"Why Me?"

Chapter One: Midnight Rampage

Lilly yawned as she sat up to stretch out her long legs. "God Miles, how long have we been working on this project?" Lilly asked looking down at her cell phone. She didn't remember what time they had actually started on the History project. She had come home with Miley after school, but they had done what best friends do when they get to spend time together. Talk, about, well it didn't really matter, so long as there was always a constant chatter between the pair.

'Oh' gosh Lilly, I really don't know. What time is it?" Miley asked, picking at some hot glue that was dried on one of her fingers.

"12:43, Wait, it changed 12:44." Lilly replied, again spying on her cell phone screen.

"Wow, Lil'. Let's just stop for the night, we still have a couple of days before it's due." Miley said yawing, also.

"Okay, guess I'll be leaving then." Lilly said imagining her comfy, warm, oversized bed. And with a smile she began to walk down the stairs. Miley followed suite.

But, turned around and yelled, "JACKSON, time to take LILLY HOME!" at the closed door of her older brother's bedroom.

"Miles, he doesn't have to take me home. I can walk; my house isn't even ten minutes away."

Mr. Stewart, who was watching television in the living room, downstairs, turned around and said, "Lilly, Jackson doesn't mind taking you home. And, we couldn't ever let anything happen to you. Besides, it's cold outside, especially for Malibu." He smiled at his daughter's best friend.

A few moments later Jackson was stomping down the stairs dressed in a pair of flannel P.J. bottoms, a white undershirt, and a pair of camouflage slippers. He was twirling his keys around his right index finger, and blinking his eyes to try to wake himself up.

"Ready Lilly?" He asked indifferently.

"Yep." Lilly replied grabbing her purse and backpack from underneath the piano.

"Night, Lilly!" Miley and Robbie Ray said in unison, as Robbie Ray turned the television off, and Miley began making the long trek back up the stairs.

"Night, Stewarts." She said as she stared at Jackson.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"Would you put on a coat or something, I don't want you to freeze." She said observantly.

"Is Lilly worrying about Jackson?" Jackson questioned in a mocking tone, as he took a green hoodie off the back of one of the living room chairs and pulled it over his head.

"I'm worried about my ride." She scoffed back.

As she stepped outside; her arms went around her almost immediately. 'Man, Mr. Stewart wasn't kidding. It's really cold.'
"Man, I'm glad you mentioned the hoodie, Lilly, Good call." Jackson thanked her apologetically and then got in the driver's seat of his navy blue car.

She got in on the passenger's side, and relaxed into the comfy seat.

Jackson started the car, and turned the CD player on, just loud enough so there wasn't complete silence in the car, the whole ride. He then blasted the heater to help warm up his passenger. He turned around to look at her, and said

"Now, where shall we cruise tonight?"

Lilly looked back at him, and smiled.

"Oh, I don't really know. Guess, just around the beach, like usual. Sound good?" She said.

"Sounds good." He said, smiling back. He then put the car in reverse and began backing out of the drive way. As he did so, a light rain began to fall. Jackson adjusted his windshield wipers to the appropriate speed, and the reached over and took Lilly's hand in his own, carefully interlacing their fingers together. Lilly looked over at him, and smiled. Somehow knowing, that so far this night was going well and she was going to try her best not to disagree with him. She didn't want one more night spoiled by their petty arguments. This was Lilly and Jackson time, and she knew that these precious times were getting fewer and farther between.

Jackson had a girlfriend named Kimberly, and Lilly was going on more and more dates. Every time Miley got asked out on a date, she called Lilly and begged her to go with her, Miley promising that her date would bring a friend for Lilly. Lilly never really wanted to go on these dates, her heart was already taken by someone else, and she had faint hope that she would be getting it back anytime soon. But, Miley always pushed her into it by talking about how much Miley liked this guy and that Lilly just had to meet him or that Lilly may find true love in Miley's date's friend, which always intrigued her. But, not one boy had even come close to capturing Lilly's attention, at least in a positive way, and that was okay, because Miley never seemed to like the guys after the first date either.

'Stupid Kimberley, I hate her. She just had to do this to me… Grrr! Please don't let Jackson bring up about how perfect for each they are, and all that bullshit. At least not tonight. I'll throw up all over him. And, PLEASE don't let Jackson bring up another of those stupid dates that Miley forces me to go on, and God please no MATT talk tonight'. Lilly thought.

"What'cha' thinking about, over there?" Jackson asked her.

"Oh', just how beautiful the ocean is when it's raining." Lilly said, realizing how deep in thought she was and glad that Jackson had pulled her out of it before it became too depressing.

"You're the beautiful one." Jackson said. Lilly just smiled at him and squeezed the hand that was still wrapped up in her own.

'I know it must weird to be holding hands with my best friend's brother, who just happens to have a girlfriend. But, I don't know. That's just me and Jackson for you. It's not like were doing anything particularly bad. Besides, I had Jackson way before that country bimbo ever even showed her ugly butt at Seaview High. Why am I trying to convince myself that this is okay? I know its okay. Jackson makes it okay. So, maybe we don't tell anyone about these Midnight Rampages, but, it's what makes them that much more fun and meaningful... Everybody has secrets, and it's nice to have a shared secret like this, with Jackson. Oh' Jackson…'