Oliver's POV:
"Seriously," Miley laughed, taking the popcorn my dad popped from the kitchen counter and sitting on the chair. "I think we've done enough practicing for today."
I nodded my head, we'd been practicing for the past two hours and it wasn't like we couldn't get any better, "So we'll give it a break." I told Miley, and grabbed some popcorn from the bowl, "But just for now."
Miley laughed again, but this time she threw her handful of popcorn at my face. "We're done for today," she giggled, "and that's final."
"Alright, alright," I held my hands up as a peace offering, and we both went back to our popcorn in silence. Which, although I've been avoiding the mental image all day, led me to thinking about Lily in the hospital – and looking over to my left where Miley was sitting, I was sure that was what she was thinking about that as well. I sighed, and leaned back on my chair, trying to think of something different – like concentrating on the play, and looking forward to dinner on Wednesday.
"Well," my dad walked into the kitchen with his glasses and newspaper in his hand. "This is a first – are you two okay?" We nodded, and I looked away from my dad's doubtful look. All three of us were silent for a couple of minutes, and then my dad cleared his throat, "Uh, Miley, your dad wants you to stay here for the night, so I'll make up the guest bedroom and then we'll drive down to your house to get you some clothes - does that sound good?"
Miley nodded half consciously, and then snapped back. "Wait," she asked confused. "Why would my dad want me to stay here? Is everything alright?"
My dad nodded again, and placed the newspaper down on the counter in front of us, "He's going to stay with Lily tonight while her parents are home taking care of things."
"What about Jackson?" Miley asked, I could tell she was getting worried now.
"Jackson's staying at Cooper's house last I heard," my dad said, picking the newspaper back up, and walking upstairs to get the guest room ready.
Miley looked at me with a slight smile, but I could tell she was distant about something. I myself, was wondering what was happening at the hospital. It had been a mystery to me why Lily has been held there for the past two weeks – I would think that they would've fought the infection by now. Unless there was something we didn't know.
"If you want," I sighed to Miley. "I can tell my dad that we'll walk to your house."
"But what about the highway?" Miley asked, coming out of her daze.
"I know a shortcut," I smiled, giving her my hand to help her off of the tall stool she was sitting on. "We can walk up the beach a couple blocks from here."
Miley nodded her head, and I left her by the front door as I yelled up to my dad. When I got permission, I grabbed a couple sweaters from the closet, to shield us from the breeze from the ocean, and a flashlight, and we headed out the door towards the beach.
Miley's house wasn't very far from there. We had to pass five or six houses, and then go up a flight of sandy stairs to get to her porch. All the lights in Miley's house were turned off, except for the one in the TV room that was shinning over a magazine on the coffee table. I went over to turn the light off while Miley went to get her clothes upstairs, and when I reached the table I noticed it wasn't a magazine, but a book – a white hard cover book that I had seen Mr. Stewart reading a couple days ago. Curiously, I sat down on the couch and read the title of the book, 100 Q&A about Brain Tumours. My mind searched every memory, and I came up with no reason why Miley's dad should have this, so I started to read it before Miley came down the stairs. There were red marks in sentences and circles around big paragraphs, and some pages were turned over to keep a place. The book was interesting, I read about symptoms before Miley came bounding down the stairs with her sleepover bag over her shoulder.
"Are you ready to go?" Miley asked, making her way to the couch where I was already hiding the book I had been reading, "We should get back before it gets dark."