A/N: Sorry again for the long wait. One word: homework. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews!
I didn't get much sleep during the night. I just lied in bed looking at the dark sky through the porch glass door. I had so many thoughts racing through my mind. I was so puzzled. At first everything was great and I was having so much fun, but as soon as Maddie arrived it just hasn't been feeling like normal. The one thing that was really on my mind was my thoughts towards Oliver. You can't just say you love someone just like that, can you? Or maybe my feelings were always there I just never realized them. I didn't know what to do. I knew if I just talked to my friends everything would be alright but I couldn't bring myself to do it. What if I talked to them about Maddie and they thought I have lost my trust in them? What if I talk to Oliver about my feelings and he just laughs at me? Was this really something to worry about or am I just over reacting? These were the questions that haunted me throughout the night.
Something soft came in contact with my body waking me up from my horrible dream. I turned in bed and saw Miley standing there at the foot of my bed and a pillow right beside me. "Time to get up sleepy head" Miley announced. I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "Today we are going skiing." I immediately removed my hands from my face and replaced it with a surprised look.
"What, I barley know how to ice skate, how do you think I will be able to ski?" I asked.
"Come on Lilly, it's not that hard, at least try it."
"Miley, do you know how terrified I was just to try skating? I would be even more terrified trying to ski down a mountain." I pushed the covers off of my body and grabbed a hair tie off my dresser. After tying my hair up in a messy bun, I headed for the stairs. Miley followed me.
"Lilly I will teach you." I turned my head over my shoulder to glance at her. "Okay, so maybe I'm not the best teacher, but neither is Oliver and you let him teach you how to ice skate."
"That's different" I said as we walked into the kitchen.
"How is it different?" Miley asked curious.
I hesitated for a moment thinking of a reasonable response. "I wasn't thousands of feet up a mountain with a possibility of going off a thousand foot cliff. Plus skating I had someone to hold onto at all times. I've never tried it before but I don't think I could hold onto you for dear life while skiing." I think I made my point.
By the look on Miley's face, I could tell she was replaying my answer in her head. After a second Miley exhaled sharply and I knew she understood. "But Lilly…" Miley started but Oliver walked in.
"What's up?" He asked looking from me to Miley.
I turned from them to get a glass out of a cabinet and filled it with tap water, avoiding Miley and Oliver's stares. "Lilly won't come skiing with us today." Miley said.
Oliver and my eyes met. He stared at me for a moment before I moved my eyes to my glass and took a sip out of it. I waited for him to say something. When he didn't, I decided if he wasn't going to say anything, I will.
"I'm not about to try skiing when I'm just learning how to skate. I want to learn one thing at a time. I don't want to rush myself. Please understand." I looked at them with pleading eyes. I wasn't the biggest fan of the snow and I knew if I tried skiing I would be soaking wet by the first hour. I would probably fall continuously and end up breaking something in the end. As much as I love taking risks, one winter risk was enough. Like I said before, I am a Californian, I like the warm weather and I like the summer sports.
"But Lilly you can't stay here all by yourself" Miley said. "I will feel bad knowing that my best friend is on vacation with me and she is staying at the house." I guess I was overreacting for nothing. We have been best friends for years and nothing could ever change that. My friends will always be there for me when I need them. Right?
"I'll stay here with her." Oliver said. My eyes instantly met his and I let out a small smile. "We could do some more skating" He suggested.
"I guess that will be alright" Miley said.
"What'll be alright?" Maddie asked as she bounced her way into the kitchen, standing right in between Miley and Oliver. My smile instantly disappeared.
"Lilly and Oliver are going to stay back while we go skiing" Miley said.
"What, Oliver you said you are looking forward to skiing" Maddie stated. I looked at Oliver as his eyes tried to avoid mine. Now they were sharing secrets? Maddie had obviously said something Oliver didn't want us to know because he started to bite his lip, something the both of us do when we are nervous.
"I've changed my mind." All eyes were on Oliver, including mine. I could tell he was thinking of something to say by the way his fingers were tapping his thigh. "I've never even skied before" Oliver finally said. "And Lilly can't stay here all alone." What he thinks I need someone looking after me at all times. "We'll be fine here together. You guys go on and have fun. Don't let us hold you back."
"Alright, if that's okay with you guys, then it's fine with me." Maddie said, giving off one of her toothy smiles. I wonder if that girls lips have reformed into a smile because I haven't seen her once without a smile on her face.
"Okay than it's settled" Oliver said.
