Well, here it is, the next chapter of my story. Sorry that it took so long to upload but I had an essay which was due in yesterday and that was stressful enough! I hope you all enjoy. The one after will be up really soon cos it's pretty much done. Thanks for all the great reviews too, it's nice to see that y'all like my story lol. :)
'They Say That Good Things Take Time' – Chapter 12
Lilly stood still with her eyes closed, revelling in her freshly trodden surroundings. The smell of salt water and sea air was tantalising her nostrils, flooding sweet memories back into her mind as her ears were filled with the relieving crush of water over sand. Her hair was falling loosely down her back and it wrapped itself carelessly around her face when the wind gently played with it. Lilly's skin was warmed by the close atmosphere of the wetsuit she wore and, as she opened her eyes, she could not help but mutter a thankful "Home sweet home." The sky was filled with grey clouds which draped themselves occasionally over the sun, causing the day to be overcast and cooler than she would have liked, but it was still Malibu. Her sky-blue irises traversed the murky blue colouring of the sea and her whole body was itching for the sensations that a morning of surfing could offer her.
She ran her fingertips lovingly over the smooth surface of her old surfboard which she cruelly had to leave behind. Now that it was back by her side, she felt like an old friend had returned and had to grin at the foolish connection that she felt for the inanimate object. She burrowed her toes into the grains of sand beneath her feet and swayed slightly on the spot as she waited a few tantalising moments longer before she headed toward the waves. Lilly wanted to savour every moment, because she had missed this feeling so much and it would be over all too soon. She lifted her board up and out of the sandy nest it had dug slightly for itself and heaved it under her arm as she trotted towards the ocean; it was good to be back.
Oliver Oken stood and scanned the horizon, shivering slightly as a breeze blew back his shaggy brown hair. It was too early for him as he clutched the thermos of hot coffee and studied the ocean for his blonde friend. Eventually he caught sight of Lilly skimming over the waves on her board, still perched firmly after lack of practice and looking like she was in her element. Her long, golden hair was slicked back and made darker by the water she had continuously drenched it in. Her figure was a thing of natural poise and grace as she manoeuvred her board through the surf. To Oliver it was like a piece of moving art as she flicked over the waves before tumbling into the spray once more. He chuckled gently as he watched Lilly's wipe-out before he saw the relentless blonde pop her head out of the water and clasp her surfboard ready to try again. A slight pang of guilt shot through him as he thought about the missing piece of their friendship circle and of how much Miley would have given just to be standing in his place that morning. He told himself it was all for the best as Miley's reaction on seeing Lilly tonight would be even greater than if she spotted her friend now, but he could not shift the sense of unease.
Oliver was soon brought back to his senses when he was distracted by a content Lilly stumbling up the beach toward him, arms outstretched toward the towel and hot beverage which he had come to offer.
"Thanks Ollie." Lilly said cheerfully with a bright grin that did not seem close to fading for the next few hours at least.
"Not a problem." Oliver replied and then tried to stifle a yawn.
"Aw, poor Ollie," Lilly pouted, "I'm sorry, did I keep you up too late last night?"
"Hmm? Oh, no you didn't. It was good to catch up but I wasn't really anticipating just how early you were planning on getting up this morning Lil. Don't worry though it's worth it if I can spend time with my best buddy." Oliver smiled and nudged Lilly playfully.
Lilly returned the sentiments before clutching at her stomach as a familiar rumble brought her attention back to her appetite. She looked up at Oliver with pleading eyes and inwardly felt relieved when he laughed and led their way back to his car for the short drive home to pancake heaven.
Only a few blocks away from her two best friends, Miley Stuart was embracing the beginnings of a bad day. She had failed to wake up in time for the schedule that she had planned for herself and was now storming about her bedroom in a miniature rage as she struggled to adapt her routine. Her hair was still wet from the shower and hung lankly down her back whilst she hastened to find clothes to change into. Miley was momentarily distracted by a tap on the door and turned to find her anxious brother standing at the door of her Hannah closet.
"Good morning Miles." Jackson tentatively greeted his sister.
"Ugh," Miley made a disparaging noise, "there's nothing good about this morning Jackson."
"Oh." Jackson stated lamely, he often found it difficult to react correctly to Miley's rages these days, "What's wrong?"
