CHAPTER I

If God had been looking down on the world the night of October 1st, he would have seen thousands of people waiting outside the Madison Square Garden concert arena soaked by the rain. They lined the corner of 8th Avenue, with their umbrellas, and though it probably should have been a depressing sight, it was in reality the furthest thing from sad. The people, or fans, sang out lyrics of their favorite Hollywood socialites at the top of their lungs, eager for the highly anticipated concert to begin. After all, it had been more than a year since the celebrities had last been pictured together.

The atmosphere outside may have been happy, but backstage was a different story.

"It's mine," Demi, the opening act of the concert, insisted, pulling the red studded top toward her.

"No it's not! It was on my wardrobe rack, and therefore it's mine!" Miley argued, gripping the shoulder of the top and giving it a tug. "And besides, nobody even cares what you're going to wear anyway," she raised her right eyebrow, knowing what she had said would push Demi's buttons.

"First of all, those wardrobe racks get mixed up all the time," she gave the top a tug toward her side, "I remember trying it on during the fitting, for crying out loud! And second, you better take that back because you know people want to see me!"

Miley rolled her eyes and finally let go, giving up. "Whatever. It probably won't fit you anyway." Demi, with her eyes filled with tears, glanced down at the now-wrinkled top she had been looking forward to wearing.

A year ago, this would never have taken place. In fact, one year ago today, it was more likely they'd get into a fight by arguing about who deserved to wear it most, each rooting for the other. But a year is a long time. Three hundred and sixty-five mornings can change everything. There was never just one moment, however, that changed their friendship. Their friendship-breakup had been gradual, unraveling itself over time. And sometimes those kinds of breakups can hurt the most, when you have to deal with the pain for that much longer.

Miley walked out of the girls' dressing room with her hand trailing along the wall as she exited so she didn't look awkward. Saying she was not looking forward to this performance was an understatement. Not only would she have to perform songs about her ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend, but she would actually have to perform with them, on the same stage with the same song. But the worst part of it all was that this performance was all just part of one big plan to pave the way for many, many more concerts, fifty-one to be exact, in Disney's latest money making scheme.

Miley walked down the hallway with her shoulders back, as if she was comfortable with where she was, and silently prayed that nobody (especially not the exes) would cross her path. It sucked, to say the least, that she was even in this situation. Even after she had officially quit Disney she was a victim of their unfortunate plans. They had been her last resort after her decline in popularity when she had "grown-up", which had brought her to the center of media scrutiny and international hate. Damage control, restoring an image or whatever you want to call it, it wasn't going to be easy.

Further down the hall, Miley could hear the chuckle of Big Rob, the Jones Brother's security guard.

"I don't know boys," she heard him say; "I don't think I'm down to go onstage tonight."

"Come on man, the fans demand it!" Joe exclaimed. Suddenly, the three boys and their big man turned the corner, coming face-to-face with Miley. It was an odd moment. One year hadn't exactly changed their appearances, but it had most certainly changed their thoughts. None knew what the others were thinking. Miley examined the boys. Joe had on his glasses, a vest and his typical dress pants. All three were wearing their dress pants. Kevin's face looked a little chubbier and was filled with visible razor cuts. Nick's hair was overgrown, as usual, but everything else seemed different.

He had lost all the baby fat on his face and his freckles were more dramatic and noticeable. His hair had a protruding curl sticking out from the front and his eyes were less squinty. He wasn't smirking like he usually was. It was strange, but everything seemed different. He no longer stood awkwardly next to his comfortable brothers. His entire comportment was changed.

"Miley," Kevin called, half in an enthusiastic voice, and half in an I'm-not-sure-what-to-do voice. He leaned in for a hug, nonetheless. He hates me, Miley thought when he promptly pulled away from the hug when it had just began.

"Haven't seen you in so long," Joe pointed out and hugged her. "How've you been?"

Miley looked down, her hair falling from her shoulders to frame her face. "Fine," she lied in reply, finally glancing up at Nick. He looked down at her, and suddenly their height difference was acknowledgeable. "You?"

"Fine," Nick said quickly, keeping his eyes on Miley even as she looked back down at the floor.

"Um, anyways, have you seen Demi yet?" Kevin asked.

"Um, yeah," Miley tucked her hair behind her ear and crossed her arms across herself.

"Cool," said Joe, "I guess you two will be…best friends."

Miley nodded slowly, cursing herself for forgetting how she used to be able to act confident around Nick. Now it was as if he had all the authority. She pressed her lips together awkwardly.

"What have you been up to? Any new movies?" Kevin smiled, recognizing the tension in the hall.

"Um, yeah, three actually," Miley answered. The boys nodded and then there was silence. Nostalgia filled Miley's mind as her eyes filled with hot tears. And it was in that moment that she realized that heartache genuinely did exist. Pressure mounted on her chest as her heart pounded away and thoughts couldn't really form in her mind. The feeling acted as a bridge, a particularly sad bridge, of what was behind and what was ahead.

Hey, it's the author. I hope you liked this chapter. I promise I will write this story. I have written three others that I just wasn't feeling so much anymore and when that happens I have to stop writing them and just move on. So I'm sorry if you liked my other stories that I never finished. But I am going to write this one because I definitely am feeling it. So please leave a comment! I will read them all! Constructive criticism is always helpful. =)