A/N: I'm so, SO sorry this took so long. Between schoolwork, applying for colleges, work, spending time with my girlfriend, and a nasty bout of writer's block, I haven't had much time to write. Hopefully, this chapter doesn't suck. Please continue to R&R. I've become addicted to checking for responses.

Yeah, it took me a while to actually make my way to Miley's house. Before I left, I practiced for about an hour exactly what I was going to say to her. I was going to apologize to her for reading her diary. Then, I was going to tell her that I didn't want our friendship to end, but I didn't feel the same for her that she did for me. The problem was that I wasn't sure that was true.

Until this whole thing happened, I hadn't noticed how much I was around Miley. We spent almost every waking moment together. When I wasn't with her, I was thinking about her. I'd think about how beautiful she was and how happy she made me. At night, I'd dream about her. Usually it would be innocent things like us hanging out, but sometimes, we'd be cuddling and I'd feel safe in her arms. Sure, I didn't think much of those dreams at the time, but now I was thinking about and analyzing everything.

Wow, how had I not found that strange before?

Still, before yesterday, I didn't even begin to think of Miley as anything more than a friend. We'd always been best friends. Sure, I loved her, but all girls love their best friends. She was just, like, my other half or something. I never thought that we could be anything else.

That is, until I read her diary.

Everything was different now. I began to realize just how much I depended on Miley. I realized just how much I needed Miley to be in my life. The day that we'd spent apart had been miserable. She was basically what made my world go around. And that terrified me. Was that what love felt like or was it just how all teenage girls feel like about their best friends?

I finally decided that no matter how I felt, we couldn't be more. Our lives would be completely turned upside down if the kids at school found out, much less our parents. We'd probably be out on the street if anyone knew. Besides, this was probably all just fleeting feelings on my part. I wasn't even sure if the things that I was feeling were because I was in love with her or if it was just because Miley loved me.

So I finally did get to Miley's house. I stood outside her door for a good 20 minutes. On any other day I would've just walked in the door and gone into Miley's room. Unfortunately, today was anything but normal, so I didn't really know what to do. If I knocked, it would make the whole situation seem even more uncomfortable and unnatural. If I didn't knock, I might seem rude. I took a chance and just walked in. I went up the stairs and knocked on Miley's door.

"For the last time Jackson, leave me alone!"

"Miley, it's me," I said through the door. "We need to talk."

There was silence. I stood at the door for a while before coming to the conclusion that she wasn't going to answer. I started to walk away when I heard the door slowly open.

"Hey Lilly."

I stood there speechless. She was wearing a pink tank top with a blue butterfly on in and a pair of hot pink shorts that were barely there. I was scared I'd start drooling if I didn't say something soon.

"Um…we need to talk."

"Yeah," she said. "You mentioned that already."

I didn't know what to say. After all the time I'd spent practicing exactly what I was going to tell her, I couldn't think of anything. I was drawing a complete blank. Miley finally broke the awkward silence that had built between us.

"Do you wanna come in?"

I hesitated. I'm not sure why, but I did.

"Yeah," was all I could think to say. Miley went and sat on her bed. Part of me wanted to sit next to her, but the other half of me said to sit as far away as possible. I listened to the latter half of me. I sat in a chair she had by her desk, stared at the floor, and just tried to stick to the script I had in my head.

"Miley, I'm so sorry I read your diary. I fell off your bed and saw it and something inside me possessed me to read it and I don't know why, but I listened to that part of myself and read it and it was so, so wrong of me and I'm sorry."

I looked up when I didn't hear a response. Miley had a smirk on her face.

"Geez, do you think you could've babbled that out any faster?" She asked. We both started laughing. For a minute, it almost felt like we were going to put things back to the way they were. We were going to move on like nothing had ever happened.

"So," she started, "was that all you came here to say?"

That question ruined everything. It meant that I'd have to talk about what I'd read. I could see the many emotions in Miley's mind. Fear...excitement...anticipation...hope...heartbreak. That was the one that made this so hard. I was going to have to break my best friend's heart…and possibly my own in the process.

"Miley, you know I love you, right?"

I saw Miley's face fall. She knew what was coming.

"Let me guess, this is the part where you let me down easy, right?" Miley said.

"I'm sorry, it's just-"

"Y'know what Lilly, just save it. I know you never wanna talk to me again. I know you hate me."

"No, I don't hate you," I said. "It's just I don't love you that way. I don't want us to never talk, I just wanna be friends again."

That was the truth…sort of.

"God Lilly, you don't get it do you? We can't be friends. We can never be friends the way we used to be. It's just not that simple."

I'd prepared myself for a lot of different outcomes, but I'd never expected Miley to be angry. Sad and hurt, yes, but not angry.

"Why not? Why can't it be that simple?" Apparently, that was a stupid question because Miley shot to her feet and started yelling at me.

"Why not? Because I'm in love with you!" Hearing her say it out loud made me a lot happier than I wanted it to. "We can't be the way we were now that you know! I can't hide it and lie to myself knowing that you know everything I'm feeling! I know this is all simple for you, but-"

"You think this is simple for me?" Okay, now I was a little pissed off. "I had to find out that the person I care about more than anyone else in the world is in love with me and that I'd eventually have to tell her that I don't feel the same and break her heart. You think that's simple?" Now I was on my feet. I knew that what I was going through wasn't nearly as difficult as what she was going through, but now I was angry, and I don't really think when I get angry.

"Yeah Lilly, that's real tough. Did you ever stop to think that I'm the one that's getting heartbroken? I'm the one that has to stand by wishing you were with me while you were wishing you were with Oliver!"

"I don't like Oliver! I never liked Oliver!"

"Please, don't treat me like an idiot. I saw the way you looked at us when we were going out. I saw how much you tried to pull me away from him. I've never seen anyone try to break up a couple so hard-"

"That's because he had you and I wanted you!" Oh shit, had I really just said that?

Miley looked shocked out of her mind. I hadn't noticed until now, but we were only standing about a foot away from each other.

"What?" was all she could say.

"Um…I didn't mean that the way it sounded…I meant that, y'know, you were my friend and all you did was spend time with Oliver. It's not because of Oliver; I just wanted to have my new friend back." Miley looked like she only half-bought that story.

"Are you sure?"

Every inch of me wanted to tell her that I was lying and that I'd wanted to kiss her since the moment we met. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that was true. I'd always been in love with Miley. I hadn't always realized it, but I'd always felt it. She was my first thought in the morning and my last though at night. She was my everything…and because of that I had to break her heart. I couldn't let her life become hell just because I wanted to be with her. Her father would probably turn his back on her and she wouldn't be able to pay for college on her own, much less a place to live. She'd have nothing left. I couldn't let her throw her life away just for some doomed romance.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I just want to be your friend Miley. Nothing more."

Miley started to cry…hard. Her body was shaking she was crying so hard. I tried to hug her but she pushed me away.

"No, I don't want your sympathy or your friendship. Just leave."

I felt like the wind had just been knocked out of me. She didn't even want to be my friend anymore? I could feel the tears start to run down my face.

"Miley, don't say that."

"Lilly, get out of my room."

"No!" I wasn't letting her go all together. That just couldn't happen. "You can't kick me out! You're my best friend and you can't just tell me to get out of your life! You know that's not what you want."

"Don't tell me what I want and don't want! You don't have any right to act like you know me!"

"I do know you!"

"You didn't even know that the entire time that we were friends that I was in love with you!" Okay, I'll give her that one. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you out!"

That's when I grabbed her and kissed her.