Chapter 9
Research
It was Ricky's free period and he was entering the library to do some research for a school project. He was walking around the tables to find a good spot to work when he spotted Jill over in a corner by herself with her head bent down in hard concentration. As Ricky walked up to Jill, she made no move to his presents. He stepped behind Jill and started reading what was on her laptop. The more he read the more his mouth started to fall open.
"wow" he said in a soft whisper.
Jill jumped at the sound.
"What do you think you're doing?" Jill asked as she recovered and shut the laptop as quickly as she could.
Ricky sat down by a very upset looking Jill.
"How long have you been standing there and just how much did you see?"
"So it's true?"
"Yes it's true and you better not say a word to anyone. Why do you think I was sitting way over here for in the first place?"
"I just thought you didn't when to be bothered. I didn't know you where hiding anything."
Jill looked around, opened her laptop back up, and looked around the library.
"Okay. I copied this onto my laptop last night. But you have to swear as my best friend since first grade not to tell a soul."
"Have I ever told any of your secrets to anyone?"
"There was that time in third grade…"
"Do you always have to bring that up when ever you swear me to secrecy?"
"Yes I do. It keeps you humble."
"It was only a piece of candy Jill."
"But it was my secret candy that my brother eat."
"I recall that you got me and your brother to buy you a new candy bar each without telling either one of us what you were doing."
"Okay, I forgive you. Again."
"Thanks. Thanks a lot. So what are you going to show me?"
Jill moved the pointer though a series of commands and the documentary that her great-grandma made started to play. Jill watched Ricky as he watched the video. As Ricky watch the video his mouth fall open again and his eyes got as huge as saucers. By the end of the video, Ricky was looking at Jill with total shock on his face.
"You mean to say that no one ever found out."
"That's what I've been doing here the first part of free period. And the answer to your question is yes. No one EVER found out."
"Your serious. Everything is totally true about your great-grandma and no one ever knew."
"Not a soul."
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know. You heard what great-grandma and her friends' said. Heck, her friend Lilly is my great-grandmother too. What do you think about that?"
"No way!"
"Yep. Lilly's son and great-grandma's daughter married each other."
"Oh, by the way, do you know who Oliver Oken was?"
"No. Should I?"
"He was just on of the leading sports broadcasters of his time is all."
"Are you kidding me?"
"He worked for ESPN for over forty years. So, once again I ask, what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it yet."
Jill sat there looking at her laptop for a while. Ricky let her think.
"Can you come over after school so I can talk this out?"
"What time?"
"How does four o'clock sound with supper?"
"Deal."
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Ricky walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Great-grandma Miley answered the door.
"Hello. You must be Jill's friend Rick."
"Yes ma'am. And you must be her Great-Grandma Miley."
"Come in. It's nice to met you."
"Same here."
Ricky was staring at the person that once was Hannah Montana and was thinking about everything that Hannah had done during her career and her life when Miley interrupted his thoughts.
"First time to met someone famous?"
"What?"
"Jill told me she told you about me being Hannah Montana."
"Oh yes ma'am. Sorry I didn't mean to stare. It's just that you look some much like Hannah Montana now. Doesn't anyone ever ask you if you were her?"
"Well, when my hair was brown, no one noticed, but yes I did for a while when my hair turn to this color. However, I don't have that problem in my community."
"Yeah, I guess not."
"Jill is upstairs in her room."
"Thank you ma'am."
"Rick…"
"Yes ma'am?"
"Please call me great-grandma. Ma'am makes me sound old." Miley laughed.
"Yes ma', I mean great-grandma." Ricky smiled. Then he turned and went up to Jill's room.
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"Hey Jill." Ricky greeted her as he came into her room. Jill was sitting at her desk with her laptop working on her report.
"Hi Ricky."
"I just met your great-grandma. I can't believe you didn't like her."
"Well, the more I find out about her the more I really like her. She is such an amazing person. Look at this article here."
