Going Platinum, Read online

  Copyright © 2008 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

  All rights reserved. Published by Disney Press, an imprint of Disney Book

  Group. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

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  Printed in the United States of America

  First Edition

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  Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008926333

  ISBN 978-1-4231-3252-3

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  CONTENTS

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  HIDDEN TRACKS

  CHAPTER

  ONE

  “Aloha! And welcome to the luau! I hope you all are ready for a fantastic night!” Brown Cesario cried. The director of Camp Rock stood on the stage in front of the lake, the summer sun setting behind him. Many of the campers were wearing grass skirts, and everyone wore a brightly colored plastic lei around his or her neck. Brown beamed as he inspected the crowd. Satisfied that everyone looked the part, he jumped off the stage. He had work to do.

  “Boy, Brown is taking this pretty seriously, huh?” Mitchie Torres said to her friend Caitlyn Gellar. The two were sitting on one of the benches near the stage. “He’s like a little kid at Halloween!” Mitchie eyed Brown’s bright pink and yellow Hawaiian shirt as he danced over to the food table.

  “Brown does love a good theme night,” Caitlyn said, grinning. “Last year, he wore a Frankenstein’s Monster costume for the annual Monster Mash. He painted his whole face green. It was awesome!”

  Mitchie smiled. Unlike Caitlyn, who had been lucky enough to come to camp before, this was Mitchie’s first summer at Camp Rock. But she already knew that Brown was wild enough to do something like dress up as a large, green monster.

  Mitchie’s smile grew even wider. She still couldn’t believe she was here! It had been a dream come true when her mom, Connie, had gotten a job as camp cook. It got even better when Brown asked Connie to stay for the camp’s second session. Mitchie would never have had such an amazing summer otherwise. She would not have met Caitlyn, Shane Gray, or all her other new friends. To Mitchie, helping out her mom in the kitchen was worth it.

  “Mmm,” Barron James declared as he walked over to the girls. “This is some pretty darn good cooking.” He was with his best friend and music partner, Sander Loya. Together they had a soulful sound that was always a hit at any jam session. “I am so grooving on this dinner!”

  Sander nodded in agreement. “And I’m so getting more!” he exclaimed, heading back over to the food table.

  Mitchie smiled. She had helped her mom prepare the big meal. Connie took pride in selecting a menu that fit each of Brown’s theme nights.

  “Isn’t this great?” Lola Scott asked, coming to stand between Mitchie and Caitlyn. She had a flower in her curly brown hair and a pink lei around her neck. “I love the tiki torches. It really feels tropical around here tonight.” She sang a few lines from a Bob Marley song for effect.

  When she stopped, Mitchie and Caitlyn stood up, and the three friends made their way over to where Brown was dancing.

  “Check out Brown’s moves!” Lola said. “He’s a real hula superstar!”

  The girls watched as he danced with Dee La Duke, their musical director. A circle had formed around the duo.

  Across the circle, Mitchie caught sight of Tess Tyler. The camp diva was in a shell-shaped bikini top and a real grass skirt. No way would she wear a plastic one, Mitchie mused as she watched Tess sway to the beat. At Tess’s side, as always, were Ella Pador and Lorraine Burgess, a new girl who had come at the start of Second Session. Lorraine had quickly become a part of Tess’s entourage. She had even moved into the Vibe Cabin after Mitchie moved out to stay in the Beat Cabin with Caitlyn.

  Suddenly, Peggy Dupree jumped into the circle to dance with Dee. Mitchie smiled to see her friend having so much fun. At Final Jam, Peggy had used her full name— Margaret Dupree—when she performed, and she had taken first place. Afterward, Peggy had walked away from being one of Tess’s backup singers. Peggy still lived in Vibe Cabin, but she had grown closer to Mitchie and Caitlyn.

