Chapter Two
"Hannah, could you please explain to me why we're spending a perfectly good Saturday at a press conference?" Robby Ray glanced over at the younger pop star that was desperately scanning the crowd for someone or something. He rolled his eyes slightly as he adjusted his hat. "More importantly, why have you been acting so weird since you saw that newscast on Mikayla last night?"
"Dad," Sixteen-year-old Hannah Montana –also known as Miley Rae Stewart- momentarily paused from her crowd searching. She brushed a strand of her blond wig out of her eyes and turned to give him an 'I-can't-believe-you-don't-know-this' look. "I've got to talk to… Mi-cockroach!"
"I thought you hated that girl?" Robby Ray scratched the side of his head, a sudden confused expression coming onto his face. It there was one thing he'd never understand, if was the world of teenage girls. One second his daughter was ranting about how she 'hated' Mikayla, and the next she was looking for the girl? He sighed, letting his hand fall back to his side as his daughter spoke once more.
"I do, Daddy. Which is why I have to find her," Hannah explained. She refrained from adding the word 'duh' at the end. Instead, she turned her attention back to skimming the crowd. All of these people had gathered here for Mikayla? How could so many people care about someone with so little talent? Hannah sighed to herself and slumped against the wall. People were scurrying every which direction with cameras, cell phones, and microphones. All of them seemed to be searching for the same person that Hannah was looking for. Too bad none of them had seemed to find her.
"You know what," Robby sighed, throwing his hands up, "I give up trying to understand. I'm going to go get some of that peach pie on the dessert bar. Call me when you're ready to leave." Hannah merely nodded a dismissal as her father left. It was nothing new, Robby always tended to drift toward the dessert bar during her outings. She barely acknowledged it anymore.
A sudden rush of cameras running into the room pulled Hannah from her thoughts. Adjusting the rim of her own hat, she stepped away from the wall. From what the excited group of press members was saying, a limo had pulled up around front. That could only mean that Mikayla was close. Hannah quickly adjusted her wig and hat, before running her hands down her outfit. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the upcoming moment. The acting that would follow would probably be some of her best work yet. The other popstar had no idea that she was here, and Hannah knew it would be drama.
"People, please! I assure you that Mikayla will answer all your questions. Please just make some room," At the sound of an all-too-familiar voice, Hannah's head shot up. Margo. Mikayla's manager. Hannah frowned slightly; she knew Margo disliked her, and Margo tended to scare her. The woman was bold and would do anything for Mikayla. It seemed like she couldn't find Mikayla without Margo anymore. "I said to make some room!" Hannah jumped as Margo shouted. The press quickly jolted to the sides and Hannah felt her stomach turn. Any second she would see Mikayla…
"Thanks, Margo," And that second was now. The overly peppy voice of Hannah's biggest rival drifted from around the corner. It wasn't but a few seconds later when the owner of the voice herself appeared around the corner. It was show time. "It's so great to be back again. How is everyone today?" Mikayla was rambling with an all too good to be true smile on her face. Hannah slowly stepped out from the crowd and plastered a large –not to mention fake- smile on her face.
"Mikayla! Oh my god… I've missed you so much!" She projected her voice across the clearing to the other teen pop sensation. Every camera turned her way… each of them now turned on. Hannah held her head high as she walked toward the entourage that had formed around her 'friend.' Mikayla's jaw had dropped by this point, and Hannah couldn't help but to smirk. Oh, she was good. Her next step, she engulfed the other popstar in a hug, still holding that smile on her face.
It was a few seconds until Mikayla gingerly returned the hug. Still in shock, she managed to force a smile as she leaned closer to Hannah's ear. "What are you doing here?" She spoke through a false grin. The whisper was so low that she was certain the cameras couldn't hear it. But, just in case they had, she quickly added. "I'm just so surprised. I thought you went to… film that one movie?" Mikayla's voice rose slightly as she stepped back from Hannah. Both girls exchanged a fake smile as they did so.
"You mean Indiana Joanie?" Hannah questioned, pretending not to know what Mikayla was saying. She twirled a strand of her hair between her index finger and her thumb as Mikayla merely nodded. The hushed voices of the camera crews were all watching them intently. From the corner of her eyes, Hannah even spotted Robby turning from the corner to see what she'd started this time. He didn't look too happy, but she tried not to notice. "I was filming it… but, I heard that you were going to be here and I just couldn't resist coming to… welcome you home. It's been too long."