"What's right?" Miley sighed as she scrabbled around to find a pair of shoes to match her pre-planned outfit. "I completely overslept this morning, I look a mess, I forgot that the shoes that I wanted to wear are broken and I'm probably going to sing really badly tonight."
Jackson watched his sister's erratic delving into her treasure trove of a wardrobe before noticing that she was subtly pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes in an attempt to discourage the tears which lurked there.
"Hey," Jackson said as he crossed the carpeted floor to be at her side, "hey Miley. Don't panic, it's all gonna be alright, okay?" He spoke softly and gently prised her hands off a pair of scarlet heels and cuddled her into his arms. Miley wiped her face on his shoulder and Jackson could not help but prevent a brotherly grimace at her actions, why did his little sister have to be so gross when he was trying to help? He heard her sniffling and then felt relieved as she started to calm down.
"Thanks." Miley muttered and eased herself slowly out of his caring embrace. "I needed that." She said and chuckled weakly.
Jackson responded with a smile, "Anytime sis. Now, what can I do to help?"
Miley stood up and looked across the room to where her outfit was hanging up near the doorway. "Any chance you can help me find a pair of shoes to go with what I'm wearing tonight?"
Jackson looked slightly alarmed at her request and Miley had to laugh at her brother's discomfort. "Erm, sure Miles, I can if you really want me to." Jackson replied hesitantly before carefully poking through her vast shoe collection, handling each item as if it were contaminated.
"Alright Jackson, I'm only messing with ya." Miley grinned. "If you really want to help then you can go and ask dad to prepare something for me to eat on the way to the club 'cos I haven't managed to eat anything yet."
"Sure." Jackson said and winked at his sister, inwardly sighing in relief that Miley was paying attention to her appetite again. She had slipped up a few times recently and failed to finish her dinner only a couple of nights ago, so the fact that she was asking for food was a promising sign.
Miley waited until the door clicked shut behind her brother before she returned to her search. She was secretly very annoyed with herself for being so disorganised after she had been planning this day out for the past month. It was the first small gig she was going to do since before the summer and for some reason performing in front of a smaller, more intimate and exclusive audience was more nerve-wracking than ever. Miley was worried about her set, for as well as repeating the old Hannah Montana classics she was also planning to venture a new song to gauge the audience's response. It was a difficult time for her and without Lilly by her side she was feeling strangely hollow and fragile. Miley sighed, no amount of wishing was going to bring Lilly back to her and she was beginning to give up hope of seeing her vivacious blonde before Christmas. She longed for a little shard of Lilly's energy to be injected back into her mundane existence. Her life was as grey as the overcast sky that lurked above Malibu that November Saturday and she was growing sick of the cares that she carried. Her heart longed for Lilly in every respect, she missed all the small things that she loved about Lilly and always felt like there was a void in her chest where Lilly's everyday presence had sat. Miley had recently grown fearful that she could not remember the sound of Lilly's cheerful voice, or that the image of her face had grown blurred in her mind, but then she reflected that she was just being dramatic. She knew that if she sat still for a moment and thought of the blonde then everything was clear to her once more yet, in reality, Miley spent too much time thinking about Lilly and was not caring enough for herself.
Miley's musings over her beloved blonde were soon cut short as she unearthed a pair of pretty pumps which she had not seen for a while. She glanced towards the jacket and jeans that were hanging up and discovered that she had made a match. Her outfit was complete and the show would go on. A small smile crossed her face as she realised the absurdity of her stresses that morning before she gathered up everything that she would need and shut her bedroom door behind her.
Lilly Truscott stood in the lounge of Oliver's comfortable house, waiting for her best friend as he checked his hair for the fifth time this evening, growing ever more impatient with him.
"Oliver!" she shouted, "Get your butt down here now or we're gonna be late."
"Hang on!" Oliver replied, sounding slightly distant as he obsessed in front of the bathroom mirror.
Lilly sighed and crossed her arms as she sank into the same couch where she had sat all those months ago when she had confessed to Oliver that she was leaving. Apart from a new pair of drapes that hung in the window behind her, nothing about the Oken household had changed and Lilly had noticed this at once with a great sense of relief. She was growing secretly anxious at the thought of seeing Miley again, after hearing about her weight loss and depressed nature without the blonde around, Lilly was uncertain about meeting her again. She felt guilt gnawing at her insides and found that she could not shake off the feeling as she knew that she had been a bad friend, yet had still never managed to motivate herself to do better. Her impatience was growing, fuelled by her nerves as she irrationally took her frustration out on the young man upstairs.
