'They Say That Good Things Take Time' – Chapter 10
It had been a few weeks now and Miley still could not shift the dread that lurked within her. Her body felt tiresomely heavy, although accurately she was much lighter than she had been when Lilly was there. The warm September sun seemed to burn her paling skin and her voice was taught from lack of speech, replaced with the damaging strain of her nightly cries.
She missed Lilly. She missed her smile. And Miley still shed a tear, more often than every once in a while.
Oliver had teamed up with Robbie Ray and Jackson in futile attempts to get Miley back to normal, but he was finding that his words were continually wasted during the month that Lilly had been gone. The three males in Miley's life who loved her most of all were at a loss. They secretly knew that only one person could save Miley from herself, but to contact her would be the most damaging thing possible. So they continued to play the waiting game with the shadow that lurked in the background of their lives, cowering from the brilliance she once dwelled in.
Oliver stood waiting at the bottom of Miley's driveway next to his car and sighed as he checked his watch for the sixth time that morning; they were going to be late. His head pricked up from the distractive sound of Miley's front door squeaking open and he almost jumped from frustration as he watched the young brunette tentatively swing her bag onto her shoulder. Miley morosely walked down the drive and did not fail to cover up her darkened eyes with a big pair of sunglasses. Oliver rolled his eyes, it was the end of September and soon people were going to question her for her choice in accessories.
"Morning Miles," Oliver greeted, trying not to sound too impatient although his voice was strained and his body was tense with anticipation to get to school quickly. Miley slid nervously into the passenger seat of his car as he started up the engine.
"Hey." She responded, and that was that.
The journey to school was made in silence with Oliver operating the car safely and checking for hazards whilst Miley stared gloomily out of the window, watching the world go past without her. The young man craved the sound of Miley's strong, southern voice as it battled for dominance in the conversation. Yet, for that, they needed Lilly's chirpy presence which was always keen to volunteer happy information, whether or not it was relevant. Without the cheerful blonde, Oliver felt as if there was a piece missing and he knew that Miley suffered more intensely than ever when he began to run out of things to say. How the brown-haired boy longed for the irritating girly chatter, even discussion of zits or their troublesome menstrual cycle would be a welcome break from the silence and would give him a chance to relax his newly adopted protective nature towards Miley.
The pair did, however, just make it to their first class of the day, not that Miley cared and she had previous late-slips to prove it. School was dull and she was finding it difficult to keep up with her studies, even in subjects that she actually enjoyed. Whenever she sat down intending to read or write something for class her mind inevitably drifted to the pretty blonde who had walked out of her life and who she was dangerously losing contact with. Miley had always thought about Lilly at school, but now without the skater by her side, she was even more distracted and fretful. The bullying presence of Amber and Ashley had soon slid off her as she became boring and even they saw her as an unfair target as "dorkier" no longer had "dork" to be compared to. Boys walked around her in the corridors instead of grazing her form with hungry eyes and people who she had looked to as social acquaintances barely noticed when she walked by.
Oliver was finally grateful that it was lunchtime, he had just had a grueling gym class and dodge ball had not been kind to him. Now he walked with a pitiful limp, muttering "ow" with every other step that he took and his brown eyes frantically sought out his little lost friend in the canteen. He eventually stumbled over Miley backed away into a corner table and picking forlornly at the small plate of salad in front of her. Oliver frowned when he approached and caught sight of her meal, this was a cry for help if he ever saw one and again he yearned for Lilly with a big plate of spaghetti.
"Hey Miles!" Oliver attempted brightly but the brunette only glanced up briefly from her meal.
"Hey Oliver." Miley muttered with a hoarse voice which had not been used much that day.
"Is that all your having for lunch?" Oliver inquired gently and his warm eyes tried to connect with Miley's own but she avoided him.
"I'm not hungry." She replied flatly and lamely stabbed at a piece of carrot with her fork.
Oliver felt like shaking her and telling her that she was being stupid, he had come frighteningly close to doing so over the past couple of weeks when his patience grew thin. However, instead of allowing the silence to wash over him whilst on the look out for others to spare him of being sole protector of Miley, he decided to be brave.
Oliver cleared his throat. "You know Miley, you haven't been hungry all week. But I really think that you should try to eat a little more than that."
