"Hey, dude – will you please cut it out – I'm on the phone!" Kevin said to Nick, who replied with an apologetic smile. He stopped throwing his ball against the wall.
"Can I call you back?" Kevin said to the person on the phone. "Cool – I love you too!" he blushed. Nick wanted to laugh, but at the same time sadness suddenly lurched inside of him… he remembered when Kevin and Joe used to laugh at him saying that to Miley…
"What's up?" Kevin asked coming to sit beside Nick.
"What do you mean?" Nick asked.
"You know what I mean…" Kevin frowned. "You've been acting strange from the time you got back from getting smoothies with Frankie. But then you went to the movies with Selena, but you were weird after that as well, but-"
"Dude! I get it!" Nick snapped.
"Sorry!" Kevin said back. "I was just trying to figure out what was wrong with my little bro!"
"Sorry," Nick sighed and lay down across his bed. "It's just – never mind."
"If you don't tell me – I'll ask Frankie if anything happened when you went for a smoothie…" Kevin said.
"No – please don't" Nick said. "I said that it doesn't matter."
"Okay then," Kevin shrugged. "FRANKIE! Where are you?"
"Here!" Frankie smiled at the door. "What's up?"
"What happened when you went out with Nick yesterday?"
"Kevin." Nick said. Kevin turned around to face him. "I hate you."
"Well," Frankie began. "I was riding down the road and I saw Noah and Miley, so me and Noah thought that it would be cool if the four of us went for smoothies together – like old times! And then –"
"Don't worry, Frankie. I get the picture," Kevin smiled at him. "Thanks!"
"See you later!"
"Where are you going?" Nick asked.
"To Noah's house. We're going to ask Miley if we can go for ice cream. Do you wanna come?"
Nick paused and thought for a moment. Should he go? No, he'd stay at home… he felt like he was close to writing a new song – the recent feelings he'd been going through were so inspiring!
"That's okay," he shrugged. "Have fun."
"I will," Frankie said as he ran down the hallway. Nick and Kevin laughed as he went.
"Do you wanna talk about yesterday?" Kevin asked.
"Not yet," Nick half-grinned. "Maybe later." And with that, he grabbed his new notebook and a pen and ran out of the house into the back yard and jumped onto the hammock, his guitar in his lap.
"Wait a minute – let me get this straight – you and Nick – as in Nick Jonas – went to get a smoothie – TOGETHER!" Mandy exclaimed shocked as she jumped onto Miley's bed.
"Yep," Miley nodded pulling her duvet over herself.
"And…" Mandy grinned.
"And what?" Miley grinned back.
"Oh come on, Miles! You know what!"
"Well – we weren't alone and it wasn't planned AT ALL!"
"Who else was there?"
"Noah and Frankie."
"Oh." Mandy frowned. "Did anything happen?"
"What do you mean like a got a buzz in my stomach when ever he looked at me and when he smiled my tummy turned upside down and when he said my name my heart skipped a beat – then yeah – something did happen."
Mandy laughed at her best friend. Miley was such a sweetie – nobody was that sweet about their ex.
"So, I guess that recent rumour about you and Mr. Gaston isn't true then…" Mandy grinned cheekily. Miley shot her a dirty look.
"Shut up!" she yelled, hitting Mandy with a pillow as she laughed and laughed.
"Sorry, sorry!" Mandy smiled when Miley stopped. "It's just – well – the truth is that I really loved Niley. I thought that it was THE cutest couple EVER! You two beat Zanessa!"
Miley smiled as she turned around and opened the draw on her bedside table. She pulled out a photo album that had a key to open it. She opened it and laid it between her and Mandy. The first page had that ever so famous picture of Nick kissing her on the cheek. But this wasn't just a copy – it was the original that Joe and Mandy had taken when Nick had finally gotten the courage to kiss her in front of his brother. Miley looked at her smile and grinned, she remembered that day so well.
Mandy's phone suddenly rang and chorus to 'See You Again' filled the room. She leaned over and picked it up.
"I don't know who it is," she said showing Miley that there was a number instead of a name on caller id.
"Let's see then," Miley grinned as she put the call onto loudspeaker.
"Hello?" Mandy said.
"Hey. How are you?" a familiar voice filled the room.
"Kevin?" Mandy gasped.
"Yup!" he laughed. "You guys know me to well."
"Well, your voice is very easy to recognize." Mandy said. She mouthed the words say 'say something' to Miley. Miley's eyes grew wide and she shook her head fiercely. What the hell was she supposed to say to Nick's older brother?
"So, what's up?" Mandy said as cheerfully as she could.
"Oh – nothing," Kevin replied. "I just wanted to know how you guys were."
"I'm good," Mandy replied. "You?"
"I'm okay," Kevin replied. "Hey, Miley!" he said after a pause.
