Chapter 228: Teen Celebrity Party III

Missy’s eyes widened in surprise as she spotted another familiar face. “Wow, that was Lizzy McGuire just passed by,” she remarked as she came over to join us.

I tilted my head, noticing another blonde on the dance floor, though this one was fake. “Why is Hannah Montana here?” I questioned, genuinely confused.

Missy chuckled. “Miley got jealous watching you guys sing on stage and wanted to be part of it too (at the last party). She made us help her sneak in as Hannah.”

I leaned toward Lettie. “Miley’s my neighbor back in Malibu. And her so‑called ‘alter ego’ is Hannah Montana.”

Scarlett arched an eyebrow at me. “So she’s basically your female counterpart?”

“Something like that…” I admitted. Then I gestured toward Mikayla and Hannah, who were sharing awkward, strained smiles before deliberately drifting apart. “Do you know why those two don’t get along?”

Missy smirked. “They fought over a guy named Jake.”

Scarlett’s head turned toward me instantly.

“Hey, I’m innocent! Didn’t kiss either of them,” I defended myself.

“He’s right.” Missy laughed as she pointed at me. “I checked several times to make sure it wasn’t this Jake.”

I scoffed (but deep down, I wouldn’t mind kissing either of them, if I were single).

“Always a Jake,” Scarlett teased.

I threw up my hands. “What can I do? It’s the most common name in the US…”

---

An hour and a half into the party, the crowd had already eaten. The buffet included some carefully chosen dishes for the celebrities who counted every calorie.

Scarlett and I didn’t stick together the whole time—we drifted, mingled, and made new connections, which was half the fun of parties like this.

I found myself chatting with Amanda and Josh. They both seemed relaxed. She had just premiered the movie Big Fat Liar earlier this month.

“Amanda, are you going to sing too?” I wondered casually.

She laughed and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’ll leave that to the others.”

“And you, Josh?”

“No way. I can’t sing. Let Drake do it,” he replied between bits.

“Alright then. Nice meeting you both. I’ve got to welcome new guests,” I said, excusing myself.

I made my way toward a smaller cabin (similar to Mama/Papa one), usually reserved for security but repurposed tonight as a private reception area.

It was where Britney, Shakira, and Natalie would be waiting. If the younger guests saw Britney and Shakira show up on stage now, some would probably feel too intimidated to sing.

On the way, I spotted Scarlett talking with Hilary.

“Girls, are we all going to sing?” I chimed in, stepping closer.

“I will,” Hilary replied brightly, while Scarlett shook her head.

“You don’t want to sing with me, Lettie?” I teased with a playful pout.

“Let Carly do it. She sang that song really well,” Scarlett responded with a sly smile.

“Okay…” I agreed, though I gently tugged Scarlett by the hand. She followed, whispering to Hilary that they would continue their conversation later.

---

After greetings and introductions, inside the cabin sat Shakira, Natalie Portman, Britney, Scarlett and me, all watching the stage. I was sitting between Britney and Scarlett.

“Ready to see the younger ones sing?” I joked lightly.

“You’re one of them,” Britney murmured with a small smirk.

I pretended not to hear her, eyes fixed on the stage.

“Have you ever thought about writing a screenplay more for teens, Jake?” Natalie suggested, her tone playfully teasing.

“I’m writing an animation for girls, does it count?” I replied.

“Really?” She laughed.

“You write movies, Jake?” Shakira leaned in, intrigued.

“He is an Oscar nominee for Screenplay this year,” Natalie revealed.

“¿Qué??” Shakira exclaimed in Spanish, then added in English, “Are you an Oscar nominee for screenplay??” Her eyes widened, her voice full of disbelief.

“Yep, from the movie this fair maiden starred in,” I nodded toward Scarlett. “But I only met her after the film had already been shot—I was the one seduced,” I joked.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m the big bad wolf,” she quipped, making us laugh.

“I wouldn’t call you a wolf… more like a cougar, though…” I murmured to her, earning a sharp dig of her nails into my arm.

Then another person entered the room.

“Paige, the kids’ section is over there,” I pointed toward a table where Hilary was sitting.

She looked like she wanted to retort, but held back when she noticed there were two other guests present.

“Natalie, this is Paige Swanson,” I introduced her. Shakira had already met Paige earlier today, and was already giving a slight wave with a smile.

“Wow, so you’re the Paige Swanson?” Natalie said, a little excited, recognizing her.

“Wait. The roles are reversed,” I muttered.

“Yeah,” Paige agreed, equally confused.

“You’re quite famous at Harvard—the 13‑year‑old girl who solved the Poincaré Conjecture. I was surprised this was barely mentioned in the media.” Natalie’s voice carried a note of indignation. “I think you’re more famous for your appearances on iCarly than for anything else.”

“I’m okay with that,” Paige replied to Natalie. “I don’t want to be too famous right now. Maybe someone drilled that into me…”

I just make a face that has nothing to do with me (poor Natalie was the only clueless one here)

Scarlett turned to me, “I knew she was super intelligent, thirteen years old in college,” she reasoned. “But how much does that really represent? Solving the Poincaré Conjecture?”

I thought for a moment. “Paige would be compared to a new Einstein, Gauss, or Marie Curie. 

The resolution of the conjecture doesn’t have nearly the same impact as what those three achieved, but they never came anywhere close to doing something like this at thirteen years old…” 

Shakira and Scarlett stared with wide eyes