a/n: so is my update on time? OMG, my birthday is coming and I am freaking excited that I think I'm going to explode! :D haha. Reviews would be a really great birthday present. :)
See Through Me ; Chapter Nine
Nick made his way towards the door, thinking twice of getting in or going after Miley. He was aware that he just ruined her night for her. The way she walked out with the look on her face and the tone of her voice was heartbreaking. He just made her feel better and took it back. What kind of a person was he? Nick took a last look at the guesthouse and he was positive that he saw Miley by the door, her arms crossed and head down.
He squinted his eyes, trying to make out if what he really was seeing is true. It was Miley, alright. His jacket was in her arms and just as he thought about going towards her, Miley went inside, the same look on her face. Nick sighed to himself and just opened the door, the voice of Joe flooding his ears. He was complaining to their mother how Nick left him and took his Range Rover with Miley just to piss him off.
This was a bad idea. He could've just came home when everyone was asleep. Joe saw him on the corner of his eyes entering the room. "There he is. Where the hell did you take my car and where the hell is Miley?" Joe yelled at his brother. Nick squeezed the bridge of his nose, not wanting to get the anger into his head.
"Look, I only took it for a spin and I ended up–" Nick stopped immediately, remembering what happened. Her mom and Joe knew how he hated Miley so much and suddenly he was going to help her? It would cause more questions. "–getting lost in this town. I-I didn't realize I went too far, okay? As for Miley I don't know what the hell happened to her. You were the one she was with so why are you asking me?"
Their mom went in the middle, makingsure they kept their distance from each other. "Now boys, obviously this is all a misunderstanding. Nick didn't mean to get lost and Joseph, you never should've left if you don't know where Miley is. Did she get home safe?"
"I don't know, mom. I looked everywhere and I thought she just went home since she wasn't really enjoying herself," Joe answered, shaking his head. "But she told me she was going to the bathroom and after that, I never found her."
"Joseph, maybe something bad happened to her!" The mother exclaimed, running a hand through her dark hair. "Will someone please check if she's in the guesthouse?"
"I'll do it," Nick and Joe said at the same time. Joe gave him a sharp look and so did Nick. Both of them wanted to prove something. Their mom noticed the conflict between the two making her roll her eyes.
"I'll check. Both of you stay here," Denise said as she walked towards the door. "And try not to strangle each other while I'm gone."
Nick tossed the keys of the Range Rover to Joe before walking up to his room without another word. He didn't need to know what his mom would say since he himself brought Miley home. He just silently prayed and begged God that Miley lied for their sakes. But then he remembered her last sentence. He and Nicole will be just fine. He pushed the door open and walked inside his dark room, not bothering to turn on the lamp or lights. He collapsed down the bed, letting the soft bed take away every pain he had today.
He couldn't stop thinking about Nicole. Did she really do that to him? It all seemed like a lie yet somehow sounded perfectly true. He was just in love with the wrong person. That was just the problem. She was beautiful, sweet and she wasn't hard to love but she didn't love him back like he does. When Nick said he loved her, it was true. When Nicole said she loved him too, it was a trick. He got up from his bed, groaning just to turn on a lamp. He felt suffocated and trapped.
The door squeaked open and Nick realized her mom was standing by the doorway, a small smile on her face. He ran a hand through his curls before sitting up properly. Denise sat down the space next to his son, placing a hand on his arm. "Miley's in the guesthouse now. She got home safe," she smiled softly.
Nick gave her a confused look by arching his left eyebrow. "That's good to... hear?" Nick pretended not to care so her mom wouldn't notice anything. Denise let out a soft chuckle before shaking her head. "What?"
"I asked her where she was the whole time and how did she get home," Denise started. Nick couldn't help but pray again. He wouldn't lose anything if he gave it a shot. "Miley told me that she took a cab and didn't bother telling Joe so he'd just have fun."
"Okay?" Nick said, sounding more of a question rather than a statement.
Denise gave him a smirk before going on. Maybe mom was up to something, Nick thought. "That's funny. Peter told me that he saw Miley leave the Range Rover just a little bit earlier before you did."
"He's lying, mom," he said, coolly before rolling his eyes for extra dramatic effect.
"No, he's not, sweetie," Denise chuckled, giving him a slight pat on the arm. "Where did you take the car and Miley, Nicholas? This time, can you at least tell your mother the truth? I think I deserve that."
