Author's Note: Hey, just a warning that I have close to no idea about skateboarding. All I know comes from those "Tony Hawk" games…and even that I'm shaky on, so don't be offended if I describe a move completely wrong. I don't mean to…I'm just lazy and didn't feel like doing the research.

On that note…on with the story!

Chapter 8

After homework and dinner, Lilly met Miley at the front of her house, and they walked to the skate park, which was only a few blocks away. "Are you sure it's safe to skate this late at night?" It was eight thirty, and dark.

Lilly nodded confidently as they approached the entrance to the park. "Sure. I do it all the time. There are less people here, which means more skate time for me. Plus, it isn't as hot, so I don't have to rest as much. Win, win."

As they walked down the fence that surrounded the outdoor park, Miley took in the sights and sounds. Large overhead lights illuminated the park, lighting up everything. There were various ramps of various shapes and sizes. There was a large half-pipe and two smaller quarter-pipes. There were several railways, some flat and some angled. One looked like it was almost vertical. Miley wondered if anyone could actually slide down it without falling off. There was also a large bowl in the center of the park. All the ramps and such were made of either concrete or wood, and everything was littered with graffiti. Even the benches (which Miley guessed were for relaxing or observing) were covered.

There were a few people, one on a bike, three on roller blades and two on skateboards, roaming around, but there were several unoccupied ramps that Miley was sure Lilly would skate on. They walked to the end of the park, where a small white shack-like building was. There was one small window on one side, and a large opening in the front. It was an office/refreshment stand. Miley could see a rack of chips, and two large refrigerators full of various sodas, waters and sports drinks. She also saw a slushy machine, an ice cream machine, a grill, and a cash register. Off to the back she saw a desk, which is where she guessed the man held all his paperwork.

A man of about forty or so was sitting on a bar stool with his sandal-covered feet sticking out of the large opening on the counter, reading a skater magazine. There was a radio blaring in the background, and Miley noticed then that music was being played to the entire skate park. It was some hardcore rock band screaming about something she didn't know. She wasn't really into hard rock, but it didn't sound bad. Lilly slapped a hand on the table and the man jumped.

"Hey Joe!"

The magazine went flying as Joe flinched. "Sweet Jesus!" He exclaimed, trying to regain his balance. He was about to yell when he saw who it was. "God da--oh, hey Lilly! Long time no see! Where ya been?"

"Breakin in a new friend." Lilly answered, pointing her thumb at Miley, who nervously smiled.

She was waiting for the flinch, the wince, the cringe, the gape…but got nothing. Only a smile.

"This is Miley." Lilly said. "Miley, this is Joe, owner and operator of this fine establishment."

"Damn right." Joe exclaimed, slapping the table. His voice was hoarse but jolly, with a clear Californian brogue, and a hint of kindness. He extended a dry hand in greeting, which Miley hesitantly took. It was rough, but he shook gently. "Nice to meet you Miley. Are you a skater like Lil here?"

Miley shook her head. "No sir. I'm just here to watch."

Joe looked surprised. "Man…been a long time since I heard that accent. We got ourselves a regular southern belle in our company Lilly!"

Miley cheeks reddened and she looked down, smiling shyly.

"Knock it off Joe." Lilly playfully scolded and Joe laughed, but Miley knew it wasn't at her expense.

"So, what'll it be?"

Lilly pulled a twenty from her pocket and passed it to Joe. "We're gonna be here a while."

Joe nodded. "All right, but you know the rules. We want all the landing gear…that means helmet--"

"Check."

"Knee pads--"

"Got 'em."

"Elbow pads."

"Duh."

"And wrist guards."

"Aw Joe…you know I hate those things!" Lilly whined.

Joe stood his ground, putting his hands up in defense. "Hey, thank your parental unit for that. She made me promise I was going to remind you every time or else I'm getting sued. Plus, I can't keep having ambulances show up at the park…it's bad for business."

"Who says!"

"I says. Now get on the gear or get going." Joe warned, but with a smile on his face like he knew he had won.

Lilly's face scrunched up. "Fine!" She finally shouted after a few seconds.

"Pleasure doing business with you…nice to meet you Miley."

"Nice to meet you too." Miley said.

