Camp Rock

by Lucy Ruggles

  Shane shot him an icy glare. “One word: payback.”

  “Hey, that’s two words,” Jason mistakenly pointed out as Shane grabbed the duffel at his feet and opened the door. Still fuming, Shane got out and slammed it behind him.

  A moment later the window rolled down and Nate’s head popped out. “By the way,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. “We told the press you’d be recording a duet with the winner of Final Jam.” With a laugh, the window rolled up and the limo drove away. Shane was stuck at Camp Rock.

  Mitchie stared at the large mound of cold, sticky ground beef on the kitchen counter. A stack of hamburger patties was already piled high before her. She sighed and tore off another hunk of meat.

  “I hear there’s an open mike tonight,” her mom said, diligently peeling potatoes beside her.

  “Yeah,” Mitchie confirmed, glumly patting the beef between her palms.

  “Are you going to sing?” she pressed.

  Mitchie raised an eyebrow. “In front of all those people? No way!”

  “Sweetie, I hear you in your room. You’re really good.” She held up two fingers in the Boy Scout salute. “Mom’s honor. You gotta believe in yourself. And if you are nervous, so what? Everyone is nervous.” When Mitchie didn’t respond, her mother went on. “That’s why I’m making so much food tonight. People eat when they’re nervous.”

  Mitchie looked queasily at the pile of raw meat. “Not me. I don’t think I can eat another burger. Ever.”

  Her mother took the half-made hamburger from Mitchie’s hands. “Why don’t you take the trash to the Dumpster and then set up in the mess hall?”

  Mitchie smiled thankfully, wiped her hands on her dirty apron, and swung the ripe garbage bags over her shoulder. She was halfway down the path to the garbage bins when she heard singing. The voice was loud and coming from one of the cabins. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Mitchie tiptoed to the cabin and pressed her nose to the window screen.

  Inside, Tess was belting out a song at the top of her lungs. It was good, but Mitchie couldn’t help thinking it was overdone. Caitlyn had been right; Tess was trying too hard. Behind her, Peggy and Ella threw in a few “ooohs” and “ahhhs.” Suddenly, Tess stopped singing.

  “Work with me here, people!” She sighed in exasperation.

  Peggy put her hand on her hip. “Hello! We’re trying. But you’re just so—”

  Tess glared at her. “Excuse me. I am the one with the Grammys. Well, my mom is.” She tried to glide over that little fact. “But she mentioned me in her acceptance speech. If we want to rock tonight at open-mike night, you guys have to listen to me. Let’s go again.” Tess failed to mention the other reason she was pushing her backup singers—Shane Gray. Ever since Dee had mentioned he was going to be a guest counselor, Tess had been determined to get his attention. And open mike was her first chance.

  Outside, Mitchie, realizing how bad it would look if someone saw her, started to back away from the window and tripped on a rock. She fell to the ground, ripping one of the garbage bags and spilling trash everywhere.

  “Great,” she whispered and struggled to her feet. That was going to leave a bruise.

  Across camp, Shane had his cell phone glued to his ear.

  “Come on, guys!” he pleaded to his bandmates. “I learned my lesson. I showered in cold water. I looked at a tree. It’s been eight hours. I need hair product.”

  On the other end of the line, Nate stifled a snort. “I guess it’s time to embrace the natural look,” he joked. Then he hung up on Shane.

  Grumbling, Shane shoved the phone into his pocket. When he looked up, he found a pack of screaming girls headed straight for him.

  “There he is!” the girls screeched, practically tearing their hair out. “Shane! Shane!”

  “Great,” he muttered. They’d found him…

  The Music Mess Hall of Fame looked like any camp cafeteria, except for the signed guitars, old concert posters, and rock T-shirts tacked to the walls.

  At the end of the long room, a makeshift stage had been erected. A banner above it read, OPENING NIGHT JAM. Mitchie placed the last set of utensils on the table, and then paused. Glancing around to make sure no one was looking, she climbed onstage. She stood, dreamily imagining an adoring audience hanging on her every note. Pulling out her journal, which was in her apron, she began to sing. Nervously at first, then with confidence, her voice filled the room. It was a song about being more than what everyone sees, about finding your voice even when you’re afraid. As she sang, Mitchie forgot where she was. Her voice rose higher and higher.

