Hi lovely readers, sorry for the delay! Had a short period of not knowing where to take this story next, but I hope you like the chapter. It's kind of a filler but also bringing more information of Miley's past and yesss she's still bitter, but I swear she's gonna go uphill from here.
Please review, I would really love it because then I have motivation to continue haha. Loveee ya'll!
Miley stirs a little bit and opens her eyes to the sound of voices. Her eyes roam across the room and she thinks to herself how did she get here. She hadn't slept in this room for one reason. It held too many memories. Her thoughts are jagged and interrupted when she hears Joe speak.
"Where are you going?" Joe asked as Demi walked towards the closet. She opened it and her heart sank, he knew that and he didn't want to lie but his did also.
Nick + Miley=Forever
Demi fingered the carved letters as Joe walked over. "It's still here," she whispered, "Forever..."
"Seems like it was so long ago," Joe sighed.
Demi just nodded as she brought her hand down. "Let's go before we wake her up."
Joe walked over to Miley and kissed her temple before walking out the door with Demi and back to their house.
Miley pretended to close her eyes as she felt Joe embrace on her skin. She heard the front door shut and she opened her eyes. She got out of bed and walked to the carving.
She stood there remembering the day they did this like it was just yesterday.
"I'll race you home," the 17 year old Nick whispered into his girlfriend's ear.
She shook her head out of laughter and turned to kiss her boyfriend. Miley made sure it was a kiss he wouldn't forget before breaking away and heading into a sprint.
Nick stood there speechless before realizing what she had done. "Hey, that was totally cheating!" He ran after her.
She laughed and whipped her head around, "Losers weepers!"
He caught up to her just as they appeared in front of her house. Nick lunged forward and grabbed Miley but losing his balance he had dragged both of them down onto the grass in front of her house.
"Nick!" she shrieked as she felt her body fall down. Somehow he had managed to screw up the competition and get her on top of him. "Someone doesn't like being a sore loser."
Miley laughs in his face as he holds her tight in their position. "I just happen to like this better," Nick reasoned with her.
"Sure, sure," her laugh becomes infectious and there he starts laughing as she stands up with her hands held out. He grabbed on and help pulled himself up. They walk inside her house and his hand never leaves hers and they intertwine.
"Mom, I'm home!" Miley yells and runs up the stairs dragging Nick behind her. "Nick's with me!"
Miley lets go as they enter her bedroom. She walks over to her closet grabbing a change of clothes when she feels his arms snake around her waist.
She gently stares down at his arm and smiles to herself. Only he could do this to her, she thought. There she stood in his arms feeling like the most important girl in the world. She laughed in her head at the thought of this. The world was so big, how could she be so important.
He turns her around wanting to get a good look at her face. He stares at her for what may seem like minutes. It's her face that he wants to remember. It's that image that he wants engrained in the back of his head.
The discomfort starts to build as she felt the intensity of his eyes on her skin, on every blemish it wore. She wants to step back, step out of his arms but he smiles at her. And like that she couldn't move.
His laughter fills her ears and she smiles not knowing how they got here but his hands are taking control of the knife.
Lines are being carved and she stares at his piece of work in wonder. She wants to shake her head and not believe in the message underlying the movements of the knife. But because he's doing it, she doesn't think she can deny it.
In her head she knows that she was never one for love and commitment. In her heart she knew that if her life were to ever head that way, it would be a bumpy road. But one look into his eyes and Miley knew that only he could do this to her.
Only he could make her believe in forever, she thought as he carved the very same word onto her door.
The letters stared there mocking her. She laughs as if it's the one that is making her bitter every second.
She hadn't forgotten the reason that brought her back to this town. The only reason that made her packed her bags and jumped on a plane that late midnight. And yet, it was the very reason that continued to haunt her.
Miley was lying silently on her bed that morning after hearing the front door close and her thoughts had jumbled itself working her mind into overdrive. She knew she had to face what brought her here but she didn't know how to tell anyone or how to even go about it.
But she knew one thing was on her mind for sure, Nick and the words they had carved.
Nick, Nick and all his memories that she fought so hard to forget after that night he left her in California.
And the tears she had sworn to herself wasn't there became evident against her cheeks. She had never felt so lonely before in a town that had known her all her life. It was difficult having to adjust to what the town had did to her when she had always took it as a safe haven as a child.
She sat up again and stared at the closet door Demi and Joe had left opened.
"The very least they could have done was closed the damn thing," she voiced resentfully to herself and fell back against the bed again.
xxx
Taylor parked her car in front of the house wondering if she should walk in. She didn't know her place anymore as the years went by and as the phone calls became less frequent, the more sadden she was. The house didn't look any different as it had whenever she drove by it to visit Selena or possibly have a chat with Demi. However, the vibe of the place had changed and it was constantly changing.
