Disney gave us a very nice, clear-cut, obvious pairing to root for. So I'm going to not do that and make them all angsty and wrong instead.

Disclaimer: I don't own Camp Rock or any of its characters. The fact that the bathing suit-lake scene was only 30 seconds long is a testament to that.

Looks Like We Haven't Learned a Thing

"I thought I could find you here."

Shane Gray had a very distinctive voice. Even if Nate had not been hearing it constantly for the last three years, he would have known it immediately. The additional exposure only enhanced it. He knew even from the other room that the dulcet tones ringing through a backstage prep room could only be those of Shane Gray.

"Why would you even be looking for me?" a high, shaky voice responded. It took Nate a moment to place it. Part of it was shock: the voice was not sucking up. The only people who spoke to Shane Gray with any sort of emotion other than worship or adoration were either in Connect 3 or blood related to him. This girl sounded irritated, to say the least. Going further back in his memory, his mind conjured up images of blonde hair and plastic smiles and excessive sequence and he almost gasped.

Tess Tyler had been at Camp Rock for a long time. Most of the campers were. Those who did not receive a miraculous big break, like Connect 3 had, spent years at the camp honing their skills. Success was inevitable for all of them, but they were not all on a fast track like Nate and his friends. Tess had been a camper when they still attended. He certainly remembered Tess Tyler.

"You haven't talked to me all summer." Shane stated. Nate frowned. He remembered that back in their Camp Rock days—God, it seemed so long ago. The years after had been a whirlwind—when Shane wasn't spending his time with Nate and Jason, he was always with Tess Tyler. The two were inseparable, the only match for each other's competitive drive, natural talent, and overwhelming confidence. When they weren't rehearsing or in class, if Nate needed to find Shane, he could always find him sitting around the lake giggling with Tess.

Even after they had gotten their big break, they still saw Tess every once in a while. With a mother like TJ Tyler, Tess was something of a fixture in the Hollywood scene. Nate hadn't come in contact with her much at all, and that was intentional. Something about the girl had always irked him, but Shane had liked her. Maybe a little too much. There were many days when their tour bus was delayed or their concerts began late because Tess was in the vicinity and Shane had disappeared once again.

"Cut the shit, Shane. You didn't take any of my calls all year and you spent the entire summer ignoring me and running around like a doofus with the poor liar girl."

"I was trying to reinvent my sound. This has been a bad year for me," Shane said. It was the first time Nate had heard him admit as much. Shane Gray had certainly made a lot of mistakes, but he was also not one to shoulder blame. Nate had assumed that after Shane reattached his head to his shoulders, he and Jason would be expected to take him back wordlessly. And they would. That was what they did for their friend.

"I know. I get the tabloids," Tess replied. Nate imagined her snarling and silently laid down his guitar and crept toward the door. He had to know if the mental picture he was conjuring looked anything like the reality. Tess Tyler sat in a chair in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chin. Her eyes were wet and so red they looked painful, black smears around their edges. Shane stood hesitantly in front of her, a safe four feet between them. His face looked anxious but eager, retaining that same happiness Shane always exhibited when he was around the two things he enjoyed—music and Tess Tyler.

"I know you do. You've been carrying around that silly magazine with the quizzes inside. So tell me, are you excited about being Shane Gray's type?" he teased.

"Don't make fun of me. I'm pissed at you and I'm in the middle of having the worst day of my life. I can't believe I just made such a fool out of myself. I always see my mom on the phone. It's not like it's news that she doesn't give a shit about me. What did I even trip over? Air?" Tess railed, displaying a level of self-loathing that Nate was astonished could come from someone who seemed so pleased with herself. "That was ridiculous. I looked like an idiot."

"You looked beautiful," Shane intoned, stepping closer to her. "And you messed up, but its fine. You're going to be a huge star one day and your mom will have to beg your manager to pencil her in."

"Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? I've seen those looks you've been giving me—like you don't even know me," Tess asked suspiciously. Nate was equally curious.

"It's been a weird summer," Shane shrugged easily. He ducked toward her and his face was level with hers when Tess shoved at his chest.

"You have Mitchie now," Tess frowned. Nate did too. Mitchie was obviously the name of the girl with the voice, the one whose appearance after Final Jam had stirred something in Shane.

"You're still my favorite girl," Shane smiled. Tess allowed him to kiss her then and Nate turned away silently. There was only so much he wanted to know about his band mate. He dropped back into his seat and began to tune his guitar when a girl appeared in the doorway.

"Hi! You're Nate, of course. I'm Mitchie. Shane maybe mentioned me? I don't know. But I obviously know who you are, because you're Nate from Connect 3 and you're totally awesome. Sorry, anyway… have you seen Shane? He asked me to go for a canoe ride with him but he wasn't by the lake."

Hesitantly, Nate laid aside the instrument that was practically part of his body. The girl—Mitchie—looked confused and kind and hopeful. He sighed and thought of all the ways that he could get her away from backstage without actually telling her where Shane had disappeared to. The job of ditching Shane's playthings had always fallen to him—Jason was too spacey to remember the task at hand, Shane was too much of a jerk to let them down easily. He ran a hand through his hair and could have sworn he heard a faint moan from the other room. Mitchie stared at him expectantly and he sighed when he realized that not that much had changed after all.