01. Lust
-To have an intense desire or need
There was no denying that Miley was attracted to Jesse. That had been clear from the beginning. But she had never been so attracted to him as she had been when they went on tour together for the first time. Anything he did could easily turn her on.
Watching him play guitar on stage with a little droplet of sweat dripping down his neck, as she belted out her lyrics, put a new life into her. He made sweat look oddly appealing, and all she wanted was to kiss him right then and there. Every once in a while she did give him a quick peck on the lips, and even groped him when they were backstage and no one was looking, but she was still in the middle of a show and her fans needed to come before her sex life.
However, as soon as the show was finished and her fans were satisfied, it became her turn to feel the same. She would grab Jesse's hand and drag him behind her, thanking the staff for all their help with the show as they passed. Miley shoved Jesse in the nearest empty room. They had time before the rest of the band was ready to go.
Sooner than Miley would have liked, they were back on the bus, surrounded by people with no escape. Her lust for Jesse had been somewhat dealt with, but she still wanted more than the quick times they had in between shows and bus rides.
As soon as this was over no one was coming over to Miley and Jesse's apartment for a long time.
02. Gluttony
-Excess in eating and drinking
Jesse wasn't usually a huge drinker. He definitely wasn't a smoker, for the same reasons that Miley wasn't: Music meant to much to them. Drinking too much and/or smoking would damage their music. Occasionally, though, they would drink when they went out.
After he lost his father to the war Miley, and many others, noticed a steady increase in how many beers Jesse was drinking a day. Only Miley was the one around to see how bad it really got, though. Pretty soon his drinking was to the point of at least two beers with each meal and at least one in between meals for a "snack".
It just didn't matter to him anymore. His music was still good, he said. It was his choice what he did with his life, he would remind others whenever they expressed concern. He wasn't telling other people what to eat or drink, or how to live their lives, so what gives them the right to do that to him?
Besides, no one really cared if Jesse messed up his body. He didn't have a dad anymore, his mom had left him long ago, and Miley would still love him, right? So he would pick up that bottle of beer and toast it to his dead father—and occasionally his damned mother- before taking a big swig again...and again...and again. And Miley never did much to stop him.
03. Greed
-Excessive or reprehensible acquisitiveness
Miley hadn't ever really paid much attention to how rich she was; it didn't seem to matter much. Still when she read about how much money she supposedly had, according to the tabloids, and how much more this other teen star was being paid more than her, she couldn't help but be confused. She was the biggest pop stars around—or at least one of the biggest. Why did he have more than her?
'No,' she thought. 'I'm lucky to have what I have. Money isn't the most important thing.' She closed the web page and tried not to think about what she had read for the next few days. Not surprisingly, she failed.
Someone else was being paid more than her and they were only on one TV show (that Miley knew of). How did this kid get so much money an episode? Was 'Two and a Half Men' even that funny? It hadn't been the few times Miley saw it. She deserved way more than this kid. And she would get it, too.
Oh, she would get way more than him. She would sell out so many shows and make so many appearances that he wouldn't be able to keep up. She was going to be the richest teen out there. And she hardly had to break a sweat to get it.
04. Laziness
-Disinclined to activity or extortion
Robby rushed down the stairs and checked his watch one last time. They would make it to the event on time—barely. He reached the bottom of the stairs to see his daughter lying on the couch still watching TV. "Miley! What are you doing? We have to go!"
She didn't even look at him; just kept her eyes on the screen. "I do a ton of charity work. Can't I take off this one day?" she whined.
Robby went over the couch and leaned over her. He gave her one of his looks. "Miles, you got to go. You promised."
"I'm tired," she said, still not moving.
"And I'm tired of still waiting for you to get up," her father countered. "Now go get in the car."
Miley slid off the couch, pouting as she did, and stumbled to her feet. "Fine," said she childishly.
Robby watched her go and shook his head. When did his daughter get so lazy?
