Seven Things

[Anna]

ok, like i said, i love nicholas to death. actually some of it was hard to write, and if there was something nick did that was "bad" or whatever, at some points id just write about the argument after, not what he actually did, because i couldnt think of him saying/doing anything too horrible haha. but anyways 7 things was stuck in my head and i had WAY too much time to kill.
im fully aware that miley hasnt come out and admitted this song was about nick, so maybe theres some of you who dont think it is, but ive convinced myself that it was meant to be about him. just an opinion

I probably shouldn’t say this, but at times I get so scared.
August, 2008. Teen Choice Awards after party.
Miley looked up at her mother.
“I’d really rather not.” She mumbled. It had just been suggested to her that she go congratulate her old friends, the Jonas Brothers on the multiple awards they had won that night.
“Oh come on Miley, you’re being very unreasonable.” Her mother insisted.
“Hey Miles!” She turned and saw a few of her friends waving from across the large room. She smiled and waved back. She turned back around to grab her purse before joining them, but was stopped by a hand clasping around her wrist.
“Go.” Her mother said softly. “Everyone will be expecting you to.” Miley sighed, knowing her mom was right. She slung her purse over her shoulder and turned back to her friends, holding up a finger to indicate she’d be with them in a minute. She then took a breath and put a smile on her face, waving as she crossed the room to where Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas were sitting, talking and laughing with their family and friends. Kevin noticed her and nodded, waving back.
“Hey guys, congrats! Wow, four awards, that’s amazing! You totally deserve it though!” She laughed as she approached them.
“Thanks! Congratulations to you too!” Kevin said with a huge smile on his face. She nodded, mentally comparing their four to her one award.
“Yea, good job.” Joe nodded in agreement, a small smile on his face. She smiled back and glanced at Nick, fully occupied in arranging his food in a design on his plate with his fork. She noticed Kevin subtly nudge him and he looked at her.
“Thank you.” He said gravely. She stared at him.
“You’re welcome.” She replied quietly after a few moments.
“Hey guys, group picture! For Twist!” A photographer suddenly joined them at the table, and the boys stood. Kevin automatically positioned himself next to Miley and put his hand on her shoulder. He peered at the other two boys. Nick was looking at his older brother, Miley was doing the same. Joe shifted his gaze between the two and put himself awkwardly in the middle of them. Miley smiled for the picture, but it disappeared the instant the camera was put down.
“Um, I have to go. You know, congratulate some other people.” She said uncomfortably. “Good job again.” She said, returning Kevin and Joe’s hugs. She realized a good portion of the people surrounding them were staring, so she turned to Nick and put her hand up. He looked at her for a moment and caught on, giving her a less than enthusiastic high five. People were still watching. Kevin noticed and shrugged, grinning.
“’Cause you know, hugs are overrated. Just FYI.” He said, getting a couple chuckles from the onlookers. Miley shot him a grateful grin and took her cue to leave. She joined her friends, joked and danced and took tons of pictures, but although she appeared to be, didn’t have a good time. Occasionally she’d sneak a look at Nick, still with his brothers. There was a time when things weren’t so uneasy between the two, a time when hugs were never ‘overrated’, no matter what the song said. A time when they didn’t give his older brother death stares to get him to separate them in pictures. And she missed those times.

