Disclaimer: I so own Camp Rock. Totally. It's crazy, the things I dream at night...

Okay, so y'all better thank OneDayAtATime028 A LOT because I was stuck and had no idea what to do with this, and she helped me think of an idea for this chapter.

Back to Mitchie's POV...

By the time I'd found an open piano in a place I could play in private, the third hour of classes was already half-over. I'd spent all of breakfast, first hour, and the better part of second hour writing a new song, this time inspired by my daughters. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect before I presented it to them. However, as much as I'd searched, the only place I could find an open piano was in the mess hall. As far as I could see, the place was empty, so I sat on the bench and began to play.

I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances if they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake, but it's worth making

Don't let some hell bent heart leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out, reconsider
Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance

"See, this is why I don't understand why you never came here. You would fit right in." The voice startled me, making me jump, which, in turn, made me hit the wrong keys and stop playing.

"Caitlyn!" I said, jumping up. (AN: You thought it was gonna be Shane, didn't you?) She was leaning against the far wall, her arms crossed against her chest. "I didn't see you there."

"That's because I'm a ninja, and you're extremely unobservant," she replied sarcastically, grinning at me. She pushed off the wall, walked over, and sat next to me on the bench.

"Don't you have a class to teach or something?" I smiled back at her.

"It's my day off. But seriously."

"What?"

"Why didn't you go here as a camper? You totally could have won with a voice like that." I chewed the insides of my cheek nervously. I couldn't come up with a believable lie to tell her. Besides, she seemed like the kind of person who would be able to see right through it.

"I didn't come here because it changed everything between me and my best friend," I said in a rush.

"Umm... how? And who? Anyone I know?" I nodded.

"Everyone knows him, now. He won Final Jam."

"Ooh, a celebrity! Who is it?" I laughed and shook my head.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." And she probably wouldn't. No one ever does.

"Try me."

"Alright, I guess. It was Shane. Shane Gray." I automatically rubbed my upper arms again while Caitlyn's eyes widened to the size of saucers and her jaw hit the ground.

"No way. Like THE Shane Gray? The Shane Gray who's instructing here? Seriously? No way! Dude, that's so awesome! So you, like, knew Shane before he was famous?" I nodded. "That's so cool! It's like how someone knows a song before it's famous, only it's not a song, it's Shane freakin' Gray!" I laughed again.

"Yeah, we first met when I was five and he was seven. We'd met because he moved in with his aunt and uncle, who lived next door to me," I explained as Caitlyn waited patiently. "My mom had told me that there was a boy y age living there, and I'd gone to say hi. He told me that girls had cooties, and pushed me down."

"Oh man, this is great! Even then, he was obnoxious and aggressive!"

"So I stood up and pushed him down." Caitlyn howled with laughters, and I waited for her to calm down before continuing. I told her everything, from our blood promise, to twenty years ago, to meeting again here this summer.

"Man, your life sounds like a soap opera, or something." I nodded in agreement. After our date last night, I had no idea what our relationship was, and Shane hadn't been at breakfast this morning, nor had he been stalking me all morning. As much as I hated to admit it, I'd had fun last night. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed Shane, both as my best friend and boyfriend. I knew he had hurt me, but that was in the past, and this is now. I'd been holding a grudge against him for long enough.

"Do you know where he might be?" I asked, standing up. Caitlyn shook her head.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen him since he left dinner last night. Try Brown's cabin, though. He might be there." I threw the door open after a brief good-bye and ran down the steps. I didn't know why I was so eager to see Shane. I decided to check his cabin first, in case he'd overslept by a lot, but it was empty. Brown said that he hadn't seen him either. I went by each of the classes, asking some of my friends and Mitchie if they'd seen him.

By now, I was beginning to panic. No one had seen him since he'd brought me back to my cabin and made sure Mitchie got to hers. His cabin was empty, and even Brown hadn't seen him. I cradled my head in my hands, going over places he might be. And then it hit me.

I bolted from the steps I'd been sitting on, hurrying down the dirt path. I could hear singers, drummers, all kinds of musicians, but I focused on the path ahead. As the dirt path turned into wooden boards, I broke into a run, desperate to find Shane. I rounded the last corner sharply, causing me to almost run into a tree, and sighed with relief.