"There's nothing to talk about, mom. I just gave her a ride home," Nick said, grabbing his cellphone and started to pretend texting just to avoid the topic. His mom doesn't need to know. What would be the use of that, right? Her mom now had a serious look on her face making him drop the cellphone down the bed. "Okay, okay. I didn't get lost. I just took the car for a spin and I returned to Jake's place and stayed in the garage. I heard Miley's voice and when I came in to the hallway, she was getting forced by Ryan to do God knows what. I had to do something so I beat the guy up and took her to Burger King then the park then we finally went home. There. I said it."
"Aw honey, you like Miley don't you?" His mom teased making his cheeks burn. "I knew it. Miley is just irresistable and I didn't know what was wrong with you when you started yelling at her. Who knew you'd end up crushing on her?"
Nick shook his head fiercely. "Whoa, mom! I'm not crushing or liking Miley. Taking her to Burger King doesn't mean I like her 'like' her. I had to make sure the girl eats something. I was just being... concerned that's all."
"You left out the park detail," Denise giggled. "What did you guys do at the park?"
"We just ate there, mom. We didn't smooch or do whatever it is that you're thinking," Nick chuckled, rolling his eyes. "Miley and I just sat down the bridge and looked up the stars. It was something I don't get to share with Nicole."
"Nick, you know how I feel about Nicole, right?" Denise asked, a disapproving look on her face. She hated the way she dresses or acts and she just wasn't the type of girl for her son. Nick deserved someone better than an easy-to-get girl who would make out with a guy she doesn't even know.
"I know, mom. But I already told her I love her because I do," Nick announced, the smile on her mom's face fading. He shouldn't have said that... "You'd probably tell me I'm only seventeen and what the hell do I know about love. But I know it when I feel it, mom."
"Well, Nick..." Denise exhaled, getting on her feet. "If that's the way you feel and if she really does make you happy, I'll be fine with it. Just please don't rush into things you know you're not ready yet as a teenager."
"Thanks, mom," Nick smiled softly.
"You go get some sleep 'cause I will, too. You're brother left and told me he'd be home by morning," she said, leaning in to place a kiss on her son's head. "Good night, Nicholas."
"Mom? Don't tell Joe about anything I just told you, okay? I don't really want it to spread around," Nick asked, sighing.
"Anything for you," Denise said. "Go get some sleep." she smiled before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
Nick sighed, getting on his feet and walking towards the window. He was tired of the air conditioner. He needed fresh air. After sharing the moment with Miley earlier, it made him realize how wonderful small things were. He looked the left, trying to check if Miley was still around. She would usually come out by this time to breathe. A small smile appeared on his lips once he realized he was right. Miley was in her pyjamas and bunny slippers making him chuckle to himself. Nick leaned down the window, studying her carefully.
"Shouldn't you be asleep by now?" Nick asked loud enough for her to hear. Miley looked up at him, the wind blowing her hair in every direction. There was also a small smile on her lips but it was gone the moment it appeared.
"Not really," Miley answered at the same tone, shrugging her shoulders. She turned her attention back to the sky. She didn't want to see him yet. Not now. She still needed to accept the fact that she could never start liking him.
"Well you should be," Nick said. Miley still wasn't turning her attention back to him. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He was just trying to make a conversation and she just ignores her. Nick opened the window a little bit more so he could step out and climb down the pipes. It made noises making Miley look up.
"Nick, what the hell are you doing!" Miley exclaimed, trying to make sure he wouldn't fall or slip. The pipes were making noises and she knew it would give in any second now. "Would you please get down? You're going to hurt yourself!"
Nick chuckled as he finally got down, losing balance and stumbling over Miley. "That was a bad idea," he said, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. Miley giggled, pushing him away from her. "Sorry 'bout that." he said as he helped her up.
"You know, that's exactly why they invented the stairs," Miley chuckled, dusting off her pyjamas, removing the grass. "Why did you come down anyway? You were perfectly fine up there." she said, crossing her arms across her chest.
"You weren't talking to me so I had to come down," Nick smiled, fixing his shirt and staring at Miley who now had a serious look on her face. She really was upset. He exhaled, taking a step closer to her. "Look, I know you're upset but it's not that I'm embarrassed to be your friend. I'm just being careful."
"I know. I was listening when we were in the car," Miley answered, her gaze travelling. It was awkward standing with Nick when you were in your pyjamas and bunny slippers. She felt stupid but firm at the same time. It hurt Miley and she's not going to act like everything is fine. Nick himself told her that.
"Then why are you so upset?" Nick questioned softly. "I can see it in you."
Miley chose to ignore the question. She doesn't want to lie or tell the truth either. It was better to shut up. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep her body warm. It was oddly cold tonight. After a couple of moments, Miley broke the killing silence. "You told me not to act like everything is always fine. Guess what, everything is definitely not fine."