"Oliver! We've gotta leave!" She called him again and then checked the clock on the wall for the seventh time. "Miley's singing in an hour and we need to get there early."
"Alright, alright, I'm ready." Oliver greeted Lilly as he hurried down the stairs. He was wearing a shirt with some dark jeans and his hair was neatly styled. Lilly smiled fondly at the boy in front of her, remembering how much they had both grown over the period of time in which they knew one another and how much she had missed him.
"Thank god for that. You take longer than a girl to get ready."
"Nuh-uh!" Oliver replied, looking slightly dejected.
"Erm, hell yes you do! You took longer than me." Lilly retorted.
"Oh." Oliver's face fell. "I guess, sometimes I forget you're a girl." He answered back and grinned menacingly.
"Hey!" Lilly squawked and punched him in the arm, "I resent that comment."
"Ouch Lil." Oliver grimaced and rubbed the area that she had abused, "There's no need to get all violent with me. Besides, you know I'm only joking. You look really good tonight."
"Thanks Ollie. Now let's go." Lilly replied, feeling her cheeks grow slightly pinker as she followed her friend out of the door. She had dressed herself more flatteringly than usual and had decided to opt for the more feminine option of flowing top over leggings. Lilly was nervous that Miley would recognise her in the crowd, but Oliver had told her not to fear as she was not wearing any outlandish wigs tonight. It felt strange to Lilly to attend a Hannah Montana function without the disguise of Lola Luftnagle and only made her feel less of a part of Miley's life. The thought saddened her slightly, even though she knew it was all a part of the surprise, but she truly missed Miley's company and suddenly longed to see her sassy friend once more.
The drive to the club did not take long and Oliver managed to park his car close to the venue. He had reassured Lilly that it was a small gig as Hannah Montana was taking some time off from major performances due to Miley's wish to focus on her school work. A line of people had already begun at the door in the hopes that people with tickets would not show up and they would be allowed in to make up numbers. Lilly smiled wickedly to herself as she noticed the desperate Amber and Ashley only a couple of places from the front of the queue. She knew that their efforts were hopeless as Hannah Montana gigs were becoming rarer and the press had spread rumours that she was going to quit soon so now everyone wanted a piece of her before it was too late. As she and Oliver stepped up to the man on the door and drew out their tickets, a frustrated Amber spotted them, grabbed her companion and vented their annoyance.
"Hey, Oken, how did you manage to get tickets for tonight? I heard they sold out an hour after going on sale."
Oliver looked over at the pair lazily and shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. Just lucky I guess."
Amber shot him a look of disdain. "Whatever." She then cast her gaze over to Lilly who was trying to make herself invisible behind him. "And who did you manage to get to go with you, some blind girl?" She giggled mercilessly and turned to Ashley for back-up who was squinting and trying to look beyond Oliver.
"Oh my god. No way. Look Amber, it's that dork, Lilly Truscott."
"What the hell?" Amber responded and pushed past Ashley.
"Oh my god, you're right. What are you doing here?" She addressed Lilly with a quiver of contempt in her voice.
Lilly sighed as she turned to face one of the only things that she did not actually miss about her old home. "I came to watch the concert, same as everyone else here." Lilly replied and signalled at the queue of people behind them and the small group of girls who had just gone in.
"So you're telling us that you flew back here from Mars, or wherever you've moved to, to watch Hannah Montana sing? You're such a freak."
Lilly felt the familiar anger boil up within her in reaction to Amber's snide comments and struggled to keep her voice level as she responded. "Yeah, I did. And at least I'm actually going to see the concert tonight. Have fun queuing ladies." Lilly retorted before grabbing Oliver's arm and leading him inside.
Oliver chuckled slightly at the tight grip that Lilly had him in and had to ease her off gently when he began to lose sensation in his fingertips. "Cool it Lil, it's over now, they're outside, we're not, now let's just enjoy the show, alright?"
Lilly nodded her head before looking tersely around as if Miley was loose and wandering around the audience. The atmosphere was so taught around them that Lilly thought she could almost sense Miley's presence within this confined space and it felt strange to her that her best friend was only a short distance away. The thought made her feel dizzy and she had to clutch at Oliver again as her heart rate increased and her legs wobbled slightly. Oliver had been sensing her anxiety all evening and quickly guided her over to the bar where he ordered them both cokes in an attempt to revive her.