Lilly just rolled her eyes and walked over to the benches, throwing her duffle bag down. Miley followed, sitting next to her. Lilly begrudgingly took out her safety gear and began to put it on, grumbling. "Two little accidents and now I have to be packed to the rim with padding. Might as well roll me in bubble wrap and Styrofoam…"

"That would be interesting." Miley said, trying to lighten the mood.

Lilly looked up from applying her knee pad and smiled. "And probably noisy."

"But fun to watch."

Lilly slapped on the rest of her gear and then snapped her helmet on. "Okay…off I go."

"Good luck." Miley called out to Lilly as she skated away.

Miley had absolutely no idea what Lilly was doing, but she was doing it well. She started off skating quickly to gain momentum, and then jumped, sliding across a rail with ease. She then moved on to a small ramp, kicking the board around with her feet, returning it to its original position just before landing. She stopped at the lip of the bowl and waved to Miley, who waved back, and then she slid in. She disappeared for a few seconds, Miley only catching her hair and the tip of the skateboard as Lilly built up speed. Suddenly, she was up in the air, holding the board in the middle, spinning three times before landing. Miley gasped in amazement. She repeated the trick twice before trying something else. She seemed to be kneeling on the board with one leg, the other flying freely as she spun, and then landed perfectly.

After a few more hair-raising tricks, Lilly left the bowl, skating over to a few more small ramps, flipping the board around with her feet. She spun on the back of the board and then skated over to the vertical rail and jumped. It was quick, but she slid down it perfectly. Her landing was a little shaky, but she fish-tailed it for a few seconds before regaining balance.

Miley watched in awe and envy, so impressed with Lilly's skating that it took her breath away. Only when Lilly was skating back to her did she realize she hadn't been breathing, and sucked in some much needed oxygen in one long, ragged gasp.

Excited that she hadn't fallen over during the set, Lilly started talking way before she reached Miley. "So, what did you think?"

"I thought you were awesome! You were amazing! How long have you been skating? It must've taken forever to get that good!" Miley gushed, standing up to meet Lilly by one of the smaller ramps.

Lilly shrugged modestly. "I'm not that good. I still got a whole bunch to practice."

"Are you kidding!?!?! You're freakin amazing!"

Lilly blushed, looking away bashfully. "Thanks."

"Oliver wasn't kidding when he said you were good. Do they have competitions?"

"Yeah." Lilly nodded, "but I couldn't enter last time because of my head injury, and the year before because of the arm. I'm hoping I don't break anything so I can enter this year, but I don't know. I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Well when is it?"

"In May."

"It's January. You've got plenty of time to practice!" Miley said excitedly. "Seriously Lilly, I think you're great."

Lilly knew Miley didn't mean it the way she wanted it to, but took the compliment anyway. "Thanks." She hopped off the board. "You wanna try?"

Miley's eyes widened. "Oh, no, no thanks. I'd probably crack my head open the minute I stepped on that thing."

"No, it's easy. Here--" She took off her helmet and put it on Miley's head, snapping it closed. She grabbed both of Miley's hands, looking down. "Just stand on it. I'll hold you steady and pull you along."

"No Lilly--" Miley began, but ultimately gave in. She stepped on the board, yelping when it started to move. Lilly stuck her foot in front where most of Miley's weight was distributed, to keep it from moving further.

"Okay, just spread your feet apart a little more…good. Now just hold on." Lilly said, and then gently began to pull Miley along.

Miley shouted the second the board began to move, laughing as Lilly pulled her. Lilly sped up at little, figuring Miley was enjoying herself. "See, easy right?"

"Yeah, I'm a real pro!" Miley shouted, still laughing. She tossed her head back, throwing herself off balance. "WHOA!" she shouted when the board tilted.

Instinctively, Lilly pulled Miley toward her so she would fall forward instead of backward, but wasn't prepared to bear the full brunt of Miley's weight. They both fell in a tangled mess, with a loud "ooff!" from Lilly when they connected with the ground, Miley landing on top of Lilly, who landed on her padded elbows and unprotected butt.

"Owww!" Lilly laughed.

"Ooh, are you okay?" Miley asked, her voice shaky with laughter.

"Fantastic." Lilly deadpanned. "My ass broke our fall."

To this, Miley responded with even louder laughter and Lilly couldn't help but join in…even if her body was burning. Miley was still on top of her, practically sitting on her stomach.

