Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Just to clear something. Miley is NOT falling in love with Nick. Not even close. It's still the beginning of the story. Give it time.
Nick sighed. He regretted picking this movie. It was just a giant slap in the face. This movie related to his life in so many ways and he hated it. A young couple met at a carnival, fell in love, only to be torn right apart. They don't see each other for a year or so, and when he does get to see her again, she's fallen in love with another guy.
He also envied this movie. They meet, fall in love all over again (or had always been in love, just never said it—Nick couldn't tell or care) and she dumps that other dude right on his ass so she could be with her true love. But in Nick's reality, Miley was basically head over heels for this Austin guy and didn't give a damn about Nick.
Irony. It was fucking irony. Nick hated irony.
But apparently Miley loved it. He glanced over at her to find her quietly crying to herself. He also heard Demi crying. Chicks...
Then Nick frowned. He thought things were going so well. At the beginning of the movie, Miley was practically all over him. Like the way it had always been when they watched a movie—before the accident, of course. Now she was sitting as far away from him as possible. She probably would have sat on the other side of the room if that would not have looked suspicious. He didn't get it.
He looked at Joe and saw him eyeing them. He had been doing that the entire movie. Nick rolled his eyes. He wanted to shout at Joe, "I won't ruin your precious plan, dumbass!" Nick would have if Miley weren't in the room.
Kevin's soft snores reached Nick's ears and he had to laugh. Miley looked over at the sound, curiosity written on her face. She wanted to know the joke. Nick pointed at Kevin. She looked at how Kevin was draped over the arm chair his legs curled over the arm and the top while one arm was hanging over the edge and the other, along with his head, was hanging on the other side. His mouth was wide open and the soft snores soon turned into something sort of obnoxious. Miley smiled. "I didn't think this movie was that boring," she whispered.
Joe covered his ears. "God, someone shut him up, please!" He hissed.
Miley shook her head. "It's fine. The movie is over, anyway. Let him sleep."
Nick smiled at her. She was always so caring towards his brothers. Like they were her brothers too. That was one quality that wasn't lost in the accident. She smiled back at him.
"So what now?" Demi asked. "Another movie?"
As if to answer her question, a knock was heard at the door. Nick looked in that direction and wondered who that could possibly be. He looked back at Miley and his heart dropped. By the way her eyes lit up and the way her smile got a thousand times bigger, he knew who it could be. Austin.
Miley quickly got up to answer the door. Nick watched her go, and then disappear around the corner. He stared at Demi and Joe as they listened to what was going on. Being the closest to the door, he could hear everything. He heard the sound of the door open. He heard Miley breathe out Austin's name. He heard Austin's reply, "I missed you." He heard Miley squeal. The way she used to squeal whenever Nick had twirled her around in his arms. He heard Miley's feet touch the cold, wooden floor as he put her back down. He heard Miley whisper, "I missed you, too." He could basically hear everything.
But the one sound he had wished he could not hear. The sound that had his already shattered heart, shatter into more pieces; the thought of ever repairing it now seemed like a sick joke to Nick. The sound of them kissing. The sound of their lips moving in perfect rhythm together. He tried to tune it out. It was impossible. Like someone had intensified the sound just for his benefit. The sound of thousands of screaming fans was a soft whisper compared to this. He bit his lip trying so hard not to let the pain get the best of him. If this plan was ever going to work, he was going to have to do it right. No showing emotion. It was time for him to learn how to suffer in silence.
Joe watched as his brother tore apart on the inside. It broke his heart to see Nick like this. That's when Joe randomly realized that Kevin's snoring had stopped. He looked at Kevin only to find him also staring back at him. They both looked at Nick's suffering face and soon came to the realization that this plan was going to have to work, and fast, before something bad happened to Nick. They had seen Nick heartbroken before and this was not it. Nick wasn't just heartbroken. He was burning. His eyes were screaming with pain while his lips remained motionless. His hands shook and his nostrils flared. His breathing became heavier and every once in awhile his lips would tighten as if he was trying to hold in a scream. He probably was.
