Chapter two

That night, Miley fell asleep to the memory of her mother yelling and the bullet reaching her back. Once again, it was a night full of nightmares and the next thing she knew, they were back to reality, the next day at school...

"Hey, Miley." Demi called from across the hallway trying to catch up with her.

Miley looked up at her "Oh, hi." she simply said.

"How are you doing today?"

She shrugged "Could be better."

"It went wrong last night with Nick, didn't it?"

"No, it was fine. We played board games. It was fun." she lied faking a smile.

"Excuse me?" Demi looked at her as if she has grown two heads, "Nick played board games with you?"

"He did."

"As hard as it is to imagine, but that's great." she bought it, "Hey, what's your first class?"

"Bio." she sighed "I hate it."

"Who doesn't?" Demi agreed, "But chill, you've got me in that class too. We better get going."

"Yeah..." she started to roll towards the class "Is Nick in that class?"

"Um, yeah, why?"

"Just wondering..." she sighs to herself knowing she will have to face him in a couple of minutes.

Demi looked at her weirdly, could have they became friends? That's almost impossible! She noticed Miley having trouble rolling her wheelchair. "Let me help you here." she said and started pushing it.

"Thanks... My arms are dead..." she smiled at the brunette.

"That's what friends are for, right?"

"Can't she push her on wheelchair?" a girl sitting on nick's lap surrounded by a group of friends asked. "I bet she got her arm cut just like she got shot." the girl laughed followed by the whole group.

"God, don't remind me of that one." Nick laughed rolling his eyes as he got a glimpse at her.

Miley looks at him with tears in her eyes and disbelief. She Share something to him and he tells the whole school. She then turn around facing the front of the class and she puts her head in her hands.

"I knew it." Demi muttered to herself, "Shut up, jerk." she glared at Nick and then looked at Miley, "Hey, don't listen to them."

"I'm just going to go home…" She said and rolled out of the class.

"Miley wait." she yelled after her but she was already out and she heard the group laugh so she turned to them. "Are you satisfied now, you jerks?" They all keep laughing and settle down as the teacher walks in.

"Just remember that I can have a word with your parents, Nick." she hissed at him while walking to her seat as his smile faded and he glared at her. How could she bring that up here?

Later, Miley was locked in her room crying thinking back about the horrible day she just had.

"Miley open the door please?" her father knocked again.

She finally opened the door and roll back to the other side of the room hiding her face.

"Miley, please tell me what happened? And don't you dare say nothing. Nothing isn't something that brings you home after only half an hour of being at school."

"I just don't want to go anymore. There's no point anyway. I'll never be able to get the job I want or whatever."

"There's always a chance. The doctors said that it might be healed." he put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Well, can't I just be home schooled? Dad my arms are dead, I come back home super tired... Everything would be better if I could stay here."

"Why don't you tell me what made you so angry at school? You said it was good yesterday."

"Everyone is making fun of me..." she sighed as tears filled her eyes once again.

"Everyone? So how come do I have five calls from Joe, Demi and Nick asking for you?"

"Nick? Nick called?"

"Yes!" he answered confused. "And the last call, Demi told me that the three of them are coming over to see you tonight."

"Oh great." she said sarcastically.

"Let me guess... Nick is the trouble?"

She shrugged "I don't know."

The door bell rang as he looked at the door then back at her, "Looks like the trouble is here. Do you want me to kick him out?" he tried to joke.

"No..." she sighs "Can you go get it?"

"Yeah, sure." he said and got up opened the door and let the three of them in. He made sure they're in her room before leaving them alone to solve their problems.

"We're worried for you, Miley." Joe shrugged and sat on the bed near her.

"I'm fine." she simply answered.

"That's not just it." Demi spoke up, "Nick is here to apologize."

"Cause you force him? Then I don't want it."

"There she said it. She doesn't want it." Nick said and huffed.

"Just leave. It's not like you don't have anything better to do."

"Yes we don't." Demi told her determined although it was followed by a muffled 'I do' from Nick.

She sighed "Well then, what are we supposed to do?"

"You should stop pushing us away. And you Nick, should apologize. Then we'll figure out what to do next." Joe planned it shrugging.

"I don't want his apology if he doesn't mean it."