  The dancing continued as Dee pulled Shane into the circle. Mitchie giggled. Shane was a guest instructor and the resident star of Camp Rock. He was also the lead singer of Connect Three, a band that was steadily climbing the pop charts. Mitchie laughed as she watched Shane try to hula. His cheeks flushed red under his thick, dark hair. But he looked relaxed—and not at all like a stuck-up rock star.

  That hadn’t always been true. Earlier in the year, Shane had thrown a fit about a wrong coffee order on a photo shoot. The incident had made entertainment headlines. Shane’s label had sent him to Camp Rock to mellow out for the summer. Not only was Brown his uncle, but the camp was where he had gotten together with Jason and Nate, his Connect Three bandmates.

  Shane had hated the idea of dropping out of the A-list scene for the summer, but the hiatus had served him well. The press on Connect Three was once again more about their music than about the spoiled behavior of their lead singer. And Shane had really been getting back to his roots, partly by working as a guest instructor and partly because he had started hanging out with Mitchie.

  As Shane moved his hips the way Dee demonstrated, he caught Mitchie’s eye. “C’mon, Mitchie,” he called. He flashed her one of his megawatt smiles. “Let’s see your moves!”

  Mitchie tried not to groan. Performing in front of a crowd was still hard for her. She was better at singing or composing music alone in her cabin. Slowly, very slowly, she was getting more comfortable performing in front of people. But dancing the hula? That was pushing it!

  Still, it was hard not to get caught up in Shane’s enthusiasm. She joined him, her grass skirt swishing back and forth as she attempted to do the dance.

  “Nice!” Shane called out approvingly. “You’ve got the beat!”

  Soon, almost everyone was moving. Colby Miller grabbed Caitlyn’s hand, and the two of them danced in the middle of the circle. Like Lorraine, Colby had first come to camp for Second Session. He had quickly become friends with Mitchie and, eventually, with Caitlyn, too.

  “Nice moves,” Caitlyn teased him now.

  Colby laughed, his eyes twinkling. “Thanks. Hey, rumor has it that Brown is making an announcement tonight. Have you heard anything?”

  “You never know what Brown has up his sleeve,” Caitlyn said, grinning.

  “I know!” Colby agreed. “Well, whatever it is, I can’t wait to hear.”

  Tess, who had been dancing nearby, joined in their conversation. “Maybe we’re finally getting air-conditioning in the bunks,” she said, fanning herself. “I requested that last summer, and I am still waiting.”

  “With all the hot air she spouts, it’s no wonder she needs AC!” Caitlyn whispered in Colby’s ear.

  Just because her mother wa
s T. J.Tyler, the award-winning singer, Tess thought everyone should treat her like a star, too. But Caitlyn had learned not to play those games with Tess a couple of summers ago.

  When Mitchie first arrived at Camp Rock, Caitlyn had tried to warn her about Tess. But Mitchie hadn’t listened. Instead, to impress Tess, she told everyone that her mother was a big music-television executive. Tess dropped her in a flash once the truth came out. Caitlyn almost had, too. It had taken her some time to forgive Mitchie for lying, but things were back on track.

  Turning now to Tess, Caitlyn said, “I don’t think that air-conditioning is the big news. But it looks like we’re about to find out what is.”

  Brown and Dee had walked onto the stage, where a microphone was set up. Holding up his hands, Brown signaled for everyone to be silent. Caitlyn, Colby, Shane, and Mitchie moved closer so they could hear the evening’s announcements.

  “Is everyone having a good time?” Brown shouted. The crowd cheered loudly, and he grinned. “You know, this reminds me of the time when I was on tour in Hawaii with the Stones,” Brown began.

  Rolling her eyes, Caitlyn sighed. “Here we go again!” Brown loved to tell stories about when he had hung out with famous rock bands. Sometimes he went on and on, and Caitlyn was grateful when she saw Dee give Brown a gentle poke on the shoulder.