Shane was sitting on the dock with his guitar, strumming absently as he stared out at the trees on the opposite bank. I'd remembered that he had said last night that he used to come down here to think. I had no idea how long he'd been here, but it must have been pretty long. I walked over to him and sat down next to him. When he turned to look at me, he looked surprised and shocked.

"Hey," he said after a just-long-enough-to-be-noticed pause.

"Hey," I smiled back. Another silence hung over to us, and Shane lowered his gaze. I couldn't help but feel disappointed. It was almost as if he was pretending that last night never happened.

"I missed you this morning," I said, touching his arm lightly to get his attention. He looked surprised again, but responded quicker this time.

"Yeah, yeah. I over slept," he explained. "I missed breakfast, so I came down here." Which meant he'd been here for almost four hours.

"Wow, that long?"

"Huh?"

"Shane, you realize it's almost 11:30? You've been out here for a long time." Shane jumped up, looking at his watch. I stood up too, taking his hand in mine. It was almost lunch time, and I'd promised Mitchie to meet her there.

"I hadn't realized how long I'd been there," Shane said as I led him back to camp. "Time really flies when you're at the lake, huh?" I nodded like I knew what he meant.

"I'll be completely honest: I was scared." Shane gave me a weird look, so I continued. "When I couldn't find you, and no one else had seen you since last night, I thought maybe something happened to you. I was scared that maybe you'd left, or gotten hurt or something." Our pace had slowed significantly, until we were barely moving.

"What were you playing back there?" I asked after another silence.

"Nothing, really. Just playing."

"You know, if we're gonna make this work, you have to talk more. What happened to us, Shane? We were never like this before." He looked up with confusion written all over his features, and I lowered my gaze.

"Make what work?" I sighed in exasperation.

"Us! Me, you, us. Even just as friends," I cried, throwing my hands in the air. "We used to be best friends, remember?"

"I'm sorry," he said softly, trying to calm me down. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to be friends again or not. Don't forget, that was the deal. We went on one date, and then it was up to you to choose if you wanted to speak to me or not." I sighed again, and reacher up to brush my hair out of my face, when something on my hand caught my eye. I slowly lowered my hand, tracing my fingers over the pale pink scar on my left palm.

"Friends till the end?"

"Forever and always, Mitch."

The memory came out of nowhere, and my fingers froze halfway across my scar. I lifted my hand until it was about shoulder height, as if pressed against a wall.

"Friends till the end, remember?" Shane glanced at my hand, then brought his up to meet mine, our scars aligning with each other. I allowed a small smile, remembering all those years ago, when we'd first cut our palms. Our fingers interlaced automatically, and we just stood there for a few seconds, staring at each other.

"You know, she reminds me of you," Shane said softly, leaning in slightly. " A lot."

"Who?"

"Your daughter, Mitchie," he clarified. "You two have so much in common. You've got the same name, the same temperament, the same personality, you look alike... And, of course, you're both completely infatuated with me." Shane smirked down at me as my jaw fell open.

"Jerk! That is so not true!"

"Oh, you're right." I nodded and smiled in agreement. "You're so much easier to annoy. That and she has blue eyes while you have brown." I smacked him on the upper arm.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it! I am not completely infatuated by you!" Frequently fascinated, maybe, but not infatuated.

"Just admit it, Mitchie," he teased. "You looove me." I rolled my eyes and hit him again, but he caught my arm, pulling me closer. His breath blew a few strands of hair into my face. I glared playfully up at him, hyperaware of how close we were.

"Never," I whispered fiercely. I wouldn't let him get to me. He bent his head closer, and I began to close my eyes.

"Umm, guys?" The voice startled us both, and we quickly jumped apart. Shane released my arm, and my eyes snapped open again. Caitlyn stood about fifteen feet away from us, with wide eyes and a shell-shocked expression on her face. "Am I interrupting something...?"

"No, no!"

"We were just-"

"You really weren't-"

"I mean, I was-"

"We were just teasing each other, is all."

"Yeah. What she said." Caitlyn rolled her eyes and shook her head a few times.

"Whatever you say..." she trailed off as she turned, and Shane and I exchanged nervous glances. This was not good.