"How long has she been gone?" I asked.
"About a week." Her mother answered. A week? She'd been gone for a week, and I didn't know about it?
"Where did she go?" I replied. "And why?"
"She didn't say." She responded. "She just took the limo to the airport."
"Thank you." I stated as I left the mansion. I wanted to do my best not to cry in front of her.
I couldn't believe Max would do that to me. We were supposed to be best friends. The tears rolled down my face as I drove home. I went to my room and began bawling. I was still crying when Bailey walked into the room.
"Zoey?" She said as she noticed me. "Oh my god, what happened? Did James break up with you?"
"Worse." I explained. I could live with losing James, but I wasn't sure what I was going to do without Max. "Max moved away."
"Where?" Bailey asked.
"She didn't say! Her parents don't even know where she is!" I yelled. I was glad that she was here to support me.
"So, what are you going to do about it?" Bailey asked as she held my hand.
"I don't know. I don't think there's anything that I can do. For whatever reason she left, she's gone and probably not coming back." I explained. "I just don't know why she left. A few days before everything was perfect aside from her having the ball thing but what could have possibly made her want to leave?"
"Have you tried calling her?" Bailey asked.
"17 times." I replied. It was possible that she had gotten a new phone because that was a good way to avoid your past. "She might not even have the same phone anymore."
"Then it looks like there's only one thing that you can do." Bailey stated as I looked up at her.
"What?" I asked in surprise since she apparently had the answer.
"You need to go find her." Bailey replied.
"How the hell am I supposed to find her? I have no idea where she is?" I pointed out as I started to wipe the black stains off my face. That would take a while to fix.
"Then you need to look everywhere." Bailey declared. What the hell did that mean?
"I don't understand." I stammered. I hoped that she could explain it better than that.
"It's simple. You need to tour the country until you find her." Bailey reasoned. That sounded easier said than done.
"How am I supposed to go on tour? I'm not well known enough." I responded.
"Justin Bieber did it." Bailey pointed out. "And you have more subscribers than he did when he started."
Later that week, I called the heads of each label in for a meeting. I could tell that I was heavily coveted because they all flew to the Tipton to meet me. I was a bit surprised that they were willing to do that.
"Thank you all for coming." I greeted as I looked at each of them. "All of you have offered me contracts but I have a provision that I want made. I want to start touring immediately."
"That's absurd." The head of Warner replied.
"Is it? It worked for Justin Bieber and he's one of the biggest stars in the world right now." I pointed. "I will sign a contract that gives me that right. Actually, Warner, I want you to go because I want my videos to be on YouTube. I'm not deleting my channel."
At the end of the week, I was signed to Universal. I was going to play my first show in New York in a month. I had hired Dad to be my manager and Mom to be my business manager. I had dropped out of school and bequeathed the title of head cheerleader to Darlene.
I knew that I needed to make a video in order to celebrate. It was possible that Max might see the video, but I didn't actually know if she was subscribed to me. We never discussed it.
"Hey Z-Squad. I have great news. I got signed! I'm officially on Universal Records and I have even better news. I'm starting a tour. I have a list of dates in the description, but my first show is going to be at Madison Square Garden in a month. I hope to see as many of you as possible there." I declared.
My first show at Madison Square Garden was actually a huge success. It was sold out. I guess I really was one of the hottest new acts. After going through my set, I came back out for the encore.
"I have one last song that I want to play. This is one that I wrote. You see my friend recently moved away, and I'm trying to find her. Max, if you're out there, this is for you."
I miss the taste of the sweet life, I miss the conversation
I'm searching for a song tonight, I'm changing all of the stations
I like to think that we had it all, we drew a map to a better place
But on that road I took a fall, oh baby why did you run away?
I was there for you in your darkest times
I was there for you in your darkest nights
But I wonder where were you
When I was at my worst down on my knees
And you said you had my back
So I wonder where were you
When all the road came back to me
So I'm following the map that leads to you
I hear your voice in my sleep at night, hard to resist temptation
Cause something strange has come over me
And I can't stop thinking about you
No I just can't stop thinking about you
I was there for you in your darkest times
I was there for you in your darkest nights
But I wonder where were you
When I was at my worst down on my knees
And you said you had my back
So I wonder where were you
When all the road came back to me
So I'm following the map that leads to you
The crowd cheered but I still felt a little bit empty aside. As I went backstage, I knew that Max wasn't there.
The following night, I found myself on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest. Vanessa Hudgens was hosting to promote her new movie Beastly. I couldn't help but overhear a conversation in the hallway because my door was open.
"What do you mean she's sick?" Lorne asked, sounding frustrated. "The show is on in an hour."
"I went to check on her and she was puking in the garbage can." This girl named Abby replied. "I really don't think that she can perform."
I felt really bad for her. She wasn't much older than me and I knew that the cast really didn't get paid were big stars like Andy. Missing an episode could cost her a lot.