She sighed to herself and got out of her car making sure to lock it. "I have nothing to lose from this," she spoke to herself trying to reason with everything. But she had known in her heart that she had only lost one thing from this: the girl she had known since they were in diapers.
It wasn't as if Miley didn't hear her come in, because she pretty much knew who had walked in the house when the boots hit the wooden floor. Miley had gotten out of bed ten minutes earlier and was trying to occupy herself with little details of the house.
"Miles?" she heard the southern twange.
"In the backyard Tay," Miley let out as loud as she could in order for the blonde to hear from the front door.
Taylor hadn't been in this house for the last several months. She had visited Miley's mom quite frequently within the last months of her cancer treatment but ever since then, she had feared what was left in this house. Her eyes roamed across the pictures that were still hung up of the family and friends such as Demi, Joe, and even herself.
"Hey," Taylor spoke softly the moment her foot stepped out the glass door. She hadn't known what to say and she certainly didn't know now.
Miley looked up at her and attempted a genuine smile but failed to even twitch her lip. They sat next to each other facing the pool for quite some time before the silence was broken.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" Taylor decided to be straightforward since Miley was brutally honest herself. "I had to find out from Sel when I've known you all my life."
Miley choked back her tart laugh at the mention of Selena but knew she had to explain herself. Taylor had been like a sister to her and through all the drama she was the only one that kept in touch with Miley for a few years after she left besides Demi. It wasn't Taylor that stopped the communication and she knew that.
She attempted to smile once more, "I didn't really tell anyone Tay."
"Oh, please don't give me that bullshit, I know you told Demi," Taylor had rebuttal.
And Miley smiled to herself at the comfort of Taylor's ability to always tell her how it is and not cut her any slack.
"We stopped talking," Miley defended herself. "I had only told Demi because she kept calling after the funeral."
Taylor scoffed, "You stopped trying Miles and you had cut all communications with me three years back!"
Before Miley could respond, Taylor stood up. "So don't go trying to act like it's my fault Miles. I don't even know what is sadder, not knowing who you are anymore or wondering where the hell you went."
"Taylor..."
"No, don't Taylor me! We're practically family, you're mom practically raised me Miles!"
Miley looked quietly at the blonde who was now yelling and knew that somewhere along the lines of her life she had taken the wrong turn and ran away from everyone who meant something to her. "Taylor..." she tried again. "I know. I get it, okay? I've turned into this ass of a bitch that everyone doesn't love. And I'm sorry, but it just got too hard."
Miley began crying and it was something she fought so hard not to do in front of Taylor. "It was just too hard talking to you. I had found out my mom was diagnosed with cancer and I had alienated myself from everyone to even come back to be there for her. And talking to you reminded me of the guilt I felt every single day for not being by her side at the hospital. Talking to you now still reminds me of that guilt and it was just too hard."
Taylor's face had softened at the brunette's revelation. She sat down next to Miley once more and pulled her in for a hug, feeling the burning tears against her chest.
"It was just too hard, Tay." Miley repeated.
xxx
It was about mid afternoon now and Demi had consciously peered over to the yellow house every chance she got. To say she was worried was an understatement. She had love this girl too death and seeing the pain Miley suffered just torn her apart.
Joe had gone to work with Nick at the recording studio Selena was in charge of. He wasn't the musician like Nick was, but he knew how to produce and Selena had offered him a job after he had insisted on helping Nick with his EP a few years back.
Demi had seen Taylor walked in the house a few hours ago and now as she glance over once more the blonde's car had driven away and Miley was standing still at the front porch.
She wanted to walk over and hold her like a best friend should, but she knew that if she should check herself from smothering the poor girl. So she went back to sketching on the canvas in the living room. She was an artist, a drawer, a painter, anything creative she had put on a paper made her successful in this small town.
"Demi!" the door open and Miley rushed in. This had been the first time Miley came to her instead of the other way around and for that she was grateful.
Miley was about to open her mouth but glanced at the canvas and was intrigued. "Demi, omgsh! This sketch is beautiful!"
"Why thank you best friend even if you are forced to say that," Demi laughed. She hadn't had this Miley in awhile and wondered what Taylor had done.
"Oh please!" Miley playfully tapped Demi's arm. "Now, I'm starting to understand why everyone wants a piece of art from you!"
Demi laughed. Now Miley was brought back to the reason she had ran across the street just a few minutes ago. Her face had become sullen and her eyes didn't twinkle and no one would have ever known of the bit of happiness she had exulted seconds before.
"What..." Demi started to worry again.
Miley grabbed her hand and dragged Demi out the door, grabbing the keys along the way leaving the pencil next to an image of a girl who resembled a little bit of the bitter brunette.
