CHAPTER NINE

Friends with Benefits

Jackson's Point of View

"Got one, Dad!" I yelled, waving the banana from up its tree.

"That's great, Son," Dad said. "Now throw it down to me."

I did as I was told, then began picking more bananas. "Man, I'm kind of getting tired of bananas."

"If it weren't for you, we'd still have our food supply," Dad said, taking a bite from his banana.

"Oh, come on, Dad! I was tired and hungry and we searched for a whole six hours. We didn't even find them."

"That's because we're going 'round in circles," Dad explained, "and we didn't even know it."

I just nodded and continued picking bananas.

ooHMoo

Oliver's Point of View

Lilly was looking for her skateboard near the public bathrooms, without her contacts or backup glasses on. I could only imagine how hard it was for her to see. She hit a tree, fell down and landed on the ground with a thud.

"Lilly!" I called to her. "Are you okay?"

She came running, rubbing her forehead. "Yeah, I'm fine." She put on her backup glasses. "What's weird, though, is that I thought I saw Miley and Jake sitting on a log. I even walked near them, but that was when I hit the tree. But maybe I was wrong. My vision wasn't that clear, and it's impossible for Miley and Jake to sit beside each other. On a log, no less."

"Yeah," I said. "You want some ice?"

"Sure, but I think I'll just go get it myself," Lilly replied.

I followed close behind her. "How long has it been?"

"Huh?" Lilly rubbed the ice on her forehead.

"How long have we been stuck here in the campsite?" I asked.

"Three days, I think," Lilly replied.

I nodded. "Oh, right."

Lilly didn't speak for quite a long time. Finally, she looked up at me and went, "Remember when we first met in preschool?"

"How does that one go again?" I asked.

"Well..." Lilly started.

FLASHBACK - WRITTEN IN THE THIRD PERSON

A green-eyed blond girl entered Miss Bloom's preschool classroom. She said "Good morning" to Miss Bloom and took the only seat available, beside a brown-eyed brunette boy.

"Hi," the boy said. "My name's Oliver Oken. What's yours?"

"Lillian Truscott," the girl replied. "But you can call me Lilly if you want."

Oliver smiled. "Okay, Lilly. Are we friends now?"

"I don't know yet," Lilly said hesitantly. "I just met you, Oliver. Let's get to know each other first." Then something caught her attention, and her eyes grew big. "Wow. you have a sixty-four pack of crayons!"

Oliver turned the box and grinned wide. "With a built-in sharpener!"

"Can I borrow some when coloring time comes?" Lilly was so excited that she held Oliver's hand. Of course, this meant nothing, as they were still at the age of four.

Oliver squeezed Lilly's hand. "Sure, you can borrow my crayons." He paused and studied Lilly's hand on his. "I like your hand. It's soft and smooth."

"Thank you," Lilly giggled.

Lilly was talking to Ashley Dewitt, who was, believe it or not, nice and friendly then, when Miss Bloom announced that it was coloring time.

"I'll talk to you later, Ashley. G'bye!" Lilly called behind her back as she hurried over to her seat beside Oliver. The pupils were crowding around it, looking at Oliver's sixty-four pack in awe. "Wow, look!" one of them said.

Miss Bloom gave them their coloring sheets, and they began to use Oliver's crayons.

Oliver noticed how neatly Lilly colored her sheet. "Gee, I wish I could do that."

"Do what?" Lilly asked, looking up.

"Stay inside the lines." Oliver looked down at his sheet, with a picture of a house with simple shapes. "I always go beyond the lines, unlike you."

"Here, I'll teach you." Lilly traced the door from the inside, and colored neatly. "See how easy it is?"

"Yeah! Thank you, Lilly!" Oliver said.

After coloring time came snack time. Oliver shared Lilly his pink-frosted cupcake with sprinkles.

"Wow, this is yummy," Lilly said between bites.

"My Aunt Clarisse baked them," Oliver replied.

Some hours passed, and it was already dismissal time. Oliver tapped Lilly on the shoulder. "Lilly?"

Lilly turned around to face him. "Yes?" she asked.

"Are we friends now?" Oliver asked.

"Friends forever," Lilly said, leaving Oliver, who was all smiles.

END FLASHBACK

"I'll never forget that day," Lilly said when the story was over.

"Me, too," I told her.

"Oh, and remember when Miley first came around? You were jealous then, but you made friends with her after two days." Lilly began recalling, then she finally told the story.

FLASHBACK

"Class," Miss Simon, their seventh-grade homeroom teacher, said. "We have a new student by the name of Miley Stewart. Please introduce yourself, Miley."

A brunette girl with green eyes entered the room. "I'm Miley Stewart, but you guys can call me Miley. I'm thirteen years old, and I came from Tennessee."