Mikayla gave a slightly nervous sounding laugh as she ran her fingers though her newly highlighted hair. She seemed to be considering what to say carefully. "Absotively Posilutely! And, I've missed you tons!" Glancing at Margo, Mikayla quickly walked forward and looped her arm with Hannah's. "So, how about we get this show on the road?" She beamed and didn't wait for a response. Instead, she led the wall down the hall with Hannah in tow. She directed Hannah to the front row and then made her way to her own special chair. Meanwhile, the press members gathered around to begin what would be a very long press conference.
"Thank god that's over," Mikayla sighed, standing in the bathroom of the Armstrong Building. Her press conference had finally ended. It had been three hours and thirty-four minutes since they'd started, and she was beyond tired. She'd answered everything from 'when does your movie premiere?' to 'are you and Jake Ryan dating?' and 'is it true that you're currently residing here in Malibu?' Anything you could think of, she had probably answered. She didn't think it was possible, but she was honestly sick of talking about her life. Why were these people so nosy?
Mikayla stepped out of the bathroom stall, her purse and tote bag in hand. Margo had gone to find the limo, and she had gone to change into something more comfy. On the bright side, it seemed as if she was finally alone. The bathroom was completely empty, as far as she could tell. She couldn't help but to smile at that, but as she passed the bathroom mirror on her way to the sink, she caught glimpse of her appearance. Her hair was starting to frizz, and her make up had lost its sparkle. The teen couldn't help but to frown. She looked like a wreck… it made her look so normal. Which, if she wanted to keep her reputation, she couldn't have.
Sighing, Mikayla walked over to the baby changing situation. Pulling it down, she set her purse on it. Then, the teen star backed up and bent down. Looking under the stalls, she didn't catch any signs of anyone being in there. Might as well make the best of it. She walked back to her purse. She pulled out a comb, and slowly ran it through her hair. It wasn't long before she had managed to pull it into a high and semi-fancy ponytail. It wasn't extravagant, but it was an improvement. She set the comb down next to her purse and snatched her lip-gloss. Leaning close to the mirror, she began to dab her lips with the glitter-infested gel. Strawberry… it was –and always had been- her favorite flavor.
Applying the gloss, she quietly began to hum to herself. It wasn't much, just a melody that had become quite popular lately on the radio. It was Hannah Montana's latest song 'Always find your way.' She'd never admit it, but she did sort of like the song. "You can change your hair and you can change your clothes. You can change your mind, that's just the way it goes-" She giggled slightly… she actually sounded pretty good. But, she abruptly stopped as she heard a creak and a sound from behind her. Jumping, the girl almost dropped her lip-gloss brush. She saved it just in time, however.
"Was that you singing?" Mikayla flushed, quickly turning her back away from whoever had just stepped out of the end stall. She had thought that the bathroom was empty! She quickly ducked her face into her purse, pretending to be looking for something. She could hear the 'click-clack' sound of the other girl's heels as they approached her. Any second now and she'd be busted. As the girl got closer, Mikayla positioned herself so that the other girl couldn't see her.
"Uh… yeah," Mikayla replied, trying her hardest to camouflage her voice. She needed to sound like someone –anyone- other than herself. Face flushed, she rooted through her purse. At last, she found her cell phone. She casually scrolled through her text messages for a diversion. Out of the corner of her eyes, she glanced toward the mirror. Maybe she could catch a glimpse of the other girl's face?
"You're good," The other girl had stopped walking. Mikayla counted to three before she made any other movements. She couldn't tell who the girl was from the mirror. But, if the girl were to find out who she was, then she might have to deal with an obsessed fan girl… again. That was the last thing that she wanted. It wasn't that she didn't adore her fans –she did. She just liked to have some peace and quiet every now and then. "You sound familiar, though."
Mikayla nodded, taking a small breath and then closing her eyes. She finally turned around, giving a weak smile. "That'd be because I'm-" She stopped, eyes widened as she took in the girl in front of her. Was that… Jake's friend? What was her name? Molly? Milley? Miley! Mikayla gave a slight sigh of relief as she took in the other teen. Her hair was in a messy bun. She had on quite a bit of make up and was wearing an oversized hoodie with some white caprice. The caprice sparkled in the bathroom lighting, as did Miley's make up. Mikayla then caught sight of a half-zipped backpack. It looked as if Miley had been in a rush when she was leaving wherever she'd been last.
