Chapter 3

The Concert

Miley took a shower, making her feel much better. She went into the makeup cabinet and used a little bit of foundation and bronzer to make her look more normal. Then she applied lip stick, lip gloss, eye shadow, eye liner, and mascara to make herself look more like Hannah. She went into the kitchen, grabbed an ibuprofen bottle and took two of the little pills out. Getting a glass of water she swallowed the pills and hoped they would be all she needed to get through the night. She went back to her room and into her Hannah closet. She already had her outfit picked out. She got dressed and then got her wig and bobby pins. She used the pins to fix the wig in place. (a/n – I figured she had some way of getting it to stay on. If I was her, this would be mine. If you're gonna keep a secret, you do have to actually keep it.) Now she was ready.

She went downstairs. Jackson was waiting for her.

"Dad went out again so, lucky for you, he won't be coming to the concert. I'm coming though. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, Jackson. Now let's move."

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The limo ride was uneventful. Miley tried to rest. She took deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. For the first time in a long time, she was nervous. What if she couldn't be do a good job? What if she fainted? People might think she's anorexic or worse. Who knew how the press would handle it? Jackson noticed this.

"Calm down, Miley."

"What? How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Because I know you. I've known you since you were born, remember? I know you must be freaking out right now. But I also know that you wouldn't have said no to canceling the concert if you weren't going to pull it together and do great. So don't be so hard on yourself."

"Thanks, Jackson."

"You're Welcome. But if anyone ever finds out I was being nice to you, I will get revenge."

"No worries, I'd never tell a soul."

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Hannah got up on stage. To the outsider, she was the same old lovable, energetic, teen pop sensation with an amazing voice. But to Jackson, she was going to faint any second. He watched her perform her first song without any problem. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. She went to change. She came back out. And the pattern continued until the end of the concert. Jackson didn't even know which song she performed. All he knew was he was thankful it was over. He greeted Hannah backstage. Together they walked into the dressing room. Miley felt bad that her alter ego would not be signing any autographs tonight. She too tired to give it any more thought. Before she could even change out of her Hannah outfit, she fell asleep on the couch listening to Jackson talk about how worried he was and how much trouble they'd be in if their dad found out. Those were the last words she heard as she drifted into a deep sleep.

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Jackson kept talking, not noticing that she had fallen asleep. He paused his tirade with a, "Right, Miley?" When she didn't answer back he called her name again.

"Miley?"

No reply. He looked down at the couch. She was sleeping. He couldn't believe. But as she was sick, he didn't get angry. Instead he got a wet paper towel and wiped her makeup off gently. He put a sweatshirt on over her outfit. He smiled down her thinking about how much Miley looked like a little kid. He realized that although she acted like a grown up teen idol, she was really just a preteen with great vocals and an awesome writer. He carefully picked her up and sneaked out the back door. He made sure to swith limos after that incident with the press following them home and thinking Hannah was dating Jackson. When they got home, he picked her up and carried her inside. After a few minutes of trying, he managed to detach the wig without hurting Miley. He shook her awake and called her name.

"Miley."

This time though, Miley woke up the first time.

"Jackson?"

"Yeah"

"How'd I get home?"

"I carried you from the dressing room to the limo and from the limo to your room. I already took off your makeup and wig, but you're gonna hafta change yourself."

"Like you'd live if you changed me."

"Exactly. But I think dad's gonna come home soon, so you might wanna change soon. That way you can fall asleep before he comes home and he'll never find out that you performed while you were sick."

"Works for me."

Jackson left the room. After he closed the doors behind himself, Miley got up and started to change. Then she went to sleep.

After Miley went to sleep, Jackson heard his cell phone ring. He looked at the screen. It was his father.

"Hi, dad."

"Hi, Jackson. I just wanted to check in on you kids. I thought you might be sleeping by now though."

"Dad, it's a Friday night. I can stay up late."

"Is Miley still up too?"

"No, she was really tired after the concert."

"Really? That's good. Listen, son. I have to go out of town for a meeting for a few days. I'll be coming home late to get a suitcase. As soon as I finish packing I'm leaving. I'm leavin you in charge, but your sister and the house better be in one piece when I get back. Deal?"

"Yeah! That's great, dad. Can't wait."
"No parties, and no trouble. Got it?"

"Yes, dad."

"Good. I'll call and talk to your sister after my plane lands, ok?"

"Yeah. Night, dad."

"Night, son."