Oliver and I waited at the front door while the others rushed to get ready before the bus had arrived. Everyone was running all over the place looking for their belongings. "Has anyone seen my gloves?" John shouted from the living room.
"They're on the kitchen table" Mr. Stewart shouted back.
"Where are my snowboarding pants?" Jackson called down the stairs.
"In the dryer" Savannah said.
"Have you guys seen my ski goggles?" Larry asked Oliver and I.
"Second floor on the bathroom counter" Oliver said. As he ran to the stairs shouting a "thank you" over his shoulder, I looked up at Oliver and he shrugged.
Everyone was finally ready and heading out the door. Oliver and I stood at the doorway waving as they got on the bus and it headed down the snowy street. I sighed as the bus drove through the bushes and out of sight. I gently closed the front door and headed for the stairs. I felt Oliver follow me but I didn't turn around to look. I made my way to my bedroom. I walked in and picked up my cell phone off the nightstand. I knew Oliver had followed me in because I heard his footsteps on the hardwood floor. I ignored him as I walked onto the porch and started to scroll through my contacts list. I stopped on the contact labelled 'mom.' I turned back around to tell Oliver to be quiet while I was on the phone with my mother but Oliver didn't give me the chance.
"So do you want to go skating now?" Oliver asked as he spread himself across my bed placing his hands behind his head.
"After I phone my mom" I said.
"By the time you get off the phone with your mom it will already be getting dark. I say you call your mom after we go skating." He didn't even give me time to respond. He got off my bed and took my cell phone out of my hands and gently placed it on the nightstand.
I thought for a moment before I realized Oliver was right. "Fine" I said and got my winter jacket out of the closet. "Let's go" I smiled.
Oliver grabbed two pairs of tied skates and put them over his shoulder. Within minutes we were headed out the door and though the trees. I inhaled the fresh winter air. This was not the same scent as back home. Here it smelt fresh like the woods, where as back home always had that Californian scent. The coldness of the air kissed my neck as we walked further into the woods. We arrived at the frozen water. A chill rippled through my body as I sat on the cold ground. Oliver seated himself next to me and put on a pair of skates before he helped me put on the other pair.
"Ready?" he asked enthusiastically, holding out a hand for me to grab. I nodded and took his hand as he pulled me up off the ground. Still holding tightly onto Oliver's hand, I walked to the ice with no troubles at all. Just before we got on the ice, Oliver dropped my hand and skated out into the middle of the ice.
"Oliver!" I shouted.
"What?" He asked jokingly.
"I think you know what. Now get back here you big dummy. You know I can't skate."Oliver skated as fast as he could in my direction. I shook my head. "No, no" I yelled at him but he didn't listen. He made a sudden stop right in front of me making me lose my balance. Just as I was about to fall back, Oliver grabbed a hold of my hands to keep me on my feet.
"You meany" I shrieked, trying to catch my breath.
"What," he grinned. I glared at him and he laughed. It was starting to feel normal again. "Lilly I know you can skate without my help. I believe in you, you just have to believe in yourself."
"Well I don't believe in myself" I expressed. "How can I believe in myself when everyone else is better than me? I mean Maddie can figure skate like a pro. I'm surprised she hasn't tried out for the Olympics." Oliver looked at me with confusion written all over his face.
"What does Maddie have to do with this?" Oliver asked.
"Nothing, just forget about it" I said. If I could, I would walk away from him, but considering I was in skates, I would probably fall flat on my face if I tried.
Oliver tightened his grip on my hand. "Is something bothering you?" he asked.
"No" I sighed. "Everything's fine."
"Lilly, you realize I can read you like a book." My eye brows knit together in confusion. "You don't like Maddie do you?"
His question caught me off guard. I shook my head and sat on the ground. I didn't know the right words to say. "It's not that I don't like her" I hesitated. "I just feel like…"
"She keeps showing you up" Oliver finished sitting down beside me. I didn't say a word. "Lilly you know that's not true."
"How can you be so sure?" I mumbled after a moment of silence. "She's perfect."
"Lilly, that's not true." Oliver said. "No one is perfect." For the first time the whole day, I smiled, and not one of those fake smiles I have been giving, a real smile. But along with that smile came another thing. The same feeling I have been feeling ever since Maddie had arrived; Confusion. The only thing left for me to do was talk to the one person who I knew I could trust: Miley.
A/N: Considering I have never been to Minnesota and I haven't been to Malibu for many years, I found it hard to describe the scent of each place. How do you think I did?
I didn't really know how to end this chapter. I thought this was an alright ending. I would love to hear your thoughts.
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CaliforniaGurl.x