Soon Miley came back into the living room with Austin's arms wrapped around her waist. He smiled a warm smile at her houseguests but it quickly vanished when he got nothing in return. He cringed behind Miley at the death glares he was receiving. His eyes ran over everyone's faces finding anger, fury, accusation, and...pain? His eyes stopped at the one in pain. He had seen this guy before. The one who claimed to be Miley's boyfriend. Nick. Nick didn't look in his direction but continued to stare straight ahead. Austin felt sympathy wash over him. He released Miley from his grip and took a step away from her. Miley looked at him confused, but he just stared at Nick.
Nick finally managed to look in their direction. He saw Miley giving Austin confused looks while Austin just continued to stare at him. He saw Austin step away from Miley a little more once their eyes met. He was cringing away from the pain in Nick's eyes. Miley looked at Nick but saw nothing. She saw no pain. Nick knew how to hide things from her very well. Austin on the other hand could see it clear as day, as if Nick was shouting it right at him. Austin nodded at Nick and it took Nick a few seconds but he returned the favor. It was a small gesture, but told Austin everything. Nick in no way liked him, but he was going to act civil towards him. As would Austin towards Nick. Austin moved back towards Miley and wrapped one arm around her waist. Nick glared then looked at Joe and Kevin.
"Uhh, guys this is my boyfriend, Austin," Miley said softly, suddenly feeling the tension in the room. Austin waved at them, but Joe and Kevin didn't acknowledge him.
"Hello," Demi spoke. "I'm Demi. That's Joe and Kevin. I'm sure you know Nick. Nice to meet you." Joe and Kevin scowled in her direction, but she ignored them.
"Nice to meet you all," Austin said in the politest way possible. It didn't come out right, thanks to the shaking in his voice. He looked at Nick. "Nice to see you again, Nick." Nick's fist clenched at the sound of his name in Austin's voice. "I was hoping to see you again."
"Happy to grant your wish," Nick seethed. Miley's eyes widened at Nick's hostility. Austin's eyes narrowed. So much for being civil. Nick glared back at him. "I was really hoping to see you, too." Austin's eye caught Nick's other fist clenching. Nick's arms flexed. He was ready for a fight.
Austin stepped in front of Miley and glared. Nick stood up and got in Austin's face. "Not now, Gray," Austin whispered, too low for anyone to hear. "But, don't worry, your time will come."
"Anytime, anywhere," Nick growled through his teeth. Suffer in silence, Nick. Think of the plan. He had to remind himself. "Let's go," he said to his brothers and Demi, still staring at Austin. They got up.
Austin smirked. "Anytime...Anywhere." He repeated to Nick. Nick gave Austin a slight shove, kind of hoping that would be enough to start the fight now. Nick's eye caught Miley glare at him, but he didn't care. Austin made no move to fight. Only because Miley is here and he wants to look like the better guy, Nick thought.
The brothers walked off while Demi trailed behind them thanking Miley for a great time. Demi ran right to the car where Joe and Kevin already were. Nick lingered behind taking his time walking to the car. "Hey!" He heard a voice behind him. He turned around to see Miley running towards him. He glanced at the window and saw Austin sitting on the couch, a scowl still on his face. Nick shook his head and looked back at Miley. Miley reached Nick, and he took a huge step back once seeing the look on her face. She was pissed. "What the hell is your problem?!" She shouted at him. He remained quiet. "I let you into my house and that is how you repay me?! Trying to start a fight with my boyfriend!?!?!"
"Miley, I—" He started.
Miley cut him off. "No, you listen! I don't know who you think you are, but what gives you the fucking right to do that?!"
"I just—"
"I said listen! What are you such a huge star that you think you can treat any person you want like that?! I cannot believe I ever 'dated' you, you asshole!"
"I didn't mean—"
"Shut the hell up! I'M talking. If you can't treat Austin with respect, then you can't come back! Got that, superstar?!" Nick's eyes widened. "You have no idea what Austin has been through! You don't know him! So don't judge him, Nick! Don't you dare judge him!" She finally stopped yelling and her breathing became heavy. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" Nick didn't say anything. "Speak!"