Oliver was nervous as he pushed his own desert towards Miley with a small smile. The brunette looked at the cake as it slid across the table surface and quirked an eyebrow. Miley felt queasy and her stomach churned when she noticed the thick layer of fluffy cream and the darkness of its chocolate flavour. Her eyes widened and she shoved the plate away from her as she shook her head and concentrated on her own miserable meal. Oliver felt his patience wear even thinner and pushed the plate back towards Miley.
"Miley, you've got to eat!" His voice was threateningly higher and brought alarm into Miley's expression. Oliver got the message and lowered his voice as he leaned in closer to speak softly in an attempt to persuade his friend. "Miles, please. You've gotten so thin recently and I know it's because of Lilly." At the sound of the blonde's name Miley's heart seemed to skip a beat and her head felt dizzy. "Please eat this, you know that Lilly would hate the thought of you sitting around and not eating properly." Oliver knew that he was playing dirty here, but it was only the truth. Lilly had often scoffed at Miley's smaller appetite but whenever she was stressed, Lilly would be there all too often almost force-feeding the brunette. It was making a mockery of their friendship for Miley to grow so thin through lack of food.
Miley seemed to understand and, although she almost hated Oliver for using Lilly against her in this way, pushed aside her empty plate of salad as she dove into the cake. The chocolate and cream tasted delicious on her deprived taste buds and the sugar would bring her a rush of energy later whilst the chocolate naturally improved her spirits. They continued the rest of their lunch break in more companionable silence as Oliver eased up slightly, smiling now that Miley was eating again.
"Thanks for the cake Oliver." Miley said shyly as she pushed the empty plate away.
"You're welcome Miles." Oliver replied brightly and grinned warmly back. One small step at a time, he thought to himself.
After Oliver had dropped Miley off on his way home from school, the brunette marched through the front door, barely acknowledging her father, before going up to her room and switching on her computer. Robbie Ray sighed when he did not have time to properly greet his daughter as he would have liked to, so desperate was the girl to hear from Lilly.
On the computer upstairs, Miley was anxiously waiting for it to load so that she could check her emails. She had replied to Lilly almost four days ago and, since Lilly finished earlier on a Friday, she hoped that the blonde had taken some time to email her. Miley's heart came crashing down in her chest when her inbox was only filled with spam email and a lump formed in her throat as she pushed herself away from her desk. She was soon up and marching backwards and forwards across her room in frustration, her hands were balled into fists whilst she muttered to herself, walking to and fro, to and fro.
A knock on the door quickly brought Miley back to her senses and she was slightly shocked when Robbie Ray's concerned face poked into the room.
"Are you alright bud?" he asked, "It's just that I can hear you coming close to wearing a hole in your floor with all this pacing that you're doing. Pretty soon it's gonna be like that time when Uncle Earl and Aunt Pearl danced about to Achey Breakey Heart and ended up falling through the floor into the cellar!" Robbie Ray looked temporarily distracted as he reminded himself of that unfortunate occasion, whilst Miley stood still with arms crossed.
"I'm fine daddy," she replied shortly, "I didn't mean to disturb you."
"Nah, you're not disturbing me. But I can see that something's up." Robbie Ray inquired gently, "You can tell me what's going on if you want to." He said and shrugged lightly, trying to make it seem like no big deal when, in reality, his mind was racing with thoughts.
Miley contemplated for a moment and sighed before she plopped, defeated, onto her bed.
"It's gonna sound really stupid, okay?" She said and looked at him with sad eyes.
Robbie Ray sat down next to her and shook his head, silently communicating that he would understand and that she should continue.
Miley looked at her hands which were linked in front of her and twiddled her thumbs. "It's just that, well, I messaged Lilly about four days ago and she hasn't even replied yet. I know that she gets Friday afternoons off at her new school and I was hoping she'd get back to me but she hasn't. So now I don't know what to do. One part of me is telling me to write another email and tell her what's going on, whilst the other is telling me to wait it out. But it's so hard 'cos I don't know what's going on with her and it's all really annoying!"
Robbie Ray looked deeply into his daughter's eyes, "And what is going on bud?"
