Chapter Six

"Hey, Noah," I smiled, but the best I got was her looking at me before looking back down to her cell phone. "What are you doing?"

She scoffed. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to talk to you," I replied, begging for her to just listen to me for once.

"Why? It's not like you care."

I sighed, closing my eyes. I had to make this work. "I'm your sister."

"That means nothing when you're a superstar first."

I put a hand on her forehead, turning it to look at me. "No, I am your sister first. I will always be your sister first. Got it?"

"Words don't mean much with you," she looked away again, texting someone else. "You don't exactly stick to them very often."

"When have I ever not stuck to my word?" I challenged.

She rolled her eyes as if I was the stupid one. "I've watched your interviews, you know?"

Of course. Something else related to fame. This was why Brandi and I got along so well – she didn't care how famous I was. Noah, she always has. It's not like we've ever had the best relationship, but when she's so obsessed with who gets the biggest poster – not to mention, I set standards pretty high when it comes to selling out stadiums – she'll always be disappointed.

"You aren't an interview, you're my sister."

"Since when?"

"Since that time when you were little and bit me, brat."

I almost caught her smile. "Okay, I'll only talk to you if I get to ask the questions," she grinned up at me and I knew I had her back in the palm of my hand.

"Deal."

"Why are you and Demi so off-and-on this tour?"

"Aren't we always?"

She shook her head, eyes wide. "I thought it was as bad as it got in LA, but you two are gonna kill each other."

"She's mad because I've been hanging out with Selena."

She started laughing and I swear it was the first time I heard that laugh in months. "You and Selena?"

"Yeah."

"Selena?" she asked again. "Like, Gomez?"

"Yes, Noah. She's the only one who knows about... you know."

"The cancer?"

I nodded a little. "Yeah."

"You scared?"

I shrugged. "Not really."

"Liar."

"I'll be fine."

"Nick tried getting me to tell him what was wrong with you," she announced. I suddenly looked up, pretty interested in this one. "He even offered me money."

I think my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "What?"

"Yeah. He said any reasonable sum. I told him two million as a joke, but he totally would have given it to me. He took out the checkbook and everything."

"You didn't tell him?"

"Would I ever betray you like that?"

"Of course not," I smiled, still confused. I'd have thought she'd sell me out in a second. "That boy is desperate to know what's going on."

"It's not like you'd be any different with him," Noah pointed out. "I think he still loves you."

"Really? I'd love that conclusion if you weren't eleven," I smiled softly. "If I tell you something, you promise not tell?"

"Promise."

"He called me baby the other night," I confided. "I really liked it."

Noah shook her head. "You two are crazy for each other."

"No, we're a wreck."

"No, you're in love."

I nodded a little. "It's pretty tragic."

"Only 'cause you won't tell him."

I shook my head. If only she'd understand. "I've used up all my chances with him."

"What about Tybee?"

I snapped my head to look at her, my eyes wide. "Who told you about Tybee!"

"No one. I just figured something big happened there with how hush-hush everyone is about it. And I was right. Now to figure out what it was..."

"Don't." I didn't want her to know what happened there. It should have been considered a mistake, but it definitely wasn't.

"I don't wanna know," she gave up.

"Hey, you wanna come on with me tonight for a few songs?" I asked, ready to finally win her over.

She lit up, smiling and nodded. "Yeah!"

"I'll work it out with mom later. Who you texting?"

"Nick."

I furrowed my eyebrows. Since when did he have Noah's number? He didn't mention the fact that they were on a texting basis last night. "What about?"

"You."

"What about me?" I smiled, worrying a little, but not caring. He was talking about me, meaning I was on his mind about as much as he was on mine.

"Everything. You don't even know how much texts me about you. It's almost annoying," she rolled her eyes, replying. "Is she okay? What's wrong with her? Is she dealing with breaking up with Liam okay? Yes, Nick. I'm not telling you. She doesn't care. Kay, bye."

I laughed, pulling out my phone.

So, I hear you talk to my sister about me a lot.

He replied almost instantly.

What are you talking about? I only talk to her sunday, saturday, and all the days in between.

I shook my head. This kid... he'd be the death of me, but I couldn't help but love him.

Oh, sorry. My source must be going crazy. You can never find reliable ones.