Before they realized it, two men had skated their way, and jumped off their boards just inches from Lilly's head. "Hey Truscott, no hanky-panky in the park!" One of them shouted.

Lilly looked up and sighed. Way to ruin the moment. "Shut up Nick."

At the arrival of strangers, Miley became nervous again. She practically jumped off of Lilly and stood, ripping the helmet from her head, lowering her eyes. She didn't know how to meet a person's eyes without preparing herself first. It was a horrible habit that she probably should try to break, but didn't know how to. Everybody Lilly knew was so nice and completely accepting, but Miley still felt the need to "hide" whenever someone new showed up.

Nick grabbed Lilly by the shoulders of her jacket and pulled, nearly lifting her a foot in the air before letting her go to stumble back down. Nick was a short but strong kid, and a good "skater" friend to Lilly. He teased her mercilessly, but what Lilly got she gave back…sooner or later.

"Whose the dish?" The other boy asked, and Lilly slapped his arm.

"She's not a dish, she's Miley. She just moved here." Lilly turned to Miley. "Miley, this is Nick and Adam…the two biggest losers in the park."

Miley looked up at the boys, expecting the reaction she got from almost anyone. Once again, she underestimated Lilly's friends and acquaintances, because they didn't seem to notice or care about her scar.

"I bet you could find two bigger." Nick challenged before nodding toward Miley. "Sup. What's with the scar?"

Miley felt her stomach turn. Oh, here it comes…let the teasing begin!

"It's freakin aaaawweeesssommmee!" Adam exclaimed, nodding in approval.

"Wha…" Miley said, surprised. She had heard her scar described in many different and colorful ways, but "awesome" never, ever came up once. Not once. Disgusting, freaky, weird, yucky, and scary…yes…but awesome…that was a new one.

"How'd you get it?" Nick asked excitedly. "Was it tying to do a 360?"

"Or-or grinding down the vertical rail?" Adam added.

"Dude! I once saw a kid try to take that rail and BAM! Busted his face wide open. There was blood everywhere--"

"Guys!" Lilly shouted, silencing the boys. "I think the bowl is free and I saw you waiting…"

Both Nick and Adam turned their heads simultaneously. "Yes!" Adam shouted, once it realized the bowl indeed was free.

"Catch ya later awesome girl…and Lilly." Nick teased before both boys skated away.

"Screw you!" Lilly called after them, only to have Nick flip her off as he rolled away. She turned back to Miley. "They're good guys, really."

"Seem so." Miley answered, watching the boys as they whooped and hooted, skating around in the bowl.

"Hey," Lilly said, looking up at the half pipe. "Come with me." She took Miley's hand and dragged her along.

In the back of the half pipe was a swirling iron staircase that led to the top. Lilly pulled Miley along up the staircase, which squeaked and shook like it was going to break any second. When they reached the top, Miley gasped in awe. It was pretty high, and pretty windy, but most of all…the view was just pretty. She could see up and down the beach from the top of the half-pipe. And the way the moon glimmered off the ocean was just breathtaking. "Lilly…this is beautiful."

Strapping her helmet back on, Lilly looked around. "Actually…yeah it is. I never noticed that before. Wow."

"What'd you take me up here for then?" Miley asked, confused.

Lilly smiled and pushed down on Miley's shoulders. "You sit here. Cross your legs, Indian-style. There, that's perfect." She nudged Miley up to the edge. It seemed like a long way down.

Miley had no idea how anyone could ride down this thing on wheels. She gripped on to the edge with all her might, for fear of just toppling over. "Wh-wh-what are you doing?" She asked nervously.

Lilly positioned herself on her board, raising an eyebrow as she smirked. "You'll see. Now, what I need you to do is hold up your left hand real high, okay?"

"What?"

"Just…do it, all right?"

"Okay." Miley agreed, but was still completely confused.

Lilly nodded, and then she was gone.

Before Miley knew it, Lilly was skating down the half-pipe, touching the other side with the tip of her board before heading back her way. It seemed like she was going so fast, and coming at Miley with alarming speed. Miley wanted to scream, but couldn't. As Lilly came closer it became clearer that she wasn't coming directly at Miley, but just a few inches to the left. Miley instantly stretched her left arm, raising her hand like Lilly asked, still unsure of what was going to happen.