"What is it about? You keep shutting people out," Nick said. Miley's expression didn't change a single bit making him feel worried.
"I keep shutting people out? You do it all the time, Nick. In fact, the way you talk to me is too unpredictable and it's like you have a multiple personality disorder and it's confusing me. I don't know where I should stand or how to act when I'm with you because I'm afraid of upsetting you again like the first time we met!" Miley said in frustration, finally letting it all out.
Nick just stared at the brunette, letting her words sink into him. She was right. It was all true and he doesn't have a specific way of treating Miley. He'd be mean to her or nice to her and Miley would go along with it just fine. "You just have to be yourself. That way, I will too. I'm used to being an ass and sometimes I forget who I really am so I'm... I'm sorry for that."
"I am myself, Nick. I've been that way years ago and you treated me like some sort of trash that you could just kick around and stuff. You don't know how that felt. I keep on wondering what the hell I did to you just to make you hate me so much," Miley said, her head bowed down.
"I never spent time with you all my life and maybe you turned out to be different," Nick admitted, taking another step closer to her. He wanted to feel her and she was showing nothing in return.
"The next time you're going back to being a 'bad boy', could you please warn me? So I could go along with you and it won't surprise me," she said, exhaling before turning around and started to walk towards the guesthouse.
Nick sighed, going after her and grabbing Miley's wrist. "Miley, wait... what happens now?" he knew she was going to wake up to the truth soon enough and stand up for herself. She was doing it now and Nick was kinda glad to know that Miley wouldn't let herself get kicked around again.
Miley just stared at him in return, her face expressionless. "You tell me, Nick," she whispered before proceeding her way back to the house, closing the door behind her and leaving Nick alone there. She wasn't mad or angry or furious. Miley was plain confused and she's struggling for answers from Nick that he can't give.
Feeling a small rush of guilt run through her body, she went to the window, checking if Nick got inside now or still sat there in the cold. Miley pushed the curtains aside revealing Nick kicking a stone, his hands shoved into his pocket. Would you just get in already? Miley thought, thinking twice of going to bed or watch him until he finally goes in. She couldn't help but be concerned after everything that happened tonight.
"I'm going to bed," Miley rolled her eyes, forcing herself to climb up the stairs and into her bedroom. She flopped down the bed, hugging Nick's jacket close to her chest. She inhaled his scent and suddenly became curious if he'll stay there all night.
"So, how was the party?" Demi nudged her best friend, giggling. "Did you get to smooch Jake or did he get to smooch you?" she teased. Miley continued reading her book, ignoring Demi's questions. "Did it turn out badly?"
"It went freaking ugly, okay?" Miley finally answered, looking up from her book.
"What happened?" Demi asked, scooting closer to her.
"I was almost raped by Ryan, I slow danced with Joe awkwardly, I didn't have fun, Nick took me to the park and we ate Burger King then when we got home we ended up fighting again. Yeah, it was guh-reat," she winked before bowing her head down and continuing to read her book.
"You almost got raped? Nick took you to the park?" Demi asked in confusion. "Uh, explanations please!"
"Nicole introduced me to this douche bag and forced me to sleep with him. Turns out Nick was around so he beat the guy up and made sure I had to eat something. We stopped by at Burger King and went straight to the park. Then suddenly he was like, 'I'm getting serious about Nicole so don't tell anyone about this'. We had an argument again and we never spoke to each other since that night." Miley said all in one breath.
"Oh... My... God. Nicole wouldn't believe that!" Demi squealed, her smile growing bigger by the second. Miley immediately placed her hand on her best friend's mouth, stopping her from saying anything more. "Whart? Nicowe hash to know!" she mumbled against her hand.
"No, she can't! And so does everybody in school. You, Nick and I are the only persons who are supposed to know that, kay? Not even Joe or Mrs. Grey or anybody else. Just the three of us so you better shut up, Dem," Miley said, removing her hand from Demi's lips.
"Jesus, I will. Somebody's cranky," Demi giggled, twisting the bottle cap open and chugging down the orange juice. "Well, I guess for the most part the party turned out good? Scratch the Ryan part."
"No, it wasn't and I'm not doing it again," Miley giggled also, leaning her back against her. "Parties are much fun when you're around. Our sleepovers are enough. Besides, we're pretty much party animals ourselves."
"We got the party with us," Demi winked. "So how was Jake's house? Was it huge or was it enormous?" She had a way of asking two questions that meant the same thing. Classic Demi. Miley knew she was herself whenever she'd talk that way.
"It was big," Miley smiled, but Demi still shot another question.
