Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"It had been a week since Jake died, the funeral was coming this weekend, and Lillian and Miley couldn't have been in a worse state. Miley sunk into a terrible depression and spent the week isolated in her room, refusing to talk to anyone except Lilly. Both girls stayed home from school, and spent that time together crying," Joey said.

XoXo

There was a knock at the door.

"Miley, Lilly?" Robbie Ray asked gently as he knocked on his daughter's bedroom door, "Please guys unlock the door." No reply. Robbie Ray sighed and ignored his breaking heart to ask, "I just want to know if you guys want anything to eat?" He pressed his ear against the door.

The only sound was the two teenagers' soft sobbing. The man sighed again and walked away in defeat.

"Fuck my life," Miley harshly whispered to her best friend. Lilly blinked back tears and looked at her.

"I know how you feel," Lilly choked out. Miley looked away as fresh tears started down her cheeks. "I…I just want him to hold me, I didn't even get to say goodbye," she whispered. All Lilly could do was nod.

"I know Miles, I know." She pulled the brunette into a hug, both girls sobbing softly once again.

Moments later, Lilly felt a vibration in her pocket. She pulled away from Miley and grabbed her phone. It was Joe.

"Hey baby, is everything okay? I love you" As Lilly read it she felt a sharp pain in her chest. She felt so bad; she hadn't even talked to Joe more than twice over the week. She knew it was breaking his heart to see her like this, but she couldn't push herself to do anything about it.

"Just answer him Lils, I know everything is fucking hard right now, but Joe really cares," Miley told Lilly, as if reading her mind. She gave her blonde best friend a weak smile.

"Joseph I am so sorry I've been distant lately, I haven't been motivated to do ANYTHING. It just all hurts so badly. I love you too, so much" She pressed the send button and waited for his response. It came fast and she could almost picture his face lighting up at her reply.

"I understand completely baby. It hurts seeing you like this. Feel better; give Miles a big hug for me. XoXo" Lilly closed her phone and smiled, a real smile, for the first time since the news.

"You really love him." Miley stated looking at Lilly. Lilly looked down and nodded. "Then what are you so afraid of Lils, go out with him, be with him." Lilly shook her head.

"I…I can't Miley." She whispered sadly.

"Why the fuck not?" Miley asked. She had gotten a nasty habit of swearing since the accident.

Lilly bit her lip and looked at Miley. She sighed. "I'm so scared. I'm scared of getting hurt even more. I mean…Miles the past two months have been like hell for me…"

Miley nodded and firmly replied, "Joe won't hurt you." Her tone told Lilly she was serious.

"He promised me he wouldn't. But…I'm scared. I want to be with him so badly but something inside won't let me," Lilly said as new tears filled her eyes.

"He's a good fucking guy Lilly. Don't let him go." Miley said and she attempted to give Lilly a smile. Failed.

"I'm not…I just can't…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

"Be his girlfriend?" Miley asked. Lilly nodded. "Well maybe Joe can be the one thing to make you happy Lils."

Lilly looked at Miley again. She hadn't thought of it that way. Maybe Joseph wouldn't hurt her; maybe he could be the thing to turn her life around. Nothing else had seemed to do that lately. Maybe she didn't have anything to be scared of. "You're right Miles," she whispered so silently Miley barely heard her.

Miley managed to successfully give her a small smile and pulled the blonde into a tight hug. "I love you Lils, thanks for everything."

Lilly squeezed her back. "I love you too Miley, I know you're there for me anytime too."

The girls pulled apart and Miley sighed. "Do you want anything to drink or whatever?"

Lilly shook her head. "I have no appetite what so ever."

"Me either. I must've lost a couple pounds; I haven't eaten anything except a few granola bars…" Miley said, half joking. Lilly smiled and watched Miley get up and walk to the bathroom.

"Ugh I look terrible," Miley called to Lilly. She examined herself. Messy hair, old and smeared makeup, red eyes, dark circles under them…

Lilly got up and walked over to the conjoined bathroom to join her. "Ew I look disgusting too," she said, horrified by her appearance.

The girls sighed and left the bathroom to return to sit on the bed.