"What am I supposed to do then?" Lorne asked, sounding even more frustrated. "The show is on an hour and NBC is going to be really pissed if they have to air something else. Wait a minute…"
Suddenly there was a knock on my door. I figured he was going to be telling me the show was cancelled. I opened the door.
"Zoey, hi." He greeted.
"Hi Lorne." I reciprocated. "Is everything alright?"
I wanted to act like I wasn't eavesdropping.
"No, not really." He replied. "I don't know if you heard but Vanessa is sick."
"That definitely isn't good." I remarked, faking shock. "So, what happens now? Are you gonna cancel the show?"
"Actually, I was hoping that I could get a favor from you." He responded. This didn't sound good. "I need you to fill in as host."
"What?" I questioned. This time I really was shocked. "But I haven't rehearsed. I barely know what the sketches are. I've never acted before. What about Justin Timberlake? Isn't he always here or something?"
"No, he's not here this time." Lorne informed me. "We can go over a few sketches quickly. If you don't remember the lines just improvise. As long as you don't say anything vulgar or offensive we should be okay."
"And how do I explain why it's me hosting and not her. A lot of people probably don't even know who I am." I retorted.
"Well, you are quite possibly the biggest star that YouTube has ever produced." He pointed out. "I think this will be great exposure for you. I'll even give you an extra million for doing it."
I don't know why but I couldn't say no. I wanted to say that I wasn't in it for the money.
"Great rehearsal starts in 5." He stated as he walked away.
The rehearsals were strange. I was basically just told to try to memorize a few important lines and improvise the rest. It turned out that Vanessa's character was cut from the opening scene, so I didn't have to do that. After the scene was done, the announcer said my name. I was supposed to give some sort of monologue.
"Hi everyone." I started. "As you can tell, I'm not Vanessa Hudgens. She was sick and I was asked to fill in on short notice. Some of you probably don't know who I am. I'm Zoey Martin and while you may know me, you may know my dad Kurt Martin or his brother Chris Martin from Coldplay."
"So anyway, it's so weird that I'm hosting the show. Less than a month ago, I was a debutante and now I'm here." I explained. "So, I don't really much acting experience. I'm not sure what else to say from here."
I looked to side and mouthed help to Lorne. He basically pushed Abby onto the stage.
"So, Abby, hi." I greeted nervously.
"Hi." She remarked. "So did you know that my dad was on the show when your dad hosted."
"Yeah, that probably makes some fans of the show feel old." I added. "I do remember that episode. That was the one where he kissed Adam Sandler."
"Yeah, that's right." Abby confirmed. "I think I know how we can top that, though."
"How?" I asked.
Suddenly she grabbed me and pulled me into a kiss. I definitely wasn't expecting that, but I kissed back anyway. I knew I shouldn't feel too bad in the world of entertainment, kissing wasn't really cheating.
I pulled away and figured this was a good place to end my monologue.
"We have a great show for you tonight." I explained "I'm also the musical guest which I am definitely better at. We'll be right back."
So, during one of the commercial breaks, I began to walk over towards my dressing when I noticed an open door. I looked inside and saw Vanessa with her TV on.
"Vanessa." I remarked. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yeah I am." She replied. "I finally stopped puking. Thanks so much for filling in for me. Oh, and thanks for the Hannah concert too."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you're trying to help my career." I joked.
"Well, I think that you're making me sick." She quipped. "But I think you're doing great so far. I love how you did Sa5m. So did you see the movie?"
"I did." I answered. "So, if you're feeling better, maybe you come on for the last skit."
"I don't know if I should do that." She responded. "I kind of want to see you in it."
"I have an idea." I suggested. "Why don't we split the character into twins? You take half of the lines and I'll take half."
"I guess we could try it." She agreed. "Or maybe I could play a new character and just make up my lines as I go."
"That'll work too." I replied as I grabbed her hand and took her to wardrobe.
"Look who's done ralphing." I announced. Some people cheered.
The next sketch was a glee parody because it wasn't really done. What we decided was that Vanessa was going to play Rachel as planned and I was to appear as Quinn who wasn't originally the scene.
After the last commercial break, I thanked everybody and said my goodbyes and all that. I went back to my dressing room and logged onto Skype to talk to James.
"Hey." I said as I logged in. "Did you watch the show?"
"Yeah, I did." James answered. "I didn't know you were going to be hosting."
"Yes, it was a last second thing." I responded as I smiled. It had been 2 weeks since I saw his face. "What did you think?"
"I actually thought it was the funniest episodes in a long time." He critiqued. "Were improvising the whole time?"
"Yeah, pretty much." I answered with a smile.
"That says something about the writers." He joked.
"So, I really miss you." I stated as I noticed he frowned. "What?"
"Zoey, I don't know if I can keep doing this." He admitted. I had a bad feeling about this. "I mean I'm here at college and you're going to be traveling the country for your tour. It's like we're living two separate lives."
"Are you breaking up with me?" I asked in shock. I was really going to lose both him and Max.
