CHAPTER EIGHT

"The Real Truth"

Disclaimer: I dont own hannah montana. blah blah blah. Okay, people have been wondering what Candi looks like, so I'll tell you. Go here: Okay, imagine that girl with straight black hair, and you've got Candi! Okay, and everyone pretty much knows what everyone else looks like. Alright, I got the idea for this chapter from Charmed. If anyone watches that show, you'll know that the same thing that happens in this chapter is what happened to Paige. Just wanted to let you know where I got the idea. Okay? So I don't own this idea. Alright, let's get on with it, shall we? ENJOY:)

"The Real Truth"

"Mom! Dad! Watch out!" The car swerved, and a truck whamed into the side. A young black haired girl with braces named Ellie was able to open the car door and escape. Only seconds before the car burst into flames. Young men in bright neon yellow vests that red "police" had to hold her back from jumping into the fiery scene to save her parents. Tears fell like a waterfall down her dampened face. "MOOOOOOM!!! DAAAAAAAAAD!!!" Ellie cried, while struggling to get away from the policemen's grip. She had to save her parents. She watched firemen and rescue teams rush to the scene, but it was too late. Ellie collapsed and fell to the ground, then buried her face into her hands. Only to accept the fact that her parents were...dead.

Candi wrenched her eyes, then opened them. She looked around. She was sleeping in an alleyway early Sunday morning, in the city part of Malibu. She heard footsteps approaching, and a shadow appeared. One that took the form of Jake.

"Jake? Is that you?" She asked, sitting up.

"Yeah, it's me," Jake helped her up, and she dusted off her jeans. Jake watched her and laughed. "You look a mess."

Candi smiled, and did a short giggle. Without looking up she said, "Just imagine how I feel."

While Candi and Jake were walking back to his house, even though his parents said not to see her again, she hardly said anything. She watched the ground, and linked her hands together, and held them a slight bit away from her chest. Jake knew she was upset about being abused, but she's not the least bit as talk-a-tive as she usually is. Even when she'd just been beaten. He had to get it out of her one way or another.

"So...I see your bruises are going away" Try number one.

Candi smiled and made a slight "mm" noise.

"Have you decided about court or...anything? Try number two.

Candi shook her head no. Jake caved in. "Okay, Candi, whats up? Why are you acting like this?"

They both stopped in their tracks as Candi stared at something. Jake caught what she was staring at. A car coming toward another car. There was a screech of breaks, and a blue camero whamed the side of a hotpink mustang convertible driven by a blonde teenage girl. The blue car exploded, and the hotpink car flipped upside down, and landed on it's roof, then crunched itself flat.

Jake stared a Candi. "C, Candi? What's wrong?"

Candi couldn't say anything. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Come on, Jake! Let's go!" She grabbed his hand, and pulled him, as they ran away in the other direction.

Jake sat down on the edge of the coffee table in front of Candi. She was laying on his couch, resting her head in her palm. She wore a pink casmere sweater, ripped jeans, and a charm bracelet. She had just finished brushing her hair. It was curled around her shoulders.

"Alright, do you wanna tell me what happened?" Jake asked.

"Jake, I haven't been telling you the whole truth." Candi replied, sitting up, and looking at Jake directly.

"Tell me. You'll feel better if you get it out." He comforted her.

"Okay. But promise not to say anything! Not even to Miley." Candi warned him. He laughed.

"Okay, I wont."

Candi took a deep breath. Then began the long, painful story. Wait, scratch that. The long, painful truth. "I...Im adopted, Jake."

Jake's eyes got big. "S...so, Mr. and Mrs. Magnolia adopted you?"

Candi nodded.

"Then, what happened to your real parents?"

Candi shut her eyes. She saw everything. Like it was in fast forward. Everything. She opened them back up. "They died. More like killed, actually."

"What happened?" Jake asked, unsure if he should've asked that. But Candi had to get it out. This was her chance."

"One night, about three years ago, when I was twelve, we were coming back from a football game. They picked me up. And I still remember. It was five thirty in the evening. Mom was wearing what she always did. A gray tshirt, and loose jeans. Dad was wearing a tie over a navy-blue checkered shirt tucked into a brown belt and black slacks. I always told them it was uncool." She began, laughing when she said 'uncool'. "They were mad at me. See, when they came to pick me up, the game had been over for thrity minutes. Me and some of my friends were...smoking and drinking."

Jake's eyes went big.

"And they caught me. They drove me home. Mom was yelling at me. Saying things like...'Do you have any idea how old you are?!' and 'I can't believe you'd do this! We thought we raised a good daughter!'. I was somewhat of a bad kid. I never got the chance to prove to them that I was a good kid. I just never tried. So, dad was driving. Not paying attention. There was a...a...a truck. Dad missed the redlight, and I told them to watch out. He turned the steering wheel and...and..." Candi covered her mouth. She was crying. Her eyes were narrow, thinking of what happened. She removed her hand, and did a big crying-gasp. She had to continue the story. She saw Jake's eyes were wattery. He looked at her with pitty. "and...the car swerved, and the truck whamed the side. It was a good thing I had my hand on the car door handle. I opened it, and fell out, rolled away from the car, just moments before it hit. The car then burst into the flames. It exploded! I wanted to jump in there and save my parents, Jake! I had to! I tried to push the policemen off of me. They were holding me back! They acted like...It kills me! I relive it over and over and over in my head. They let me sit there and WATCH my parents die, Jake! I couldn't stop crying. They smelt beer on my breath, so I spent my first night as an orphan in juvenile hall. After that, it's such a blur. But I remember the accident perfectly. Like it's real again. They took me to the orphanage, and three weeks later, I got adopted. Mr. and Mrs. Magnolia. Then we moved here to Malibu. They had a thing for names ending in 'andi', considering my mom's name is Mandi, and my dad's name is Andy. They loved me, at first. I was their little princess. They loved me like I was their very own daughter. It was until Mom got pregnant with another daughter. As it turns out, they actually did love their very own daughter. They didn't want me anymore. And the people wouldn't let them return me. It's like I had a warranty. So...I wasn't their princess anymore. Never, NOT EVER! Did I stop wondering what would've happened if I had just walked home after the game was over like I was supposed to." Candi was crying real hard now.

Jake hugged her. "You can't blame yourself, Candi. It's not your fault."

Candi nodded, while crying all over his shirt. She stopped, and laughed. Then sat back in the couch. "And, I keep having this dream about it. Every night. And it won't stop."

"So...you haven't always been Candi Magnolia?" Jake was, again, unsure if he should've asked that.

Candi shook her head no.

"What...what was your real name?" He asked. Completely sure this time.

Candi smiled. "Ellie. Ellie Autumn-Marie Cohen"

They laughed.

The doorbell rang.

Jake got up to answer it. He pulled the door open. There stood a man and a woman, the woman had a four year old on her hip. "We're here for our daughter." The man said in a firm voice. "Who are you?" Jake asked, like a protective big brother over his friend. "We're Candi's parents. Im Mandi Magnolia. This is my husband, Andy, and my daughter, Brandi. Can we have our other daughter back, please? We need to have a...talk...with her when we get home." The woman said. Jake didn't know what to say. What he said could be a matter of life and death.

Duhn. Duhn. Duhn. Alright, will Jake tell Mr. and Mrs. Magnolia that Candi is there? Or will he lie and say she's not. And what will happen at school tomorrow if he does? Keep checking back, and chapter nine will answer ALL these questions:)