Going Platinum, (7 page)

M
itchie walked up the path to the theater, her heart racing. Even in the privacy of her own cabin, Mitchie hadn't been able to think of what she was going to say to Faye.

When she arrived at the theater, she could hear music coming from inside the wooden walls. The beat was loud and fast. Taking a deep breath, Mitchie entered.

The scene inside was frenetic. Faye sat on the edge of the stage, barking orders at everyone around her. Her entourage, still all dressed in black, were talking on their cell phones and running around.

There were two new people, also wearing black, who were busy with synthesizers and a drum machine. Mitchie vaguely recognized the music as her own.

Hearing the distorted chords, Mitchie suddenly knew exactly what to say. She would go with the sinple, direct approach. She walked right up to Faye. “The song is not for sale,” Mitchie said, surprised at how calm her voice sounded.

Faye looked up. “I'm sorry. What did you say?” she asked. Her blue eyes held Mitchie's in a long, drawn-out stare.

Mitchie didn't back down. “I said,” she recited a bit louder this time, “the song is not for sale.”

Faye narrowed her eyes and glared at Mitchie. “This is crazy. Do you know how much fame you could have? Do you realize what you are doing?” She tossed her head in disgust. “You are such a novice,” she said. “You have no clue.”

“I think she has a pretty good clue of things to come,” a voice called from the back of the theater. Turning, the girls saw Brown step out of the shadows. He came over and put a comforting arm around Mitchie. Then he looked directly at Faye. “She doesn't want to sell, so I guess that means you need to change your plans.”

Faye threw her hands up in the air. “This is ridiculous. I'm so out of here.”

Shane had walked in right after Brown and witnessed the entire conversation. Despite her rough exterior, Shane knew Faye could be sweet. She just cared too much about making it to the top of the industry.

“Oh, come on, Faye,” he said, walking up. “Don't do this. Stay and sing tonight. Mitchie isn't trying to ruin you.”

“Isn't that so sticky sweet?” Faye lashed out. “You're protecting your little songbird. Well, forget it. This place is driving me nuts. There's no decent coffee, and I've got all these mosquito bites.” She looked down at her arms and pointed to several red, swollen bumps.

“There are other songs you could sing,” Shane offered. Then a thought occurred to him. “This isn't about the song, is it?”

“What are you talking about?” Faye barked. “I liked the song. And you seemed to like it, too. So I thought that I'd ‘Faye' it up for the party.” She looked at Mitchie as if she was about to say more. Then she turned to Shane. “Listen, call me when you get back to civilization and we can hang out. I'm so over this whole back-to-nature thing.” She twirled around and waved at her entourage. “Let's go, people. If we leave now, we can be at Sushi Seven for dinner.” She leaned over and gave Shane two air kisses. Then she flicked a wave to Mitchie. “Have fun camper girl,” she sang out.

“Well, that was something,” Brown said after Faye and her entourage had cleared out of the theater. “It reminds me of a time when I was traveling with my band, the Wet Crows. . . .”

Shane put a hand on his uncle's shoulder. “Not now, Uncle Brown, huh?” He smiled and nodded toward Mitchie. “I think Mitchie probably wants to run through her song for the jam tonight.”

Relieved that Faye had left and that she had her song back, Mitchie switched her focus to her performance. She was thankful for Shane and Brown's help. Now she had a jam to prepare for.

T
he lights had been lowered, and there were screams and hoots from the audience. B's Jam was about to start! Dee took the microphone at center stage and welcomed the campers.

“It's the annual, ‘unplugged' B's Jam!” she shouted. Everyone cheered again.

“Before we begin,” Dee went on, “let's have a little song for the birthday boy, shall we?”

In harmony, the entire camp sang “Happy Birthday” to Brown. He was sitting in a chair that had been decorated to look like a throne. At the end of the song, there were more cheers.

Waiting in the wings, Peggy took a deep breath. Just as she had at Final Jam last session, she was hiding out in the darkness before her performance. This time she had even more to prove. She had to show everyone she wasn't a one-hit wonder. She could nail this song, too. She spied Tess, Ella, and Lorraine sitting in the front row. She smiled. She wasn't just a backup singer anymore.

“All right,” Dee said, trying to quiet the crowd. “Let's really get this jam started. As you know, there are four songs. At the end of the last song, you'll be allowed to vote for your favorite. The winner is determined by you, so listen up!”

The lights went down, and Peggy stepped out onto the stage. When she was sure her breathing was steady, she began to sing. Looking out at all the familiar faces, she felt her heart swell. They all looked so happy.

This was what performing was about— making people smile. As she finished, she took a bow. Heading offstage, she went and took a seat next to Tess.

Barron and Sander stepped onto the stage right after. As always, they had a great act that showed off their music as well as their skillful dancing.

“I'm next!” Lola whispered to Mitchie. The two girls were the last ones left backstage.

“You'll be great,” Mitchie said with a warm smile.

When Lola stepped onstage, Mitchie peered out into the audience. It was dark, and she could barely make out any faces. That's probably better, she thought nervously. By the time the audience began applauding for Lola, Mitchie's hands were sweating. She grabbed her guitar.

“Hey, you're gonna be great,” Shane said, appearing at her side.

“What are you doing here?” Mitchie asked. “Aren't you supposed to be at some press conference or greeting A-list stars?”

Shane laughed. “Probably! But I wouldn't have missed this jam.” He looked into Mitchie's eyes. “I know this is a really big deal for you. Go out there and sell it!”

Mitchie giggled. “Never.” Then she turned back to face Shane. “Thanks for being here.”

“Go, go!” he urged, smiling.

Onstage there was a stool set up in front of a microphone, and Mitchie tried to get comfortable in the seat. She tilted the mike down toward her mouth.

