Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Miley dashed through the restaurant doors, eager to leave the scene of her boyfriend and another woman someplace far away from her. She had no intention to leave her best friends but just needed space to breathe and settle her rattled emotions, which made her resort to seeking comfort out of an old wooden bench a good walk away from the restaurant.
"Breathe." The brunette muttered to herself hopelessly, dropping onto the stiff bench and pulling her long legs up into her chest. She sighed deeply, scanning the familiar streets around her in hopes of a distraction. When none came however, she found herself deep in thought about what she was suppost to do in her situation.
Chewing her lip in indecision about whether or not she should just walk back into the building, Miley simply sighed once more, leaning her head back on the back of the bench and closing her eyes.
- - - - - - - - - -
"I don't get what she sees in him." Demi growled, staring across the room at Miley's boyfriend.
"He's your friend, Demi. Don't say that." Joe shook his head, his gaze flickering between the brown haired girl and the boy she was glaring at. He understood her anger and felt the emotion bubbling up in him also, but knew how deceiving things can look from the outside. He was a celebrity, one who was often misjudged on every aspect of his life. Between the family feuds, angry ex-girlfriends and enormous ego he supposedly had, his fans had a biased look on him thanks in large part to the media.
Scratch that – that whole ego issue was real.
"I wish he would stop playing this stupid hot and cold game with her though. One day he's all over Miley saying how much he loves her and today – this. If he was my boyfriend, I'd of gone over there by now and knocked some sense into him." Demi hissed, glancing around the crowded place and huffing loudly before turning her attention back to her own table where Taylor was pushing Nick out of the booth, "Where are the waiters in this place? We need the bill, now."
"Okay, I'm going to see if Miles is alright before Demi rips someone's head off." The blonde smiled faintly, concerned about her best friend's relationship. She spun around to speak once more before heading out after Miley but her train of thought changed when she found Nick standing beside her. Taylor shook her head at the boy, knowing the discussion she was going to have with Miley should be between two best friends only, "No, you stay."
"Come on Taylor, I want to help her." Nick urged, shuffling his weight from foot to foot as he tried to convince her that he was worthy of her trust in this situation, "I swear I won't start an argument. I just want to make sure she's okay."
"I'll be sure to report back, Nick. But seriously, there may not even be anything going on between – aw, man!" Taylor felt like screaming, punching something, anything to get her frustration out as she watched Mitchell lean over and plant a kiss on the girl's cheek. It may have looked innocent, but Taylor caught the way the blonde's eyes sparkled as he leaned away from her. She noticed the smile that lit Mitchell's face while he spoke and the blush that stained the girl's already rosy cheeks.
"That's disgusting." Demi was hissing again, her fingers clenching together into tight fists sitting on the tabletop. She couldn't believe the nerve of the boy and his seemingly bi-polar feelings for her best friend. Miley had been through so much, especially in the few weeks that had passed since the Grey Brothers had shown up, and Demi knew she didn't deserve anymore drama.
"Leaving," Taylor announced, shaking her head firmly at Nick's pleading look and ignoring the look of rejection that crossed his features as she twirled around. She was out the restaurant doors almost as quickly as Miley had travelled, glancing around the streets lined with people for Miley.
Taylor finally spotted the girl in question and made her way over to her as quickly as she could, watching the girl gather her legs into her chest in a vain attempt at calming herself down. Fiddling with the beaded bracelet on her wrist, Taylor finally reached her best friend and claimed the seat beside her.
"You're above this, Miley." The blonde immediately said after seeing the hurt look on Miley's face. Taylor knew Miley better than the back of her hand, already knowing that Miley wasn't okay and needed a friend to help boost her up. There was no sense wasting time with useless questions about how she was feeling while her best friend was quite obviously hurting.
"I love him, Tay, so much. And I know that he loves me too," The brunette started stubbornly, "But we're just going through another rough patch. We'll get through it… Right?"
