Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, only the plot.

a/n: So, this chapter is from Joe's perspective, just to keep that clear. I won't do many from other perspectives, but there are just some things that need to be said, that Nick isn't there for.

Nick was following Selena up the driveway, with only the time to throw one hateful glare back at me. I knew I shouldn't do things like that, but I couldn't help it. I knew that he didn't love her as much as she deserved. I found myself smirking back at his incredulous look. I would pay for this later, and I knew it, but at the moment, I couldn't care less. Nick needed to figure out where his heart was, because right now I knew that it wasn't with Selena. I pulled out of the driveway and turned up the music as loud as I could, to try to drown out the thoughts that I knew I shouldn't be having.

I wasn't ready to go home, not just yet. I didn't like facing the house any more than the rest of us since we lost our parents. Kevin tried so hard to help us keep the lives we used to have, but it just wasn't the same. Nick had taken it the hardest. He wasn't as good at putting on a strong face as the rest of us. Even Frankie had seemed to handle the pain better, but then again, Nick had a lot on his plate. I sighed as I drove around the small town, knowing there was really nowhere to go, especially not somewhere private. In the end, I wound up driving out into the forest. I just sat in my car for a long time, staring off at nothing.

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I didn't know how long I had been sitting there when my phone began ringing. I pulled it out of my pocket to see Kevin's familiar picture. I sighed and picked up the phone. "Hey Kevin, I was just on my way home, sorry."

"Dude, it's like 8. Are you okay?" he asked concern coating his tone. I always felt so horrible when I made him worry.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just girl problems, you know? I'm on my way right now." I started my trucks engine as I spoke the words.

The drive home was only a short one. Our house lay on the very edge of the town and there were only about 4 houses out this far all on the same street, our street. I turned onto our street and was surprised to see a car pulling into the driveway of the first house. I hadn't known anyone had moved in yet. Weird, most of the time when someone new comes it is a big deal. Then I saw the familiar girl step out of the truck and it all made sense, this was where Miley lived. I stopped my truck and rolled down the large window.

"Hey neighbor," I yelled with a grin.

She turned around and smiled when she saw me. She said something to her parents and then bounded over to my truck and stopped at the window. "Hey Joe," she said with the smile shining right up to her eyes. "You live around here?"

"Yeah, just about two houses down actually. Wanna come over for a while? You can meet the rest of the family. I promise Kevin and Frankie are a little more normal than Nick and I."

"Umm…" she said looking back at her parents, who obviously understood and nodded to her. "Yeah, sure," she said as soon as she saw their approval. She dashed around to the other side and hopped into the passenger seat. "I'll call you later Mom," she yelled out of the window as we drove away. Her parents smiled and waved, and I waved back. They seemed like nice people. She was lucky to have them.

When we got to my house I parked and then led the way inside. "Hey Kevin," I yelled into the large house, "I brought our new neighbor over for a while." In only took a total of five seconds for him to come running into the room and introduce himself. Then he left again. I led her into my living room. "I would introduce you to Frankie, but seeing as how he isn't up causing havoc, I am guessing that he is already asleep," I said laughing.

We sat on the couch and talked for hours. She did most of the talking, about her life and her family. I was content just to listen, she seemed so happy about everything. Time seemed fly by. She told me about her old home in LA, and her old school, and she told me about all of her old friends, Taylor, Mandy, Emily, Justin, Mitchell. By the time she ran out of things to say, I felt like I had met each and every one of them and known them for years.

"Miley, I gotta ask you, how did you end up being friends with Selena? I mean, nothing against her. She's… amazing, but you just don't seem like the type to be friends with her." My curiosity had gotten the better of me. I knew that it was something way out of line to ask, but I couldn't help myself. I was trying to understand this strange new neighbor of mine.

"Well…" she said softly, as if trying to figure out where to begin. "It's a little strange. Selena's mom and my mom used to be best friends. The thing is, is that her mom was dating my dad, and my mom was dating her dad. When they switched boyfriends, they lost contact for years, and then one summer, about three years ago, they decided to have a reunion. Selena and I were stuck hanging out together on some cruise they all decided to take. We didn't get along at all, and neither of us had any fun. And then my parents moved here, and I don't know… the first day of school she dragged me around like her own little show and tell, and I was so angry that I was ready to rip her head off. Then we got to choir class together, and everything changed. We found the one thing we had in common and we ended up hanging out that night, which I guess was only last night, and well, everything changed. She is a really great girl."

"Yeah, she is," was all that I managed to say.

A phone ringing in the other room made both of us laugh, and then burst into a fit of giggles that didn't end for almost a minute. Kevin's voice yelled from the other room, "Joe, you don't need to pick up Nick tonight." So, he was staying over at Selena's again. I tried to push the thought from my mind, but I obviously wasn't doing a very good job because Miley gave me a concerned look. I smiled at her, hoping it would reassure her.

"Joe…" she started, I could tell she was trying to get the courage to ask me something. She was a pretty easy person to read. "Where are your parents?"

I sighed; I knew that she would probably ask at sometime. Everyone in town knew, they had read the news reports. They had seen us try to deal with the pain. "Well, they uh, they passed-" My voice broke. "They passed away, about a year ago. Car crash."

She looked horrified. Weird, most people from big cities were used to stuff like that, hearing about deaths, or at least, I had always thought so. "I'm-I'm so sorry." She said, her entire face falling, but still filled with concern, hoping that she hadn't hurt me by asking.

"It's okay," I replied slowly. "We still have each other. Luckily, Kevin was old enough to be our legal guardian so we didn't have to split the family. Nick, well he wasn't so okay at first. He wouldn't talk to anyone but Selena. She helped him through it all, even though they had only been dating a week when it happened. She put up with all the horrid rumors, and funny looks to help him get his life back. She's a great girl."

"Oh," she said, looking a little upset. "He must really love her."

"Sometimes, I think that I can tell that he loves her, but I think it's more like a brother loves a sister. He just can't leave her after all she helped him through. When he dropped into his depression, he actually developed anemia too. She takes care of him," I said, remembering how I had come to meet the girl while she practically lived with us, making sure Nick was okay every second of the day. "Of course, it's not fair. She practically worships him, and he just stays with her because I think he is afraid of not having her," I added, not able to keep the jealous bitterness out of my voice. "She was what took our parents place. She should be able to find someone that loves her the way she loves him, and he should be able to find someone that he loves."

I saw a look of understanding flash across her face, and she whispered, "You love her don't you Joe?"