Camp Rock 2
Page 7
“Good luck!” she cried, tossing him her dana bracelet. With a huge grin, he caught it and took off running.
“Dana! He’s the enemy,” her father reprimanded her.
“No, he’s not,” Dana said, standing up to her father. “Everything in life is not a competition.” Then she lifted the bouquet to her nose and inhaled its sweet scent. “But I think I just won.”
“And we’re back,” Georgina announced dramatically from the Camp Star stage. She looked out at the crowd. “If you liked Camp Star, well, get ready to be blown away by Camp Rock!”
Mitchie stood next to Shane in the wings. She’d just received a text telling her to vote for Camp Star. Clearly, Axel was using his connections to try to influence the results. But there was no time to worry about it now. Shane’s eyes were fixed on hers.
“Ready?” he asked, squeezing her hand.
“Ready! Let’s show them what Camp Rock is all about,” Mitchie replied.
Georgina’s voice boomed through her mike: “Ladies and gentlemen, Camp Rock!”
The Camp Rock opening was a lot like Camp Star’s. Mitchie and Shane began singing under a spotlight, just as Tess and Luke had a short while ago. Except a few moments into their song, lights began to come up across the stage, and soon all the Camp Rockers were coming out to perform—singing, playing guitars, dancing.
Then, as Mitchie sang, she saw her great idea come to life. On one of Camp Star’s huge flat screens, Trevor’s video footage of the summer began to play.
There was Jason with the Junior Rockers, trying to fish Trevor’s camera out of the lake; Mitchie singing to a clearly smitten Shane in the Camp Star amphitheater; Barron and Sander rocking out in the DJ booth; Jason chasing the Junior Rockers around the rec room; Nate teaching drums to the campers; Caitlyn showing a room full of dancers some incredible moves; Ella dressing up a camper in an original Ella design; the Junior Rockers giving Jason a present: a rock-and-roll birdhouse; Mitchie playing the piano as her friends gather around, singing; Shane playing Frisbee with some campers on the beach; Connect 3 performing; Mitchie and Shane on a rowboat; campers catching fireflies, roasting marshmallows, splashing in the lake, drinking “bug juice.”
Mitchie poured her heart into the song, a song that captured everything she felt about this magical, amazing summer with her awesome friends. And there was the proof up on the screen—proof that it had been a wonderful summer for everyone at Camp Rock.
As the music ended, the packed theater erupted into thunderous applause. They loved us! Mitchie thought excitedly, sneaking a peek at Shane. They’d put everything they had into this performance.
Hopefully it would be enough.
“Wow, now that really was incredible!” Georgina enthused as the Camp Rockers joined hands for an ensemble bow. “So call in now and let us know which summer camp rules! Stay tuned, we’ll be right back.”
“And we’re out,” said the stage manager.
Sander bounced from person to person. “Call in! Call in!”
Everyone scrambled for their phones and madly started texting.
“All right, everybody to their places, we’re back in thirty seconds!” the stage manager barked.
When it was time for the results, Mitchie felt like everything was moving in slow motion. She and the other Camp Rockers stood on one side. The Star campers were on the opposite side. Shane held Mitchie’s hand, and she closed her eyes as the lights flashed on and they were back on live television.
“And the results are in!” Georgina cried. “By an overwhelming margin … Camp Star!”
Across the stage, the Star campers were on their feet, cheering and screaming. Mitchie couldn’t believe it. They’d put on the best performance ever, but it hadn’t been enough. She felt tears slipping down her cheeks and her breath caught in her throat.
“Yes! Yes!” Luke exclaimed, punching the air and pointing over at the Camp Rockers in triumph. Tess was definitely happy, but she had the decency to shoot a mournful glance over to Mitchie, Ella, and Peggy.
Mitchie allowed her mom to give her a consoling hug. She felt devastated, but she joined the other Camp Rockers in congratulating Camp Star on their victory.
Then Brown rounded up his disappointed campers, and they paddled quietly back to the other side of the lake.
Sitting on the Camp Rock beach at night with her best friends around the fire pit, listening to Nate strum his guitar, was normally one of Mitchie’s favorite things to do.
But not tonight. Tonight the mood was somber. No one sang. Or talked. Mitchie stood at the flagpole with Shane. They were lowering the camp flag.
“I was thinking about keeping it as a souvenir,” Mitchie said sadly, folding the flag.
Shane sighed. “I can’t believe we lost.”
“I guess every song can’t be a hit,” Mitchie said. “Didn’t you tell me that? But that doesn’t mean we should stop singing.”
Shane looked at her, his brown eyes tender.
“I’m really sorry we didn’t get to spend more time together,” Mitchie said sadly. The summer had gone by so fast.
“Hey, the whole reason I came here this summer—” Shane began.
“Was to get to know me better,” Mitchie finished, smiling.
“And I definitely learned everything I needed to know,” Shane said quietly, leaning over to kiss her.
Nothing could make up for Camp Rock’s loss to Camp Star. But being kissed by Shane Gray sure came close.
Holding hands, they walked back to the campfire. And as Nate continued to play his guitar, Shane started to sing. Soon Mitchie joined in, harmonizing. Then more Camp Rockers picked up the melody. Hearing all their voices blending together, singing about the incredible summer they’d had, made the disappointment a little easier to bear.
After all, they had had a fantastic summer. And to be there all together, well, there was nothing better.
“Look! What’s that?” Trevor exclaimed. He pointed into the distance.
Dozens of lights were floating on the lake. As Mitchie squinted, trying to figure out what she was seeing, she realized the lights were lanterns. Some Star campers were coming over in rowboats and canoes, tying them to the dock and walking toward the campfire. Tess and Dana were leading the group.
What do they want? Mitchie wondered. She knew her fellow campers were wondering the same thing.
“Hi,” Tess said. “We saw the fire… ”
“We really don’t get to do this kind of thing,” Dana added, gesturing around the group.
“So … do you think there’s room for some of us?” Tess asked. Mitchie didn’t miss the glimmer of hope and regret in Tess’s voice.
Brown’s voice was welcoming. “There’s always room.”
The Camp Rockers scooted over to make room for the Star campers.
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to come back to Camp Rock next summer,” Tess blurted out to Brown.
From around the campfire, other voices chimed in. “I already called my parents and told them that I want to come here instead next summer,” one Camp Star girl was saying.
“Are there any openings left?” a Camp Star boy was asking. “I wanna come, too.”
Mitchie blinked in surprise as her mom came running up to the campfire from the main building. She was waving a phone in her hand. “Could I get a little help in here? The phones are going crazy!” Lots of aspiring rockers who had seen the TV broadcast wanted to sign up for spots at Camp Rock.
“Please!” exclaimed yet another Camp Star girl. “Can you at least put us on a list or something? This place is so much more fun.”
Brown caught Mitchie’s eye, and she beamed back at him. Maybe they hadn’t lost the showdown after all.
Brown grinned at the Star campers. “I’m sure we can work something out,” he told them as the Camp Rockers started to sing once more. The Star campers joined in and clapped along with the music.
They sang about being together, and how that was all that mattered.
Mitchie looked over at Shane and knew that he agreed wholeheartedly.
Her second summer at Camp Rock had been completely different than what she had imagined it would be … and in the end, better than she could have ever dreamed. She had her friends, she had a great boyfriend, and she had her music.
Her life was like Camp Rock … it rocked!