Sorry for such a long time with no update! I just had no desire to write anything. O_o But after getting back into reading books, I've found the desire to write again! So I thought I'd finish working on Chapter Three for this story since it seems many people are interested in this. If there are any grammar/spelling mistakes, I'm sorry! I had to use WordPad instead of Word as my trial has ended and I really don't want to pay for it. (: Anyway enjoy! Please leave reviews; I'm going to try and finish this story...Eventually.

Chapter Three

Lilly weakly stood in front of the mirror that lie against her wall and let out a dramatic sigh. Her body frame had completely deteriorated over the past several months with the suffering of her disease. She used to be a healthy one-hundred twenty pounds and nearly five foot four but now because of her advanced stage leukemia her weight dropped to a very low eighty-five pounds and her height shrunk to just a bit under five foot three. With one final glance at her reflection, the young girl sadly shook her head and then slowly made her way down stairs.

It had been a few weeks since Lilly had spent time in the hospital. Her doctor discharged her as he felt she should spend what could be her last months at home. Being back in her house, in her room, felt like heaven to the girl. Spending nearly a year in the hospital made her forget how amazing it was to just lounge around in her own home. The first few days all the girl could do was walk around and take in all her surroundings. After a week or two though it had been as if she'd never left the house.

And although Lilly was finally out of the hospital, she still had to go each day to receive her chemotherapy along with radiation therapy. Unfortunately this meant spending at least three to four hours there a day. Sometimes that made her feel like she never even left, but she was happy that at least she could go home at the end of the day. For she knew that not many other cancer patients were as lucky as she.

Ever since she first met her favorite singer, Miley Stewart, the two had become very close friends. Miley really helped the smaller girl to overcome her depression due to the fact of her death nearing. She would do anything to keep Lilly's mind away from those melancholy thoughts. Seeing the poor girl go through such extreme treatments to try and rid her of the cancer was hard enough but the fact that she could die at any given moment had been even worse.

"Lilly, come downstairs please." Her mother softly yelled up to her daughter as she opened the house door for Miley. "You have company, sweetie."

Within a few minutes, the blonde girl slowly walked down the stairs and into the living room where her friend was cheerfully waiting for her. Lilly gave a small smile to her as she took a seat on the couch, feeling too weak to stand. "Hi Miley, it's so good to see you." She said in a hoarse yet friendly voice. Seeing her new friend had always put a smile on her face.

Miley smiled softly at her, taking a seat beside her and wrapping the girl in a warm embrace. "Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?" She noticed how weak the girl was, feeling awful for her. It had been heart-breaking to watch her friend suffer with such a horrific disease.

The shorter blonde gave a bright smile to her friend. "I'm so happy to finally be home." She said softly as she relaxed into the other girl's embrace. "And fortunately I don't have to go back to school for another two weeks due to our being off for the holiday." Her smile grew brighter.

"Awww, I'm so happy for you Lilly. It's amazing to see you smile!" Miley spoke gently, holding the blonde softly to her chest. "Are you nervous about going back to school, sweetie?"

Lilly shook her head. She loved school and was very thrilled to be going back soon. She knew people would still treat her awfully because of the little amount of hair she had left, but she couldn't wait to get back to her classes. "I'm not really nervous about the school work as I've kept up with that...but I know people won't want to be near me since I have very little hair left and for the fact that I've shrunk three inches in height. I'm hoping at least my friend Oliver will still talk to me...I haven't talked to him since I left school last year."

A sad sigh escaped the singer's lips. The fact that people would be so shallow as to make fun of a precious girl who's suffering with such a horrible disease caused her to feel anger build up in her mind. She wrapped her arms protectively around Lilly's tiny body, soothingly rubbing small circles around her back. "Awww, sweetie... If people are that shallow, then they're not worth your time. You're absolutely beautiful, Lilly. You don't need hair for that. Lilly, when you go back to school, if anyone does anything to upset you then call me and tell me sweetie. I will deal with them."

"Mom and I tell her that all the time, but she doesn't believe us." Rose spoke as she looked up from her seat on the couch. "Lilly never says anything nice about herself...I think she needs a good friend."

Snow heavily flew through the sky, leaving the grass buried deep under piles and piles of frozen water. Staring out the window, Miley smiled to herself. She loved the sight of snow. It really made her feel that the holidays were truly nearing.

"Hey daddy?" The young singer called out as she made her way into the kitchen.

Her father stood, hovering over the stove, preparing a loaf of bread to put in the oven. He slowly opened the oven door before placing the pan into it. As he closed the door, he turned to face his daughter with a loving smile. "What is it, bud?" Robbie asked in his husky southern accent.

The brunette looked up at her dad with a huge smile as she leaned in for a hug. "Well, I was thinking that maybe we should invite Lilly and her family to come down to Tenneessee with us for the holidays. I think it would really cheer them up...especially Lilly. Please daddy? I really want to do something nice for she and her family, they deserve some happiness in their lives." Her father pulled her into his arms, astonished to hear how mature his daughter has become and how caring she was. He also had been warmed by how much she cared for her new friend.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea, Mile. Why don't we have them over for dinner this weekend and we'll ask them then? They'd probably like to get to know us more before they agree to it." Robbie spoke with a warm smile as he continued to embrace his little girl. He was more than happy to have such an amazing daughter.

