So sorry for the wait guys! But my life has been really busy, so I won't be able to do my usual weekly updates.:(
(Friday)
Lilly tugged on her beanie, trying to stretch it to the point of ripping.
"Lilly," Lola laughed at her friend, "no matter how hard you pull it, it won't get any bigger."
"But my blonde is showing!" Lilly complained.
"It's fine. Joe won't notice a thing," Lola reassured.
Lilly gave one last tug before sighing in defeat and started walking downstairs. Sooner or later, she was going to have to deal with Joe. She stuck her head around the corner to see Joe sitting at the kitchen table with Jake talking about who knows what.
"Well are you going to go?" Lola asked from behind her. She put her sunglasses on her head and carried a tote bag on her shoulder.
Lilly gave her a questioning glance, "Where are you going?"
"To the beach," Lola replied. "I'm not sticking around for the awkward conversation of the year."
Lola gave Lilly a hug before walking down the stairs and out the front door. After taking a deep breath, and tugging on her hat one last time, Lilly walked down and towards the kitchen table. Somehow, Lilly was going to have to get Joe to fall out of love with her (again).
"Hello," she greeted.
"Hey Lola!" Lilly hated how Joe's face lit up when he saw her.
"Good morning," she said, heading to the fridge to pour her some juice.
"Morning."
Jake sighed and got out of his seat, "I'll take this as my cue to leave." He walked away and when he passed Lilly, he mouthed, "Good luck."
"I'm going to need it," she grumbled.
"So…" Joe began.
"What are you doing here, Joe?"
He seemed taken back at the random question. "Um…to see you?"
In the shadow of my reverie,
A distraction to forget the need.
"Why? Why have you taken a sudden interest in me?"
"Because…"
"You better not say that you like me." Lilly came out a little harsher than she meant.
"I…"
"You don't know who I am, Joe." She shook her head then pulled down her beanie. "You don't know who I am."
"Of course I know who you are…"
"No, you don't. Trust me."
"Lola, what are you talking about?"
Lilly didn't answer. "So tell me. What are you doing here?"
"So what if I like you?" Joe asked. "What's wrong with that?"
It's the truth to what I could see,
In my head,
In my head.
"Because you promised me you would move on!" Lilly said loudly.
Joe looked confused, "But I'm not in love with Lilly anymore."
"Are you?" Lilly shut her eyes and took a deep breath. This was all too stressful. She was saying too much. Way too much. She turned on her heel and started walking towards the living room…but then tripped on the leg of a chair and fell flat on her face.
"Ouch."
Joe, although still very much confused, stepped over and offered her a hand, "Are you okay?"
"Just peachy." Lilly grabbed his hand and pulled herself up.
And then she really messed up.
So Joe and Lilly have this handshake. It's a right hand shake, then a left hand shake, a high ten, elbow to shoulder, shoulder to elbow, spin around, touch the ground, do-si-do, jazz square, hug, and finally another right hand shake. They made it up few years ago on a boring Sunday afternoon. It's really just 2 minutes of nonsense, but Lilly and Joe have gotten used to doing the handshake to a point where it's become second nature.
And when Joe helped Lilly up from the ground, their hands were in the exact starting position of the handshake. Subconsciously, they crossed their left hands over…and then raised their arms…soon performing the whole handshake. The handshake only Joe and Lilly know.
Lilly gulped. Way to go, she thought to herself. Way to blow your cover.
Joe had that look in his eyes. Like he has just figured out something huge but doesn't quite believe it. "How do you know our secret handshake?"
"…uh…Lilly taught it to me?" But what was the point of lying? It's not like he'll believe anything now.
Lilly tugged on her hat again, but that only made it more obvious. Joe reached over and pulled the hat off, exposing the blonde spot.
"Lilly?"
Lola arrived at the neighborhood Malibu beach. With all the local kids still in school, the beach was not crowded—it was almost empty. Lola found a nice spot on the sand and set up her beach towel. After smoothing out the wrinkles, she took off her sun dress, wearing her bikini, and laid down.
Ten minutes later, her peaceful mood was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Did someone skip school to tan?"
Lola glanced up to see Jackson looking down on her. Oh crap. School.
"Uh…no."
Jackson laughed. "Oh well. It's your last day before break anyways. It's not like you're missing anything in school."
"Which is exactly why I came here," Lola improvised.
"Sure."
Lola stood up and brushed some grains of sand off of her leg. She slipped her sun dress back on, then put on some flip flops. Next, she took out a small mirror and fixed her hair. She was about to walk off when she realized Jackson was still there staring at her.
"What?"
He tilted his head, still staring at her.
"Jackson?"
He squinted and put his finger on his chin, as if trying to piece together a puzzle.
"You are kind of creeping me out." Lola starts to walk away but Jackson grabs her arm and pulls her back.
"I think…" he glanced down at her outfit before looking her in the eye, "…I think something's up."