When I think about the previous relationship we shared.
June, 2006. Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags.
“Let’s go!” Nick exclaimed, grabbing Miley’s hand and running towards the huge wave pool. Their feet caused the water to splash as high as their knees, and Miley shrieked, jumping back.
“Oh my god, its freezing!” She laughed. Nick laughed too.
“Oh come on, it isn’t that bad!” He insisted, taking her hand again. “Don’t make me throw you into the deep end!” Miley rolled her eyes.
“You couldn’t even if you tried.” She giggled.
“Oh yea?” Nick bent down and put one arm behind her knees, the other across her back. He straightened up, lifting her off the ground. Miley gasped.
“Ok, ok! You could! Just put me down!” She laughed. Nick smiled and placed her back into the water. Together they waded deeper and deeper, until they were as far as they could go without the waves going over their heads. They laughed and held on to each other as the waves got bigger and bigger, pushing them backwards. After a while the water calmed, and some people began leaving the pool. Given the extra room, Miley smiled and rolled onto her back, squinting her eyes from the sun above her. Nick smirked and grabbed her ankles, pulling her backwards towards him. Panicked at the sudden movement, Miley kicked her legs, trying desperately to stand.
“Whoa, relax, I’ve got you!” Nick said. He hadn’t realized the action would scare her so much. He let go of her ankles and helped her stand. He saw the faintest tint of red on her cheeks as she looked down. He followed her gaze and realized he was holding her closer than he probably should have been with his hands on her waist, just above her bathing suit bottoms. He bit his lip. It was extremely awkward, but he didn’t want to move. Miley looked back up at him and smiled. She stood on her tiptoes and put her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer into a hug. She thought it was completely out of the blue, but she found it necessary to say it.
“Nicholas Jonas, you are amazing.”

[Anna]

It was awesome, but we lost it.
January, 2008. Jonas household.
“Thanks again, Mrs. Jonas.” Miley smiled, stabbing the last few pieces of the mostacolli Mrs. Jonas had made with her fork. The woman smiled.
“Of course honey; and I told you, you can call me Denise.”
“Thanks Denise.” Miley corrected. Denise had called her over that morning. The boys, after joining her on her own tour, were starting their first headlining tour in just a few days. Their mother decided it would be nice to have Miley over for the day to say goodbye before they leave. What she didn’t notice, however, was the slight change taking place right before her eyes. At the kitchen table, Miley sat next to Joe and across from Kevin. She was always a very chatty girl, but most of the conversation during the meal had been between her and the older two boys.
“Kevin, Joseph, would you two help me clean up?” Denise asked.
“Oh, I can help Denise!” Miley said politely, standing up and carrying her plate to the sink. Mrs. Jonas took it from her.
“That’s alright honey, you and Nicholas can go ahead and hang out, I’ll take care of the dishes. Thank you though.” Miley nodded, glancing back at Nick. Joe was gathering up the rest of the plates, and Kevin was getting a rag to wipe off the table with. Nick joined Miley and they walked towards the living room. “Aren’t they cute? I tell you, those two are just inseparable!” Mrs. Jonas smiled to herself, not bothering to lower her voice so they couldn’t hear her. Not quite out of the kitchen yet, Nick groaned.
“Mom!” He whined. She chuckled and waved him away. Miley laughed quietly as they left.
“Don’t worry, my parents are pretty embarrassing too.” She assured him, trying to make light of the situation. The truth was, the comment hadn’t embarrassed her or Nick, it simply wasn’t true anymore. They spent her entire tour together; it was possible that they just…grew tired of each other. They sat down on the couch, a good amount of space between them. Nick turned the TV on and flipped through channels until he found a show they could both enjoy. They spent the rest of her visit watching it in silence.

It’s not possible for me not to care.
March, 2008. Cyrus household.
“Hey Miles, look. There's an article about your boyfriend in this magazine.” Miley turned, looking at the magazine her little brother was holding up on the other side of the couch. She rolled her eyes.
“Nick isn’t my boyfriend.” She said quietly. “And besides, when are they ever not in a magazine these days?” Braison smirked.
“Oh please, you know you still like him.” Miley shook her head, laughing quietly.
“Man, what happened? My little brother isn’t supposed to know about this stuff…I liked it better when all you did was watch Sesame Street.” Braison smiled.
“So you admit I do know what I’m talking about, meaning I was right and you do like him.” Miley ignored the comment and held out her hand.
“Give me that.” She skimmed the article, and then read aloud. “Is Nick depressed? Recently during interviews and photo shoots, Nick Jonas, although usually not smiling with his teeth, seemed extra gloomy. His usual closed-lip grin was replaced with a straight face, accompanied with a death stare. He hasn’t been talking as much in interviews, giving short but sweet answers. Is everything alright? ‘We’re all having a blast.’ Big bro Joe spills. ‘We’re living our dream, what more could we ask for?’ Kevin adds with a grin. We aren’t so sure though. Is it possible that Nick is suffering the blues? Maybe it’s just lack of sleep, we’re thinking more like heartbreak” Miley shook her head.
“Aww, poor wittle Nicky!” Her brother mocked.
“This is stupid. These things are never true anyways.” She said, staring down at the page. She tossed the magazine on a table and left, taking her cell phone out of her pocket as she walked away, leaving her brother making kissing noises behind her. She went into her room and closed the door, scrolling through her contacts until she found Nick’s name. She plopped down on her bed as she began typing.
‘Hey, how is everything? Havent heard from you guys in a while.-Miley’ She sent the text and sighed, staring up at her ceiling. Her reply came minutes later.
‘Fine.’ She decided against replying again. Fine. Even though teen magazines weren’t always reliable, she found herself worried that Nick might actually be upset. But he said he was fine. She forced herself to believe it. Would Nick be as worried if something happened to her? She pushed the thought out of her mind, not happy with the first answer that came to mind.