"I know you have to have felt it too." He replied. "We're drifting apart."
"I love you." I stated as I began to cry.
"I love you too." He told me. "But I don't think that it's going to be enough. I'm sorry that I can't be there to kiss you goodbye."
I logged off and I knew that I needed to find Max more than ever.
I continued to go through city after city looking for her, hoping, praying that I would find her. I recorded an album in between tour dates that was mostly original songs with a few covers. "Maps" was such a huge hit at my concerts that the label decided to release it as my first single with a few production changes.
Cody and Bailey had gone off to college which made the whole going on tour a lot easier. The two of them had to be the most perfectly matched couple in the world. I don't think there was anything that could possibly ever tear the two of them apart.
By November, I was headed to Los Angeles for a performance at the American Music Awards. I wasn't nominated for anything because my CD hadn't been released until after the deadline. "Maps" was entering its 6th week at #1 on the Hot 100 and I was going to be debuting my new single "Wish You Were Here". Rather than staying at a hotel, I decided to stay in Malibu at Miley's house. My car pulled into the driveway.
"Hey, I'm glad that you decided to come." Miley stated as she answered the door and hugged me. Miley lived on private property so I wouldn't have to worry about any paparazzi. "So how does it feel to be the biggest star in the world?"
"You tell me." I countered "You probably know it better than I do."
"Well, I didn't take off this fast. You're bigger than I am. Is it true that you had record labels fighting over you?" Miley asked.
"That part actually is true." I answered. "I told them that I would only accept if I could start touring."
"Why?" Miley asked. "I just think that maybe you should have established yourself more first."
"Well, it turns out that I already was pretty established, from the Pearl Jam show to your show to my YouTube videos." I stated.
"So why were you in such a rush to go on tour?" Miley asked.
"Max." I simply answered as I looked down. "She moved away and didn't tell me where she was going. I'm not sure if she doesn't want to see me but I've chosen not to accept it if she doesn't. I am going to find her so I can talk to her. Max is the person that I'm singing "Maps" about."
"Wow that's a great devotion to your friend." Miley declared as I could tell that my monologue moved her. "It's really touching."
"Thank you." I replied before deciding to change the subject. "So how are you and Oliver doing?"
Miley didn't say a word. I saw her smile and then show her finger to me. I noticed a gold ring with a diamond in it.
"He proposed to you?" I asked in shock.
"Yeah, I'll tell you the story." Miley responded.
Miley had just finished a concert and was returning home. Oliver said that he had a surprise for her, and she had no idea what it could possibly be. She walked into the house with Lilly and closed the door. The steps were lined with rose petals.
"Was it that donut planning?" Lilly asked.
"I don't know." Miley replied. "Maybe I should follow the trail."
She did follow the roses to her bedroom where the lights were turned out. She turned on the lights and she saw Oliver on one knee holding a ring.
Miley's mouth hung open in shock.
"Miley Ray Stewart, will you marry me?" Oliver asked in a sincere and loving tone.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Miley shouted as she hugged her new fiancé. "I can't believe this. I didn't expect this at all. Oliver, I love you so much."
"Wow that sounded really romantic." I admitted.
"So, what are you still with your boyfriend?" Miley asked. I shook my head.
"No, the tour got too much for us. We couldn't spend any time together. He was busy with college." I explained. "But I'm okay now. I think I'm starting to get over him."
"That's at least good to hear." Miley replied.
The performance at the award show was a success. So was the rest of the tour. The biggest downside was after I had finished touring, I was nowhere closer to finding Max than when I started. It was good that I was able to be done with the tour by the time that Bailey went into labor. I headed to Rhode Island as soon as I got the message. I was in the delivery room because Cody couldn't take it. That only reinforced the theory that my brother was a bit of a wimp. At 2:34 a.m., Eileen Madeline Martin has born. I wasn't exactly a fan of the name but that wasn't up to me. She looked beautiful just like her mother. I did feel sorry for Bailey because she chose not to use any drugs. She was in a lot of pain when everything was over.
The next day I headed to Best Buy. An employee approached me as soon as he recognized me.
"You're…you're…" He stammered in awe.
"Zoey Martin." I completed his sentence. "I'm looking for some new music. Something that I've never heard before, maybe something international."
"I actually know just the thing." He said as he led me to the CDs. "There's this new group in the UK that is really popular. They're called JMJ. If they ever come over here, they'll probably be really big."
"Sounds great, can I see the CD?" I asked.
"Yeah it's right here." He replied as he handed me the CD.
I looked it over and saw three girls. I immediately recognized the girls on the sides as Jessica and Janice. I didn't know that they had become popstars. Then I looked at the girl in the middle and was so shocked that I dropped the CD. The girl in the middle was Max.
So Zoey's become a star, and she ended up finding Max by complete happenstance. The song is "Maps" by Maroon 5. She also broke up with James. Now she has to go to England to get Max back. Please don't forget to review.