Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana. If I did, Lilly would realize that Oliver was really in love with Miley and break up with him so Moliver could happen. Or at least I wouldn't have made Loliver so sickeningly sappy. Could it get any more fake? Ugh.
And yeah, I doubt this would happen because Disney doesn't get this complicated, not for a kids' show, but a girl can hope, right?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fallen
By: K*Star
Miley Stewart took the steps two at a time as she raced to get out of Seaview High School as quick as she could. Her fists curled around her backpack straps, and she purposefully ignored the twin male and female voices of her two best friends as they called out to her to slow down. The image of Oliver Oken and Lilly Truscott wrapped in each other arms and sucking face burned in her brain. It wasn't like she hadn't seen Oliver and Lilly making out before. These days they seemed to do it every freaking chance they got, but for some reason, today, Miley just couldn't take it anymore. She had to get away from them both.
In the beginning, despite her initial confusion at how two people who had acted like brother and sister since pre-K would suddenly decide to hook up, she had been very supportive of her best friends' relationship. Lilly had never had a decent relationship in the past, and Oliver was a really good guy so it had seemed like an excellent idea. Thus, Miley was quiet, tolerant, and all smiles, happily playing the third wheel to them. Truth was, deep down, the relationship still continued to freak her out, and every time they leaned in for a kiss, Miley wanted to throw up. She had tried her best to, as politely as she could, prevent them from making out in front of her, but she couldn't stop the disgusting way they draped all over each other or the cringe-worthy pet names of "Ollie-pop" and "Lilly-pop" among others. What happened to Lilly calling Oliver as "doofus" or a "donut"? There were times when Miley almost missed the days of Oliver and Lilly fighting like cats and dogs 24/7 and Miley being stuck in the middle of it all.
Miley made it to her car in record time – no flirting with cute boys today –, and she threw open the door, tossing in her backpack. She quickly slipped into the front seat of the car, jammed the key in her ignition, and tore out of the student parking lot. She could see in the rear view mirror when Oliver broke away from the massive crowds flooding out of school. He instantly spotted her car and jogged several feet down the sidewalk, waving his arms and yelling at her. Eventually, after seeing Miley wasn't going to stop for him, he slowed down, bent over double and breathing heavily. Miley was too far away to see his face. As he grew smaller and smaller as she drove away, she saw another figure with a flash of blond hair catch up to Oliver and rest a hand on his back. They completely disappeared from view when Miley turned down another street.
At once, Miley's cell phone began to buzz and jingle with the latest Hannah Montana single. Lilly's name lit up across the screen. Miley ignored it. Seconds later, the phone rang again, this time an incoming call from Oliver. Miley reached over and flipped it up. Oliver's tiny relieved voice gushed across the phone only to be cut off as Miley snapped the phone shut and hung up on him.
It didn't take her long to get home, and during the drive, Lilly had tried to call her several more times. It was vaguely reminiscent of the time Oliver almost stopped being her friend because Hannah got everything she wanted while Oliver was left with nothing. Speaking of Oliver, he hadn't tried to call her again since Miley hung up on him. He was probably banking on Lilly getting through to her. Oliver had even told Miley once he thought he was the friend on the outs of the three of them, how Miley and Lilly were best girl buds and being a guy, he didn't have much of a chance getting in on that. Of course that was before Oliver and Lilly had gotten serious in their relationship and Miley became the best friend on the outs. Really, Oliver should have known better – that Lilly might have been her best girl bud but Oliver was the one person Miley couldn't survive losing. She had thought she had made that clear time and again. Again, though, that was before Oliver and Lilly had hooked up.
Miley slammed the door as she entered the Malibu home she lived in with her dad and elder brother. Robby Ray looked up from where he had been rummaging around in the refrigerator and noted the stricken look on his daughter's face. A thousand thoughts ran through his head from simple teenage drama to something serious. "Bud?" he asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"
The girl froze. She gave her dad a shaky smile that looked more like a grimace. "Nothing," she said quickly. Taking a deep breath, she schooled her features into the closed off mask she wore in front of the paparazzi. Robby Ray knew his daughter better than that and saw right through the fake smile. He gave her a piercing stare, but Miley had no desire to deal with the irritatingly wise words of Robby Ray Stewart, and she moved towards the stairs that led to her bedroom.
The moment Miley was out of her dad's sight, the tears that she had been holding back the last hour swelled over and ran down her cheeks. She rushed past Jackson's open bedroom door where her lazy good-for-nothing brother was attempting to wrestle his green Rico's shirt on. Hearing his sister, he twisted around and peeked at her through one of his sleeves. "…Miles?" he mumbled. Miley didn't spare Jackson a passing glance as she went into her room and slammed the door shut.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door. "Hey, Bud? Do you want to talk?" Robby Ray asked. "Yeah? Did someone break a nail?" Jackson's voice chimed in. There was a muffled yelp as Robby Ray smacked his son upside the head.
"Go away," Miley snarled. "Everything's peachy."