  Outside, Shane was fleeing the pack of crazed fans. He quickly ducked behind some bushes beside the mess hall as the girls ran screaming past him. Relieved, he sat back and sighed.

  Was that someone singing inside? He cocked his head to listen. It was. Shane closed his eyes so he could concentrate on the lyrics. They were good—really good! And so was whomever was singing them.

  When the coast was clear, Shane emerged from the bushes and swung through the mess hall’s screen door. “Hello?” he called out. “Who’s in here?”

  But the stage was empty.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Inside her cabin, Mitchie rifled madly through her duffel bag while her mother looked on in amusement.

  “I’ve got all the food set up,” Connie said, trying not to smile. “So you, princess, are free.”

  “Gotta find something to wear first,” Mitchie said as she dug through her wrinkled T-shirts and jeans.

  “Honey, it’s camp, not a fashion show.”

  Mitchie stopped and looked at her mom. “Have you seen these kids? My usual is not going to cut it.”

  Connie’s brow furrowed. “I think you’re cute.

  In a non-mom way. Totally.”

  Mitchie ignored her and pulled out a simple shirt. “This,” she said, holding it up. “This is safe.”

  “It’s also mine,” her mother answered. “Honey,” she urged, “wear your clothes. Be yourself. You’ll be fine.”

  Mitchie gave her a look, then pulled the shirt over her head.

  The open-mike night was going strong as Mitchie watched quietly from the back. She had belted her mom’s shirt and was actually pleased with her outfit, but that hadn’t helped her confidence. She was nervously tapping her foot to the bass when Caitlyn walked over. A pretty girl with obvious stage presence was beside her.

  “Hey,” Mitchie said.

  “Hey,” Caitlyn said with a smile. Nodding at the girl next to her, she added, “This is Lola. Lola, Mitchie.”

  The three girls chatted for a few moments.

  Then Dee announced the next performer—Lola Scott. Smiling, Lola said good-bye and took the stage. A moment later, her voice had captured everyone’s attention.

  “Wow!” Mitchie gasped. “She’s amazing.”

  “Yeah,” Caitlyn agreed. “She should be. Her mom’s on Broadway.”

  “Broadway? Wow.”

  Caitlyn nodded and leaned back against the wall. “But the kids around here don’t care about that. It’s all about the bling. That’s why Tess runs this camp.”

  Mitchie looked over at Tess and they made eye contact. Tess and her posse started to walk over.

  “Great.” Caitlyn rolled her eyes. “Something wicked this way comes.”

  “Hey, Caitlyn,” Tess said with a smirk, sidling up to them, “your folks still wowing ’em on the cruise ships?”

  Ella and Peggy laughed.

  “Actually, they work in—” Caitlyn began to defend her family, but Mitchie cut her off.

  “Hi, I’m Mitchie,” she said.

  Tess turned and eyed Mitchie. “Oh. Hi,” she replied. “I’m Tess Tyler.”

  “I know. I love your mom,” Mitchie gushed. So much for playing it cool on her first night at camp. Beside her, Caitlyn held back a groan as she stepped out of earshot. Apparently, she couldn’t watch—or hear—this.

  “Of course you do,” Tess said, her lips curling in
a smile.

  “I’m Mitchie Torres.” Inwardly, Mitchie groaned. Why had she introduced herself again?

  Peggy brightened. “Hey, is your dad Nicky Torres, the composer? My dad staged one of his shows.”

  Suddenly, Tess was more interested. “Is he?”

  Mitchie squirmed. “No.”

  “Oh,” Tess replied curtly.

  “So what does he do?” Ella asked, smacking her gum.

  “He owns a hardware store,” Mitchie answered softly.

  “Let’s go,” Tess said to Peggy and Ella. After all, without any connections, Mitchie wasn’t really worth talking to, Tess thought.

  In that split second, Mitchie made a decision. This summer, she could be whomever she wanted to be … even a Queen Bee. “But my mom …” she started.

  “Yes?” Tess said skeptically, half-turning to face her again.

  “She’s, uh … the president of Hot Tunes TV … uh, in China. Huge market there.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to take them back. But it was too late.

  “Wow. Cool,” said Tess, completely turning to Mitchie now.

  “So cool,” Ella chimed in.

  “Major cool.” Peggy nodded.

