Essential Circuitry
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.
Characters: Shane, Nate and Jason
Words: 2, 301
Author's Notes: here's the next chapter. I actually really like it, which is rare as I usually do not like what I write. But I'm happy with this chapter and so hope you enjoy it too!
()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()
"I think we should perform in the Camp Fire Jam together."
Needless to say, Nate paled a good shade or two at Shane's words, completely petrified. While it was true that he loved to sing and play instruments, he wasn't too thrilled about performing in front of an audience – at least not until he was good enough to please them.
"That sounds awesome!" Jason agreed, interrupting Nate's thoughts. "The three of us together would sound amazing."
"Nate?" Shane called, flipping his hair out of his eyes.
"I…" His eyes dropped. "I don't really know Shane. I'm not good enough."
"Oh come on!" Jason protested, voice firm. "Nate, I've heard you in class when you think no one else is listening. You sound better than I ever will!"
"I do not," Nate argued quietly, bowing his head and shaking it slightly. "I just don't think I'm good enough. You two should perform though. You'd be great," he finished, offering them a smile.
Shane shook his head. "Not good enough. You're good Nate, trust me."
"You know you can trust him," Jason nodded.
Nate gave him a questioning look. "Why?"
"Because he knows the difference between a crow and a raven."
"…What has that got to do with anything?"
"It has everything to do with it!" Jason exclaimed. "A guy who knows his birds is as trustworthy as they come."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Nate asked incredulously, daring to make his first joke.
"Guys!" Shane interjected just as Jason went to retort.
Jason and Nate stared at each other for a moment before Jason started laughing and Nate ducked his head, giggling quietly under his breath. Shane watched the interaction with a hint of a sour frown on his face. He was the one that had invited Nate to be their friend and he should be the one Nate was more comfortable around. Call him petty but he was just slightly jealous right now.
"So, you performing with us?"
Unfortunately, that anger crossed over into his speech and had Nate scurrying back into his shell, his mask of a fierce attitude returning full force. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Shane and the fifteen-year-old was quick to make amends, holding up his hands to show he meant no harm.
"Sorry," he whispered, tugging on his sleeve absently. "I just…I really want to do this Nate. And I want you to do it with us too."
"Come on Nate," Jason begged, eyes staring at his new friend pleadingly.
'Don't you dare say yes because of Jason,' Shane growled, though he instantly berated himself for having such a thought.
Nate glanced between them for a long moment before sighing heavily. "Okay," he said, giving a helpless shrug. "But only because you want to so much Shane."
Was it disgusting that Shane felt a sliver of pride and smugness shoot through him when Nate only said his name? He thought that maybe it was and so didn't dwell on that point.
"So…" Jason stated, clapping his hands together excitedly. "What are we gonna play?"
All eyes turned to Shane and a smile spread across his face. "I have just the song."
()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()
The next three days were filled with nothing but rehearsals in every minute of free time they had. Between classes Jason and Nate would whip out Shane's acoustic and practice, one playing, the other providing correction where needed. Shane would sing along, working on perfecting his pitch and tone. Meal times were the only times they weren't practising, and they immersed themselves in food. Shane had entertained the campers one night by bounding up onto their table and bursting into a spontaneous song that focused solely on how to make the perfect taco. The performance had been hilarious and not a single camper had had a straight face by the time he had finished.
After dinner was usually free time and that was when they would really rehearse. They'd hole up in their cabin, plug in their amps and electric guitars and then launch into a practice session, many of which went for hours. Nate was, by nature, a perfectionist and would continue to practice, albeit quietly, long after Shane and Jason turned in for the night. Two out of three times Nate had fallen asleep on the cabin floor and Shane had woken hours later to find him still sitting there, getting up to put his younger cabin mate to bed.
