Partners In Crime

Wednesday

Lilly tossed and turned in her bed until morning. It was the most horrible thing to admit that falling for your best friend's brother, and partner in crime in the elaborate plot to get the two of them together, wasn't part of the plan.

"Urgh." She got up and the next thing she knew it was another day, in class with hopefully brighter prospects on the horizon.

"What's got into you?" Miley asked as Lilly banged her head against her locker.

"Nothin', just need a wake up call, that's all." Lilly put on her perkiness. "So... hear from that guy yet?"

"Yep. We're back on. Turns out he was just a little scared it would look dumb to his friends if it turned out he was using the internet to score himself a date for the dance."

"What's this I hear?" The two girls turned around to see Rico standing behind them. "You got dumped?"

"No, I didn't. He asked me out again." Miley said. Rico looked at Lilly and grinned slowly.

"What, on an internet dating service?" He asked.

"That's none of your business." Miley said and turned to her locker. Lilly glared at Rico.

"I think I might know who you're date is."

Miley slowly turned around to face him while Lilly's eyes went wide. How could he figure that out?

He might have been bluffing.

"You think I care?" Miley asked him, knowing that he'd probably want something in exchange for this information. "Whatever you know, it can't possibly be worth it."

Lilly wanted to high-five her at that point. That's telling him.

"Fine, be that way." He said, turning on his heel to walk away. "But it's not my fault if you end up with some loser." And he walked away.

Lilly looked at Miley, who watched Rico walk off with a worried look on her face. "He's not going to be a loser. I'll promise you that."

"Yeah." Miley said. "But… what if he's right? What if this guy isn't what he says he is?"

"And what if he is?" Lilly asked, looking Miley in the eye. "You never know if you don't try."

"Yeah." Miley said. "And it's not as if it's going to be someone like Oliver."

"Heh, yeah." Lilly said, laughing. "Well, I'm going now. I'll see you later."

Miley nodded and Lilly walked off down the hallway. She had to thank Jackson for helping her. She stopped when she saw him and Chloe together in the cafeteria. She was laughing at something he said and he was smiling at her. This could be the happiest he's ever been…

"I'm not the only one who isn't going to the dance with the person they like." Rico said, shaking his head at the two.

"Are you stalking me or something?" Lilly asked.

"No, I'm asking you one last time, give me this information about Miley and then maybe I'll help you with your Jackson problem." He said.

"You're on your own Rico, I set them up," Lilly said, indicating the two love birds, "And Miley with her date. I'm not helping you."

"Fine!" Rico shouted back at her. He knew what he had to do to get Miley to be his, pose as her Internet match.

Miley would be none the wiser and now he knew who her internet match was, it was going to be even easier to find pose as him. He just had to think of stupid things Oliver would say to get a girl to like him online and hide it from his best friends.

OK. So it was harder than he thought. But Rico could do it. He was Rico after all.

"Hey Lilly!" Chloe was calling out to her from across the cafeteria and Lilly cringed. She wasn't the only one. Jackson was hiding his face hoping that Lilly wasn't going to come over. He had Rico bothering him and Oliver to deal with, he didn't need anyone else from her grade proving that he associated with mere children. Well... Lilly wasn't a child, but Jackson was prone to being over-dramatic.

Lilly came up to them. "Hi. Sorry, didn't want to interrupt you before."

"No problem." Chloe grinned, "You want to sit with us?"

"What are you kidding?" Jackson asked, looking at his girlfriend with his face paling. Didn't she know the social code of this school?

"What's wrong? I thought she was your friend?" Chloe asked.

"She's my little sister's friend and she's a freshman." Jackson said.

"So? She's been with us the whole week." Chloe said.

"The whole week?" He asked frowning. Lilly felt uncomfortable standing there; it was obvious Jackson didn't want to be seen with her.

"Never mind, I've got to go to class now anyway." She said and walked off.

"Jackson, what is wrong with you? How can you be so mean to her? Especially since it's almost been a whole week since you saved her life!" Chloe said, picking up her bag and walking off.

"Saving her life?" Jackson said, frowning. It was all coming back to him, Lilly falling off her board, giving her the kiss of life, Chloe hugging him…

Wait, he kissed her?

Dang it Jackson! He mentally scolded himself. He was so worried about her he didn't even think about the contact they'd shared. But it was nothing right? Nothing Miley or Oliver wouldn't have done for her.

But the entire week Lilly and himself had been hanging out like it was the most natural thing in the world, even if half the time she ended up being a third wheel.

Dang it, Jackson! He told himself again, thinking that he should make it up to her. Lilly helped him get together with a really great girl and then yesterday he was thinking about ditching the whole plan. Well now not only was he going to go through with the whole plan, he was going to have to get something special for Lilly too.

Maybe he should get her something for the dance…

"But what would she want?" He asked out loud. And there was only one person who would know what…

-----

"Miles!" Jackson yelled and honked the horn of his car. Miley turned and stood still as Jackson pulled up next to the sidewalk. "Want a lift home?"

"Where is Chloe?" Miley asked.

"She's gone to the skate park with some of her friends."

"Then why do you want to give me a lift home?" Miley asked.

"This is a once in a life time opportunity, going once, going twice…"

"Ok, I'll come." Miley said, opening the passenger door and getting in. Jackson smiled at her and soon the two of them were on the road, headed for the mall.

