"You make me feel out of my element
Like I'm walkin' on broken glass
Like my worlds spinnin' in slow motion
And you're movin' too fast."

V

A Feeling Like This

Lily leaned against the stairs and looked around. This was her first party as Lily, and not as Lola, and she was surprisingly nervous. Meghan wanted her friends to come to her mom's party as themselves, but since Hannah Montana had been invited personally by Madeleine, only Oliver and Lily came disguise-free. Lily glanced over at Oliver, who was glaring jealously towards the entrance. Lily followed his gaze and rolled her eyes. Meghan and Hannah were still talking to the Jonas Brothers, and Meghan & Joe were laughing quite a bit.

"Glaring won't make him less cute or funny, you know," Lily said.

"Shh," Oliver said, raising his hand. "I'm trying to hear what he's saying."

"From across a crowded room?" Lily said, once again rolling her eyes at his silly boy-like tendencies.

"Yes," Oliver said sarcastically. "Now put a cork in it."

"Give it a rest, Oaken," Lily said. "You're wasting your time."

"Fine," Oliver said, finally breaking eye contact and grabbing an hors-d'oeuvre from a passing waiter. "What's he got that I don't, anyway?"

"Well, let's see," Lily said, putting her hand to her chin and pretending to think hard. "He's cute, he's funny, he's older...and, well, he happens to be in one of the hottest acts around. Plus, he's soooo cute."

"You already said that last bit," Oliver said, angrily. "I'm funny, though, right? And cute?"

"Umm," Lily said, looking at her feet. "Sure, why not?"

"Girls are complicated," Oliver said, sighing.

"We're complicated?" Lily said defensively. "Oh, please. Boys are much more complicated than girls."

"No," Oliver said. "Not really."

"Oh yeah?" Lily said, frustrated. "Well, when a girl likes a guy, or at least you think they like a guy, they don't make it look like they're about to ask you to be their girlfriend--I mean boyfriend--then ask you to pass the chips! Would you do that to a girl, eh, buster?" She viciously grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"No," Oliver replied, wincing, as Lily released him from her death grip. "I would ask her to be my girlfriend, then ask her to pass the chips."

Lily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms angrily. "I take it we're not talking about me anymore, are we?" Oliver asked.

"It's just...nothing," Lily said.

"Fine," Oliver said, raising his arms in defeat.

"That's it?" Lily said, surprised.

"What's it?"

"You're not gonna try to force it out of me?" Lily asked. "You're not gonna beg and plead and tell me it'll make me feel better to talk about it?"

"Do I look like a girl to you?" Oliver asked sarcastically.

"No comment," Lily said mockingly.

"Whatever," Oliver said. He turned back towards the entrance of Meghan's house. "So what do you think they're talking about?"

Lily rolled her eyes. Boys, she thought.

"Get out!" Meghan said, clutching her stomach as she laughed.

"I'm serious," Joe said, also laughing. "I dressed up as my mom for Halloween when I was seven."

"You're insane," Meghan said.

"Why thank you," Joe said, taking a bow. "So you coming out to our show on Wednesday?"

"Absolutely," Meghan said, nodding. "Hannah'll be there too."

"Was there ever any doubt?" Joe said, nodding in Hannah's direction. Meghan looked over and giggled.

"I love that movie too!" Hannah was saying.

"Really?" Nick asked, grinning.

"Absolutely!" Hannah said, flipping her hair back.

"Well, I see they moved on from mono-syllables," Meghan said quietly to Joe.

"Clearly," Joe replied, nodding in agreement. "You know what's funny, though? Before, they could barely get two words out, but Nick refused to shut up about her when she wasn't around. It was insanely annoying."

"Ah, young love," Meghan said, sighing sarcastically.

"How they grow up so fast," Joe said, playing along.

"My favourite scene was when the spaceship blows up," Nick was saying. "And you think Jimmy Ficks is dead, but he comes flying out the debrey in his space-pod!"

"Oh my gosh!" Hannah said, batting her eyelashes. "Me too!"

"What movie you guys talking about?" Meghan asked.

"'A Journey Through The Stars'," Nick replied fondly.

"Great movie," Joe added, nodding. Nick and Hannah quickly resumed their conversation, ignoring Meghan and Joe.

"I guess Hannah forgot that she hates sci-fi movies," Meghan said, laughing.

Joe laughed. "Did you see where Kevin went off to?"

