AN: Popular or not, this is actually my FAVE story... I'm glad for those who read the first chapter and reviewed; I'm glad that I'm not the only one who liked this story. Sorry for the lateness; had to study for my penultimate chemistry exam, two anatomy exams, write my English final and try to figure out what parabola meant. Oh, and try to write all of my stories as evenly as possible for quicker updates.
WARNING: I don't want any complaints about the element I'm introducing in this chapter. I actually had to do this in eighth grade. Maybe I exaggerated about the difficulty of the second project; but it's similar.
Dedicated to: RJBComputer. Dude, sorry about not updating this one sooner. :-D Hope you liked it. Thanks for waiting patiently. I hope it was worth the wait. The juice... is not till later; unfortunately.
The English Project
Chapter Two: That Thin Line is NOT A River in Egypt
Lilly said as they exited English later on. "That was some class, huh!? I can't believe I actually asked to be in the honors track for English."
Miley scoffed, "Oh please, you have Henry as a partner - he's been getting A+'s in every class. And he's Henry, the one who went to Shakespeare camp three summers in a row! I'd rather pair up with him than that Ego Maniac any day!"
They were walking to Lilly's locker to get their gym bags. "Oh please, the boy is pretty good in English - it's his best class. You gotta admit that, even if he's a celebrity."
"It doesn't matter! I don't want to work with him. He's frustrating, and annoying, and he's so obnoxious."
"You know, you're starting to sound like a broken record! It's like you can't find any new material to say anything bad about him..." She trailed off, getting that look on her face when she has either thought of something really good, or need to go badly.
Becca and Oliver joined them. While he opened his locker and exchanged his stuff, she said, "You know Miley, if I didn't know any better - I'd say you're in denial about liking him."
Her boyfriend looked at her weird as Lilly clapped her hands while head checking her locker door closed.
Miley rolled her eyes, "Guys, come on. I don't like Jake Ryan!"
Oliver's eyes widened then said, "Oh my God, you do!" He closed his locker and they started walking toward Becca's locker.
"Do not!"
Lilly joined Oliver. "Do too!!"
"Do not."
All three said, "Do too!!!"
Becca closed her locker and they started to go to gym.
"Do... okay, you donuts, why on earth you guys think that I like Jake Ryan?"
Oliver said, "Because, you can see him for his bad and good qualities."
"I fail to see the analogy."
Then Becca said, "You're not falling all over him, and you're not blinded by his stardom - but I know you think he can be nice and sweet AND you like him for that."
"Still not getting the point!"
They arrived at the area where they have to split to go into the right locker rooms.
Finally, Lilly said, "I can give you a couple more reasons that these two haven't given you... since you don't seem to get it at all. You say you don't like him because he annoys you - but he gets under your skin like nobody, not Johnny Collins or Josh the ninth grader when we were in eighth grade, has ever done before! That's one. Speaking of him, before you crushed on Johnny Collins - you thought he was obnoxious too, until he said that you looked cute when you put your hair up in curly pigtails!"
Miley tried to say something but Lilly barelled onward.
"You don't really know Jake right now - but you gave him a chance at the beach last week. And he said you were cute; which I know you liked even if you said you didn't care. That's two. And, aside from him being like you-know-what..." She meant the Hannah Montana secret, which Miley understood, "He easily fits the description of you dream guy in your blue diary that you've been keeping under your floor boards in you-know-where! And that's three."
Miley gasped. "No, he doesn't! You guys are insane. And he doesn't fit my Perfect Guy's description!"
Lilly looked at Oliver and Becca. "Okay. Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves - since you're probably rejecting the idea right now. But when you finally realize this; we'll say that we told you so!"
A whistle sounded. "Get to class!" It was Coach Lewis, their gym teacher.
They scrambled to their respective destinations.
...
"I'm telling you, there is no way I do or will ever like Jake Ryan!" Miley told Lilly and Becca as they made their way to the gym later. They refrained from talking in the girl's locker room because of Amber and Ashley.
"Maybe you really don't now - but you will later!" Lilly said.
"He's not even a decent human being!"
Becca shook her head, "You only think that because you haven't been trying to get to know him. He's not bad; if he could actually laugh at Oliver's 'Yo Mama' jokes. he's definitely not as bad as you are making him out to be."
"He's an actor! Of course, he can laugh at ANY joke!"
They sat in their assigned seats and started stretching.
"I'm telling you Miley, just wait and see. You're treading carefully on the thin line between love and hate!"
"Lilly, we're not a movie or a story."
They heard a whistle and paid attention to Coach Lewis. "Okay, we're covering dance this unit." The girls cheered while the boys groaned. "But I will be picking your partners for you and there will be no switching!"
The girls groaned, while the guys made sarcastic cheers. The girls wanted Jake (or have the ability to pick partners; like Becca - who wanted Oliver)... and the guys weren't really thrilled to have this unit; but were at least sure that they will be having partners.
"Oh come on you guys!" The perky gym teacher and cheerleading coach said. "It's only for a couple of weeks!"
Everybody surrendered to the torture.
"Alright, when I call your names I want you to pair up and start talking. Each of you will be getting a particular style to work on; and by the end of this unit - I expect you to choreograph a dance routine that includes that style with your partners. The routine doesn't have to be the entire dance."
