The night was cool and foggy. Lily Truscott zipped up her orange sweatshirt and fiddled with a strand of blonde hair.

"So have you taught anyone before?"

"Huh?" Lily turned to the boy standing next to her.

"To skateboard, I mean. Have you ever taught anyone?''

"Oh. Yeah, my cousin a few years ago. Um, have you ever taught anyone to dance?"

"No but I had a great teacher. I'm sure you'll catch on."

"Well I'm not so sure about that but thanks for the reassurance, Jake" Lily said, plugging a boom box into a nearby circuit.

That's right. Lily Truscott and Jake Ryan were meeting in secret. Although it wasn't really "in secret" Lily told herself.

They were just two (friends, acquaintances?) who were helping each other out. Jake wanted to learn how to skate board and Lily needed to learn to dance for a ball that Lola and Hannah were going to. And even though Miley and Jake were supposedly friends, both Jake and Lily agreed that it would probably be for the best if they didn't say anything. Their history wasn't the best.

Flashback

"Why do you like Jake all of the sudden? " Lily asked, hoping her pain didn't show

"Well I realized how sweet he was. And I kissed a dog so I think I deserved it." Miley said with an eye roll and an air of arrogance that plainly stated Lilly should understand what her best friend was thinking.

"So you think that because the director took your original suggestion you have every right to dress up like a tramp and steal my date away."

But she didn't say that. They just hugged and made up because that's the way things were supposed to be. And a few weeks later Miley and Jake hooked up because that's the way things were supposed to be.

What Miley wants, Miley gets.

End Flashback

Lily sighed " Do you want to skateboard first?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Okay. First you have to learn balance. The way I learned was just by standing on the skateboard…"

----

"And one, two, rock step back two, three…"

"And dip!" Jake lowered Lily to the ground.

"Ah! Jake!" shrieked Lily as they fell onto the sand. She dissolved into a fit of giggles. "What was that?"

"I improvised." He joked.

"Yeah well, don't." Lily said.

"Oh come on. That was fun and you know it."

"Sure." Lily gave him a playful shove. She smiled. The first few lessons had been fairly awkward. But lately they had been a lot of fun. Not only had Jake caught onto skateboarding quickly he was funny too.

"I guess he is more than a pretty face." She thought to herself

"Hey Lily?"

"What?" Lily snapped back to reality.

"It's getting late. Do you want to break for dinner?"

"Defiantly."

A few minutes later the two of them were sitting on the beach eating burgers from Rico's and an order of fries.

"Can I ask you a question, Lily?"

"Sure."

"I'm just curious. Why didn't you ask Miley to help you? Not that I don't love our lessons or anything. It just seems weird that you would come to me instead of her."

"Well, I just didn't want Miley to know I couldn't dance."

"Really? You don't seem to be the type of girl who gets bothered by that kind of a thing."

"I'm usually not. But, well, it's not just the dancing. It's, it's, everything! Everyday it's always Miley, this Miley that. Everyone loves her! She's pretty and talented; she's Hannah Montana for crying out loud! And it's like no matter how many things she does wrong, she always finds a way out and ends up looking perfect. And no matter how many things I do right I always end up looking like the stupid best friend. Always!"

Lily stopped and took a deep, shaky breath. She had never told that to anyone before and some of it was all new to her. But she meant every word of it.

Jake just looked at her "Is that what people think of you as? A stupid best friend?"

Lily stared at the ocean "It sure feels that way."

"Well they're wrong."

He forcefully made Lily turn away from the vast blue ocean and stare into his eyes. "You're not stupid. And you're sure as hell more than a best friend to me."

Then he got up and walked away leaving Lily to her thoughts.

Thoughts which had previously been innocent, filled with laughter and slight brushes during dance lessons, or giggling over nothing, just because you were happy.

Thoughts which now included newfound resentment for her "best friend".

Thoughts filled with a certain blonde-haired boy…