CHAPTER FOUR
July 7th
I sat at the back table in the dining hall and stared at Joseph, he was hunched down on himself, his shoulders slumped, his head down, a cute little frown on his pink lips. I frowned, he looked so sad. I nudged his foot with mine lightly and he looked, his face contorted in confussion for a second until he recognised me. He couldn't even see because of Nate Lucas being such a jerk. Joseph smiled weakly at me.
"H-hi." He mumbled, looking back down to his egg whites and wheat bread toast (because he was allergic to the yolks and some ingredient in normal bread).
"Are you okay?" I asked, he usually smiled and blushed when he saw me.
"M-m Mom said my n-n-new glasses won't b-be here till next w-w-week." Joseph answered, looking up at me with his big hazel-brown eyes. "And-and Uncle Brown just-just said I should h-have worn contacts" Brown was really starting to upset me; no matter what happened he only ever did the very least he could for Joseph, or to stop Nate.
"Brown is wrong." I said simply and Joseph looked surprised. "Contacts are a personal choice, and you shouldn't in any way be blamed because Nate Lucas is a jerk who doesn't know it's wrong to bully people."
"You wear contacts." Joseph pointed out and I rolled my eyes.
"Only because my Dad made me, he said I had to learn to get used to them for when I'm on stage, I can't be onstage with glasses, he said." I scrunched up my nose, I honestly don't know why my Dad was so obsessed with me being a musician. It upset me, it felt like he didn't care what I wanted to do with my own life. "It wasn't my hoice, but it should be yours, Joseph, don't let Brown or anyone else make your decission, if you want to wear contacts then do, if you don't then don't."
"Are you okay? Your hands were bleeding yesterday." Joseph changed the subject and I sighed.
"I'm fine." I dismissed, "I'm not the one who had a head injury." Now that it was clean and not bleeding the cut on his temple didn't look so bad, it only had two stitches over it. I still couldn't believe Nate did that to him though, I didn't understand why he was so cruel to Joseph. "I wish he would just leave you alone."
"I've been w-wishing that sin-since we were kids." Joseph shook his head and I looked at him, shocked.
"You know him?" How could Joseph know someone like Nate Lucas? A calloud bully.
"He-he's my cousin." Joseph muttered dejectedly. "His-his Mom is my-my Dad's sist-sister." forget just know him; how could sweet, shy Joseph be related to jerk-face Nate Lucas? It was an unfathomable anomally. "I-I don't-I don't know why he's al-always hated me, he-he pushed off a pier when-when we were four." He looked down, flushing cutely s he spoke. "I-I almost dr-drowned, that's why I w-was too scared to-to learn to swim."
"Doesn't anyone stop him?" I asked softly, the thought of Joseph growing up being bullied by Nate made me sick.
"A-Aunt Sandy and-and Uncle Tom try to, bu-but it doeesn't st-stop Nate." Joseph shrugged casually, as if it was nothing, as if it was just an accepted fact of life. "I-I don't bother a-anymore."
"Not cool." I frowned at my cereal.
"Can-can you s-..." Joseph sighed sadly, looking at me with wide brown eyes. Could he even see me properly? "Can you stop st-stop standing up for me?"
"What?" I gaped at him and he blushed.
"I just-I just don't want you to-to get hurt." Really, how could some like sweet, sensitive Joseph be related to a jerk like Nate?
"It would hurt more knowing that Nate was hurting you." I reached across the table and held Joseph's hand, he was my sweet boy. "I care about you, Joseph, I don't like Nate or anyone hurting you."
"I-I care about you too." He smiled shyly.
"Hey, Kid." Brown suddenly sat next to Joseph and he pulled his hand back, blushing and looking down. "How you seein', Shane?"
"Mo-Mom says my new g-glasses won't be here till-till next week." Joseph mumbled, "I-I guess-I guess I'll be f-fine till then."
"Wouldn't happen with contacts, Shaney." Brown rolled his eyes.
"It also wouldn't happen if you could control your campers and stop bullying in your own camp." I muttered under my breath.
"Perhaps you should run along, Miss Miley? This is a family matter." Brown shot at me and I rolled my eyes.
"D-d-don't talk to-to her like that." Joseph whispered.
