So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say
Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

It had taken days to get there, countless bathroom breaks and stops at fast food restaurants, but they made it… and boy, was it beautiful.

Miley was now driving with Camille asleep in the back seat. They were getting off the highway now with the sunrise in front of them. Miley was scared, the truth was, her dad had no clue the two of them were coming. It was kind of a 'spur of the moment' decision and she knew if she called her dad and sat down to talk to him about everything over the phone, she'd have second thoughts. Now if she had second thoughts, they would be in California, where it would be too late for her to do anything about them.

Camille stirred a bit in the backseat, mumbled something incoherent, and then fell back asleep. Miley held her breath during it all. She sort of hoped Camille would stay asleep a little longer, at least until she felt like herself again. But, truthfully, what was 'herself' nowadays? For the past few she hadn't been doing anything her normal self would.

She'd run away.

"I ran away" she said aloud. Wow, she thought, it was really hitting her now. It didn't feel like a dream anymore. Everything had happened so quickly before, it was all this rush of adrenaline and now she was finally registering everything in her mind. She really did it. She ran away. She, Miley Ray, had run away.

She focused back on the road once someone honked at her for drifting a bit. Camille woke up from the sound.

"We there?" she asked groggily. She stretched her arms over her head and then attempted to lift her long legs over the passenger seat, but ended up tangled and decided on just throwing her body over, landing with an "oomph."

"Yeah" Miley smiled, "we're here."

They pulled up the short driveway ten minutes later, now in view of the gorgeous house. It wasn't big like her home in South Carolina, and yet it wasn't small either. She hadn't been out to visit her dad here in California because her mom blamed him for leaving and destroying the family, thinking that if she and Eli saw him, they'd just get upset. Of course her mother was naïve, stupid, and completely wrong. It was her fault he left, entirely her fault.

The house was on the beach which didn't surprise her. Her father, Wesley, loved the ocean. During her parents' college years, they had taken the family on tons of road trips. Wesley entered surfing contests here and there meaning there was traveling involved.

That's when their family was happy. That's when they weren't broken.

She heard the front screen door before she saw him, "Miles?" his voice was strained, he sounded so confused.

She looked up at him, her eyes soaking in every inch of him from behind her Ray Bans. She had missed him. She had missed him so much that just looking at him now, her heart ached.

The smile on her face grew slowly, "Hi Dad."

"Miles? What are you-" he breathed out as he descended the front porch steps, "what are you doing here?" he finished.

Camille walked around the back of the car and popped open the trunk, "What are you talking about Wes? We've got our bags and we're here to party!" she teased while flashing her million dollar smile.

"Cam" Miley warned her, sending her daggers with her eyes even though she couldn't see them because they were shielded by the sunglasses. Camille gave her a funny look and then set her attention back onto pulling out their suitcases and bags.

"Miles, what's going on? Does your mom know you're here?" Wesley continued.

"Yeah…" Miley started, "Well kind of, I mean, not really" she attempted at explaining.

Camille dragged two suitcases next to her, let out a huge breath of air, swiped invisible sweat off her forehead and then swung her arm around Miley's shoulder.

"We're here to stay Wes, packed up and moved out of little out Atlantic Beach. We want bigger and better things and we knew we could count on you out here. So, I hope you're ready for a couple of teenage girls to invade your bachelor pad!"

Miley's stomach ached from Camille's forward words and everything around her began to spin, she wasn't used to this. Everything was happening so quickly. Just the other day she had a boyfriend and she was sitting at home in South Carolina obeying her mother's every wish.

Wesley stared at the two of the girls, at how Miley just stood there frozen while Camille hung on her like a monkey.

He sighed, already feeling the migraine coming on, "Let's grab these bags and get you two inside."

"East Valley Boarding School?" Wesley stared at her wide-eyed. "You came all the way out here to attend East Valley Boarding School?"

"Dad, you don't have to say the full name each and every time" Miley rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, just trying to process all of this" he shook his head as he stood up from the kitchen table and shuffled his way across the kitchen floor to get another cup of coffee.

"I know what you must be thinking, but I really thought about this, long and hard and I just need to be here, away from South Carolina and hard decisions like Austin and away from …" she paused, "Mom."

Wesley laughed a bit, "Oh I bet that's a sight to see right now" he shook his head as he brought the coffee mug to his lips.

Miley winced; she could only imagine all the messages on her phone waiting for her to listen to. She had turned her phone off a couple a days ago back when they were in Utah. Her inbox had become full from all the messages and the amount of voicemails was outrageous, she finally just turned it off, hoping it would help make it all go away.