"Yes. The sky." Lola tried to wiggle her arm out of Jackson's grip but he didn't let go.
Jackson continued, "I mean, you look like Lilly. You sound like Lilly. You act like Lilly. But you're not Lilly."
Lola's eyes tripled in size. Jackson figured it out? He just had to grow a brain now?
"I knew something was off, but I couldn't figure it out, until now," he smiled. "With the pranks and the movies and the pink and the dress and the girly stuff. You aren't Lilly."
Lola finally managed to pull away from him, "You can't prove anything!"
"Oh, but I can. I know who you are, Lola."
And every last bit of the plan was ruined.
"But you know what?" Jackson kept going. "The funny thing is I'm kind of glad it's you. I think I'm falling for you, not Lilly."
Are you really gone?
Are you moving on?
Tell me, tell me
Where did we go wrong?
"No, you thought wrong." Lola picked up her stuff and got the heck out of there.
"Were you going to tell me? Or did you think you could just fool around with me and my emotions? What were you thinking, Lilly? Did you really believe that I wouldn't figure it out? I'm not stupid! And where in the world are we going?"
"You know, you really should keep your eyes on the road," Lilly replied. They were both in Joe's car, dangerously speeding down the highway.
"How can I drive if I don't know where I'm going?" Joe stated.
Lilly sighed, "Fine, I'll tell you. We're going to the beach."
"Why? And can you please just explain the whole you/Lola switching places thing?"
"I just texted Jackson and Oliver to meet me at the beach so I can explain it to all of you at once instead of repeating myself three times," she said.
Suddenly, the already speeding car went even faster. The meter hit 90 mph.
"Joe! Slow down!"
"I have to wait to get to the beach before you tell me what's going on, so I'm trying to get there before I die from anxiety."
"And I'm trying to get there before I die from a heart attack," Lilly said, clutching her seatbelt for dear life.
He wasn't there. She told them to meet her ten minutes ago. And he's still not there. Joe was there, he was the one who drove her. Oliver was there, he arrived about three seconds after them. But Jackson? Still absent.
"Lilly," Joe said, "I hate being confused. Please tell me what's going on before my head explodes."
Lilly could see the Stewart's house from where she was standing. She's been staring at the back door for the past ten minutes, waiting for Jackson to open it and come out. But he never did.
"Come on, Lilly," Oliver said. "Jackson isn't coming."
Lilly sighed, "I guess…"
Joe groaned, then asked Oliver, "Isn't this killing you, too?"
"Actually, I already know," Oliver admitted.
"You do?" Lilly asked, shocked.
He nodded, "Yeah, Miley told me last night, before I…you know."
"What? I don't know," Joe looked from Oliver to Lilly, hopelessly out of the loop.
"Alright, alright," Lilly said. "Calm down, Joe. I'll tell you now...
"So last Friday, I accidentally overheard you, Oliver, and Jackson admit that you all like me. And I freaked. I didn't know what to do because…because I didn't feel the same way."
She paused to take in their expressions. Oliver had a bored look on his face, making it obvious he didn't want to hear this. Joe had a heartbroken look on his face, the one Lilly never wanted to see again, but was seeing it anyways.
"I went to Lola and Hannah for help. Lola decided that we would have a 'contest'. She and I would switch places and whoever figures it out first 'wins' me. But then we had a better, more evil plan. Lola would try and get you three to fall out of love with me, so I wouldn't have to get together with any of you. I'm sorry, I really am. I shouldn't have let Lola do something like that."
"You got that right," Oliver muttered. Joe nodded in agreement.
Lilly continued, "Well the plan didn't work. None of the plans worked. Not only did the plan not fix anything, it messed up what was originally good. My switch with Lola completely wrecked everything. It ruined all my friends' lives." Some tears were forming in her eyes.
"Aw, Lilly, don't cry." It was always awkward for Oliver whenever his best friend cried. He never knew what to do. Does he wipe away the tears, or is that too romantic? Does he hug her and comfort her, or is that too weird? Does he stand there and do nothing, or is that too stupid?
"I'm fine," Lilly quickly wiped her tears, causing Oliver immense relief.
"Wait a second," Joe thought over what Lilly had said. "So did anyone win the contest?"
"Not exactly," Lilly explained. "Technically, Oliver found out first, but it didn't really count since Miley told him. And then you figured it out this morning—"
"So I win?" Joe interrupted.
"Well, Jackson figured out it was Lola this morning too. We could get down to the specific time and everything, but…"
"You're just going to pick one of us. Like the original plan," Oliver finished.
Lilly nodded.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"So are you going to pick? Like, now?" Joe asked.
Lilly bit her lip and looked up and down the beach one more time. Jackson still wasn't here. She was going to pick him, but how can she if he's not here? Her cell phone beeped then, signaling that she had a new text message.
Can't make it.
Lilly reread the text message over and over again as her heart dropped to her stomach.