  Tess looked between Peggy and Ella. “Are you guys thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked.

  “Absolutely.” Both girls nodded eagerly. There was a pause, then Ella asked, “Wait. What are we thinking?”

  Tess rolled her eyes at Ella and turned to Mitchie. “There’s an extra bed in our cabin. It’s yours if you want it.”

  “Really?” Mitchie asked, delighted at her change of fortune.

  “Totally. We’re going to be great friends. Come on, sit with us in the VIP section.” Tess grabbed Mitchie by the arm and dragged her off, leaving Caitlyn behind.

  “I’m good,” Caitlyn said sarcastically as she watched the new “friends” walk away. “Thanks for asking.”

  Connie was poring through one of the cookbooks stacked on her bed, when Mitchie returned to the cabin after dinner.

  “Can you believe,” her mother said, without looking up, “not one of these cookbooks has a recipe for chili for three hundred?” She took off her glasses and frowned.

  “You don’t need a recipe,” Mitchie said happily. “Everyone loves your food. It’s official.”

  “Really?” Connie smiled.

  “Camper’s honor,” Mitchie replied.

  “So how was open mike? Did you sing?”

  “No … but I met some girls,” Mitchie said cautiously.

  Her mother brightened.

  “And,” Mitchie began, trying not to sound guilty. “They want me to move into their cabin. I know I have to help in the kitchen, but I’ll just get up earlier, meet you here, and …”

  “Sweetie,” her mom said with a smile, “of course you can move to the cabin. It’ll be fine. Now, I’d better get back to these cookbooks. I’ve got a rep to protect.”

  Tess bit her manicured fingernails as she paced the Vibe Cabin and waited on hold on her cell phone. On her bed, Peggy strummed her guitar absently while Ella worked on something equally important—her nails.

  “You guys, which color?” Ella asked, holding up two bottles of pink polish.

  Peggy, who had stopped plucking her guitar at Tess’s insistence, looked up. “Ella, they are exactly the same.”

  “So you see my dilemma?” Ella said in earnest.

  Suddenly Tess perked up and stopped pacing. “Mom, hey! … Yes, I’m totally settled in. Guess what? Shane Gray is …” Her face fell. “Yeah, you can totally call me back. Love you, too. Have a good concert.”

  Tess hung up and for a moment looked as if she might burst into tears. That, or throw her phone across the room. “As usual,” she muttered under her breath.

  “What, Tess?” Ella asked, pausing over a nail.

  Instead of explaining, Tess changed the subject. “My mom says maybe she can get us primo tix to her next concert.”

  Ella and Peggy clapped at the news just as Mitchie entered the cabin, her duffel bag and guitar case slung over her shoulders. “Hey, guys!” she called, slightly out of breath from the walk over. “Which bed is mine?”

  Tess pointed to Peggy’s. There was no arguing. Peggy would be moving.

  Mitchie plopped her bag on the bed and started to unpack.

  Tess peered over her shoulder. “One bag? You can’t possibly have all your clothes in there.”

  “Uh … right.” Mitchie panicked. “Well, I threw a lot of my clothes away.”

  Mitchie turned to find Tess going through her duffel bag. She held up one of Mitchie’s old, holey T-shirts. “And you kept this?” Tess asked.

  “Uh, yeah,” Mitchie replied. “It came from China. A little boutique called … Xin Xia Ji.” Thank goodness for Sierra’s Mandarin skills, she thought.

  “Wow,” Peggy said, admiring the shirt. Then, “What does that mean?”

  “ ‘Happy summer,’ ” Mitchie said. “The store is the bomb.” Mitchie was eager to bring the subject back to Tess. “Wow, that is a really cool bracelet!”

  “It’s from my mom,” Tess replied, holding up the charm bracelet and admiring how it looked on her wrist. “Every time she wins a Grammy, she adds a charm.”

  “Totally bling-a-licious,” Mitchie said as she continued to unpack. She pulled out her song journal, and then quickly tucked it away.

  But Peggy noticed. “Is that your diary?”

  Mitchie hesitated before answering. “My songs,” she finally explained.

  “You write songs?” Tess asked, plopping down on Mitchie’s bed.

  “Yeah, but they’re probably not that good.”

  “I bet they’re good!” Peggy cried. “Let’s hear one!”

