Miley always liked to stand in the middle of an empty stadium. It was kinda like her pre-concert ritual. Don't get her wrong, she loved the sight of teenagers yelling, jumping and singing along with her. She loved the warmth of it. But when the stadium was empty, when there was no one else there but her and absolute silence, if felt good. It made her feel so small, almost insignificant. It gave her peace. And if she closed her eyes she could almost hear the soothing noise of the crowd shouting words of love for her. She could almost see the bright lights and-
"Sweet nibblets!" She brought her hand to shield her eyes. "Daddy! Ya blinding me here!"
"Sorry Bud! I was just making sure the lights were working fine." Robby Ray yelled back as he popped his head out the control booth. "Ya ready?"
"Yeah. From the top." Miley said once the offending light was focused elsewhere.
Music started playing and she began to move on stage, ready to start her singing and dancing.
Yeah, uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, yeah
Sometimes I walk a little faster in the school hallway
Just to get next to you
Somedays I spend a little extra time in the morning
Just to impress you
Guess you don't notice
Guess you don't need this
Sad you're not seein' what you're missin'
On the outside shyin' away
On the inside dyin' to say
As Miley sang the lyrics she couldn't help as a certain blonde popped up in her head and how she wished said blonde had noticed her in back the coffee shop. She was having a bad time concentrating and she couldn't figure out why. She's had crushes before, but it wasn't like this. And she didn't even know the girl's name! Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a shout.
"Miles, look out!"
Before she could even process what was said to her she felt her foot suddenly hit something, making her body fall forward and hit the floor.
"Bud, you okay?" Her father yelled with concern, running through the rows of chair trying to get to the stage.
"Yeah, I'm fine." The girl said lifting herself to a sitting position.
"How come you didn't see that box?" Jackson asked coming on stage to aid his sister on getting up. "Only an airhead like you could have tripped on it. It was right there!" He emphasized the last word by pointing towards the object on the corner.
"Shut up Jackson!"
"You sure you're okay? Didn't hurt anything?" The older man asked inspecting her knees.
"Daddy, I'm fine. I just got distracted." She dropped her shoulders in defeat.
"Okay. Make sure you pay more attention now. It could have been worse, you could have fallen off the stage, Bud."
"Man, that would have been awesome! I just wish I had my camera with me." Jackson laughed.
Miley's response was to hit his arm.
"Stop you two! Miles, one more time?"
The girl nodded and turned to walk away.
"Miley the-" Robby Ray tried to warn his daughter but was too late. "…microphone."
The girl had already stepped on the sparkly Swarovski crystal microphone, sending her tumbling back to the ground.
"I'm gonna go get my camera." Jackson said casually as he exited the stage.
Miley just sighed and dropped her head in defeat.
"This is gonna be one heck of a long rehearsal." The girl muttered still sitting on the floor.
.oOo.
"Sharpay!" There was a knock on the door. "Sharpay, hurry up!"
The blonde girl just ignored the noise outside her room and continued to apply her mascara. The banging on the door got louder and louder.
"Sharpay! I'm serious! We're gonna be late! We still have to meet the rest of gang before heading out to the concert and-"
"I'm coming Ryan! Just wait downstairs, I'll be down in a second!" The girl yelled angrily.
Apparently her brother was satisfied enough with her answer, or just too scared to say anything else. Either way, the noise stopped.
Sharpay looked at herself in the mirror of her vanity and smiled. Her make-up was perfect. She then reached for the small round glass bottle with a yellow liquid inside and sprayed it on her neck and once on each wrist.
"Perfect." She said to her image on the mirror and got up. She grabbed her purse on the bed and turned off the lights, leaving the dark room to meet her brother downstairs.
When Ryan, who was waiting impatiently at the bottom of the stairs, heard heels clacking on the floor upstairs he let out a sigh and looked up.
"Finally! The guys are going to-" The boy stopped mid-sentence when he got a look at his sister.
She was looking fabulous. From her shiny blond hair and flawless make-up, down to her pink flowy top with crystals and glass stones embroidered on the chest, skin-tight golden leather pants and 5 inch stilettos.
'Sharpay usually dresses up for every occasion, but this certainly had a bit more effort than usual.' Ryan thought.
"What?" His twin sister snapped when she noticed him staring.
"Nothing. You just look great." He smiled.
"When do I not look great Ryan?" She put on her sunglasses and walked past him, heading for door.
"Chance by Chanel." Ryan whispered to himself as he caught a whiff of her sweet perfume. This was Sharpay's favorite. He also loved it.
"Ryan!" His sister yelled from outside the house and he followed as quickly as possible. Ryan knew better than to keep Sharpay waiting.
They stopped by Gabriella's house to meet up with their friends and soon headed out to the stadium.
After driving around the parking lot for what seemed like hours Sharpay finally found a place to park her precious pink convertible. The twins walked to the entrance where Chad, Taylor, Troy and Gabriella were already waiting.
