren't I? He didn't have a choice. Don't blame Nate. I was the one stupid enough to let go of the branch in the first place."

I could tell I was getting angry. And I knew I wasn't getting angry—or frustrated—at Tami. I didn't even know who I was angry at. Was it Nate? I didn't think it was. Sure, I had felt a tinge of anger when I saw him kiss Bianca. But he had done it for me. If he hadn't, I might have been seen by Bianca, and who knows what would have happened then?

Then what was this feeling? It couldn't be jealousy… could it? I was pretty sure I wasn't jealous, I knew enough to know that Nate would never fall for Bianca. For the second time in the past minute, I had to remind myself that Nate had kissed Bianca for me.

He had kissed some other girl to help me.

But I wasn't jealous. I had seen him kiss other girls. I had been hurt, never jealous. It was that connection between us. That strange feeling that drew us to each other. I just knew that Nate didn't really kiss them. If it made any sense. He put his lips on their lips, yes. But he wasn't into it.

And to me, that was what made the difference between a kiss and just planting your lips on someone else's mouth. And Nate hadn't kissed any girls yet… in front of me anyway. He certainly didn't kiss Bianca.

So that meant that I was angry. And the only person that I should be angry with, was myself. I wasn't pretty enough. Smart enough, talented enough to be with Nate. I knew it the whole time. And couldn't I see? All the times that Nate and I had gotten remotely close to getting together, or just getting closer… something had happened.

I was fighting something that I couldn't fight.

I could feel tears dampen the corners of my eyes. I looked out the window in an attempt to hide my tears from Tami. When she finally pulled into the driveway of Domifreak's house, I jumped out and ran around the front of her car, towards the house.

"See you tomorrow Tami. Thanks for the ride," I called back to her. I didn't turn around. My tears were already flowing freely down my face.

I ran as fast as I could with my injured ankle. The driveway was empty; Domifreak was still at Nate's house. I limped through the garden, whipped my bedroom door open and slammed it behind me. I stood at the doorframe for a moment, breathing heavily, sniffling and crying.

"I'm not good enough for him, am I?" I asked the air in front of me, rubbing away at my tears furiously.

The silence that engulfed me was almost like a deafening confirmation to my question.

I launched myself on my bed and cried.

-

Tami's POV

"Mitchie I need some place to go." I screamed into the phone just as I pulled away from the driveway. I shot one final glance at Mary as she hobbled as fast as she could to her bed. She didn't even turn to face me to wish me a good night. That's what we always did. What was bugging her?

"I'm kind of busy now, Tami." Mitchie said again. I could hear the loud voices of Bianca and Breah chattering in the back ground. "What are you so busy with that could be more important than this?" I asked angrily.

"It's kind of complicated—shove off!" The noises on the other end were slightly muffled and I held the phone an arm's length away from me. "Tami? Sorry that was the twins—they can't leave me alone."

"He kissed me, he kissed me," I could hear someone singing horribly off tune in the background. Who kissed who? I turned my attention to the road and realized I was driving in circles.

"Mitchie, I'm driving pass the same place over and over again. I need somewhere to stay tonight. I'll sneak back to my house early in the morning to get… no actually I should get my stuff now…"

I sighed as I drove out of the neighborhood, heading towards the direction of home. "Is my dad still there?"

"Ugh yes. I wish I had left with you and Mary. I'm stuck here watching Shane converse with the twins. If I thought life was ugly…" I could imagine her shuddering with disgust. "Just talking to them is enough to kill… poor Shane."

I rolled my eyes and turned into my own neighborhood. I drove down the road and rattled up to my driveway, quickly hopping out and rushing to the door.

"Shane's famous, he deals with all kinds of people. He'll be fine. I'm not so sure about myself. Mitchie, I still need a place to stay." I fumbled with the keys and finally managed to stumble into the house, shutting it behind me and turning on the lights.

My mom was overseas in China doing business. Since my dad and I didn't spend too much time in the house, and my younger brother was at camp, the air inside was stuffy and congested. I shook my head and walked over to the window and opened it, sighing as a cold breeze brushed my face.

"Fine, stay with me, my mom won't mind. She's cool that way." Mitchie said into the phone. I laughed. "Yeah, sure. Call her in advance, I'll head over there after I'm done packing. Your room? Or guest?"

"Mine. Wait—I'll call my mom."

There was a beeping on the line as Mitchie put me hold. I put her on speaker, then slipped the phone into my pocket.

Quickly, I hurried into my own bedroom. I had a luggage bag underneath my bed and I pulled it out, setting it on my bed and throwing a few sets of clothes in. I knew I would only stay out one night, or maybe two.

