Chapter Twenty-Two

Nick's POV

"So?" Nick asked Selena expectantly as she joined him in the studio the next day.

"I don't think me talking to Miley was such a great idea."

"Why? What happened?"

"Nothing. She just... got a little mad and I guess you can say truth hurts."

Nick stood up panicked when he noticed Selena had been crying. "Sel, what did she say? What happened?" He asked again.

Selena waved it off. "It doesn't matter. I'm going to see my boyfriend and you should call your girlfriend." With that Selena walked out leaving Nick confused.


"Mi, where are you?" He stalked through the hotel room after the using the extra key that Miley gave him.

She stepped from the bathroom and he stopped in his tracks. He could tell she had been up all night worried. Her hair looked like it had been pulled every way but the way it was supposed to be. Yesterday's mascara was smeared all down her cheek and the tear stains through the make up proved she had been crying.

"I don't know whats going on with you and Selena and I probably don't want to know, I just want to know if you're alright. If we might've said something wrong, I'm sorry."

"God, Nick, no." She said but her tears started up again and she ran back in the bathroom shutting the door and locking it.

Nick raced over to the door and knocked on it calmly. "Miles, come out, please. I just want to talk about it. You dont have to cry. We'll talk this through. Everything will be alright."

"You don't know that! Demi's gonna hate me!" She sniffled through the door as he heard her sobs loud and clear. "I didn't mean what I said. She was just making me so mad." She must be referring to Selena now.

"I'm sure Demi and Selena will understand. I'm sorry, Miles." He said quietly hoping she heard him. "I should've never put you in that position. I should've never sent Selena to talk to you about that."

"No. I should've never said what I said. My mom's right. Oh God, she'd love to hear that. I... should control my temper. It's why I lose so many people."

"Except me. I'm right here. Please come out."

"Baby," he could still hear her sniffles knowing she was about to deny him once again. "I think I just need to be alone right now. I don't want to talk to anybody. Lately, that just leads to trouble."

"Okay. We won't talk. I'll just sit with you and listen to you breathe if that's all you want."

He heard a slight laugh and hoped he was breaking through to her. "That's more creepy than watching me sleep."

"I guess then, that this would be an inappropriate time to tell you I've watched you sleep." He heard another quiet laugh from inside the bathroom and smiled. "Come on, Mi. I just missed you so much. Let me be here with you."

Before he had even finished he heard the door unlock and the knob turn as Miley's peeked her face out. "Okay."


Later after Miley had washed all the makeup and tear stains from her face and Nick and Miley were in a comfortable position on the bed just holding each other and not saying a word, Miley spoke up. "Tell me how to make this right, Nick."

Nick pulled back enough to look down at her. "You ready to tell me what happened?"

"Just a typical day in my horrible life." Miley sighed. "I made Selena feel like she had a part in where Demi is now. She won't pick up the phone when I call. She won't answer my texts. I may be... the worst bitch in the world."

"Don't say that." Nick pulled her closer to him and tighter in his grip. "I hate when you talk about yourself like that."

"It's true. I'm just another bully and I don't even know why you like me."

"I don't like you. I love you and I'm going to fix this for you. I'll talk to Selena. I'll have David talk to Selena. You and Selena are going to work this out before Demi even gets wind of it." Nick said firmly.

"Right." Miley said unconvinced then looked up at Nick. "You're going to talk to David?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Miley buried her face in Nick's chest again, laughing. "David hates you. I think he said something about bothersome ex-boyfriends."

Nick laughed at that too. "Don't worry. I'll fix it." He said determined.


Nick felt like such a stalker as he crept onto the set of Wizards and stood outside Selena's dressing room watching the two people inside. Selena was laying on the couch curled up in a ball while David sat on the edge just comforting her by rubbing her back and whispering to her. He didn't know what David was saying but he hoped it made her feel better. He pulled out his phone and texted the number Miley had given him earlier for David. Meet me outside right now. -Nick.

He watched David take his phone out then look at it curiously. He looked at Selena who didn't seem to notice then he whispered something to her and she nodded silently. He got up and headed towards the door, slipping out and looking around for his mysterious caller.

