Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock, Shane Gray, or Mitchie Torres (unfortunately) but I do own Kyle (also much to my dismay) and I now own Alan Gray as well
A/N: Oh my god guys! I am soo sorry that I haven't update in so long I got sidetracked with camps and vacation but I am back and trying to get writing! I am really excited for the next few upcoming chapters and there is a lot of intense stuff coming…and some of it may surprise you. This chapter has a lot of dialogue, but it is important to the relationship of the characters…and it gets interesting at the end. Thank you to all of my awesome reviewers! I can tell you guys really like this – or I think you do… so keep giving feedback ENJOY!
Chapter Six: Surprise, Surprise
Mitchie's POV
It's been a week since Shane's party, since I broke up with Kyle…I don't miss him per se, but my life feels empty. Shane has tried to fill the void by taking me shopping, renting movies, even buying me a gallon of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Therapy because he knows it's my favorite…it just doesn't help.
I was drifting into a much deeper state of depression and I tried as hard as I could to not let Shane figure it out…apparently it worked because he seemed to just think I was sad and upset about the Kyle thing and scared about the baby thing…which I still don't know if it's true. But nothing happened between Shane and I. I wasn't ready for a relationship right now, neither of us knew if the other had been serious that night or if it was just a drunken mistake…and the timing was just all wrong.
I had taken advantage of some of the time Shane and I spent together. When he took me shopping, it gave me the opportunity to change my wardrobe which I had desperately wanted to do. ( I wanted black clothes…black, black, and more black. I bought black dresses, black super-skinny jeans, black band tees for the emo bands I had gotten into recently – Shane didn't really care about my "evolving taste" because he thought it was just a phase or something – I got wristbands, studded belts, a pair of combat boots, converse, the whole shebang.)
Shane also took me to do lots of other things, basically anything I wanted to do. One day we went to Walmart and I got 5 bottles of black nail polish, then we went to the hair salon and I got layers cut in my hair and dyed it black. Again, Shane had no problem with the changes, he loved me no matter what and he figured this was my way of coping with everything. (Really it was my way of embracing the downward spiral that was fast approaching…I was a different Mitchie now, and Shane was the only one who seemed to notice, though he was the one person who didn't mind.
The next two months went by in a blur. I went to school, slept through study hall, listened to my ipod during choir (I wasn't much into singing lately), I stared silently out the window as Shane drove me home…and he didn't try to talk to me because he had that ability to know when I didn't want to talk – which was all the time lately – and respect that wish. Shane and I stayed best friends, and though we knew we both had feelings for each other, it didn't become awkward which I was thankful for.
I was sitting in Chemistry wondering if I intentionally poured acid on my hand if the teacher would write me up…I decided not to test that theory, but what could I do when I was sooo incredibly bored? Anyway, I was sitting there when my stomach started hurting. I went to the teacher and asked to go to the bathroom. I went in the stall and stood there for a minute feeling clammy and like I was about to faint…then I felt my stomach start to heave, I leaned over the bowl and proceed to empty the contents of my stomach.
I rushed back to class, and collapsed in my seat…I felt a lot better once I had washed off my face and drank from the water fountain like a fish, but my stomach still hadn't settled completely. I refused to think the worst, so I summed it up to a stomach bug and told myself I would be perfectly fine by tomorrow morning.
The next day was Saturday. I woke up at noon feeling like absolute crap. I didn't want to get out of bed...I had no motivation, other than the sloshing feeling of my churning stomach which caused me to rush to the bathroom and throw up nothing but my own bodily fluids due to the fact that I hadn't eaten anything since the previous morning incase I was sick. I went back into my room and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted from the energy it takes to throw up…
Shane called me but I didn't have the energy or care to answer, but when he texted me two minutes later I decided I should look at it.
Hey Mitch…let's hang out. I'm gonna take you out to do something rather than sulk in your room all day…be there in fifteen!
I decided that there was a good chance he had already left the house and he sounded set on making me get out, so I got up and got dressed in a pair of skin-tight grey, acid-wash skinny-jeans and my Black Flag t-shirt I had acquired on one of our various shopping trips. I could barely get my jeans on and zipped, but I thought nothing much of it. I had moved on from my legs yesterday, and had made two cuts on each wrist. I covered my arms in bracelets which I doubted Shane would have a problem with…unlike my mother, that is if she were ever here. I combed through my choppy, black hair which I was still getting used to against my pale skin. And heard Shane's car pull up outside…I wasn't exactly eager to do much of anything so I decided to wait until he came in and came up to get me.
I laid down on my bed and put in one earphone…a few seconds later, I heard the door open (Shane has had a key for a long time now, since like 6th grade). I listened to his footsteps as he ascended the stairs, and as he approached my room…until I looked up and he was standing in the doorway with an obnoxious grin on his face.
"Ready to go?" he asked, expectantly.
"Go where? You know you still haven't told me where this lovely little outing is going to take us…for all I know you could be taking me into a back alley and having your way with me in the shadows…" I mocked with a blank expression.
"No, Mitchie…that's ridiculous. Why would I ever do that?"
"It was a joke, Shane..." blank expression again.
"Oh…I knew that. Well, you must be feeling better…sarcasm this early in the morning is a good sign from you." He was faking it, he could tell I wasn't okay and he knew that I could see that…but he just went on pretending like everything was ay oh kay.