"Do you have a talent, Miley?" Miss Simon asked.

"Oh, yeah. I can sing, dance, act and write songs. I like singing the most, though." Miley smiled.

Miss Simon nodded. "Can you give us a little sample?"

"Oh, sure," Miley replied. She began performing a song by Hannah Montana. When she was done, everyone clapped.

"Sit over there beside Lilly Truscott. The blond one in the back row," Miss Simon instructed.

Miley sat at the empty seat beside the girl. "Hi," she greeted.

"Hey, I'm Lilly," the girl said. "You have a really nice voice. So, you like Hannah Montana?"

"Thanks. Oh, I love her!" Miley replied, a little too enthusiastically.

"I know, me too," Lilly said. "She's a pop goddess."

"Hey, can I sit beside you at lunchtime?" Miley asked.

"Sure, I'll just ask Oliver," Lilly replied.

"Oliver? Who's he?"

"He's that brown-haired boy at the front row, in your column." Lilly pointed.

Miley peeked. "Oh, that guy."

"Why?" Lilly asked. "Oh, no. Don't tell me he tried to use those pick-up lines on you."

Miley laughed. "He did."

"Don't mind my best friend, he's kind of girl-crazy. And he says he's going to be Mr. Hannah Montana. He's funny that way," Lilly said.

When lunchtime came, Lilly showed Miley around, then they sat down on the table beside Oliver. "Oliver, this is Miley," Lilly introduced. "And Miley, this is Oliver."

"Nice to meet you, Oliver," Miley said, holding her hand out.

Oliver shook it. "Same here. Hey, Miley, nice performance there."

"Oh, the Hannah imitation?" Miley said. "I do it all the time."

"Oliver's also sorry that he tried to hit on you," Lilly said.

"What?" Oliver asked. Lilly elbowed him. "Oh, yeah, right. Sorry."

"Oh, it's okay," Miley replied, taking a sip from her milk carton.

When classes were dismissed, Oliver walked up to Lilly. "Hey, Lil, want to go see a movie?"

"Can't," Lilly said. "I have plans with Miley."

"Miley, Miley, Miley," Oliver said, frustrated. "All you've been talking about all day is Miley."

"Sorry. It's just that Miley is the first girl best friend I've had."

"You just met her, and now she's your best friend?"

"You became my best friend on the day I first met you, too!" Lilly reasoned. She turned her back on Oliver and left him.

Oliver became really jealous, especially when he and Lilly fought. Two days passed, and Lilly didn't go to school.

"Oliver, do you know why Lilly didn't go to school today?" Miley asked, setting her lunch tray down on the lunch table.

"Don't know," Oliver replied.

"Oh, thanks, anyway," Miley said, sitting down beside him.

Oliver thought of this as a time to get to know Miley better. He striked up a conversation with her, and they discovered similar interests. He also discovered that Miley was smart and funny. She asked him for guitar lessons.

The next day, when Lilly came back, she was surprised to know that Miley and Oliver were actually getting along and were friends.

END FLASHBACK

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" I asked Lilly when she was done re-telling.

"Did what?" she asked.

"Not going to school on that day, so that Miley and I would make friends with each other?"

"Kind of..." Lilly smiled. "If I didn't do that, then you wouldn't be in love with her."

"And is that good?" I asked. She shrugged. "I don't like Miley that much anymore."

"Really?" Lilly looked like she doubted it.

I held her hand. "I'm so lucky to have you as my friend. I want you to know that."

"Yeah, me too," Lilly replied. "You're the best friend I've ever had."

"Not Miley?" I asked.

"It's sort of different with her. I need her for entertainment. I need you for comfort. That's the only way to explain it, I guess," she said.

"I didn't see it that way, just now," I told her.

"I wonder, would we still have our friendship if we ever got together?" Lilly asked, and her hand immediately flew to her mouth. "Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. That question came out of nowhere, really."

"Yeah, I think we'll still have it," I replied. Then I realized that I was still holding her hand. It sent shivers up and down my spine, and electricity zinged through me. Lilly must have noticed, too, because she suddenly took her hand away. Then I thought of it. Was I losing interest in Miley because my feelings were transferring to Lilly?

Everything was silent. I turned to look at Lilly, but she had already fallen asleep on my shoulder.

(A/N: Tell me how you liked this chapter, Loliver fans. Making this chapter was tiring... yaaawwn... 'Til the next chapter! To the anonymous review of someone by the name of P, they can't go to the office since they're lost in the woods. If they can't find each other, how will they find the office? And I don't write about the other campers because Miley and the others are too busy in their own little worlds to care about those other campers, and they're too busy with the problems of being lost in the woods in three pairs. But I'll make it up to you in the next chapter. :D)