"Did you and Lilly finish the favorite colors project yet?" Nick asked Oliver, who was sitting next to him in the passenger seat. They were on their way back home from school in Nick's car.
Oliver groaned, throwing his head back against the seat.
"Let me guess," Miley laughed from the back seat, "you guys haven't even started yet and it's due tomorrow."
"Oh no, we've already started. Actually, we're almost done," Oliver corrected.
"Then why the groan?"
"Because I will have to work with her this whole afternoon!" Oliver cried.
Miley laughed again, "But I thought you liked Lilly."
Oliver shook his head, "I used to. I mean, I liked the old Lilly. But I don't know what has gotten into her lately. With all the complaining and the bossing around and the bashing...I just, it seems like I don't know Lilly anymore. Maybe hanging out with Hannah and Lola has changed her? Or something?"
"You're pretty close," Nick muttered.
"So you notice a change," Miley pressed on. "Almost like Lilly is…a different person?"
Oliver nodded, "Sure."
"It kind of makes you want to say, 'Who are you and what have you done to Lilly Truscott'?" Nick hinted.
"Umm," Oliver looked from Nick to Miley, "are you guys trying to tell me something?"
Miley slapped her forehead and sat back in her seat. Nick sighed and concentrated on his driving. Oliver sat there confused.
A few minutes later, the three best friends arrived at Miley's house. They had just stepped through the door when Oliver's phone started ringing.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Oliver?! Where are you? We were supposed to meet at 4 o'clock sharp. It is 4:03 mister!" Lola screamed into the phone.
Oliver cringed and pulled the phone away from his ear so he didn't turn deaf from the screaming, "Okay Lilly. I'm coming." He shut his phone and reluctantly started walking out the door again.
"See you later, Oliver!" Nick called.
"Oh and look Lilly in the eyes," Miley said. "Maybe you will notice a difference…" When he was out of hearing range, Miley turned towards Nick and shook her head, "That boy is hopeless."
Joe walked into his living room and paused to take in the scene. Miley and Nick were sitting on the couch going through papers with Nick's laptop in between them. Oliver was kneeling beside the coffee table typing rapidly on another laptop while Lola was lying on the ground beside him, yelling out information for Oliver to type. The TV was turned on to the weather channel, but no one was paying any attention.
"Study session?" Joe asked.
"No, we're working on a school project," Miley answered. "You know, when we came up to you randomly and asked what your favorite color was."
"Oh yeah," Joe smiled. "Well, have fun." He picked up his keys from the counter and started heading out the door.
"Where are you going?" Nick asked. "Oh wait, I know. You're going over to see Lola, right?"
Joe froze.
"It figures," Nick went on, "since you ditched song writing with us last night to hang out with her."
Miley and Lola shared a look and whispered, "Lilly?!"
Joe ignored his brother and walked out. Miley quickly grabbed Nick's wrist and dragged him to the kitchen, "Joe is falling for Lilly again?!"
Nick nodded, "I'm afraid so."
"Oh man," Miley ran her fingers through her hair.
"It's like a whole love chain, you know?" Nick said. "Everyone is in love with another person who loves another person and so on and so forth…"
Miley sighed, "It's so frustrating. Why is everyone in love with the wrong person?"
"That's what I want to know," Nick whispered, staring at Miley.
Suddenly, a loud "OH MY GOD!" could be heard from the living room. Miley and Nick hurried back to see Oliver standing up glaring at Lola.
"I figured it out!" Oliver exclaimed. Nick, Miley, and Lola's eyes widened.
"Oliver, I can explain…" Lola began.
"You tricked me!"
"Oliver…"
"I can't believe this!"
"It's just…"
"You are pretending all this aren't you?"
"Listen…"
"You are acting all annoying just so I wouldn't like you anymore!"
"I…wait, is that all you figured out?"
"Is there more?" Oliver questioned.
"…uh, no."
"Whatever," Oliver said. "You've changed. The Lilly I once knew would never do something so deceiving and evil. But I'm through with this. I guess your little plan worked after all. Because I am so not in love with you anymore, Lilly!"
And with that, Oliver hurried out of the Jonas's house and slammed the door behind him.
Are you really gone?
Are you moving on?
Tell me, tell me,
Where did we go wrong?
Lola collapsed onto the couch and pulled her legs up to hug her knees. An odd pain was starting to grow inside of her. She stared at the direction Oliver left in, kind of hoping he would walk back in through the door.
But that never happened.
Are you really gone?
I sing you this song.
Will you tell me
Where did we go wrong?
I can't let go.
I can't let go.
Tears started forming in her eyes. Why was she crying? Why did she care if Oliver hated her? Because throughout the week, while Lola was bugging the crap out of Oliver, he was falling more and more out of love…but Lola was starting to fall in.
And right after Oliver said the words "I am so not in love with you", Lola realized that she was in love with him.
But Oliver is gone now, and Lola is left with nothing.
Now I'm left here chasing echoes.
Miley had watched the whole thing and was now moving towards Lola. She sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her comfortingly. Nick stood still for another second, still shocked, before he too came over and sat on the other side of the now tearing Lola.