The wheels of the board got louder and louder as Lilly approached, and then, nothing. Lilly was in the air, soaring over Miley, spinning, UPSIDE DOWN! And then, Miley felt it.

SLAP!

Lilly high-fived her in mid air as she was sailing over the stunned brunette. Miley thought she felt her heart stop. Then, Lilly's board touched ramp again and she was gone.

Seconds later she was back and Miley was still breathless. "So, how'd you like that?" She asked, confidently.

"That…was fucking amazing!" Miley managed to shout between ragged breaths. "How long did it take you to do that?"

"A couple months…and a lot of bruising…especially on Oliver's forehead." Lilly divulged. Miley laughed at the statement. "I thought you'd like it."

"It was awesome. You're amazing." Miley said, clearly overwhelmed by Lilly's abilities.

Lilly sat down next to Miley, letting her legs dangle over the edge. She called me amazing…let's see her remember Jake Ryan now! But wait…it doesn't mean what you want it to mean. Minor detail…just enjoy it for now. They settled into another comfortable silence, just listening to the nearby ocean mixing with the sounds of rolling skate wheels and unintelligible rock music. It was nice.

Then, Miley spoke up. "So…do you wanna know how I got my scar?"

Lilly looked at Miley, surprised. "Uh…what?"

Miley looked down, playing with her hands. "It wasn't a bear attack…or a cougar…or a knife fight…nothing like that. It…it was a drunk driver."

"Oh."

Miley moved some hair behind her ear, fully exposing the permanent memento. "Me and my mom were going to see my dad at his studio. He'd been working long hours there and we were going to surprise him. We were even listening to one of his songs, Achy Breaky Heart, you know it?"

Lilly nodded.

"Anyway…my mom didn't see the guy right away and he hit us head on. I-I don't remember much after that. I remember waking up in the hospital and not being able to see anything but white. My daddy was there though and he had to explain what happened. See…" Miley swallowed hard, her eyes glazing over as she struggled to remember correctly. "When the guy hit us, the windshield kinda exploded. A-and it came inward. It-it cut us up real bad. Nearly tore us to ribbons. I got other scars. Two on this shoulder here." Miley tapped her right shoulder. "And one on my stomach and-and on my legs and my hands." She spread out her hands so Lilly could see better. The scars were tiny and faded. "But none of them were as bad as my face. Dad said it took the doctors 28 hours to get me patched up. And this was as good as it got."

Lilly shook her head, grabbing Miley's hand, squeezing it comfortingly. "Oh Miley…it isn't that bad."

Miley scoffed. "Tell that to anyone whose ever called me a freak…or looked at me like I was the Elephant man."

"You're not the Elephant man." Lilly said, suddenly angered at the thought of Miley being mercilessly teased and harassed for something she couldn't help or prevent. "You're beautiful. Very beautiful."

Lilly looked Miley square in the eye while saying this, and Miley could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks and the breath once again escape her lungs. She could feel Lilly's palm becoming moist in her own…could feel the blood pumping through her fingers. What is she doing…what is she doing…what are we doing…

This is it. Lilly thought as she inched closer, her heart racing at the prospect of what would happen next. She could feel Miley's hot ragged breath on her cheek as she moved in…her lips barely grazing the--

"HEY! WHADDAYA DOING UP THERE!!!"

Immediately the girls parted and Miley ripped her hand from Lilly's grasp. Lilly looked down. It was Joe. He was standing at the base of the half-pipe with his hands on his hips.

"Fuck." Lilly gasped breathlessly. "You scared the shit outta us Joe!" Lilly shouted down to him.

"Yeah well, I'd like to close and go home if you don't mind!" He called back up.

"Sorry!" Lilly shouted back down. Sorry that you just totally ruined the moment! A moment I will more than likely never have again JOE! "We're coming down now!"

Was she going to kiss me? Oh my god…she was going to kiss me! And I was going to let her. OH MY GOD I WAS GOING TO LET HER! I wanted it. I WANTED IT! Miley was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Lilly's conversation with Joe, and only came around when Lilly tapped her on the shoulder. "WHAT?!?" She shouted, surprised.

Lilly flinched. "Whoa. Sorry. Joe says we have to go. He's closing."

"Oh. Oh!" Miley exclaimed, jumping up. "Let's go then." She rushed down the stairs ahead of Lilly, her mind screaming the entire way.

