Me again. Okay, okay. I know this chapter took me like, 2,000,000,000,000,000 years to write, but I think it was well worth the wait! It's a good chapter! Lol. At least…I think so.

Today's the day… Lilly thought to herself as she walked up to the Stewarts' house. She had thought of riding her skateboard, but she really didn't fee like lugging it around all day. Besides, today was special. Today was the day she and Jackson would talk to each other about their feelings. Yes, she knew how stupid that sounded, but she didn't care. She really liked this guy, and she thought he liked her too. She needed to find out the truth before she totally threw herself at a hopeless cause.

She whistled to herself as she ascended the stairs to Miley's front door. When she was on the porch, she looked around for the doorbell. Usually, she just walked right in, but she couldn't do that today. Today was different. She needed to make sure she did absolutely everything right. She didn't want to make some kind of fool of herself in front of Jackson.

This isn't going to be easy. Lilly knew she was loud, and sometimes obnoxious. She couldn't help that. Her quick remarks and quirky comments are what made her…her. She knew it would be hard, but she had to tone it down a bit for…Jackson.

After a long search, she finally found the doorbell and rang it once. After a few minutes of anxious waiting, sweating, and rehearsing lines, she heard footsteps. They were obviously headed in her direction.

When the big door swung open, she was greeted by none other than the love of her life himself, Jackson Stewart. He looked surprised to see her, which Lilly kind of expected. She was sort of surprised she was there, too.

"Umm…hi," Lilly began. She didn't really want to flat-out ask "Where were you last night?" What if he didn't come on purpose?

"He-hey…" Jackson stammered nervously. He didn't want to bring up the subject of last night either. He kept quiet, and the two stood in the doorway for some time, until Lilly finally spoke.

"Can I… come in?" she asked uncertainly. Jackson looked down, realizing he was standing right in her path.

"Oh, yeah…s-sorry…" He said, and, without making any eye contact, stepped out of the doorway to make room for Lilly.

She surveyed the house as she entered, before turning to look at Jackson. She caught him gazing ardently at the stairs, looking as if he desperately wanted to race up them and hide form the world. There was another long period of uncomfortable silence. Finally (with great difficulty), Jackson spoke.

"Umm…Lilly...I wanted to talk to you…about last night. The truth is, I-"

He was interrupted by Robbie and Miley, who were noisily bounding down the stairs, arguing about a Hannah Montana concert Miley was supposed to put on that night.

"Dad, I need my wig and my outfit washed! And I don't even know what songs I'm singing!" Miley complained.

"I washed your wig yesterday, and I already told you, you're not wearing that outfit! And we've already been over this! You're gonna sing The Other Side of Me, The Best of Both Worlds, and If We Were a Movie." Robbie threw his hands up with an exasperated sigh.

"Dad, why can't I wear it? It's a cute outfit!" Miley insisted. They had now reached the end of the staircase and were glaring at each other over the kitchen table.

"I told ya already, Miles, I don't want you wearin somethin that shows so much skin. It sets a bad example for your fans." Robbie looked like he was fed up with all of his daughter's complaining.

"But-" Miley began.

"No buts, little missy. This discussion has ended," her father asserted. Miley sighed, and for the first time since she and Robbie had come down the stairs, she realized Lilly and Jackson. They hadn't said anything during the entire argument, causing the two feuding family members to leave them completely unnoticed.

"Oh, hey Lilly," Miley said, giving her friend a cheerful smile. "Hello, Jackson." Miley looked at him menacingly. He chuckled and greeted her with a half-hearted "hello".

"Hey Miley," Lilly answered. She shot Jackson a nervous glance. Had they heard anything?

"Sorry I didn't notice you. My dad and I were having this stupid argument over Hannah stuff," Miley told her.

Guess not… Lilly looked over to Jackson, who shrugged and gave her a small smile. He then nodded curtly in her direction, as if to say "we can talk later." And with that last signal, he disappeared up the staircase.

"Lilly? Lilly?" Miley was shouting Lilly's name, trying to get her attention. Lilly painfully snapped back to reality; she wanted nothing more than to follow Jackson up to his bedroom and "just talk", but she knew she could never do that, at least not with Miley and Robbie around…

"Yeah, umm…sorry. My mind was…other places," Lilly told Miley without thinking.

