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good-bye to Peggy. Walking out of the dining hall, the girls ran right into a mob of reporters. Even though the party wasn’t until that evening, the press was getting a head start. Word of Faye’s early arrival had already leaked, and the whole vibe of the camp had changed. It was suddenly more red-carpet affair than down-home country living.
    Tess was standing under a tree, eagerly answering an interviewer’s questions. Where most of the campers seemed annoyed by the disruption, Tess soaked up the flash of camera bulbs like sunlight.
    â€œYes, it’s been great catching up with Faye,” Tess said to one reporter as Mitchie and Caitlyn walked by. “We’ve been friends for years.”
    Giggling, Caitlyn whispered to Mitchie, “Yeah, that’s why Faye hasn’t said a word to her since she arrived!”
    But Mitchie wasn’t paying attention to Tess and her phantom celebrity status; her eyes were focused on the center of camp, where she saw Connect Three being questioned by several reporters. When Shane saw Mitchie, he waved. But when he tried to get up, his manager gave him a stern look and he stayed in his seat.
    â€œI’ll meet you right here at the end of the class, okay?” Caitlyn said when they arrived outside Keynote, one of the camp’s rehearsal cabins. Mitchie had a guitar class while Caitlyn was heading off for an independent activity.
    â€œThanks,” Mitchie said. She was glad to have Caitlyn by her side. She had thought about going to talk to her mom, but Connie was so busy with the party preparations Mitchie hadn’t wanted to bother her. She would have to fill her in later. If Faye did want to buy the song, there was no way Mitchie would sell without her mom’s okay. Sighing, she entered the cabin. Maybe practice would take her mind off things—at least for a little while.
    As promised, Caitlyn was standing right outside Keynote when Mitchie came out.
    â€œCome on,” Caitlyn said, taking Mitchie’s hand. “Let’s go the back way. I can’t believe how many reporters are here. This place is crawling with them!”
    The girls went through the woods, quickly making their way to the cabin where Faye was rehearsing for her performance.
    â€œHow do you know where to go?” Mitchie asked, amazed that Caitlyn could find her way through the thick bushes and trees with no apparent path.
    â€œOne summer, I had a crush on this guy,” she said, giggling. “I used to spy on him! And this was the best, and fastest, route!”
    Sure enough, a bunk came into view on the left, right next to the rehearsal cabin where Faye was singing. Mitchie smiled.
    â€œNice work,” she said.
    When they walked inside, the girls heard Faye whining to Dean. “What is it with this place? Haven’t they heard of air-conditioning?”
    Mitchie laughed to herself. Maybe Faye and Tess were friends.
    â€œOh, great!” Faye shouted when she saw the two girls at the door. “You came! Dean, take the sheet music and see what we’ve got here. Joe, will you do a key check? And Steve, can you get Phil on the phone?”
    The shortest of the three men in black and dark glasses was apparently Steve. He walked over to Mitchie. “Hi,” he said. “Could you go ahead and sing the song again for us. I have to plug in Faye’s manager in New York. He wants to hear you sing it first.”
    â€œOh, um . . . Well, I . . .” Mitchie started to stutter. She was here to listen to an offer, not audition the song!
    â€œSure, she’ll be ready in a minute,” Caitlyn said, giving Mitchie a push toward the stage. “You can do this,” she assured her as Steve began dialing the number. “Consider it practice for tonight’s jam.”
    A moment later, Steve walked over to Mitchie. “Listen, can you hang out for a little bit? We’ve got to wait for Phil to get off a call. Shouldn’t be too