By the Thursday night though, they were ready. As it was, they were gathered side of stage. Jason was jumping up and down with excitement, grinning like a lunatic. Shane was returning the grin, his eyes sparkling in the reflection of the spotlights. Nate was pressed tightly to Shane's side, shivering in nervousness but ready to follow Shane at a simple command. Seeing his friend's trembles, Shane gave him a friendly shake. He frowned when he realised the action again had Nate staring up at him with suspicion and confusion and he noted to himself that this was something he would have to bring up at a later date. He and Nate had become quite close over the past few days, Nate all but becoming his shadow, and Shane wanted to make sure his new friend was fine.
"Guys!" Jason hissed urgently, snagging their attention. "Dee just called our names. Come on, it's our turn!"
Shane nodded and burst into action, giving Nate a short, sharp tug in the right direction before letting go and bounding up onto the stage. Nate followed, wiping his face clean and adopting a confident air, pulling up in front of one of the mics and adjusting his guitar slightly. Jason bounced over to his own mic and shot him a flash of a grin.
"Hey guys!" Shane called, the campers cheering enthusiastically back at him, anxious to see the follow-up act to Shane's amazing opening night performance. "Jason and Nate are helping me out tonight, so why don't you give them both a hand?" There was more cheering and Shane's teeth gleamed as he smiled broadly. "Kick it!"
Screams came from the audience and Jason started strumming his guitar, Shane immediately moving to the beat, clapping his hands high above his head. Seeing Jason's nod coincide with his mental calculations, Nate jumped in with his own guitar riff, shuddering at the feel of his pick colliding with the strings. Something about this was euphoric. Shane saw the smile that was starting to form on his face and returned it ten-fold before leaping forward, mic held firmly in his hand.
"I have to wonder if this wave's too big to ride
Commit or not commit in such a crazy tide
It's sooner than I thought but you called me out
I've lost control and there's no doubt
I'm gonna start all over
Out of the fire and into the fire again
You make me want to forget
And start all over
Here it comes straight out of my mind or worse
Another chance to get burned
And start all over
I'm gonna start all over"
Finishing the chorus, Shane looped an around Jason's shoulder, the guitarist having since wandered over.
"Fantastic and romantic all a big surprise
You've got the warning hesitation pushed aside"
Shane was then disentangling himself and jogging over to where Nate was, coming up beside the guitarist and dancing alongside him.
"It's sooner than I want but you caught my heart
I guess I'm ready now to start
I'm gonna start all over
Out of the fire and into the fire again
You make me want to forget
And start all over
Here it comes straight out of my mind or worse
Another chance to get burned
And start all over
I'm gonna start all over"
There was the slightest of hesitations but then Nate pulled himself together enough to do his part.
"It's so easy
You disrupt me
Can't complain
It's so easy
You disrupt me
Can't complain"
By the third time the confidence in his voice was impossible to miss and girls were screaming at him, ahh-ing over his voice.
"It's so easy
Oh, you disrupt me
Can't complain
It's so easy
I'm gonna start all over!"
"Out of the fire and into the fire again"
Shane's powerful voice boomed back in and the screaming only intensified, both in volume and in pitch. It was obvious who the main attraction was.
"You make me want to forget
And start all over
Here it comes straight out of my mind or worse
Another chance to get burned
And start all over
I'm gonna start all over"
With one last definitive strum, the boys ended their song. A standing ovation met them and Shane didn't think he could grin any wider if he tried. Reaching out both hands, he grabbed Jason and Nate's, tugging them over and then into a traditional bow. Jason beamed at him and Nate sent him a bashful smile, both boys bowing in sync with him. They then dashed off stage, adrenalin coursing through their veins uncontrollably.
"That was incredible!" Jason screamed, jumping ecstatically.
"It was so good," Shane agreed, cheeks starting to hurt from the amount of smiling he was doing. "You liked it Nate?"
Nate blushed, giving a soft nod. "It was fun. You guys were great."
"Not to mention you were too," Jason added, pulling the younger teen into a hug and squashing him.
