Going Platinum, (5 page)
Mitchie closed her guitar case and grasped the handle. “It's not for sale.”
She walked out of the theater and into the dark night with one thought on her mind: what would be the cost of saying no to Faye Hart?
W
hen Mitchie got to breakfast the next morning, Shane wasn't sitting at his usual table. She sat stirring her cereal around and around in her bowl, watching the door. Completely absorbed in her own world, she barely noticed when Caitlyn slipped onto the bench next to her.
“Jason and Nate came in early this morning,” Caitlyn told her. She reached over and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl in front of Mitchie. “Now that Connect Three is here, it's all about the press and the party. Shane's sitting on a temporary âstage' in the center of camp. He's giving interviewsâin case you were wondering.”
“Oh,” Mitchie said, sighing. That explained his absence.
Caitlyn gave Mitchie's shoulder a squeeze. She knew her friend was feeling confused. Before lights-out last night, Mitchie had filled her in on the crazy rehearsal and on Faye's surprise appearanceâand offer. “For what it's worth,” Caitlyn told her now, “I think that you should hear what Faye has to say. You don't even know what she is offering. It's just business.”
“I really don't want her to sing that song,” Mitchie mumbled. How could she explain? The song was personal. “And my music isn't âjust business.'”
“But it could mean a lot of publicity,” Peggy said, joining their conversation. She slid down the bench closer to Mitchie. “Publicity that people like us can usually only dream about. Caitlyn's right. You have to at least listen to what Faye has to say.”
Mitchie knew that her friends had a point. This could be the chance of a lifetime. She pushed her bowl away. “All right,” she said. “I'll hear what she has to say.”
“Great!” Caitlyn exclaimed. “Do you want me to go with you? I could be like your agent.”
Mitchie smiled. “I'd rather you come along as my friend,” she said.
“You got it!” Caitlyn replied. “We'll meet after first activity, okay?”
Mitchie and Caitlyn finished breakfast and said good-bye to Peggy. Walking out of the dining hall, the girls ran right into a mob of reporters. Even though the party wasn't until that evening, the press was getting a head start. Word of Faye's early arrival had already leaked, and the whole vibe of the camp had changed. It was suddenly more red-carpet affair than down-home country living.
Tess was standing under a tree, eagerly answering an interviewer's questions. Where most of the campers seemed annoyed by the disruption, Tess soaked up the flash of camera bulbs like sunlight.
“Yes, it's been great catching up with Faye,” Tess said to one reporter as Mitchie and Caitlyn walked by. “We've been friends for years.”
Giggling, Caitlyn whispered to Mitchie, “Yeah, that's why Faye hasn't said a word to her since she arrived!”
But Mitchie wasn't paying attention to Tess and her phantom celebrity status; her eyes were focused on the center of camp, where she saw Connect Three being questioned by several reporters. When Shane saw Mitchie, he waved. But when he tried to get up, his manager gave him a stern look and he stayed in his seat.
“I'll meet you right here at the end of the class, okay?” Caitlyn said when they arrived outside Keynote, one of the camp's rehearsal cabins. Mitchie had a guitar class while Caitlyn was heading off for an independent activity.
“Thanks,” Mitchie said. She was glad to have Caitlyn by her side. She had thought about going to talk to her mom, but Connie was so busy with the party preparations Mitchie hadn't wanted to bother her. She would have to fill her in later. If Faye
did
want to buy the song, there was no way Mitchie would sell without her mom's okay. Sighing, she entered the cabin. Maybe practice would take her mind off thingsâat least for a little while.
As promised, Caitlyn was standing right outside Keynote when Mitchie came out.
“Come on,” Caitlyn said, taking Mitchie's hand. “Let's go the back way. I can't believe how many reporters are here. This place is crawling with them!”
The girls went through the woods, quickly making their way to the cabin where Faye was rehearsing for her performance.
“How do you know where to go?” Mitchie asked, amazed that Caitlyn could find her way through the thick bushes and trees with no apparent path.
“One summer, I had a crush on this guy,” she said, giggling. “I used to spy on him! And this was the best, and fastest, route!”
Sure enough, a bunk came into view on the left, right next to the rehearsal cabin where Faye was singing. Mitchie smiled.
“Nice work,” she said.
When they walked inside, the girls heard Faye whining to Dean. “What is it with this place? Haven't they heard of air-conditioning?”
Mitchie laughed to herself. Maybe Faye and Tess
were
friends.
“Oh, great!” Faye shouted when she saw the two girls at the door. “You came! Dean, take the sheet music and see what we've got here. Joe, will you do a key check? And Steve, can you get Phil on the phone?”
The shortest of the three men in black and dark glasses was apparently Steve. He walked over to Mitchie. “Hi,” he said. “Could you go ahead and sing the song again for us. I have to plug in Faye's manager in New York. He wants to hear you sing it first.”
“Oh, um . . . Well, I . . .” Mitchie started to stutter. She was here to listen to an offer, not audition the song!
“Sure, she'll be ready in a minute,” Caitlyn said, giving Mitchie a push toward the stage. “You can do this,” she assured her as Steve began dialing the number. “Consider it practice for tonight's jam.”
A moment later, Steve walked over to Mitchie. “Listen, can you hang out for a little bit? We've got to wait for Phil to get off a call. Shouldn't be too long.”
