Recap

Our voices conjoined and faded as we ended the song, I opened my eyes and looked at Freddy. His face was in shock, and weakly smiled at me.

'Did I do that bad?' I asked myself, too afraid to look at my audience.

I could hear the students talking and I took in a deep breath, looking at the crowd. The students looked shocked, just like how Freddy looked.

'Why are they looking at me like that?' I asked and soon I heard the one name I dreaded to hear just before I sang this song. The one name I was afraid that people would say while I sang up here today.

'Hannah Montana'

Chapter 19

Afraid

After hearing the word Hannah Montana, I ran out of the auditorium. I could hear Freddy, Jake, and Mrs. Rodrigues calling for me, but I just couldn't face anyone. I just feel like I ruined a lot of things I tried to keep in just by singing. The thing that's bothering me is why did my heart tell me to sing like that?

I ran out of the school and into the direction of my house. That was the only place I could feel safe from what I put myself through. Not only was my emotions getting to me, but the fact that I may have ruined the secret that I've been hiding for 3 years, 3 good years, might be broken.

A few minutes later, I finally reached my house. I bolted inside of the house and saw my dad sitting on the couch.

He looked from his seat and was a little shocked to see me.

"Bud, what are you doing home so early?" He asked and stood up from the couch.

I ran over to him, throwing my arms around him.

"Daddy." I felt hot tears freely flow down my cheeks. It was just too much for me to handle.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he rubbed my back. He led me to the couch and sat down, pulling me next to him. I put my face into his shoulder with my hand on his chest.

"Shh…" He had his arm around my back. I just couldn't stop crying and I couldn't think. I just needed to let it out. It took too much for me to keep in and I just needed to let it all out.

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I woke up feeling a little dizzy. I was in my room and it was dark out. I must've fallen asleep when I cried coming home home from school.

It reminds me that dad doesn't know about what happened and he should probably, since he is my dad and manager.

But the only thing that's holding me back is;

Does everyone know that I'm Hannah Montana?

Do they suspect I'm Hannah Montana?

Should I worry that people would know?

These questions keep on repeating in my head and I can't face it. I'm afraid, afraid that they know. I just can't let them know that I am. I'm not ready for everyone to find out yet. I have my whole life planned ahead of me and the one time I'm not really thinking about it, it happens. What do I do?

I lie in my bed and look at the clock. It read 7:28 PM.

I slept pretty long. I wonder if word in my family got around on what happened.

I snuggled deeper into my bed, pulling the blanket up until it reached my chin.

I heard a knock on my door and looked at the door. The door opened, with the light in the hallway peaking through.

"Miley?" I could hear Luann say.

"Yeah." I replied softly and shifted on my bed, so that my back was facing the door.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I am."

"Well, Uncle Robby told me to get you. Dinner just started. Are you coming down?"

"No, I'm not very hungry." I replied.

"Okay… Night Miley." She said and was about to close the door when the door opened with her coming into the room. "Don't worry Miley; I really doubt everyone in your school knows that you're Hannah." She said and I felt her sit on my bed.

I turned my head to face her and she smiled at me.

"How do you know about what happened?" I asked feeling slightly confused. What if it spread to the whole school?

"Jake came looking for you during school and he found me, Oliver, and Lilly and told us what happened. He gave me your bag and Uncle Robby called Jackson telling him that you were at home. We came home and saw that you were sleeping so we explained to Uncle with what happened." She said and put her hand on my head, stroking my hair.

"Thanks." I whispered and she got up from the bed, and left my room closing the door behind her.

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I hadn't gone to school for a little over a week since the incident. I was still ashamed and felt slightly depressed about the whole thing that happened on that one day. Even if has been over a week, I just couldn't let it go. It made me scared and

I was in my room, getting some thinking time. I hardly left my room and my dad wanted me to go back to school tomorrow. I didn't know if I was ready, but I had to go. Hopefully, everyone in my music class forgot about everything that happened.

There was a knock come from my door and I looked back, as the door opened, revealing Jake.

"Hey." He said quietly and closed the door. He walked over to me, sitting next to me on my bed.

"Hi." I replied and he wrapped his arms around me.

"You okay?" He asked and I nodded.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better than how I felt the other week." I leaned into him and he tightened his grip around me.

"That's good. I'm sorry I haven't been visiting I-" He started, but I shook my head.

"Don't worry about it; I heard that you had big things for the next season of Zombie High."

He sighed and kissed my temple. "Yeah, stressed out about it, but I'm more worried about you. You sure you're ready to go school tomorrow?" He asked and I shrugged.