"Man, what was that traffic? It looked like an earthquake evacuation!" Chad said a bit angry.
"No kidding! It looks like the whole city is here." Troy noticed looking around.
"Well, this is the concert of the year. I mean, it's Hanna Montana!" Taylor said with a huge grin.
"And we are going to meet her!" Gabriella yelped shaking her hands excitedly.
"Oh my God, I know!" Taylor was now mimicking Gabriella. They were both almost jumping of joy.
"Well, we better get in fangirls. The concert starts soon." Ryan laughed. "We're going in through the VIP entrance. C'mon."
"Dude, we're VIPs." Chad said nodding with a silly grin plastered on his face. Everybody just walked away leaving him behind.
As they walked through the halls backstage Gabriella noticed Sharpay was awfully quiet. She was fidgeting with the pass card around her neck. This was so unlike the usually confident blonde she knew. The brunette waited until everyone was at a small distance from them so she could talk to Sharpay privately.
Sharpay jumped a little when she felt a soft hand on her forearm and a whisper on her ear.
"Are you okay?" Gabriella asked softly.
"Yeah. Peachy! Why?" Sharpay was great at hiding her emotions.
"You know you can't fool me." The brunette smiled. "You're never this quiet unless you're either really nervous or something is bothering you. And given the fact that you don't care about Hannah Montana I'll stick with theory number two. So, what's bothering you?"
"It's nothing Gabby. I'm just tired."
Gabriella shot her a 'I don't believe you' look.
"Seriously, I'm fine."
"Fine. I'll let it slip this time. But I'm always here if you wanna talk Pay. You know that, right?" She offered her friend a kind smile.
"I know. Thanks." Sharpay smiled back.
"Yo! Slowpokes! Hurry up!" Chad yelled from the end of the hallway.
"Argh! Can I kill him?" Sharpay said dramatically as Gabriella laughed, linking her arms with Sharpay and walking towards their friends.
Seeing how the show was about to start they decided, after much arguing, puppy dog faces and Chad and Troy having to practically drag their girlfriends with them, that they would watch the concert from their seats and then go back after to meet her.
.oOo.
Miley, already dressed up as Hannah, was finishing up her vocal exercises before she went on stage. The rest of rehearsal was surprisingly okay. She managed not to fall again and keep the mysterious blonde out of her mind. For most of the time at least. It's not like she would ever see her again. She didn't know where she lived, her phone number or even her first name. Heck, they haven't even met.
"Hannah, you're up in 10." A guy from the crew told her, bringing her back to reality.
'Come on Miley. Just do this thing and forget about her! You're probably never going to see her again. It's like that catchy song Lilly put in your iPod. You saw an angel and she was beautiful but you won't see her again and never be with her. Get over it!' She scolded herself.
"You're up now!" The man said again.
Hannah took her position on the small elevator platform. She tugged on the hood of her satin robe with her pink boxing gloves and shook her body to get in the mood.
"You got nerve. C'mon." She told herself as the platform started to go up. She could hear all the fans screaming and she got butterflies in her stomach. She did everytime.
As Hannah started to rise on the dark stage in midst of the smoke the crowd screamed even louder. She couldn't see them because she had her back to the audience. The music started to play and she kept her 'hard boxer' attitude, as her choreographer called it. She started to sing, still facing back.
We haven't met, and that's okay
'Cause you will be asking for me one day
The crowd went wild as she turned around and slowly made her way to the front of the stage. Hannah still had her hood on, so you could barely see her face.
Don't want to wait in line
The moment is mine believe me
Don't close your eyes
Cause it's a chance worth taking
And I think that I can show you
At this moment all the stage lights came on and Hannah shook her head, letting the hood drop and her luscious fake blond hair fall down her back. Her energy was amazing and she was singing louder, jumping and dancing. She started swaying sideways, gloved hands in fight position, the usual 'I Got Nerve' choreography. The girl couldn't really see anything because of the bright lights but she was pumped. Hannah Montana always gave her best.
I know where I stand
I know who I am
I would never run away when life gets bad
Her eyes got used to the light and she looked over at the crowd.
Everything I see
Every part of me
Gonna get what I deserve
I-
She froze when she looked at the very front row. Her voice went dead and all that could be heard was the instrumental background. Her eyes were open wide and she was staring at the one person she couldn't get out of her head the whole day. There she was, her blond angel, looking at her.
Robby Ray started to panic on the right wing of the stage. Hannah was frozen staring intently at the audience. 'Sweet nibblets! Not again.' He thought remembering the whole National Anthem disaster.
"I got nerve!" Her father whisper yelled.
"How could she forget that part?" Jackson said to himself backstage. "It's the title of the friggin' song!"
Everybody was confused at this point. Nobody knew what Hannah was doing.
