Author's Note: Sorry for not updating in a couple of weeks. That's what happens when you have no time and you are constantly being distracted by Guitar Hero 3. Hopefully, this chapter will satisfy you all!
Chapter 9
"So, how was yesterday?"
My head snapped in Miranda's direction so fast, that I was surprised that it didn't make that disgusting cracking noise.
"What do you mean?" I asked quickly and cleared my throat. "I mean, what do you mean?" I said a little less suspiciously.
"Oh, you know. Yesterday…after the party…Jake brought you home and I tried calling you only a couple million times last night! Seriously, what were you and Mr. Ryan doing yesterday that made you ignore all of my phone calls?" Miranda asked, twirling her lollipop between her fingers. I turned my gaze away from her and took out a photography binder. I skimmed through a couple of background selection pages and bookmarking the ones that I thought that fit best with the theme of the Brewart-Ryan wedding. While I was searching for driving directions on the Internet to get to the photography place, I tried thinking of ways to answer Miranda's question without sounding as if I sounded fake.
"Nothing. He just took me home and stayed overnight," I said nonchalantly, closing the binder and getting an empty bottle. I quickly walked out of my office, hoping that Miranda wouldn't follow me and just drop the subject.
"Miss Miley Stewart, oh no you didn't!" Miranda yelped and jogged behind me. She grabbed my arm and spun me around to face her. I rolled my eyes and held the bottle up to her face.
"I don't know about you, but I don't want my plants to die. I wouldn't want you to be the reason why they are photosynthesizing," I said sarcastically and turned back around. I walked quickly towards the office lounge with Miranda's heels clicking noisily after me. Once we got in the lounge, I went over to the sink and began filling the bottle up with water.
"You slept with Jake Ryan?" Miranda asked loudly. Right when she said that, everyone in the lounge stopped talking and looked towards my direction. I blushed furiously and I clicked my heels noisily against the tile.
"You did, didn't you?" Miranda gasped and her eyes widened.
"How dare he! He takes advantage of you when you were drunk. When I get my hands on him---"
"Miranda!" I yelled at her and she stopped mid-sentence. Apparently, she didn't realize that she was talking loudly and that everyone was watching us. I turned off the water and smiled at everyone.
"I'm sorry, she's just talking about this new reality show that her…cousin told her. Look it up on YouTube or something," I laughed nervously and dragged Miranda out of the lounge.
"First of all, no, I did not sleep with Jake. Secondly, could you be any louder? Seriously, if the tabloids get this, Jake's, Shirley's, and my career is at stake! He just took me home and passed out because he was drunk too. And I couldn't call you last night because of a family thing and…we have this rule of no cellphones while…music time? Yeah, that's right! We always sing songs together and…yeah," I finished lamely. Sure, I kind of bended the truth a bit…but what she doesn't know won't hurt her.
"Okay, whatever. But could you imagine the look on Shirley's face if you found out that you really did hook up with Jake?" Miranda giggled and plopped on my couch. I chuckled, despite how I thought that that question and situation would be extremely inappropriate. I took my time to water the plants and stopped every once in a while to finger the soft petals of the flowers.
"I have a meeting with them this afternoon, you know. We're doing photoshoots today at Maple Lake. Shirley's been on my case about specifically doing the photoshoot there for some strange reason," I said.
"Really? Maybe it's because they had great lighting there. I remembered going there in middle school and my friends and I would always check out the hot guys that jogged by. I haven't been there in a while. Can I come too?" Miranda asked while getting some water from my fridge.
"Yeah, no problem. Don't you have work to do though?" I asked, putting the empty bottle back into the cabinet. I sat down on the couch right next to Miranda and hugged a pillow to my chest.
"Yeah, but it's something that I can do tomorrow," she shrugged.
"Oh, by the way, I took care of your job. I found a DJ for the Bloom wedding at Jojo's party," she said and I felt kind of bad.
"How?"
"I have my ways…" she said nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal. Then she turned towards me and her eyes were twinkling. I knew that she was going to burst any second because I could feel her excitement.
