Made slight changes in the first chapter so I could turn this into a story... Just check the dates in the first chap, that should clear things up for you.
Chapter Two
Thursday – November 3rd, 2010
Miley's bedroom
I am in love with her.
Okay, so maybe this isn't a good place to start... Let's rewind a couple of months and go back to the first day of school.
...
Monday - August 30th, 2010
First Day of Senior Year
Today is the day I become a senior. Do I care? No. Should I care? Probably. Miley on the other hand is another story...
"Can you believe it, Nick? In a few months we'll be done with high school. Forever." She leans back against her seat beside me in my brand new Harley Davidson pickup truck.
Did I mention my dad is some hot shot CEO who works 24/7 and earns thousands? Hence the fancy car...
Anyways, back to reality.
"One day you're going to look back at your high school days and wish you could be a teenager all over again." What can I say? I am the reasonable one, here.
"Yeah... I don't think so. Nothing can be as bad as having to sit in a classroom for hours at length listening to the most boring teachers of all times. As if that wasn't enough, as soon as we get back from school we need to do homework. We're teenagers. We can't sit in the same spot for longer than two minutes... didn't they take that into account before creating schools?" I want to laugh.
And that my friend, is Miley for you. Remember how I said she talks a lot? Well that was just a tiny glimpse. And when I say tiny, I mean, really really tiny.
It's also pretty ironic how she insists on hating school when she's actually a pretty good student. So she might be a little rebellious and a little bit of a troublemaker at times... point is, she gets good grades, props to me for putting up with her and reminding her to do her homework when she gets carried away in 'ramble' world.
"Ah so that's your excuse. You can't sit in the same spot for no longer than two minutes at a time because you're a teenager. Wonder what excuse you'll use when you'll be 25." I smirk as I pull the car into park. Here we are...
"Shut up, Gray." Is the only response she can come up with because she knows I'm right. The girl has too much energy for her own good... At times it's endearing. Fun. At other times it can get... slightly annoying. Tiring. Yeah, definitely tiring when you're trying to sleep at 3 am while on the phone but someone won't shut up long enough for you to fall asleep.
"Ready, Stewart?" I wrap an arm around her shoulders and give her an affectionate squeeze.
"Come on, let's go show the teenies who rules the school." I laugh as I watch her take a head start, her long legs taking quick strides towards the entrance. I follow behind, taking in the simple – and very Miley – outfit she has picked out for the occasion.
Black denim shorts and a white wife beater she probably stole from me. The soft cotton has obviously shrunk in the wash since it looks a lot tighter than it has in the past. The whole outfit is topped off with a pair of black flip-flops, matching the black nail polish smoothed over her toe nails.
"Yo, Stewart!" I hear someone call out as we reach the front doors and I turn my head to check who the voice belongs to.
Lucas, of course.
"What do you want, Brody?" I notice the irritation in her voice when he nears her and attempts to place his hand on her waist. Lucas Brody has had a crush on Miley for as long as I can remember but Miley, being Miley, has rules. And that includes not dating jocks like Brody.
"Aw come on, don't be like that." He tries again to touch her but Miley's a fighter. She punches him in the gut hard enough for him to get the message. He backs off and scoffs before walking away.
"What was all that about?" I mumble as we walk down the hallway, shoulders bumping. I'm vaguely aware of the looks we're getting from our juniors as they move out of the way to let us go by.
Go back to playing with dolls, kids. Just... stop staring.
"He's just another one of those man whores who wants to prove to the world that I can be sexy in a dress. .." I laugh loudly.
Another thing you should know about Miley... she hates dresses and anything that rhymes with femininity. A hint of makeup is tolerable in her books but if there's just the slightest bit of extra... she'll have a fit. I think you get the picture...
Okay, I'm exaggerating. Truth is, she's got just the right amount of 'girl' in her.
She's careful about her looks but not obsessed. She's probably the only girl in school who isn't afraid of stepping outside without makeup. She doesn't get all giggly when the school's quarterback says hello to her. She just bumps her fists against his like any of his mates would. See what I'm getting at?
She's into romantic movie and comedies like girls are usually expected to be but she'll never admit that 'cause she likes to be known as the tough girl.
TV shows... she's got a few 'favourites' on her list.
Music... She isn't into Justin Biber, if you catch my drift... (No offence to the Bieber fans! This is Nick's pov :P)
And then there's her tomboy side. She plays soccer, basketball... anything that involves running around to use up all that overflowing energy of hers. And the best part? She's actually good at pretty much any type of sport.