Miley shook her head and rested her face in her hands. "I don't know." Robbie waited for a few moments as she contemplated the recent changes in her life. "I know I haven't been acting myself lately…" Miley said slowly, "And I've been eating less…" she winced slightly as she looked quickly and apologetically at her father, "And it's obviously all tied together with Lilly going. And when I don't hear from her, I feel like a part of me is so wound up and twisted that I can hardly breathe or think straight, let alone eat. I feel like I'm going crazy and that I'm going to snap at everyone else and then people will hate me. So I guess I just distance myself from everyone and bottle it all up inside, trying to appear normal, when really I'm anything but normal because I love and miss her so much that it's killing me!"
Miley took a few deep breaths and Robbie Ray slipped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer to him and enveloping her with warmth. Miley sighed and gladly nestled her head into her father's shoulder as they shared the embrace. Robbie Ray was finding it difficult to advise his daughter, particularly due to the fact that she still had not completely admitted just how much she cared for Lilly. It was at times like these when he really missed Miley's mother and his own heart quaked with loneliness and desperate longing for the love of his life, which momentarily matched the exact feeling that lurked within Miley's own breast.
"Well darlin'," Robbie Ray began, "it sure is a tricky situation, I'll give you that. I don't think that you should reply to Lilly all strung up as you are, you'll only worry the poor girl and it's not good for Lilly to worry. It's not in her nature to be upset and I know that's the last thing you would want to do anyway. I suggest you leave it over the weekend, and if she hasn't replied by Sunday night then pick up the phone and give the girl a ring. Until then, I would try to take your mind off things. Jackson and I can help, and so can Hannah. You've got a local performance coming up in November and maybe you could work on some new songs? I find that keeping busy always helps."
Miley nodded as her father reassured her and made her feel more normal again. She suddenly realised all along that all she had needed was to talk through how she was feeling with other people. Miley made a mental reminder to be more open with everyone as she found herself smiling again when she turned to look back at her father.
"Thanks daddy, you always know the right things to say." She said and gave him an extra squeeze out of gratitude.
Robbie Ray chuckled slightly and Miley grinned as she felt the depths of it vibrate within his chest. "You're welcome darlin'. Now, what say you to coming and helping your old dad out with the food? Jackson's not going to be back for a while and I can't peel potatoes on my own."
Miley nodded in agreement and as she followed her father downstairs, her footsteps fell lighter upon the steps and her stomach finally rumbled as her body called out for food when she caught sight of the vegetables and lump of steak on the kitchen counter. She smiled as she began to busy herself with the potato peeler, softly singing in time to Hannah songs with her father as they began to pick up the pieces of her shattered life.
Saturday morning dawned bright and the sun was shining as Miley smiled to herself when she opened the curtains onto her balcony. The sea was crashing onto the surf and the waves were slightly wilder, creating a greater swell and, with a twinge of longing for the blonde, Miley contemplated that Lilly would love this weather if she were there. Miley turned her back on the view and headed toward the shower, the pummeling of the clean spray was just what she needed to clear her head and Miley closed her eyes in pleasure as she leaned enjoyably back into the hot water. She was in a surprisingly good mood and a song bubbled up within her which she released in mid-verse, not caring how loudly she sang and feeling grateful to be alive, "…You pull me aside when something ain't right, talk with me now and into the night…"
Miley paused her singing whilst her hands gripped her hair, which was temporarily soaked in shampoo, and she remembered the last occasion that she performed this particular song. She had to stop thinking of Lilly so often, yet it was difficult when everything reminded her of the blonde skater. Miley finished her shower in silence as thoughts wrapped themselves around her head.
Later that day Oliver sauntered into Miley's bedroom as she sat in front of her computer screen gazing hopelessly at her empty inbox.
"Hey, hey, Mile-ay, the Ollie Trolley has arrived." Oliver greeted his best friend with a playful wink.
"Hey Oliver, nice entrance." Miley responded dryly as Oliver sat down on the end of her bed.
"What's up?" Oliver asked.
"Oh nothing." Miley sighed, "I'm just waiting for Lilly to reply to the email that I sent her five whole days ago." Miley threw her hands up in the air in mock annoyance, but did not do well to hide her actual feelings which were playing up vividly on her face.