They met Joe at the bottom, who was looking at his watch impatiently, holding Lilly's duffle bag in his hand. "Finally." He said, but his voice held no anger.

"Sorry Joe." Lilly said as if she had said it a million times before, taking the bag from the owner. "We lost track of time."

Joe started walking toward the exit with Lilly and Miley in tow. "I know, I know…I've heard it all before. Why don't I just give you the keys to this place, and you can stay as long as you want and lock up when you leave?"

"That'd be awesome--"

"Oh yeah, now I know why…YOU'D NEVER LEAVE!"

"That might be true." Lilly conceded.

They passed through the open gate, Joe closing it behind them. He threw on the padlock and clicked it shut, throwing his keys in his pocket and exhaling loudly. "Well, I'm going home. Have a good night. It was nice to meet you Miley. Lilly…I'll see you soon."

"Nice to meet you too." Miley mumbled, though her mind was elsewhere.

"'Night Joe." Lilly said, waving as Joe jogged toward his car. She looked at Miley, who looked deep in thought. Aw crap…I freaked her out. Now she's never going to talk to me again. Lilly…you flippin idiot. When are you ever going to learn to control yourself!?!

While Lilly was mentally kicking her own ass, Miley was lost in a torrent of thoughts. She keeps telling me I'm beautiful…and she always holds my hand…and when I'm with her it feels like I'm normal. But I can't kiss a girl! Can I? Would it be wrong? But what about guys? I've always liked guys. Not girls…but Lilly isn't just any girl…she's sweet and funny and so nice…and beautiful…but I never felt like that for a girl. What about Jake? Jake, Jake, Jake…you think he's hot, so you must like guys…right?

They slowly began their journey home, each girl lost in their own thoughts. Before they knew it, they were standing in front of Miley's house. They looked at one another, hoping the other would start to say something…anything.

Lilly took the initiative. "Listen Miley I'm sorry about--"

"Oh, no, don't worry about it--"

"I don't know what came over me--"

"I get it, it's okay."

"I want to just forget it ever happened." No I don't.

"Consider it forgotten." But it won't be.

Lilly tried her best to smile…it came out awkward. "Okay. So I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Miley nodded. "Absolutely."

"Okay. Good night."

"Night." Miley said and then raced to her front door.

When she got inside, Robbie Ray was sitting on the couch, watching television. He turned his head to greet Miley when she came in. "Hey bud, how was the skate park?"

"Um…interesting."

"Did ya have fun?"

Miley nodded.

"That's good." He studied his daughter for a minute. "Anything happen?"

Miley nodded. "No…n-nothing worth mentioning. Lilly is amazing--ah-uh-I mean she's an amazing skater. Really awesome. I-I think I'm just gonna go to my room. I'm tired."

"Okay. I'll be up in a few." Robbie Ray said, eying his daughter suspiciously.

"All right." Miley shouted, racing up to her room.

When she got there, she kicked her shoes off and plopped down on her bed, her mind still racing. Can I forget it ever happened? Do I want to? Of course I do! Don't I? I mean…what would be the point in remembering…it really wasn't even anything. She tried to kiss me, she didn't actually kiss me. It would've been my first kiss…and it would've been with a girl. A GIRL! Lilly…it would've been with Lilly. NO JUST FORGET ABOUT IT! It's best if I forget about it. If I don't, things'll get weird and I don't want that. I don't want to lose the one friend I got. No. Just forget it. Forget it…forget it..

---------------------------

Forget it…forget it…LILLY COME ON! You can do this. True, that's all you wanted to do since you laid eyes on Miley but you shouldn't have. And you DID! And you might have ruined everything with your stupid urges. Can't you learn to control yourself? What if she's so freaked she never speaks to you again? What then? This was a very delicate situation Truscott…a delicate situation you might have just ruined!

But it wasn't even a kiss. We barely touched lips…but I'm sure she knew the intent. Oh God…why do I have to be such a spaz? Is it in my nature? Is it completely unavoidable?

Okay, listen, calm down…everything will be all right. You'll go there tomorrow and act like nothing has changed. And even if she acts all weird, just keep on keeping on the way you have. Hopefully, she'll move on too. And everything will be perfect again.

And you'll go back to pining for her secretly the way it's supposed to be…and hopefully you'll make her fall in love with you as time goes on.

JESUS…who's kidding who here?