EDIT: I am so stupid. So yesterday, I typed this whole chapter up and I uploaded it and I editted it and everything. I even changed the story summary like I do for every chapter. But I forgot to update. I FORGOT TO ADD THE CHAPTER. Wow, I feel stupid. :) And just wondering, have this ever happened to you?
So, originally, this story was supposed to be Lilly/Lola centric. But now, it has become Oliver's story. I don't exactly know how this happened, but the remaining chapters of Love Me Not will be mostly Oliver, some Miley & Jake, Hannah & Nick, a few lines from Lola, and poor Lilly is forgotten and pushed away into a corner.
But don't worry. It's still Lilly's story. I think.
The smell of barbequed hot dogs and burgers drew Oliver towards Miley's house. He is always in the mood for a barbeque party! As he opened the unlocked door and walked in, he saw that it really was a party. Everyone was there.
Jake was sitting on the couch watching TV with Miley on his lap, snuggling up to him. Nick sat beside the two on the couch. It appeared that Nick and Jake were engaged in a friendly conversation, but one look at Nick's blank face told Oliver everything. He was Nick's best friend after all. And a best friend knows when his best friend is dying of jealousy and trying so hard to not let it show. Miley didn't notice Nick's tension though. If she did, it didn't affect her at all because she just continued to sit on her boyfriend's lap, laughing along with them.
Lilly sat on the small chair next to the couch with a tissue in her hand. She wasn't crying anymore, she actually seemed very calm, but her eyes were still red and puffy from the tears. Oliver didn't know when Lola came over, but there she was! Sitting on the ground by the chair, Lola was talking Lilly in a soft voice. She was calming Lilly. Lola said something funny then and Lilly let out a weak laugh. And it just about broke Oliver's heart.
Joe hovered in the kitchen. He took time in finding a glass in the cupboards, and then poured himself a glass of iced tea very slowly. Oliver wasn't sure why, but Joe was purposefully making the pouring-drink process longer than it needed to be. He was avoiding Lilly, probably. She had basically told him she didn't want him earlier that afternoon…
Jackson and Kevin sat at the table with a deck of cards between them. From what Oliver could tell, it looked like an intense game of War.
Out back on the patio, Mr. Stewart was cooking up some sausages and patties. Mr. and Mrs. Jonas were there too, talking and laughing with each other.
It was Miley who looked up and finally noticed Oliver.
"There you are!" she cried, jumping off of Jake's lap. "Where did you go?"
"I just walked around the beach a little," Oliver said. Suddenly, Miley pulled him into a hug. "What was that for?"
"For everything. For getting me and Jake back together," she said softly.
He smiled, "Hey, it's what friends are for. And besides... it was kind of my fault."
Miley laughed. The two of them turned around to see Joe slowly walk over with his glass of iced tea at last. When he passed Lilly, he kept his head straight and waved at Oliver, while Lilly decided to take sudden interest in the TV; both of them expertly avoided eye contact. The way they acted around each other just made you want to slam their heads together.
"Everything is just so awkward right now," Oliver said to Miley. "There is so much tension in the air."
"I know," Miley agreed. "I wish everyone would just go back to normal again."
"Me too."
After a wonderful meal of meat, buns, and BBQ sauce, Oliver decided it was time to go on with the next plan. Looking over at Nick, he saw him staring at Miley. Big surprise. Oliver looked in another direction and saw Lilly and Joe both sitting on the couch but as far apart from each other as possible. Of course. Jackson and Lola reached for the remote at the same time. He started to apologize, but Lola just glared at him and snatched the remote. What a shocker.
"This is ridiculous," Oliver muttered to himself. Then he said, "Hey Lola, is Hannah at her house?"
"No, she's at the recording studio. She said she's putting some finishing touches on her new single," Lola explained.
"Cool." Oliver grabbed his cell phone and car keys and started heading out the door. "Bye guys. I'm out of here."
"Wait, why are you going to see Hannah?" Nick asked.
Oliver just shrugged, "Why aren't you?"
Are you really gone?
Are you moving on?
Tell me, tell me,
Where did we go wrong?