"Hi," Miley mumbled. "What's up?"
"Not much. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I guess," Kevin said. "Are you going to be in that concert next month?"
"Yeah, I hope so," Miley said, starting to feel a little more comfortable.
"Great! It'll be so much fun!"
"Yeah."
An awkward silence followed. Nobody knew what to say. Miley and Mandy were still wondering why on Earth Kevin had decided to call them, whilst Kevin couldn't tell Miley the real reason he had called.
"I guess I'll take to you guys later," Kevin said.
"Yeah," Miley said. "Take care!"
"You too. Bye Mandy!"
"See you soon! And – thanks for calling," Mandy blurted out.
"That's okay," Kevin smiled to himself. "Bye."
And with that, he hung up.
"Oh My Gosh!" Mandy shouted bouncing up and down on the bed. "What was THAT about!"
"I don't know!" Miley laughed. "But it felt like – it was normal!"
"I know!" Mandy said laughing and collapsing onto the bed next to Miley.
"Oh, by the way," Miley said. "Will you dance with me at the Make-A-Wish Charity concert next month. On the 8th."
Mandy took out her BlackBerry and went to her calendar. "Yes! I'm free!"
"Great!" said Miley giving her a high five.
"Who else'll be there?"
"Hilary Duff!" Miley shrieked as Mandy laughed at her.
"Who else?"
"Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers and some other people too." Miley grinned.
"The Jo Bros!" Mandy grinned cheekily.
"Yes, the Jo Bros!" Miley smiled. "And to be honest – I can't wait!"
They pulled the covers around them tighter and looked up at the ceiling. It was one am, Miley's favourite time of day.
"Do you still love him?" Mandy whispered. She had never actually asked Miley this, as she didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"I never stopped," Miley whispered back with a smile on her face. "After all, as I always sing – you make me love you!"
"Oh!" Mandy suddenly said.
"What?" Miley asked.
"Ryan Seacrest is phoning in tomorrow morning at 7am! For a live interview."
"Goodnight Mandy," Miley said as she closed her eyes.
"Goodnight Schmilers!"
"Wake up! Miley – it's 6:55!"
"Go back to bed Mandy!"
"No – Ryan's got me on hold. And if you don't get up, I'll tell the whole world how you snore by putting the phone close you," Mandy whispered into Miley's ear.
Miley shot up.
"I do NOT snore!" she said rubbing her eyes and yawning.
"I know!" Mandy laughed as Ryan's voice suddenly filled the room.
"Hey Mandy! How are you?"
"I'm good! You?"
"Fine, thanks! I was just talking to Ellen about your latest YouTube video. Honestly – it was so funny that I was peeing my pants!"
"Eeew, Ryan! Too much info!" Miley laughed into the phone.
"Miley? Is that you?"
"Yeah!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I've missed you too," Miley replied sarcastically.
"We had another sleepover," Mandy said into the phone.
"How comes whenever I call – your sleeping over at Miley's?"
"Cause we're inseparable!" they both replied at the same time giving each other a high five.
"Miley, can I ask you a question?" Ryan said.
"Yup!"
"Yesterday, I heard a little – you know – buzz around town."
"Which was…"
"That you and Nick Jonas are getting really close again…"
"Oh My God. One smoothie and the rumours have started! That beats last time when I sat in a car with Cody Linley!" Miley rolled her eyes at Mandy who trying to hold back her laughter.
"So you guys were together?"
"Maybe."
"Miley!"
"What! Talk to Mandy – I've got to go pee," Miley said jumping off of the bed and running into the bathroom. Once she was in there she looked into the mirror. Her bright blue eyes stared back at her and her wavy brown hair was all around her shoulders.
"Miley – your phone's ringing!" Mandy yelled at her banging on the bathroom door. Miley took her phone into her hand and answered it.
"Hello?"
"What's up?" a voice mumbled back. Miley's heart skipped a beat. You have got to be kidding me, she thought.
"Not much," she whispered. Mandy was on the phone to Ryan Seacrest live right now – she couldn't risk him knowing who was on the phone.
"How are you?"
"I'm okay. I was just listening to you on the radio, so I thought that I'd call."
"Cool. You don't mind me calling do you?" he asked.
"No! I mean – no – why would I?"
"I dunno…" he said. "Oh shoot."
"What?"
"Don't worry – but I've got to go. I'll see you in a few hours, okay," Nick said as he hung up.
Miley pressed the red button and looked at her phone. What the hell was that about? And what did he mean – he'd see her in a few hours? She had shooting to got to – but right now – she was going back to bed! She was so confused!
She walked into her room and lay down on her bed. Mandy was off the phone.
"Who was it?" she asked.
"Nick," Miley replied casually.
"What!"
"I'm going to sleep," Miley said as a smile crept onto her face. These last days had been confusing – but she was loving them!