"I think I should change my shirt since I haven't in oh, 5 days," Miley muttered. She got up and went to her closet to pick a new outfit. She pulled off her long sleeved pajama shirt. As she did Lilly noticed something odd; something that made her heart sink to her stomach. Miley put on a clean new long sleeved pajama shirt and joined Lilly back on the bed.

"What's wrong?" Miley asked when she noticed her best friend staring at her with a shocked expression. Lilly grabbed the brunette's left arm and quickly yanked the sleeve up. She looked down and felt tears roll down her cheeks. Miley's arm was covered in cuts, small ones surrounding the big one. She had carved 'Jake' into her arm.

Lilly looked up at Miley and saw her best friend crying. "Miley…" Miley looked away, unable to look the blonde in the eyes. Lilly swallowed. "Miley, why?"

There was a moment of silence before Miley answered her in a whisper, "It helps Lils." Miley slowly pulled her sleeve back down and was hit with the biggest hug from her best friend she'd ever gotten. The girls were sobbing again.

XoXo

"I don't get it!" a girl asked Joey, "What happened with Miley?"

"She cut herself you idiot! My sister had to go to therapy last year for doing that," a boy answered her.

"What's that mean?" a different girl asked.

"Okay guys, cutting is when people who are very sad or depressed make cuts on their body purposely because it makes them feel better. It's very bad," Joey explained to the classroom.

"Is Miley going to be okay?" a boy asked concerned. The class agreed with and the little voices all expressed their concern.

"Well let's just say the cutting isn't the worst thing Miley could do…" Joey answered. "Now then…"

XoXo

"It was about another week after that, two weeks from Jake's tragic death, and the only progress Miley and Lilly made was leaving the room and being just a little bit more social. Lilly was talking to Joe every day again and even starting to let him see her."

"Hey guys," Joe said softly as he walked into Miley's house. The two girls gave no response from their seats on the couch. Joe flashed a sorrowful look at Robbie Ray and went to join the girls in the living room. They looked up at him when he sat down across from them.

"How you guys doing?" He asked the broken teenagers. No reply.

Joe felt his heart break a little as he examined Lilly and Miley. They looked absolutely miserable. He saw Miley nudge Lilly gently, and Lilly cleared her throat. Her throat was dry, it hurt.

"Hey Joseph," she said weakly. Joe's face brightened a little bit and he couldn't help but smile.

"Hey baby, how you doing?" he asked her. Before she could even try to reply, Miley got up and excused herself to the bathroom. Lilly winced. "What?" Joe asked her confused.

Lilly knew Miley was going to go cut. It killed Lilly every single time she had to watch her best friend make a mark upon her body. "Nothing…" she choked out.

Joe got up and sat next to Lilly. For the first time in a while, she took in his sweet scent and felt her body go numb. Lilly felt comfortable with someone else besides Miley for the first time. She relaxed into his arms, as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I…I'm sorry Joe."

Joe shook his head, "its okay Lilly. I understand. I'm here for you." She weakly smiled and leaned over and for a brief moment, their lips met. "I'm ready Joe,' she whispered.

"Ready?" Joe asked her. But before she could clarify, a loud bang was heard from the bathroom. Lilly jumped up and spoke to Miley's dad and Joe, "Stay here, I'll be right back." The men shot glances at one another but obeyed the blonde.

Lilly ran as fast as she could over to the bathroom, thoughts racing. She knocked on the door. "Miley, it's just me, open up." Nothing at first, but soon she heard the door click unlocked.

Lilly looked down and gasped. Miley's arms were split open worse than ever. Blood was running down her arms and it covered her clothes and the crystal white floor. She was holding a large knife. "Lilly…" she managed to say, "I love you babe, best friends forever, I can't do this anymore. Make sure everyone see's the note on the sink." She raised the knife.

Lilly screamed, "MILEY NO, MR. STEWA-"She stopped and was forced to watch as her best friend plunged the already blood stained knife into her heart.

Lilly's bloodcurdling scream could have been heard from miles away.

XoXo

"So Miley took her life…" Joey whispered to the class.

Everyone was silent. A couple of the kids had tears falling from their eyes. They understood what THAT meant.

Awweeeee, that was such a sad chapter.

I'm sorry for my lack of updating. I really should work on that.

Review please guys, I know you read it so take the time to say something about it.
It'd make me verrrrry happy!

-Jenna