This one is dedicated to all the victims of the earthquake in Chile and the victims of the tsunami in Hawaii. You're in my prayers, all of you.
15. When You're Gone
Two weeks. It's been two weeks and Miley and Nick haven't talked to each other nor seen each other. Miley didn't go to their meetings and Nick never called to ask her why, partly because he knew the reasons and partly because he knew she wouldn't pick up anyway.
All Miley's been doing was crawl around in her apartment, sometimes talk to Emily, Selena or Demi and mostly eat ice cream and watch chick flicks. She didn't care that all of her chick flicks repeated themselves after two days. It wasn't like she was actually concentrating on the movies.
But she was sure that she gained some weight over the past two weeks. Demi told her to stop mopping around, but of course she couldn't and wouldn't.
Apart from Demi being there for Miley, she was also very involved with the plan she and Larry were working on. They were almost done with the video. It seemed pretty good. They put in some pictures or videos of Nick and Miley that were taken either by Miley, Nick or friends that were around them.
Demi was pretty proud of the video. It wasn't done yet, but it looked good. Miley would definitely over-think everything. There was no assurance that Miley would forgive Nick like that, but she would at least reconsider everything that happened and the break-up.
Demi was currently sitting in front of the computer with Larry, over doing the video again. All the effects had to be perfect, the voiceovers, the pictures and videos. It had to be perfect. Demi sighed and rubbed her temples.
"I know that we did this for so long now, but this is just so exhausting." Larry nodded and put his head onto the table next to the keyboard.
"You're right. But it's not perfect yet. The problem is it has to be." Demi groaned and looked at the clock.
"Gosh, what time am I meeting Miley again?" Larry sighed. He felt like he's been up for 48 hours. But they just worked over night. The plan wasn't only consisting of the video. It also contained a lot of meddling. And part one would be getting Miley and Nick to see each other again. And that's why Demi had to leave.
"I don't know. 10?" Demi nodded and put her head down. After a moment her head shot up and her eyes widened.
"I have to meet her in five minutes!" Larry jumped up with Demi and saved the video. Demi ran and put her shoes on. Larry handed her the jacket. She grabbed it and threw it on.
"Okay, do you remember the plan?" Larry nodded. Demi hugged him – friendly way of course – and quickly ran out of Larry's and Pamela's apartment. Pamela knew about their plan and she helped them with everything she could.
Demi rushed to her car and jumped in. On her way to Patty's she thought about an excuse why she would be late. The only thing she could come up with was that she just simply overslept. It wasn't the best excuse, but all she could come up with.
She reached Patty's after ten minutes, so she wasn't that late. She sighed as she got out of the car. Locking the car, she walked into the diner. Miley was already there. She was staring at her smoothie.
Miley looked like a wreck. Demi didn't want to tell her that, but she did. She had bags under her eyes from the lack of sleep and she only wore sweatpants and too big shirts. She didn't care about her appearance any more. She only cared about the one thing that disappointed her most. And that was Nick.
Demi walked up to Miley in a power walk. Miley didn't really look up. It was more like she glanced up and then back down at her smoothie. She acted like a zombie. Demi sighed again as she sat down opposite Miley.
"Hey, sorry I'm late, I overslept." Miley nodded and shrugged. Demi rolled her eyes and put her jacket over the chair next to the booth she sat in.
"Okay, you have to do more than just shrug and nod and just not care." Miley sighed annoyed and looked at Demi. Usually her eyes shone bright blue, but right then they seemed dull and grey. Demi looked at Miley sympathetically.
"Mi, I'm only telling you this because I care for you. The thing is you seem like you don't care for yourself. And that's what's bugging me." Miley sighed again, this time sadly and her tears started getting watery.
"I know, but… I don't think I can do this." Demi looked at Miley with big eyes.
"You're not thinking about suicide are you?!" Miley shook her head quickly.
"No, but… something has to happen. I don't know what. I don't know if I still have my job! Maybe I'm jobless! And I'm too afraid to call him up and ask him! Sometimes I call him just to hear him talking. Of course I don't call him with my phone, but do you see how pathetic I am? I mean, I knew him for two months and I act like I know him for my whole life. Demi, I just don't know what to do anymore!" Miley finally let it all out. She told Demi what she wanted to. It was out in the open.