"Mikayla told me! It was so beyond cool! I was on my way to the DJ and we accidentally bumped into each other and then I told her that I was ahuge fan, but I kept my cool and didn't harass her with numerous questions. Well anyways, she told me that the music sucked and I told her that I agreed, but I secretly disagreed because I knew that if I said that I disagreed instead of agreeing on what she said that she thought that I agreed so we both thought that we were agreeing with each other, then she wouldn't like me. And you know how much that would totally suck for your idol since you were teenager, next to Hannah Montana, to find out that you were lying that you agreed to the agreement that she agreed on because you disagreed on what was supposed to be agreed on and---"
"I get it," I said and she shut up.
"Well anyways, she just started talking about DJs that she really liked. So I asked for their numbers and invited her to the Bloom wedding because she asked why I was looking for them," she said happily.
Oh, great.
Mikayla is going?
"Actually," Miranda paused. "She kind of invited herself to it…but it doesn't matter! Mikayla and I are practically friends now," she said haughtily.
"Jealous, much?" she asked and poked my pillow.
"Very," I said sarcastically.
"---told you, it's supposed to be silk white, not egg white! I can't believe you can't tell the difference, Jake. It's totally obvious! Miley, what do you think?" Shirley burst out of nowhere, holding out two pieces of white fabric to my face. Miranda and I looked at each, then looked at Shirley, then looked at the fabric and we looked at each other again.
"Uh…" Miranda trailed off.
"Honestly, there's no difference," I said, even though it sounded more like a question.
"Ha! I told you!" Jake said smugly, raising a fist in the air.
"Whatever," Shirley huffed and put the fabric in her bag. I signaled Miranda to leave and she nodded, getting the hint, and left.
"There isn't much to do here… so are you ready to go?" I asked them, walking over to the coat rack and grabbing my jacket.
"Ready as ever," Shirley said perkily.
"I'm beyond excited for this photoshoot! I mean, sure, I've gone throughhundreds of photoshoots before, because I am Shirley Brewart, after all," she laughed haughtily.
"But this one is going to be the best one ever! I just know it. Right, Jake?" she asked, linking her arms through his. Jake rolled his eyes and he looked at me.
"Right, Shirley," he said. I smiled at him and laughed silently, apparently the only one noticing that he was being sarcastic. Shirley squealed and kissed him on the cheek, giving him a quick hug. I stopped smiling and turned away, blushing. I grumbled and quickly grabbed my keys on my desk.
"Okay, let's go," I said tonelessly, opening the door for them. Shirley dragged Jake out the door, talking his ear off on how excited she was, while I locked the door. I had to jog halfway down the long hallway to catch up to them because Shirley wanted to get there quickly.
"So, how was the Hannah Montana concert yesterday?" I asked breathlessly, half jogging-half walking on Shirley's left side. Jake leaned his head back a little and mouthed a thank you. I just nodded and felt sorry for his left ear.
"It was fine…hey, how did you know that we were at the concert last night?" Shirley asked, slowing her pace a little, much to my relief. I abruptly stopped in my tracks, widening my eyes.
How the hell did I know that?
I couldn't tell her that I was literally at the concert.
It wouldn't matter whatever I say anyways because she might think that I am stalking them or that I still have a thing for Jake and that I'm stalkinghim or that I am secretly obsessed with her or that I went to the Hannah concert last night, but I can't say that because she would have told me that I was rude to not go over and say hi or maybe…
"I texted her last night," Jake said, coming to my rescue. I breathed out a sigh or relief and started walking with them again.
"Why?" Shirley asked sharply. I gave her an offending look behind her head. Why, she is talking as if I wasn't there.
Rude, much?
"I told her that we were at the concert and that we might be late today because we were going to be tired from the night before," Jake said smoothly. I almost applauded him, thankful for his amazing acting skills and improvisation.
"Oh," Shirley shrugged. We got to my car and I drove to the photography place.
"So…" I said, trying to break the awkward silence.
