Rock Royalty by Kathryn Williams

shots.’”
    Mitchie was horrified. “What are they talking about?” she said, her mouth dropping open in astonishment. “ They gave me a hair and makeup team! I didn’t ask for one. And I said I didn’t care what kind of water I had.”
    She looked from Caitlyn and Lola to Sander and Barron. They shrugged. Mitchie kept reading: “‘Several campers commented on Torres’s divalike behavior. “Mitchie’s cool, but I guess you could say this concert’s kind of gone to her head,” one source told Celeb Beat . “I’m not sure why only Mitchie gets to perform,” said another camper, who requested anonymity. “She hasn’t even won a jam yet.” ’”
    Once again, Mitchie looked at her friends’ faces, wondering if any of them were the magazine’s “anonymous sources.” Tears filled her eyes.
    â€œI didn’t know it had gone to my head,” she said quietly, the tears falling down her cheeks and landing on the glossy pages of the magazine.
    â€œYou know how those things are,” Lola said, nodding at the magazine clutched in Mitchie’s hands. “They exaggerate everything.”
    â€œPeople get quoted out of context,” added Caitlyn, nodding.
    Mitchie sniffled. “Yeah, sure,” she said, dropping the magazine to the floor as she stood to go. She suddenly felt like being alone. The wave of excitement she’d been riding had come crashing down, leaving her drained.
    â€œI’ll catch you guys later,” Mitchie said, heading to her cabin.
    Once Mitchie was gone, Caitlyn turned to her friends. “Okay,” Caitlyn said urgently. “Who talked to the magazine? I know that Mitchie got wrapped up in the spotlight, but that’s no reason to go to the press.”
    â€œI didn’t!” Lola said, wide-eyed.
    â€œNot us,” insisted Barron and Sander.
    â€œThat’s just weird,” Caitlyn mused. “Because someone was talking, and Celeb Beat was listening.”

C HAPTER
N INE

    â€œL ook, Brown, we have a mole. A very well-informed mole. It’s your job to find out who it is before he—or she—does any more damage,” Tess demanded.
    Shane, Mitchie, Caitlyn, and Dee were in Brown’s office. At first, everyone started talking over each other. But, as usual, Tess had managed to make herself heard.
    â€œIt’s true, Uncle Brown,” Shane said. “How else would Celeb Beat find out all this inside information?”
    â€œBut who would it be?” Caitlyn asked.
    â€œI thought it might be you,” Tess said, nodding in Caitlyn’s direction. “Until I read the rest of the article. You wouldn’t say those things about Mitchie.”
    â€œThanks for the vote of confidence,” said Caitlyn. “But the only people I was talking to were from camp.”
    â€œMe, too,” Shane said. “Except for my publicist, my manager, and my agent. And Nate and Jason, of course.”
    â€œHow do we know it wasn’t one of them?” Tess asked. She was getting more and more worked up. “What if Nate and Jason planted the information with a reporter so you and Connect Three would get more press?”
    â€œEnough!” Brown interjected. “I understand this is frustrating . . . and frankly, I’m surprised Celeb Beat went ahead and printed those unauthorized photos and story in the first place.”
    â€œMaybe . . .” Tess started.
    â€œ But ,” Brown finished, cutting off Tess, “I will handle it.”
    â€œHandle it how?” she scoffed. “By sending out a press release?”
    â€œI said I’ll handle it, Tess,” Brown said firmly. “In the meantime, continue as you would.” His message delivered, he ordered them out of his office.
    â€œ ‘Continue as you would,’ ” Mitchie mimicked, rolling her eyes. “Like that’s gonna be easy, knowing