Miley smiled softly at her father, happy that he agreed to it. She knew inviting her new friend and her family would do them a lot of a good. Especially for Lilly, who she knew needed as much happiness as she could get and Miley was more than willing to give her that. "Thanks daddy. I'm going to stop by later today so I'll ask them to come over on Saturday for dinner."

Rose quietly knocked on the door to her older sister's room, worried that she hadn't woken up yet. "Lilly, are you up?" She asked in a gentle tone, opening the door ever so lightly. As she walked further into the room, her heart raced when she didn't see her sister in the bed. "L-Lilly? Where are you?" Her voice began to quiver as she worried for her sister.

Fear grew in her body as she continued to look for her sister, and without even realizing she felt a pair of arms wrap softly around her. A scream escaped her mouth as the arms pulled her closer. "LET ME GO!" The young child screamed, not realizing it was Lilly who was holding her.

"Rosie...it's just me...Are you okay?" Lilly softly turned her sister's head so that she was staring straight into her eyes with concern. "What's got you all shaken up Rosie?" She asked gently, holding the younger girl close in her arms.

Tears fell from the brunette's eyes as she snuggled into her older sister's arms. "You! I'm worried about you, Lilly! I came in here to wake you up and I didn't see you in here! And you're so weak, Lilly...It's scary..." She sobbed, looking into the blonde's sparkling blue eyes as she curled into Lilly's soothing embrace.

The older girl held her sister close in her arms, lovingly running a hand through her hair as she lightly swayed back and forth. "I was in the shower, sweetie. I'm sorry I scared you, Rosie love." She spoke gently to the crying girl in her arms, pressing a soothing kiss to her forehead. "I'm not weak, love, I've just not been getting much sleep. But I feel much better today, Rosie. Please don't worry about me sweetie. I'm fine." She softly held her sister close, hating to be causing her pain.

"Lilly...will you be honest with me? Mom and dad lie to me all the time about your illness. They say you're fine and you'll be going back to school soon but I'm not buying it! I have eyes I can see what's going on. You're getting worse Lilly...you look paler and paler everyday..." Rose spoke as her voice quivered with sobs. "I hear mom and dad whispering about how they wish they could stop you from getting even worse...Lilly...are you going to die?"

Her older sister looked down at her with sympathy as her own eyes filled with tears. "I-I am dying, sweetie." She could hear Rose's sobs get louder which caused her to wrap her arms tighter around the younger girl. "Don't cry, Rosie. Please don't cry! I'm not dying right now love, I promise."

"We're so glad that you're here for our Lilly... Ever since she's met you, her life has really turned around. Even before she met you, just listening to your music would make her have a better day..." Lilly's mother said gently to the singer as she poured two glasses of lemonade for them. "It's so good to see Lilly with a real smile again."

A smile made it's way on the singer's face. It warmed her heart to know that she had the ability to help her friend have a better day. "Awww, Lilly's such a sweetie pie. It's so touching to hear that not only my music but also myself in general is able to make Lilly's day better. She makes my day better as well; her cheerful spirit is such a blessing!" Every word she spoke was true, her day always brightened up when she saw Lilly. "You know...my dad and I were wondering if the four of you would like to come over for dinner on Saturday. My dad would love to meet you guys, he's starting to think I'm visiting invisible people." Miley joked, hoping to lighten the somewhat gloomy mood.

Leanne let a small laugh out at the girl's joke and happily nodded. "Oh, we'd loved that." Her voice full of cheer as she took a sip of her lemonade. "It'd be absolutely wonderful to finally meet your father and thank him for allowing you to meet our daughter."

Miley's smile grew bigger as her mind wandered on to think about having them join she and her father on their trip to Tennessee in just a short six weeks. "My dad will be thrilled. He's really looking forward to meeting all of you! Especially since all I talk about is what an amazing family you are."

Saturday finally arrived and had the Truscott family rushing to the car in an intense snowstorm. As usual the weatherman was wrong, so they had to hurry if they wanted to make it before the roads got any worse. Even after just ten minutes of intense snow fall the roads had been coated a half inch thick.

Letting out a grunt, Mr. Truscott quickly started the car and hoped it would get them there in time. "If you want to make a good amount of money and put no effort into it, become a meteorologist. They never once tell the truth." He scowled as he slowly started backing up the car, making sure not to hit anything. "Damn liar. There's not a single cloud in the sky. The whole sky is a cloud!"

His wife, whom sat across from him, placed a gentle hand on his arm while stroking it lightly. "Focus on the road, Al. It's not that bad yet and they only live twenty minutes from us so it shouldn't be that bad." She spoke soothingly to him as she glance behind them to see how their daughters were.