  Mitchie shook her head as Tess grabbed the journal and started flipping through the half-filled pages. “Why not?” Tess asked. “We’re friends now, right?”

  Mitchie hesitated for a moment. “Well … okay,” she stammered. Clearing her throat, she started to sing her most recent song, the one she had belted out in the mess hall.

  Embarrassed, Mitchie stopped after three verses. “It’s not that good,” she said, looking away.

  Peggy gave Mitchie a look that said she was crazy. “What? It was totally good. Right, Tess?”

  “Totally,” Tess agreed in a voice as sweet as a piece of apple pie. Then she tossed the book back to Mitchie—a bit harder than necessary.

  CHAPTER SIX

  It was early, and the soft, hazy light of dawn was just beginning to filter through the cracks in the walls of the Vibe Cabin. Outside, it was quiet except for the sounds of chirping birds.

  The silence was abruptly pierced by the muffled ring of Mitchie’s alarm clock. Mitchie shoved her hand under her pillow to silence the buried clock. She looked around. Ella stirred slightly but fell back to sleep.

  The coast clear, Mitchie jumped from her bed, grabbed some clothes, and began to tiptoe past the sleeping girls. Accidentally, her knee bumped Ella’s cot.

  Ella raised her head, her eyes squinty. “Mitchie?”

  “Uh … you’re dreaming … you’re a rock princess,” Mitchie whispered in a soothing voice.

  This pleased Ella, who smiled sleepily. “Okay, I rock,” she said before her head dropped heavily back onto her pillow.

  Mitchie let out a sigh of relief and made her way out of the cabin and down the path to the kitchen. She had work to do.

  A short while later, a line of hungry campers snaked around the mess hall. Slipping out the back unnoticed, Mitchie made her way around to the front, where she joined the impatient throng. Entering the big room, she searched the crowd, looking for a place to sit. She finally spotted an empty seat at a table with Caitlyn, Lola, Barron, and Sander. Catching her eye, Barron waved her over.

  “Hey,” she said, sliding in next to Caitlyn.

  “Slumming, I see?” Caitlyn said.

  “What?” Mitchie asked, confused by Caitlyn’s cool tone.

 
At that moment, Tess, Peggy, and Ella came through the mess-hall doors. They spotted Mitchie.

  “Hey, Mitchie!” Tess called loudly. “Over here!”

  Mitchie glanced over at Caitlyn.

  “You’d better go.” Caitlyn snickered. “The queen awaits.” Then, as Mitchie stood up, Caitlyn asked, “Your music? Are you any good?”

  Mitchie didn’t know how to answer the question. “I don’t know.” She shrugged modestly. “Maybe. Kinda.”

  Caitlyn nodded. “Word of advice,” she said. “If you want to be friends with Tess, don’t be.”

  By now, Tess was gesturing and yelling louder at Mitchie from across the mess hall.

  “See ya around,” Caitlyn said coldly.

  Not knowing what to say, Mitchie left. Once at Tess’s table, Mitchie immediately got interrogated. “What happened to you this morning?” asked Tess suspiciously.

  “Early riser,” Mitchie answered quickly. “Yum, toast!” She grabbed a piece of plain toast and stuffed it in her mouth before Tess could ask any more questions.

  Meanwhile, someone else’s alarm clock had not gone off. Shane hadn’t even set it. Instead, he was rudely awakened by his uncle ripping off his blankets.

  “What the … ? What?” Shane grumbled.

  “Rise and shine, superstar,” Brown said as his nephew groaned and buried his head under the pillow. “Mate, don’t make me do this.” When Shane made no attempt to get up, Brown picked up a glass of water and threw it on him.

  “Hey!” Shane shouted, sitting bolt upright. “I’m up! I’m up!”

  “We both have classes to teach,” said Brown. “Yours starts in five minutes.”

  In one of the Camp Rock activity rooms, rows of folding chairs had been set up to face a large piano. Sitting in the front with Tess, Ella, and Peggy, Mitchie couldn’t help but feel cool. In another part of the room, Lola and some of her friends were playing around before class, singing and hitting various keys on the piano.

  Lola struck one, then became flustered. “Was that a D-flat or a D-sharp?” she asked, looking between her friends.

  Tess overheard and leaned over to whisper in Peggy’s ear. “She’s gotten really good since last year.”