"You never answered my question, you know. How was the concert? You must be quite a fan to be going to two of her concerts in the past few weeks," I said, looking into the rear-view mirror at Shirley, who shrugged and crossed her arms.
"It was alright. It's Jake who's the big fan anyways. He won't stop insisting and bugging me to go when we could have been doing much more interesting things like shopping," she huffed. I stopped at the stoplight and looked at Jake, who was looking out the window at the old couple who was crossing the street. I cleared my throat, hopefully gaining his attention. Sadly, the only attention I got was Shirley yelling at me to go because the light turned green.
"So, you don't like Hannah Montana very much?" I asked, trying my best not to sound disappointed. I knew that not everyone liked me, but it never hurt to actually hear someone else's point of view towards my alter ego.
"Are you kidding me?" Shirley scoffed. "I can't stand her! She's always so nice and her songs are disgusting and lame. Her voice sounds like a cross between a horse and a dying horse. Sometimes I wonder if the record company had to pay big bucks to keep her songs playing on the radio or if she puts a hidden message underneath all of her songs to brainwash them into thinking that she's 'the bomb.'"
"Oh, really?" I said tightly, gripping the wheel so hard that my fingers were turning white.
"Yeah. And herhair---I mean, come on! Can you spell U-G-L-Y? Her outfits look as if someone dumped her in Limited Too. She seems like a fake poser compared to the real stars. She acts all nice and sweet to her little fans, but I bet that she actually pays them to go up to her and ask for autographs," she said, putting lipstick on.
That's it.
She can make fun of my music.
She can make fun of my looks.
But no one can make fun of my fans.
I slammed on the brakes, which made everyone lurch forward.
"What the hell was that for?" Shirley yelled. She looked at her mirror and gasped in horror when she saw that the lipstick ran through her left cheek.
"You know what?" I yelled, turning towards her. She glared at me and placed her hands on her hips, daring me to question her.
"What." Shirley leaned forward, daring me to answer her.
"I… We're here!" I exclaimed lamely, smiling widely at her. Shirley just gave me a look-over and rolled her eyes. She opened the door and closed it roughly, making the car shake.
Oh, the things I would do to her if she weren't paying me.
I looked over at Jake, who was looking at me apologetically.
"Of all people…" I trailed off and pointed my finger towards him. Not knowing what else to say, I put my hand into a fist then slowly put my hand down and breathed deeply.
"I'm sorry about that," he said sincerely. I looked at him and we stared at each other for a while. All of the anger that I once felt was suddenly gone and my stomach erupted in chaotic butterflies.
"Seriously, Miley. I'm sorry for all of the shit she's been saying about you. I honestly didn't know that she felt so…so…strongly about you. I think that you are a fantastic singer with a beautiful voice," he said softly and put his hand on my bare knee, which my eyes abruptly turned to. I felt myself blush as his thumb moved in circles, making my skirt go a little higher. I cleared my throat uncomfortably and he suddenly retracted his hand as if he just realized what he was doing. The spot where his hand just occupied suddenly felt cold, but my skin was still tingling.
After an awkward silence, Jake spoke up.
"Let me make it up to you, somehow," Jake offered, even though it sounded more like a statement.
"Tomorrow night. I'll take you out to dinner." I looked at him in disbelief.
"And Shirley?" I asked slowly.
"Oh, yes. I guess that Shirley can come too," he added, sounded quite resentful.
Wait, wait, wait a minute.
He was planning on having dinner with just him and me?
ME? Miley Stewart?
Damn, you mouth! Damn, you for speaking!
…
What the hell?
Why am I wishing that it would be just Jake and I having dinner like old times? He's practically a married man, and married men are a big no-no.
"Ah, let's go inside," I said awkwardly.
"Yeah. Inside. Now. Let's go," he said. We got out of my car and I locked it. When we opened the door to the office to check in, three girls pulled Jake immediately towards the dressing rooms.
"What's the rush, Devin?" I asked the photographer and set my bag down on one of the chairs.
"Well, funny story, actually. One of your clients comes rushing in half an hour ago, but you and the other client weren't with her. Why is that?"
