Disclaimer: Don't own Jack. Don't own Jill. Just using them for my own purposes. Thank you. No? There's no Jack and Jill in this story? I WAS USING A FIGURE OF SPEECH! Do I really need to spell it out for the nth time?!?!?!
WARNING: AS OF HANNAH MONTANA SEASON TWO, THIS STORY IS A COMPLETE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE! I AM WELL AWARE OF THIS, PLEASE DON'T BRING IT UP! IT'LL BE MOOT POINT AND UNNECESSARY!
Alternate Universe – fan fiction with little or no resemblance to the show save for characters.
Author's Note: I'm please to receive such response for this story. Over seventy reviews by chapter three? It's incredible! Without further ado, I bring you…
Don't You Dare Speak About Love
Chapter Four: Don't Understand…
He could see the incredulity on her face. She was about to say something else. But Jake saw movement out of the corner of his eye and spotted Mr. Corelli talking to that awful news reporter. He held a finger to his lips and closed his and Miley's locker. Then he reached for her hand then led her down the hallway, narrowly missing being spotted by gossipmongers.
He whispered, "Are there any empty rooms around here?"
"The Edit Room. That room's always vacant when it's lunch."
"Where is it?"
She hesitantly led him to the room, which was not far away from where they were. When they came upon the door, it was shut and looked like it was locked; but Miley knew how it really wasn't by pushing a loose screw on the door's lower right side.
It opened with ease, and they stepped inside, locking the door from within. Then, they took their hands back from each other and sat in neighboring chairs.
They remained quiet for a pretty long time after they settled in their seats.
Jake didn't know exactly what she was thinking, but he was busy remembering his childhood best friend.
Before he became immersed within his memories, she spoke. "For how long did you write her?"
"I sent her three hundred, sixty-five letters. I know, it sounds like I copied it straight from The Notebook… but there's a big difference: I kept on writing. I just didn't send them." He kept a notebook, a journal basically, where he wrote to her. Every entry began with Dear Miley.
"Why would you do that?"
"I honestly can't tell you - except that I hope one day, I'll cross paths with her and she'll be able to read them. Come to think of it though, it has become some type of therapy."
"Why did you never track her down? Tried to find her, or contact her?"
Jake looked at the girl who caught his eye at this school. She sounded extremely emotional; he could tell she's been controlling her voice - but whatever she was feeling was too strong for her to be able to rein it in completely. He began to feel frustrated. "You don't think I tried? She moved, too! I called her…"
"Well, why didn't you call sooner? Like, before you moved from Nashville and maybe let me know when you were leaving! Better yet, why didn't you call as soon as you became settled at the place where you moved to? Did stardom blow up your ego so much that you only remembered when you did spring cleaning and found that picture?"
"I did! I called her as soon as I touched down in Santa Monica! No one picked up… I called a week later, too when we got our phone line set up, but I never got a call back even when I left a message. And I'm sorry if you think I'm such an ego maniac, but don't assume that you know anything about me! You don't know me, Miley!"
She just glared at him. Cold, steel, gray eyes stared blankly into his own aquamarines. Like they knew things he kept hidden behind his.
Then something sunk in.
Jake watched Miley carefully. "I never told anyone, even you, that I moved away from Nashville without telling her when…"
He watched her close her eyes. She spoke calmly and quietly, instead of heatedly. "Before I answer that question, I want to know what she was to you." She opened her light orbs, but didn't allow him to look into them.
He couldn't help but take a deep breath. He didn't know if he liked where this was going. After all, he finally had an idea where this was going. He knew that right now they were both at the bottom and had to work their way up. So he began to talk.
"My dad always told me that Miley was my angel in disguise. I met her in Nashville, when I was five and a half. We just moved to town, and I was getting reckless when my dad had enough of unpacking and decided to take me and my mother out walking. My dad told me that I made a beeline for Miley as soon as we saw her and her parents in the park near our house. With a kiss, we became the best of friends. As we grew up, I knew that she was the person I'd want to be with forever. She challenged me, made me laugh and at the end made me cry."