Oliver looked confused, "Really? Wow. I haven't talked to her either, but that's because I haven't replied to the one she sent me last week." Oliver looked toward the floor in shame, "I hate talking through emails though and I'm not very good at writing them."
"Mmm." Miley made a noise in agreement.
"She's probably just been really busy Miles," Oliver tried to placate his friend; "she's at a brand new school and she's probably just spending time settling in. Knowing Lilly she still hasn't unpacked her stuff. She hadn't when I last heard from her anyway."
"Yeah, I know." Miley smiled, "That girl is so hopeless."
Oliver was pleasantly surprised to see Miley not getting wound up by it all and happily reflected that she had improved rapidly within the last day. Miley noticed the puzzled look on the boy's face, and grew curious, "What Oliver?"
"Oh nothing really." Oliver smiled as he carefully tried to find the right thing to say to Miley, "You just seem more like Miley today." He finished cautiously.
Miley laughed, "That's because I am a lot more like Miley today. Dad and I had a talk last night and we had a really nice family meal too. I've been missing out on a lot over this past month and I need to change. Oh, and you helped me loads yesterday. God that desert was good, I feel almost guilty for eating it all." She chuckled and her pale cheeks flushed with colour.
Oliver chuckled, "Don't worry about it. I'm so used to having Lilly swipe all the food off my plate that willingly giving you one desert was no biggie." Oliver winked.
"So, what brings you here today anyway?" Miley asked as if suddenly realizing that Oliver had impulsively dropped in.
"I'm here on a spontaneous visit?" Oliver tried, but only succeeded in receiving a raised eyebrow, "Okay, okay, so I came by to see how you were and to invite you to a random party tonight."
"Party?" Miley sighed and was once again filled with dread. Parties were sure to be no fun without her feisty blonde around to keep up the momentum.
"Yeah, I got invited this morning when I was at Rico's by some of the guys from school. It's only a couple of blocks away so we can stumble back if it's boring."
"I don't know Oliver…"
"Oh come on Miles, it'll be great! You love parties and you haven't left your house in weeks."
Miley sighed and fiddled with hair as she tried to come to a decision. She felt like she was making progress in becoming happier without Lilly there, but to go to a party and be expected to be on top form all night was asking a lot.
"Alright I'll come, but on the condition that if it's boring then we're leaving. Deal?"
Oliver nodded happily and, with promises to ensure that they both had a good night, promptly left her to get ready.
That night, Miley was stood in a foreign kitchen, clutching her fourth or fifth paper cup filled with a strange mixture of spirits that had already clouded her mind after the first few sips. Miley felt strange to be drinking, fully aware that she was underage and the taste of the liquid was strong and vile in her unaccustomed mouth. Yet everyone else around her were throwing back drinks and the atmosphere was pumping with the adolescent urge to live life care-free and with inhibitions fuddled by alcohol.
Miley took a tentative step towards Oliver who was leaning in the doorway to the garden, looking deeply into the eyes of a pretty brunette in front of him, whose expression dripped with disdain. Miley's legs swayed slightly underneath her and she felt like laughing at the fact that walking was suddenly so difficult, yet all her concentration remained focused on putting the second leg forward and she frowned slightly as she approached Oliver. The girl he was talking to shortly flounced off, leaving a puzzled Oliver gazing after her with half-closed eyes due to the affect of his sixth beer.
"Oliver." Miley half-gasped, half called out to him and stumbled forwards.
"Hey Miles," Oliver slurred, "what'cha doing?"
Miley shrugged before she ran her hands clumsily through her hair as her eyes tried to define the slightly blurred image of her best friend in front of her. "I think I need some air." She replied.
Oliver nodded and stood to one side as he watched her pass through the door. The two found a bench waiting opposite them in the garden and with great relief sat down onto it.
"That's better." Miley muttered and rested her head on Oliver's shoulder.
"Yeah." Oliver sighed, "You alright Miles?"
"I think so." She said, although there was a slight depression in her voice which Oliver was not too drunk to pick up on.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothin'."
A pause hung dramatically in the air around them as Oliver contemplated his next move, his mind sobering up slightly now that the cooler air brushed his cheeks and they were out of the stuffy building.
"It's about Lilly isn't it?" He asked, speaking more plainly now that his tongue had been loosened by the drink.