Mitchie checked her watch. She had to be in the kitchen in about twenty minutes. Not only did her mom have to serve lunch to the camp today, but she was swamped with making hamburgers and other treats for the growing number of party guests. Mitchie had promised that she'd help out. She hoped this Phil guy would call back soon.
As Faye paced the room, her shoes clicking and clacking, her entourage followed her. She seems to have everyone wrapped around her finger, Mitchie mused. Does that include Shane? Shaking her head, Mitchie pushed the thought aside.
The sound of Faye's latest song filled the room as Steve's cell phone rang and he motioned that it was time for Mitchie to start. Closing her eyes, she began. She sang it as if she were singing to Shane and they were together by the lake. When she was finished, there was silence. She looked over at Caitlyn who smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.
Faye took the phone from Steve's hand and turned her back to them. Mitchie tried to hear what she was saying, but Faye was speaking quietly, her hands gesturing wildly. Finally, she spun around. “Okay, Phil is totally on board. We just need the music and we'll get started. Steve, get Simon on the phone, and Dean, see if you can change the key. And could someone please get me a bottle of water!”
“Wait, I didn't agree to anything yet,” Mitchie said. She took her sheet music off the stand and stood back.
“Listen, I can make you more famous than you could ever imagine,” Faye hissed. “Your song will be heard by millions of people.” She reached over and took the sheet of music out of Mitchie's hand.
Mitchie stared down at her empty hand in shock.
At that moment, Shane walked into the cabin. “Shane!” Faye cried, racing to his side. “Babe, I've been waiting for you all morning!
Man, what do you do here without a decent vente soy chai latte with extra foam?”
Mitchie snorted out loud and caught Shane's eye. Not bothering to answer Faye, he walked over to Mitchie's side. “Hey. So are you selling the song?”
“I'm not really sure,” Mitchie said. “It seems like I don't have much choice.” She wanted to tell him more and get his opinion, but with Faye around that seemed impossible.
Caitlyn nudged Mitchie. Holding up her wrist, she tapped her watch. She had noticed the time, and knew that Mitchie had to get to the kitchen to help out her mom.
“Look, I have to run,” Mitchie said, realizing the deadline. She glanced at Faye. “This is
not
a deal yet. I'll be back after lunch, okay?”
“Sure, sure,” the pop star said, keeping her eyes on Shane. “I'll be here . . . with Shane. Right, Shane?”
“Um, sure,” he said, looking confused.
“Fabulous,” Faye sang out. “See you later, Mitchie.”
Mitchie and Caitlyn raced out toward the kitchen. As they ran, Mitchie had to wonder, was this really about buying her song? Or was Tess right? Was Faye here to win back Shane?
W
hen Mitchie opened the kitchen door, she could barely make her way inside. A large box, topped by smaller boxes, was blocking the entrance. “Mom?” Mitchie called out. She gently pushed a few boxes out of the way and leaned into the room, Caitlyn close behind. “Are you here?”
“Just push those over,” Connie said, popping up from behind a large crate. “This is insane, isn't it?” She blew her hair out of her eyes. “If we pull this off, it will be a miracle! There are
hundreds
of people coming to this party!”
Pushing their way in, Mitchie and Caitlyn started opening boxes, unloading all the food that needed to be refrigerated. Mitchie had helped her mom do large catering events before, but she had never seen so many tiny hot dogs in her whole life!
The three of them worked hard, and soon they could see the counters and floors again. With a sigh, Connie sat down on a chair and looked over her to-do list.
“I think that's everything for now,” she said, with a relieved smile. “Thanks, girls. If you hadn't helped me out, I would still be opening boxes.”
Mitchie looked at her watch. She couldn't help but wonder what Faye was doing.
“Don't worry,” Caitlyn said, noticing Mitchie's worried expression. She knew exactly what her friend was thinking. “We'll be back before Faye does any real harm.”
“What are you talking about?” Connie asked. She put her clipboard down and leaned in closer to Mitchie. “Who is Faye?”
“Faye Hart,” Mitchie said matter-of-factly. Her mom looked at her and then at Caitlyn. “Faye âBubbling Sunshine' Hart?” she asked.
“Mom!” Mitchie yelped. “How do you know Faye Hart's music?”
“Everyone knows that song,” her mom said, shrugging. “â
Bubbling sunshine on a summer's day
,'” she sang out.
“Oh, Mom!” Mitchie said, throwing a dish towel at her.
“I know,” Connie said, “your singing talent is not from my side of the family.” She reached out and pulled Mitchie into a hug.
“Your mother does make an excellent point though,” Caitlyn interrupted. “Even
she
knows a Faye Hart song. Think about that Mitchie; think about your career!”
Connie put her hand up. “Hold on. What does your career have to do with Faye Hart?” She raised her eyebrows and waited for a response.
Mitchie sank down into a chair. It was time to fill in her mom. She took a deep breath. “You see, Faye came up early for Shane's party and she heard the song I wrote for B's Jam. And she liked it. And now she wants to buy it,” she finished in a rush.
“She's scheduled to perform at the party,” Caitlyn added. “After she heard Mitchie's song, she wanted to sing it.”
“Is the song for sale, Mitchie?” Connie asked, eyeing her daughter carefully. A shiver of worry had inched its way into the back of her mind. Why would Mitchie have kept this from her?
“Honestly, I don't know,” Mitchie answered. She looked up, hoping to get some good advice. Her mom usually had strong opinions that she didn't mind sharing.