"Honestly, I don't know how much longer you two are going to keep this up." Taylor admitted, looking up at the twists of pink and purple dancing around the setting sun for a few brief seconds before turning to face Miley's confused gaze with a knowing look, "Things changed. I've known since that day I called you and you told me that you and Mitch had been fighting a lot. Things have been so different recently – so unlike how you started your relationship."
"But we're still the same people we were when he asked me out two years ago, Tay. And no matter what is or isn't happening in there, I know that he and I will get through this. We've been there for each other since the first day we met and we've never kept important things from each other. That has to count for something… I mean, we've lasted all this time!" Miley defended her relationship, hanging onto the last threads of hope that she felt were keeping her heart together. Taylor didn't respond, but just let the words her best friend had spoken linger between them in a skeptical silence. She glanced back up at the sky, finally breaking through the barrier of silence with the harsh truth she had been thinking over in her head,
"Maybe this is a good thing, Mi. I mean, you didn't honestly think you were going to end up marrying Mitchell, did you?"
"No," Miley finally spoke, dropping her feet onto the ground and turning her body to face Taylor directly, "I never thought about that, actually. Because I'm so used to having everything I love get pulled away from me that I can't think about the future. When it happens – when he ends up leaving me, I can't get crushed if I don't hope."
The girl was broken. It was so painfully obvious that even strangers walking through the street could tell. Miley had been repeatedly let down by so many people that it broke Taylor's heart just to think about. She wanted Miley to be happy – honestly, genuinely happy – and not just to settle for someone because she didn't want to get hurt by someone she truly loved.
She may think she loves Mitchell, but does she actually? Maybe before, in the first months of their relationship, Miley had been happy with him and the feelings he gave her. But it had changed so fast that Taylor had barely grasped it – Mitchell's silly, love-struck smile must have stolen Miley's and gone into hiding, while their interest in just being with each other had completely diminished. Taylor was certain that she wasn't the only person who saw this and it was about time she stated her honest opinion.
If Mitchell and Miley proved this was a speed bump in an otherwise smooth road ahead of them, then Taylor would support their relationship one hundred percent. And if not, Taylor would still be there for her very best friend, prepared with a shoulder to cry on and a long string of jokes to keep Miley laughing.
"Miles… I know you've had an unfair amount of bad luck thrown your way. But I also know you're going to move on from this because you're obviously incredibly strong. And if it's any consolation, I'll always be here when you need me. No matter what, you'll always be my best friend. I promise."
- - - - - - - - - -
"Finally," Nick sighed as the waiter left their table, leaving five meals on the table in front of the teenagers. "I thought he was never going to come by. Joe, why don't you wait and get that packaged up? You can eat it at home."
"But it'll be cold." Joe complained in utter disbelief, shoving overly large forkfuls of meat into his mouth. Demi looked at her untouched noodle dish, wondering if her stomach would settle enough for her to eat at all. She doubted it, instead looking over her shoulder at the blonde girl again.
"They're holding hands again and – ew, he just kissed her hand! Come on, boy, not at the dinner table." Demi sniffed, her face portraying the disgust she felt as she turned back to the table. She threw her napkin onto the table and sighed, "I'm going to the restroom. Tell Taylor to come find me if she gets back before I do."
Demi looked up and spotted the blonde girl's eyes on her, following her figure all the way down the rows of tables until she passed theirs. Demi wasn't close enough to catch the gist of their conversation, but could hear the woman loud and clear when she spoke,
"I just need to stop by the restroom real quick."
Demi almost stopped and ran back to her table, seeing as this girl was already unintentionally testing her patience. This girl was already the last person on the planet that Demi wanted to see, which meant that the two of them in a small, quiet area where they might interact suggested that Demi might lose it and that would not be pretty.
But Demi was nothing if not determined; she refused to back down to this girl. Instead she straightened her back, tilted her head so it held high and almost marched her way into the women's bathroom. Instantly she noticed one thing: there were only four or five stalls in the small area. And the other thing? They were all empty.
