Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Questions

After third period was over, Amber had lunch. She walked to Ashley's locker and waited for her to show up. She didn't have to wait long.

"What took you so long Ashley?" Amber asked. Amber really didn't wait that long. She was more impatient to get her plan to get back on top started.

"I didn't take any longer than any other time." Ashley defended her self.

"I have to be the first to sign up Ashley, you know that. It's all part of the plan." Deflated, Ashley put her books into her locker and followed Amber to the lunchroom.

"Have you been telling everyone that I was going to run and should vote for me?" Amber started to question Ashley.

"Yes." Was the one word answer that Ashley gave. She did tell a few people about Amber's signing up for junior attendant, but really didn't push anyone to vote for her. After the disastrous freshmen year they had were Amber got almost everyone to hate them, Ashley had made great gains in getting back into others good gracious. She didn't want to mess that up again with Amber's crazy plan. Not that Amber cared.

After Amber failed with her recording contract, she tried to use the freshmen fundraiser to put her self on top of everyone. What really happened was that Amber alienated everyone. All that just so she could parade around school like a pop star that she wasn't. After that everyone ignored them and she blamed it all on Miley Stewart just because Miley, Oliver a little bit too, stuck up for her friend Lilly and made everyone else that was there see what a real phony Amber was. However, Ashley had learned her lesson. The only problem was that Amber was the only one that would talk with her. So, even though Ashley longed to be done with Amber, Amber was the only one that would be her friend. If you could call, how Amber treated her friendship.

At the start of their sophomore year, Amber started paying more attention to other people and what they were really saying and doing. She also watched the interactions that went on between friends. Ashley paid special attention to how Miley, Lilly and Oliver treated each other too. What she was learning was amazing. Ashley saw that friendships weren't about being better dressed or richer, smarter, or more popular, it was just about being there for them. It was a strange idea to her, but it was one that she wanted to try. The only real problem would be that Amber told her she was crazy and that the only thing that really counted in life was how rich you were, how pretty you are and who you knew. However, Ashley soon got a chance to try out this new idea of what friendship was when a biology project paired her with a new student to their class. The project was one that every sophomore did. It was the dreaded leaf collection.

Everyone in the class had picked their partners and as usual, no one picked Ashley because of her reputation with Amber. However, what was different this time was the new student, Tracy Woods. Since Tracy didn't have a partner and was the only one left, they became partners. Tracy was always dressed nicely with designer names, even if they weren't the latest styles, and was willing to talk about anything to Ashley. They even worked on the project at Ashley's house and her parents even like Tracy. The only thing they never did was to go over to Tracy's house. Ashley was finally finding out what it was like to have a friendship just like our trio had and everything was going okay until the one day that Amber came over to her house without telling Ashley about it.

As the girls where walking to Ashley's house, Ashley caught sight of Amber's limo pulling up to the front door. Thinking quickly, Ashley begged Tracy to go to her house. Tracy finally gave in but looked very scared and nervous about going to her house. Ashley soon found out why. The part of town they were going to was always the part of town that Amber always made fun of. Tracy knew that Ashley always hung out with Amber and everyone knew what Amber thought. So, Ashley could understand way Tracy was afraid to take her home. Yes, Tracy and her family were poor, but there was more love then you could hope for. Something Ashley had never really seen before. Ashley learned too, that Tracy shopped at places like Goodwill and Salvation Army, which explained why she always was wearing brand names on the money that her family had. Tracy had opened a whole new world to Ashley and through Tracy, started to make some new friends in class. Now all that she had worked so hard to get her sophomore year, over the summer, and the start of this year was in jeopardy of being lost because Amber wanted to backstab her way back to being on top again.

So here she was, walking to the lunchroom with Amber as she talked about this great plan of how becoming junior attendant would spring board them back to the top of the popularity list and once there, take care of business.

"Ashley! Have you been listening to anything I've been telling you?" Amber demanded.

"Yes Amber. I'm suppose to find any dirt on anyone else that signs up so you can bring them down so you will win. I'm also to tell everyone to vote for you."

"That's right and don't forget it. This is really important!"

"Yeah, whatever." Ashley said under her voice.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"I thought so." Amber replied. They walked right in to the main hallway that the lunchroom was connected to and there across from the entrance to the lunchroom was the sign up table. Amber walked right over to the table and was the first one to sign her name to the junior attendant list. As it should be, she thought as she signed her name.