Can't make it. That's all Jackson wrote. No 'sorry' or an explanation. Just three short words probably texted in three short seconds. Lilly sighed. It was time to face the facts.
Jackson didn't care.
Are you really gone
I sing you this song
Will you tell me
Where did we go wrong?
Oliver noticed the tears reappearing. "Uh, is everything okay, Lilly?"
"He's not coming," she said. "Jackson's not coming. He can't make it." And that did it. The waterworks began and the fresh tears rolled down her cheek, hitting the soft sand beneath her.
Joe stood there and stared at her. He could not believe it. He could not believe Lilly. He could not believe Lilly would break his heart. Again. "You were going to pick him, weren't you?" Joe said, while backing away. "You were going to pick Jackson." He spat out the last word.
"Wait, Joe," Lilly walked after him. "I…I…"
But he didn't let her catch up, "God, Lilly. Why did you have to fall for someone who doesn't even care about you? Why him?"
With one last look, Joe turned and walked away, with a look so heartbroken, it didn't look like it could ever be fixed.
Lilly was sobbing now. Her vision was getting blurred by her tears, nothing was clear anymore. Oliver hesitated before walking over and let his best-friend-mode kick in.
"Come on, Lilly, it will be okay."
"No it won't Oliver."
"Well I don't think it's possible for things to get any worse from here."
"Not helping!"
Oliver sighed and decided to take a new approach in calming Lilly. "Lilly, why do you want Jackson?"
"…I don't know. He's just…I don't know…and…yeah."
"Real specific, Lil."
"I'm not really sure how I fell in love with Jackson, but I just know I am."
"Then get up and climb out of love with him! As a best friend, you have to trust me on this. Jackson is not one for commitment and long term relationships. He only has short crushes and flings. It hasn't even been a week and he's already lost interest in you. Don't you see how he would make a poor boyfriend?"
Lilly sniffled and nodded.
Oliver continued, "All I'm saying is, Jackson is not worth it. You are such a wonderful, charming, gorgeous, hilarious, fun-loving girl. Jackson Stewart does not deserve you. Come to think of it, I don't deserve you. But Joe?"
"You think Joe is worthy?"
"I think Joe Jonas is fifty-seven times more in love with you than I am. More than Jackson ever will be. And I know you really hurt him today... Oh, Lilly, don't start crying again!"
"It's just…Joe's too good. I don't deserve him."
"But what's all this nonsense talk about deserving and worthiness, anyways? It's your life, Lilly. Why don't you stop asking other people what to do and start making your own choices?"
She sighed, "I guess you're right. It's my mess; I'm going to have to clean it up."
"And speaking of that," Oliver pulled out his phone and started texting, "I need to do something really important, right now."
"What?"
"I need to fix Jake and Miley."
"Good luck cleaning that mess."
Oliver laughed nervously, "So are you going to be okay, Lilly?"
She sat down and wiped her eyes, "I think so."
"Well I hate to leave you alone like this, all sad and teary-eyed and alone, but Miley and Jake and me and I made a big mistake, but you and then I…"
"Just go, Oliver."
Lilly didn't want Lola to go with her to confront the guys, so Lola stood on Lilly's back patio and spied in on the conversation with a pair of binoculars. Suddenly, the door bell rang. Lola answered it, not really sure who to expect. "Jackson? What are you doing here?"
He stood in Lilly's front door holding a bouquet of flowers. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Lola."
"What are you doing here?!" Lola repeated.
"I'm sorry. Today at the beach, I meant to be a little more subtle confessing my love for you. Anyways, I've been looking for you so I could apologize, but I couldn't find you anywhere."
"No, I meant what are you still doing here?" Lola screamed. "You are supposed to meet Lilly!"
"I figured you were more important to me."
"No! Jackson, you don't get it!" Lola screeched in frustration. Man, she wanted to rip her hair out. "Lilly wanted to meet you three guys so she could explain the switch and pick who she loves best. She was going to pick you!!!"
"…what?"
"You won her heart, Jackson. But you're making a huge, stupid mistake right now. I don't love you. I will never feel the same way you do. But Lilly does. And you just stood her up."
"…she likes me?"
"YES!" Lola pushed Jackson in the direction of the beach. "Hurry!"
Jackson ran off to the spot Lilly told him to meet her. Only, they were supposed to meet twenty minutes ago…
When Jackson arrived, the whole beach was empty except for Lilly, sitting there staring off into the distance.
Maybe she's waiting for me… Jackson thought hopefully.
"Lilly," he called.
She turned her head and he could see her red, puffy eyes. She was crying.
"Lola told me that you picked me," Jackson said.
But Lilly just stood up and shook her head.
"Wait, you weren't waiting for me?"
I can't let go,
I can't let go.
"No," Lilly said. "You're too late, Jackson. You're too late."
She walked away and Jackson stood there staring at the back of her retreating head, cursing his stupid self.
Now I'm left here chasing echoes.