"Are you feeling better now?" Oliver asked Lilly as he watched her gulp down her drink as she stood shakily beside the bar.
Lilly nodded as she swallowed down a mouthful of the icy liquid, "Uh-huh. Thanks Ollie."
Oliver nodded and turned to scan the room for himself. It was dimly lit and the stage on the other side of the room was empty except for the band instruments and a single chair further forward on the raised platform. It was going to be a very intimate performance and he knew how pressured Miley was feeling about tonight.
"We should probably go and find somewhere to stand." Lilly mumbled to Oliver as she set down her empty glass on the bar.
"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Oliver replied.
The pair began to push their way steadily through the mass of people that were gathered around chattering with anticipation about the show. Lilly felt relieved when she noticed that these were not all hardcore Hannah fans but a slightly older audience due to the amount of magazine editors gathered, and the somewhat richer kids who were more laid back. She and Oliver still did not manage to get right to the front of the crowds where the younger, more excited children had gathered, but this did not bother her. Lilly was frightened of Miley recognising her in the crowd and she was certain that this would put her off her set. It felt so strange for Lilly to be standing among the heated atmosphere of an audience, yet she found herself enjoying it. She did miss helping Miley get ready and watching her from backstage, but she had to confess that the view was much better from the spectators' position.
Lilly felt Oliver watching her and turned to look into his face. Oliver was looking at her closely and before he could change his expression, Lilly was surprised to see such a sad emotion crossing his kindly features. She frowned slightly as he suddenly smiled and switched his gaze back to the stage and then over the crowds, but before Lilly had a chance to question Oliver on what was wrong, the band members filed onstage.
A hush suddenly fell over the club as the atmosphere built in anticipation for the performer. Lilly was also gripped with the electricity of that feeling, suspense building up within every particle as her eyes remained glued to the stage. For a moment, nothing happened, until a sudden ripple of applause and cries, which grew gradually louder, swept throughout the audience as Hannah Montana walked onto the stage.
Lilly's voice got stuck in her throat as she opened her mouth to cheer. She was finally faced with her best friend, yet she was speechless and her heart hammered within her, fit to bursting, as she ran her eyes over Miley. Tonight she was wearing a white jacket combined with jeans and some pretty, yet casual shoes. This was not going to be a major performance and, to the journalistic onlookers, she had seemingly matured, which they depicted through her outfit choice and choosing of a smaller venue. From Lilly's perspective she was finding it difficult to read her friend. The Hannah hair hung straight and aesthetically blonde as it always did, but tonight Miley had chosen to cover her warm, blue eyes with tinted shades. From the aura of the lights which burned down upon Miley's figure, she seemed startlingly frail to Lilly but, for all of that, Lilly was captivated and could not bear to draw her eyes away.
Miley took a seat and quickly scanned the crowd from behind her glasses. She felt surprisingly naked in front of all the hungry eyes as her mind momentarily blanked out the loving screams and she focused on her performance. She raised the microphone to her mouth and cleared her throat before welcoming her audience.
"Hello everybody." This elicited more screams from the fanatic fans in the front row and Miley's lips twitched slightly into a smile. "Thanks for coming tonight, I hope y'all have a good time. This is my first song, and it's One in a Million." The keyboard player struck the first few keys as he introduced the first song to the eager crowd. Miley remained stationary on her chair as she kept her eyes diverted from the masses and began to sing.
Lilly listened to the familiar music and felt excitement charge through her body in the relief of hearing Miley's voice live again. All the old familiar feelings of listening to Miley sing flooded her mind and her heart beat faster. She could not wait for the performance to be over so that she could surprise Miley with her presence and the gift of a hand-made photo album filled with pictures of their former life together. Soon Lilly was a part of the sea of people, cheering adoringly for the pop-star and singing along with her music until her throat became dry. Oliver stood by her side, his body bobbing in reaction to the beat of the music, and smiling from happiness at the thought of them all being together once more.
After Miley had sung most of her familiar songs, there was a slight pause for her to go offstage and take a sip of water. Within this break, Lilly was granted time to ponder over Miley's performance so far. She could not help but notice that her best friend had sung all of the sadder songs that she had ever written, combined with those which demanded hope for the future. The choice of upbeat songs along with tracks that the audience could dance to had been limited. Lilly felt slightly guilty as she gauged Miley's mood when she prepared for the concert, and had to reflect that this was how the brunette had been feeling ever since she had left. Lilly turned to face Oliver who was watching her closely again.