He took a deep breath and continued as he paced around the empty room, "I remember that her mom was sick. And before I left, Miley kept pushing me away - telling me that she didn't want to talk to me. She was avoiding me. It hurt. It hurt a lot. I never understood why exactly she was like that. But I knew that she was hurting because of her mom. I ended up finding out when her brother told me that as he gave me that picture you saw in my locker…"
He shook his head. "But you asked me what she was to me." He stopped, and pierced her with his sea-green-eyes. "She was my everything. Even now, I hurt just thinking we're separated. I had hoped that she would try to contact me as soon as she saw me on TV - but she never did. I don't even know what to think about that. " And as soon as he said that, he knew. The way she closed her eyes, and put her hand to cover her mouth spoke volumes.
A young girl about the age of ten was casting flower petals into a lake as she sat upon a dock, with the winds quiet and birds oddly silent at that time of day.
She just received some bad news. Her mom was really sick and couldn't leave the hospital.
Add the fact that her best friend was away on a family trip and didn't tell her when he'll be back, she never felt more alone than then. She couldn't bring herself to believe Aunt Dolly who told her not to worry. Instead of the comforting feeling she should have felt upon hearing those words, she only felt unease.
Her brother… wasn't there much for her to count on. He was busy hanging out with his friends. Besides, Jackson wasn't the type of person to go to when something like this happens. He usually acted like a chicken with its head cut off. (Little did she know, he was dealing with this situation in an entirely different way.)
So really, she felt really alone.
In her melancholy, she never sensed anyone coming up on the dock as quietly as possible.
Two arms wrapped around her and she squealed in surprise. It was a good thing that she wasn't on the edge of the wooden plank, or else she would have fallen in the water
"You jerk!" She swatted at him, but he caught her hand and didn't let go of it while keeping an arm around her still.
Jacob laughed, his eyes twinkling. "Hey now, I've just come back and this is how you greet me?"
"It is when you scare me like that, Booger Face!"
"I'm hurt, Princess."
"Snot Boy!"
"Barbie." He didn't need to add the verb preceding it to have an effect.
"You know, one resorts to common insults or insulting names when they have no intelligent or original comebacks."
He snorted, "How long did you come up with that one?"
"How long did you take to understand what I said?" She quipped.
"Touch. Anyway, did you miss me?"
At that question, she slumped in his embrace and sighed. It was like a ton of bricks fell on top of her head. But she pushed it back. When he came back, it was like her troubles went away and she didn't have to think about her mom being sick, or that she wouldn't be able to see her for a while. "Yeah, I did." She replied in a small voice.
He frowned. "What's wrong, Miles?" He moved as if to break their cozy hug but she leaned back and prevented him from moving a muscle.
"Nothing." She didn't want to talk about it, so she changed the subject. "So. How was New Jersey?"
Like the simple boy he was, Jacob welcomed the change of subject. He really did move away this time so he could tell the story with gestures and so he could see her face.
"My aunts and uncles were unbearable. They went all weird and excited over my cheeks." He shuddered as if remembering something unpleasant.
She laughed at the face he made. "You should see your ugly mug!" She told him when she could.
He smiled wryly at her before continuing his tale. "Thanks, I feel loved. When Uncle Earl comes back from Montana and brings you a couple of Grandma Opal's bran muffins, I'll happily watch you eat them."
"Oh, that's cruel." She tried glowering at him, but she couldn't keep the stern face up. So both started laughing the way best friends do when they connect. "Ok, so you have a pair of cheeks with tons of baby fat on'em - what else?"
"I got dragged to Garden State Plaza, one of the malls in New Jersey that's about the size of Texas. That was two weeks ago."
Miley's eyes widened, and he chuckled. "Of course, I'll take you there some day. You would never guess what happened then, though! Check this out! I got chosen to go to New York on the spot and film a commercial!"
"That's great! That's pretty cool!"
"Yeah, I was so happy – it was like you were there with me that day we were doing the commercial. Remember when everyone loved you at the Nashville Junior Talent Show? It was like that! It was so cool! They even told me I had potential to become a star!"
She couldn't help feeling a little bubble of jealousy. Little did she know, what she really felt was dread. She had a feeling that she's going to lose him like she's losing her mom.
She stomped her feelings down, though. She pushed them away, and ignored them for the meantime. She focused on the part of her that was happy for him, yet skeptical of the opportunities handed to him. But… it wasn't enough. She was feeling too much. "So, you're like the one, in the one-in-a-million people." Her voice came out in a trained tone, like how she has been training with a coach on singing different music styles.