"So, did you see something you like?" The door swung open and Mitchell's dinner companion walked in, immediately seizing the large mirror located over the sinks. Demi stepped away from her, regarding her question with a confused look. The blonde laughed, staring at Demi in the mirror while pulling out a tube of mascara from a small bag in her purse, "I saw you ogling my date from across the restaurant. Don't try and play it down."
"Excuse me? You don't even know what you're talking about." Demi scoffed, her face reddening in anger. The blonde chuckled humourlessly, flicking the mascara brush over her eyelashes skilfully and opened her mouth to respond. Demi was faster, blurting out, "What's your name?"
"Why does it matter? Gonna make this little scene dramatic enough for a high school play?" The girl shot back, dropping the mascara into her small make-up bag and producing an eyeliner pencil instead.
"I'm not interested in Mitchell," Demi clarified dismissively, instantly realizing her mistake in revealing the tidbits of information she knew as she watched the girl's eyes widen at her in the mirror.
"You know Mitch?" She demanded, dropping her eyeliner onto the counter around the sinks and spinning around to stare Demi in the face, "Are you friends? When I described you to him – you know, to make sure he watches out for a potential stalker – he didn't say he knew you."
"You described me to him?" Demi squeaked in horror, ignoring her snide remark.
"Don't answer my question with a question." The girl snapped, glaring at Demi when she realized she wasn't going to get anymore answers. "Whatever, my date will be wondering where I am."
"Your date, as in you guys are dating?" Demi wondered desperately, itching to get some answers for Miley. The mysterious girl shook her head and laughed again,
"You really think I'm gonna tell some stalker-chick in a public restroom about my personal life? The answer is no. I'm not telling you anything, so why don't you get back to –"
The door swung open quite suddenly and Taylor popped her head in, her blonde curls swinging as she walked purposefully into the room. Immediately she noticed the girl she was looking for and the girl she least expected in the same room, causing her to glance at Demi questioningly. Demi just gave Taylor a meaningful look, discreetly motioning at the other blonde in the room before catching the bathroom door and sliding out. She hoped Taylor would understand that she hadn't gotten any information from the girl and that Taylor would be able to uncover the facts they needed. Once the door shut completely, Demi let out a long gush of air in relief and high-tailed it away from the restrooms, her initial reason for going over there pushed to the back of her mind.
- - - - - - - - - -
Taylor, however, glanced over at the blonde across from her. She couldn't deny the girl was pretty, especially with the way her perfectly pin-straight hair fell daintily over her petite shoulders, making the blue of her eyes stand out. Her dress was a delicate shade of pink that ended just above the knee, with a thick dark brown belt just above the center of her torso.
Taylor didn't want to exchange words with this girl, but she thought about her best friend and the condition she was in. Acting out of respect for Miley, Taylor plastered a friendly smile on her face that looked effortless enough to be real. It was time for her acting skills to be put to the ultimate test.
"Do you know her?" Mystery girl shot right off the bat with a quick nod at the closed bathroom door, while Taylor tilted her head to the side as if she was confused and shook her head softly. The blonde chuckled, "Oh, well, that's good then. She was creeping me out. She walked in here and practically demanded I tell her my date's name. Weird, right?"
"Very," Taylor agreed and then after a second of thought added a lie, snuck into an easily relatable statement, "I'm here with my boyfriend, too. I hate it when people stop by our table to ask him his name."
A moment of silence passed between the two blonde girls while the unnamed woman turned away from Taylor to shove her make-up back into her purse. She didn't say anything to prove Taylor's assumption to be true, but didn't bother denying it either. What did that mean? Taylor racked her brain for something to say to make the girl talk again, ready to blurt the first thing that came to mind.
"I love your bracelet!" Taylor instantly squealed as her eyes raked over the girl's arm, pointing to the charm bracelet she was sporting, "Sorry – I have a huge collection of jewellery at home, so I can't help but obsess over what other people accessorize with."
"Oh, don't worry – I love showing it to people." The girl relented, turning back around and holding her wrist out for Taylor to inspect. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the girl's obvious love for being the center of attention, Taylor did her best to keep the interested look on her face as she studied the bracelet, "They're real gold – every charm."
