Three Seconds

prologue

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Miley Stewart loved her friends... really.

The group of three was a tight knit, an eclectic bunch that she would be lost without. How could she get through a day without Oliver's lame jokes or Lilly's personality (which was a cross between girly-girl and tomboy - yes, only Lilly could make such a mix work)?

Still, like every "normal" girl (because she was... wait, no, wrong tense... is a normal girl. Honestly!) Miley could absolutely, positively bring herself to hate those two as much as she hated Amber and Ashley.

"Guys, stop joking around, I'm missing lunch because of this!" Not really caring about the fact that she forgot her Algebra I book, Miley slammed her locker shut before crossing her arms over her chest.

Lilly did her best to square her face, although failing to completely smother that oh-so-annoying smile of hers. "Miley, we aren't kidding."

"Fine then, truth."

"This is dare or dare!"

The brown-haired girl gave her male friend a long-look. "Well maybe if we had a second option here, I would've gone for the first choice, the nonexistent truth!"

Oliver snorted. "Yeah right, you always choose dare and then snicker at us if we choose truth. And then you hit one of us - okay, ME - so then Lilly just changed it to dare or dare... Ow! That chest hair took a while to grow!"

Snarling so fiercely that her back teeth showed, the right hand that was painfully curled around Oliver's blue shirt let go so that his feet could safely touch the ground. Oliver settled back down before flashing a I-Let-Her-Do-That smile at a blondie nearby - said-blondie disgustedly looked away in favor of Jake Ryan.

Although Miley didn't dare to admit it out loud (well, at least for this moment), Oliver's statement did have the slight resemblance to the truth. Slight. After all, it took a lot of guts to go from a blushing nine year old with such horrible stage fright that during a Christmas Pageant she half-stuttered, half-muttered her solo halfway through (she swore that she nailed the rehearsal performance whenever a parent inquired as to why their child wasn't given the alto/country-rendition of Silent Night), to becoming world-famous Hannah Montana.

Hannah Montana who once knocked a competing singer - who almost everyone hated, but didn't dare admit - off the stage.

Hannah Montana who marched into a recording executive's office and stated that she would either sing her father's songs, or that he could find another person to sing his sugarred-up corny pop songs.

Hannah Montana, who had the nerve to wear that blond wig and go back to being Miley Stewart; go to school normally and deal with middle school menaces like Amber and Ashley, conceited Jake Ryan, and as of a minute ago, Lilly and Oliver.

Right now, the thought of donning that blond Hannah wig was very appealing.

Pro: Retain ability to smirk at Jake Ryan whilst saying something unbelievably cool like, "guess you're not the only superstar", thereby stealing his fan clubs and paparazzi. Con: Paparazzi and fan clubs knocking on doors to be your "friends" and having to explain the whole Hannah Montana/Miley Stewart fiasco.

Pro: Have Janitor Steve knock down big-headed Jake Ryan's super-locker (because when no one was looking, Janitor Steve did embarassing renditions of Hannah songs - from personal knowledge, Miley knew that his favorites were "I've Got Nerve" and "The Other Side of Me", she also knew that he loved Hannah but was so-and-so with Jake) and have the lunch lady bring you edible food whenever you want. Con: Might become as shallow as Jake Ryan, leading to the theoretical loss of Lilly and Oliver's friendship because of the ego-inflate.

That last one definitely took the cake.

So, here was head-strong Miley Stewart, having to choose between her best friends and the dare.

Really, there was only one plausible option for this one.

"I'll take the penalty."

Because friendship was only an inch away from one's dignity.

Now it was Lilly's turn to snort. Sighing exasperratedly, she shut her locker while cradling a pink three-ring binder and a beat-up, Pride and Prejudice. Miley didn't like at how creepy her smile came off as. "Oh, Mi-i-iley, I should tell you… Oliver forgot that his sneakers, but luckily, he found something else to use for penalty!"

Oliver reached into an open, messy locker rummaging around before he finally took out what he needed. A Ziploc bag with it in there.

The sock.

Miley's hazel eyes widened for a split-second before narrowing as she did her best as to not notice that there was a slight mold growth on it (and it was by no means the type of mold that you would discover penicillin in - it was that smelly, ugly mold that could be turned into a horror movie) or the fact that the air above the bag permeated an odd color that distorted that air around it.