“I'd like to dedicate this song to my friends here at camp for making me strong,” shesaid as she started to strum the strings. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the bright lights with her hand. “Oh, and happy birthday, Brown!”

“Thank you!” Brown called out from the darkness.

The lights shifted, and Mitchie began to play. It felt surprisingly good to sing the song with the crowd clapping along. Somewhere in the middle of the second verse, she began to relax and enjoy the music. “
Yes, this is the place where I want to be
,” she sang out the last line.

A roar of applause filled the room. Mitchie got up and took a bow and then raced off the stage. She joined the other four as Dee led the audience through the voting procedure. Everyone had a ballot. They had to pick their first choice and then pass the ballots to the end of their row.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dee reached up and gave Brown a folded piece of paper. The results were in. Mitchie felt Lola and Peggy grip her hands. She closed her eyes. “And the winner of B's Jam this year is . . .” Dee said, looking around the room. “Barron and Sander!”

The boys yelped and jumped up and down. They raced up onto the stage.

Mitchie couldn't help but smile. Maybe she hadn't won the jam, but she had sung her song the way she wanted. And that was victory enough.

C
HAPTER
T
EN

C
aitlyn couldn't believe how different Camp Rock looked. A huge white tent had been set up overlooking the lake. Twinkling lights decorated the trees, and there was a band playing. The Connect Three party was as star-studded as everyone had thought it would be.

On either side of her, Mitchie and Peggy looked as impressed as she was. Suddenly, Caitlyn laughed out loud.

“Get a look at that,” she said, pointing. Tess was walking into the tent decked out in a pink slip dress with tiny sequins sewn along the edges.

“Is her camp trunk bottomless?” Mitchie asked. She was constantly impressed at the vast array of clothes Tess paraded around camp. “It's like she knew there'd be a party like this!”

“Tess is always ready for a party,” Peggy agreed. “But I think that outfit is courtesy of Lorraine. The girl is a wiz with clothing. She brought two extra trunks!”

At that moment, Tess waltzed over to Mitchie. “Sorry that you didn't win the jam,” she said with a sly smile. She eyed Mitchie from head to toe, taking in her jeans and sneakers. “Are you going to change before you head to the party?”

Mitchie wasn't about to let Tess ruin this night for her. Faye had come too close to doing that already. Mitchie noted that most of the guests were clad in casual jeans and T-shirts. People had really taken the camp theme to heart and had dressed the part. “Actually, Tess,” she told her, “if you notice, most people are wearing jeans.”

Blushing, Tess checked out the crowd. She stood up straighter and clicked her tongue. “Whatever,” she said. Then she quickly walked away.

“I bet she was hoping for a walk on the red carpet in a dress like that!” Caitlyn said as she watched Tess twirl in front of Ella and Lorraine. “Too bad the only red she is going to see tonight are mosquito bites. That outfit is just calling out for those bugs.”

Peggy and Mitchie laughed as they walked into the tent. Inside, there was a wooden dance floor that took up almost half of the space and a large stage with an enormous banner that read, CONGRATULATIONS CONNECT THREE. Around the sides were small white tables and chairs, and the food was set up on long banquet tables along the back. Mitchie smiled when she saw everyone enjoying the food.

“Great performance tonight, Mitchie,” Colby said as she passed him.

Smiling, Mitchie thanked him. When Colby moved past her, she spotted Shane in the far corner of the tent. He was standing with Nate and Jason, greeting guests.

“Hey, let's go dance!” Lola said, dragging Caitlyn with her. “Mitchie, are you coming?” She held out her other hand to her.

Mitchie shook her head. “In a minute. There's someone I need to find.” As her friends ran off, Mitchie turned around and finally saw who she was looking for. “Mom!” she cried.

“Mitchie!” her mom called out from across the tent. She came racing over. “You were amazing at the jam,” Connie said as she threw her arms around Mitchie. “I am so proud of you!”

Pulling out of the hug, Mitchie studied her mom's face. “You know that I didn't win, right? Barron and Sander won.”

Her mom shrugged her shoulders. “Sweetie, we both know that you won tonight. That performance was unbelievable. Mitchie, I am very proud of you.” She leaned in and gave her another hug.

“Thanks,” Mitchie replied. She gestured to the food presented on the tables. “Congratulations to you, too. You did it! Everyone is eating and having a good time.”

Grinning, her mom nodded. “I know! Isn't it amazing? I can't believe how many stars are here!” She gasped as she took in the scene. “And they really are all enjoying my food!”

“This is a great night, Mom,” Mitchie told her, nodding.

“And you know what would make it even better?” Shane asked as he came up behind her. He gave her shoulders a squeeze and whispered in her ear, “If you would sing your jam song here.”

Mitchie whirled around and stared at Shane. “What?” she cried. “What are you talking about? Are you nuts?”

“I'm totally serious. Your song really captures so much about this place and this summer,” Shane explained. “The guys and I would really like you to perform it here, now.”

Jason and Nate appeared behind Shane. They were both smiling.

“We have an open spot with Faye leaving, so we could use your help,” Nate said.

“Come on,” Jason blurted out. “It will be fun!”

Mitchie turned to see her mother's face. She was nodding and smiling. Then Mitchie spun back around and looked at Shane.

“Okay!” Mitchie replied. Then her face grew serious. “On one condition.”

Shane raised his right eyebrow.

“I want my friends to sing it with me,” she said.

Looking to his bandmates, Shane saw Jason and Nate nod yes.

“Well, it seems we're in agreement,” Shane said. “Camp Rock is up next!”

Mitchie cheered. She was so excited about telling her friends. This could be their gift to Connect Three.

A few moments later, Mitchie walked out on the stage and positioned a stool in front of the microphone. Once she was seated, she waved her arms and all the campers surrounded her.