05. Wrath
-Strong vengeful anger or indignation
Jackson knew he was in a lot of trouble as soon as the basket ball left his hand. He hadn't been looking that closely and didn't notice Miley's phone lying on the ground until it was too late. The ball smashed down on the screen and the crack of the screen pierced the air. Miley would be back from the bathroom in a few seconds and there was no way for Jackson to cover this one up.
Right on queue Miley walked out of the house, wiping some of the water from her hands onto her pants with each step that she took. "Okay, I'm ready to play agai—" She went quiet when she saw the ball rolling away from her phone. "What. Did. You. Do? Jackson, that was my brand new phone!"
"I didn't see it—"
He was cut off by her mocking tone. "'I didn't see it.' Maybe that's because you never look out for anyone but yourself." A squawk of frustration exploded from her throat. "You," she jabbed her finger at the air in his direction, "are an embarrassment to this family! You always have been!"
Her words cut through Jackson sharply. He knew that he wasn't the perfect kid, but he still loved her and had been a good brother to her. He did look out for her. She didn't need to yell at him so loudly or so much. Her temper was just unbearable these days. "Miles—"
"Don't call me that," she snarled.
"I'm sorry. It was an accident. I can get a new one," he promised.
"With what money? You barely have any. Most of what you get is from Dad or you just use my money. God!" She snatched her phone up off the ground and marched into the house, probably to complain to Robby about needing a new phone because she had an idiot for a brother.
Jackson stood there for a moment, hurt that his family had such little faith in him. The ball stopped rolling and Jackson moved to pick it up. He bounced it once and decided that he was done playing for the day. It was probably best if he just went out and hid from his sister and father's disappointment for as long as he could. He didn't feel like hearing all about it again. He knew the whole story by heart.
06. Envy
-Painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage
It was easy for others to look at Miley and say, "What a beautiful girl! No wonder she's so sure of herself. She's got everything going for her." However it wasn't that easy for Miley to believe that.
Whenever she would see the girls rushing up to Jesse to fawn over him and get his autograph (which they would mostly hang in their room later over a shrine of him, Miley suspected) Miley couldn't help but look down at her body and wonder, 'Are my boobs big enough? Is my stomach sticking out? My God, my feet look bad in these heels.'
There was so much pressure to be more beautiful than the rest; she could hardly even look in the mirror anymore. Being aware of her body when other girls were around was enough torture she didn't need to add on to it by looking at her face all the time. As long as it served its purpose (letting her see, taste, hear, etc.) that was good enough, right?
Still as she watched Jesse from afar as he posed for photos after a show, or even so much as walked past a group of pretty girls in their cute little dresses and skirts, she remembered all the times Jesse had made her feel beautiful and how hard it was to believe it now. It was all because of those dang pretty girls. If only Miley could look just like them, maybe she would be a little bit happier.
07. Pride
-Quality or state of being proud
Miley set the newspaper down on the kitchen counter and absent mindedly chewed on another spoonful of cereal. "You know," she said to Lilly with her mouth still full, "I'd like to see some of these critics do better than me." She swallowed. "I write my own songs now- okay, most of my own songs," said Miley when Lilly raised her eyebrows. "Even if I don't write them all on my own I help create the bigger part of them."
Lilly was used to this by now. She answered automatically, "I know you do, Miley."
"I work hard on the music that I put out there. These critics couldn't do half of what I do," she went on animatedly.
Lilly nodded into her cereal bowl. "They probably couldn't."
"I mean, I do public events, and charity events, and work in the studio—sometimes I even star in movies and TV shows. That's a lot more than people give me credit for!" She dropped her spoon into her cereal bowl as she said this, causing some of the milk to splatter out onto Lilly's forearm. Lilly brushed it off without even glancing at it. Miley took a deep breath. "Okay." She inhaled sharply and exhaled slowly. "I am not going to freak. I am going to throw this newspaper away—" she did so dramatically, "—and go upstairs to shower. Then I will continue my hard day of work."
She bounded up the stairs and Lilly could have sworn she heard her friend muttering to herself as she went. Still eating her cereal, she sighed. Lilly loved Miley, but Miley's pride would be the death of her.
