Miley's POV

The summer after my 15th birthday started out as any other summer. June 7th, the first day school got out I woke up around 1:00pm. It was great to be able to sleep in for once despite the 5 hours of sleep I usually got. The morning had started out fine; I decided to jump in the pool with my pajamas on. My mom laughed at my decision as I walked outside.

As I climbed out of the pool, that was when I first thought, 'This is going to be an amazing summer'. I smiled to myself, thinking I was right on target with that thought.

I remember it so clearly… I remember feeling so confident about it. But of course…I never really was right about those kinds of things… Since this is what it came to…

June-28-2008,

"Last night at approximately 8:45pm, fifteen year old Ashley Taylor, the daughter of Carolyn and John Taylor, was found lying in an alley in a back alley. Found early this morning around 6 am by a man by the name of Adam Brighton. While on his way to his shop, 'Adams Hardware', the building which happens to be beside the crime scene, the man claims to have seen a boy running from the alley. He thought it suspicious and decided to check the area himself.

"He found the body beside the alley door entering his shop. As soon as he found that the girl had been shot several time in the chest. As soon as he got there he claims to have tried to revive the young girl but-"

I tuned out the news caster on the television that was tuned in the ER waiting room. The girl they had been talking about was one of my closest friends. Ashley had always been able to cheer me up. She knew what to say when ever anything went wrong.

Hours earlier I had received a phone call from Mr. Taylor informing me that I should come down to the hospital immediately. He only called me and I knew why… Ashley didn't have many friends. I couldn't understand why. She was the prettiest person I knew. The funniest and the nicest as well. But a few years earlier she had been diagnosed with a minor cancer. She lost most of her hair due to Chemo Therapy. That was when people started ignoring her.

Of course she had plenty of friends still, not being as popular as she used to be before her illness. She had long since been revived of the cancer, but people still disliked her, afraid that they would "catch the cancer" as my younger brother put it when he asked if it was possible. Of course it wasn't possible, but there was no way people would listen whenever I tried to convince them of that.

But Ashley and I were together 24/7. She never left my side and I never left hers. We had so many memories and we practically lived at each others houses. We always promised we'd be best friends forever. We'd plan double weddings and baby sit for each other whenever one of us wanted to go out. I always believed we'd be best friends forever. That is….until I found myself sitting in the hospital waiting for the news on Ashley.

In the corner of the room, Carolyn, Ashley's mom, sat quietly with Mr. Taylor's arms wrapped around her. Ashley was their only daughter. I couldn't begin to think how much it hurt them to know she had been shot. I only hoped she'd recover soon…'If she recovers at all' a voice crept into my mind. I shook it away and told myself that she would recover.

I got lost in my thoughts until a door swung open. An older woman with red curly hair walked in and asked if we were here for Miss Taylor. I looked up quickly expecting to see a smile on the woman's face. But when I looked up, the woman had a struggling look on her face and I immediately knew something was wrong.

The woman walked towards the chairs where her parents were sitting with hopeful expressions. Ashley's dad waved for her to go on. The woman gave a weak smile and I listened quietly.

"Your daughter has given quite a fight. But despite the struggle we gave-" Mrs. Taylor burst out in sobs as she realized what was coming. A thick film of tears covered over my eyes and my ears closed. Thoughts filled my head and I heard the nurse's voice, sounding as if it were a mile away, say with pain in her voice, obviously knowing how they felt, "I'm sorry. We've lost her."

I ran out of the room in a fit of tears. As I was running I felt pressure on my head and then…..darkness…..

I remember waking up in a chair with a breathing mask over my mouth. The same nurse stood in a corner and a man stood over me checking my blood pressure. As he noticed I had woken up he informed me that I had passed out. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor walked over and hugged me. The man went on to tell me that I had gone into a shock, probably from hearing the news, and passed out in the hallway where I had run.

The last thing I remembered was sitting in the waiting room. Then it came to me. I realized what had happened and why I had run out.

A cry escaped my throat. I struggled to catch the next one before it escaped, but I failed and they kept coming. I couldn't see straight through the tears rolling down my cheeks. Choking on the tears, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and another sobbing person sat beside me. I didn't open my eyes but I knew that it was Ashley's parents.

Strike one before the break down….

July-12-2008

I could hear my parents screaming. It's not what you think. They weren't fighting together… They were fighting with my older brother, Trace. I should've been used to this by now, but I wasn't. It killed me to know that my brother, my hero, was inches away from cracking.

I sat on my bed with a notebook in hand, writing down everything I was feeling. I was writing a song about my brother, about everything he meant to me. He was always my hero. I never told him that. But I always looked up to him and I wanted to be just like him. I even started playing guitar because of him.

Sometimes I would listen outside his door while he was playing guitar. I would just listen, and pray that I could be like him. Wishing he would realize that I'm not just an annoying sister. He was my rock. He kept me sane, besides my parents. That was until tonight. He was on the edge of making me insane. I couldn't take the fighting anymore. It hurt hearing the screaming and yelling that had been going on for a little over an hour.

As he grew older, going on 18, he had fallen away from who he used to be. He didn't think so, but it was obvious to everyone that bothered to stand around and watch. Suddenly I heard the screaming stop. Was it finally done, I hoped. But instead of hearing a bedroom door slam, I heard footsteps walking heavily towards the front door. I peeked out my bedroom window and watched as my brother walked to his car, started the engine and drove away. Little did I know that he wouldn't be coming back. Not anytime soon at least…

When he wasn't home in the morning, I didn't think anything of it. But when he didn't come home that night I started to wonder. I was afraid to ask where he was but when my younger brother asked, my mom simply said, "He decided to stay over at a friend's house for a little bit." She smiled and shrugged as if it was nothing, but as she turned around I noticed she hung her head and she quietly walked into her room.