Nate broke away as quickly as he could, screwing his nose up distastefully before hovering over to Shane's side and the relative safety that brought. Shane sent him an understanding smile and Nate just rolled his eyes, shaking his head at Jason's antics.
"So now what?" Jason asked, rocking back and forth on his heels.
"Watch everyone else," Shane answered immediately. "There's still two or three acts to go."
"I'm gonna put my guitar back first," Nate said quietly, waving the others on when they turned to frown at him. "I don't wanna leave it back here and I don't really wanna take it with me."
"It won't get stolen," Shane told him, back-tracking when Nate raised his eyebrows. "Nate, people can get away with stealing phones. It's a little harder to steal a guitar. They can't exactly stuff it down their shirt."
Nate knew it was true but he was still uneasy. "I'll be like five minutes," he promised, waiting for Shane to give a grudging nod before taking off into the darkness.
Slipping down the path he'd since memorised, Nate jogged up the stairs to their cabin and hastily put his guitar back in its case. Snapping the clips shut, he walked back to the door, closing it behind him. Feet hitting the soft earth again, Nate broke into a jog only to be yanked back, landing on his back with a painful thud, head banging against the ground.
Whatever protest had been on his lips promptly vanished when he saw Kyle and Dylan standing over him. Swallowing nervously, Nate pushed himself back to his feet carefully, wincing as his head started throbbing. He had managed to avoid the two bullies lately, simply because Shane and Jason had never left him alone.
"How are you Nate?" Kyle asked. "We haven't seen you in so long."
"I've been around," Nate answered cautiously, trying to subtly shift far enough away that he could run to safety.
"I don't think so!" Dylan snapped, grabbing Nate and hauling him closer, noticing what he was up to. "You think you're so clever now that you've got some people who feel sorry for you?"
"They don't feel sorry for me," Nate countered, trying to wrench himself free but failing. "They're actually my friends."
Both older boys scoffed. "They're your friends," Kyle mocked. "Doubt that. If they were real friends, they wouldn't have let you out on stage tonight."
Nate paused, pointedly looking away so as not to make it look as though the words were affecting him.
"Oh," Dylan said, bending down to get a good look at his face. "So you already know? You already know how much like crap you sounded. I wouldn't have let you anywhere near that stage. You don't deserve to be up there. Not with that…that noise you think is talent. My cat can yowl better than you can sing."
Nate tried to brush their words off, but the task was excruciatingly hard, especially seeing as how he already felt the same way himself. "Yeah, well, I-"
"And besides," Kyle cut in, nudging his shoulder roughly. "That Shane Gray kid isn't your friend. I heard him talking to Brown. The only reason you're in his cabin is because you're so little and Brown thinks you need someone to look after you, to make sure you can cope." Nate stiffened, wide eyes turning to Kyle. "Shane was ordered to be your friend, baby Nate. It's his job." Kyle laughed at his expression. "Don't look so surprised brat. Did you really think they'd want you as a friend?"
"God, you're more naïve than I thought," Dylan crowed, playing along. He reached out and grabbed Nate from Kyle, shoving him hard enough to make him topple over. "No one wants you here Nate," he spat, a foot connecting with Nate's side painfully. "Now, get outta here."
"Now!" Kyle roared upon seeing his hesitation.
Kyle's voice was enough to have Nate up and moving. He scampered back to his feet and made for his cabin, hurling himself inside and slamming the door shut. Shuffling over to his bed, Nate stared at it dejectedly before shifting to lean against the wall. As tears started to roll down his cheeks, he let himself slide down the wood, hugging his knees when he was seated on the ground.
Shane. He wanted Shane right about now.
()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()
A/N: can Nate get some sympathy hugs? I feel bad for putting him through this. So anyway, let me know what you thought, what you liked, what you didn't like and what you might like to happen next chapter. I won't guarantee that it will happen, but it might inspire me. :) Comments are love!
DG777