[Anna]

And now we’re standing in the rain, but nothing’s ever gonna change until you hear, my dear.
May, 2008. Jonas Brothers Tour Bus.
“…it really is a beautiful place; we all love it here and are so grateful we can be here opening for Avril.” Kevin finished, holding the phone closer to his mouth. He held it out in the middle of his brothers so they could all hear the next question in their radio interview.
“Of course, of course. Wonderful. Now, enough about us, let’s talk more about you.” The DJ on the other line said. “Nick, a lot of people have been calling and they all have the same question.” Nick took the phone in his hand.
“What's that?”
“Are you dating Miley Cyrus?” Nick closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at his brothers desperately.
“You know, Miley’s a really sweet girl and we’re lucky to know her and have her as a friend.” Kevin replied.
“But we’re all single.” Joe added.
“Right. Nick agreed.
“Whoa, you heard it ladies, the Jonas Brothers are all single! Boys, expect a lot of frenzied girls at your concert tonight!” The DJ laughed.
“Awesome, can’t wait!” Joe responded.
“Well that’s all the time we have today, thank you so much for calling in!”
“Sure, thanks for having us!”
“Any last message to your fans?”
“London, you guys are amazing, thanks so much for the support, we love you guys!” Kevin smiled.
“And your accents rock!” Joe added with a laugh. Nick let out a half-hearted laugh.
“Yea, we’ll see you tonight.” He finished just before they hung up. Once the interview was over, he sighed. “Are they ever going to stop asking that? Why does everyone just automatically assume Miley’s my girlfriend?” He asked angrily.
“Because she was.” Joe pointed out.
“Yea Nick, if you just come out and say you did date in the past, they’ll probably stop bugging you about it. They just want to hear you admit it.” Kevin smiled sympathetically.
“Yea right.” Nick grumbled. “Then they’ll just ask why we broke up.” His brothers sighed.
“Well you know what? Good. Look man, we’ve got your back no matter what and you know it, but I have to admit this whole thing is getting out of control. You haven’t been the same since the breakup. If you want to get back together, do it. If not, then say it’s over and leave it at that. Just because you’re Nick Jonas and can get any girl you want doesn’t mean you need to treat the rest of them like this, you’ve completely ignored the poor girl for practically the past year. That’s not right; and because of it she’s all they ever ask us about. If you haven’t noticed, we’re a band. We play music. We didn’t get into this just to go around talking about your girlfriends, ex-girlfriends, crushes, or any of that. And frankly, we’re getting sick of it.” Joe said, staring frostily at his brother. He shook his head. “Sorry.” He mumbled before getting up and leaving. Nick looked at his oldest brother, who just shrugged quietly.
“He’s right, Nick. If you don’t work things out, it’ll just stay like this forever.”