"He means it, right, Nick?" Demi glared at him. He shook his head as Miley wasn't looking at him but Demi looked like she was about to attack him so he sighed and said "Yes."

"Do you even know what's it like?! Of course you don't. Just imagine, one day you're on the field running and the other day you're in a wheelchair! This is what happened!" She took a trophy in her hands "Here's a first place on the beam, never again!" she yelled throwing the trophy at Nick "Here's another one," she said taking another one "best solo of dance, never again!" she threw it at him again letting out the frustration.

He rubbed his collar where the trophy had hit him as he looked at her, he saw the tears in her eyes which made him look away, but his eyes caught the numerous number of pictures on her wall. Ones of her dancing. Ones with her holding the trophy that just bruised him. Ones with her friends. And so many more. "I'm sorry." he found himself saying.

"I should take them all off..." she whispered referring to the pictures "It's not like they mean something now."

"No, Miles, they're beautiful." Demi told her softly.

"But I'm not that girl anymore.."

"That girl is inside of you."

"I would do everything to be able to dance and do gymnastic again."

"Isn't there something like operation or something?" Joe asked her.

"Yeah, they say there might be but it's expensive and my dad is already working extra hours to pay my medical bills... Hopefully I can have it soon..."

"Oh" he nodded understanding, "Just know that we're here for you."

"Thanks..." she smiled.

"So, now that everything is clear, I apologized and you guys made sure she knows you care... can I leave?" Nick spoke.

"Leave." Miley spoke up annoyed "No one care if you do."

"No, he can't." Joe disagreed, "Did you forget that you have to stay with her at least two hours each night, mister?"

"I hate this stupid thing!" Miley said "I'm not a fucking charity case."

"Let me see... a girl on a wheelchair, from out of town, and got shot - as she claims. that seems like a charity case to me." Nick smirked as the other two shot him death glares.

"Fine then. If I am one, you have to stay here. I won't tell them you weren't like I told you yesterday." she was obviously hurt by his comment but she was trying to hide it.

"What do you mean?" he tried to remember. honestly, all her remembered was the getting shot part and him making fun of it.

"Yesterday, I told you that you could leave and I would tell everyone your coming and all. But since I am a charity case, I won't lie anymore."

Joe and Demi looked at him with a glare, "So, you didn't stay last night? Great, Nick, what else did he do that we don't know, Miley?"

"Nothing..." she said quietly.

"So, Nick, you have to stay, and I'll come pick you up to make sure you actually stayed."

"You guys are leaving?" Miley asks.

"Yes, we are. Nick has to stay though." Demi nodded, "Good luck with him." she whispered.

"Yeah... Bye." she looked as them as they left and back at Nick when they're alone.

"You didn't have to say that." he huffed, "You didn't have to tell them I left." he was angry.

"Well you didn't have to be such a jerk!"

"I'm not a jerk. You're the one that went lying on us."

"You are a jerk!" she shouted "You make fun of people just to feel whole inside!"

"You don't know me."

"Well, you don't know me either! Yet, here you are making fun of me!"

"Maybe because I don't believe you?" he shot back.

"Why is it so hard to believe?! I wouldn't lie about something like that!"

"Well, it's not just me... no body believes something like that. you saw it yourself at school today."

"Well I got nothing to prove." she sighed "You don't believe it, fine."

He got silent for a while, "Who would shoot you anyway?" he said annoyed.

"The guys that my mom's boyfriend owed money too. This is what happen when you're a drug dealer."

"So, he shot you to get his money back, huh?"

"Something like that ..." she looked down remembering the scene.

"Um, well, what are we supposed to do for two hours now?"

"What about we get to know each other...?" she proposed.

"Oh, great." he tried hard not to roll his eyes and shoot her a smile. A fake smile though.

"Okay... What about 20 questions?"

"Fine. You start." All he wanted to do was be with his friends and drink the night away, instead he was playing 20 questions.

"Favorite color?"

"I don't know, blue?" he frowned, "You?"

"Purple." she smiled "you go."

''I thought I just asked!" he sighed, "So, um, where are you from?"

"Nashville." she smiles "the best place on earth. I'm guessing you're from here?"

"Yup, I've lived her since I was born"

"That's great." she said thinking of another question but only one came to her mind "you're not a virgin, right?"

The question took him by surprise as he stared at her for a moment before answering, "No." he shook his head, "I'm a virgin."