"What is going on?" Ryan asked Troy because Chad was too busy drooling and staring at the girl on stage.
"It looks likes she's staring at us!" Gabriella whispered.
"I know! Hannah Montana is looking at us!" Taylor whispered back excitedly.
Hannah saw Sharpay staring back at her and couldn't move. All she could see was the blonde and all she could hear was her own heart beating. Fast.
"Hannah!" Robby Ray yelled loud enough for her to hear this time.
This brought the girl back to her senses. She looked around like a deer caught in the headlights. She didn't know what to do and Oliver's fruit fly idea was very appealing right now. Thankfully a better idea popped in her mind before that.
"Now let me hear you guys! I got nerve! I got, I got!" She told the crowd and she was relieved to see them going along with it.
She finished the song successfully and the rest of the concert went rather smoothly. She put even more effort into it because of the girl she was crushing on. She wanted to be great for her blond girl and she wanted to impress her more than anything.
It was now time for the last song.
"Okay guys, you were an amazing audience. Albuquerque, you rock!" Hannah yelled and the crow went crazy again. "I'm gonna sing one last song. This is one of my favorites. I'd like to dedicate this song to someone very special. You're one in a million." She looked at the blonde as she said that, big smile and eyes full of emotion.
She poured her heart in the song. And it didn't go unnoticed.
'She's never sung with so much emotion before…' Robby Ray thought happily when the song ended. He wondered if his baby girl was crushing on another guy. He thought maybe he should ask her later.
After Hannah thanked the audience she rushed to her dressing room to find Jackson. She needed his help. She slammed the door open and let out a breath of relief to see him sitting there.
"I need your help!" She shouted.
"Whoa! Calm down Miles. First you tell me what was that at the beginning. Did you really forget the title of your own song? One that you sing a lot." He teased.
"No! That's what I need your help with!"
"Okay, I'm confused."
"Listen, remember that girl we saw at the coffee shop today?" She started a bit embarrassed. She never talks to her brother about things like this.
"Blonde one?"
"Yes! Her!"
"The hot one with the attitude, right?" He pretends to be trying hard to remember.
"Yes!"
"The one you want to get down and dirty with?"
"Yeah! I-…" She stopped to realize what she had just admitted to. "Pervert say what?"
"Oh you know you want to Miles." Jackson couldn't stop laughing and Miley just blushed. He really loved picking on her. "Okay, I know the girl. What about her?"
"I can't stop thinking about her!" Miley dropped on the couch. "That's why I've been so distracted today."
"Are you serious?" He asked in a mocking tone.
Miley just glared at him. Almost daring her brother to joke about it. His smirk immediately faded.
"Wow. You've got it bad."
"Ya think?" She glared at him.
"And what does it have to do with your screw up in the first song today?" Jackson asked a bit confused.
"Jackson, she's here! I saw her on the audience. Front row. That's why I froze!" Miley buried her face in her hands.
"She was here?" He was surprised too.
"Yes! And that's why I need your help! I need you to run outside and find her! I can't have her popping up in my mind every second of my day and not even know her name."
"So you want me to go outside and look for her then bring her here?" Jackson asked trying to process the task in his mind.
Miley nodded.
"So you can talk to her! I get it!" He said as if a light bulb appeared above his head.
"Boy, you are slow!" The girl said with her thick southern accent.
"But Miles, there are thousands of people out there! How am I supposed to find her?"
There was a knock on the door. It was probably the fans that wanted to meet her.
"I don't know! Just do it, please. As much as I hate to admit it, I need you Jackson." Miley pleaded as the door opened.
"Ready Bud?" Robby Ray asked as he stood in front of the fans.
"Sure Daddy." She turned to her brother. "Jackson, go! Run!"
"I don't think so Miles." He said with wide eyes.
Her blood started to boil with anger, but before she could yell at him he grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around to face the door.
"Found her." He said.
Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the girl she couldn't stop thinking about standing behind her father, among some other kids.
Yay! Finally!
I hope this huge chapter, which is almost three times the size of my usual ones, makes up for my lack of updates. And the sweet time I took on writing this one. lol
I also hope you guys enjoyed it and I promise I won't take as long to update again. In fact, if I get a lot of reviews I'll update twice as fast, so the ball is on your court. I know it's kinda like blackmail but oh well! We're all friends here. You give me a review and I'll give you the rest of the story. Haha. :)
Anyway! Extra brownie points for who guesses the catchy song Miley was talking about. I think it's pretty obvious, but still! Guess away! :P
XoXo,
Nini
Disclaimer: I don't own High School Musical, Hannah Montana or the songs 'Rockstar' and 'I Got Nerve'. I do own a Swarovski crystals microphone and a bottle of Chance by Chanel though. But they're in my room and they have nothing to do with the story so no, I don't own anything but the plot and the nameless crew guy. I'm just gonna shut up now. Review!