Nick glared. "Really? I can speak now? Are you sure? You don't have anything else to say?" His voice was dripping with sarcasm. Miley slapped him across his chest. "Listen, I have been through hell this past year. But I would go back to that in a heartbeat, because that was nothing compared to this. At least then I knew you were mine. I sat by your bedside every fucking day, waiting and waiting and waiting. Waiting for you to wake up and come back to me. Waiting to be able to hold you in my arms again. Waiting to be able to kiss you." Miley flinched. "And the one day I was not there, you wake up. When your dad called me to tell me, I was so happy. We would finally be together again. Then your dad told me I would have to wait to see you. He would call me when I could. He never called. Three months, Miley. That's how long I waited for his call. Three fucking months passed, before I got his call. Now we could finally be together again. I had been waiting so long but it was all going to be worth it once I saw your face again. And what ends up happening? You don't even remember a damn thing about me. Nothing. As if that didn't hurt enough, I find out you have a fucking boyfriend! A boyfriend!" Nick paused to catch his breath. "So you see, Miley, you have no idea what I'm going through. You don't know me. So don't judge me, Miley. Don't you dare judge me." He finished off using her words against her. He stared at her face. She couldn't even look in his eyes.
"I didn't know the pain you were going through," she whispered.
"You don't even know the half of it," Nick's voice cracked, letting some of the pain escape through his voice. Miley took a step towards him, but Nick backed away. "Stop. Look, I'm going to try to make this work. I'll be honest. I can't stand being away from you. And I know it's going to take time, but I think we can be good f-friends." Miley nodded her head. "But don't think for one second that I will ever be friends with him. Okay?"
Miley sighed. "Okay."
"I better go. Aust—That guy's waiting for you. But Miles, I need to know. Do you love him?" Miley didn't answer him. He couldn't even tell by her facial expression. It was blank. "Okay you don't have to answer me. I understand. Bye." He turned around and walked to the car. He heard Miley make her way back to her house. Once he got close enough to the car he saw Joe's expression. Shit.
"What the fuck Nick?! It's only the first fucking day and you already fucking screwed everything up! Do you know how much fucking harder you'll have to work to get her back now? Did that fucking thought ever occur to you?" Joe continued to yell at him. They had dropped Demi off at her house, and had barely walked through the door of their house when Joe started dropping the F-bombs like no other. Nick just rolled his eyes.
"Will you shut up? I do realize this."
"Then why did you do it?! You could of just walked away, but no you had to be 'a man'. If you wanted a man to do the job you should have just asked me or Kevin."
Nick growled. "And what makes you a man, Joe? Fucking our best friend?"
Kevin stuck his arm out. "Whoa, Nick. Not a good idea. It was funny in the car, not now."
Nick ignored him. "What makes you the master of love? Why should you be telling me how to handle my own love life. Just 'cause you got laid once or twice doesn't make you an expert. It just makes you a fucking man whore. Sad part is you couldn't even get your other girlfriends to do the dirty deed. You had to use Demi."
"NICK!" Kevin shouted.
Joe's eyes flashed. He didn't even bother to say a word. Without any warning, he lunged at Nick. Wrapping his arms around Nick's waist, he slammed him against the wall. Nick's head crashed into a few pictures causing them to shatter. Kevin was so stunned, he didn't make a move to stop them. Nick got back up, his fists and teeth clenched. He jumped at Joe, causing both of them to flip over the couch and crash into the coffee table, glass shattering everywhere.
"Mom's going to kill us," Kevin groaned.
Joe flipped Nick over and punched him right in the face. He was satisfied by the crunching under his fist. Nick grabbed both of Joe's arms and head-butt him. Joe fell back, dizzy. Nick took his chance and climbed on top of Joe. He imagined Joe's face to be Austin, and he lost it. He let all his anger loose. His eyes got blurry, and he forgot his surroundings. It wasn't until Kevin ripped him off of Joe that he noticed the red, warm liquid dripping off his fists. Kevin threw him back on the couch and ran towards Joe's limp body. Kevin dragged him out of the glass and Nick was horrified at all the blood. How did he not see that? What made it worse was Joe's face was covered in it. Nick had flash backs to that night in the hospital, seeing Robby Ray drenched in blood. He flinched back at the memory.