"Well, let's get going. We don't wanna miss the bus to Happytown!" I cheered with mock excitement.
We spent fifteen minutes just riding around town in Shane's car…I wondered if he was trying to disorient me, or if he really had no idea of what he wanted to do.
"Okay, what's your deal?" I snapped…it sounded a much more harsh than I had intended.
"Haha…we're just going for a ride silly!" he laughed, seemingly un-phased by my hostility. "We'll reach our destination later."
"…and what exactly is this wonderful destination?" I was actually a little curious now.
"Umm…I can't tell you. It's a…uh…surprise!"
"Uh-huh…is that possibly because there is no destination? At least, not a particular one…" I could tell I was getting close because he sighed in defeat.
Finally, a few minutes later, we pulled into a parking lot.
"Barnes and Noble?...Shane, I practically live here. I thought you said we we're doing something different…this isn't too out of the ordinary" it was almost humorous.
"Sorry…I mean, we can leave if you want to…" he sounded like a puppy who just got kicked, I couldn't say no.
"No, I mean don't get me wrong I love this place…I once asked my mother if we could move in. I was just confused, that's all." It's true. I had, on multiple occasions, asked my mother if we could live at the store…and I have also referred to it as "heaven" numerous times. I spend almost every Sunday sitting in one of the big comfy chairs sipping Starbucks and reading the novel of the week…it was my happy place. "Sooo…why are we here exactly?"
"Well, I was going to surprise you but…Becca Fitzpatrick is here!"
"What? How? What the-…Shane, HOW?" I was beyond ecstatic! My favorite author (well, one of many) was here? At my favorite store?
"I read about it online and decided I would surprise you! I mean, you've been in such a funk lately and I decided something like this would cheer you up." He seemed genuinely proud of himself, and he should be. I was about to meet one of my favorite people! (well…of the ones that were living at least) This was too good to be true! So much so that, for a few minutes, I completely forgot about everything else going on in my life right now…maybe a little too much because when I pulled away and looked back up at Shane he was looking down at my arms in his hands, tears welling in his eyes.
"Mitchie…what is this?" he seemed so sad, like he knew he was right but tried to deny it. "Mitch, please tell me that these bracelets don't mean what I think they do…" he looked up at me, his eyes threatening to overflow in a cascade of hurt, anger, and sadness, and…fear….there was an intense, burning…crippling fear in his eyes.
"Shane…" I could feel the lump in my throat and I knew I too was on the verge of spilling over. "Shane, I'm so sorry…please just…just don't say anything."
"DON'T SAY ANYTHING? ARE YOU SERIOUS!...GOD, MITCHIE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS OVER, I THOUGHT YOU WERE DONE…WE TALKED ABOUT THIS!" he had a right to yell…he was angry, but the most prominent emotion in his eyes was a mixture of hurt, fear, and guilt. He felt guilty…for something he had no control over. I felt so horrible.
"Shane…I'm really sorry, I don't know what happened. I was just really upset that day and something took over me…but I'm fine now, I swear." I think I was trying harder to convince myself that him.
"Really?..."
"Yeah…really" I pulled out a weak smile to show him I was fine.
"Good…but you really should eat something. You seem to be getting skinnier all the time!"
"I think I may have a bug or something…I haven't been able to keep anything down" I purposely didn't mention the fact that I hadn't eaten anything in months except for every once and a while…and that was mostly just a banana or carrots.
"Oh…I'm sorry! Are you feeling okay? Do you wanna go home?"
"NO!" that was the last place I wanted to be right now…the empty house reminded me of how much my mother didn't give a fuck about whatever I did. "I mean…I really want to go in there…I feel fine now, it was just really early this morning. I should be totally fine, besides, I like spending time with you." We shared a smile…but it seemed to mean more than usual, like we were both thinking about the same thing. My mind had flashed immediately to that night at Shane's party.
(flashback)
I reached out and ran my hand through his hair, slowly. He started to lean into me, and I grabbed his head and pulled his face to mine. I kissed him…I kissed Shane and it felt amazing. Our mouths moved in a perfect rhythm with each other, almost as if they were made to fit together…a perfect pair.
(end flashback)
"Well…what are you waiting for? Let's get in there!" and with that I dragged him through the big double doors, and into one of very few places where I could feel at home.
Barnes and Noble was awesome! I got to meet an amazing author, and Shane even got me a signed copy of her book! He finally stopped worrying about me…and for that, I was extremely grateful. I was so genuinely happy that I agreed to spend the night at Shane's for the first time since last summer. It went really well, except for in the morning when I woke up and puked my guts out in Shane's bathroom…but I blamed it on a bug again and left shortly after breakfast (for me, a protein bar and water).
The rest of the week was uneventful…just the boring rhythm of class after class. My mom was home for most of the week so I had to act like nothing was wrong, and of course I couldn't cut myself while she was around. So for a week I had to keep everything bottled up inside with no release.
Today is Sunday. Tomorrow morning when I wake up, my mother will be long gone on yet another business trip…and this time, it was for five months. This was going to be fantastic…
A/N: I am super pumped for chapter 7….it is going to be THE most intense so far…but I wanted to know how you guys feel about Smitchie. It is definitely going to happen but I'm not sure when or how. I have another really big event planned for the next chapter but would you want it to happen right after or wait until they recover from another big blow?
Tell me what you think!
Xoxo N2vampires
