AN: I know this chapter isn't really exciting, but please bear with me. I wanted a little time between where Shane knows and between... well, something else happening. Because you can't have drama all the time! I'm also dead tired. I went to the Bite of Las Vegas, which is a music and eating festival.

I got to see Metro Station, Secondhand Serenade, Puddle of Mudd, and Lifehouse for the big, signed bands. But I was mostly there for Metro Station and a local band that some of you know I love called Verbatym. They seriously rock! I've got a major crush on their guitar player Russell. He's really talented.

Here's chapter eleven!

Chapter 11: Stating the Obvious

Mitchie awoke the next morning, groggy, and shook out her hair. She sat up in bed and stretched her arms over her head looking around the cabin sleepily. On her bedside table sat something that hadn't been there previously, and she picked up the bouquet of wildflowers and read the note attached. Thank you for staying, Mitchie. Camp Rock wouldn't be the same without you. See you at breakfast! -Shane. She felt her cheeks flush as she put the flowers back down and climbed out of bed.

She sifted through her dresser and pulled out a pair of tight fitting jeans and a baggy checkered shirt. Grabbing the ace bandage from the bedside table--seeing as it no longer needed to be hidden--she got dressed, dancing around the cabin as she pulled her black Converse on her feet.

Mitchie was happy. Now, there was no secrets between her and Shane, now there was no reason for tension. She got dressed quickly and wrapped the flowers' stems in a wet paper towel to keep them alive. Hopping down the stairs two at a time, Mitchie smiled into the morning as the breeze brushed her hair around her face. The sun seemed brighter, the sky bluer, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. The lake was glittering and all the foliage seemed greener than usual to her as she practically skipped down into the mess hall. “Morning!” she gushed cheerfully, gaining a few in a return as she scooted to sit in her customary seat by Jason.

The man of her dreams smiled at her, but before he could say anything, the hazel eyes boy blurted, “Mitch!” He threw his arms around her and squeezed her tightly around her shoulders. “Guess what?” Shane and Nate groaned softly, like they had heard the story a million times and really didn't want to hear it a million and one more.

But she didn't care, she was in too fabulous a mood. “What's that Jase?” she asked cheerfully, resting her hand in her chin.

“Ella is my girlfriend!”

“That's great! she exclaimed, giving him a high five. Then she laughed, giving Shane a sly look that made him slightly nervous. “Now, I just need to hook up Shane and I'll be three for three!” He rolled his eyes and laughed with her, causing Nate to furrow his brow in confusion. It was a huge change from breakfast just yesterday, when Mitchie refused to talk and Shane talked merely to him and Jason.

He mentioned, “You both seem to be in a better mood.”

Jason laughed. “Obviously, Nate. It's 'cause they're happy for me and that made them happy with each other again!”

Scoffing and rolling his eyes, Nate snapped, “That's not it at all Jason. Sheesh, why would that silly little thing make them stop fighting with each other?” Jason looked hurt, but Mitchie came to the rescue.

“Nate! How rude! Of course that's why!” she retorted, patting Jason's hand sympathetically and winking at the confused youngest member of their group. He sighed and smiled at her, trying to hold back his laughter as Jason grew ecstatic with the news that he was correct twice in one summer. Wriggling on the spot, he finished up his waffles and pulled out his cell phone, saying he was going to call his girlfriend before classes started.

Mitchie gushed as he cantered away, “They're so cute!” A few of the boys at nearby tables gave her strange looks, and Nate and Shane both gave her identical expressions of warning, though neither of them noticed that the other did. She forgot that Nate didn't know that Shane knew, and decided that she'd tell him later. It wasn't really important at the moment. “Sorry,” she mumbled, picking at her toast nervously. Shane smiled at her and she felt her heart leap into her throat. You really need to stop doing that, she scolded herself fiercely, eating the bread in almost two bites.

“So.” Nate accepted the responsibility of breaking the awkward silence. “What are we doing for the last jam of the year before Final Jam?” The three of them glanced to each other and Mitchie began to pick at another piece of toast nervously. He cocked an eyebrow and asked, “Did I miss something here?”

Mitchie murmured, “Well... when Shane and I were... fighting, I wrote a song that I was going to perform at Picnic Jam solo, so I wouldn't have to worry about screwing up when I was around Shane and he was mad at me.” Shane flushed red at her words and stared determinedly out the window, trying to avoid Nate's glare but ending unsuccessfully.