This was like having my final stand. I knew my dad. And I wanted to show him I was serious about Jason. And I knew that no matter how much I tried to convince him, my dad still wouldn't understand. I had just met Jason today! This was nothing but infatuation, that's exactly what he would say. But it wasn't. I could feel it. Irrational logic, but it was so true.

"Tami?" Mitchie's muffled voice came from my pocket and I brought it up to my ear. "Tell me she said yes," I asked hopefully, stopping my frenzy of packing to cross my fingers. "Yeah she did," Mitchie laughed. "You are so awesome, I owe you," I said into the phone before returning to my packing. There was a silence on the other line for some time. Then Mitchie talked.

"Don't you think this is pushing things a bit too far? Your dad wasn't that harsh at all when he saw you tonight. You're overeacting." Mitchie coaxed. I had my head cocked to one side to nestle my phone between my shoulder and cheek.

"That's because his client was there. If Domifreak hadn't been there, he would have screamed and shouted." I choked out the words as I threw in my makeup and hair accessories. I knew that amongst all three of us, my dad was the most uptight parent.

Mitchie's parents were cool and relaxed, they loved her so much, but they knew when to let go. Mary… well Mary didn't have any parents anymore, but when they were around, they were so… no word could describe them. They were just different, but in a good way. And for my parents? They loved me too, and they wanted me to chase my dream… and theirs. I couldn't do both, but they wouldn't listen, they insisted that I could chase both dreams. Maybe this was my chance to tell them to let me be. To let me grow up.

"I still think you're taking things a tad too far…" Mitchie said uncertainly into the phone. "And you're roping me in too."

I threw in the rest of my necessities and slammed the trunk shut. "Look, friends help one another. And you know I've been looking for a chance to… I don't know. Make a stand? Make a statement? I just want to tell them that I know what I'm doing. Besides, it's only for a night or two. He knows I won't stay away for long. He knows me."

I could hear Mitchie sigh into the phone. She was trying to act exasperated, but I could tell she was grinning. After all, she had been the one who had always pestered me to do something about my situation. And now I was.

I dragged my trunk off the bed, grabbed my school supplies that were in my bag, and hurried to the front door, pulling it open and shutting it behind me. I fumbled with the keys for a while before running to my car. "Thanks a lot Mitch. Oh wait—" I turned back to the door, grabbed some spare paper—I always leave some in my pocket—and a pen—also in my pocket—and scribbled down a note to my dad.

Much as he annoyed me, I still loved him.

Dad. I'm sorry I did what I did. I'm not coming home tonight, (I'll be at Mitchie's--- you probably know that, I've staked out so many times there). I just want you to know that your trust means the world to me. And I want you to trust me, and trust what I have with Jason. He's a sweet guy, and he's special. Give him a chance. I'll be back soon, when you've learnt to give me my freedom.

Sorry, Tami.

I stuffed it into the corner of the door. "Wait—you told him where you were staking out at? Oh priceless Tami, priceless. You're not supposed to tell him where you're going! You're supposed to make him wait, anxious and shaking in his socks!" Mitchie cried into the phone.

I laughed and climbed into the car after I had swung my luggage next to me. "Look, I'm trying to make a point. It's not like I'm running away."

"You might as well tell him your coming to my house for a sleepover." Mitchie mumbled into the phone. I laughed as I drove away. "That's practically what I did. Anyway, are those twins shutting up soon?"

The whole time that we had talked, I had heard their annoying voices shrieking on the other line. One particularly annoying voice kept on singing 'he kissed me'. It sounded like Bianca.

"Tell Bianca to keep quiet. She's making me go deaf." I complained. I was reaching Mitchie's house soon. The good thing was all three of us lived in neighborhoods that were on the same road, practically opposite each other. Our neighborhoods, if you joined lines between them on a map, formed a kind of triangle. It was pretty cool.

"I'm too fuming mad to talk to her." Mitchie spat into the phone. "What? What happened? Why does she keep on singing 'he kissed me'?" I asked curiously. It amazed me that someone would even kiss her. It would take an idiot to want to kiss her. Actually, an idiot would be too smart to even want to.

"Who kissed her, Mitchie?" I asked again when Mitchie didn't reply. I was turning into her neighborhood now.

"Tami…" She started. I could hear her voice dripping with anger. "Yeah?"

"Tami, Nate kissed her."

Was it short? I wrote more of the story after my a/n above, so it's longer now. I hope this lives up to expectations. Oh yes, and I really do appreciate all the feedback from the previous chapter. I know it wasn't my best (I got this horrible PM from someone saying that I couldn't write for nuts… it made me really sad D: ) but please continue to review! Your feedback makes me smile, and encourages me to write.

And once again, I am ultra sorry for the delays in updating. I'll try—try to update by quarter feb okay? I am so sorry! Please do not get tired of this story!

And review! It means the world to me! Thank you :D

Love
CauseImFearless