Tracy had lunch at the end of fourth period. She always had friends to sit with so it didn't bother her when she had lunch. Today's lunch was filled with homecoming activities. Plans were agreed on for sign up to work on the homecoming float. Everyone also take about the homecoming dance and who would go with whom. However, the largest part of the conversation was about who would be homecoming queen. As lunch was getting closer to being over, everyone got up to take their trash to the trash and the return belt. Tracy took the time to walk over to the table the cheerleaders were running to see who had signed up. First, she looked at the queen's list then she looked at the attendants list ending with the juniors. Amber was the first to sign up. That figures the way Amber was. Especially after everything, Ashley had told her about Amber. Tracy still couldn't figure out why Ashley was still a friend with her after hearing how Amber always treated Ashley. Looking farther down the list, Tracy was surprised by the last name on the list. Miley Stewart. After all the conversations the Tracy had with Miley, she would have thought Miley would never sign up for anything like this. It was strange, very strange. But stranger still, was what happened next. Tracy reached down, picked up the pen and put her name under Miley's name. If Miley could sign up then she could too.

Miley was watching the clock. It was getting close to the time for her to leave class to get ready for her interview. She didn't want to be late and she didn't want to miss class either, especially when the teacher started the class by announcing a quiz for tomorrow. She would have to ask Mr. Aaron to try to get today's class notes for her to study.

"Miley. Don't you have to leave now?" Mr. Cook asked breaking Miley thoughts.

"Thanks Mr. Cook." Miley said as she gathered up her stuff.

"Don't forget to study for the quiz." He said to her back as she left the room.

"Thanks." Miley said over her shoulder.

Miley walked quickly to the office. Once there, Mr. Aaron had cleared out the office staff. Miley went to his office to knock, but the door was open. On seeing Miley, Mr. Aaron got up and closed the door as he left his office. With the door closed, Miley quickly changed clothes and put on her make-up. However, Miley didn't put her wig on. With just one to many close calls, Miley started to wait for the limo to put her wig on. The driver was one that always took her home after making the limo switch and knew that Hannah Montana wore a wig. He didn't know her name was Miley Stewart though.

It was a good thing she didn't have her wig on today. The group of people that saw her getting into the limo, who should have been in class to start with, included Amber. If Amber had seen Hannah Montana getting into the limo coming out of the school and knowing that Miley sounds like Hannah Montana when she sings might have been enough for her to figure out Miley's little secret. Instead, it got her curious.

"Why is Miley Stewart getting into a limo?" Amber asked out loud.

"Because she needs a ride." Tony said as he reached for the cigarette that was in her hand.

"But why? And where did she get those clothes? She wasn't wearing them when she came to school today." Amber started to rail.

"Who cares anyways?" Stephanie asked as she stepped on the cigarette she just dropped on the ground.

"I do! There has always been something weird about her ever since she moved here."

"Like Stephanie said. Who cares and why does it really matter?" Sue asked.

"I don't care if you dummies don't care. I do and I'm going to find out what she is up to all the time."

"What do you mean up to?" Tony asked.

"Haven't you ever noticed how she always have things happening on the weekends and stuff, but she never talks about them."

"You worry to much Amber." Sue stated.

"Stewart is hiding something and I'm going to find out what it is. And I don't care that you guys don't care. If I find out something really good, I can use it to get even. Yeah get even." Amber smiled to her self.

It was the end of the day and Ashley had to find out who had signed up for junior attendant. She really didn't want to do it, but she had too. Ashley didn't want to make Amber mad at her. The end of day announcements said the list was posted outside the principal's office and everyone should see who is signed up for class attendants. The DJ then gave the names of the seniors that signed up to be homecoming queen. After dropping off her books and getting her homework, Ashley headed for the office. Once at the office, there was a small group that was gathered around a window. Ashley walked up to the group and wait here turn. There was the list for junior attendants. Amber was first on the list followed by Miley Stewart and at the bottom of the list was Tracy Wood. Ashley stood there in shock. Amber was going to want her to come across with the goods against her friend Tracy. Ashley just couldn't do that, but that was what Amber was going to make her do.