"What has gotten into you lately, Shane?" Brown shook his head and scoffed. "You never used to act like this." He shot a pointed look at me.
"Miley-Miley's my girl-" Joseph blushed and bit his lip shyly. "Miley's my girlfriend, and-and I don't like how-how you talk to her." He pushed his barely touched egg whites and wheat toast away, getting up. "I-I'm going to tr-try and fix my old glasses."
"Joseph, wait." I hurried after him and kissed his cheek when I reached him. "You didn't have to do that. He's your Uncle."
"I-I don't like how-how he talks to you, it-it's not nice." Joseph looked down and scuffed his shoes on the ground, his cheeks pink. Then suddenly he looked up and smiled at me before he leaned in and pressed his lips firmly against mine for a few seconds. I was left giggling and touching my lips when Joseph hurried away, both of us blushing.
CR
July 11th
I was sitting at one of the many piano's at Camp Rock next to Joseph. We were both playing with one hand, each of us playing half of the same song. I laughed and Joseph shook his head when I messed up. I shoulder bumped him and he bumped me right back, laughing. I looked down at the ebony and ivory keys as we started again. We were just having fun.
"Okay." Joseph smiled, effortlessly playing his half, he was so talented with this music stuff, it was aweing. "Don't think about it as half a song." He looked at me through his cracked glasses, held together by tape until his new ones could get here. "Think." I lost my train of thought, we were very close on the piano bench. "Think of both of us as one." I blushed as he stared at me so intensely. "I mean our song, listen to both parts, not just what you're playing." I licked my lips and my eyes darted to his before I nodded.
"Okay." I whispered, quickly looking back to the keys. "How did you get so good at music?" I asked as we played, our free hands held together under the piano.
"I don't know." Joseph shrugged, his fingers squeezing mine lightly. "I just remember always liking it, my M-my Mom says I could sing-I could sing before I could talk." He looked down at the keys and I marvelled at the sight of his; his long lashes falling against his cheeks, his tongue stuck out as he concentrated. "Why do you like music?" There was no point denying it, not to Joseph. He had the uncanny ability to read me like an open book. He knew despite my denying before that I really did like music, I couldn't help it.
"It's calming." I whispered, my fingers tinkling across the keys. "It's like... When I play, I can say anything I want, and no-one will judge me." I sighed and shook my head. "I just don't know why my Dad wants to make me a star so bad. Sometimes I think he wishes I was more like Jackson and I was famous like him instead of being... Me..."
"I like you." Joseph whispered in my ear. "Just for being you." I flushed hotly and fumbled over the keys. How could he affect me so much with so few simple words? I looked up and Joseph was right there, his eyes dark with an unfamiliar emotion, the gold and green flecks standing out even more. Joseph leaned in and brushed his lips against mine, barely even touching before he pulled back with his shy smile. "You're not listening to the song as a whole." He mock-scolded, his eyes lighting up happilly and I rolled my big blue ones.
"Oh, please, you totally distracted me." I accused, laughing and he laughed too.
"Distract? Me?" He gasped theatrically. "I am deeply offended you would think that of me, Miss Miley." I laughed even more at his bad English accent, mocking Brown.
"Yes, you." I smiled, shaking my head. "You're a horrible music teacher, Joseph Shane Gray." I giggled when he abandoned the piano in favor of facing me full on, a mischeivous glint in his bright eyes.
"Take it back!" I let out a surprised squeel when he suddenly attacked me, his fingers dancing aross my ribs as he tickled me.
"Never." I denied, giggling unconrollably and trying to squirm away from him.
"Take it back, Smiley Miley." Joseph grinned, his fingers never ceasing. I loved to see him so carefree and happy. He didn't stutter as much either.
"No." I tried to swat his hands away lightly. "You're the worst teacher ever." I screamed, finally getting out of his grip and running as he chased me. Except he's had years of running from Nate, the bully who happened to be his cousin too, and he caught me easilly, gently tackling me to wood dancefloor, careful not to hurt me. "Joseph!" I squeeled when he started tickling me again. "Joey, stop." And suddenly he did, leaving us both out of breath and him on top of me.
"Joey." Joseph cocked his head to the side.
