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Title: Sidelines
Pairing: Naitlyn (Nate / Caitlyn)

Author: DramaticStarlet / Katie Lynn
A/N: Yes, okay, I have this thing where I love writing angst involving sidekicks. It's an unhealthy obsession. And Naitlyn angst sounded like fun...

I have some other Caitlyn stuff coming up. I think I like her more than Mitchie, to be frank. I have a random little Shane/Caitlyn thing I'd like to try, plus maybe some Barron/Caitlyn or Sander/Caitlyn. I'm not sure yet. I just have this intense urge to explore her character...

OH! There's a little bit of Ness (Nate / Tess) in this fic, for Cadence. LOL, I needed a girl, and she mentioned liking Nate and Tess together, so I decided on using Tess. Woo.

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Nate Gray and Caitlyn Gellar had a nasty habit of staying on the sidelines of things.

Caitlyn was a producer, behind the scenes. When she got older, she'd never be able to step into the studio. She was kind of okay with that; maybe she could end up world-famous like Timbaland or something.

Or, you know...not.

Nate Gray was a back-up singer and a back-up guitarist. He wished so badly that he could sing an entire song by himself, like Shane. He wished even more that he could play more than just second string to Jason's lead guitar. Maybe someday...

But probably not.

As Caitlyn Geller looked across the room during Farewell Jam, she couldn't help but feel a little sad and a lot resentful.

Nate Gray was sitting at a table with Tess Tyler. She was gushing animatedly – something about going on tour with her mother – and showing off her flamboyant orange mini-dress.

'Orange is Nate's favorite color,' Ciatlyn mused to herself, rolling her eyes slightly, 'Tess is trying way too hard. She looks like an overgrown tangerine.'

Caitlyn knew that orange was Nate's favorite color because he'd told her, not because she read all about it in TeenZine mag.

Tess didn't look like an overgrown tangerine; she looked stunning, though Caitlyn would never admit that to herself. She was much too stubborn.

Caitlyn looked down at her own attire and sighed. A t-shirt, shorts, and bright green Converse. Nothing special.

She watched Nate's face, mesmerized by his physical perfection in comparison to her own mediocrity.

He was looking at Tess intensely, nodding his head every so often. But he didn't smile once, didn't even crack a grin when Tess started laughing outrageously, as thought what she'd said was the funniest thing on Earth.

Caitlyn just stared, her fists clenching together when Tess whispered something quite flirtatiously into his ear. Nate simply blushed and looked down.

"C.G., my main girl, how's it hanging?" Sander, one of her best friends, smiled, plopping down next to her at the table she sat at.

"Pretty low," Caitlyn sighed, shaking her head.

"Hey, hey, that's not the Cait G. I know talking. Tell me what's up and maybe I can help," Sander said.

"It's not anything. I'm just kinda sick of being second best, you know?"

"C, I'm gonna give it to you straight, 'cause from the daggers you're giving Tess, I know what's really going down. Look, you're pretty, mad sick with a keyboard, and funny as heck. If that dude Nate don't see you're the coolest chick from here to Chile, he ain't worth it," Sander reasoned, more serious than usual.

"Thanks, Sander. You're the best, you know that?" Caitlyn said, giving Sander a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Well, now that you mention it," the dark-skinned boy smirked as he popped the color of his shirt.

Caitlyn just smiled, pretending to watch Lola dance with Ella and a few other girls to "Amazed" by Vanessa Anne something. Caitlyn had always been bad with names.

Even though Sander had made her feel a little bit better, she couldn't help but be completely and totally envious of Tess Tyler.

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Meanwhile, as Caitlyn sat stewing, Nate Gray sat enduring the absolute agony it was talking to Tess Tyler.

When Tess looked away every so often, Nate would cast glances over in Caitlyn's direction, hoping to catch her wandering eyes.

'This is like Chinese water torture,' Nate thought at Tess talked about going on tour with her mother that winter.

Nate couldn't stand talking to Tess. She was just so overbearing and her personality just...bothered him.

Caitlyn, on the other hand, didn't bother him at all. She was chill and friendly and could keep up with his witty banter. She was a lot like Nate, actually, but prettier.

Jealousy ran fluidly through him when he saw Sander sitting next to Caitlyn at a table out of the corner of his eyes.

"Mom said we might be getting Hannah Montana to go on tour with us – isn't that the coolest? I never thought I'd benefit from my mom going out on one date with Hannah Montana's dad!" Tess giggled, twirling a lock of blonde hair.

Nate nodded, hoping he looked at least semi-interested in what she was saying.

In his head, he was silently comparing himself to Sander.

Okay, so Sander was a great dancer. Nate couldn't dance to save his life, save for moonwalking.

Sander's mom was a Brazilian supermodel. Nate's mom was a cashier at a convenience store. Nate wasn't even his mom's favorite kid. Shane was the apple of her eye, and Jason owned her heart...Nate had yet to find out what he was. So he was even third best in his own family!

Sander always got a good part in his and Barron's reggaeton jams. Nate usually just sang back-up and played the supporting part to Jason's lead guitar.

So it was kind of understandable why Caitlyn would choose Sander over Nate.

'I'm always second best,' Nate thought dejectedly, suddenly uninterested in any form of communication (with Tess or anyone else).

"Tess, I'll be right back. I'm gonna go outside for some air," he said.

"Is something wrong?" Tess asked.

Nate just nodded in reply as he slogged out of the room, feeling like the smallest person on Earth.

He maybe have been in the biggest pop/rock group of the decade, but he was totally, completely, and utterly jealous of Sander's relationship with Caitlyn.

And no one else knew it but him.

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Yeah, get the irony? Sorta sad irony, too...

Obviously Caitlyn and Nate have very low self images, at least with some things. They are important, and I love them, but it was integral part of this fic that they didn't realize how much people actually NEED them. So don't go yelling at me or anything.

Please review with more than "so sad/so cute!" or "i loved it," thanks!