“So did I,” he said defeatedly, resting his chin on the table and looking away from both of them. “Just so I wouldn't have to deal with Mitch, though now we've made up. But it's too late to do a group project. Why don't you and Jason do something?” This time Nate looked uncomfortable, crossing his arms over his chest. A light bulb flickered on inside Shane's brain and he pointed accusingly at his friend, “You already have, haven't you?”

“So what?” he demanded, his ears pink. “I thought you two would never make up, so Jason and I have a song to do ourselves. Got a problem with that?”

Mitchie piped up, “It's okay. Since we've all got something to do, let's just go solo this time, okay?” The two boys agreed halfheartedly, and she didn't even bother to deal with Jason; he would agree just because the other two did. He was pretty easy to predict sometimes, and needless to say, she was right. He agreed immediately, and they broke off into three sects to go work on their songs before the Camp Pop girls were to be bused to them tomorrow.

Mitchie sat in her room, the euphoria of Shane knowing her secret still not worn off yet. She played around with the notes of This is Me on the music sheets, humming the melody to herself. Shane sat in the other side of the cabin, strumming on his guitar to a song she had never heard before. Curious, she tiptoed over to him and peeked over his shoulder to see what he was doing. “Hey!” he said in irritation, flipping the sheet music over.

“No fair,” she whined.

“Of course it is,” he said sternly. “You have to wait until tomorrow like everyone else.” She frowned and sat in a huff on her bed, glaring at him goodnaturedly. He smiled and shook out his hair. “I want to make you squirm Mitchie,” he said cheerfully, propping his elbow on his desk, “knowing that you inspired this song.” Her eyes opened wide and she jumped up, shaking his shoulders.

She exclaimed, “Really?” He nodded, laughing at her reaction, and Mitchie danced on the spot, obviously excited, and ordered him, “It had better be good! Take as much time as you need! I can wait!” She hurried back to her own desk and left him to his own devices, however he quickly pulled out a new sheet of music and began to scribble out a song that he had in his head for a long time, that really was inspired by her. A few hours passed, and the only sounds that could be heard were that of a guitar and the humming of the melodies they both wrote out.

It was a peaceful atmosphere, tranquil as the scenery outside. There were a few guys horsing around outside, playing football with each other and razzing each other playfully. And though the old Mitchie would have found it annoying and hard to concentrate, she was so used to hanging around the male population that it didn't even phase her anymore. Occasionally Nate would come in complaining about Jason and how he was so hard to work with and he didn't know how Shane managed it, and Mitchie laughed in her little corner.

“You have to be nice to him,” she commanded as he walked away and Nate shook his head, wondering how he was supposed to be nice to Jason and get him to learn his music at the same time.

But otherwise there were no problems. She finished her song with flourish, staring at This is Me with a huge grin on her face. Finally it was done. But... she didn't think she could have done it without Shane knowing exactly who she was. Shane glanced back at her. “What's up Mitchie?” he asked, laughing at her expression.

“I finished my song,” she cheered, looping her arm around his neck and waving the paper just before his nose. He smiled at her and nodded.

“Nice,” he said approvingly, turning back to his own song. Mitchie smiled affectionately and ruffled his hair, making his shout out a complaint as she rushed away, sticking her tongue out at him. He rolled his eyes and she shrugged, standing next to him and crossing her arms.

She said, “Hey, Shane, let's go for a walk, huh?” He glanced up from his music and looked her, his brown eyes looking prettier than ever in the fading sunlight. He pursed his lips for a moment, contemplating, before smiling at her.

“Sure.”

--

“So you're an only child?” Mitchie asked quietly as they strolled by the edge of the lake. The scenery was pretty, as the sun was setting, and the other campers were on their way to dinner as she and Shane were having their sudden heart to heart. But it wasn't like she wasn't enjoying herself, though. She was learning so much about him, and he about her, as well. She hadn't kept anything from him, and she was pretty sure he hadn't kept anything from her.

“Yeah, my dad's on the road a lot, he's a music producer. My mom used to be a backup singer for TJ Tyler, which is how I met Tess, at first. TJ was pretty bent on my dating her, but I didn't really like her.”

Mitchie questioned, “She did something to you, didn't she?” He flinched and looked at the ground.

“...you could say that.”

“Shane?” He glanced to her and saw that she had nothing but deep concern for him in her eyes. “What happened?”