"Uh-huh." Miley nodded, "It's all about Lilly, Oliver."
"I know." Oliver stated. Things were so much simpler now that the two were speaking honestly and for the first time, nothing had to be hidden. "You love her, don't you?"
"Yep." Miley replied. "She's my best friend. And I love you too Ollie." She looked up at him with a smile before pecking his cheek and then staring at him giddily.
"No." Oliver pondered, "You love Lilly. As in, love love."
Miley's eyes widened and she sat up, breaking the contact between them, "Oliver, say what?"
Oliver was not misled by her false answer for a second. "Miley, it's alright. I've known for a while now and it's all cool." He spoke slowly and exaggeratedly, driven on by the alcoholic haze that muddled his brain.
"Oh my god." Miley said and made a move to get up but found that Oliver's hand had closed around her wrist.
"Miley, wait!" He pleaded, "Come sit back down and talk about this. You need to talk about this. I bet you haven't ever told anyone, have you?"
"No." Miley said and when she turned back round to face Oliver, her eyes were filled with tears.
Oliver gulped slightly as he had not been expecting this reaction, "Oh Jesus Miley, I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset."
"It's okay Ollie." Miley replied, her voice quaking slightly, "Thank you for being so understanding." Then she looked away quickly, "I can't believe I'm actually gonna talk about this with somebody. It's just always seemed too huge."
Oliver nodded in understanding as Miley's gaze flickered back to him. "I know, it is pretty huge Miley, but I want you to know that I love you and that I'll always be here for you if you need someone to talk to."
Miley smiled and brushed away the tears which were leaving glistening trails down her cheeks. "I just l-love her so much Ollie and have done for years. And now she's gone, and then I didn't know what to do. So I did nothing, hoping that she'd come back to me. But she hasn't." Miley sobbed, "God I love her." And she looked up at the stars above them before sniffing loudly.
Oliver replaced his arm around Miley's shoulder and joined her gaze to the heavens. "It seems so funny that Lilly's a few hundred miles away when she always used to be right here." He said quietly.
"I know." Miley answered softly and huddled closer to the comforting boy. Oliver was a doughnut sometimes but he always came through when his two best girl friends needed a shoulder to cry on.
"We'll get through this together Miles," Oliver stated warmly, "just you wait and see. It'll all be alright."
Miley nodded her head slightly in agreement while she hazily gazed out over the darkened garden as she sat slumped against her friend. Her mind was churning with thoughts of Lilly and her heart was beating with appreciation for Oliver's kindness.
The sound of her father's cheerful voice in her head the next day did not do well for the pounding headache that kept Miley preoccupied for the majority of Sunday morning. Although she had thought that she had sobered up whilst she was outside with Oliver, she discovered when she lay down for bed that the room was spinning uncomfortably and she was desperately mistaken. Not wanting her father to know that she had been drinking, Miley was trying to be cheerful as she sat, huddled up on the sofa, watching random television programs.
"Good morning Malibu!" Jackson chirped brightly as he flitted downstairs and practically pirouetted onto the couch beside Miley.
"Eurgh." Miley responded gruffly, "What's up with you?"
"Nothin'." Jackson answered happily, "It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining and the birds are singing…"
"I'm guessing you had a good date last night then son?" Robbie Ray interrupted as he wandered back in from the porch.
"It was amazing dad. The girl is so hot. She makes steam look cool." Jackson appeared to be drooling and Miley leaned over in the pretence of wiping his mouth. "Ha. Ha. Miley, you are just so funny." Jackson said sarcastically.
"Sorry Jackson, but you are just so retarded." Miley answered back in a mocking impersonation of Jackson's voice.
"Alright Miles, let the boy have his fun." Their father interjected.
"Fine daddy." Miley sulked. "So, Jerkson, when's the next date?"
"Next Friday night! I can't wait! I'm gonna pick her up at eight, take her to a romantic little place just off the beach and then we'll walk on the sand before I coast us up to Hanson's Point."
"Hey!" Miley squawked, "That's the notorious make-out place up on the cliffs. Jackson, you horndog. Have a little respect for the ladies."
Jackson looked put out as he turned to his father for support. Robbie Ray shook his head at Jackson, "What am I going to do with you?"