"Were the awkward silences seriously that long?" I asked aloud.
"Nothing. We were just talking…but if Shirley asks, I dropped my keys on our way here and we couldn't find it so we went to the Lost and Found, which was across the street," I said quickly.
"Okay?" Devin said. Jake and Shirley got out of their dressing rooms and Devin motioned for them to pose in front of the tree in front of the lake with swans in the background. Shirley was wearing an elegant off-the-shoulder gold dress that trailed on the floor like a waterfall. It was trimmed with sequins and beads all over and despite its beauty, it hurt to look at it because the beads glare reflected in my eyes. Her hair was curled to perfection and her face was drowned in make-up. Other than that, she looked very…professional, which I guess would be the appropriate word. Jake, on the other hand, looked very natural and handsome in his gray tuxedo. He wore a gold vest, a plain white silk tie, and a blue flower clipped onto the side. He smiled for the camera, while Shirley smiled and posed like she was posing for a magazine shoot.
Suddenly, Devin made a loud noise, which resembled a bark, and everyone jumped in surprise.
"This is boring! Do something interesting. Here," he said and made his way over to Jake and Shirley. I cocked my eyebrow at him while he was trying to move their hands, feet, and body positions.
"There! That's more like it!" Devin grinned widely at what he did and rushed back to his camera. I looked in envy when Jake's hands were wrapped tightly around Shirley's waist, while Shirley's hands were around her neck. They were looking into each other's eyes and smiling as if they were the only people in the world.
"Okay, now Shirley, turn around and put your hands---yes! Like that, yes, like that. They Jake do the same thing that you were doing before…yes. Now lean in to each other slowly…stop! Perfect, just perfect. Now hold it…"
Shirley's arms were clasped around Jake's neck, while Jake's hands were lightly resting on her hips. Their foreheads were touching and they were smiling and looking into each other's eyes. I felt like running away, but that would have been childish and I did not want another repeat of last time. Instead, I took my gaze away from the couple and moved to the computers to look at the finished product. As I was looking at the pictures, I couldn't help but notice how perfect they looked together.
They have perfect hair, perfect eyes, perfect teeth, and perfect faces, perfect bodies to go with their perfect outfits in their perfect lives…
It made me feel so…so…ordinary compared to them. Even though my life is anything but ordinary.
I sighed sadly.
Jake really is meant to be with Shirley. Once this is all over, they'll be able to support each other through all of the chaos from the paparazzi and other things that come with being famous. They'll raise a family and have spoiled kids, who hopefully get their father's personality. I'll just go back to being Miley Stewart, who reads her ex's life story on tabloid magazines until she is lonely and old with a billion cats for children.
After wondering why Devin hasn't taken a picture in a while, I walked back to Jake, Shirley, and him. They changed their location to the playground and Shirley was complaining about how unsanitary it was. Jake rolled his eyes and his gaze ended up landing on me. I just stared back blankly, not exactly knowing what to think and ignoring the familiar feeling in my stomach.
"Okay, now, pose over there… Good! Good! Excellent! Now turn your body---no, the other way. Yes, good," Devin muttered and then clicked his tongue. He motioned for them to go to the monkey bars, where they smiled and posed again.
"For the final shot, kiss. Kiss like there's no tomorrow!" Devin exclaimed and got his camera ready. Shirley smiled widely and Jake blushed, not looking at Shirley in the eye. I clenched and unclenched my jaw as I watched half in horror and half in jealousy.
Again, I wanted to run away, but I couldn't move from my spot.
Shirley leaned in to kiss Jake, but then at the last minute, Jake tilted his head upwards to that he kissed her nose, while Shirley kissed his chin.
"What the heck, Jake?" Shirley pouted childishly.
"It's okay. I still have a few more shots to go. Do it again," Devin sighed and positioned the camera. The next couple of takes, Jake kept on turning his head or missing, which aggravated the living hell out of Shirley and Devin.
"Come on, Jakey! What's wrong with you? It's not like I have bad breath or anything, right?" Shirley asked worriedly and left to grab a mint.