This could not get any worse.
But, of course, it did.
Two hours later, Miley was trying to relax herself by laying on her bed listening to her iPod. Nick was going to drop Lola off at Lilly's house and Miley had walked back home. She turned the volume of the music a little higher and closed her eyes, wanting to forget all the stress and worry.
With the loud music and shut eyes, she didn't notice Oliver at all as he walked into her room.
"Miley? Miley?! MILEY!!!!" Oliver yelled to her ear and Miley jumped a foot in the air.
"Oh my god," Miley exclaimed, taking out her earphones. Her heart was beating wildly and she was breathing unevenly, "You gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry."
"What are you doing here, Oliver?"
"Well…after I left, I felt really bad for being so harsh to Lilly. But it's the truth. And I just…you know…I need someone to talk to. And usually I would talk to Lilly, but since Lilly is the subject I need to talk about…"
"…so you came to me. Gee, great to know I'm your number two, Oliver!" Miley rolled her eyes. She patted the spot next to her and Oliver sat down on the bed. "What do you need to talk about?"
Oliver fidgeted before looking up at Miley and said, "Have I lost Lilly?"
Miley sighed, "No, you didn't. Oliver…I think there's something you should know."
He raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Lilly never changed. She never became an annoying, girly, bossy teenager that drove you crazy. She just moved to Hollywood."
"Hollywood? What?"
Miley turned to face Oliver all the way and stated simply, "Lilly and Lola switched places."
"…WHAT?"
"It was some contest/plan of theirs, I don't know what exactly. Basically, they switched places and the first guy to realize the change 'wins' Lilly. And the rest of us weren't supposed to say anything, but at this point, I think you deserve to know the truth."
"You mean that was Lola back there?" Oliver asked, baffled.
"Yes," Miley answered slowly, trying to get him to understand. "So don't worry, Oliver. Lilly is still your best friend. Once she and Lola switch back, everything will go back to normal…well, mostly."
"Wait," Oliver was still processing everything Miley told him, "If this is a contest…who won?"
"Nobody. Jackson is clueless, Joe still hasn't put all the pieces together, and it didn't look like you were going to figure it out any time soon," she said.
He thought about it some more, "So technically, I win."
"No, technically not," Miley shook her head. "I told you about the switch, you didn't realize it yourself. You're technically disqualified from the contest now."
"Gee, thanks a lot, Miley!" Oliver screamed sarcastically.
"Oliver," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder, "listen to me. I'm sorry. But this whole switcheroo is getting out of hand. I should have known too, I mean I've been there. Love is not some game you can play."
"Yeah," he dropped his head.
"I wanted you to win, though," she said. "I was on your side this whole time. I thought you and Lilly were destined to be together, I mean, you guys are best friends for life! I always pictured you and Lilly walking down the aisle and exchanging vows…" she trailed off. "I was so sure you two would eventually get together, until I realized…"
"What?"
"I realized people probably think those same thoughts about me and Nick, too. I'm such a hypocrite; I complain when others talk about Nick and I getting married one day, but I tease you and Lilly all the time!" Miley paused and chuckled before continuing, "But even though Nick and I are best friends—have been and always will be—and we do spend every day together, we will never end up marrying each other like everyone says. Friends don't always become something more. We don't think of each other that way. And besides, I have Jake."
"Okay, why are you telling me this?" Oliver asked.
"You didn't let me finish. I'm saying this because maybe it applies to you too. Maybe you and Lilly just aren't meant to be. Like me and Nick," Miley finished.
"Maybe," he said, "but it still hurts."
"You will get over Lilly and you two will be back to being the bestest of friends in no time!"
"Oh I'm not sad about that. I don't feel that way about her anymore. I'm just upset Lilly and Lola would trick us like that."
Miley laughed.
"And thanks," Oliver smiled. "For telling me about the switch. Even though you promised you wouldn't."
"A promise is a promise, but I would break one for a friend any day," she smiled.
"You really are a good friend, Miley."
A gentle wind blew in from the open window in Miley's room. It blew Miley's hair, some curls brushing against Oliver. He picked up the strands and tucked it behind her ear…
Oliver Oken doesn't always think. Sometimes, he acts on impulse. And sometimes, those impulses are very very wrong. In that short moment, all Oliver could think about were:
how close he was to Miley
how good her perfume smelt
how pretty her eyes were
how close he was to her
how nice and friendly she was
how insanely lucky Jake Ryan was
and how close he was to her…
His hand lingered by her ear. An involuntary blush crept over her cheeks.
"Oliver?" she whispered, questioning the strange look on his face, an expression she has never seen on him before. "What are you doing?"
He replied nothing and leaned in…
Nick had just parked his car on his driveway and was walking next door to Miley's house when Jake pulled up in his car. Jake shut the ignition and stepped out onto the sidewalk before he noticed Nick.
"Oh, hi Nick," he called.
"Hey," Nick greeted back, perhaps a little coldly.