  “But first, let’s get through the announcements,” Brown said, taking the hint from Dee. “All those in Dee’s dance class, please make sure to pick up your practice CD from Keynote tonight.” Brown read a few more items from his clipboard. Then he looked up and glanced around at the campers. “And now, I have a very special announcement.” He extended the moment with a long pause to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “This afternoon, I got some amazing news.”

  “It better be air-conditioning,” Tess said under her breath.

  “I got a call from Shane’s manager,” Brown went on. “And he told me that Connect Three’s new album . . . just went platinum!”

  The camp erupted in cheers and claps as everyone strained their necks to try and spot Shane.

  For a moment, Shane just stood there, a big grin on his face. Then he picked up Mitchie and twirled her around in a circle. “I can’t believe it!” he cried.

  “That’s incredible!” Mitchie exclaimed happily.

  “Congratulations, Shane,” Tess said, squirming her way in between Mitchie and Shane. “This is the big time. Really cool.”

  “Sorry the news isn’t cooler for you, Tess,” Caitlyn said sweetly. “Guess you’ll have to keep waiting for that air-conditioning.”

  Tess was about to retort but thought better of it. Turning on her flowered flip-flops, she walked off to find Ella and Lorraine.

  Up on the stage, Brown was trying to get everyone quiet again. “Wait, there’s more!”

  The crowd hushed and waited for Brown to continue.

  “In addition, the record company is so pleased with Shane’s new positive press and what Camp Rock has done for him . . .” Brown went on.

  “Camp Rock rocks!” someone cheered from the crowd.

  Brown smiled. “. . . Which is why we’re going to host an all-star record party for Connect Three here—at camp—this Friday night!”

  The screams were deafening. Everyone began jumping around and cheering. Swept up in the excitement, Shane said good-bye to Mitchie and moved through the crowd to find his uncle.

  “Can you believe this?” Caitlyn cried. “This is going to be awesome! Think of all the stars who will come here to party with Connect Three!”

  “I guess,” Mitchie said uncertainly. As she watched, Shane was swarmed by everyone trying to congratulate him. Mitchie knew she should be excited and happy for Shane, but she was nervous. Sharing Shane with the world outside of camp was one thing, but having his star friends and the press come inside camp was a whole other story.

  CHAPTER

  TWO

  The next morning camp was still buzzing about the big news. Rumors of who would be on the guest list were running wild, and Shane was bouncing around, happier than Mitchie had ever seen him. The old Shane would have never agreed to a party in the middle of the woods, but the new Shane seemed happy that the party was coming to him on his own turf.

  Inside the kitchen, Mitchie and Caitlyn were working. “Would you cut up those oranges over there?” Mitchie’s mom, Connie, asked the girls.

  Caitlyn’s kitchen duty for the summer was officially over. But she liked hanging out with Mitchie and her mom, so she helped out whenever she could. And the extra cookies she could always snag were a perk.

  “Hey, ladies!” Brown called as he entered the kitchen. “How is everyone?”

  Connie placed the fruit that was on her cutting board in a bowl and gave Brown a smile. “We’re platinum, I hear.”

  “Indeed we are,” Brown said with a laugh.

  “Have you thought about what we’re going to serve all these city folks when they arrive?”

  Mitchie was sure that her mom had been tossing and turning all night thinking about what she was going to serve at the party. Connie would like the event to be extra-special for Shane. Plus, she would want to make a good impression on all the visitors.

  “I’m working on it,” Connie said, trying to sound confident.

  “Morning!” Dee sang as she waltzed into the kitchen. “I had to get my early cup of java.” She headed over to the coffeemaker. “Connie, big plans for the party?”

  As if her mom needed any more pressure! Mitchie watched as the line on her mother’s forehead deepened.

  “No worries,” Connie told her, now trying to sound confident and calm. “We’ll think of something. We always do.”

  Dee nodded. Turning, she looked at Brown. “Friday is the annual B’s Jam. You sure you want to share the spotlight?”

  “What’s B’s Jam?” Mitchie asked before Brown could answer.

