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, 107
Author's Notes: hey everyone! Welcome back to the last chapter. I know, it's snuck up fast hasn't it? So, we come, as we inevitably must, to Final Jam. Please keep in mind, that this is Connect 3 (the C3 as depicted in Camp Rock 1) not Jonas Brothers, so there might be a bit more of Shane than the others. Go Shane! :)
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"And, for the last time, yes Nate, it really is too late to back out."
Nate looked like he didn't know whether to scowl at Shane or go white as a sheet. In the end, he settled on merely looking away, folding his arms across his chest protectively. Shane's expression softened a tad and he gently wrapped an arm around the younger teen's shoulders.
"Really Nate," he whispered in his friend's ear confidently. "This is going to be fine. You'll see. You, me and Jason, we're gonna own it."
"Definitely!" Jason exclaimed, bounding over.
Sudden cheering drew their attention to their immediate left, where two girls were waving at the crowd before scurrying backstage, faces flushed with excitement. As Brown announced the next act, a crew of dancers eagerly dashing forward, Shane tightening his grip, feeling Nate tremble slightly.
"Nate, it'll be fine, I swear."
"I know," Nate whispered softly.
"Your mom's out there, isn't she?" Jason asked, Nate nodding cautiously, unsure of where this is going. "Well, this is your chance to show her how good you are."
Shane nodded in agreement. "You can go out there and make her so proud of her son."
Something odd in Shane's tone had Nate forcibly ejected from the shell he was hiding in and tilted his head up to stare at his new best friend.
"Shane?" he called timidly. "What about you?"
He got a bewildered look in return. "What about me?"
"It's just…" Nate toed the ground nervously. "I've got Mom and…and Jason's got his family. What…what about you?"
Shane's eyes dropped for a moment but then a smile spread over his face. "I have Uncle Brown," he beamed. "He's been teaching me for as long as I can remember. This is my chance to show him that all that effort wasn't for no reason."
Nate studied him a little longer before nodding, accepting his words as truth. Glancing over Nate's shoulder and seeing the dancers entering the final stages of their routine, Shane held out his hand, Jason immediately catching on and placing his on top. Nate gave only the slightest of hesitations before doing the same.
"We rock, on three, okay?"
Receiving matching nods, Shane started his count down.
"One."
"Two."
"Three."
"WE ROCK!"
The trio threw their hands into the air, laughing moments later, unable to believe they had just done something so corny. Their laughter was abruptly cut short by Brown calling their names. Nate literally froze but Shane grabbed his upper arm and tugged him forward two steps, Nate finding his feet after that. They ran out onto the stage, near deafening cheering being the reception sent their way. As Jason pulled up at one side mic, Nate sidling up to the other, Shane took his from Brown and moved to his beloved position of centre stage.
"It's great to be back!" he called enthusiastically, grinning wildly at the shouts sent back his way. "Nate, Jason and I have been working on this number for a little while now. We really think it's gonna blow you away, so buckle up! You're in for one hell of a ride," he ended dramatically, screams meeting his ears in response.
He nodded once to Jason before starting, the guitarist following a beat behind.
"Tonight, we lie awake
Remember how the coffee made us shake on those long drives?
One more long night"
Nate's guitar then came bursting in, adding an extra level of depth and volume to the song.
"Another seven days
Heartbeat racing
The interstate, my home tonight
For one more long night
I'm sure as hell the happiest I've ever been"
Seeing both Nate and Jason step up to their microphones, Jason whirling in a circle first, squeals came from many girls, ecstatic at getting to see the three of them harmonise.
"We can't hide, we let go
We've got more than we know
My friends are a different breed
My friends are"
Giving Nate a friendly shoulder bump, Shane skidded back to the centre spotlight, flipping his hair out of his eyes.
"There's a ghost in this room
I think I'll name it after all of you"
Various forms of "yeah!" and "that's right!" came back at him at that.
"And watch it hang over my bed like decorations celebrated
Memories, they came and went in light of all the time we spent
Listening to everything our parents told us not to take in"
"Now make a change
I'm counting down
The mile marks to every town
And falling more in love
With the distance put between us"
Jumping back two steps, Shane had to quickly dodge as Jason flew passed, the guitarist then pulling up and coming to lean against him, flashing him a pearly smile. Shane returned it eagerly, launching into the chorus with only Nate to back him up, Jason's eyes widening slightly as he realised he was supposed to be singing as well.
"We can't hide, we let go
We've got more than we know
My friends are a different breed
My friends are everything"
Jason made it back to his mic in time to yell out 'everything', making several people laugh, something that only made his grin widen. Shane tried to hide a chuckle, sneaking a glance at Nate and finding his friend to be tentatively smiling back, still nervous but enjoying this so much he couldn't seem to care.
"Make this last, take it slow
We've got it all figured out for now
So let us live our lives without a doubt"
"Tonight we lie awake"
A higher pitch of squeals erupted when Nate perfectly slid into his solo part, his immaculate voice echoing through the hall.
"Remember how the coffee made us shake on those long drives?
One more long night
Another seven days
Heartbeat racing
The interstate, my home tonight
For one more long night"
"From coast to coast, I'll make the most"
As Shane and Jason's voices joined in for the last time, there was no stopping the euphoric feeling that swamped them, near possessed them. In that moment, they were unstoppable and they were the music. They were the heart and soul of the beat, owning it and claiming it – and rightfully so.