Demi looked at Miley with pure sadness. Miley was suffering. She thought she was pathetic. Demi slid into the booth next to Miley and hugged her.
"Miles…" Miley turned her head and buried it in Demi's shoulder. That's all she's done lately. But she needed a shoulder to cry on.
Demi looked at the entrance. Only five minutes, she thought. She had to calm Miley down in five minutes.
"Okay, Miley, look at you. You are worth everything that happens to you. And you are not pathetic. I once thought I was in love with Jimmy Parker. Remember him? Yeah, little Jimmy. I called him every day and annoyed the heck out of him. But did you tell me that I was pathetic? No, because I wasn't. That's just how we all are. We do things for people we love or like or care for because that's just who we are! And you are the most caring person I've ever known and I know for a fact that you still love Nick like you did before everything happened." Miley looked at Demi with sad eyes, but she smiled nonetheless.
"I remember Jimmy Parker. Didn't he tell you to leave him the heck alone or he'd call the police?" Demi nodded a bit embarrassed.
"Yeah, that's the one! But see, I don't think I was being pathetic. I think I was being young. And you are just in love with this boy!" Miley blushed a little.
"I am." Demi smiled.
"Glad you admitted it." Demi turned to look at the entrance once again and right on time, Larry and Nick entered the diner.
Nick looked worse than Miley. He looked not only hurt and in pain, but he also looked guilty. He had bags under his eyes too, but they were worse than Miley's. His hair was messed up and he looked thinner than two weeks ago. Demi sighed a little. Miley looked at her.
"What's wrong?" Demi's gaze turned to Miley.
"Nothing!" Miley nodded and took a sip from her smoothie. Demi looked at Larry and he nodded. Time to put the plan into action, Demi thought. She put on her happy mood.
"Oh my god, look who it is!" Miley turned around and stared at the two men in front of her. At first, she only saw Larry, because Nick's back was turned to her. She and Larry did talk once in those two weeks. Larry apologized a million times and Miley kind of accepted it, but they still weren't really friends. Only then did she see Nick. Her eyes widened and she gasped.
Nick, who had his back turned to Miley, heard the familiar gasp and turned around quickly. There she sat, looking horrible but still beautiful as ever. His Miley. The love of his life, like he told Larry after two days of just lying around on his bed. His eyes widened as well as he stared back into Miley's dull grey eyes.
Demi and Larry nodded at each other and put on their extremely-happy mode.
"What a coincidence!" Larry nodded and pulled Demi into a hug. Demi went on and hugged Nick. Larry leaned forward and hugged Miley quickly. He whispered an apology into her ear and pulled back. Demi let go off Nick. Larry and Demi looked at the former couple.
"Well, aren't you two going to hug?" Miley glared at Demi as she shook her head. Her reaction made Nick sadder than he first thought it would. But he didn't blame her.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that Miles." Miley glared at Larry this time. He held his hands up as a quiet apology. Miley wanted to get up but Demi pushed Nick down next to her. Miley slid back into the booth and crossed her arms. She shot Demi a look as if saying 'I'm going to kill you', but Demi just shrugged and slid into the both with Larry opposite of Nick and Miley.
"Well, Nick, what've you been up to?" Nick sighed and shrugged. He couldn't talk. Miley was sitting next to him, something he's dreamt of for the last two weeks. He knew his voice would sound squeaky. Larry rolled his eyes.
"Well, he skipped work the last two weeks." Miley gasped. Nick never would've done that! The Nick she knew would never do that. The attention turned on Miley as she blushed. Demi smirked a little.
"What's wrong, Miley?" Miley sighed and shook her head.
"Nothing." Demi rolled her eyes.
"You know, you can fool your grandma, but you can't fool me. What's wrong?" Miley sighed and looked at Nick.
