Chapter 1: Friends
I sat on the couch on the living room and flipped on the TV. Jake had been gone for three months, 3 weeks, and 6 days… not that I was counting or anything.
During those nearly four months, I start high school. Good news, Mr. Corelli transferred over to Seaview High and is now one of my teachers. Bad news, Ms. Kunkle, one of Jackson's teachers last year, moved down from teaching tenth grade, to teaching ninth grade, and guess what? She is also one of my teachers, and let me tell you something, I'm positive that she's holding a grudge on Jackson. Guess who she takes it out on, me! Switching back to good news, I have Lilly and Oliver in those classes.
Jackson made an interesting new friend named Thor. I think he said he was from Minnesota. I never found out what happened to Copper, though I think he and his family moved to where his sister Olivia lives, where ever that is.
It's Sunday afternoon. I was just talking to Lilly, and she's coming over so we can go to the beach. I flipped to another channel and kept it there when I was it was a talk show and Jake was on it.
"Hi I'm Yvette Cairo and we're live in New York with Jake Ryan!" the audience applauded. "So Jake, we've all heard that you were in Romania filming a movie for the past four months. What was that like?" Yvette asked.
"Well, it was totally different from working on Zombie High back in Malibu. There was different people, different set, and a different plot. It was lots of fun, but I missed my friends in Malibu."
"That's right," Yvette said. "Not long before you started the movie, you were in public school in Malibu. How was that?"
"It was a experience that's totally different from home schooling. I would walk into a school filled with students and teachers that are my fans."
"So when are you going back to Malibu?"
"I'm leaving for Malibu today," Jake said. "And I'm starting high school tomorrow."
I screamed and jumped of the couch as if it were on fire. I run over to dad, who was in the kitchen. "Jacob is coming back tomorrow! Jacob's coming back tomorrow!!!" I shout while jumping. Dad didn't seem happy… actually, he seemed sad.
"Miles…" he said quietly. I stopped jumping and calmed down once I noticed his tone. "You can't be with Jacob."
"Why?!" I cried.
"Well, let's start with this…" dad said. "What's the purpose of Hannah Montana?"
"To let me be a normal kid and so I won't get attacked by fans and paparazzi like Jacob does," I said. I could answer this question in my sleep.
"And if you hang out with Jacob…" dad said. I saw were he was going.
"I'd get attack by Jacob's fans and paparazzi…"
"Right… so I think that maybe you guys shouldn't really hang out…" dad said, not really suggesting, but ordering.
"Oh…" I said sadly. What was I supposed to say? 'Dad, that's so unfair!'? It's not like he wants things to be like this. Just then, the phone rang. I went over and answered. "Hello?" I said, still in my sad tone.
"Hey Miley, it's Lilly," she said, not noticing my sad tone. "I have to cancel the beach plans. My grandparents surprised us with a visit just now. What about later?"
"Na," I said. "I'll just see you at school tomorrow."
"Alright then. Bye."
"Bye."
I hung around my room the rest of the afternoon. That is, until Jackson came in after he came home from work.
"Hey Miley." he walked in while I was watching TV and lying on my bed. I turned it off and sat up, giving him some acknowledgement.
"Hey Jackson."
"How was your day?" he questions as he sat down on my beanbag.
"Why'd ya ask?" I question in a tone that matched his.
"Dad said you spend the whole afternoon in your room."
"Did he tell you anything else?"
"No…" Jackson said.
"So I'm guessing he didn't tell you that Jacob's coming back tomorrow."
"Jacob's coming back tomorrow?!" Jackson exclaimed in the same tone of excitement I was using a few hours ago.
"I'll take that as a no…" I mumbled.
"He's coming back tomorrow?" he asks for reassurance. I nodded. "Awesome! But wait, that doesn't make any sense. Why have you been in your room all afternoon?"
"Dad said we shouldn't be together because I'll get attacked by paparazzi and get publicity."
"Harsh," Jackson says sympathetically.
"I know!" I exclaim. "This is so unfair."
I wasn't exactly excited for tomorrow. I hadn't even been able to go on a date with Jacob. I mean, sure, I was his girlfriend in the sixth grade, but we never really went on a date. We were usually busy with musical rehearsals, and afterwards, I wasn't the same. What do you expect? My mom died the night of that musical.
The next day, Monday, Jackson and I left to school early. I was hoping to catch Lilly or Oliver before school starts. After Jackson parked the car, we went our separate ways. Luckily, I saw Lilly in the practically empty halls. She was putting her skateboard in her locker, which is next to mine. Oliver's locker is also close by.
"Lilly!" I called. She turns and smiles.
"Hey Miley."
"I have bad news," I said. Her smile faded away.
"What's wrong?" I tell her the whole Hannah-paparazzi-publicity problem in a whisper.
"You have to break up with him?!" Lilly exclaims.
"Shh!" I said. The halls had began to get more crowd after I got here. I turned to see that we had gotten the attention of most the people in the hall. "What? Don't you people have lives?!" I ask the people in the hall. Once they turned away, I continued, quietly I might add. "Yes Lilly, I have to break up with him."
"Why?" Oliver questioned as he appeared from behind me.
"Ugh, Oliver, my dad doesn't want me getting publicity," I said, frustrated.
After I finished that sentence, a large group of people was entering the hall. Girls screamed their shrilly screams. Guys repeatedly asked him to do the line.
Yes, Jake Ryan has entered the building.
"Hey Jake!" girls from last year's class called, trying to get with Jake. Ones that weren't at Seaview Middle School last year, were new to having a teen heartthrob in their school. Those were the ones that shouted things like, "Oh my gosh! You're Jake Ryan!"
"People, people," Jake said in his superior superstar voice. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to my friends." The large group glared at us. Ouch.
He walked over to us and hugged me first. He also gave me a peck on the cheek, which made me feel guilty since I was about to break up with him. Next, he hugged Lilly, and man-hugged Oliver.
"How have ya guys been?" Jake asked.
"Good," I said.
"Yeah, good" Lilly said immediately after me.
"Very good," Oliver said quickly after Lilly. Have I mentioned the Lilly and Oliver weren't very good at lying or keeping secrets? Well, other then my Hannah secret that is. Jake eyed us suspiciously.
"Jacob, there's something I need to tell you…" I said.
"What is it, Mile?"
Lilly and Oliver left, sensing that I wanted to tell him alone. Once they were out of sight, I got nervous. What if he gets mad? I still want to be friends; I just can't hang out too much…
"Jacob, I… I can't be your girlfriend."
He stared at me for a moment, before choking out a, "why?"
"This is different from sixth grade, you're a star now. I can't be getting publicity, I'm sorry," I explain.
"But I could-," Jake said before I cut him off.
"Can we just be friends?"
He looked like he was thinking about, and then he quietly replied, "yeah… friends."