Miley gave Lilly a knowing smile and took her by the hand. She led her friend up the stairs and to her room, where they sat on the big purple bed and waited. Miley waited for Lilly to speak, and Lilly waited for Miley to speak. Finally, they realized neither one of them was about to say anything and, with a newfound hate for awkward silences, they both began talking at the same time (over one another).

"Last night was horrible!" Lilly complained.

"What happened with you guys? Miley asked.

Both girls laughed and took a short pause before Lilly decided she would speak first. She took a deep breath and recollected the events of the night before; she thought about how she felt, what she was thinking, even what she was wearing. She knew Miley would want all the details.

"Well...last night...didn't go too well," Lilly said sadly. She looked at Miley. Miley looked just as sad as Lilly. She and Lilly were best friends, and if ever something happened to one girl, the other made it her own personal business as well.

"Oh, my gosh, Lilly, what happened?" Miley inquired.

Lilly looked down at Miley's purple bedspread. She started picking at the threads and wouldn't look up. This was harder than she thought it would be…

"Well…" Lilly finally looked up at Miley's eager face. She hated seeing Lilly this way, and she needed to find out what had happened in order to make her feel better. "You know how Jackson sent me that note?" Miley nodded. "Yeah, well, it said to meet him on the beach at midnight. And, of course, I snuck out of my house and went to the beach, but he wasn't there!"

"No way! How could he do that to you? That's so horrible!" Miley shouted.

"I don't know! I looked all around the beach for like, an hour, but he wasn't there! I couldn't find him anywhere on the whole beach! So then I went home and cried myself to sleep. It was the worst night of my life," Lilly finished. She was on the verge of tears at this point. It was painful for Lilly to talk about this recent emotional blow, and she knew Miley would help her through every minute of it.

"Oh, Lilly! You must be so heartbroken!" Miley said consolingly, giving her back a gentle rub.

"I don't know what to do now! I mean, should I talk to him about it…or what? Uggh, this is so confusing!" Lilly picked up a purple pillow and stuffed it into her face. She let out a high-pitched scream before setting it down again and giving Miley a sour look. "Love stinks."

"Tell me about it. Because of this stupid movie, I can't see Jake for 4 months!"

"Uhh…Miley? Can we focus on me please? At least Jake's admitted he likes you…"

"Oh, Lilly, it's okay. We'll get through this, don't worry. Now…what to do, what to do…" Miley wondered, stroking her chin with her fingers. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and pointed at Lilly.

"What?" Lilly asked, eager to learn of her friend's newest idea.

"Well, you really like Jackson, right?"

"Duh," Lilly answered.

"But we're not sure if he likes you back," Miley continued.

"Yes," Lilly looked at Miley strangely.

"So, what if we found a way to make Jackson 'fess up his feelings'?" Miley asked excitedly.

"How are we gonna do that?"

"By making him jealous, of course! This way, he'll see what he's missing out on."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second, Miley. I don't want to end up hurting his feelings! I really care about him!"

"Come on, Lilly! He totally brought it on himself! Besides, this is just like what I did with Willis! I really care about Jake! And look where we ended up!"

Lilly thought about how Miley used a boy that was supposedly a senior to make Jake Ryan jealous of her. She laughed at the thought.

"Okay, I guess I can do that. That plan was pretty 'guy-abolical', wasn't it?" Lilly laughed at her own joke.

"I thought we agreed you just wouldn't say anything…"

Jackson's POV

I can't believe this. Now Lilly's mad at me. It's not like it was my fault! I tried to be there last night! I tried! It was all Dad's fault, really. He was the one that just had to be up at midnight! I mean, seriously, what dad watches movies like Flicka? Really? Pathetic. How am I gonna make this up to Lilly? Well, there was this mornin, but of course Dad had to interfere again! He has the worst timin in the world! What else can I do to make her forgive me? Well, tellin her the truth would be a good start. She probably thinks I just stood her up. Aww, man! Well, this sucks big time. I gotta go tell her!

"Dad! Lilly and I are goin to the beach! We'll be hangin around Rico's for about two hours! See ya later!"

Was that Miley? She sounded like she was right outside my door. Wait. Did she just say they were going to the beach? Perfect! I can tell Lilly at the beach!

"Pick a guy, any guy!" Miley said to Lilly as they were walked along the beach.

