Going Platinum, by Helen Perelman Read Free Book Online Page A

song, Mitchie,” Sander pointed out. “Why don’t you sing it your way and show Faye how its done?”
    Slowly, Mitchie lifted her head. She squinted across the lake, watching a group of ducks fly by. She loved this area of camp. Here, she could look out on the lake and get lost in the beauty of the place. This was where she had first thought of those lyrics for the song. She turned to face her friends.
    â€œI’ll think about it,” she said softly. A smile spread across her face. “But thanks,” she said. “You guys are the best.”
    â€œWell, Barron and I are,” Sander said, laughing. “And we are going to win the jam, make no mistake about that.”
    â€œOh, I don’t know,” Lola said, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I think that you guys have some pretty serious competition.”
    â€œYou know it!” Peggy cried.
    Mitchie looked down at her watch. Why was she forever running late? She had to get back to serve lunch. “I’ve got to go help out my mom,” she said. Once more she took off, leaving her friends standing on the path, watching her run away—again.
    T he rest of the afternoon was a blur for Mitchie. She went to Dee’s voice workshop and even got to do a little swimming. But no matter what she did to calm down, her mind was still reeling from the morning’s interaction with Faye.
    By late afternoon, the vibe of the camp changed once again. It seemed that everyone was rushing to take showers and get ready for the biggest party Camp Rock had ever seen. The energy in camp was on full power, and everyone was excited—everyone except Mitchie.
    She avoided the whole getting-ready prep time that the rest of the camp seemed to be thriving on. Instead, she headed down to the docks, hoping that the water would relax her like it usually did.
    As she walked along the wooden dock, she looked into the rowboats lined up in the water. The boats were all tied up, rocking gently with the motion of the lake. Inside the third one, Mitchie noticed a brown head of hair.
    â€œShane?” she asked.
    Shane popped up from lying on the bottom of the boat. He lifted his sunglasses and peered up at Mitchie.
    â€œHey there,” he said, smiling. “Fancy meeting you here.”
    â€œYou hiding out, too?” she asked.
    Shane sat up further. “Kinda,” he confessed. He swept his hand out in a grand, regal gesture. “Would you care for a ride, m’lady?”
    Mitchie giggled. “Why, yes, sir, I would love one.” She climbed into the rowboat and sat facing Shane.
    Rowing in a steady, rhythmic beat, Shane steered the boat out to the middle of the lake where it was quiet and still. He had gotten much better since the time on the lake when they’d gone canoeing. That time, they had ended up paddling in circles.
    When they reached the middle of the lake, Shane pulled the oars inside the boat and leaned back. The sun was setting, and Shane looked so cute in the soft hues of the late-day light.
    â€œSo, what happened with Faye?” he asked, cutting to the chase.
    â€œYou brought me out to the middle of the lake to ask me that?” Mitchie teased.
    â€œWell, if I didn’t, then you would have been able to walk away from me, right?” Shane replied, smiling. “Or Faye would have figured out a way to interrupt. Now you can’t escape. Smart thinking on my part, if I do say so myself.”
    Mitchie smiled. Sitting in the boat with Shane was the only place she wanted to be right now. She hadn’t realized how much she missed talking to him. “Well, it didn’t go so well,” Mitchie said. Then she blurted out, “She totally changed my song!”
    Shane shook his head. “Let me guess,” he said, “she just added some ‘Faye’ to it?” He cocked his head to the side and did an impression of Faye flipping her hair.
    They both laughed, and for