"Aw come on dad," Jackson pleaded, "you would have done the same thing in my position."
Miley tutted when her father did not respond. "Boys." She stated simply before flicking the channel over to a re-run of celebrities dancing on ice.
"Ew." Jackson said and shook his head in the lack of trousers that the men were not wearing and promptly scampered off.
With a sigh Miley replaced a hand to her throbbing temples as her father vacated the room after Jackson. She decided that there was nothing of any further interest for her downstairs and heavily made her way up to her bedroom where she sat down in front of the computer to check her emails for the tenth time that day. Her reactions were slower than normal, due to the traces of alcohol still streaming through her veins, and it took a while for her to navigate her mouse pointer over her inbox, which tauntingly promised one new message. Miley's breath suddenly caught in her throat as she noticed who it was from.
"Oh my god." Miley murmured as her heart race increased and her hands began to tremble over the unopened email. She quickly stood up from her chair and nervously crossed the room to close her door. She then insured that her cushion was correctly fluffed on her seat and that the monitor was tilted at the correct angle for her to read; it all had to be perfect. She then clicked on the email and focused all of her attention on Lilly's words.
Hey Miles!
Glad to hear all is well back in sunny Malibu! We've been having some good weather here but it also rains a hell of a lot more. I still manage to get to the skate park though and I've managed to master a new trick that I was struggling with before I moved. I won't bore you much with all the skate-boarding though.
School is good, I really like my history teacher and I think I might major in history next year, when I've decided on a college of course. Other than that, math is still hard even though this school is totally meant to be about more fun subjects. Luckily I've still got Luke and Amelia to help me through.
So, how are things with you? How's Oliver? That boy is sooo slow at replying to my emails. I hope Amber and Ashley aren't giving you too many problems. If they are then I'm gonna come over and sort them out for you!!!
Anyway, probably should go cos mum's calling me for lunch. Hopefully speak to you soon.
Love, Lils.
Miley stared at the monitor and re-read Lilly's message three further times until she was satisfied and sat back in her chair. Miley could not help but feel slightly disappointed in the short message and at the lack of interesting content. She longed to know the exact details of the blonde's life, to be a fly on the wall and know everything that the other girl might be holding back in her messages. She could almost hear Lilly speaking through the words on the screen and sighed deeply as she tried to think of what she could reply. There were thousands of words which she was dying to write and so many things that she wished she could say. Lilly's life sounded so much less complicated than hers at the moment, she sounded like she had lots of new friends and she was still managing to maintain old hobbies. Lilly would never lose her appetite or distance herself from everyone that she loved, even though she was the one who had moved so it was bound to be more difficult for her. Miley shook her head and felt self-loathing creep through her as she pitied how pathetic she had been whilst Lilly had moved away. If it was possible for Lilly to lead a normal life without Miley, then why could she not survive without her best friend?
"Oh yeah, because I love her." Miley whispered out loud.
She closed the email message before switching off her monitor and getting out of her seat. If Lilly could remain stable after such an upheaval, then surely Miley could return to her daily routine and perhaps regain some of her previous passion. Miley contemplated her thoughts over the previous month, she had experienced so much emotion, both in terms of grievance and despairing love that she was determined to make something out of the nothing that she had done because of these feelings. As she rose from her chair, Miley turned her gaze to the corner of the room where her eyes fell over the acoustic guitar that Lilly and Oliver had co-bought for her sixteenth birthday. Miley crossed the room and lifted it into her arms as she perched on the bed and positioned herself to play. When she rolled her fingertips gently over the strings, a nervous tremor exuded from the instrument. Miley tilted her head back and closed her eyes as lyrics flitted across her mind like distant memories that she tried to remember.
She strummed the guitar again and frowned slightly as inspiration found her in the form of Lilly's smiling face and everything that she had lost melted into a song.
Okay, so that was basically Miley's pov of Lilly being gone for about a month. I'm going to attempt to switch over to how Lilly is in the next chapter, a bit later on in the story to see how she's getting along. That's the plan anyway. Thanks for all the reviews, I knew things would pick up after a kiss. Oh and you lot who predicted a song were right! Congrats but no points as to what that is, I'm afraid I've made it quite obvious, but that was the intention