Two Weeks Ago

When her mom first told her that she would be spending her annual end of the summer trip in Mexico, Lilly put on the best fake smile she could muster, telling her mom how wonderful and excited she was.

This, of course, was a lie.

Come on, Mexico? She at least thought they'd do something more elegant, more beautiful. Hawaii, maybe? Or the Hamptons. Bermuda would be nice. But no, her mom picks Mexico. Honestly, what's in Mexico besides toxic water and diseased-infested air?

She plopped down onto her down comforter, kicking off her sandals and pulling out her enV. She immediately texted Miley.

We're going to Mexico. Unbelievable, right?

She flipped on her flat screen, a re-run of The Hills was playing. She sighed. There was nothing else to do. While Lauren Conrad was crying over God knows what, her phone began to vibrate. She flipped it open, revealing a new text from Miley.

Mexico? That's different. Should be fun, though. I wish I could go. Stupid dad.

Getting the reminder that Miley was unable to attend the trip made Lilly even more furious. She slammed her phone shut, not bothering to text her friend back. Four days in dirty Mexico without her best friend for company? What the hell was she supposed to do?! She decided that she would convince her mom to let her stay home. She had that kind of control, right?

Two days later and she was on a first-class flight to Mexico.

--

"Mom!" Lilly stomped her foot. "What am I supposed to do while you go to the casino all night?!"

Lilly's mom put one last brush through her short blond bob before turning to face her daughter. "Oh, sweetheart, you'll think of something."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Miley's not here, mom. I'm alone!"

Her mom looked at her daughter, annoyed. "I told you that you could invite one of your other girl friends, but you said no. I will not let your mistake ruin my vacation, Lillian."

"Fine." Lilly crossed her arms. "Have fun." She said, monotoned.

Her mom's heels clicked as she walked towards the hotel room door. "Try no to be too miserable, will you?" She asked, before shutting the door behind her.

Lilly gaped. She was not miserable.

She flipped her phone open, natural instincts kicking in and texting Miley.

Just got here and Mom's already being a bitch. She left me for a casino! And it's not even daylight, so I can't tan. What I am supposed to do in Mexico at 7 at night?

She clicked 'send' and waiting for a couple minutes. She groaned. No text back. Miley must be doing something more productive with her time. This made Lilly even more angry.

She threw a baby blue Juicy Couture hoody over head and slipped on her silver Manolos. Sighing and sitting up from the bed, she exited the hotel room, looking for something to do.

She walked around the five-star hotel. No matter how much she wanted to say she hated it, she couldn't bring herself to do so. It was gorgeous, and all the employees were extremely nice and respectful. She walked outside to get a glimpse of the inground pool illuminated by lights. It would have been calm and relaxing if there wasn't a group of teenagers, around her age, all jumping in and splashing one another.

She sighed. She wasn't about to make friends with a bunch of .. wet people.

Sitting down on one of the chairs, she pulled out her pink iPod nano and hit shuffle. She closed her eyes, singing along to the song in her head, unaware of the group of teens around her, soaking wet and grabbing their towels. Having someone accidentally hit her chair, she opened one eye curiously to see what was going on.

There were two blond boys, both pretty cute – one better then the other. Being the loyal girlfriend she was, she resisted the urge to do any flirtatious gestures towards them.

Getting back into her song, she felt something shift beside her. Opening her eyes and turning to the right, she saw a dark haired boy with a towel wrapped around his waist sitting next to her. He smiled. "Hey."

Lilly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Instead, she concentrated on her iPod. "Hi." She said inanimately.

"What are you listening to?" He tried to start small talk.

She shrugged. "Music."

He nodded his head slowly. "Right.. So, where are you from?"

Lilly snapped her head towards the boy. "Okay. Seriously. What's with the twenty questions? I know you didn't sit next to me to hear my life story. So what's the deal?"

He looked down, feeling guilty. He fumbled with his fingers. "Alright. Fine." He sighed. "I thought you were cute."

"Ah." Lilly nodded. "Typical boy." She shook her head.

"So, I wanted to talk to a cute girl. What's the big deal?" He asked, getting defensive.

"Because-" She glared at him. "You know nothing about me. For all you know, I could be a serial killer. And then you'd get murdered. All because you thought I was cute."

"You're not one of those activists people all for women's rights and stuff, right?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. "As if. Their cause is useless. Why shouldn't we let men do all the work?"

The boy laughed. "And you're definitely not a serial killer, right?"

She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "Be realistic."

"That was your example!" He defended, arms spread out.

"Yeah-" Lilly agreed. "-Just an example."

"So.." He trailed, "Would you mind if I asked you your name?"

"It's Lilly." She smiled.

"Ah! A smile!" He grinned.

She rolled her eyes. "I am capable of doing that, you know."

He shrugged. "Could of fooled me."

She gaped. He grinned. "I'm kidding." He stuck his hand out. "I'm Oliver. Oliver Oken."

"Wow. How formal of you to introduce yourself that way." She grinned, shaking his hand.