"Jake," Devin walked up to him and put his hand on his shoulder.
"You've done this many times in front of cameras before. What's wrong with now?" Devin asked and shook his head. Jake just shrugged in response.
"Sorry. I'll get it right this time," he muttered.
"You better. I only have a couple of shots left, so you better make at least one good one." Jake sighed and sat down on the swing. He swung his foot back and forth, kicking the woodchips and hanging his head down. After taking a few deep breaths, I walked up to him and sat down on the swing right next to him. I swung my feet back and forth a little to enjoy the feel of the wind on my face. I couldn't swing too high though because I was wearing a skirt.
"Hey, what's up?" I asked conversationally. I glanced at Jake, who looked up towards me.
"Nothing much, you?" he smiled and started to swing also.
"Well, I'm swinging so that means that I'm up," I said jokingly. He chuckled and I dug my heels into the ground to stop swinging and Jake followed suit.
"Jake, it's just a picture, you know," I said seriously. I wanted to get straight to the point, instead of beating around the bush.
"I know…" he sighed and leaned his forehead against the chain.
"If you're having a hard time trying to kiss her under pressure, just pretend that you're somewhere else or that she's someone else…or something," I finished lamely and blushed. He turned his head towards me and I was suddenly engrossed in his bright green eyes.
Did I seriously suggest him to make out with someone that is not his wife-to-be?
I turned away and cleared my throat uncomfortably.
"Jake! Come here! These are our last shots, so you better not mess up!" Shirley yelled angrily.
"Coming!" Jake yelled back and got up. I stayed rooted in my spot on the swing just watching him walk towards everyone else. He was about halfway there when he paused and turned around. He stared at me for a while and then gave me a tiny nod and a small smile. I smiled and nodded back at him, then got up from the swing and followed him.
Jake and Shirley were back in the previous position they were in a few minutes ago except this time Jake looked slightly more relaxed.
"Ready? One…two…" Devin counted slowly and everything was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Jake leaned in towards Shirley and their lips lightly touched. I thought I was going to scream in rage, but I calmed myself slightly when Devin took a shot and exclaimed that it was perfect. Shirley was starting to pull away when Jake placed his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer. Shirley gasped, but quickly responded to his kisses. Devin clapped his hands and took more shots at different angles. On the outside, I looked calm and indifferent, but on the inside, I felt that I was being torn apart and felt like crying.
I turned my head, closed my eyes and tried to get rid of the image of the couple making out in front of me. I grabbed my bag and quietly started walking away from the crew.
"Miley…" I heard someone whisper. I shook my head and continued to walk as if I didn't hear the person.
"Miley? What the fuck, Jake? Did you just call me Miley?" I turned around and Shirley pushed Jake away from her with a disgusted look on her face.
"What?" he asked, looking dazed.
"Did you just call me Miley?" Shirley repeated, crossing her arms.
"No…" Jake trailed off, looking confused. I sighed loudly and stormed off, trying to drown out the fight that the couple was having. All of a sudden, right when I was about to get in my car, someone yelled out my name. I turned around to see Jake running up to me, but when we were only a couple feet apart, he slowed down and looked confused.
"What, Jake?" I asked, daring him to test my anger. He still looked confused for a while until he walked up towards me closing the distance until we were only a foot apart. My breath got caught in my throat and I felt my hands starting to sweat. He leaned into me and I unconsciously closed my eyes, hoping that I didn't want to happen would happen. It wasn't until he moved his face towards my side and my cheeks tingled when his nose brushed against it.
"Pick you up at 7," he whispered in my ear and leaned back with a smirk on his face. Enraged by his actions and what I wanted him to do, I glared at him with all of my might and stepped into the car. I drove off, wishing nothing more than wanting to bang my head against the wall.
Author's Note: Ooh...the chapters from now on are going to be much more interesting, I guarantee you. The next chapter is awesome, so far. Well...at least in my head and what I've written so far, it is. Hehe. Please review, especially if there are any grammar mistakes. Reviews seriously make my day, especially with all of the chaos that's happening in my life.