Lilly sat with a book in hand, her eyes deeply focused on the words in front of her. Her head was covered with her favorite winter hat and her face lightly covered in make-up to hide how weak she actually felt. She could feel her mother's eyes on her and lifted her eyes to glance back at her, a smile forming as she did.

Her mother smiled back, blessed to have such a beautiful family. "Is Rosie asleep already?" She asked softly, looking over at the younger child.

"She is." Lilly spoke with a sad sigh as she looked over at her sister. "I told her the truth, mom."

Confusion made it's way through the mother's face as she continued to look at her daughter. "The truth? The truth about what, Lilly?" She asked, curious to know what she had told the other girl.

Lilly let out another sigh as looked up towards her mother and then back over at her sister. She softly placed her hand on the younger girl's hand and stroked it soothingly. "I told her the truth about my illness." The feeling of tears well up in her eyes made her pause as she continued to comfort her sleeping sister. "She told me that you and dad were lying to her and telling her that I was going to be fine. But she's a smart girl, she knows better than that. She asked me to tell her the truth and that's exactly what I did. I told her that I'm dying because I am and she deserves to know that." She noticed the look on her mother's face and knew she was close to tears. "Mom. Please don't cry. It's better now that she knows; it's for the better. You'd rather her know now before I actually die. Because if she didn't know, she'd be shattered. And even though she would know it wasn't yours or dad's fault that I died, she'd still resent you for a long while for not telling her the truth."

Miley smiled happily as she finished setting the table. She couldn't wait to spend the evening with Lilly and her family. They always brightened up her day. Well it was mostly Lilly who did that, but she adored her family. It reminded her of her own family...before her mother passed away.

"It sure smells good in here, dad." A deep voice spoke as a young man walked in from the living room. "Ya'll havin' a party or somethin'?"

Shock and anger grew in Robbie Ray's face as he turned from the stove to face his son. "What are you doing here, Jackson?" Anger rised as he glared over towards his son. "I thought I told you that you're not welcome here anymore."

Jackson let out a chuckle as he walked towards his father. "I don't care. I heard Miley has a new friend." Another chuckle escaped as he glanced over at his younger sister. "A friend with a very serious disease. Who's probably going to croak by the end of the year I assume." He spoke with a laugh.

The brunette shot him a cold glare, feeling anger build up. Ever since she became a singer, her older brother started acting out more and more. He had tried to steal money from both their accounts and even tried selling Miley's personal items. The reason for this outrageous behaviour? He wanted drugs. And alcohol, but mostly drugs.

"Don't you dare say a word about my friend. She's a sweet, precious girl who deserves every ounce of happiness she can get. You have no right to say anything about her, not a single right! She's fighting for her life and has been since she was a little girl! Why the hell are you here anyway?" Anger seethed through her teeth as she spoke to her brother.

He shook his head while he continued his laughing. Causing his sister anger or pain had been Jackson's favorite thing to do. Especially if it involved other people. A smug smile appeared on his face as he watched Miley's body fill with rage. "I thought I'd see my father and sister. Is that so bad? I mean it is the holiday season..."

Robbie quickly took what was in the oven out, nearly slammed it on the counter, then walked over to his son and stared into his eyes with anger. "You're not staying here, you're not going to see us. So either get the hell out of here or I'll call the police." He kept his voice calm yet very stern. He hated making his own son leave or threatening to call the cops on him. But after all the trouble he caused for their family, Robbie knew what he had been doing was right.

A knock on the door had cheerful smile form on Miley's face as she hurried to it. Opening the door, she noticed the smile on Lilly's face didn't make it to her eyes. That concerned her but she'd worry about that later after they had supper and gotten to know each other's family more.

"I'm so glad you could all make it with that horrendous snow storm out there." Robbie spoke as they sat down at the table. "And I'm very pleased to finally meet all of you. Miley's always talking about how wonderful ya'll are." He smiled brightly at them as he folded his hands to pray.

As Robbie enjoyed speaking with Lilly's parents, Miley decided to show the girl her room. And figure out what had been bothering her. She watched her all through dinner as she barely touched a morsel.

"You okay, Lil?" Her voice soothed as she sat beside her on the bed. "You barely touched dinner and you seem a bit upset. What's wrong sweetie?" Miley carefully grabbed one of Lilly's hands, stroking it gently with her thumb as she looked into her eyes with deep concern.

A quiet sigh escaped as the blonde glanced around her friend's room. She hated when people had the ability to notice her true emotions. Especially when she tried her hardest to keep them hidden. The last thing Lilly wanted was to make the day worse by showing her emotions. "I'm fine, Miley. Just very full." She spoke up after a minute of gathering up her thoughts. "Your room is beautiful, by the way. Such cheerful and bright colors." Her lips curved into a smile that almost reached her eyes. "Just like you."

The brunette couldn't help but wrap her arms around her friend, happy to see a smile appear on her face. "Thank you, Lil." She spoke in a soft voice as she hugged her friend close. Regardless of the smile Lilly displayed, Miley still sensed something had been bothering her. And she would definitely get it out of her.