About three weeks later, I had already known where he was. He was at his friend David's house. I thought he just needed time to calm down and cool off and then he'd be back home, where I could again wait at his door listening to himself play guitar. But tonight my parents told me and my brothers to go to our rooms and play for a while. Instead of refusing, I agreed and walked off. I walked in my room and grabbed my guitar. I turned on the computer and tuned my guitar. I started playing one of the songs that I had written which was sitting on the desk.

I was swallowed into the music when I suddenly heard a car pull up to the driveway. I looked out my window and smiled excitedly. My brother's car had just pulled up.

'He's back' I thought. As he walked to the door he walked in. My mom said hello to him and told him to come into the kitchen.

I decided I should wait before I went out to greet him.

At least 2 hours passed…They were still in the kitchen. I couldn't hear what they were talking about but I knew what it had to do with.

After a while I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door. I murmured a soft 'come in' while I sat on the floor with my guitar in hand. I turned my head smiling expecting to see my brother coming to say hello. Instead I saw someone I didn't recognize…I knew it was my brother but….He had tears in his eyes…I didn't recognize him because my brother never cried about anything. I don't know why but immediately tears sprang to my eyes. I didn't know what was going on but I didn't want to hear it.

He walked over and sat next to me on the floor. He wrapped his right arm around my shoulders and tried to speak but his voice cracked before the words could come out.

"I just wanted to-" He paused before finishing his sentence, "I just needed to come in here to say goodbye." Good bye? What? Why was he saying goodbye? He kept speaking but I couldn't hear him. I was lost in my thoughts. I turned my attention back to him in time to hear him finishing,

"I'm Rhode Island to live with a friend of mine" hewiped his eyes with his left hand. His right arm was still around me, in a protective way. I was crying by now, silently. I didn't want to cry out, even though with every word I had a stronger urge to break down, but I wanted to stay strong for him. I wanted him to think I was stronger than I really was. And I was doing really well so far. I was surprised by how much I was putting up with it.

He went on telling me how he couldn't take it here, and it wasn't my fault or any one elses. It was just a decision he had to make. A choice he would've had to make sometime so he decided now. Why now though?

After Ashley's death he was the one that helped me through it. He would drive me around and we would hang out all the time. When he went to the mall he always asked if I wanted to go along. We wrote songs together. Together we would write the lyrics, we would both play guitar, though he was much better, and I would sing. He was my hero…he didn't even suspect it though…

He was giving up…He hugged me one last time and started to stand. As he started towards the door I quietly whispered loud enough for him to hear, "So that's it. You're just giving up…" He turned around confused. He didn't hear what I said so I started over.

"You're just going to walk away? You're just giving up?"

"I never said I was walking away. I just need to start over somewhere. Here isn't the place." He said quietly

"But here is where you belong!" I said, my voice rising.

"Tell Mom that! I'm sick of fighting every night! I get enough from mom and dad! I don't want to hear it from you too..." he started to turn again but I quickly replied,

"Maybe you will actually listen to me then! Starting over doesn't mean you have to leave and forget us. You can't just walk away! Everything you are, everything you've become, you became the person you are here! Who raised you to be that person?" I said hoping to have made a small point.

"Well if Mom and dad raised me than that explains the mess I've become!" He said yelling now.

I froze. I couldn't believe he just said that. I knew he was just saying that because he was mad. Our parents had been the best you could ask for. We grew up in a Christian home. We got so much, and compared to both my own and his friends, we both had agreed before that our parents were so much better than theirs because their parents let them live how ever and get into drugs and all that crap. But luckily we were able to live happily, freely and still under control.

That was when I cracked. I completely broke down. I had held myself together the whole time so he wouldn't think I was a wimp. But I totally cracked and I started screaming.

"How could you even dare say that…You know that's a lie! They've done so much for us!" I said.

"That's what I thought when I was your age too."

"No you didn't! You thought it now and you still think that! You know so! You know how amazing they are! Its you that has the problem! Why are you walking away!?"

"I don't need this from you Miley...I'm leaving. I'm moving to Rhode Island and no ones going to try to stop me. Even if they cared they still wouldn't." With that he turned and walked out the door.

I continued to call after him, "Why are you walking away from everything! Why are you giving up on everything you are! You belong here! With your family. With your brothers! Giving up wont do anything! You may think your doing the right thing but you're messing everything up! You just can't do this! You can't let go of everything God made you! Everything mom and dad made you! You can't give up because we need you! The girls need you! Noah and Brandi! Your own sisters!...I need you!" I screamed. He turned around.

I thought I had gotten to him, but he again turned and walked towards the door. I watched him walk down the steps and towards his car. He climbed in, started the engine and as I saw his back lights heading down the drive way I realized…that was it…he was gone…

A week later he came to pack his things. He said goodbye to the boys and to my parents. He walked over to me and hugged me. He whispered "I'm sorry" in my ear. I wanted desperately to tell him how much I needed my big brother here, but I knew his mind was made up. I knew I couldn't change his mind, so as he left I held myself together.

He drove away and I knew he was gone. Not for good...but it would never be the same again…

Strike two before the break down….

So here's the first chapter. I was going to make the whole first chapter about all the "strikes before the breakdown" but I'm tired of typing tonight and I know that a lot of people are waiting for this to be put up. So the second chapter will be the last 2 "strikes". Sound good? Please comment on it. I feel really bad because my other story only has 12 even though I have 7 chapters up already. Thanks for reading!

Crystal