She's got the kind of sense of humour who'll throw the whole class into fits of giggles. According to her, girl friends come with too much drama which is probably the reason why her best mates are mostly guys who love her wit and carefree-ness. In other words, my friends. They probably love her more than they love me... Ever heard of bros over hoes? I don't think those guys ever have... but then again, she's Miley. Miley. That itself is enough said.
"You're probably the only girl who isn't excited at the prospect of prom." I tell her with a smile. So what...? I love that she's different. Shoot me. She raises her eyebrows slightly before shaking her head.
"I can't wait to see you all decked up in a tux." She grins wickedly. She has something in mind... she's up to something, I just know it. And I also know it's going to be a disaster.
"No way, I'm going to prom. I hate suits."
"You're going to have to wear one for your brother's wedding, you know."
Kevin Gray, aka my 22 year old brother, is getting married in December... And of course, Miley being like my mother's daughter-that-she-never-had (again, talk about irony) is invited. Just like my friends, my family probably loves her more than they love me. And once again... I can't blame them. She is pretty lovable. In her own way.
"And you will have to wear a dress." It's my turn to grin wickedly, watching amusedly as her face goes white.
"Shit. Hadn't thought of that." I laugh at her expression. She hits my arm but me, being me, I double over with laughter.
"You'll be fine, Miles." I reassure a moment later when my laughter dies down.
"Of course I'll be since I'll be having the flue on that day." She grins.
"Oh, no, no, no. You're not leaving me alone on that day. You owe me."
"I don't owe you anything." She huffs as she opens the locker she's had since freshman year. Mine is just two lockers down.
I laugh again because I'm not worried. I will find a way to make Miley sit out my brother's wedding, dress or no dress. I always get my way. Well... not with Miley. But this time I will. Mark my words.
The ringing bell tells us it's time to get to our first class and we reluctantly head down the crowded hallway.
Let the torture begin.
The morning goes by terribly slow, the only perks is having Miley in most of my classes. The teachers who taught us the previous years know to leave us alone. We're not brilliant but our grades are respectable and that's all they care about. We don't disrupt the class but we don't listen intently either. We always find something to do. Well, mostly Miley does. She's the crazy one, here.
Her latest game to pass the time?
Sudoku.
You know, the little puzzle with numbers? The one where you have to fill in the blanks with numbers? Yeah, that.
Yes, I do believe this girl is mad... She actually cut out a few from a magazine and she's thinking hard, trying to fill every little box with numbers.
As soon as the teacher looks over at her, she slides the paper under her textbook, pretending to pay attention. Like that's not obvious...!
When she notices me snickering from my seat beside her, she throws me a glare. I yelp when she elbows me in the ribs and I get another glare. This time from the teacher. Perfect.
"Sudoku, Miles? Seriously?" I question when we finally exit the classroom.
"Hey, they say it's good for brain development and concentration." She defends. I simply laugh as we head towards a far corner of the courtyard. Miley sits down on the grass, her back resting against the pine tree we've carved a certain number of things in over the years.
"The carvings are still there!" She notices like every year on the first day of school. Some things never change...
"I'm kinda hungry." I admit as I lie down on the grass, my arms tucked under my head.
"Want some yummy mash potatoes from the cafeteria?" Miley asks sarcastically. Of course, that's enough to disgust me. The school cafeteria really serves the worst food in the world.
"Leonardo's after school?" I kick her foot with my own and look up at her.
"Of course." She responds in a duh tone.
We started this ritual last year when we couldn't take the cafeteria food any longer. Leonardo's is a small, homey cafe we had casually walked into one day after school. Not only is the food amazing, but the owners has taken a liking to us and always insists on giving us free desert when we come in, starving after a day of hell in high school.
"You can have my granola bars." Miley tosses two chocolate bars at me and I open them enthusiastically. I am a growing man, you know, I do need some kind of food every so often.
"Ew!" I exclaim as soon as I take the first bite and start chewing on it. I take a look at the wrapper and groan. "These are organic! It tastes like cardboard!" She shrugs like she couldn't care less. There's no trace of sympathy showing on her face. Some best friend she is, huh? "Don't tell me you're becoming some sort of health freak." For a second there, I'm looking at her like she has the meaning of life in her palm.
Miley is certainly not the type of girl who worries about her weight. She's not fat and she's not too skinny... in fact she's fit. Perfect, to be honest. How do I know she isn't one of those health freaks? Well... simply because she loves stuffing her face almost as much as I do. And I'm a big eater. Growing teen, remember?