"Are you alright Lilly?" Oliver asked her, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the babble of the crowds.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Lilly replied thoughtfully, "Miley seems pretty depressed though."
Oliver shrugged as he contemplated his answer, "She's often like this nowadays Lil. But whatever you do, don't blame yourself. She's gotta bring herself out of this hole and she knows it. No way does she blame you for moving or anything, I think she's mostly mad at herself for feeling this way."
"Feeling what way?" Lilly asked him, a strange emotion stirring in her breast, trilling her heart in alarm.
"Well, you know, like missing you lots." Oliver looked confused and slightly guilty. "She's also not doing very well in school, plus she's worried about Hannah Montana. She wants to get into a good college but she can't do that if she's working so much on her act. She's just generally very stressed." Oliver finished and Lilly nodded. It did not seem to be entirely her fault after all, plus she knew how much further education strung people up as she was looking into colleges for herself. There was also the mystery of the song that she had sent to Lilly, but before Lilly could consider what was going on in that aspect of her best friend's life, Miley walked back onstage.
"Umm… This next song is something which I wrote recently. It's a song about missing someone and, umm, feeling like you can't find them and the only place they could be is the Bottom of the Ocean."
The crowd cheered in anticipation for a fresh song, whilst camera men readily aimed their equipment centre-stage to record everything and journalists poised their pens over their paper. Miley remained stationary under the glaring spotlight and Lilly sensed that she was suddenly even more nervous. Dictaphones were thrust forward, arms were outstretched and faces were filled with curiosity, combined with fanatical delight, as Hannah Montana began her song.
It's been in the past for a while
I get a flash and I smile.
Am I crazy?
Still miss you baby.
It was real, it was right
But it burned too hot to survive,
All that's left is
All these ashes.
As Miley sang her eyes were moistening around the edges from tears as the actualization of her feelings for Lilly hit her once more. She longed for Lilly's presence backstage or in the front row and craved to see her beaming face looking lovingly up at her once more. Her voice was strengthened and taught with emotion, and she was once again glad that she had chosen the darker glasses to mask some of her feelings.
Where does the love go?
I don't know
When it's all said and done.
How could I be
Losing you forever?
After all the time we
Spent together.
I have to know why
I had to lose you.
Now you've just become
Like everything I'll
Never find again
At the bottom of the ocean.
Miley remembered writing this particular song as her mind wrapped itself around the lyrics and her voice threw it out over the crowd. She had been sitting on her balcony, morosely watching the ebbing and flowing of the tide as the sun set slowly during a late Sunday afternoon. She had not heard from Lilly at all that week and had sunk into one of her absolute lows. Normally, at this stage of feeling, she would refuse food and allow her pillow to absorb the brunt of her emotions. She was about to turn inside when she noticed a lone surfer skimming the waves in front of her. Miley was suddenly captivated by the graceful figure and could not tear her gaze away. The person was lit up from behind by the rays of the falling sun, and as the figure fell and disappeared momentarily into the water, Miley was reminded of Lilly and her love for the ocean.
As the girls were growing up and Miley's feelings became more projected, she had always feared slightly for Lilly every time that she had wiped out when surfing. She was secretly afraid that one day Lilly would be hurt and never emerge from the depths again; that she would be lost to Miley at the bottom of the ocean. From these old memories stirring within her, Miley had been inspired and, instead of reaching for her pillow whilst rejecting her food, she found her guitar and transformed her misery into art once more.
In a dream you appeared.
For a while you were here,
So I keep sleeping
Just to keep you with me.
I'll draw a map
Connect the dots
With all the memories
That I've got.
What I'm missing
I'll keep re-living.
Where does the love go?
I don't know
When it's all set and done.
How could I be
losing you forever?
After all the time we
spent together.
I have to know why
I had to lose you.
Now you've just become
Like everything I'll
never find again
At the bottom of the ocean.
This is it
Let go
Breathe…
You don't have to love me
For me to, baby, ever understand.
Just know of the time
That we both had.
And I don't ever
Want to see you sad,
Be happy.
Cause I don't want to hold you
If you don't want to tell
Me you love me babe.