"Yeah." He said. "What's your last name?"

It was at that moment that Lilly realized she didn't have to be Lilly Truscott. She could be anyone she wanted. This wasn't school, or Malibu where she had her reputation to uphold. Miley was always telling her to loosen up, maybe this was it. Maybe this was her chance. This Oliver kid wasn't nearly her type. She liked the blond haired, tanned, surfer look. Not his shaggy hair, or dark features.. he was most definitely a skater. But still, there was something about him.. She wanted to spend more time with him.

Thinking of the first name that popped in her head, Lilly replied. "Stewart." She said, using her best friends last name.

"Age?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you trying to write my autobiography or something?" She inwardly groaned. She was trying to loosen up here. Be a little nicer. Just a little.

He chuckled. "Well, you're just a sarcastic bitch, huh?"

Her eyes widened. She glared at him. "And you're just an outspoken bastard, huh?"

He laughed. "Touche."

She rolled her eyes.

"So.. anyways, age?" He asked again.

Lilly sighed. "I'm sixteen. Seventeen in January."

He nodded. "So, you're going to be a junior soon?"

She nodded. "Yup."

"Me too." He smiled. "Except I'll be seventeen in October."

"Where are you from?" He stuck his palm out. "Just answer without making a sarcastic mark about me being a stalker or something. We both know you're going to answer the question, anyways."

Lilly sighed. He was right. "Um.. Orange County." She lied.

"What part?" He asked. "Newport? Laguna?"

Shit. What part? Newport has Seth Cohen.. but Laguna has Stephen Colletti. Colletti, Cohen. Colletti, Cohen.. "Uh.. Newport."

"Sweet." He grinned. "I'm from San Clemente."

She looked at him, eyebrows raised. "You live in California?"

He nodded. "Yup."

"Oh."

Right then, her pocket vibrated. Jumping slightly, she picked up her phone to see her mother calling her. She groaned, bracing herself and then clicking the talk button.

"Hello? Hi, mom. I'm by the pool. What? Why?! Okay, okay.. I'll be right there. Bye." She shut her phone, and turned to Oliver.

"Mom?" He asked knowingly.

"Yeah.." She smiled sadly. "She's a real bitch."

"Now I know where you get it from."

"You know, you're way too openly sarcastic to people you just meet."

He grinned. "Who said I was being sarcastic?"

She rolled her eyes. "I gotta get back to my room." She said, standing up from the chair.

He stood up with her. He pulled out his phone. "Can I get your number?"

She bit her lip. Why not? Maybe he'd actually call her and she wouldn't have to spend her vacation alone. "Sure." She smiled. She typed her number into his phone, as he typed his into hers. They gave each other their phones back.

They each walked off in different directions. He waved. "See ya, Lilly."

Lilly waved as well. "See ya, Oliver."

--

Oliver ended up calling her. For the next three days.

As Lilly continued to spend time with Oliver, her web of lies kept unfolding. One question she wasn't sure how to answer was when he asked her if she had a boyfriend. Lilly Truscott had a boyfriend, Lilly Stewart did not. But she is actually Lilly Truscott. It confused her to no end. She ended up telling him that she was in a complicated relationship, but it wasn't offical. It wasn't completely a lie. Her relationship with Jake could be complicated at times..

She told him she went to public school. Why she said this, she would never know. She never had to try too hard around him. One time she even wore sweatpants. Sweatpants. And they were lose! She didn't spend half the amount of time that she does at home putting her make-up on, or perfecting her hair, or going through forty different outfits. The best part was, Oliver didn't mind. He actually told her she looked beautiful on more then one occasion.

Lilly found out soon that she loved spending time with him. They went to the beach, and he showed her how beautiful Mexico could actually be. She was different around him. She was nice, and funny, and cracked smiles all the time. During the night, they'd watch movies in her hotel room while her mom was out, and sometimes he'd even let her go for some shopping when all the streets were illuminated.

The fourth and final day came, and she felt herself getting this aching feeling in her stomach. She didn't want to go home.

"I guess this is good-bye, huh?" Oliver asked, looking uneasy. They were currently in the hotel lobby, luggage by their sides, saying their final good-byes.

Lilly nodded. "I guess." She pushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"I'll text you." He grinned. "But you better text back."

She rolled her eyes. "You know I will."

He scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I'm.. well, I'm gonna miss you, Lilly." He shrugged. "I mean, even though you are a sarcastic bitch."

She laughed. "Wow, Oken. That was almost nice."

He shrugged. "I try."

They both laughed, as they embraced one another in a tight hug. They let go after some time. Their arms were still entwined on each others bodies. Before Lilly could even say anything, Oliver kissed her. It was a short, sweet, friendly peck.

She smiled at him. "Bye, Oliver."

He ruffled her hair. "Take care, kid."

She rolled her eyes. She smiled softly. "You too."

--

So there you have it. How they met. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up in the next two days. But since it's the weekend and I have stuff to do, I don't know how that's going to work out. But it will most likely be up by Monday.

Review? :)

Love, Steph.