Waiting until the 'recording' light turned off, Oliver knocked on the door of the studio. A man opened the door.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"I'm a friend of Hannah's," Oliver explained, heading in.
"I'm sorry," the man stopped him, "but Hannah is very busy right now-"
"Just let Oliver in!" Hannah called out from inside, "I'm almost done, anyways."
The man sighed and let Oliver through. "Alright, you can stay but be quiet. Just…just sit in that chair in the corner and don't make any noise."
Oliver obediently followed his orders. Then the man went back to the sound box, readjusted Hannah's microphone level, and said, "Okay Hannah, let's replay the song from the beginning and record the new ending."
New ending? Subtly, Oliver stuck his hand into his pocket and pushed a button on his cell phone.
Music started up and Hannah's pre-recorded voice was playing over the speakers. Hannah had told them about this song. It was called Fools Like Me, and it was scheduled to be released next week as her new single from her new album. Oliver had to admit, it was pretty good. Well, except for the fact that it was Nick's break up song.
And then he heard it. The music faded away and Hannah brought her lips to the microphone and started singing. It was just a few lines, just 21 short words. But it made all the difference.
The song ended and Oliver smiled. He knew exactly how to fix this.
"Good job, Hannah!" the man said when Hannah exited the recording room behind the glass window.
"Thanks."
Oliver stood up and walked over to his friend, "Yeah, nice job Hannah. I especially like the new ending."
Hannah froze for a second before sighing deeply. She picked up her bag and exited the room. Oliver walked after her as she went down the hall and sat down on a couch in the waiting area. Following her lead, he sat down on the other couch.
"So…" Hannah trailed off, not quite sure why Oliver was here in the first place.
Instead of beating around the bush, Oliver decided to just go right to it. "Why did you break up with Nick?"
Hannah stayed silent a long time.
"Was it because of Miley?" Oliver asked.
"I…" she dropped her head and played with her bracelet. "I…I just couldn't pretend anymore."
"Pretend what?"
"That I loved him. That he loved me. That we were still a happy little couple. I couldn't pretend anymore, Oliver. My heart was breaking."
"No," Oliver shook his head. "That's not true. Okay, maybe the part about you guys not being a perfect couple is true. But you loved him. There was no pretending, you truly loved him. And you still do."
"I don't," Hannah argued back.
"If you don't love him, then what's up with the new ending to Fools Like Me?"
Hannah sighed, "Fine, I admit it, I do love him. So what? Nick doesn't care about me; he only has heart for Miley."
"So that's going to stop you? You're going to just give Nick to Miley?"
"When you love someone, you don't get their way of what their heart wants. When you love someone, you put them before yourself," Hannah lifted her head up and looked Oliver in the eye. "When you truly love someone, you let them go."
Oliver let Hannah's words sink in, then said, "But Nick does love you. You may not see it. He may not see it. But I see it. I know who my best friends love, and Nick definitely loves you."
"He loves Miley."
"Best friends don't always end up together, you know."
"Even if Nick does love me," Hannah said skeptically, "he also loves Miley. And that's not going to change."
"Not if I can help it."
"…What are you planning, Oliver?"
"You'll see," he got up and started walking to the door. "The Jonas Brothers' audition is tomorrow, right?"
Hannah nodded, still confused about what Oliver had in mind.
"You can thank me then!" Turning around, Oliver quickly ran to the parking lot, got in his car, and drove to Nick's house.
"Oliver? What are you doing here?" Nick asked his best friend who had just barged into his room.
"I need to show you something." He pulled out his cell phone and went to the sound recordings.
Nick walked over, "What is it?"
"You know how I went to see Hannah?" Nick nodded. "Well I heard her sing this…" Oliver pressed the middle key and Hannah's voice blasted through the phone speakers:
"Beware the danger it lurks for those who get swept away.
The dreamers get punished most by truth, they say
It's all in a little ways,
One reveals their love's gone away,
Love's gone away."
Nick groaned, "I know! It's the song she wrote to break up with me. I've already heard it, please don't make me hear it again."
"Just listen," Oliver turned his phone up louder.
"When my hand was in your hand, my heart was pure.