Coach Lewis called out a bunch of names, and after time passed only three people remained.
"Becca Weller and Oliver Oken. Tango." Upon which Becca nearly squealed and Oliver looked strangely pleased. "And I expect to see a red rose in your final performance."
"Johnny Collins and Lilly Truscott. Swing." Upon which Lilly threw a suprised look at her shocked best girl friend.
"And Miley Stewart and Jake Ryan. Waltz or any variation of it."
Miley barely felt herself move to meet Jake.
He was smiling at her. "I guess we have to get together some time to work on this too. Hey, you ok?"
"I'm just wondering what I did to deserve this." She looked up to the ceiling, as if talking to the heavens. But Jake didn't get that.
"Oooookay. This is actually going to be easier, because I can ask one of the fight choreographers from Zombie High to do me a favor and teach us this dance and give us a routine. But I definitely have to bring you to the set for that. Are you free today, after school?"
Resigned, Miley just said, "Yeah. Sure."
"You know, girls would kill to be in your spot right now."
"Great. Could they kill me now?"
...
"Well, who woulda thunk it?" Lilly asked with a smile as they made their way to their lockers. "You and Jake get partnered up again."
Becca chipped in, "I think this is Fate tryin' to tell you something."
Oliver was busy sneaking in a chocolate muffin in his mouth.
Miley took the chance to slam her head into the nearest wall.
"Hey, hey - none of that now!" The two girls tried to pry her away from the hard surface.
"Will Miley Stewart please come to the Central Office?" Someone on the P.A. system announced. "I repeat. Will Miley Stewart please come to the Central Office?"
She smiled. There was only one reason why someone needed to go to the Central Office. She's got a Hannah thing to go to, no matter how sudden it was, and her dad was picking her up. "Okay, Lilly - I was supposed to meet up with Jake after school; but I gotta go to the doctor." She winked, and Lilly winked back.
"Okay. I'll take notes for you."
Becca said, "You keep getting out of class early for a doctor's appointment, like once a week since school started. Are you okay, Miley?"
"The doctors are making sure I'm fine." She felt guilty. One of these days, she won't have to lie to anyone anymore... but that day is not for a loooong while; if she had anything to say about it.
"Well, I hope you feel better. I'll go get your English stuff; you need them right?"
Miley said, "Thanks!" As the other girl went to the locker with Oliver. Then she turned to Lilly. "It's so hard not to just spill the truth to her. I mean, I get a little freaked out when i'm using her locker because..." She trailed off, "you know."
"Well, you have two choices - either you tell her or you don't. Kinda like you did with me and Oliver." Lilly put her stuff back in her locker, while Miley opened Oliver's.
"Yeah, but if I tell one more person it's kind of like telling the world."
"It's not like telling the world. You're starting to consider her as one of your friends."
Miley pursed her lips. "That's true." Out of the corner of her eye, Becca and oliver started to come back so she whispered, "Well, I'll definitely text you or call you later with the deets."
"Okay, I'll be waiting!"
...
Miley got out of her limo, still in shock. Her dad had just explained why they were heading for the Dinsey Channel studios in Burbank. She was meeting the producers of Zombie High, who had specifically requested for her to be a guest star in an episode for the show.
She was going to be working with Jake... AGAIN!
This cannot be happening to her!
Maybe she didn't even have to work with him directly.
OH, WHO WAS SHE KIDDING? Everything in Zombie High was his centered around his character!
She automatically pasted a smile on her face as she met and greeted the producers. She was about to decline the position when she saw how much money was involved. For ONE episode of the show.
Okay, one look from her father told her to pick up the pen and sign the contract. Which she immediately did. She'd be insane not to build up funds for her savings account or something. She could easily take twenty-five percent of her paycheck (with the tax deduction) and buy three iPod Nano's with 1 GB (to give to herself, Oliver and Lilly) and have more to go for a shopping spree at The Gap. With this money - she could donate a good amount to five different charities and still have enough to survive up to seven years of college - at ANY school she wished to go to.
She later heard she was earning almost as much as Jake Ryan was earning for each episode of the show.
Funny. He never once boasted as much about his wealth. He was rather down-to-earth about that. Sure, he made up lousy jokes, and accepted the attention his peers gave him but he never once displayed how well off he was. He never blatantly showed off the latest things he could get with this kind of money... for EACH episode!
There was something else to be said about Jake Ryan after all.
Maybe she judged him too harshly.
But that doesn't mean she liked him, or she was going to fall for him. No way, no how.
"Oh, and Miss Montana? You'll be getting the script tomorrow. We weren't sure if you were going to take the role, so unfortunately we didn't make a copy for you today. Do you have any other questions for me?"
"Would you tell me what the episode is about?" Hannah asked. "The gist of it would be fine. I just want to know what kind of character I'm going to be playing."
The producer, let's just call him Bob... well Bob cleared his throat nervously. "Actually, to be honest; I haven't looked at the script myself. Confidentiality issues that the writer is insistent about - the only one who knows what the episode entails is him and Jake; everybody else (except you) gets the script just a day or two before the shoot. The only thing he told me about it is that it revolves around a prophecy about good triumphing over evil. But you, my dear; will be playing Zeronda, Princess of the Undead."
Miley smiled. Good. They were enemies in this episode. That wasn't so bad.