Jill turned her laptop so Ricky could see it better. It was a story about how she helped spearhead a development project at a children's hospital for cancer. The project was to build a recreational center for the family members and the patients that were at the hospital. The article even said they named the recreational center after her. What really got Ricky's attention was that she did it when she was only fourteen! Jill also showed Ricky articles about her work with the Leukemia Fountain and how she shared all of her profits with them. One of the articles even gives Hannah Montana credit for helping to financing must of the major cures for leukemia that there were today.
"WOW! Even with all of this, she never took credit for any of it as herself?"
"Not once. All the awards and all the credit for all the good things she did always went to Hannah Montana."
"So what are you going to do with your report?"
"That's my problem. I don't know what to do. I mean look here."
Jill pulled up her report notes and showed them to Ricky. The first thing he saw was how her great-great-great-grandmother leaded the way for women in women's volleyball in the Olympics of 1964. Then there was her great-great-grandfather and his singing career. This was followed with her great-granduncle Jackson and his incredible beach volleyball career of eighteen years, four gold medals, and all the national championships and tournaments he won. This was topped off with her great-grandma Miley being Hannah Montana and all the humanitarian work for children's medicine that she did as Hannah Montana.
"I thought you said your family was boring." Ricky laughed.
"Not helping here."
"Look Jill, believe it or not, your family has done a lot to shape history. Your great-great-great-grandma blazed a trail in women's sports just like your great-granduncle brought beach volleyball to the of level competition and popularity it has today. Then look at the influence your great-great-grandpa's music career had on your great-grandma. I mean, look at everything you are finding out about her and she did it without taking one bit of credit for it either."
"I know. I'm just afraid no one is going to believe me. Oh yeah, get this. My other great-grandma, Lilly, great-grandma's best friend growing up, do you know who she is?"
"No."
Jill got up from the desk and walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and handed them to Ricky.
"Here."
"What do I want with your pants."
"Read the label."
"It says Lilly."
Jill watched Ricky as realization spread across his face.
"No way!"
Jill just nodded.
"Lilly became Hannah Montana's fashion designer after college I think. I haven't gotten the story on that one yet. Anyways, because Lilly was designing for Hannah Montana, it was only a matter of time before she took off as a designer."
"WOW! Do you know what this might mean?"
"No please tell me." Jill replied sarcastically.
"You're VERY and I do mean VERY RICH!"
"I'd have to ask dad about that. But Sammie told me that all the copyrights for the Hannah Montana songs are in mom's name. However, you still haven't answered my question."
"What question?"
"What am I going to do for my report?"
"I thought you didn't want to do this report."
"After all these years you still haven't learn have you."
"Yes I have, but why is it that girls are the only ones that get to change their minds."
"Because we're girls." Jill giggled.
"Well, I guess you just start from the top and work your way down."
"But no one will believe me or more likely they will say I'm bragging."
"No they won't."
"And do you stop to think what is going to happen when I tell them that Hannah Montana was the stage name for my great-grandma?"
"That all depends on weather or not you want to tell them?" Great-grandma commented as she stood in the doorway.
"But I want to tell them great-grandma."
"Then don't worry about what they will think. Jill dear, you're going to find that there are people like Rick here that will always have your back and there will be people who will not believe you no matter how much the truth hits them in the face."
Ricky watched Jill through the whole little pep talk that her great-grandma gave her and finally saw her relax about her project. Ricky had to admit to himself that her family had done quite a bit. It really was amazing.
"So you're okay if I tell everyone that you were Hannah Montana."
"Honey, I'm ninety-five years old. If people want to try and track me down because they finally find out that I was Hannah Montana, I think I can handle it now."
"Thanks great-grandma."
"Supper's ready." Great-grandma told the pair.
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After supper, the family had fallen into a routine. The only difference this time was that Ricky was sitting in the love seat with me instead of Sammie. He was sitting on the floor.
"So great-grandma, just how did you get your career back on track after your mom's death?"