Putting on a saccharine voice, the brown-haired teen did her best to smile. "Can ya remind me what I was 'posed to do again?" Instantly wincing, Miley noticed at how her southern accent crept into her "sweet" sentence, reminding her of old neighbors.

And reminding Lilly and Oliver that her accent crept into her voice when she was nervous or angry or when the thought that she wasn't going to get her way this time settled in.

Lilly and Oliver took that as a very good sign.

Oliver, who seemed impervious to the sock's smell, explained. "Well, you were supposed to clean my sneakers, but now you just have to wash my socks!"

"Oh yes, why didn't you tell me it was those socks?"

The socks that supposedly made him score the winning hockey goal last year. The socks that was so lucky that when he forgot his lunch and money, he somehow found a twenty dollar bill on the ground. The socks that gave him that "A" on that algebra pop quiz.

The socks that Jackson said were stinky.

"I'll take the dare."

In the game of life, friendship is trumped by dignity, and dignity is compromised upon meeting the sock.

Shrugging before stuffing the Ziploc bag into his backpack, Oliver pointed to a mob of girls. "Now then, all you have to do is kiss Jake Ryan."

Miley flinched almost instantly when several camera-lights went off and several girls started cooing at an obviously fake karate move. It had been a little over four days, and Jake Ryan commanded attention – cameras flashed incessantly, teachers swooned at his so-called "charismatic charm" and you could hear the girls cooing over him from a good mile away.

'Boy, don't you have a tutor somewhere, just dying to attempt to fill your empty head with knowledge?'

Miley's hazel gaze shifted from Jake to the myriad of reporters just itching for something. "There's reporters - they see me kiss him, they assume I'm girlfriend; if they assume I'm girlfriend they'll go digging around in records that can be snooped in - like say, the fact that Bobby Ray isn't missing, but well, is my dad... and then they'll g-- mppf!"

"We get it," Lilly cut in before removing her hand from her best friend's mouth. She rolled her eyes. "Isn't that a wee bit overdramatic?"

Miley didn't miss a beat. "And isn't screaming 'the world is ending!' before skipping school over a tiny zit overdramatic?"

"That was an emergency!" Lilly hissed back, "that zit wasn't tiny! And it was picture day!"

"Potato, po-tah-to. Call it what you will."

Lilly almost seemed to shrink under her best friend's hard gaze. Inwardly cursing the fates for granting Miley a sharp tongue and mule-like stubbornness, the blond sobered up quickly from her temporary sulking-state.

"But you see Oliver has a plan!" She replied cheerfully. When Miley's eyes shifted over to the group, Lilly leaned close to Oliver, whispering into his ear. "What's the plan again?"

Oliver threw her a smirk. "Oh, chillax, Lillay. The Ollie-Trollie's all got it in here."

"How convincing." The blond turned around for a second before whispering something incoherent and slamming her foot into the ground. "So Miley, don't you want to hear the plan?"

Sighing, Miley rolled her eyes in surrender. "Say it quickly, Oliver."

"Okay, right before the bell rings, the reporters and photographers race to Jake Ryan's next class," Oliver said pointedly, "while all the girls go to his locker to grab his books... this is where you come in, all you have to do is kiss him quickly and if anyone notices, they won't care!"

"Wow that sounded smart."

"Don't be so surprised, Lilly."

"WAIT, who said I was taking the dare?! 'Cuz that penalty's looking better and better!"

At the last statement, Miley received a pointed look from Oliver and a pleading Just-Take-The-Dare! face from Lilly. Flipping her brown hair back, she gave a (what she hoped) lawyer-esque, I'm-Not-Taking-This look.

Lilly and Oliver stepped back, Miley smiled - she was so winning this round: her friends would just get her to prank Janitor Steve and all was well... or at least till it was time again for another rousing (and hopefully humiliatingly scathing) round of Dare or Dare.

Apparently, her little fantasy didn't get a check of approval from the cruel, harsh reality.

The cruel, harsh reality that had temporarily inhabited the form of Amber and Ashley.

"What, little Stewart too afraid to take a wittle dare?"

"Amber, Ashley! When did y'all get here?!" Miley crossed her arms, giving the duo a deadly glare.

Amber scoffed, looking Miley up and down before making a disgusted face. "We were here the second that Skater Girl called the 'Ollie-Trollie' smart." Amber quickly rolled her eyes before inspecting her manicured, glossed-red nails.

