Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Spur of the moment kinda thing. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
:)
The crowd was crazy for her. Screams filled his ears to the max and he was sure they were going to blow any second. If he left here still capable of his hearing, it would be a miracle. Not that he had never heard anything like this before, but he had just never heard it from this perspective; from inside the crowd. He was first row, literally being smashed right into the stage just so some obsessed fans could touch her. This was definitely a new experience for him.
Why he was here, he still couldn't understand. The need he had to be near her still boggled his mind. But as he watched her lose herself in her song, he felt that same connection he had always felt whenever she was near him. A spark to a fire that blazed down his spine and burned his hear with such an immense passion it was enough to get him to hop on a plane and fly all the way to Europe just so he could be close to her. A lost, lovesick puppy still hooked to a leash being dragged around by a master that didn't even want him. It was getting pathetic.
He was sort of amazed too. Who knew that this stupid disguise Joe had been able to conjure up would actually work! He had not been asked for an autograph or a picture at all throughout the night. No one recognized him. Including Miley.
At points throughout the night she would walk so close to him he was sure she knew it was him. It would spark an ounce of hope in him that had him thinking she could feel his presence as well as he could feel hers. It had him hoping that maybe—just maybe—she still loved him.
That hope vanished as soon as she did. She didn't recognize him.
He watched as she set the stage a fire. She owned the stage. She knew how to work it. She knew what the crowd wanted and she fed it right to them. They screamed, cried, smiled, jumped, danced… All because she was there. Her presence itself had an entire stadium on its feet, worshipping her. Miley not only owned this stage… She was beginning to own the world.
That's when the tune changed. It was familiar. He knew it by heart. It was a song that made him wonder if his heart should either break or leap for joy. By the look in Miley's eye, he knew was about to find out.
She smiled a taunting smile at the crowd. They cheered louder. His heart raced.
"I probably shouldn't say this…"
Miley stayed put, singing in the microphone and stared out to the crowd. For a second he thought he saw her glance in his direction. Only for a second. The tempo picked up and so did Miley.
"You WANT me, you like her!"
She banged her head and ran across the stage. He watched her with his mouth hanging slightly open. She sounded... angry?
And she was changing lyrics?! He couldn't handle it. He didn't care if anyone saw. She wasn't going to embarrass him like this. He ripped off his disguise… and no one noticed him. Not a single person cared that he was there. Miley was their focus.
"It's awkward and it's silent…"
Miley ran back to his side of the stage and screamed the lyrics at the crowd, anger all over her face. She stared right at him. Her eyes were burning right into his own. "Seven things I hate about you!" The crowd cheered louder, but she kept her focus on him. Her pace faltered for a second and even though she tried not to show it, he could see the surprise in her eyes. She glanced towards backstage and he knew the other one was there. His anger matched hers.
They stared at each other, scowls on both of their faces.
She was angry at him. That much was obvious. Why? He had no clue. Was it because he sang "Before the Storm" without her? He had reason. He knew how to show a broken heart. She had been in Paris making out with that co-star of hers. Those pictures were seared into his memory. He definitely had a good reason.
Miley closed her eyes and turned away from him. She was going to pretend he wasn't there.
That was what life had become for the both of them. Pretending the other didn't exist. Pretending to be something they weren't. How could he have known that a simple hug and a friendly smile exchanged by two thirteen year olds would transform his life into what it was today? Would he change anything if he could? He could lie to himself and say no, he would love to keep life the way it was. In reality, he would change everything. He wished he could.
Miley pranced around the stage, putting on a great act. Acting like she wasn't hurt. Acting like she didn't know that certain brown-eyed boy standing stupidly in the crowd. Miley had turned into nothing but an act. He wondered how long it would take for her lies to catch up with her. Would Liam stay for the breakdown? He doubted it. No one in their right mind would want to stay around for that. It was a good thing insanity was becoming his new best friend. If it weren't, he wouldn't be here.
"And compared to all the great things…" She paused. "Well, I've got nothing to write."
His face dropped.
"The seven things I—" She pulled the mike from her face. "—about you!"
His heart stopped.
"And the seventh thing I like the most that you do…" She looked at him. "I used to love you."
His world shattered.
Miley smiled. It was fake, but it still hurt.
The crowd screamed.
"Goodnight, everyone." She walked off stage, not looking back. He stood there as the crowd continued to holler. He didn't bother to put his disguise back on. No one—not a single person—noticed him. Most would look at his face, but end up walking away. They didn't care.
That's when he realized it. This was Miley's world. She owned everything she touched. He thought she had lost it. He was sure she had lost it. He had turned his back on her. The world had turned its back on her. She rose up and took it by the reigns. Miley left him behind a long time ago. She moved on.
And as he watched the fans go their own way, he realized another thing. In Miley's world, they saw things through her eyes—her perspective. They saw things the way she saw it.
And in Miley's eyes, Nick Jonas was no more than a face in the crowd.
Lost in a sea of faces.