Just know I'm gonna
Have to walk away.
I'll be big enough for
Both of us to say, be happy.
Mmmm....
Be happy.
Tears stung the corners of Lilly's eyes as she watched Miley come to a bitter end of her new song. From where she was standing, and from her knowing eyes which flickered over Miley, she could see that her friend was unhappy. She recognised all too well the false smile that Miley flashed in the direction of the magazine writers and the dark glasses did well to hide her watery eyes. Lilly had seen Miley upset often enough to know when sadness wracked her voice and she could not watch Miley in this state any longer.
"I've gotta go Ollie." Lilly breathed into her best friend's ear as the crowd broke into tumultuous applause around them and critics at nearby tables nodded in approval.
Oliver looked at Lilly with a puzzled expression on his face, "Sure, do you want me to come with?"
"Erm no. Stay and watch the rest of the show. I'll be back at yours but I need to go for a walk first and sort out my head."
"Sure." Oliver nodded enthusiastically and glanced back over at Miley who was starting up another song.
Lilly's eyes widened slightly in alarm as she followed Oliver's train of attention, "Ollie, whatever you do, don't tell Miley I was here, okay?"
Oliver looked at Lilly closely before conceding. "Okay, I won't Lil, but only if you promise you'll see her tonight."
Lilly gulped, "I will." The blonde nodded nervously at Oliver before turning and pushing her way back through the heaving crowds, which had become more animated during Nobody's Perfect. Finally she broke out, gasping, into the open air of the street outside and felt her pink cheeks cool down. She began to walk briskly down the street, ignoring the catcalls that Amber and Ashley were undoubtedly directing toward her, and then hailed a nearby cab.
"Where are you headed?" The driver asked Lilly.
Lilly thought for a moment before giving them Miley's address. There was something she needed to do.
The Stuart residence, from the outside, was just how Lilly had remembered it, except this time there were no welcoming lights because everyone was still at the club. The young blonde quietly walked up to the front door, her body hunched over slightly as she knew that she was not supposed to be there. Lilly fumbled around under a flowerpot on the porch for the spare key and was relieved when she found it in its usual place. She grinned as she remembered her threat to Miley, on the last day of school, that she would use it one day to let herself in and surprise the brunette.
The inside of the house had not altered either and Lilly gratefully contemplated this fact as she leaned against the doorway for a moment, confidently becoming aware of her surroundings. She crossed over the threshold and made her way over to her second favourite area of the house; the kitchen. Lilly lovingly ran her fingertips over the work surfaces where she had spent many happy hours preparing meals with Miley and Robbie Ray. She allowed herself a cheeky glimpse inside the freezer drawers and merrily unearthed a tub of Robbie Ray's famous home-made ice-cream. Feeling cheeky, Lilly allowed herself one scoop of the frozen desert on a large table spoon, before putting the rest back in its place.
Lilly trespassed back through the lounge until she arrived at the foot of the stairs. She glanced upwards into the gloom and swallowed before putting her first foot on the bottom step. Lilly quietly made the journey upstairs and across the familiar landing until she was stood outside her favourite room; Miley's bedroom. Tentatively, she swung the door open and stepped inside. Lilly inhaled deeply as the familiar smell of her best friend overcame her as she entered her space. She allowed herself to flick on the light switch and smilingly looked around the room that she used to visit almost every single day as the two girls grew up together. Miley's bed was made and all her usual things were put away in their normal places. The door to the Hannah closet was still open slightly ajar and Lilly knew that they must have left in a rush for Miley to have had a moment of disorganisation.
Lilly crossed the room to Miley's French windows where she slowly opened them and stepped outside onto the balcony that she had always been jealous of. The smell of the sea on the wind came over to greet her and she smiled even more at the sound of the waves crushing the sand. Lilly returned back inside where she climbed onto Miley's bed to await her homecoming.
It must have been an hour later when Lilly was awoken by the sound of voices from downstairs in the lounge. Her eyes opened slowly and groggily while, with a slight shock, she realised that she must have fallen asleep. As her mind adjusted to the sound downstairs, she discovered that the Stuart family must have returned and she quickly rolled over in the bed in an attempt to sit up. As she did so, Lilly's head grazed something hard and pointy which was sticking out slightly from underneath one of Miley's pillows. Without thinking properly due to her exhaustion, Lilly instinctively fumbled underneath the pillow and pulled it out.