However, the fact that she just gave me organic granola bars has me worried. She just can't be turning into one of those health freaks. Who will I stuff my face with after school at Leonardo's?
"Those are my moms." She replies with a laugh and I feel stupid for even doubting her. "I forgot to get some last time I went grocery shopping... it was that or nothing."
"Nothing tastes better." I mutter. "You could have warned me." She laughs. Again.
"You're such a baby." She rolls her eyes and sticks her earphones in her ears, blasting some sort of rock song I've heard one too many times in her presence.
I get up and head for the vending machine, signalling to Miley where I'm going. She gives me a quick nod and I'm on my way to get something that tastes better than organic granola bars. Anything will do at this point.
As soon as I get a few – okay I lied... a lot – of snacks I'm ready to get back to Miley.
"Ooof!" I hear a yelp as I slam into someone at the corner of the hallway.
"Shit!" I mumble, noticing the scattered books lying on the ground along with my snacks. "Sorry, I don't pay much attention to where I'm going when I'm starving." I smile at the smiling brunette standing before me. "Hey, are you new?" I'm pretty sure I've never seen her before...
"Yeah. New senior." We both squat down to pick up the new books and I hand them over to her when I'm done. I gather my snacks and pop open a bag of chips.
"I'm Nick, by the way. I'm also a senior." Since when has Nick Gray been so nice to random girls whom he bumps into? Yeah, don't ask me 'cause I honestly don't know.
"Demi." She tucks a strand of her brown, highlighted hair behind her ear before looking up at me.
"Do you need some help? Someone to show you around the school or something?"
"That would be great! Thanks." She flashes me her thousand watt smile, one so similar to Miley's.
I just found Miley some competition in the 'best smiles' front.
"Follow me, I'll introduce you to Miley."
"Your girlfriend?" I laugh.
"My best friend. I'm sure she'd like to help out." I bite my lip trying to find a way to describe Miley. I come up with nothing. Instead, I point at Miley who's now telling off Lucas, hands on hips. I laugh.
"That's her."
"Whoa. She seems..."
"Feisty? Energetic? Crazy?" Demi laughs.
"I was thinking more along the lines of confident."
"That, she is." Almost too confident at times.
"She's beautiful." Thankfully, we reach Miley before I can reply. What could I say to that anyways? Lucas stalks off when he notices me approaching and I silently gloat. I scared him off. Or maybe not... a guy can dream, right?
"Hey Mile? This is Demi." I turn to Demi. "Demi, this is Miley, my crazy best friend." I get smacked in the chest by the tall brunette and I groan. "Did I say crazy? I meant abusive best friend." Demi's giggling beside me and I know that I'm owning the whole 'cool meeting' thing. You know how it can be when you meet people... awkward. Yeah, so I figure making a total tool out of myself would ease things up. And I'm right. So far, at least.
"Hi!" Miley smiles genuinely at Demi. "How's being new so far?" Way to be brutally honest, Miles. Thankfully, Demi's smile widens.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say I hate being stared at." This girl is awesome... Miley and her are going to hit it off just perfectly, I can feel it.
"Tell me about it!" Miley exclaims. "You might as well be walking around in an orange jumpsuit saying I went to jail for raping my sister."
...what...? WHAT? Demi's laughter rings through my ear and I'm left with my mouth, gaping open.
"What the heck, Mile? That'd be... incest. Ew. Not to mention totally gay." I scrunch up my nose. Miley lets out a giggle.
"Okay my example was a little weird... You get the picture though." Demi nods, her cheeks remaining stretched out. Does she ever stop smiling?
"So... want to show us your schedule?" I try to change the subject because honestly, I don't need to know about what people do these days to get locked up. Raping my sister? Really? Only Miley could come up with something like that.
Hmmm... your thoughts? It's really fun to write Nick's pov but I'm not sure how good I'm doing with that. You might (or might not) have noticed I'm writing this story in the present tense, something I'm not used to... I had to edit this like three times because I couldn't get the tenses right... kept mixing 'em up! So... be tolerant :)
I'm on a bit of a writer's block with Perfectly Imperfect (my other story for those who don't know about it). I need to figure out the chronological order the things I have planned for it... I'm also lacking time since I've got tons of work and a bit of a hectic life atm... updates might be coming slower than usual, sorry in advance.
Wish me luck ;)
xoxo