The seven things I hate about you; you’re vain, your games.
November, 2007. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade sound check.
“Excellent! That was great, Miley. You’re all through.” Miley sat on the edge of the stage and opened her water bottle, taking a long and refreshing sip.
“Thanks.” She smiled at the stage and sound crew who had helped get everything ready for the big show scheduled to begin in just a few short hours. She grabbed her jacket off the chair it was laying on and quickly put it back on over her outfit. She hopped off the stage and looked around. She was surrounded by a lot of busy workers, putting finishing touches on everything and starting to blow up enormous balloons. Performers were warming up and getting themselves ready, and an audience was starting to form on the edges of the streets. She noticed a couple of little girls watching her with wide eyes. She smiled at them and waved, and they shrieked with joy. Their mother laughed and smiled at her, giving her a small wave.
“Hey guys!” She said cheerfully, walking towards the family. The kids gasped.
“Hi Miley!” They exclaimed together. She crouched to their level.
“Excited for the parade?” She asked. They both nodded, flashing toothy grins.
“It’s going to be so cool, you’re here, everyone from High School Musical is here, and the Jonas Brothers are here!” One girl screeched.
“We got here extra early so we could be right in front.” The other told her. Miley smiled.
“Have you seen the Jonas Brothers yet?” She asked nonchalantly, wanting to talk to them about something. The girls’ eyes lit up.
“Yea! They’re right over there! We took a picture with them!” Miley followed their stares and saw the boys a good hundred yards away, listening intently to the sound technician that was giving them instructions.
“Could we take a picture with you too?” The other girl asked. Miley smiled.
“Of course!” She replied. The three of them turned to face the girls’ mother and Miley stood between them, bending down to match their height. They took a couple of pictures and Miley announced that she had to get going and that she’d look for them in the audience during her performance. She casually made her way over to where the Jonas’ were practicing, done with their song by the time she reached them. They looked up from where they had gathered at the edge of their float.
“Hey.” Joe greeted.
“Excited?” Kevin asked. She laughed.
“And nervous.” She nodded. Nick smiled.
“You’ll do great.” He assured her. She returned the smile and the two of them just stared at each other for a few moments. Kevin cleared his throat.
“Um, hey Joe, look at that float over there.” He said. Joe looked at him and caught on.
“Oh wow, that’s so cool, let’s go see it.” He said monotonously, not putting any effort into the act. “You kids behave yourselves while we’re gone.” He winked as he left. Nick rolled his eyes and Miley laughed.
“Forget him.” Nick chuckled. “So what’s up?” He smiled.
“Oh I don’t know, I was just thinking about tomorrow…” She grinned, playing with a strand of her hair.
“Right, tomorrow!” Nick smiled, nodding. Miley frowned.
“My birthday.” She reminded. Nick looked at her and put a hand over hers.
“I know that.” He breathed. Miley decided to ignore the suspicious behavior and continued.
“So I was thinking we could…” She was interrupted when Nick put his hand up, looking expectantly at a passing worker.
“Excuse me; could you get me something to drink? Preferably Diet Coke.” He said. The man looked down at the equipment he was wheeling over to a different part of the area and sighed.
“Yea sure, I’ll be back in a minute.” He nodded and left. Miley frowned. It was a small request, but it bothered her.
“You could have gotten it yourself.” She murmured. Nick looked at her questioningly.
“It’s his job, Miles. And we just finished performing, it wears you out.” He shrugged.
“He was busy, Nick! This isn’t the Jonas Brothers Day parade; it involves a lot of other people, not just you!” She proclaimed. Nick opened his mouth to speak, but she continued. “This thing starts in a couple of hours, he has much better things to do, other people to help.”
“Your Diet Coke.” The man returned, handing the can to Nick. Nick nodded.
“Thank you.” He turned back to Miley as the man left. “See? It’s not a big deal. He didn’t seem to mind.” Miley rolled her eyes.
“He can’t, he probably figured the big shot rock star would complain and get him fired if he looked at you wrong.” Nick stared at her.
“You’re funny.” He said grimly and popped the can open.