"I didn't mean to! I didn't mean—"
"Damn it, Nick! Call 911!" Kevin shouted. Nick stayed frozen. "GO!"
Nick got up and grabbed the phone, punching in the numbers. "I need an ambulance..."
"I'm sorry," Nick cried to Kevin in the waiting room. "I don't know what came over me... I just—"
Kevin cut him off. "It's okay, Nick. He'll be alright."
"All that blood..."
"Stop talking about it, Nick!" Kevin whispered, then eyed his parents who were sitting down with worry-struck faces. Frankie looked around confused. Nick nodded then leaned back on his chair, letting his mind wonder....
"Robby Ray? Mr. Stewart?" Nick ran around looking for him. Finally, he spotted him sitting in one of the chairs with his head in his hands. He quickly walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Mr. Stewart?"
Robby Ray lifted his head and Nick gasped at his appearance. His eyes were blood-shot red from crying and tears were streaming down his face. But that wasn't the worst part. He had blood smeared across his face, swirling with the tears. Even worse, his shirt was soaked with blood. Nick knew it wasn't his blood. "Nick... Sh-she..." He started sobbing.....
"Hello," the doctor said, "I'm Dr. Smith. Are you the father of Miss Miley Stewart?" He addressed Robby Ray.
Robby Ray nodded. "How's my daughter? Is she okay?"
Dr. Smith sighed and looked away for a moment before turning to look back at them. "When your daughter hit her head, it basically should have killed her. Instead, it fractured the inside of her skull and caused internal bleeding in the brain. Thankfully she got here just in time for us to fix the tissue and repair the fracture as best as we could."
Nick asked, "So she's alive, right?"
"To an extent, yes."
"What?" They both asked in unison.
The doctor rubbed his temples and looked down. "Unfortunately, sir, your daughter lapsed into a state of unconsciousness; a coma. There's no telling when, or if, she'll wake up. I'm sorry."
Robby Ray fell back in his chair. "Th-thank you, doctor. For everything."
Dr. Smith nodded. "If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to call. Your daughter is being held in room 285, just down that hallway," he said pointing out the direction. "I do ask of you that you wait 'til morning to come and see her. Her condition is... She needs to be cleaned off and taken care of. I suggest you just go home, get cleaned off, take a nap, and then come back here. Of course, that's entirely up to you." He shook both of their hands before turning around and walking off.
Nick and Robby Ray just sat there, trying to let that information sink in. Nick put his head in his hands and broke down again. "Forever," he whispered. "Forever..."
Nick shot up in his chair. He looked at his surroundings and realized they were still at the hospital. He must have fallen asleep. "How is Joe?" He asked.
"He's fine," his mother answered him. "He lost a lot of blood. He'll be okay though." She paused. "Nick, what on earth were you thinking? If Kevin hadn't pulled you off, you could have kil—" She stopped mid-sentence. Nick got the point.
"I'm so sorry, Mom. I don't know what I was thinking." He sighed. "No, that's just it. I was not thinking. I let my anger get the best of me. I never meant to hurt him." Mrs. Gray just nodded.
Nick sighed then stood up. "I need air. I can't be in here." His family didn't say anything to him so he just walked out. Once he got outside, he fell to the ground and cried...
It wasn't until he felt a warm hand on his shoulder that he looked up. "Demi?"
Demi smiled softly and sat down next to him. "Hey. Kevin called and told me what happened. I cannot believe you actually..."
Nick grunted. "You hate me, don't you? Look, I am so sorry. I was just so mad. I should not have brought you into it. I'm terribly sorry for earlier today, too. That's personal business and it wasn't mine or Kevin's place to comment on it. I'm sorry if I hurt you..."
"I'll live. So will Joe. But I'm guessing he never told you the whole story, huh?" Nick shook his head. "Well, it happened a month or two after Miley's accident..."
Joe ran up the stairs to Demi's room. He had gotten a voicemail from her asking him to go over. Her voice sounded funny, so he immediately hopped in his car and drove to her house. He wondered what was wrong...