"Mikayla!" Miley seemed shocked as she finished the sentence for her. Not only did she seem shocked; she seemed frightened, alarmed, and maybe even confused as she rushed to cover her backpack. Mikayla arched an eyebrow; she was alarmed at how weird Miley was acting. "I-I mean… hey. What are you doing here?" She stuttered.
"Working," Mikayla replied. She felt slight relief come over her as she now felt that she had the upper hand in this conversation. Beaming an all-too-practiced grin at Miley, she continued. "I mean, I had a press conference. I'm finally back from Antarctica. Aren't you just thrilled? But, that's all beside the point. What are you doing here?"
Miley fumbled with her things as she walked over to the sink. The water came on and she began to wash her hands. It was almost as if she was postponing her answer. Mikayla reached for her purse to begin putting her things away as she waited for a response. She might as well head home soon… she needed some sleep.
"I was here for a uh…" Miley began to speak again as she turned the water off. Mikayla turned to look at her as she spoke, a soft smirk resting on her face. Miley slowly made her way over to the paper towels, and opened her mouth to continue. It was then that Miley's backpack caught on the edge of the sink. Not realizing this, Miley moved forwards. The next thing that either girl noticed was Miley landing face first on the ground. The contents of her backpack fell out onto the floor. "Shit."
"Smooth," Mikayla muttered to herself. She set her purse down, walking over to the other girl to get a closer look. It was only then that she noticed what had actually fallen out of the bag. There was a glittery denim jacket, a sparkly hat, some over-sized sunglasses, two cell phones, and… a blond wing? All of the stuff looked strangely familiar. Mikayla knelt down, picking up the more expensive looking of the phones and the blond wing as she did so. Miley, meanwhile, was struggling to gather her things. She seemed even more rushed now then she had before. "What's with all this crap? Did you rob a celebrity or something?"
Mikayla stood up as Miley scooped everything that Mikayla hadn't picked up into her bag. She glanced up at Mikayla and a look of horror struck her face. "No… of course not. I uh just…" Miley gave a nervous laugh. Mikayla glanced over the wig and frowned. Highlights? Glitter? And… sweat? She'd been wearing this thing recently. She held the edge of the wing between two fingers as she flipped open the phone. Miley said something, but she didn't hear her. A look of shock crossed her face, causing her to drop the wig.
"Oh my god!" The pop star gasped. Miley's eyes went wide as she scurried to push her wing into her bag. "Oh my god-" Mikayla started to speak again, her jaw hanging open as she glanced at the screen of the phone. She now knew why this stuff looked familiar. Everything from the phone, the sunglasses, the clothes… the wig… even Miley's weird behavior. It all seemed to be coming together. The only piece missing was why Miley had all of this stuff.
"I can explain," Miley stated from the floor. She slowly hoisted herself up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder as she did so. She reached for the phone a few seconds later, but Mikayla turned away. She was fascinated in going through the phone's contacts. Miley attempted to snatch the phone once again, but Mikayla stepped away. She walked back over to the baby changer and leaned on it next to her purse. Miley bit her lip, knowing what was coming next.
"Oh. My. God," Mikayla's look of shock returned. Miley shut her eyes, quickly turning around to the sink. Mikayla didn't notice, however, as she was starring at the expensive phone as if it were an alien. Which, in a way, it seemed to be. "This is Hannah Montana's phone! And those clothes… that's the outfit she had on earlier!" The sudden realization escape Mikayla's lips in a rush. It wasn't long before she discarded the phone next to her purse and was walking toward Miley. Miley stepped toward the sinks, to brace herself. She suddenly felt light headed. Mikayla was just moments away from finding out her secret… and then it'd all be too late.
AN: yay! I've finally updated! haha, sorry about the long wait; it's just been hectic here. I'll update again soon, however. this chapter was tons of fun to write, so I hope you all like it. plus, it's pretty long. =) did anyone see the hannah montana movie? i loved it. =) i might add some parts of it in here and there... but, for now... review! tee-hee.
and, for any of you HSM fans, please check out my profile and vote in my poll. Remember... more reviews = faster updates. Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last chapter!