I know, I know. Drives me crazy too.

Ha, yeah. Whatsup?

With Sel. You?

I sighed, and I couldn't help but feel that sinking feeling in my heart. Selena. Selena. Always the girl who I never considered a threat, but would always be one. The girl who was also my friend now, but it was so hard not to be jealous. I wondered if she ever felt the same way.

With Noah.

Work it all out?

Were fly like a g6.

Hahaha, you're so lame.

& you can't help but love it.

More than you know, Mi.

I smiled, happy enough with that message to stop texting him. I looked up and suddenly Demi was in the room, too, talking to Noah. I walked over to them and knew by the way they both smirked at me I was in for it.

"You were pretty out of it there," Demi told me. "I wonder who she could have possibly been texting."

"I think she told me. His name starts with like, a N or M or something?" Noah fed into it.

"Mick, rick... No. Vick!"

"No, that's not it," Noah sighed.

"Alright, guys. Stop with the Nick jokes. I admitted I liked him, already."

"Nick! That's it," Demi smiled at me, patting the table for me to sit next to her. "You guys all in love again?"

"Oh, of course," I scoffed. "He's with Selena dimwit."

"But he's not with her. I'm sure there's a reason he hasn't asked her out," Noah put in her opinion.

"He probably pities Selena. She's kinda friendless lately." I shook my head at her and she rolled her eyes. "Would you cut the nice act and just agree for once?"

I sighed. "I can't. That's not fair, because I remember when that was me and you were the only one talking to me. Selena was talking behind my back like this while the boys listened."

"Yeah, you could have won us all back with an apology," Joe walked in, smiling. "We all just like you more."

"Well, that makes me feel bad. I've always been a Sprouse brothers type of girl."

He laughed, going over to Demi and wrapping his arms around her. I coughed. "What is going on here, Demi?"

"If you don't shut-"

"She's just being Miley," Joe reminded with a smile.

I shook my head. "Oh, she has so much payback after last night."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't try to hide things."

"Or maybe I should trust you enough to hide them."

"What'd she try to hide?" Joe asked confused.

Demi rolled her eyes. "She tried to keep her medical condition away from Nick, because she had the stomach flu last night."

Joe laughed, shaking his head at me as if I was some senseless, silly little kid. "He would've figured out you're sick, anyways. Have you not heard about his constant texting over you?"

"Wait, he's been texting you too?"

"Everyone," Joe grinned, stupidly. "Your old friends, new ones, obsessively texting these two."

"I am like, this close to asking your mom to take away his texting privileges," Demi told him.

"Don't!" I shouted and Joe looked at me with a smirk. We both knew what would happen if anyone told Denise Nick was being so over-protective about me.

"For Miley's sake, don't," Joe agreed.

Demi looked at us both confused. "Why?"

"Because then she'd get involved and start asking questions, too."

"And Miley can't lie to my mom, so she'd be screwed," Joe smirked.

I shook my head, laughing a little. Demi looked down and I hesitated. She wasn't right lately. There was something wrong with her. She was my best-friend and I knew these things. She was hurting over something, and the way she glanced up at me couldn't lead me to any other conclusion but the idea it was me.

:::

"Grey's Anatomy?" Demi asked, flipping through the boxed DVD sets of TV seasons we had on the bus.

"Sure," I shrugged, slightly tired. I'd been to chemo again earlier and it wasn't getting any easier, unfortunately. I didn't understand why something that was so hurtful had to hurt so bad.

"You okay?"

She looked over to me, her eyebrows furrowed. "Me? Yeah, why?"

I shrugged. "You just seem upset lately."

"A lot of things have been changing," she explained.

"Like what?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"Tell me," I protested, going to sit next to her on the couch. "C'mon, we're best-friends, spill, Dem." She just looked at me and I knew what she meant. "Like me."

"No, not exactly you. Just... us," she rolled her eyes. "Things feel different between us. Like, we're getting split apart. Look, it's whatever. No biggie."

"N-"

"Forget I said anything," she instructed. No way I was doing that.

"Hey, hey. Dem, c'mon, it's not stupid," I murmured, putting a hand on each cheek. "We aren't getting torn apart. I will always be there, okay?"

