AN: so it's probably been years since i've gotten on FF, and for some reason i found myself in the HM section and i've read some amazing 'Niley' Fanfiction. it breaks my heart to sethem all get deleted and now I wait to see if there are any updates or reposts. but i was just in that writing mood, so thanks to all for reading. i adore miley cyrus, those brothers not as much. ;] this acount is years old. this is a random AN but ...yeah. i love miley so i hope this whole thing makes sense. this is a one shot in unedited glory

Disclaimer:i own nothing

"There is no greater sorrow than to recall in misery the time when we were happy."
-Dante

No one would ever understand how hurt miley cyrus ever was.

Hurt.

Hurt, that the boy who said he loved her got over her like nothing.

Hurt, that two of her best friends would ignore her and forget she was alive.

Hurt, that even after all this time she still cared more then they ever would.

It hurt.

"Miles I'm just saying maybe saying hi wouldn't be the best option." Taylor put her hands on Miley's shoulders. She never recalled ever being this stubborn at sixteen.

"Tay, I'm just going over to say congratulations. I'm sixteen." Miley smiled whole-heartedly. "We can't hate them forever." Miley put her hands over Taylors.

"We can try." Miley smiled at her friends' low mutter.

It was November 23, 2008. Her sixteenth birthday. Two years ago she would have never had thought that this was how it was going to be. Well actually it was everything she expected and more with just one exception. On her sixteenth birthday she always pictured she would have at least one, if not all, of the Jonas brothers by her side.

Funny how life works out. The one thing you expect the most, is the one thing you don't get.

"You don't have to come." Miley fought back a giggle as Taylor rolled her eyes for the hundredth time. They were sitting in their seats after eating or cleaning off cake from after Miley's performance. The Jonas Brothers had just won breakthrough artist.

"Hayley and them so deserved it." Miley could hear the annoyance in Brandi's voice and any second from now Taylor and her would be talking about how they all needed haircuts.

"Girls. Be nice." That was all the text message from Miley and Brandi's mother said. Brandi acted like she never got it while she kept snorting at whatever Kevin was saying.

"Look at Ashley, I can see shes trying not to snort."

"So what are we doing later m'dear?" Taylor tried to change the topic. She was good at distracting Miley from anything that could cause her hurt.

"I dunno yet." Miley smiled thinking about how her and Sophie were gonna be locked away in that recording room tonight. "but right now I'm gonna head back and say congrats to them." Miley flicked her eyes at the boys her were walking off stage.

"Miles." Taylor tried again as Miley stood up and smoothed out dress. "They hurt you and you're just gonna forgive them like that?"

"I'm not forgiving anything Tay." She smiled at Taylor. She loved her so much. "I'm just moving on." Miley smiled one last time and made her way backstage.

The words were easier to say than do.

Nick Jonas.

The name brought butterflies to her stomach. Good and bad butterflies.

Two years ago all Miley knew was that he loved her and she loved him. Well she thought he loved her. These days it was hard to tell what love was. But still, she had made so many mistakes after him , it would have meant the world to her if just once he had called and said he cared or just called to say 'hi'.

But he didn't.

He didn't make a phone call, not like Kevin did. He didn't defend her in interviews, not like Joe did. He just let the world crash down on her and soon even his brothers just stopped caring.

He moved on before she even got the chance to blink and it hurt.

You know what she wished for? She didn't wish for her single to be a hit, she didn't wish for that car she wanted, and she didn't wish for all the haters in the world to try to understand her.

Miley Cyrus wished that Nick Jonas cared that she had made it to sixteen without him.

Because she sure as hell cared that he made it.

Miley bit her lip as her heart unlocked and let all the chained down emotions run free.

She still cared.

She cared that the 'Jonas Brothers' were the modern day Beatles because she was so happy for them.

She was happy that Kevin got the GQ spot because he was always so self conscious.

She was happy that Joe cut his hair because if she knew Joe, she knew it bothered him to have his hair a mess.

But most of all Miley was happy that Nick was smiling so much today. Even if he wasn't smiling because of her.

But why was she happy?

Because that's the kind of girl Miley Cyrus is.

….

Joe and Kevin could hardly believe how wide Nick's smile was. You could actually see his teeth.

"Are we missing something?" Nick heard Kevin mutter to Joe.

"Doesn't matter." Joe was still in down mood due to Taylor. Everything went wrong for him when it came to her.