He picked up on it so he was quick to deny her words. "No, of course not! Just the potential to be."
"Which gives you better odds than someone like me." She drew away from him, then.
"Come off it, Miles. You're probably gonna be there with me. Come on, with Robbie Ray and Susan Stewart's genes, you gotta be!"
The words hurt her somehow. What about her mom? Did the doctor think that she couldn't understand the medical jargon he kept feeding her dad as an attempt to shield her from the truth that her mom could be actually dying? That if she did make it to the big leagues like Hollywood, or be The One like Jacob – would her mom, Susan Stewart, actually be there to see her succeed?
Of course not!
Before the budding tears fell, she felt him move and take a knee. She felt his soft hands gently take her chin and brought her gorgeous gray eyes to meet his bright aquamarines.
She saw mainly concern, a bit of anxiety, a mild quantity of confusion, a dash of compassion, a lot of care, and a bucket of love for her. Her heart felt a lot lighterafter seeing what his eyes showed her. She threw her arms around him and refused to cry.
She felt him move slightly so that they'd still be close to each other but he'd see her face. He furrowed his brows and started to say, "Mi-…"
"Please don't speak."
He grimly nodded, understanding that she didn't really want to talk just now. And he also got the underlying message and just held her against him as they looked out the lake.After quite a few minutes passed in silence, he put his lips near her ear and whispered, "You know? We never had the normal 'You are icky 'cause you're a girl or boy.' Phase."
She had to giggle at that. "You mean, you never had that. The female species don't get that way after an average age of six years old. We're more advanced than males that way." It was easy to not think about her mom when he's around sometimes. He knew exactly what to say so she'd forget, even for just a little while.
"Hey! I resent that."
"Don't get all defensive now! You're actually ahead of your own species that way since you bypassed that stage at the age of ten!"
"You mean eight. I've liked you since then."
"Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh.' You seemed to like that doofus Erik Cohen."
Erik was an eighth grader who tried to teach Jackson how to play volleyballtwo summers ago when they were in the third grade. He was very nice to Miley, and treated her like a little sister. Unfortunately, like all girls her age and above; Miley definitely noticed that he was good looking. He was tall, had black hair and piercing green eyes. He had a tan from being a regular skins player and Miley definitely admired his physique.
Fortunately for JacobErik wasn't interested in Miley He had girlfriend he was extremely loyal and devoted to at the tender age of thirteen. Therefore all of Miley's attempts in getting his attention had no effect whatsoever.
"I didn't like him like that, much. Sure, I thought he was cute…" She trailed off, leaving him to figure out the rest of her thoughts for later. Before he could speak, she continued. "Besides, I wasn't the only one paying extra attention to someone."
Of course, she was talking about Erik's girlfriend; a Filipina whose volleyball skills and coaching abilities were above Erik's level at the time. Miley thought Jacob crushed on her since he joked around with her with a blush on his face.
He definitely wanted to clear that up. "Aiko? Nah. She's like an older sister who knows which buttons to push to get a reaction from her younger sibling."
Miley smiled. "So, she's just an older sister-like figure to you?"
"Yeah."
"What about Helen?" Helen was Jackson's crush and was one of Erik's friends.
"She's annoying."
"But she's pretty."
"She might have looks, but she doesn't have much personality."
"What about Christa?" Another of Jackson's million crushes who lives a couple of houses away from the Stewarts's.
"She's kinda weird. And I don't like how she puts on a lot of those color thingies on her face and lips."
"You mean, make-up?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"And Laura?" Jackson's crush.
"Pretty, but she's a little bit of an airhead."
"Angelic Angela?" She was the lead soloist in the church choir; she was extremely pretty and talented with a voice that is often compared to Charlotte Church However, she was pretty naïve and honestly nice. Many called her an angel at the church.
"You can't talk to her without her bursting into song. I don' t know about you Miles, but when I talk to people I'd like tohear them talk back. Not sing."
"Okay…" She hesitated for a second, but she had to know. "Luann?"
"What's with the list of girls' names?" Jacob asked with a crunched forehead in slight confusion. "And you know how I detest your cousin as much as you do… even if it's not because of the same reasons."
"I just want to know what you think about her. I mean, it's nice to know how you think about girls we both know. Besides, just because I hate my cousin for trying to kill me and you not witnessing it yet still disliking her, doesn't mean that I really know what you think about her."
