Miley Stewart felt suffocated.
Sitting next to Jake in the movie theater, all she wanted to do was go home, turn her phone off, and hide under the covers until this relationship nightmare was over. The truth was, she couldn't stand Jake anymore. Jake Ryan, television god, had turned out to be as shallow and hollow as could possibly be, and Miley had just had enough.
She turned to look at Oliver next to her. He was slumped in his seat, his sunken brown eyes telling the whole story. Miley felt a twinge of guilt. She couldn't pretend not to notice the feelings Oliver had for her anymore. She knew his depressed state was all because of Jake. Jake and Miley, the happiest most horrible couple in the entire universe. Honestly, half the time she felt like shouting at Oliver how she really felt. How much she hated Jake, how much she felt trapped, and desperately wished sometimes it was just her and Oliver hanging out. Not Jake, Miley, and a depressed Oliver and Jake smitten Lily.
She sighed.
How had things between all of them gotten so bad? Well inside, she knew.
It was all Jake's fault.
He had broken Lily's heart. Then he had taken Miley's, which in turn broke Oliver's. Then he had finally shown his true self and acted like a complete idiot, losing his girlfriend's affection, and ending up here. In the movies, the couple from hell between the lovers from hell. She honestly had to convince herself any of it was real, life really seemed to be resembling a soap opera these days.
Miley looked over at Lily. She sat in her seat, upright and staring straight ahead at the movie screen, obviously trying hard not to notice the close proximity of Jake next to her. Miley sighed again. She wished Lily knew that if she wanted Jake, she could have him. Besides, Miley's whole relationship with Jake was built on a foundation of guilt anyway. Technically, she had stolen him from Lily in the first place, and Miley sometimes felt like she would never be able to live with that.
She saw how fake Lily acted everytime Miley told her something about her relationship. She saw how hard Lily tried not to cry or show any emotion at all when Miley talked about Jake at length. But those days were long gone. Miley never talked that way about Jake anymore, and even if she did, it wouldn't have been to Lily.
After all, none of them really communicated to each other these days. It seemed as if Jake was the only one who ever said anything. Whether pointing himself out in a passing commercial, or talking about a new movie deal he was working on, it was always Jake's voice. Miley couldn't recall the last real conversation she had had with Lily, and she couldn't even remember the last time her and Oliver had really talked about anything. Everything had suffered in the wake of Miley and Jake.
Next to her, Jake told some sort of joke about the movie. No one laughed.
Miley couldn't help but notice every annoying quality in Jake these days. It was a matter of time until they broke up, presumably Miley getting fed up and dumping him. Sure there was the whole Hannah risk, but frankly, Miley didn't care anymore. It just wasn't worth it. She didn't think she could stand another day of seeing Oliver walk around like a zombie, eyes blank and body rigid, like being awake in a comatose.
No, it was too painful. And she cared about Oliver dearly. More than a friend should. After all, why shouldn't she? Oliver clearly was in love with her, a fact her squirming stomach had come to terms with in recent days.
But she couldn't do anything about it. She was stuck in this living nightmare called, "Dating Jake Ryan", and honestly, she just wanted to wake up.
Maybe tonight would be the night. Maybe tonight she would finally break it off with him. It was now or never. And Miley didn't think she could listen to the sound of his voice for a minute longer.