"Well, I have to face them sooner or later. What have people been saying about me?"

"A few of them questioned if you were Hannah Montana, but then they would deny it and talk about your blonde hair. A few mentioned the whole wig issue and they asked me some things, but I didn't say anything." He breathed in deeply, leaning back until his back reached the wall and he pulled me on him so that we were in a sort of laying position.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For being there for me." I said and put my hand over his.

"Anything for you. You've been there for me, always. I can't just leave you alone and not care you know?"

I nodded and smiled. "You're so sweet Jake." I said and he squeezed me.

"I know I am."

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The next day at school, I had Jake by my side the whole time. He rode with us to school and held my hand the whole time we were in the school. I was afraid that everyone would come up to me and ask me if I was Hannah Montana, just like my dream.

"Miley, relax don't worry about it. I really doubt anyone would ask you." Jake said, noticing me be tense.

"Yeah." I pursed my lips as I went to my locker. Once I opened it, a few folded pieces of papers slipped out of it, falling onto the ground.

Jake picked up the pieces of paper and handed them to me.

"What are they?" He asked and I shrugged.

"I don't know." I opened one of them and read it. My eyes grew in fear, and I took another piece of paper that Jake handed me. Each of them said similar questions and it just scared me.

Most of the said: Are You Hannah Montana? or Did you know you sound like Hannah Montana?

"You okay?" Jake asked me and took a piece of folded paper in my hand, one I hadn't read yet. He opened it up and read it out loud. "I was listening to Hannah Montana the night before and I swore you sounded exactly like her."

"Jake, I think this was a bad idea coming to school." I said and he pulled me into a hug.

"You want me to tell Jackson to bring you home? Want me to stay with you?" I asked and nodded.

"Please?" I asked and he pulled out his cell phone to call Jackson.

A few minutes later, Jackson came over and looked at me.

"You okay?" He asked with a worried look on his face and I handed him the pieces of paper.

He a few of them read them and sighed.

"Let's go." He said and we left the school just as the warning bell rang.

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A few days later, I hadn't gone to school and have been getting phone calls from the school wondering about my absences. My dad went to my school got all my back work, including the next full week of school work, since my dad explained to them that we had something tragic happen in the family.

It was more like something tragic happen to me and I'm too afraid to face everyone in my third period. I hadn't seen Freddy in a while and next week was when the project was due. We were supposed to sing to the whole school, and I knew I was risking failing my music class just because of that incident that happened. I was letting down Freddy and he knew that I wouldn't show up on that day, so he just stopped coming over.

I was sitting in my room, doing my back work. Work made me stop thinking about what happened. It all started out as just being scared that everyone found out, but now it's just paranoia. I'm completely paranoid that people would come to my house and ask me if I really was Hannah Montana.

I heard a knock come from my door and I turned as it opened. I was surprised to see who it was, since it had been almost a year since I last saw this person.

"Hey Mrs. Ryan-or" I started. I didn't know what to call her. She was getting a divorce with her husband and I really didn't know her maiden name.

"Yes, Mrs. Ryan until next month." She smiled and walked over to my bed to sit down.

"What are you doing here? Not to sound rude or anything, I just haven't seen you in a while." I said, walking over to her and sitting next to her.

"Well, I've been hearing from Jake that you've been having problems. I would've come earlier, but you know what's happening right?" She asked as she put her hands over my hands.

"Yeah. Well, I'm just paranoid that everyone found out my secret. It happened almost about two weeks ago and I just can't get over it." I sighed and she hugged me.

"Well, just remember you can't hold in this secret your whole life. It's your choice whether or not you want to keep this secret until you're ready, just know that one day you'll have to let everyone know."

"I know, but what if I screw it up? I always wanted to keep this normal life, just until school is over. What if everyone hates me when they find out who I am?" I asked and she rubbed my back.

"Don't worry if they were your true fans, they wouldn't hate you. Look at Jake, his life is almost normal ever since he met you. Your life maybe similar to his if you were to tell everyone about your secret. don't look down on this; there are the points in being famous." She said and I nodded.

"Anyway, I should see if your father needs help. You want anything from downstairs?" She asked as she stood up.

I thought for a second. 'Maybe Mrs. Ryan is right, but what should I do? Denying it now and then later in life telling them who I am, they might not even believe me then.' I sighed. 'What should I do?' I asked myself and finally thought of something.

"Yeah, umm, could you tell my dad to if I could get someone's number?" I asked and she looked at me quite confused.

"Whose number?" She asked and I stood up.

"Never mind, I'll come down with you."

A/N You all must be like What? LOL well next chapter is the last. Hope you liked this chapter.