"Sorry." I mumbled, blushing, it had just kind of slipped out, but Joseph smiled.
"I like it." He said, gazing down at me. The way the sunlight filtered into the room I was once again struck by how beautiful he was... Are boys supposed to be beautiful? He was though, he was so beautiful, especially with the way the sun was glittering around him. "But, only for you." Joseph carefully moved a lock of hair away from my face. "You look like a pretty Angel." He whispered, his cheeks turning pink.
"What is goin' on in here?" A familiar British voice rang sharply through the room and Joseph quickly scrambled off me and I got up, both of us standing next to each other embarassedly as Brown stared at us. "What are you two doin'? Do I need to start calling parents?" His stare was mainly on me now.
"We-we were-we were just playing, Uncle Brown." Joseph muttered, looking down and I frowned. The stutter was back with Brown.
"Yeah, well, I saw you two, and kids don't play like that here." Brown shook his head. "Especially at your ages." It's not like we were doing anything, we really were just playing. "So why don't you head to dance class, Miley." He tried to shoo me off.
"Sorry." Joseph whispered, looking down and frowning. "C-can I-can I see you later?"
"Of course." I whispered back, squeezing his hand before shooting Brown a dirty look as I reluctantly left.
CR
July 12th
I looked at the words in blue on the lined, white paper. They didn't look right. I frowned and scribble them out. I was writing a song and I was stuck. Ever since I got to Camp Rock I couldn't seem to stop writing songs. Was it the love of music being expressed everywhere in every way? The fact that I was surrounded non-stop by music? Or was it Joseph? I couldn't stop thinking about him, even when I was writing songs. I think I might even dream about him, but I never remember my dreams so I don't know, all I know is I've been waking up really happy a lot lately. I huffed and glared at the lake, sparkling in the moonlight, as if it was the reason I couldn't write this stupid song. I set my guitar aside and sighed.
"What are you doin' out of bed?" I jumped at the sudden voice, I thought I was alone. Then I screamed and watched as my song book seemed to fall in slow motion into the lake.
"My songs." I tried to reach for the book as it drifted on the surface. Even in the darkness I could see the inky words running and smudging together.
"What are you doing out of bed, Miley, you know the curfew." Brown asked and I rolled my eyes. If I didn't know any better I'd think Brown had some sort of grudge against me... I was starting to think I didn't know better. "Your not above the rules of this camp because of who your father is."
"But, Nate is exempt from punishment because it's only his cousin he's bullying?" I pointed out, a little more than cranky about my songbook.
"I've been giving you a lot of leeway 'cause Shane seems to like you, but I'm getting tired of you talking back to me, Little Lady." Brown frowned at me and I rolled my eyes.
"And yet you blatantly ignore Nate Lucas bullying Joseph and critisize him at every opportunity." I didn't understand how a camp director could do that, let alone Joseph's own Uncle ignoring what was happening to his nephew?
"Listen here, Kid-" Brown started, but he'd really been upsetting me lately.
"No, you listen." I interrupted, stomping my foot petulatnly on the dock. "You demean Joseph all the time, you never compliment his music, you basically said it was his fault Nate broke his glasses and made him lose his other ones." It wasn't Joseph's fault he had vission problems, but Brown always made him look like the bad guy. "And you know, he doesn't like being called Shane, he likes Joseph better, and he doesn't stutter when it's just us, you say you want to help him stop, but you're one of the reasons he does." I tried to keep my voice level, but I was getting more heatd. "So don't try and say you're doing any favours for Joseph, because by enabling Nate you're just as bad as him."
Okay, so here's the 4th chapter, and I gotta say it turned out a lot different to the first time I wrote it, and at the same time it's not really different at all... If that makes any sense?
To any of my readers from I Wanna Know You, the Miam story, I know it's been a long time since an update, and I did have half of 'T' written on the old computer, but I've had that half written for a while, I just lost inspiration for it, but I will hoopefully finish it soon because I don't want to leave you guys hanging.
Thank-you to the three reviewers from last chapter :D
But, considering the number of hits the chapter got I'm going to have to be the unreasonable person again who demands at least 5 reviews before I update the next chapter of Queen Diaries.
Smiler For Joe!