Of course, it didn't. It would still all be there once she turned the phone back on.

"She's probably a mess right now" Wesley continued, "I mean, just imagine-"

"Yeah, I get it dad" Miley cut him off.

"Sorry" once again he apologized.

"No" Miley sighed, "I'm sorry" she really was. "I just poured all this on you and with all you're going through…" she paused, "I shouldn't of come here without telling you and to force you to sign these papers and go against mom and have to deal with all that. I'm sorry I didn't-"

It was his turn to cut her off. "Hey" Wesley placed his hand on her shoulder forcing her to look up at him. He smiled down at her, "This is nothing to be sorry about, ok? You wanted to get out" he nodded his head as if he understood, "I thought you'd be happy back there in South Carolina even though I sort of knew in the back of my head that you were a free bird. I guess I was wrong…" he walked away from her and over to the other side of the kitchen table where the papers rested.

"So..." he sat his coffee mug down and picked up a pen, "where do I sign?"

The fan spun and sung a lullaby for the restless girl in bed. Tossing and turning, everything from the day caught up with her. Their voices whispered in her ears, scolding and yelling at her. So they really didn't want her to sleep? Toss right, toss left. She wished so badly for something to silence them, to make them go away. Close your eyes, take in a deep breath. Just keep breathing, that's all you need to focus on.

Her mom would forgive her, Eli would talk to her again and Austin… he'd find someone better, right?

She could hear waves crash right outside her window and Camille's snoring in her ear. School started in one month; she'd be with new people. New people. She was in a new place. "New" was officially her favorite word. It had barely ever been used unless it was put before the words "top" or "lipgloss".

"New" was a new word.

You know when you say, think, or write one word so many times that it doesn't seem right anymore? New sounds so foreign, so weird now. Let's not overuse the new favorite word now. Fuck, did it again.

Miley turned to her side and looked at the clock next to her.

5:30 AM.

Rolling onto her back, she stared at the spinning fan. She was overtired, she knew it, but she wasn't going to fall back asleep. She just couldn't.

Slowly, she pulled back the covers on her side of the bed and walked toward her suitcase, there she grabbed a light sweatshirt, a pair of shorts and flip flops.

Changing out of her pajamas quickly, she made her way to the sliding door next to the dresser. As quietly as possible, she drew back the white, sheer curtains, unlocked the glass door, slid it open and then stepped out into the cool-air. The sun wasn't supposed to rise for another hour and a half. That's all the time she had to herself before people hit the beach… she was going to make the best of it.

Two sandcastles, one moat and a pile of seashells later, an hour had passed and she was now lying in the cool sand, staring at the settled sky. No sun, no moon, it was in between. This moment in time was not defined. In fact, it was indefinable.

She stared at the clear, morning sky and drifted away. Maybe she'd fall asleep and wake up with a tan, she thought to herself. She was just about to drift when she heard feet pounding down on the sand. When she opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows, her eyes were met with a delicious treat, a surfer.

The boy ran down the beach, past her without even looking and right into the water. It's like that's all he could see, all he could focus on, just him and the ocean.

She wished for a connection like that some day. Some day she'd feel so much love for something that she couldn't live without it, couldn't breathe without it.

The boy dove into the waves and resurfaced in seconds with his board beneath him. Soon enough he was paddling deeper and deeper into the ocean. Guess he didn't know he had an audience.

He sat there for a while, just waiting for a wave. It was early and the sky was clear, the weather was nice and calm and the waves just didn't feel like cooperating. But, he sat there, patient as could be.

And Miley sat there too, watching him. She couldn't take her eyes off of him; it wasn't that he was hot or anything. Ok, he was, but it was just this calmness that surrounded him. He went where the waves went. So when one finally came, he flipped his board around, started to paddle and then…

It was a smooth ride in, like it was just him, the water, and his board.

He rode the wave out all the way to shore where Miley was waiting for him.

"Uh, hi" he smiled at her, curious as to why this girl was standing there… watching him. He picked up his board, ready to turn back around to catch another wave.

Miley just smiled at him.

He laughed nervously, "Can I help you with something?"

"What's your name?" she asked, curiously.

"Liam" he eyed her skeptically at her forwardness, "and you?"

"Miley" she smiled.

"So… Miley" he paused, "What can I do for ya?"

She stared at his board, "teach me how to surf."

Alright, I know what all you Niley fans must be thinking, "Great, I read aaaall of this just to find out its a Miam story." But don't you worry. Both Nick and Liam are in this. Which one she goes for... oh, sorry, just gonna have to stick around and see cause guess what? This is my story :)

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