"Of every second I've been giving with this crowd
Without a doubt, you're all I dream about
At night we lie awake
With stories taking us back to the nights we felt alive
The nights we felt alive"
Nate and Jason stopped strumming, their attention going straight to Shane who was standing right in the middle of the stage. With no music to back him up, nothing but his own voice and melody to fill the space, Shane drew their performance, their masterpiece, to a close.
"The nights…we felt alive."
There was no need for the audience to pause and review the performance; they were already on their feet, yelling and screaming themselves hoarse. Looping his arms around his band mates' shoulders, Shane sent them breathless grins, adrenalin leaving him without enough air to breathe. Jason and Nate had the exact same expressions on their faces, sweat sliding down their faces, making their skin shine. Giving one last wave, they vanished from the stage.
"We were amazing!" Shane shouted once they were clear.
"I know!" Jason agreed, jumping up and down.
Nate's eyes shone, one hand clutching his guitar tightly, almost as though he couldn't believe this was actually real and the guitar was the one thing grounding him to the present.
"I can't believe we just did that!" Shane continued, voice losing none of its exuberance. "We just…we just totally rocked! Everything was perfect. Nate, you were incredible dude!"
"Yeah, no kidding," Jason said, hugging him tightly. "You're great."
Nate blushed profusely, backing away from the ensnaring arms. "You guys were too. Without either of you, we couldn't have done this."
Shane nodded instantly. "That's why we make such a great team. We should-"
"Hey!" Another camper hissing at them caught their attention. "Be quiet," the same camper went on. "They're about to announce the winners."
They exchanged bright looks, shuffling as close to the side of the stage as they could without actually stepping onto it.
"Our winners," the director of the prospective label company was saying. "Are Shane Gray, Jas-"
The rest, they didn't hear. The moment Shane's name had been said, they knew they had won. After a moment of pure shock, Shane had tore out onto stage, dragging Nate with him, Jason happily bouncing along after him. The hall burst into an applause of collective agreement, knowing that there deserved to be no other winners. Glancing out across the crowd, seeing everyone smiling back at him and screaming for him, Shane knew that this was where they belonged. This – the stage – was home.
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"Mom, Dad, I won, did you see?" Jason screamed, running over to his parents and barreling into them.
"We saw, we saw," his mother chuckled, hugging her son tightly. "And we're so proud of you baby. You were so good up there."
The conversation between the eight members of the Matthews family became background noise as Shane watched Nate approach his mother. Courtney was smiling at her son and Nate was smiling back, but Shane could almost see a renewed tension in his friend, an indecision of sorts.
"Hey Mom," Nate murmured, meeting his mother's gaze, offering her a shy smile.
"Hello to you too mister," Courtney laughed, kissing his hair gently. "You were-"
Courtney stopped herself when she saw her son's face contort into a frown. Wondering what the look was for, she had no time to ask because aforementioned boy had all but thrown himself into her arms, latching on tightly. From where Shane was watching, he felt a sad smile tug at his lips.
"Nate…" Courtney said slowly, only to be cut off again by her son shaking his head.
"This is okay," Nate whispered brokenly, only tightening his hold. "Shane said this is okay. This is what family does. And you're my family Mom. I love you."
In that moment, Shane didn't think it would be possible for him to be more proud of anyone than he was of Nate.
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With Final Jam well and truly over, the after jam supper also being devoured entirely, everyone was back in their cabins. It was the last night of camp and everyone spent hours talking with their new friends, they would maybe see next year, or perhaps never see again. Perhaps they would keep in touch, perhaps they wouldn't. Whatever the situation, it was emotional for everyone.
No matter how emotional and how much they wanted it to never end, everyone eventually turned into their beds, knowing that they needed sleep because the return trips home would be extremely boring and tiring. One by one, lights in cabins were switched off, good nights were said, and blankets were tugged securely up. Silence filled cabin after cabin, until only one was left.
To say that it was Cabin Coda would be almost unnecessary. Already its occupants had gotten in trouble. After the supper they had raced down to the lake and started a water fight. Brown had quickly put an end to that, firmly telling them that even if it was the last night of camp, camp rules still applied; which here means: "no swimming after lights out!" The three teens had grudgingly complied and trudged back to their cabin where they had changed out of their sopping clothes and into comfortable sweats.
From there, a different sort of party had ensued. Shane, with his impeccable knowledge of the camp grounds, had managed to sneak into the kitchen because he knew that one of the windows was broken in such a way that meant it couldn't be locked. After raiding the pantry, he had returned with various snacks and they had eaten them with wild abandon. Once they'd eaten all they could and more, the guitars had come out and the singing had started.
At around 4:55 A.M. a very disgruntled Brown had stumbled into their cabin.
"Look," he said, making them all cease. "I know you won Final Jam, and I know you're all very excited by that fact but please, please, just…Just sock it and get to bed already!"
Sensing the wrath that would be hurled their way if they disobeyed, Shane, Jason and Nate all but abandoned their guitars and hurled themselves into their beds. Satisfied on a job well done, Brown closed the cabin door and dusted his hands off on his pants. Now maybe, finally, he would be able to get some sleep.
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A/N: so there you have it! The near end. Yes, there will be an epilogue and I hope to have that up soon. I wanna give a special shout-out to SilvereyedAngel who gave me the song idea. Seriously, best song suggestion ever! Thanks so much! Please leave a review on your way out to show you care and also to let me know what you thought! You guys are the best and your reviews make my day. :)
DG777