Her gaze was intently on her best friend, enough to freak Miley out just a little bit. "Did Nicole sleep with another guy? If she did, that dude would totally be number 77 on her shagged list."
Miley burst out laughing, clapping like a seal and stomping her feet on the grass from laughter. Demi joined in, their eyes watering from all the giggles and gasps. "What the hell? 'Shagged?' Seriously?" Miley giggled, hitting Demi on the arm.
"What?" Demi grinned, innocently. "Unlike her, I'm a total virgin. Not until I'm like 25 or something."
"I don't really plan those things," Miley said, suddenly becoming serious. "When it comes and you know it's in the right time with the right guy, I'm going to do it. Not just because I'm horny or anything."
It was Demi's turn to laugh. "Whatever you say."
The football team passed by from the football field and Miley immediately bowed her down so she wouldn't have eye contact with Nick. She hated those kind of things especially when they weren't on speaking terms. Jake nudged Nick on the rib making him grunt slightly. He nodded towards Miley and Demi's direction making Nick raise an eyebrow at him. "What about them?" he asked.
"See that chick over there?" Jake questioned, glancing every now and them at them. They stopped in their tracks and Nick simply looked back, staring at Miley.
"Demi?" Nick asked, playing dumb and hoping that he wasn't talking about Miley.
"No, the other one," Jake rolled his eyes, tossing the football up and down in his hands and rolling it as he speak.
"You mean Miley," Nick stated. He couldn't believe how dumb this dude was. He mentioned her name already like a thousand times and still Jake couldn't remember what letter her name even started. "Go on, what about her?"
"I'm taking her to prom," The blond winked, tossing the football higher this time and grabbing it quickly like a ninja.
"She said yes?" Nick asked in shock. When did Jake ask her? This was getting crazy! He could plan something bad just to embarrass Miley or make her feel bad about herself. Nick remembered their conversation the night before that this prom, she was coming just to give it a shot making it her first prom ever. Nick didn't want her first prom her worst one ever.
"Not yet," Jake grinned. "But I will. I think now's the good time."
Nick looked back again, noticing that Miley and Demi were still giggling to each other – typical thing she did with Demi. No matter how bad their day was, they'd still find a way to laugh or smile one way or another. Now really was the good time. With Nicole getting in the way, Nick couldn't even get close to her in school. He snapped out of his thoughts once he realized Jake was already halfway towards them. He jogged towards him, following him towards the girls.
"Hey, uh, Miley," Jake started. Miley looked up, a confused but glad look on her face. She bit her lower lip from nervousness. "what's going on?"
"Nothing, really," Miley answered, smiling. She didn't seem to notice Nick's prescence since she was starstruck from seeing Jake up close the second time this week.
"I just came here to ask if you're coming to the prom? I mean, it's in two weeks so you must be deciding of coming or not," Jake played it coolly. Nick wanted to slap himself on the forehead for no reason. "The tickets are available now."
"They are?" Miley asked, turning away. "I don't know. I guess I'm still thinking about it."
"You don't have to think anymore 'cause I'm taking you to prom," Jake grinned, "That's if you want me to."
"I'd love to," Miley smiled widely.
Boom. Easy as that. Jake had a way with girls especially when he starts staring at them with his big blue eyes. His eyes were like Miley's though, blue and glossy, Nick observed. He didn't get to hear the rest of their conversation even though they were right in front of him since his thoughts were on prom – from the worst case scenarios to the most perfect scenes ever. The deal was done. Jake really was going with Miley. Even Joe couldn't change that.
Jake walked away and Nick snapped out of his thoughts making him shuffle on his feet to follow Jake. "W-W-Whoa, that was it?" Nick couldn't help but ask.
"Yeah," Jake winked.
"Why are you taking her anyway? You're not planning something are you?" he asked again, trying to catch up with his pace. Geez, this guy was a fast walker. "Because you do know that that would be kind of heartless."
"No, I'm not," Jake rolled his eyes. "Chill."
"No, I won't chill and I won't get over it," Nick spat at him, shaking his head. He wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. Jake was his best friend but he could be a heartless jerk sometimes – sratch that – he is a heartless jerk. Just like Nick was or still is...
"Why?" the blond asked, finding the conversation stupid. "It's just Miley."
It's just Miley? Now, Nick really knew he'd up be up to something. Maybe he was just using the prom to get a direct ticket into her pants or something. Miley wasn't and never will be that kind of girl. "It's not just Miley, it's about me too," Nick stated. "Well maybe I wanted to take her to prom!"
"What?" Jake stared at him in disbelief.
a/n: again, sorry for the late update. :) reviews?