She regarded Lilly and Oliver with another once-over as she brushed aside some invisible lint from her black, pleated skirt. "Is it true? Is Stewart shaking in her last-season shoes-" Amber made a point to ignore Miley's rebuttal. "- too much to take a little dare?"

"I am not!"

"Yes, she is."

Miley glared daggers through her (currently oblivious) best friends' heads.

Ashley seemed to perk up at Lilly and Oliver's synchronized statement, a wide, Chuckie-esque smile unfolded on her pale visage. "So, what's the dare?" Not even the girl's naturally naivety could save the too-sweet venom that crept into the sentence.

Lilly smiled. "It's simple, really."

"All she has to do is kiss Jake Ryan," Oliver finished.

The two rich-kid, self-proclaimed fashionistas of Jefferson Junior High snorted. "Jake Ryan? Our Jake Ryan? Like he would ever kiss you!" Amber taunted with a quick roll of the eye.

"I mean hottie Jake Ryan kiss Hillbilly-Stewart?!" Ashley continued.

"NO WAY!"

Miley winced when Ashley smiled over at Amber as their two index fingers met mid-air. Really, the "oooooh" was worse than the "oh's" and "ah's" of the fan girls just five yards over.

"Yeah, we think that's it…" Miley went slack-jawed upon hearing Oliver's serious tone. "…Miley usually does dares like that!" He snapped his fingers. "But as you can see, she's obviously scared, can't blame her though; she's grilled cheese next to my main-man Ryan!"

Enemies, Miley could take on, best friends – nope, an unexpected dilemma.

"Oh, a five dollar bill!"

Miley ignored Ashley as she bent down to pick up a crumpled five dollar bill, her brain already forming a quick plan.

"No way! I don't care if it's your lunch money! Losers keepers, finders weepers!"

Miley also ignored Amber's collective sigh.

"It's the other way, Ashley; she's right, losers weepers, finders keepers!"

In her addled state of mind, it never did occur to Miley that maybe, just maybe, the five dollar bill that Lilly accidentally slipped to Amber and Ashley meant something. Or maybe that the dialogue oh-so-cleverly got her riled up.

Whipping around quickly, Miley gave the foursome a glare. "Put away those socks, Oliver, I'm taking the dare!"

With narrowed eyes, Miley scanned the hallway, and, sure enough, most of the girls were gone and no pesky reporters were seen.

"Go, on." Lilly made little shoo-ing gestures while Amber and Ashley gave her twin dismissive looks.

"Shut up, already!"

Not even her stomping could've alerted Jake of what was yet to come.

She was somewhat grateful (at least for this moment) that Janitor Steve had wanted Jake Ryan's locker (Version 2.0 New and improved: four times larger with a built-in stereo system!) so close to his closet.

Her eyes shifted around quickly before she tapped his back.

Miley couldn't help but notice that in the millisecond that Jake had to assess as to who the mysterious back-tapper was, his smile shifted from I-Just-Won-Another-Grammy to the slowly uncurling smile that made her notice that his eyes were as warm and brown as a puppy's.

'Stay on track, Miles.'

The words, "hi Miley," died on his lips as Miley grabbed him by the arm, threw the orange-red closet door open and yanked him inside.

Shocked, all Jake could do was stare owlishly at the brown-haired teen (and who wouldn't? The girl he had a slight crush on just DRAGGED him into a closet). Seizing the opportunity, Miley fisted her hands in his blue t-shirt, forcing his face down, meeting Miley's angled face…

…in a kiss.

…a kiss that suddenly became longer (it was supposed to be a peck! A peck!) and fervent. Or as passionate as a kiss can get in three seconds.

'End it, girl!'

Quickly letting go of the blue cotton material, the girl wore a disbelieving glance.

"Wow, Mile-" Jake was cut off by a quick intake of air and his expression seemed to melt from ecstatic to disappointed upon seeing Miley's flushed face. The flush wasn't the type of cherubic coloring, it was one of misplaced anger.

Breathing sharply, Miley spared the T.V. star a lingering, calculating glance as she grabbed the door knob and swung it open before storming out.

In a perfect reality, that would've been it.

In this world that she was living in, Miley couldn't help but briefly touch her lips, musing on how soft and warm his were.

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'Absolutely nothing happened.'

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