As she turned the hardcover over, she realised that she was holding a book, yet as Lilly's eyes scanned over the front cover she discovered it was Miley's diary. Lilly frowned slightly as she ran her fingertips over the smooth covering of the pretty book, curiosity building up inside of her mind toward the content of the pages. She wondered as to whether they would hold the key to unlocking Miley's hidden issues over the past months and, after listening hard to hear the sound of plates clinking and dining beginning, Lilly opened the pages to the last entry.
Dear Diary,
Well, tomorrow is the night. My first performance in a while and I do feel really nervous about it all. I can't believe that I actually agreed to get out there and sing in front of all those people when I haven't performed in so long. God, I wish Lilly were here, she would know just what to say to cheer me up. She always knew what to say…
Anyway, no point getting all worked up about all that. So, tomorrow night I'm gonna sing that new song Bottom of the Ocean and I hope they like it. There's so much emotion in that song that I'm scared they're gonna hate it! I am such a freak, why can't I just go back to writing normal songs again about normal things. I know, why don't I just go out to a party again and get drunk and then write a song about that? Oh right. Cause I don't do parties anymore or fun. I just sit around in my room like a total lame-ass and wait for something good to come along.
God I miss Lilly... I miss her so much it hurts and I still can't stop thinking about her. When will she come back to me? Probably never.
By now, she's probably got this really hot boyfriend and I'll never know because she never puts anything interesting her emails. If she has got a boyfriend, then I'll be happy for her. She deserves to have someone to love her like that, openly and in a way that she won't be freaked out by…
Lilly's slammed the book shut and her heartbeat began to increase as she heard someone walk up the stairs. From the weight of the footfall, and the whistling, she could only deduce that it was Jackson. Lilly was not ready to take any chances at being found, she quickly got to her feet and quietly trotted over to the windows. Realising that she was still holding Miley's diary, Lilly flung it hurriedly across the floor where it came to a skidding halt next to Miley's bed. Unable to do anything about it as the footsteps outside had suddenly stopped short and were perilously close; Lilly silently cursed herself and made a dash onto her friend's balcony. From there, she swung her athletic body up into the tree that she had unsuccessfully climbed in the past, and ungracefully slithered down onto the beach below. After taking one last, hurriedly frightened, look up at the house, Lilly turned away and walked quickly down the beach.
Miley's bedroom door was flung open a few moments later as a bad-tempered brunette stormed into her room. The night had gone mostly to plan, yet she had been left by an unknown sense of angst which frustrated her no end. Everyone had annoyed her, from the incessant flashing cameras stemming from the press, to her father's loving praise, Miley was not in the mood to be reminded of the fame that her alter ego was due to receive. After attempting a supper which had tasted like ash in her mouth, she had reached her limits and made her stomping way up the stairs to get ready for bed.
As she entered the room, however, Miley suddenly realised that something was hideously wrong. The light in her room savagely glared at her and she stopped in shock as she walked in. The doors to the balcony had been left open and Miley's mind immediately screamed burglary. Her eyes widened further when she noticed that her bed looked rumpled, as if someone had been lying on it and her diary was in the middle of her bedroom floor. She quickly crossed the room to her bed and stared at the misplaced pillows in fear. As she put her shaking hands to the covers, she stopped suddenly. Miley bent her head closer to the linen and breathed in deeply. Her heart rate built up and she could feel her pulse throbbing at her throat. She had been correct from her first breath. Miley sniffed the slight dent in the pillow, running her hands lovingly over the cool area where a blonde head had lain. Miley felt like crying as she recognised the precious fragrance; it was essence of Lilly. Her attention quickly turned back to the still-open French windows and then to the diary, splayed out across the floor. She straightened up at once as her adrenaline shocked her system and panic set in. The brunette turned towards the door, bolting out and down the stairs in a flash. In a few short steps, Miley had crossed the kitchen, rushed past her father, through the back door and onto the cool sand of the beach.
Her arms beat quickly by her sides as she felt her spirit soar toward the starry heavens above. Her breath was becoming more painful in her chest while her legs moved rapidly beneath her. After all these months, her beloved had returned to her, and now she had run away. Miley chased after her, emotion welling up within her until it reached a sobbing peak in her throat. Miley opened her mouth and cried out; "Lilly!" into the night.