Jackson and Robby Ray exchanged a glance. Jackson shrugged, really not wanting to get involved in his sister's problems. Robby Ray, meanwhile, turned back to Miley's closed door. She had seemed awfully upset, more so than usual, and he hated to see his little girl upset. Nevertheless, he didn't exactly know what to do – for the upteenth time he wished his wife was still alive because she could have gotten through to Miley when he couldn't – and felt it might be best to leave her in peace for awhile.
It was not long before Robby Ray was at Miley's door again. "Bud? I made some Loco Hot Cocoa" he said, but surprisingly received no response. He sent a glance to the boy standing at his left who had come barging into the house soon after Miley and tried a new tactic. "Oliver's here, Miley. He seems rightly concerned about you."
Oliver laid a hand on the door. "Miley?" he begged softly. "Miles? Please open the door. Please tell me what Lilly and I did." Whatever it was, it had to be serious if Oliver showed up alone. These days, Lilly and Oliver were inseparable whenever Robby Ray saw them, and he had a nasty feeling he knew what his daughter's problem was, especially if Lilly had sent Oliver on a solo mission today. Sometimes, as a father, he was too observant for his own good.
Robby Ray sighed and handed Oliver the two mugs of his famous Loco Hot Cocoa. "Good luck, son," he whispered and ambled away. If anyone could get Miley to come out, it was Oliver. He held a soft spot in his daughter's heart no one else could seem to touch. Typically, Robby Ray was fiercely protective of his baby girl, but Oliver had made his own little place in the Stewart family and Robby Ray had taking a liking to the boy despite Oliver's shortcomings. Besides, even if she didn't realize she was doing it, Miley smiled like nothing else when it came to Oliver Oken. True to his word, even as Robby Ray headed down the stairs, he could hear Miley's door crack open.
Miley glared at Oliver through the sliver opening of her door. Her eyes were red, mascara smeared, from crying, and there were dried tear tracks along her cheeks. Oliver opened his mouth to talk, but Miley beat him to it. The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. "What's wrong with me?!" That wasn't what she had intended on saying. She hadn't meant to leap right into it, but she couldn't exactly lie to his face and tell him everything was perfectly fine. Because it wasn't and Oliver Oken always always knew when Miley lied. Both teenagers looked shocked, Oliver's stemming mostly confusion while Miley was horrified.
Oliver recovered first. He tried to ignore the light blush that had spread across Miley's cheeks as well as his own warming face. "Nothing," he said, eyes honest and bright. "Absolutely nothing, Miles." This was the last conversation he ever had expected to have with Miley Stewart. There were just certain things that were taboo between them, and Oliver could have sworn they had cleared up the mess back during that embarrassing period he had thought he had been in love with Hannah Montana. Miley was his best girl bud. She and he were not supposed to ever have to worry about stuff like this. Then again, he and Lilly had broken that rule already and crossed boundaries they never should have. Lilly's different, Oliver tried to argue with himself, but even he knew that didn't make any sense. Why would Lilly be exempt when Miles wasn't?
Oliver's comment hadn't made Miley feel any better. If anything, it was just another jab at her heart. She really shouldn't have just said that. Now Oliver would think Miley liked him, which was just ridiculous, right? Except…except maybe not. Two years ago, Miley might have vehemently denied having any sort of feelings toward Oliver beyond a brother or a pet gold fish, but now, if she was truly honest with herself – and she hated listening to her inner self –, she wasn't so sure. Well, that was it then, wasn't it? That was why Miley couldn't stand to see Lilly and Oliver all over each other. Oliver had picked Lilly Truscott over Miley Stewart, and Miley couldn't stand it. It wasn't just because Oliver wasn't giving his undivided attention to Miley (although Miley was an attention-starved popstar). No, it was because Miley had feelings for Oliver, and he so obviously didn't feel the same.
It was inevitable that Oliver would eventually fall for one of them. Miley would have been stupid to think otherwise. He was a boy with the best friends that were girls. Miley had tried to deny that tiny little fact ever since she and Oliver had become friends because seriously, until now, she might have been horrified to have silly, donut Oliver crushing on her. Still, Miley was a fool to think she and Lilly would never realize that Oliver was indeed a guy and a very sweet, goofy, perfect guy, the kind of guy any girl could picture herself spending the rest of her life with. Sure, Oliver might not have had Jake Ryan's good looks, but he didn't have the Hollywood ego either.
Miley met Oliver's eyes, and Oliver was struck by an emotion he found in her sad, glassy gaze that she had never directed to him before. "Then why didn't you fall for me?" It took two tries for Miley to say those words, but she decided that Oliver had already figured everything out at this point. It was something that had been building up since she had first walked in on Lilly and Oliver's smooch-fest in the Stewart family living room. To finally get it out was like a large weight had been lifted from her chest.
Obviously, Oliver hadn't fully comprehended everything yet. His eyes were wide; his mouth was slack. "But…but…you like J-J-Jake," he stuttered nervously.
"Yeah, I do," Miley whispered quietly, a little private confession just for the two of them. "But…" She couldn't bring herself to say it. Her eyes darted away, embarrassed and almost shy. She was the protagonist of their little threesome. Oliver was supposed to fall for her. The sidekicks weren't supposed to get together.