Nick rounded the side of the dressing room and said, "Hey."

David sighed. "Jonas. I should've known." Then he nodded his head toward where Selena was inside. "Did you have something to do with that?"

"A little bit. I may have involved Selena in my...problems. And she got caught in the crossfire. Everything just got out of hand."

David just stood there with his arms crossed. "What do you want now? Like you haven't already done enough damage. She's been crying for two days straight." David's calm look turned into a glare.

"I just want to fix it and Miley wants to fix it. It's all just a big misunderstanding."


Mileys POV

Miley tapped her fingers against the steering wheel as she sat at the last house she would ever want to be at. EVER. She breathed in another deep breath as she looked up at the door of the house and took another one as she pushed open the door to her car. Great, she thought sarcastically, the paparazzi are here. This will be all over the news by the end of the day, probably in the next ten minutes. The door opened before she even reached it and Joe stepped out and crossed his arms. "Did you come here for a fight? Because I'm not going to fight with you."

"No. I'm...dating your brother."

"I know that. Nick told me." Joe shrugged. "That's all he talks about while he's here. Miley. Miley. Miley."

Miley nodded and took another deep breath. It seemed like that was all she was doing lately because she was gathering up the courage for alot of things. "I'm like this close to you," she held up her thumb and pointer finger together to demonstrate, "You and Nick. Me and Nick. You and...Demi. Me and Demi." She said. "But I can't..." She struggled for words. "I can't talk to you."

"You're talking to me now."

"About Demi. I can't talk to you about Demi." Miley turned her face. Thinking of all the pain Demi was going through with the cutting and hurtful words that people slung at her. "You hurt her."

Joe uncrossed his arms and they fell to his side. "I know."

"She loved you and you went after Ashley." Something that just made Demi feel unwanted and ugly. It's kind of funny how much Miley understood her best friend but she also understood Joe. He was hurting too. "I came to apologize." She said quickly knowing the tears were coming. "To apologize and to say that going to see Demi might be the best thing for her."

Joe just stood there as his mouth slowly dropped open in surprise at her words and actions then shut.

"So...I'm sorry about my behavior."

Joe nodded.

"And I hope that after you visit Demi, everything will be okay enough for us to stand to be around each other." Miley crossed her arms and stood there. "For Nick's sake."

Joe just nodded again.

"Okay. Do you...have anything to say to me?"

"I...thank you, Miley." Joe said, getting his voice back. "I'm going to be honest and say I'm speechless right now. I have no idea what to say but I'm grateful that you're letting me see her. You may not believe this but she means alot to me."

Miley nodded slowly just keeping her gaze on him. "Alright. I'll talk...to you later."

"Are you going to tell her I'm coming?" Joe asked before she left.

"Um...no. I think I'll let it be a surprise." Demi talked about the Jonases all the time. She tried so hard not to keep the conversation centered around Joe and Miley noticed when Demi would stop talking every single time she spoke Joe's name. "I think she wants to see you, she just doesn't know it yet, so I'm... going to keep it quiet just she won't kill me."


Joes POV

"Okay."

Miley started to go one more time but turned back to Joe again. "Is your girlfriend going to be okay with this?"

"Ashley and I-"

Miley interrupted. "You dumped her? Already? Joe? Really?"

"What? I tried! She..." He trailed off when Miley started shaking her head.

"You're a mess, Joe." She said, laughing.

Joe started laughing with her and then, when they stopped, it was another awkward silence.

"Can I ask you something?" Miley said, lifting her gaze to him once again.

He nodded curious as to what she would want to know from him. "I guess."

"What happened with you and Demi? Why did you break up with her?"

Joe was shocked by her question. He had never planned on telling anyone why he broke up with Demi. But who would Miley tell, really? "She and I were best friends. I wanted us to be best friends. I started thinking of the consequences of dating your best friend and I ended it hoping we could go back to being...us. That backfired, obviously."

"You want to be with her, don't you?" Miley asked.

"Yeah, I do, but I can't. It's too late for that."

Miley smiled. "You know, Joe. Sometimes you make people forget why they ever hated you."


Niley marathon 2/3