CHAPTER EIGHT

Too Close for Comfort

Jake's Point of View

I woke up to find Miley sleeping soundly beside me. I had my arm around her, but I slowly took it away so that she won't wake up. I fished a towel and some clothes to change into from my camping bag and got out of the tent, careful not to make a sound. I stretched. Last night, Miley had gone into my tent because she was homesick. We were up until two in the morning. I looked at my watch. It was nine-thirty.

"What happened last night?"

I whirled around. Miley was rubbing her eyes sleepily. "You went inside my tent. We talked. You fell asleep, and I didn't want to wake you, so I let you sleep in my tent," I told her.

"Or, I fell asleep, and you wanted to sleep beside me!" Miley crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means that you are nothing but a maniac!" Miley yelled. "And to think that I trusted you, Jake Ryan! I was right all along. I should never have given you a second chance."

"You were the one crying into my chest last night," I yelled back. "Forgive me for thinking that we were getting along."

"Well, you're not forgiven," Miley said before stomping off to who-knows-where.

I went to take a shower in the public bathrooms. On my way there, I noticed something. Lilly's skateboard. I think it was the one Oliver had given her in the sixth grade. I picked it up and continued walking. When I was done, I ran back to our campground.

"Miley!" I yelled through my pile of used clothes. "Look what I've got!"

Miley came out of her tent, carrying a towel and clothes of her own. "What?"

I held up Lilly's skateboard. "Maybe their campsite is just near ours!"

Miley took one look at the skateboard, took it in her arms, and cried. I could tell that she really missed her friends and family. She dropped the skateboard and ran all the way to the public bathrooms for women. I picked the skateboard up. It had scratch marks. Must be from an accident and when Miley dropped it. I waved the dirt away and kept it in my tent, beside my laundry bag, where I kept the used clothes.

When Miley got back, she was still crying a bit, drying her hair with a towel. She looked up at me, then at her pile of used clothes. She went inside her tent, probably to keep the clothes in her own laundry bag.

"Are you okay?" I called after her.

"What do you think?" she said. "Of course I'm not okay. The skateboard may be the only thing left of my best friend!"

"Don't say that, I'm sure she's still here. There aren't animals around who'd kill them, anyway," I said.

Miley came out empty-handed, except for a bag of potato chips. "Oh, Jake," she told me, taking my left hand in both of hers. "Stop being so nice. I don't deserve it with the way I acted earlier."

"It's okay," I replied, taking her into my arms, letting her sob into my chest once again.

Miley wiped her tears and looked up at me again. "Did you really let me sleep beside you just because you didn't want to wake me up? Because if not…"

I grinned. The answer was yes. But I wanted to tease Miley just a little bit, so I said, "Maybe…"

She scoffed, rolled her eyes and punched me in the arm.

"Ouch!" I rubbed my arm. "Yes! You seemed to have a really good sleep, so I didn't want to ruin it. I can't carry you all the way to your own tent, because that might wake you up. So I had no choice."

Miley sighed and grinned. "Good." Then she turned serious. "Hey, Jake," she said, motioning for me to come closer.

I stepped beside her. "Yeah?"

She cupped her hand beside my ear and whispered. "I just want to say thank you. Really. I wouldn't have gone through last night if it weren't for you."

"It's no problem, really," I answered, and we had eye contact for the briefest moment. "Do you want to go around and try to find them?"

Miley thought about it. "Surprisingly no," she said. "I just want to forget it for today. I just want to enjoy this trip, you know?"

"So, you want to spend some time with me?" I asked hopefully.

"I'll think about it," Miley said. "Yeah, sure, I guess I can spend time with you."

"I wish I did what you did," I told her as we sat down on a log.

"What?" Miley asked, applying lip gloss.

"You know, what you did as Hannah Montana. Keeping it a secret at school?" I explained. She nodded. "I wish I did that."

"Anonymity is important in life…sometimes," Miley said. "Instead of hiding your other identity as a celebrity, your announced it." I laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I was wrong. Now I don't know who my real friends are," I told her.

"Well, I am," Miley hesitantly said. "And Lilly, and Oliver?"

"Really?" I told her. "Thanks, Miles!" I gave her a hug.

"Yeah," Miley said, returning her hug. "I was wrong about you when I first met you. You're down-to-earth and smart. Exactly what I like in a guy." She clapped a hand over her mouth. "I mean, in a friend! Who would want someone stuck-up and dumb for a friend?"

I nodded as Miley opened the bag of potato chips and began eating. "That's your breakfast?" I asked her.

"Why, got something better?" she shot back.

"I have some granola bars…" I said.

"Oh, what kind?" Miley said after swallowing a mouthful of potato chips. She doesn't talk with her mouth full, which means she's polite. Another trait that I absolutely like about her.

"Those with dried fruits, nuts, chocolate chips," I replied. "There are different kinds. So, you want one?"

"The one with dried fruits. Please and thank you," Miley told me. I guess she quoted Kim Possible, or she's learned that phrase when she was a toddler no older than three.

I gave Miley her requested granola bar, while I munched on one with chocolate chips. I remembered the kiss that we shared then. I thought that it was really nice that Miley still talked to me after that. She's usually irritable around me, especially before the camping trip. I'm glad she softened up a bit now that we've started over.

"Hey," Miley suddenly said.

"What?" I asked.

"Doesn't that girl near the public bathrooms look like Lilly to you?"

(A/N: Is it really Lilly? Wait for chapter ten to find out. DASEYisLOVE, I can't use your idea, since it would be too easy. And it's still the woods, so there are no signals for cellular phones. Really great idea, though. Maybe next time. Since some parts in this chapter contradicted some parts in chapter three, I edited chapter three a little bit. Still, thanks for the reviews!)