Chapter 9

Oliver POV

The next day, at about 3:00 in the afternoon, I once again find myself lying on my bed, listening to my iPod, staring up at my ceiling. I think about a lot of things. Of course, I think about Lilly. Lilly, Lilly, Lilly. Why she's mad at me and doesn't want to see me anymore. But aside from those worries, I also try to work out what Miley was intending to tell me. She still hasn't called me back, and I don't know why. It seems like nobody wants to talk to me.

I don't know. Maybe it's just part of this misery that I'm in, me thinking that I'm alone and have been abandoned by my friends and family. But then, maybe I am. These past couple of days, neither my parents nor my little brother have talked to me much. My friends, including my guy buds, haven't been around much.

Then, it hits me. I'm doing this to myself. I am causing my own depression. If I keep at it like this for much longer, I'm going to fall into a deep pit of despair, and it's not going to be easy to climb my way out. I've got to do something.

I decide, right then and there, that I'm going to go visit Lilly at the hospital again. If she still refuses me, then I'll find a way to get through to her, or else I'll just get on with my life and wait until Miley gets home to help, as much as I resent thinking it.

I quickly throw on a clean T-shirt and shorts, and as I grab my keys, I hear my mom call from the kitchen. It's her day off.

"Honey? Oliver? Is that you?" she asks with uncertainty. I answer yes, and she says, "Oh, I am so glad that you are finally getting out of the house. Where are you going?"

I hesitate. "To the hospital," I reply.

"Oh. Oh, okay. I hope everything works out." I thank her and walk out the door to my car. I get to the hospital fifteen minutes later.

I walk up to front desk, where a middle aged woman with glasses sitting behind it reading a book. I tell her that I am here to see Lillian Truscott.

After a minute, she tells me, "I'm sorry, but she checked out of here early this morning."

I am taken aback. "Really?" I say. "I thought that she would be here much longer. I guess the doctors found nothing wrong and the tests came out okay. Do you know?"

The woman looks up from her book. "I don't know hon. I'm just a receptionist."

"Oh, right." I thank her and walk out to my car. I am so glad that Lilly is fine, and back home. But, the thing that brings my high spirits is; Why didn't Lilly come over to let me know? Everytime one of us has come home from the hospital, or vacation, or somewhere else that we've been for awhile, we have gone right to the other's house to let them know. I mean, we live right next door to each other! It wouldn't have taken that long to walk next door.

While I'm driving, I think about just going to Lilly's house to front her there. Then I decide against it. Then I don't know what to do, with the decision bouncing from one option to the other, like a game of ping-pong. Finally, I go with talking to Lilly. Better off just getting it over with.

I pull into my driveway and get out of my car, walking next door to the Truscott's house. I go around back and knock on the kitchen door. Mrs. Truscott, who was sitting at the kitchen table, comes over and opens the door.

"Oliver! Hi, How are you doing?" she asks me. She's always liked me. Good thing she doesn't know how I hurt her daughter.

"I'm fine, thank you," I reply. "I'm here to see Lilly. I heard she came home today. Is she around?"

"No, she's actually sleeping. It was nice of you to come over, though," she tells.

"Oh, okay. That's fine," I say, with a small sigh of relief. "Can you tell her that I came over when she wakes up?'

She smiles. "Of course."

I start to walk home, but I choose to go to the beach instead. It's such a nice day out, and there wasn't any rain in today's forecast. I pass Rico's and start heading down the beach, when I realize that that's where it all happened, so I turn right around and head in the opposite direction. Some way off, I find a nice spot on the beach where there isn't really anybody around, so I don't have to trry to block out the sounds of kids surfing and playing in the ocean and whatnot. I lie back in the sand and stare up into the sky, just thinking.

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Yeah, so this chapter's boring too, but this was just kind of like a filler chapter, to lead up to the next one, because I think that next chapter's going to be the last one. So, the last chapter should be up soon, like later tonight or tomorrow, because I know exactly what I'm going to write! Review!