They had purposefully declared their plans right outside Jackson's door. That way, he would hear them talking and follow them to their destination. At the beach, Lilly would pick a good-looking guy and make a move. Then, once Jackson showed up, she would be as flirtatious as possible and make Jackson jealous. Then he would confess his love for her and everyone would live happily ever after.

Well, that's what Miley says anyways.

"Oh, I don't know! You pick!" Lilly told her.

Miley surveyed the numerous 'hotties' on the beach. There were tons of guys here today. It was actually kind of weird. It was like they were there specifically for Lilly's plan.

"Okay…how about…him?" Miley suggested, pointing to a tall brunette. He was actually quite attractive. He had soft features and shoulder-length hair. He was sitting at a nearby table, eating from a box of French fries. Lilly nodded as she approached him. She put on a sweet smile and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey you," she said to him. He looked at her strangely.

"Umm...hi," he said awkwardly.

"I'm Lilly." She sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder flirtatiously.

"Uh, I'm Todd." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Todd," Lilly repeated, giggling.

Just then, a tall, thin, girl with sleek, black hair approached the two.

"Todd?" She said accusingly.

"Amanda! We were just talking! I swear!" Todd looked at Lilly with pleading eyes. She took the hint and rose from her seat.

"Yeah, uh, I was just asking him…if he was done with those fries! Yeah! So, I guess I'll just be taking these! Later Todd…Amanda."

Lilly took the box of fries form the table and began to walk away, but returned only to grab the single fry left in Todd's hand. Once it was in her grasp, she retreated to her on looking friend.

"Well that didn't go as planned," Miley said, looking into the crowd of guys to find another 'contestant.'

"You're tellin me. I should have just taken the fries and ran. You know, skip the whole embarrassment thing!" Lilly glared at Miley. She roughly took a fry from the box and shoved it into her mouth.

"Oh, whatever. This is just a minor setback. Come on, let's find someone else!" Miley peered at all of the guys milling around, careful to choose one with no 'prior commitments.'

Just then, Jackson arrived on the beach. He didn't have work today, but he went over to Rico's anyway and sat down on one of the stools by the bar. He looked around the beach for Miley and Lilly, but he couldn't see them.

Miley, on the other hand, had spotted Jackson immediately. She tugged on Lilly's shirt sleeve to get her attention.

"What? Did you find someone else?" Lilly asked.

Miley pointed at Jackson discreetly.

"Ahh, I see," Lilly said, realizing what she would have to do now.

A tall guy walked past them just then. He had medium-length black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a great tan. He looked over at Lilly and smiled as he passed by. He glanced back once more before slowly advancing up the hill.

"Lilly, did you see that?" Miley asked excitedly.

"What?"

"That guy was totally checking you out!"

"What guy?"

"That one right there!" Miley pointed to the guy with a shaky hand.

"Really?" Lilly smiled when she saw him.

"Yes! Go talk to him! Remember: we're trying to make Jackson jealous." Miley began pushing Lilly toward the guy.

"Okay, okay!" Lilly shoved Miley's hands away and walked over to him. He had stopped halfway up the hill to untie his shoe and then tie it again.

Wow, Lilly thought, he's like, really hot.

She walked up behind him and tapped his back.

Please don't be taken…

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," He said back. He stood up and faced her with a smile that made Lilly's heart melt.

No, she thought firmly, I like Jackson.

"I'm Lilly," she informed him.

"I'm Mitchel. It's nice to meet you."

God, he's sweet.

"So… where do you go to school?" Lilly asked him.

"Oh, I haven't enrolled anywhere yet. My family just moved here from Montana."

"Oh, Montana. How interesting! Hey Mitchel, let's go sit over there." Lilly took his hand and led him over to a table closer to Jackson.

Jackson had finally spotted her and was watching her conversation with Mitchel rather intently. He was angry at himself for not having told her something earlier.

Now she's gone and found herself someone else… Jackson thought angrily. I have to do something to get her back! But for now, I'll just watch and see how my competition is doin…

"So, Mitchel, tell me about yourself," Lilly instructed, glancing over at Jackson to see if he was watching.

"Well, I like to go surfing-" Mitchel began, but he was cut off by Lilly's insanely loud laughter.