"I can't believe you would skip work! You've never skipped work, you would never skip work! You can't skip work, why would you skip work?!" Demi wanted to laugh. Miley obviously didn't run a big dictionary. Nick looked at Miley with big eyes. Seems like she still cared, he thought. But he just shrugged. Miley glared at him and hit him, ignoring the sparks she felt as she did so.
"I asked you a question, Mister!" Nick looked at Miley with sad eyes.
"I couldn't go to work?" Miley scrunched up her forehead confused.
"Why the hell not? You've always gone to work. I know you had your 'usual' days. Your work was your life!" Nick nodded.
"Yeah, it was. But not anymore. My life left me two weeks ago." Demi's and Miley's eyes softened. Larry wanted to roll his eyes because it sounded so cheesy, but he was happy that Nick at least admitted it.
Miley wanted to do so many things after Nick said that. She wanted to either hug him and tell him everything would be okay or slap him and curse him out and tell him he was a liar since she was only a dare to him. But she didn't do anything.
Demi watched Miley closely and noticed that she started warming up to Nick again. That was a good sign. So far, the plan was working. If Miley warmed up to Nick more, she'd be a goner after she watched the video.
Nick just looked at Miley. He took everything in. How close she was to him, how she just looked at him with her sad, grey eyes. He felt bad for making her feel this way. And he was glad that Miley didn't curse him out after he said what he said.
"But that is stupid. Nick, you have to work. You can't just… not work because…" Miley couldn't bring herself to say it. She wanted to say 'because we broke up', but she couldn't say it. Nick sighed.
"I know, but it's been not the same going to the office. Everything reminded me of you. I just… can't. But you haven't been to work either." Miley rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, because I can work without my agent." Demi smiled as she saw that Miley was talking to Nick without any big problems.
Larry smirked at Demi. He knew this would work somehow. The video would give Miley the rest and she'd fall into Nick's arms immediately.
"Well, isn't this nice." Demi nodded to agree with Larry. She looked at her clock. The plan was going to continue. She and Miley would leave the diner now so Larry could tell Nick everything about the plan. Yeah, you'd think he knew about it, but Demi and Larry planned on letting Nick know after everything was done with the first part of the video. There was a secret part to it.
"Miley and I have to go now." Miley nodded kind of thankfully. She enjoyed talking to Nick like that, but she still felt weird. Nick got up and let Miley out. Miley gave him a small smiled and hugged Larry and Nick quickly. She felt the familiar spark again, but this time she enjoyed it. She welcomed it. Nick and Miley pulled apart and waved at each other. Demi and Miley left. Larry turned to Nick and smirked.
"Well, well, well. If that weren't sparks between you two." Nick rolled his eyes and sat back down.
"Whatever." Larry laughed and sighed happily. Time to cut to the chase, Larry thought and sat up straight.
"Okay, there's something I have to ask you. I mean, it's not like you have a choice, but I have to ask you anyway." Nick nodded and looked at Larry curious.
"What is it?" Larry smiled.
"I need you to do something." Nick nodded.
"Could you come to my apartment with me and say something into a camera?" Nick looked at Larry confused and kind of freaked out.
"Why would you want me to do that?" Larry chuckled.
"Well, you see, this video shall make Miley realize that she loves you even after everything. Demi and I planned it all out. You know, we edited a video of you talking about Miley and a few pictures of you together. It's perfect. All we need now is you talking into the camera once again saying how much you love Miley and your permission." Once again, Nick was confused.
"Why would you need my permission?" Larry smirked.
"You'll see." Nick nodded and agreed. Larry smirked and rubbed his hands together. This would all work out perfectly. If Nick would say into the camera what Demi and Larry wanted him too, Miley would definitely go back to Nick.
Okay, so I hope you liked it, like always. I have the next chapter done already. It's going to be the last chapter and the longest as well. I could update it today or tomorrow or maybe in only a week. It depends on how fast and much you review. The faster you review the faster comes the chapter, that's how it works... for the last one at least.
Okay, so push that nice green button down there and just leave a review.
And to all my silent readers: Thanks for reading it! I can see how many people read my story so to all of you, thanks for reading the story!
Well, please feel free to review!