[Anna]

You’re insecure.
December 2008. Los Angeles, California.
“Dude, we’re just going to Pizza Hut.” Miley smirked, lying on her stomach on Nick’s bed, her legs bent at the knees and crossed at the ankles. Nick glanced at her reflection in the mirror he was standing in front of.
“You’re Miley Cyrus. I’m Nick Jonas. Do you realize how many pictures of us today are going to surface the internet by tomorrow morning, maybe even tonight?” He inquired. Miley rolled off the bed and stood, decked out in an old t-shirt and sweats, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.
“So what?” She asked, throwing in an eye roll for effect. “Miley. Jonas. Just because those are our names, it means we shouldn’t have a life? We should just lock ourselves in the privacy of our basements and never see the light of day?” Nick ran a hand through his hair for the umpteenth time. He shrugged.
“No, we can go out.” He contradicted.
“We just have to look like superstars.” Miley clarified.
“Well, we kind of are, so yea.” Miley sighed and walked up behind Nick, putting her hands on his shoulders and peering around him into the mirror.
“You look great, Nick; really.” She said and kissed him on the cheek. He gave a small smile.
“Thanks.” He said softly. She smiled back.
“Can we go now? I’m starving.” Nick nodded and she slipped her hand into his, leading him down the stairs and out the door. “Is it too normal for you to ride your bike there?” She smirked, crossing the lawn to her own house, grabbing the handlebars of the bicycle leaning against the side of the building.
“Kevin would drive us if we asked.” Nick mumbled as he got his bike as well. Miley pretended not to hear him. She rode out of the driveway and into the street, Nick soon beside her. About ten minutes later they arrived at the fast food restaurant and locked their bikes up, heading inside. They ordered their food and found a quiet table in the back. “There are people watching us.” Nick whispered after a while. Miley glanced out the window. Paparazzi and a few fans were staring, snapping pictures of the two. Nick pushed away from the table and stood, glaring at the photographers.
“Where are you going?” Miley asked.
“If I pretend to go out a back exit or something, but go in the bathroom instead, and in a few minutes you do the same, they’ll go out looking for us and we can sneak out the front, grab our bikes, and get out of here.” He said in a hushed tone. Miley furrowed her eyebrows.
“Why? So they take a few pictures of us hanging out eating pizza. God forbid the world finds out we’re actually teenagers!” She interjected. Nick looked at her and shook his head.
“You just don’t get it, do you?” He spat. Miley slammed her napkin onto the table and stood up, stepping closer to Nick.
“I don’t get it? Excuse me, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been dealing with this longer than you have! This all started for me when I was born, you’re just now starting to get noticed, and if it wasn’t for me, you would still be in a little nobody band from Jersey!” She exploded, instantly feeling bad for what she had said. Nick and his brothers had an amazing fan base from the start; she was just extending it, introducing them to a larger crowd. But she didn’t regret her outburst, he needed to hear it. There would be no way he’d get through the fame and still have a sense of normalcy if he kept his ‘I’ll die if the world sees me with pizza sauce on my teeth’ attitude. “I’m finishing my lunch, and then I’m going to go home. And I’m not going to go through any extra trouble to do it. You want to hide in a bathroom for the next half hour? Have fun.” She grumbled and sat back down. Nick stared at her for a moment, then at all the people in the building that if not earlier, were staring at them now. He quietly cleared his throat and lowered himself back into his chair.

You love me, you like her.
December, 2008. Backstage Allstate Arena, Chicago.
Miley quickened her pace into a jog, spotting who she had been looking for.
“Have you seen Nick? I wanted to ask him something about tonight’s show.” Mr. Jonas shook his head.
“No, sorry I haven’t. But if you find him, could you let him know we’re going to be leaving soon?” He asked.
“Yea, sure.” Miley nodded. She wandered around the backstage area for a few more minutes, weaving in and out between various roadies and other employees. Finally she heard a familiar laugh and smiled, putting her hand on the door handle and opening it. Two faces looked up at her, shocked. Nick and one of her new backup dancers, sitting on a couch closer than they should have been.
“Oh, hey Miles.” Nick choked. She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
“Hey.” She replied. The girl stood up and grabbed her purse.
“I better go, you know, get ready to leave.” She said, not looking at Miley as she left. Once she was gone, Nick smiled innocently. Miley crossed the room and sat next to him.
“What's up?” She asked. Nick shook his head.
“Nothing! We were just talking! I saw her backstage, she was all alone. So I figured, you know, quality time with the fans. I don’t know why no one else thought to talk to her. Poor girl.” He rambled.
“That wasn’t a fan, she works for me.” Nick looked shocked. “You’ve been on this tour for months. Don’t even pretend you didn’t know her.” Nick sighed.
“Miley, honestly! We were just talking!” He insisted.
“I wasn’t accusing you of anything more.” She shrugged. Nick looked relieved. “But now that you’re acting all suspicious about it, I just might.”
“Miley! You know I love you!” Nick pleaded, scooting over to close the distance she had created between them and taking her hand. She looked into his eyes, they were begging for her to forgive him.
“I know.” She said quietly, pulling her hand back away from his. She stood and walked to the door. “You better go find your family. We’re leaving soon.” She said, not bothering to turn around and face him. “And by the look on her face, you two weren’t just talking.” She noted before leaving, barely loud enough for him to hear.