He opened the door of her bedroom and gasped. Oh, Demi... he thought. Demi was sitting on her bed, crying her eyes out. Her body was shaking and the sounds of her cries made his heartbreak. He had never seen her like this. She didn't even notice him walk in.
He quickly shrugged off his jacket, and made his way to her bed. He climbed on it and pulled her into his arms. Her head found his chest and she cried harder. He rubbed her back and let some of his own tears spill too. They stayed there for a good hour, just crying.
Finally, she looked up and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Joe. I just couldn't be alone right now. I have been trying so hard to be strong about this accident, but I can't take anymore. I can't hold it in anymore."
Joe held her close. "You don't ever need to apologize, Dems. Never. Call me, and I'll always be here for you, you got that?" She nodded. "Good. And, please, don't ever try to be strong. Let it out, Demi. Let it all out. You can cry. Even if you don't want to cry in front of Kevin and Nick, I'll be here. Cry in front of me. I'll cry with you."
Demi looked up at him. "Promise."
"Promise." He kissed her cheek. Demi blushed. Joe smiled, liking the color of her cheeks, and leaned down giving her another kiss. This time on the lips. Demi kissed him back, only for a second, before pulling away, her cheeks dark red. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Joe leaned back down and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back.
He let his tongue slide across her lips, asking for access. She granted it. He slid his tongue in her mouth and let his hands move down to her waist. Demi leaned back on the bed and Joe hovered over her. His mouth moved down from her jaw, to her neck...He stopped, letting his warm breath wash over her skin. He looked back up at her, his face in a questioning look. She sat up and peeled her shirt and bra off her body. Joe's eyes roamed down and Demi blushed. "You're beautiful," he murmured, before pulling off his own shirt. Demi's eyes widened at his body and his face got a little smug.
Demi laid back down and Joe's lips started where they left off, moving from her neck, to her chest, down her stomach. Demi's eyes rolled back in her head and a small moan escaped her lips. As if Joe wasn't already excited....
He unbuttoned her pants and ripped them off her body. Demi did the same with his. Joe grabbed the elastic band of her panties and teased her a little bit. "Joe..." Demi moaned. "Please..." He smiled and pulled them off all the way. He threw them behind his back, not caring where they landed. Demi grabbed his boxers and slid them off his body. Then—
"Okay, there. Right there. You can just stop, please," Nick begged.
Demi laughed. "I'm sorry. Too far, huh?"
"A little bit."
Demi smiled. "It wasn't a 'fuck', Nick. It was two people showing their love for each other."
Nick was confused. "Then why aren't you guys together now? I mean, if you love him and he loves you, then why don't you guys date?"
Demi sighed. "It's complicated right now. Once everything is back to normal, we might give it a shot. Now we just need to be friends. That's all." Nick nodded. Suddenly, he felt a fire in him. A strong desire. He was going to make everything normal again. Not just for him, but for Joe and Demi, too. He knows what it's like to be without the one he loves. He can't let that be the case with Joe and Demi. He wouldn't let it be.
After a lot of thought, he realized something. "God, I'm an idiot." He whispered. Demi looked at him. "All for you. He came up with this plan of getting Miley and I back together for you."
"What? Why me?"
"That's why he didn't want me to screw it up! He wants to be with you! And I almost killed him because of it! I'm a horrible person. I don't deserve Miley. I don't deserve anyone."
Demi shook her head. "Not horrible, just stupid. C'mon, let's go inside. It's kind of cold out here." She pulled Nick up with her and they walked back inside. Before reaching his parents, Nick stopped her.
"Demi, I need your help. Bad. I think I might have screwed everything up with Miley, and I just need your help to smooth things over. You'll help me, right?"
She smiled. "Of course." He smiled back at her and they made their way back to the waiting room.
Kevin stood up. "Nick, there you are! Joe's awake. He wants to see you."
Hmm. Not a big fan of this chapter really. It's long, though. So reviews are nice ;D. C'mon, you know you want to comment on the whole Nick/Miley/Austin & Joe/Demi drama. So do it. I listen. And if there is something you want to see in the story. Tell me. Oh & sorry for any mistakes. There are always a fewww...
Peace, guys! xoxo