"What?" Nick tried to look annoyed but a small grin broke out again.

"Why can we see your teeth?" Kevin asked cautiously while still cradling the award they just got.

"We just won an award you guys." Well that and the fact that when he looked over to Miley she was actually smiling. Well he saw Taylor and Brandi who were both put off but Miley, for a second, looked generally happy to see him.

That was a reason to smile.

He wasn't going to lie. He had hurt her. She called and texted and he dodged her any way he could until she no longer called, texted or even called him a friend. Now wasn't the time for him to get all nostalgic but he had hurt her and it hurt to know that she hurt.

"Ashley looked kind of happy." Kevin quipped.

"Right, just like how Taylor wasn't about to point at me while she sang a song about her heart getting broken." Joe rolled his eyes.

"Hey man, you're the one who tried to go to the bathroom while she was singing." Kevin tried to reason.

"What about Nicky?" Joe shrugged his shoulders.

"What about me?" Nick narrowed his eyes at Joe.

"Hey guys, calm down." Kevin shook his head at his brothers. He could hear the fight coming.

"You're the one trying to get a closer seat and telling everyone to shut up during Miley's performance." Joe scoffed.

"So?" Nick heard his tone get louder.

"While your sitting next to your new ex-girlfriends best friend who you're gonna see in an hour or two with ideas or getting back together?" Joe couldn't believe Nick. Selena wasn't exactly his favorite person, but the comments of him being the jerk of a boyfriend were starting to get to him.

Coming to his senses Nick avoided the topic altogether. "Shut up."

"Joe stop picking on Nick, Nick just relax." Kevin watched as Joe shrugged again and began pumping himself up for their performance.

Whenever Miley was brought up there was bound to be an argument between brothers. Kevin forgot how many days or weeks ago it was when Nick had gotten an epiphany telling him that Miley Cyrus was 'it'. That Miley Cyrus was the girl that was going to be the girl he married. Whenever Kevin thought about Miley he felt so embarrassed. He wore a t-shirt out of natural instinct to defend his brother but on his birthday Miley had still sent to his mother flowers, an invitation to Frankie to go over and play with Noah whenever and she had sent him a specialized guitar pick he had been looking for forever. All the card it was in said, 'found one. Happy birthday.' The packaging wasn't new but it wasn't old. It meant that she had looked even after he wore that ugly gold lettered t-shirt. He was more than embarrassed, he was ashamed.

Kevin cleared his throat and pushed back the shame. "Come on you guys, warm up." He started stretching.

Joe fiddled with his tambourine. He wasn't going to use it tonight but he needed something to get his mind off girls. Or rather one that he was extremely close to but ended up leaving her. Her. Miley. The one girl who sent him a text that said, 'she doesn't hate you, she's just angry. Give her time Joey'. Still after all this time Miley knew him more than Demi or Selena did. He loathed the fact that everytime Taylor was mentioned Demi would get into 'it wasn't your fault' mode. It was his fault; he just wanted to know that it would be okay that he wasn't perfect. Joe loved Demi like family but the moment he read that text he knew that Miley Cyrus was family that knew him as close as his real blood family knew him.

The fact as much as she made him feel better, he never helped her at all. That was why for once Joe Jonas wasn't smiling, that was why Joe Jonas was off pitch and that was why Joe Jonas wanted to sing 'Free Fallin' later for the girl who he let fall down but picked him back up.

Nick just sat watching his brothers until he made his way to the hall just outside it. They were going to go on soon and Miley was the only thing running through his head. Today was her birthday, even if she never wanted to talk to him again he could say 'happy birthday' right? He chuckled, he remembered that years ago he said that on her sixteenth birthday, everyone would be dressed up, all these people would be performing and she would have a big cake. She got all that, he noted. What she didn't get was the last part of her prediction, him or at least one of his brothers next to her.

Instead she got, a super built model, Taylor, her mother, Ashley, who wasn't so happy to hand over the award and Cody's dancing partner.

Hell it felt like everyone was with her except for him. Demi even went to her birthday party while Selena sent her wishes through Demi.

Selena and him, they went out for awhile. It was new to Nick, where Miley would just start laughing over nothing Selena would just want to watch a movie with quiet. But soon all that newness got him was a girl who would be a great friend and a broken heart.

So many mistakes, and he was only sixteen. Was he even going to make it to Twenty?