Oliver fell backwards, staring disbelievingly at the girl before him. This couldn't be Miley Stewart, secret popstar Hannah Montana and Oliver's best friend. Miley didn't like him. Not like that. Miley was pretty and girly and liked boys with movie star good looks who were super popular and had tons of money. Oliver was none of those things. Where was his shallow, gossipy best gal pal? The girl who would rather paint her nails or buy a new pair of shoes than even think of getting on a skateboard or go surfing with him? Where was the confident girl who followed boys like Gabe or Josh or Trey or Johnny Collins around with lovesick little moonbeams in her eyes?
Right now, Miley looked skinny, shy, bent and broken with big, tear-filled eyes and doing everything she could to hold herself together in front of him. His negative reaction to her had left a look of panic-stricken terror across her face. "…Oliver, I'm sorry," she mumbled and moved to shut the door. "Look, please just forget I said–" She stopped suddenly and glared. "Do you love her?" she demanded.
Oliver blinked, clearly not expecting that and still trying to wrap his mind around Miley's almost confession. "…what?"
"Do you love Lilly?" Miley repeated.
Oliver opened his mouth then closed it. He frowned. "…yes," he said slowly. Then, gaining more confidence, he began to nod. "Yeah, I do. What's wrong with that?"
It took everything Miley had not to slam the door in Oliver's face. He was so clueless sometimes. Regardless, her fingers gripped the door tightly, knees shaking. "You are not supposed to fall in love with your best friend," she muttered. She dropped her eyes again and scowled down at the ground. "Why Oliver?" she whispered brokenly. "Why'd you have to go and mess everything up?"
"Wait a minute," Oliver growled, finally coming back to the present. "How is this my fault?" He was frustrated because he hated to see Miley so upset, but he honestly didn't know how to fix things this time.
Miley's bottom lip quivered. She felt sick. "We used to be so perfect, the three of us. We –"
Miley didn't get to finish her sentence as Oliver suddenly reached in, cupped her face gently, and kissed her on the lips. Miley let out a small surprised squeak, but it didn't take long before she started kissing back. The press of Oliver Oken's lips against hers sent a tingling sensation down to her toes. Her body burned with need and passion, and she could feel her heart beating a mile a minute. She had never felt this way before, not when Jake, Trey, Connor, or Travis had kissed her. Miley uttered a soft, pleasured moan, fists gripping the front of Oliver's shirt and held him close.
Oliver, meanwhile, was experiencing a similar feeling. Back in middle school, he had spent hours dreaming what it would be like to kiss his celebrity crush, Hannah Montana. It was nothing like he had expected as he was overcome with lust and desire for the girl who was supposed to only be his best friend. He could taste the salt of her tears, but also mint fresh breath and cherry chapstick. Her hair smelled of a sweet combination of cherries and vanilla. It was nothing at all like Lilly's apple-scented shampoo. Lilly. Oh shit…
Oliver pulled back so suddenly that Miley stumbled. Oliver caught her, but his hands were shaking, panicked. Oh no no no. He had just been making out with his best friend. Shit, his girlfriend's best friend. Worst of all, he had liked it. Liked it a lot. Liked it way more than any other girl he had kissed before. From the look on Miley's face, he could confidently say she felt the same. This was so messed up. Not Miley. Anyone but Miley.
"Oliver," the girl in question began, but Oliver just shook his head. He looked ready to bolt at any moment, and Miley quickly encircled a slender hand around his wrist. "Oliver, what was that?"
"A bad idea," Oliver said. He swallowed and met Miley's eyes. She knew. She knew they couldn't do this. She knew he was with Lilly, and they both loved Lilly too much to hurt her. This, whatever this was, as good as it had felt, it couldn't happen. "This is wrong," he continued. He tugged his wrist back, then threaded his fingers with hers apologetically in what he hoped was a purely friend sort of gesture. "Miley, I can't."
And Miley understood damn it. Her chin tilted up and she smiled at him, sympathetic and sad. Oliver hated that smile, hated that Miley was acting so strong about this. "You can't help who you fall in love with," Miley said gently. It was as close to an "I love you" without coming right out and saying it, and now Oliver would be plagued by nothing except the what-ifs and could-have-beens. Now, he would always wonder – no, always know – he had picked the wrong girl. He might love Lilly, but he loved Miley Stewart, and she loved him, and why oh why did it take them until now to realize it?
"No, you can't," Oliver mumbled. He should walk away now. He and Miley should quit hanging out and never speak to each other again and maybe they could suppress these stupid feelings. Except Oliver knew he could never stay away from Miley, even before this little heart-to-heart, and he was pretty sure, Miley couldn't survive without him, and that was not his ego talking.
So here it was, the infamous love triangle that never should have happened. They had gone to a place where their friendship would never be the same, and it was inevitable someone, maybe even all three of them, was going to end up with a broken heart. What in the hell were they going to do now?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thoughts? Sorry if the end seemed rushed…
