Very AU (Jake is just becoming a star when all of them are juniors in high school. He has a dark past and he is in love with Miley but he is afraid to tell her his secret.

There were secrets. So many secrets. Miley was in high school now and there was a new kid in town. He had just moved to California and he had gotten a role in a TV show called "Zombie High" and almost instantly he became famous. Miley assumed that since he was famous he was snobby. He would think he was the only famous person in school. How did he become famous this quick anyways? Miley held her books tightly but Jake bumped into her in the hallway and her books fell on the ground. Jake bent down to help her pick them up.

"Are you alright?" Jake asked, with a cocky smile.

"I was until you bumped into me," Miley said angrily. As Jake looked at Miley's Biology textbook he frowned. Miley wondered what was wrong. She had every right to be mad at him, after all.

But it wasn't only a frown. It was like half a frown, half a smile. '?????' is what was going on in Miley's head.

"What's wrong?" Miley asked.

For a moment Jake didn't respond. He just kneeled there gazing at the picture on the biology textbook.

"Oh," Jake said, "Nothing."

Usually, Jake seemed so snobby and lots of girls crowded around him and he bragged about himself and gloated, etc., like most stars do. But today he seemed different. Very different.

"You're lying," Miley said.

"No, I'm not," Jake said, stubbornly.

That night, when Miley was dressed as Hannah Montana, singing "The Best of Both Worlds", "This is The Life", and "I've Got Nerve", and dancing, she was still thinking about Jake.

Then she mentally slapped herself. She was supposed to hate him.

'But you don't even know him. How could you hate him?' her conscience argued with her.

'He was lying today. Maybe this whole time he's been lying. Maybe he only acts conceited because he doesn't get hurt,' her conscience continued.

'Shut up,' Miley thought to her conscience, 'Besides, he's hurting people.'

'No he's not,' her conscience retorted, 'and besides, he's hot.'

Before Miley could reply, her conscience said to Miley, 'And the way he frowned today, looking at your biology book….you did see that didn't you?'

'Shut up,' Miley thought to her conscience.

When she went off the stage, she bumped into Jake. "Hey, Hannah," Jake said. "Hey, Jake," Miley said, trying to put up a mask of her own…a mask of cheeriness.

They talked for a while, but it was only fidelities…mindless chatter.

The next day in school Jake was late to school and the teacher let him eat breakfast in class. It was so unfair.

In about a week Miley found out that Jake was starring in a movie and that Hannah was supposed to star in it also. And there was also some creepy woman who was starring in it.

Jake told Miley about this and he said for some reason that he couldn't be in the movie and he was afraid and he wanted to go far away.

"What's wrong?" Miley asked, "Why are you panicking, Jake?"

"I'm not panicking," Jake said stubbornly.

"Yes you are," Miley said.

"I don't want to be in the movie. It's just…."

"What?" Miley asked, looking straight in Jake's eyes. She saw something she never saw in Jake's eyes before. She saw some weird combination of fear and anger and shy determination. She saw hidden fiery.

"Umm….one of the actresses that is supposed to be in it kind of freaks me out," Jake said.

"Why?" Miley asked.

"Does it matter?" Jake asked, 'I don't want her to see me. I can't let her see me. I didn't even know she was acting…."

"You're panicking again," Miley said again, softly.

Miley continued. "Who is it that's freaking you out? Hannah Montana?"

Jake laughed a little. "No," he said, then with a somber voice, "Not Hannah Montana." Then he mumbled something he thought Miley wouldn't be able to hear. "I thought I'd be safe in California. I'm gonna have to…..no I can't….but I'll have to…."

"I heard that," Miley said softly, "I'm not deaf. What is it you're really panicking about?"

"Can I trust you?" Jake asked softly.

"Yeah, of course," Miley said.

"My past is sneaking up on me. I kinda had a dark past," Jake said, "But…but I thought it was over. I thought for once I could be almost normal. I could just put on a pair of shoes and play the part everybody wanted me to play….but now she's gonna find me again…."

"Who?" Miley asked.

"And she's gonna track down the guy who took me in. That boat owner whose dog I always fed and he let me use his boat…"

"What are you talking about? I'm confused," Miley said.

"I think I have to go back to that life," Jake mumbled.

"What life?" Miley asked. "Listen…" Miley started, "Just tell me. Just tell me quick and once it's out you'll feel better."

"No I won't," Jake said. "Listen, Miley…" he started, looking around to see if anyone else was listening. No one was. They were the only ones in the hallway. "If anyone asks you where I went, don't tell them. I was wrong to think this would work. Jake isn't my real name. I never even had a name, except for the one my sister gave me….." Jake trailed off.

"Where are you going?" Miley asked.

"Home," Jake said, "Where I belong." He paused, and then added, "Not here. I don't belong here. I'm sick and tired of playing the part. That evil woman thought she could follow me to California, and leave my sister's father….I need to go back and make sure my sister is alright….she helped me all those years it's the least I can do. And then I can live in the wild again. That's where I belong. I'm not Jake Ryan, Miley…and I'm sick of pretending to be." He took off his shoes and walked away but Miley chased after him.

"Wait," she said sympathetically, "Then who are you?"

He looked her in the eye. He decided to let her in.

"My sister calls me Mullet Fingers…."

And he ran off.

Miley wondered if she would ever see him again.

Because she knew one thing for sure.

She was in love.