"Have you forgotten where we live?" Miley asked.

"No, I just have to get something for someone. And I need your help."

"Are my ears deceiving me? Is Jackson Stewart actually asking his sister for help?"

"Ha ha." Jackson said, looking at her quickly. "I want to get something for a girl."

"Chloe?"

"No, someone else."

"Why are we going shopping to buy something for a girl who is not your girlfriend?" Miley asked, looking at him as if he'd well and truly gone insane this time.

Jackson knew that if he told her it was Lilly that Miley's ideas about his sanity would be confirmed. First he saved her life and then buy her a gift for no reason? (Well, no reason that Miley knew about). Out of the question!

"I know other girls. Other girls that I'd need to buy something for..." He concentrated on the road, but felt a hand on his arm the next moment.

"Gee Jackson, that's really sweet. It'd be real nice if you got me something that I picked out this year for my birthday."

"Hey. Who said it's for you?"

"Puh-lease. Other girls? Jackson, the only other girl's you see are Lilly, Aunt Dolly and Mamaw and I don't think you're getting something for one of them when you can't even buy your own sister a decent birthday present!"

"You don't know that!"

"Jackson, sadly... I know more about your life than I want to and if there were any other girl's I would know about it."

"You don't know about Monique from my gym class. It could be her."

"Why would you be buying something for some girl in your gym class?"

Jackson sighed and pulled up the car at the mall. "Just help me?" And then he attempted the puppy dog pout.

"If I help you, will you promise never to do that again?" Miley asked, pointing to his face.

"Promise."

"Then let's go shopping." Miley said and got out the car. Jackson followed her into the mall and into a perfume shop.

"Perfume? I don't think she'll like that." Jackson said.

"Well, unless you tell me who she is, you follow my orders. Got it?" Miley asked. Jackson nodded and trailed behind his sister as she looked at the perfumes.

"Are you looking for a specific one?" He asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, so shut up." Miley said. She then found what she was looking for and showed it to Jackson. "Smell this." She squirted some into the air and Jackson sniffed it and started gagging.

"No." He said shaking his head. "Miles, I'm not sure I'll be able to afford this. Maybe something else?"

"Fine." Miley said and put it down, leaving the shop. She then walked into a clothing shop and started looking through all the tops and skirts. "Do you know what size she is?"

"Uh…No, not really." He said.

"You aren't going to make this easy for me, are you?"

"I don't know, alright! Your size!" He thought maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should just get Lilly a card to say how much he owed her.

"I knew it was for me." Miley responded with a tight-lipped smile.

"OK, fine, Miles. You win. It's for you. Now just pick what you'd want so I can get it and go home!"

She pulled him along to a dress shop. "Sweet niblets." he rolled his eyes. This was a bad idea. This was a very bad idea. Maybe he could call Oliver on the phone when Miley wasn't looking to come and cover for him. He gets forced to go shopping with Miley all the time.

He cringed. You're doing this for Lilly. You're doing this for Lilly. You're doing this for Lilly. He kept chanting in his mind. You're doing this for...

Wait. He was doing this for Lilly. He was doing something for a girl that wasn't his girlfriend and he couldn't even tell Miley about it to prove that he wasn't a creep. Totally sucked.

Miley was holding up a dress to her body. Jackson shook his head sadly. The look on Lilly's face had better be worth this.

"I think maybe this dress." Miley said, looking at Jackson. "You like this?"

"Uh… yes?" He said. Miley rolled her eyes and handed the dress to him.

"I'll take it." She said. Jackson sighed and walked over to the cash register while Miley continued looking around the shop.

"Would Lilly actually like this dress?" Jackson asked himself. Truth was, he had no idea. Plus Miley thought it was for her, so he had to just drop it in the parking lot again.

"Next." The clerk said. Jackson put the dress down and got his wallet out. The clerk rung the dress up and his jaw dropped. This dress was expensive…

Jackson handed over his card and charged it. He never used it anyway; this was the first time since his dad gave it to him last year. And he'd be proud to learn that he hadn't lost it…

"Have a nice day." The clerk said in a bored voice. Jackson picked up the bag and walked back over to Miley, handing her the bag.

"Why are you handing it over to me?" She asked.

"Because I said I was buying it for you." Jackson said.

"But I've got dresses. You can give it to Lilly if you want." Miley said and grinned.

"Miley…" Jackson said and she ran out of the shop, him right behind her. "You've got now where to go except my car!"

"Thought you wanted to get home."

He shook his head for the fifth time that afternoon and got in the car. Why did she say that he could give it to Lilly. He raised an eyebrow. "Why would I give it to Lilly?"

"I don't know. You've been spending more time with her. At the skate park, looking for girls. Surfing with your girlfriend and Lilly. Are you sure she's not chaperoning you on dates?"

"Oh. Very funny, little sis. You want a ride home or would you rather I leave you here for YOUR chaperone to come and bring you home?"

Miley said nothing more as she sat beside him on the way home. She knew she'd struck a nerve though. Why was Lilly spending so much time with Jackson and his girlfriend? If she was friends with his girlfriend, then Miley would know... right?

The dance is getting closer... yes! That's all I got to say. Review, and if you don't know what to say, talk about Phineas and Ferb if you're watching it. (I just wanna know what you think about it.)

jade-kwl-name-eva and Jesus.Lives