He tried to call her, text her, see her so he could tell her one thing.

That he loved her. That he wanted no one else but her. That he wouldn't look in the mirror as much, that he would be honest with her about what he was feeling, that he would smile more, that he would love only her, that he would only make her laugh and that his friends would come before her. But most of all, he would make her love him even more. [look at 7 things]

But did he even have chance? All he saw was some giant model guy next to her and if it wasn't him it was Mitchell, Emily or even Cody telling him to stay away. No one would let him near her. Even Maya, his best friend, said it would be better if he left it alone.

"Nick?" Her voice always could send shivers down his spine.

"Miley?" Nick could hardly believe it. Was he dreaming? He heard Joe still playing with his tambourine, so that meant he wasn't. Nick closed his mouth.

Miley bit her lip. Maybe it wasn't a good idea for her to come alone. She could already feel the hundreds of texts being sent by Taylor who no doubt told Emily who probably told Ashley who told Zac and Vanessa. She loved her friends but right now all she could hear was her phone vibrating and faint tambourine sounds.

"Hey…" Miley trailed off looking at the ground. Nick just stared at her. "I just wanted to say, congratulations on your award." She looked up and Nick was still just staring at her. It felt like those butterflies were fighting in her stomach. "So…yeah that's all." Just when Miley was going to turn and walk away Nick spoke.

"Thanks." He choked out. Nick mentally was cursing himself. This was the one chance he was going to get and he was choking.

Miley nodded and started off again when Nick scrambled up.

"Wait, Miley!" She turned back around and could feel her chest warm just by him calling her name like he wanted to.

"Yeah?" Miley tried to look calm and collected while inside she was shaking.

"I…I tried to call or text and I couldn't get to you." Nick fumbled for the right words.

"I had to change my number." Miley gave him a small smile. It was a smile that said ' I missed you too'.

"Oh…I just…No one…" Gone were the days when he could have talked to her a mile a minute.

"Yeah." She didn't want to give him her new number. She wasn't ready for him to be back in her life yet. She had just gotten it put back together.

"Miley…" She didn't offer to give it to him. Nick's heart sank a little but what did he expect? "Happy Birthday." Nick said the only thing he could think of that would have some kind of meaning.

Miley smiled and looked around. It was only him and her in the hall and she could hear Demi being announced.

"Not quite how I pictured it, this day." She smiled again and met his eyes. "Thank you though Nick." Miley turned away again when she heard Kevin calling for Nick. "Tell your brothers I said congrats too." She was making her way back when Nick called to her again from the door.

"Maybe next year, it won't be how you pictured it too." With that Nick ran in leaving Miley staring at where he stood.

As Miley made it back to her seat she smiled a little. The Jonas Brothers were just starting their performance while it felt like everyone she sat around was looking for her. Taylor was narrowing her eyes at Joe who was looking in our direction but she grabbed Miley and pulled her down as soon as she saw her.

"You ok Miles?" She felt Ashley looking over Taylor.

"I'm fine." Miley couldn't help but smile at all the warmth she was given.

"I promise Mi, next year you won't have to see this." She could already see the invitations being sent out to everyone but the Jonases.

"Yeah…." But in all honestly, all Miley could see was her birthday being celebrated.

Miley wondered if Nick knew that before today she pictured the Jonas Brothers nowhere near her on her seventieth birthday. She wondered because if she took in the words he said earlier then on seventieth birthday she was would have three of her best friends back. She wondered all this while staring at him on stage, singing how they wouldn't work things out tonight.

"Tay." Miley called to her while she and Ashley were just watching the green lights blind everyone else.

"Hrm?"

"He said Happy Birthday." Miley held back a small smile.

"Really?" Taylor thought for a second on whether or not to divulge information she promised Selena she wouldn't spill. "Did he give you anything?"

"Tay!" Miley giggled. Taylor smiled, same ol Miley.

"Just saying…Where's your hello kitty necklace?" Taylor knew how to be subtle.

"Here." Miley pulled it out from her purse and smiled. "Its so funny, I swear I've seen this before, like I've wanted it before but I can't remember who I was with. I just remember it was a long time ago."

"Yeah…" Taylor looked up at Nick Jonas shook her head and smiled. "I wonder who you were with."

As much as Taylor disliked Joe at the moment she couldn't help but wonder how sweet and sour the boys could really be.

"Happy Birthday Miles."