"He went over to talk to my dad," Meghan said, pointing over to where Kevin and Mr. Hollaway were conversing. Meghan suddenly spotted Lily and Oliver, standing by the staircase, and immediately felt guilty about having forgotten them. "Hey guys?" Meghan asked, interrupting Nick and Hannah's conversation. "They're some people I'd like you to meet."

Meghan, followed by Joe, Hannah and Nick (who did not let this little trip stop their flirting session, continuing to make eyes at each other as they walked on), made her way to where her best friends were standing. "Hey Lily," Meghan said. "Hey Ollie. Sorry for ditching you guys."

"It's fine," Lily said sincerely. "Right, Oliver?" Oliver was, once again, glaring at Joe. Lily elbowed him in ribs.

"Right," Oliver replied, rubbing his side.

"Joe, Nick," Meghan said. "These are my friends, Lily Truscott and Oliver Oaken. Lily, Ollie, this is Nick and Joe Jonas."

"It's sooo nice to meet you," Lily said excitingly, grabbing Nick, then Joe's, hand and shaking it really hard.

"Likewise," Joe said, smiling awkwardly. "So where's the infamous Miley you keep talking about?"

"Infamous?" Hannah asked, intrigued. "I mean...I remember her. From last time. Great girl. Great sense of style and--"

"She couldn't make it," Meghan said, glaring at Miley. "She had the stomach flu. I went to see her before. Puke everywhere. It's not pretty."

"Oh," Nick said.

"Well," Hannah said. "I'm sure she's fine."

"Sounds kinda unpleasant," Joe said.

"Any-who," Hannah said, eager to change the subject. "How are you two enjoying the party?" She looked at Lily and Oliver.

"It's not bad," Lily replied.

"You guys already know each other?" Nick asked, gesturing from Lily and Oliver to Hannah.

"Um," Hannah replied. "Y-Yeah."

"They met at one of my concerts," Meghan quickly added.

"Cool," Joe said.

"Hello dears!" Madeleine said suddenly, appearing behind Joe, making everyone jump. "Joe, Nick, Hannah...Oh." She glared at Oliver. "You."

"H-Hello again," Oliver said, wincing in fear. She looked over at Lily. "Oh! I see you brought your dull-normal little girlfriend! How perfectly wonderful!"

"She's not his girlfriend," Meghan snapped. "He doesn't have a girlfriend."

"As long as it stays that way," Madeleine muttered. "Oh, Joe, I was hoping you could convince my daughter to wear that gorgeous Chanel dress I picked out, since your big brown eyes seem to have such an influence over Meghan! But, alas, she's wearing...this...charming, little, oh well, really now, darling, what were you thinking?"

"I like it," Joe said.

"Me too," Oliver chimed, then looked down at his shoes when Madeleine gave him a most evil stare.

"Thanks," Meghan said, looking happily at Oliver.

"Well," Madeleine said. "You kids have fun. I wouldn't be a very good hostess if I didn't mingle!"

"Wow," Nick said once Meghan's mother had left. "That lady is scary."

"Tell me about it," Lily said, shivering in fear.

"So Lily," Meghan said. "You know why Jackson couldn't come?"

"I think he had to work," Lily replied. "Or he was too busy eating chips."

"What?" Hannah and Nick said in unison. They both giggled.

"You guys are so cute," Joe said mockingly.

"Stop it," Meghan said, joining in. Hannah and Nick ignored them, and continued to gaze at each other. "No, seriously, stop it!"

"Maybe we should just let them be," Lily offered.

"I don't think we have much other choice," Joe said, laughing. Meghan laughed too.

Oliver forced a laugh. "Well," he said. "...Pff."

The music suddenly changed to a faster beat, which surprised Meghan. She looked over to the sound system, where Kevin and her father were playing with the dials. They saw Meghan and gave her a thumbs up.

"Leave it to Kev and Mr.H to give this party some life," Joe said laughing.

"Oh!" Hannah said. "Let's dance!" She grabbed Nick by the hand and pulled him into the middle of the room.

"I love this song!" Meghan said excitingly. "Let's crank this part-ay up!"

Joe opened his mouth, as if he was just about to ask Meghan something, but Meghan cut in. "Come on Ollie!" she said, grabbing Oliver's arm. "Dance with me!" They joined Nick and Hannah, who were in full dance mode, as the adults of the party looked at them, shaking their heads in disappointment.

"Well...," Joe said. "You wanna dance, Lily?"

"Would you ever ask me to pass you the chips?" Lily asked seriously.

"No," Joe replied, confused.

"Okay, then," Lily said, shrugging making her way to where her friends were shaking their groove things.