The two stood on the sidewalk awkwardly for a moment. Nick stared at the movie star glamour boy in front of him. This is his competition. This is the boyfriend of the girl he loved. How ridiculously plain Nick felt in comparison.
"So…you're going to see Miley?" Jake stated the obvious, trying to break the silence.
"Yeah. And you?"
"I just dropped by to say hello."
"Well let's not stand out here all night," Nick leaded the way up the pathway to Miley's house.
It was Jackson who answered the door, "Hi Nick, Jake."
They walked inside the house and looked around, "Where's Miley?"
"Oh, she is upstairs with Oliver."
"Oliver is here?"
"Yep. The boy came here a little on the depressed side…" Jackson turned to Nick. "Did he and Lilly get into a fight or something? Is Oliver not in love with her anymore? Because Joe's out, and if Oliver is out, then I would win by process of elimination."
"I don't think it's that simple," Nick said. He turned and gave Jake a look. The Lilly/Lola secret was one of the few things those two shared.
The three guys walked up the stairs and down the hallway to Miley's room. Jake turned the handle and opened the door…
…and they all gasped at the sight in front of them.
"What the hell is going on in here?!" Jackson shouted.
Miley should have moved. She should have pushed Oliver away. She should have, but she didn't.
When his lips touched hers, she couldn't help but kiss him back. Because a while ago, kissing Oliver was all Miley ever dreamed of…
"What the hell is going on in here?!"
Jackson's voice brought reality and common sense back into Miley. She abruptly pulled back. Turning to the doorway, she was about to beg her brother not to say anything to anyone, when she noticed Jackson was not alone. Nick was standing beside him with his jaw dropped and standing next to Nick was Jake.
Jake. Miley's boyfriend had just walked into the worst possible situation to walk into.
Miley could feel the tears forming inside of her. She turned back to Oliver and shut her eyes. How could she let herself kiss him? How could she let herself get caught up in her old fantasies? How could she let herself forget that Jake was her dreams now?
Sometimes, Miley Stewart acted on impulse too. And so she did the first thing she though of.
She slapped Oliver.
Then she ran past Jackson, Nick, and Jake, down the stairs and out the backdoor.
The four guys stood still like statues for a second before they all got over the shock. Jackson started down the hall after his sister but Nick stopped him, "I'll go."
Oliver put his hand to his cheek, it was still stinging. Jake glared at Oliver and took a step towards him.
"Whoa!" Jackson quickly pulled him back. Jake tried to wrestle out of Jackson's grip, but Jackson held him back. "Don't do anything stupid, Jake!"
After Jake seemed to have calmed down, Jackson let go of him and he slowly walked up to Oliver.
"Jake…look, I'm really sorry. I don't know what I was thinking…" Oliver rambled on. Jake had an impossibly calm expression and it was scaring the shit out of Oliver.
"Jake," Jackson warned.
"I'm not going to hurt him," Jake said with a blank voice. He narrowed his eyes at Oliver, "But I'm warning you, Oken. There better not be a next time because next time, I won't be able to control my temper."
Jake turned and stalked off. Oliver and Jackson could hear the front door slam. Then they heard the car ignition turn on and speed down the street.
"Way to go, Oliver," Jackson said bitterly. "You just ruined the last happy relationship."
The tears weren't stopping. Miley sat on the beach with her head resting on her knees. The tears were starting to leave a stain on her jeans.
She heard footsteps then. They got louder and louder as the person approached closer and closer. He stopped a few feet away from her and whispered, "Miley."
It was Nick. Miley didn't even need to lift her head to see, she knew it was him. He was her best friend after all. And right now, her best friend was exactly what she needed.
She didn't want Jackson to turn all over-protective-older-brother on her. She didn't want to see the look of hurt in Jake's eyes. And she most definitely did not want to talk to Oliver. Right now, with her tears flowing endlessly, she wanted Nick.
Because Nick was the only one who knew.
He sat down besides Miley on the beach sand. He didn't say anything; just let her cry on his shoulder. Only until Miley had ran out of tears to cry did Nick speak.
"It's going to be alright, Miley."
"How do you know?"
"I don't," Nick put his arm around her. "But you're always optimistic, so I thought I would give you a dose of your own medicine."
"Thanks, Nick," Miley said sarcastically.
The two best friends stayed silent for a long time before Nick asked the question that's been bugging him since the beginning, "Miley, just tell me one thing. Were you crying because you cheated on Jake, or were you crying because Oliver is too late?"
"…I don't know."
Nick sighed and gave Miley a hug.
Well, it happened. Even Jake and Miley's relationship is damaged. And with the Golden Couple now broken, everyone is broken.
Correction: now it couldn't get any worse.
:( Here's some drama for ya. So Oliver now knows about the switch...and what's with the Moliver?
NEWS: I have decided how the story will end. Poll is closed. You will just have to stick around to read the outcome, because I am not spilling anything.
But I can tell you say this, LMN will end in Jiley. Sorry to those of you who thought Nick and Miley would get together in the sequel. I only made Nick in love with Miley because I needed a reason for him and Hannah to break up. Sorry if you got the wrong idea.