"I know," she told me.

"No, you're having doubts," I corrected. "After the past year, you still don't believe in me?"

"It's not that, it's just hard, Miley!" she closed her eyes. "Trust is hard for me."

And I wasn't exactly making it easy to trust me with the disappearing acts this tour.

"Remember last year when you were on tour with Nick and you were so scared because you felt like your life was falling apart so we just stayed up all night talking about what to do?" I asked. She nodded. "I was never so scared of losing someone in my life," I admitted.

She smiled a little. "More scared than losing Nick?"

I nodded, avoiding eye contact. Demi and I didn't do these deep conversations. It just wasn't us. "I-I didn't know what you were gonna do, and that's why I was so happy the next day when you said you were taking care of it and going to Chicago to work it all out. I was trying to think of a way I could be there. I didn't sleep that night, I was so worried you'd do something. "

"You never told me that," Demi grinned. "I never really got to thank you for everything you did those few weeks. It was hard for you too, and I wasn't there to help you like I should have been, but you always had my back."

"It's fine," I smiled. "I was just – okay, you need to swear not to tell anyone if I tell you this, okay?"

"Oh, boy. You got it."

"I literally started crying when I heard you dropped out of that tour. I was bawling for like, an hour then on set I would every now and then, and it got to the point where they finally sent me home it was so bad," I laughed. "Anyway, my mom thought something was super wrong, so she called Nick to have him call me a and figure out what was wrong. And he of course was flipping out only to figure out it's about you and how happy I was you'd be okay and – God, I was a wreck."

Demi laughed, tilting her head to the side. "Why didn't you ever tell me any of this?"

I shrugged. "It never came up."

"I wish I could be that happy about you, but, you know... You don't tell anyone anything," she muttered, looking away. "Seriously, what the hell is going on with you lately?"

"Nothing," I repeated. She gave me a pointed look and I sighed. "I'm fine, Demi. I promise."

"Have I ever told you what I think the best part of having a best-friend is?" Demi asked me.

I rose my eyebrows, smiling. "That you get me as a best-friend?"

"No, that I can tell them everything," she breathed in, smiling. "Or better yet, that they can tell me everything. But wait, my best-friend doesn't do that."

Her voice flatlined as I gulped. She was beginning to get mad over all this secret keeping. And I saw it in her eyes, I saw exactly what she was doing. She was testing me to lie to her again. I could almost see her grading me, pass or fail.

"What are you talking about, Demi? I tell you everything."

"Then where were you this morning?" she asked, standing up to meet my level.

"Don't do this."

"Oh, okay. New question? I have plenty. What was so big that it made you and Selena actually get along and mean it? I-I just don't understand, Miley."

"I-Demi, stop it. You're being ridiculous."

"Make me understand," she begged. She was actually begging, and it still didn't change anything. I couldn't. No matter what I said - even if I told her the truth, she would never understand this.

"I can't."

"We all know you're hiding something, okay? And we're all fucking worried about you but you could care less. You're too wrapped up in being independent and mysterious!" She shook her head. "All I want are some answers. I gave you some, maybe you should think of doing the same for once."

She stormed off to her bunk, angrily snapping the curtain closed. I closed my eyes, following her silently. I didn't know how to say it, though. How to save myself from seeing her eyes fall at the news. I shook my head, it didn't matter. She had to know.

"I have cancer," I told her once I pulled the curtain back.

Her head snapped up, whipping to mine. "What?"

"You asked what I wasn't telling you. I have cancer."

"Miley, this isn't funny," Demi hissed.

"Oh, you think I'm joking?" I asked harshly as Selena's curtain was pulled back and she hopped off her bunk. "You think I'm fucking joking? Oh, yeah, because I just love joking about this stuff, right?"

"C'mon, Miley," Selena gently pushed me into the next room.

"Tell me, Demi? Why would I fucking lie to you about this?" I asked her softly before listening to Selena and leaving, sitting on the couch while Selena hugged me. I didn't want to start crying, but the tears came down and I couldn't stop them anymore.

It was all out in the open now.

i feel like this chapter was jumpy too. oh well, this can be a jumpy story:) hahah, tell me what you thought?

happy martin luther king hangover day! i had no schoool again (;