Now I see a different man, rewriting memories.
The dogs run down the beach,
And all I'm left with is sand in my shoes,
Sand in my shoes."
"Oliver!" Nick pleaded.
"Quit complaining," Oliver said. "There's a part I need to show you."
"Tic toc the time,
Distant look grows in your eye.
But fools never ask,
Afraid of what lurks in your mind."
Shutting his eyes, Nick turned away put his face in his hands. Was Oliver trying to torture him? Yes, Hannah dumped him. Yes, he has a broken heart. Yes, the song is killing him on the inside. Why does Oliver have to keep playing it?
"Fools like me,
Oh we never see.
Cause the cracks don't count,
It's gotta break in front of me.
And it's breakin',
It's breakin',
It's breakin',
It's gotta break for me to see."
"Okay, it's this part!" Oliver cried.
"At least I can say
I was not afraid."
The new lyrics catching Nick's attention, he slowly turned around and listened intently.
"I love you all the way.
I'd pick the fool any day."
The recording on Oliver's phone stopped, but Nick continued to stare at it. Did he really hear Hannah sing those words? Looking up, he saw Oliver smiling at him.
"I don't get it," Nick whispered.
"What's not to get? Hannah frickin LOVES you!" Oliver screamed into his face.
"Still?"
"Duh."
"But…but…then why did she dump me?"
"Because she believes that you love Miley. You believe you love Miley. But it's really all in your head, Nick." Oliver pointed to his noggin for emphasis. "Your mind thinks you love Miley. And I understand how you feel. I fell for Miley too."
"For like one night," Nick said with a chuckle.
"Whatever," Oliver continued. "My point is Miley is a great girl. Everyone knows that. But Miley is taken. She is madly in love with Jake Ryan. Everyone knows that. Do you?"
Nick shrugged.
"Come on, Nick. It's time you accepted the fact. It's time your brain accepted that, because your heart knew all along. In your heart, you've loved Hannah this whole time."
Normally, Nick would have teased Oliver on his corniness but not tonight. Because this time, strangely enough, Oliver was completely right. Nick realized he did love Hannah. He loved, still loves, and always will love Hannah. The fact that Oliver figured this out before Nick did himself, well, that was a little weird. When did donut boy Oliver become relationship doctor Oliver?
"The audition is tomorrow," Oliver reminded. "So if you want to do something romantically dramatic, you should probably start planning now."
"Right." Nick racked his brain for an idea to get Hannah back.
Oliver smiled; confident Nick will finally come through and started walking out.
"Wait!" Nick called. "You will come to the audition with us, right?"
"Uh, sure. But why?"
"If I end up doing what I'm thinking about doing…and then Hannah rejects me…I'm going to need support," Nick explained, a little embarrassed.
"Wouldn't Miley or Lilly be a little better at this than me?" Oliver scratched his neck awkwardly.
"Miley's ditching the audition to go to a premier with Jake and Lilly is refusing to go because Joe will be there."
"Alright," Oliver nodded and walked out the door, "I'll see you tomorrow then."
"Oh and one more thing!"
Slightly annoyed, Oliver turned around again. "What?"
"Thank you. For showing me the song and yelling some sense into me."
"You're welcome."
"But really, Oliver, when did you get so smart?"
Oliver glared at him before they burst out laughing. After Oliver left, Nick got out his guitar, a pad of paper, and a pen. Rereading the old song already on the page, Nick angrily drew a giant cross over the whole song. He flipped to a fresh page and strummed a few chords. Picturing Hannah's face and going through everything Oliver told him, Nick began to write…
Next chapter is the audition! I promise, this is the last chapter of Friday.
In case you didn't get it, when Oliver pressed a button on his cell phone in the studio, he was recording Hannah's song. Then he went and played it to Nick. And speaking of the song, it is Fools Like Me by Vanessa Carlton. (I only used parts of the song. In the ending, I changed 'loved' to 'love'.)
And does anyone have a special request for the song the Jonas Brothers sing at the audition? Must a cute love song!:)
Okay, I will try to update the next chapter soon, I really will. I have the rest of the story all planned but it takes so many words to write out!