A/N: HAPPY JONAS-PREMIERE DAY!! I wanted to get this out before the premiere, so I’ve been doing this instead of admissions essays and other things I should be doing instead! xD

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything. The restaurant is based off of a real restaurant in Hollywood and I don’t own it and some things might be different or wrong. So please don’t sue!

“You’re going on tour with Shane Gray!” My best friend slash co-song-writer slash producer Caitlyn exclaimed, as we ate lunch at Cucina’s, a really cool restaurant in Hollywood, owned by my uncle. I love it because the front is basically unmarked by anything but two beautiful, cottage-like wooden doors, but once you enter everything is dark and dimly lit with antique lamps and candles. It looks like you’ve just entered Italy: complete with balconies, flower boxes, ivy and a man singing and playing Italian songs live. It’s one of those places that’s you have to know about, or explore a lot of side streets to find and it’s dark enough that no one recognizes me.

Julia, my eight-year old cousin, always greets me when I walk in. It always takes non-regulars by surprise when they hear someone greet them and they look down to see an eight-year old hostess talking to them.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Nope!”

I squealed. “Eeeeeeee! Thank you, Caitlyn!” I went over and hugged by best friend.

Caitlyn and I have been best friends since we met at music camp when we were fifteen. Not that we’ve known each other a super-long time or anything- just four years- but I can attribute my entire career to her.

“When do we leave?” I asked excitedly.

“Three month. June first.”

“Eeeeeee!” I squealed again, which permitted me to several glaring faces from other customers.

I’m not a huge Shane Gray fan. He is a tabloid prince and he is a jerk to everyone. But he is really good for PR, which is why I’m going on tour with him.

“Whatcha screaming ‘bout, Mitchie?” Julia asks, her eyes wide.

“I’m going on tour with Connect Four!” I smile my signature grin.

“Zo-my-gosh! Shane Gray, as in Connect Three’s lead singer and Hott Tunes TV prince Shane Gray?” Julia yelled kind of loudly. But can you blame her?

“Julia, don’t blow out Mitchie and Caitlyn’s ears!” My Uncle Andreas, Julia’s dad and owner of Cucina laughed deeply, walking over to our table and setting down the best Cesar Salad in the entire world for me and pasta with marinara sauce and four enormous meatballs for Caitlyn.

“Don’t worry about it, Uncle Andre.” I laughed. “Is my Mom working today?”

“I think she’s over at the hardware store with your Dad.”

My dad’s parents owned the restaurant and my mom’s parents owned the hardware store. But my mom loved to cook, so she worked at the restaurant and my dad loved hardware, so he worked at the store. They met-, and well, the rest was history.

“Thanks. Cause I wanna tell her the news.”

“News? Boyfriend?”

“No… I’m still getting over Chad.”

“Jerk.” Julia mumbled.

“Language, Julia.” Uncle Andreas corrected.

Julia looked down at her shoes. “Sorry Papa.”

“MITCHIE!!” my Mom called. “I can’t believe that you didn’t tell me sooner!”

“Sorry. But in my own defense, I just found out!”

“It’s okay, sweetie.” I stood up and my mom squeezed me tightly. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks Mom.”

“So when do you start choreographing?”

“Monday.” Caitlyn responded.

“Eeee! I’m so proud of you!” Mom hugged me tightly again.

The next couple of months flew by. Between choreographing and learning all the routines and quick changes for my portion of the show and recording the last three songs for my album. The only thing that I had to do was learn and record the duet that I was doing with Shane for his album.

“Ugh. Where is he?” I exclaimed, very annoyed.

Shane was supposed to have met me here at the studio forty-five minutes ago!

“I just got a call from his manager, Paul Jonas.” Caitlyn looked up from her Sidekick. “Shane had an emergency and can’t make it. Jason and Nate will come instead.”

“Seriously? How arrogant can he be? Could he at least have the guts to call himself?”

Knock! Knock!

“Nate, can we go in?” A very soft, sweet sounding voice asked excitedly. “I’m excited to meet Mitchie!” he sounded like a young child giddy on Christmas.

“Okay, okay, Jason! Hold your horses!”

“MITCHIE!! HI!! I’m Jason!” an older looking boy grinned and buried me in an enormous bear hug.

“Hi Jason, it’s nice to meet you!” I smiled back. His smile was contagious.

“Hi, I’m Nate.” A younger looking boy smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too, Nate. Oh and this is Caitlyn.”

Nate looked down at his green converse nervously. Caitlyn smiled sheepishly back- completely un-Caitlyn-like!

“How come Shane couldn’t come? Why didn’t he even call?” I demanded to know. I mean, seriously, just because he’s uber-famous, does not make him higher than the “rest of us”!

Jason and Nate shared a nervous look.

“He-uh- had some personal issues come up.”

“Bad hair day?” I snickered.

Jason and Nate shared another nervous look.

I didn’t say anything else.

Four hours later, song practice was coming to an end.

“So remember you sing: This is real this is me! Then Shane sings: I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.” He told me, staring at Caitlyn.

“Got it!” I laughed.

“So next Saturday at 4AM. Here. Right?” Paul, Connect Three’s manager confirmed with my manager, Dani.

“Correct.” Dani batted her lashes.

The next week flew by.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! My alarm clock went off.

“Three fifteen AM… great!” I yawned and fell out of bed.

“Come on! We have to get going!” Caitlyn called giddily into my room.

“No!” I moaned, tangled in my sheets on the floor.

“Come on!” Caitlyn was too perky. This new Caitlyn (or love-Nate-stuck-Caitlyn) was wayyy to happy for her own good.

I untangled from my bed sheets and reached over to my nightstand ad grabbed by square black-rimmed glasses.

I looked down at my lavender and grey plaid pajama bottoms and grey tank top. I pulled on a sweater and shrugged. Shane could deal with my pajamas- he’d be seeing them for the next four months anyways.

Mom drove us to the studio and I partially fell out of the car- I was still pretty asleep.

“You hurted?” A little, high-pitched voice asked me.

I looked up.

No, I’m okay, sweetie. Thank you.”

“W’come.”

“Melody!” A male’s voice called. “Don’t go off like that!”

I looked up to see Shane and then over to the little girl. Then back at Shane and then back at the little girl.

Funny. I thought. They look related.