He raised an eyebrow before holding up a fist and started ticking off each finger as he spoke, "First, she's a suck up. Two, she's a leech. Three, she gives me the creeps. Four, I can't believe she keeps trying to hang around us when it's plain to see that we don't want her to be around. Five, I saw her knocking a squirrel down a tree once then claim she was rescuing it. I think she's a liar, cheat and a generally dishonest person. Lastly, even if she's beautiful because the two of you miraculously share enough similar genes to look like each other; she's not you and I don't think much of her like I do you."
Miley's jaw pretty much dropped and she turned to face him while still in his arms. "What do you mean? You think I'm…?" She trailed off, not being able to finish the thought in pleasant surprise. She couldn't believe Jacob thought she was beautiful.
He blushed. "Uhh, you know. I've always thought you were pretty."
"But you said Luann was beautiful."
"I said, 'even if'. There's a difference. A humongous one. It's an 'even if' which could be totally hypothetical and not real. So, really it's an 'even if' statement."
"So you don't think I'm beautiful."
"Yes! I mean, no! I mean- GAAAH!!!" He removed his arms from her and buried his face in his hands.
"Jacob."
There was a muffled 'Yes?' coming through his hands
"What did you mean, then?"
He took his hands away. "I do think you're beautiful." He was blushing really hard when he said it, and started to stand up so he could run away.
Before he could make a getaway, she put her hand on his arms.
"Thank you." She smiled at him.
He stopped in his tracks and smiled back, though still red. "You're welcome."
She wordlessly motioned him to take her into his arms again; with her back against him as they watched the lake.
It was funny how they acted like adults. Many would say that they were actually sixteen year olds than ten year olds. But when you've been coached how to act since you were born (Jacob), or when you wanted to be a teen icon (Miley) then you definitely act more than your age. Besides, they watched a good deal of TV shows they really weren't supposed to watch at their age.
Not to mention that the movies Little Manhattan and My Girl definitely taught them a couple of things.
After a significant time of peace and quiet passed, Miley whispered, "Thanks, Jacob. You're the best."
Smirking a little, he said, "You're welcome."
They started to extract themselves from the other but then Jacob fell on his back, bringing her with him. "Ouch!"
"Are you okay?" She quickly got off him and examined him for any injuries. He acquired a bit of wood burn from the dock. "I'm okay, it just smarts."
She gingerly took his arm and blew on the red spot as she brushed the area with the back of her hand. He hissed at the slight pain of friction so she kissed it. "Better?"
"Much, thanks Miley."
She smiled. "You're welcome." She wiggled her nose a little, as she always did when she felt smug about something.
They laughed, the bruise forgotten then he spotted something behind her. "Look!"
There was a couple riding in a small boat with the engine turned off as the natural yet brisk current of the lake carried them away
They recognized the couple as Erik and Aiko, who were still steadfastly together after three years. Both were sharing a tender moment in each other's embrace, kissing sweetly if not passionately. Their unknown audience admired their public intimacy, and both of the ten year olds wondered if they could also achieve a feat like this someday without any awkwardness.
Miley sighed at the scene. "They're so cute." She whispered, so that her voice wouldn't carry out and disturb the pair playing a bit of tonsil hockey.
"Would you kill me if I decided to skip rocks now?" He, too, whispered.
"They would never find the body."
"Okay, just checking."
"I can't believe I called you mature for your age."
"I was kidding. Unlike Junior from Little Giants I'm not above learning how to kiss. The Icebox was right about kissing hands."
Miley smiled a bit at that. "They don't kiss back?"
"Yeah."
They watched Erik and Aiko's boat become a dot as it reached far away point of the lake from their dock in silence.
"Hey Jacob?"
"What?"
"Do you think we'd stay together like this, three years from now?" She was, of course referring to how their friendship would stay strong; like Erik and Aiko's relationship has.
He replied without missing a beat, "Definitely. But it'd change a little."
She looked at him. "What do you mean?"
He pecked the corner of mouth in reply.
They say actions speak louder than words. But for moments like these, humans don't need voices or speech to communicate.
Ten year old Jacob Ryan and ten year old Miley Stewart shared their real first kiss.
And when they broke apart, Little Jacob put his lips by her ear and whispered something into her ear.
Neither child saw four figures watch them in separate places of the scene, then leave without doing a thing.