  “Only one of the highlights of Second Session,” Caitlyn explained. “Friday is Brown’s birthday, and every year we celebrate the big day with B’s Jam. Four songs are picked to be performed. All original. All unplugged. No bands, no synthesizers.” Caitlyn made a face. “Not my thing.”

  Caitlyn was all about her computer when it came to music. Her dream was to be a producer, taking a song and making it stronger with her laptop. With a few keystrokes, Caitlyn could change the sound of the music. She was really good. But she was definitely not a fan of unplugged—unless running her laptop on battery and Wi-Fi qualified.

  “I was thinking, this year, I can pick the top four songs during Shane’s songwriting session,” Dee continued, still not letting Brown speak. “Those performers will go on to sing at the jam, and then the audience picks the winner.”

  Brown waved a hand in the air. “Of course we should still do the jam,” he said. “We’ll just make sure it’s over before the platinum party starts.”

  “Great!” Dee exclaimed. “Then it’s all set!” She stood up and grabbed her mug of coffee. “And one more thing,” she said. “I think that we should spruce up the place a bit today, don’t you? Lots of people are coming, and the outside of the theater could use a paint job.”

  Brown nodded. “Good thinking, Dee. Sure. Get the troops on that this afternoon.” He gave Dee a pat on the back. “Free publicity is always good for business!”

  After Brown and Dee walked out, Mitchie turned to Caitlyn. “Do you think I have a chance of winning B’s Jam? I haven’t won a jam yet this summer!”

  “It’s practically made for you,” Caitlyn said. “But they have to be all new songs, so you better get writing.”

  “I’m sure Shane’s songwriting session tomorrow is going to be packed, huh?” Mitchie asked. Anyone who wanted to sing in the jam would probably be there.

  Nodding her head, Caitlyn agreed. “You have to stay focused and not worry about everyone else. I bet you have a few surprises locked up in your song journal.”

  Mitchie nodded. Her journal was not just filled with daily events and drawin
gs like some other people’s. It was mostly filled with lyrics, music notes, and uncompleted phrases. Hopefully the contents would inspire her to write one of her best songs yet.

  “I really want to do this,” Mitchie said to Caitlyn and her mom.

  “Then you will,” Connie replied, giving her daughter a hug. “And I’m not just saying that because I’m your mom.” She grinned at her own catchphrase. “Now go eat your fruit and pancakes with the rest of the rock stars.”

  After breakfast was over, Dee roped in most of the campers to help out with painting the theater. Out of the corner of her eye, Mitchie saw Shane check out the scene. He quickly ducked behind a bush, hoping to sneak by. But Dee saw him, too. Caught, Shane walked up and Mitchie handed him a brush and a bucket of paint.

  “Thanks,” he said. He dipped the brush in the bucket, swishing the paint around. “I think this party is going to be really cool. Definitely different than the typical record-label parties.”

  “That’s for sure,” Mitchie said, dipping her own brush into the paint.

  “I heard that all the top producers and stars are coming,” Tess said, approaching Shane and Mitchie. Ella and Lorraine trailed behind her. Tess held a small bucket of paint with one finger, a look of disgust on her face. She couldn’t believe she was painting! At home, there were people to do that for her. Sighing, she went on. “My mom would totally be here, Shane, but she’s in Europe right now.”

  Mitchie knew what was coming. Tess was about to go on and on about all her best friends in the business who would be coming to see Shane . . . and her, of course. Tess didn’t disappoint.

  “My mother said that Lily Rain is planning to attend,” Tess boasted, talking about another big star. “And if Lily comes, then I am sure Zack Beslow will come, too.” Tess fanned herself with her hand. “He was at one of my birthday parties, you know.”

  “I actually don’t think those guys are coming,” Shane said, unaffected by Tess’s report. “Lily and Zack would break out in hives if they had to be out of the city lights for more than an hour.” He laughed. “But my manager is stoked with the responses he has gotten. He says that it’s gonna be a huge party.”