Read Online Rock Royalty by Kathryn Williams - Free Book Online Page B

be.”
    Colby watched Mac as he walked to stand in front of the fire, before the campers. Shane was also watching, wondering what Mac was up to.
    Brown stood next to Mac and waited for the campers to take their seats and get quiet. Finally, the only noise was that of the crickets and a few motorboats on the lake.
    â€œBefore we start the traditional jamboree,” Brown said, “Mac would like to share something with all of us. I hope you’ll hear him out.”
    Brown went to sit next to Dee. Mac cleared his throat. His heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.
    â€œHey, y’all,” Mac started. Everyone stared at him, confused. This was unusual. “I know some of you were upset with the recent article in Celeb Beat about the School Rocks concert. It wasn’t the most flattering—or even accurate—article. And some of you have been concerned that the magazine had an undercover reporter here at Camp Rock.”
    Mac took a deep breath and looked at Caitlyn as he made his confession. “That reporter was actually me.”
    Campers gasped and everyone started whispering excitedly. There had been a mole after all! Caitlyn’s jaw dropped. Mitchie was confused, and Shane was angry. Colby’s face was impassive.
    Now that the initial confession was out, the rest of the words came easier. “I came to Camp Rock to report for Celeb Beat from the inside,” Mac said, speaking up to be heard over the commotion. “I want—or wanted—to be a rock journalist. But I didn’t anticipate how it would make people feel to have their friend reporting on them. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings by writing about you behind your backs.”
    A couple campers, including Barron and Sander, started booing from the crowd. But Brown quickly came to stand next to Mac.
    â€œAll right now,” Brown said to the crowd. “Mac has said he’s sorry and assured me that he has done the last of his reporting as a Camp Rock correspondent.” Mac nodded heartily in confirmation. “I think we can chalk this up to another lesson learned about the business of rock and roll and let bygones be bygones. Now, on with the jamboree!”
    Two campers took Mac and Brown’s spot in front of the bonfire. Giggling, they proceeded with their new camp song about fishing.
    Mac headed back to where he’d been sitting. Tess met him halfway, trailed by Ella and Lorraine. “So, you’re the mole?” Tess said, glaring at Mac.
    Mac hung his head. “I was the mole. Like Brown said, I’ve reported my last story from Camp Rock. I’m sorry, Tess.”
    â€œWell,” Ella said, seeing how sorry Mac really was and trying to look on the bright side, “if it weren’t for you, there might not have been any article in Celeb Beat about Tess. You know what they say, ‘any press is good press.’”
    Tess shrugged. “The pictures were good. And my mom said Teen Weekly magazine has already called her to do a mother-daughter interview with us. So I guess I owe you that. . . .”
    Mac brightened at that news. Maybe there was a chance for forgiveness after all. But Shane was storming up, and he did not look very sympathetic.
    â€œWhat were you thinking, Mac?” Shane asked angrily. “You really hurt Mitchie’s feelings with all that stuff you wrote.”
    Mitchie was behind Shane. “Shane,” she said, putting her hand gently on his shoulder. “It’s okay. It did hurt my feelings, but what Mac reported was true. I did get carried away with all the attention and the royal treatment. I was being a diva. You even said so yourself.”
    â€œI was joking,” Shane argued. “And I didn’t publish it for the whole world to read.”
    â€œYeah.” Mitchie shrugged. “But like Tess said the other day, that’s just the other side of being famous. It’s part of the bargain. You, of all