"Of course you do!" Lilly rubbed his shoulder and moved closer to him.

"Umm, yeah, I do."

"You know what, Mitchel? You are a really great guy! I mean a GREAT guy!" Lilly said loudly. Jackson was now leaning over on the stool, eager to hear what the two were talking about. "You're practically the PERFECT man!"

"Thanks, Lilly. I really like you too. Maybe we could go out sometime," Mitchel suggested, gently pulling a strand of blonde hair behind Lilly's ear.

"I would LOVE TO GO OUT WITH YOU, MITCHEL! How nice of you to ask!" Lilly practically shouted. "You don't look like the type to STAND SOMEONE UP, so I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun!"

At that last part, Jackson leaned so far over on his stool that he toppled over. He got up quickly, trying to make it look as if nothing happened. With a small, helpless look at Lilly, Jackson headed for home. Mitchel and Lilly looked over at Jackson strangely.

Mission accomplished, Lilly thought.

"Anyway, that's great. So, is tomorrow at eight good for you?" Mitchel asked, trying to ignore what just happened.

"Fantastic!" Lilly said enthusiastically, fluffing Mitchel's hair and giving him a sweet smile.

"She is so good at this," Miley said to a random man standing next to her. He looked at her oddly. "What? She is!" The man walked away briskly without saying a word.

"That was so great, Lilly! Jackson's totally jealous! I loved that part about not standing you up!" Miley said later that night. Lilly had called her mom earlier and asked if she could spend the night at Miley's house. Her mother complied, and brought over the few things she needed.

Now the two friends were lounging around Miley's room; Miley was sitting in her desk chair, and Lilly was sprawled out on the bed. They shared a large bowl of popcorn as they recollected the day's events.

"I know! It was so funny when he fell off his chair!" Lilly replied as she took a handful of popcorn.

"He is so totally into you, Lilly!"

"Yeah, I guess he is," Lilly said, looking at Miley's door.

"What's up, Lilly? You got what you wanted," Miley pried.

"I know, I know. And I'm happy, it's just that…" Lilly looked around the room, as if she was trying to find some means of escape.

"What is it?" Miley asked, clearly concerned. She got up from her seat on the chair and went over to her needy friend. She gave her a simple hug before she let her speak again.

"Well, you know that guy, Mitchel?" Lilly began. Miley nodded. "Well, I think I really like him."

"What?" Miley exploded. "But what about Jackson?"

"No, no, don't get me wrong. Jackson's a great guy, and I think I still have major feelings for him. But now… Now there's someone else in the picture."

"Well…who do you like more?" Miley inquired.

"I don't know…" Lilly trailed off.

"Well, you don't have to decide tonight," Miley said, as if finishing the conversation. She gave her friend a pat on the back and moved the popcorn bowl off the bed. She pulled down the covers and slipped underneath them as Lilly did the same right beside her.

"Miley," Lilly asked once the lights were off and they both lay in bed.

"Hmm?" Miley asked.

"If I say I like Mitchel more…would you be mad?"

"No, of course not."

"Okay."

"So, do you like Mitchel more?"

Lilly didn't answer.

"Lilly?"

"I think that will have to go unanswered tonight."

"Okay. You have that date with Mitchel tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you can decide after that."

"Yeah, okay."

They were quiet for a minute.

"Miley," Lilly said again.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Well, without you, I never would have had the courage to make a move with Jackson, and then, I mean, if Mitchel is actually the one, then I never would have met him, and I mean, you just did so much for me and all I really wanna say-"

"You're welcome, Lilly," Miley cut her off. "Goodnight."

"Night," Lilly answered.

I'll think about it tomorrow. What's the worst that could happen? Lilly thought before she drifted into a deep, carefree sleep.

What Lilly didn't know was that in the next room over, Jackson was still awake. He was thinking about how stupid he was for not being there the other night. He couldn't stop thinking about her; about what he could have done to make it so that they would be together right now. If only he had been there the other night… There were so many possibilities… How could he be so stupid? In the dark shadows of his poorly-lit room, Jackson Stewart was tearing himself apart for the love of his life: Lilly Truscott.

AND CUT! I think that was, like, my longest chapter ever! That was like, so totally fun to write! Hmm...Who will Lilly choose? Well, if you'd like to see what happens next, ya'll had better git to reviewin! Lata!