He murmured, “Tess Tyler... cheated on me while I was her boyfriend. And from what I've heard, more than once. I guess I wasn't really good enough for her... I haven't dated anyone since then.” Mitchie furrowed her brow, looking upset and angry at the same time. Shane waved his hands around. “It's okay, Mitchie! Really, I'm over it now.” He smiled softly, and she felt her heart pound in her chest as he gently pushed her in arm. He said quietly, “I think I've found something else...”

She furrowed her brow. “What was that?”

Shane smiled and shook his head, and they sat in silence for a moment, smiling at each other. “Mitch!” They both glanced around and saw Nate hurrying up behind her. “Hey, come here, I gotta talk to you,” he said hurriedly, pulling her along by her arm. She tried to tug out of his grip, but he dragged her along and Shane was too shell-shocked to say anything about it.

“Nathan White, what the hell are you doing?” she demanded as he dragged her into Shane and Mitchie's cabin and licked the door behind him for some odd reason. But she vaguely realized that it was to keep Shane out should he shake himself out of his stupor. He rolled his eyes and pulled her small purse out from under her bed and shoved it into her arms.

He grumbled, “You've got a feminine problem you need to take care of.” Her eyes widened and she glanced around into the mirror, seeing a red spot blossoming on the back of her pants.

“Aw, man,” she grumbled, but Nate quickly spun her around to face towards the door as Shane ran into it, trying to open it. He was vaguely surprised at first to find that his cabin door was bolted shut. “Shane?” Mitchie said, walking over to the door to open it. Nate grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

He hissed into her ear, “You can't let him see your problem!”

“Nate! What are you doing to her?” Shane demanded, tugging on the door again. For a moment Nate paused, what Shane had said sinking into his consciousness. But he still wouldn't let go of her, so finally she decided to take everything into her own hands since these two boys were going to be completely ridiculous.

“Nate!” Mitchie finally shouted, startling them as she pulled herself out of Nate's grasp. “He knows!”

He looked shocked, choking out a disbelieving, “What?”

She rolled her eyes. “Shane already knows I'm a girl.” There was an awkward silence as Shane crossed his arms at the front of their cabin door, an eyebrow cocked. Nate unlocked it and the singer walked in, sighing as if a great injustice had been done to him. He slumped on a chair and glared at his best friend, indignant. He looked embarrassed and nervous, trying to make up for his mistake by profusely apologizing. “Now, if you two will excuse me,” she grumbled, “I have a feminine problem I need to attend to.”

Shane asked, “How did you manage it the first two months?”

She rolled her eyes. “I wasn't so used to being a boy then.” She stalked away with her bag as she hurried to the bathroom, glad it was dark and no one would see anything they didn't need to. Nate and Shane glanced to each other, silent for a long while. Shane already knew that Nate knew, but Nate didn't know that Shane knew. Until now that is.

“When did you find out?” Nate asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Shane scoffed. “I always knew,” he teased and Nate grimaced, not happy with the answer he was given. Shane smiled sheepishly at his expression and looked away, tapping his foot against this chair. “Yesterday,” he admitted, tilting his head to the side. Nate chuckled and gave Shane a weak smile.

“Sorry I never told you man,” he said apologetically. “I just... I didn't know how you would react. And Caitlyn and Mitchie really didn't want anyone else to know.” Shane nodded acceptingly, staring after where Mitchie had left. Nate examined his expression and gave him a sly expression. “You're in love.”

Shane nearly fell over at the statement. “Excuse me?” he asked in shock. Nate shook his head and looked away as the door opened again and Mitchie walked back in, wearing her pajamas.

“Oh, Nate, you're still here?” she asked with a smile, sitting next to Shane on his bed and pulling her legs up to her chest. “Have you and Shane gotten everything sorted out now?”

He grinned and winked at Shane. “I think I've given Shane a little to think on tonight, yeah.” He stretched his arms and walked over to the door. Glanced out he pulled the hood of his jacket over his head and sighed. “It's about to rain, keep your doors closed, guys.” And then he was gone, heading over the trail back to his own cabin. Mitchie stood up and hugged Shane, snuggling into her own covers, turning off her bedside lamp.

“Go to sleep,” she ordered gently. “You'll want to be rested for Picnic Jam tomorrow.” He nodded as he stared into the darkness, her face barely visible from the glow of the dim outdoor lighting.

AN: LOVEBUG JUST STOLE MY HEART ALL OVER AGAIN. It was the most amazing music video I've ever seen. I want to gush, but I'll save that for some other time. Camilla Belle is SO pretty, and the video was SO good.