She looks at him in complete shock "Wow, really?"

"Yeah, why would you think I'm not?"

"You're in the football team, every girl wants you... Why would you be? I'm sure you have a girlfriend or something."

"I don't have a girlfriend either. I just like to play around." he shrugged.

"With the girls?"

"Yes?" he looked at her weirdly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know if you meant on the field or play around with girls."

"No, I don't care about the field anymore."

"How come? Joe told me you were pretty great and your dad is really proud of you."

"Dad is. I'm not. Look, it's complicated, it's not like it's your business anyway." he snapped.

"Rght..." she said looking down "look eum, this is very embarrassing but my dad wont be home until later tonight and I would really like to take a bath... Can you help me?" she said playing with her hands.

"Um okay, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, I can't get in the bath tub by myself and I cant get out... But don't worry, I'll wear a bikini."

"You don't have to." he smirked.

She blushed and looked down "it's not like you think I'm sexy or anything. In fact, I'll probably be a virgin for the rest of my life."

"Didn't you say there's an operation?"

"Yeah but its not a 100% sure that it'll work."

"Maybe you'll be lucky and it'll work." he shrugged as he reached the bathroom, "Want me to get you any clothes?"

"Yes, please. Just pick anything from the closet." She said as she began to change herself the best she can as he walked away.

He went in her room and opened the closet and picked the sexiest he could find. He went back to the bathroom and found her struggling with her pants, "Need help?" he asked from the door.

She nodded embarrassed "Please..."

He went over to her and pulled down her pants looking into her eyes, then his eyes drifted to her body that was only covered with the bra and the underwear now. He noticed how fit her body is actually is, "You're beautiful." he told her.

She looked up at him and back down not believing his words. He was being a complete jerk just a minute ago and now he was complementing her? None sense. "You're only saying that to make me feel better."

"No, because, I like your body." he told her with a smirk.

"Well, I did used to model..."

"Really? It's a shame that I didn't know you before." he said and then noticed what he said and that it meant she's not worth it now after the 'so called accident' he felt a little bad then shook the feeling off, since when does he care about someone's feelings?

"I guess it is..." she said rolling to the bath tub and starts the water. She was obviously hurt by his comment but she knew it was the truth.

"Um, you need me to carry you in, right?"

"If you can." she smiles challenging him.

"Oh, really? What do you expect from an athletic guy?" he raised an eyebrow with a smirk. He went over and lifted her bridal style and placed her perfectly in the tub.

"Well, I don't know. I've never saw you play so I can't judge. Maybe you're not as good as they say you are."

"I just proved I'm, didn't I?" he sat on the edge of the tub.

"Don't be so sure of yourself, darling." she smiled and splashed some water at him.

"Don't get me to do something stupid, you don't know when I'm irritated." he warned with a smirk looking at the water around her.

"You can't." she smiled "You can't hurt someone who's already hurt."

"Trust me, I can." he said and splashed his hand in the water hardly so it hit her face but it caused him to lose his balance and fall back in the water.

"Wow, for an athlete you don't have much balance." she laughed trying to lift herself up a bit because he's hurting her.

"Shut up, you know you like me." he helped himself up.

"Says who?" she smiled.

"Says me. It's obvious, babe. You wanted to know me at first, then you wanted me to help you with the bath, which means I have a good glimpse at your body." He smirked.

She looked at him weirdly as he called her babe "Sure, cause I am so confident about my body." she said sarcastically.

"You're not?" he caught up on the sarcasm.

"No. I have no reason to be. I have two legs but I can't walk anymore and I've gained like 10 pounds since I'm stuck in that thing."

"How does a model lose confidence on her body? Besides, I told you, you're hot." He told her, "And trust me, I'm not the one to give compliments."

"A model is never confident about her body. Why do you think so many models have eating disorders? But thank you, I guess." She added blushing.

"So, you had a boyfriend?" he changed the topic.


Hey guys, here is the second chapter :D Thank you very much for everyone reading the story :) It means a lot that you read AND review, it really makes us happy :D

So, what do you think about it? Nick is getting better? Maybe, and maybe he's just passing his time, huh? :P :D

Oh, about the cover photo, I clearly found the picture itself on the internet, but I've had some edits on it, so, the credit doesn't really all go to me :D