"Wow, it's so beautiful. Where did you get it?" Taylor asked, pretending not to notice the blonde scorn at her old, faded beaded bracelet that hung loosely on her wrist.
"My dad bought me the bracelet itself and the rest were gifts from my family. You know, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles – whoever wants to get on my good side." She laughed for the first time, dangling the bracelet around as she tried to cover up the first flash of uncertainty that crossed her features. Taylor pretended not to have heard that last comment, since she had already assumed she had a rich family just by the look of the gold jewellery. But the girl was obviously surprised at her easy slip-up, reaching for her purse she had left on the counter and barely glancing at Taylor as she spoke, "Well, I gotta go. Nice meeting you…"
"Taylor," The blonde smiled, putting her hand out for a handshake. The girl smiled slightly at Taylor's friendly gesture, sliding her small hand into Taylor's patient one after only a slight hesitation.
"Lilly."
- - - - - - - - - -
"I'm sorry that had to happen to you."
"You didn't deserve that, Miles."
"That boy doesn't see what's right in front of him."
Miley was tired of her friends talking about her and Mitchell's relationship as if they had just broken up. They hadn't and when they got through this rough patch, they were going to look back at the people who had doubted them at that moment and laugh.
Sure, Miley was fighting with him a lot more than normal these days and they didn't spend as much time together as they used to. They didn't seem to be on the same page anymore and Mitchell seemed to get frustrated at every little thing she did. But he still did the cute romantic things that he used to – like when he spontaneously gave her that single red rose in the hallway at school. Miley paused to think back… How many weeks ago was that? She wasn't sure but it had been at least a few, and suddenly she was over-analyzing every aspect of their time together.
"So, who was that girl anyways?" Miley interrupted Taylor's detailed and thorough speech about how girls don't need a man to live their lives to the fullest, watching Taylor's face suspiciously.
"Her name's Lilly," Taylor started, continuing to fill her best friend in about every detail she could remember and how she interpreted the girl's behaviour, "She didn't say she was with Mitchell as a girlfriend, but she did say he was her date."
"She said the same thing to me, too." Demi said before Miley could question Taylor's hearing, instantly feeling bad when Miley's face fell.
"You're a boy, Nick, what do you think?" Miley turned to face him in the small bed of the pick-up truck, eagerly awaiting his input.
"Well Miles –" Nick started, unhappy that he was going to have to watch her hopes fall again. He knew that something was going on between Mitchell and this new girl, 'Lilly' simply by the way they acted throughout their meal. No boy goes through that much trouble for a lady if he has no intentions of being with her.
But he was saved by the sound of Miley's phone chiming through her purse, and she clamoured to silence it. But when she finally dug it out from under the junk in her purse, Miley flipped her phone open so fast it almost snapped right off. She pressed a few buttons, which led Nick to believe she was reading a text. She read the text quickly, her eyes roaming back and forth across the screen multiple times as if she couldn't believe what she was reading, before her posture slouched and she let out a long, sad sigh.
"Miles?" Demi asked in concern, reaching her hand out to comfort her friend. Nick leaned over Miley's shoulder to read the text on her cell phone's glowing screen, trying not to make her uncomfortable but unable to mask his curiosity. His stomach clenched when he read the signature four words displayed on the screen,
From: Mitchell (:
We have 2 talk.
Ohhhh man.
TEN POINTS to music-1s-my-life for guessing it was Lilly & an extra 572024294 points for being the ONLY one to guess correctly ;)
Oh, & The Last Song was amazing. Go see it if you haven't. No joke.
Also, the only reason I finished this chapter was because of my twi-taah. It was a method of motivation and even though I wanted something to trend that didn't, I thought 'what-the-heck' and posted anywhoo. That's why this may seem kind of like a filler, because in a way it is, but in larger way it isn't. Comprende?! (;
Thanks for sticking with me through this story so far, you guys rock. Majorly. :D