[Anna]

You made me laugh, you made me cry. I don’t know which side to buy. Your friends, they're jerks, when you act like them just to know it hurts.
October 2007. Miley World Tour Bus.
The bus bumped along the deserted country road, making for a long and boring ride. Miley sighed as she looked out her window. It was pitch black, and she could barely make out the corn, soybeans, and occasional cow or horse they passed. She had grown up in this setting, but she still didn’t like having nothing better to do than stare at it for hours at a time. Suddenly the vehicle pulled over, stopping on the shoulder of the road. Miley glanced at the driver; he was fully occupied on talking to someone on the bus phone.
“Why’d we stop?” Her younger sister asked sleepily, already changed into her Hello Kitty pajamas. Miley shrugged.
“We decided to leave you here, see ya.” Their brother told the young girl, barely glancing up from his iPod.
“Nuh uh! We’re leaving you here!” She shot back, sticking out her tongue. Miley sighed, holding up a finger before her brother could reply.
“Don’t say it Braison.” She said in a warning tone. He rolled his eyes.
“Who put you in charge?”
“Uh, who’s tour is this?”
“Oh, so just because you get up on stage and sing your little songs means you get to tell us what to do?” He stood, grabbing a nearby hairbrush off a table. He held it to his mouth. “You get the beeest of both worlds!” He mocked, imitating his sister dancing on stage.
“Chillin’ out take it slow, then you rock out the show!” A new voice continued, and Joe jumped in next to Braison, moving the hairbrush microphone between them and dancing just as ridiculously.
“Stop, don’t encourage him!” Miley laughed, throwing a pillow at him. He caught it and grinned, faking a throw back to Miley and instead hurling it at his older brother’s head. Kevin shook his head with a smirk and tossed the pillow back onto the couch. Miley smiled. “Hey guys, what’s up?” She asked, getting up and giving them each a hug. “Hey Denise.” She added, noticing their mother standing behind them. She stepped between Nick and Kevin and hugged her as well.
“Hi Miley.” She replied. “Noah, Braison.” She nodded, smiling at them. “Where’s your mother?”
“Right here, is everything ok?” They all turned to see Miley’s mom coming out of the bunk area, clad in her pajamas and tying her hair up into a ponytail.
“Oh no, everything’s fine.” Denise assured her. “But after tonight’s show, I highly doubt any of the kids are going to get to sleep.” Miley and the Jonas boys smirked, that night’s concert had been one of the best, incredibly energetic and fun. There was no doubt about it, they were all wide awake. “And since they don’t have to be up for anything until tomorrow night, my husband and I thought we could just put them all on one bus so they can hang out, and take the younger ones back to our bus to get some sleep.” Miley looked at her mother, who was smiling.
“Sounds good to me, are you two ok with that?” She asked, glancing towards her other two children. Noah nodded immediately, but the older boy was hesitant.
“Oh, go on Braison, you guys can color and play Scrabble, all your favorites!” Miley teased.
“That’d be much better than sitting here watching you two.” He replied, pointing between Nick and Miley
“You know what, he has a point, and I do love Scrabble…” Joe grinned, winking at his younger brother and his girlfriend.
“True.” Kevin agreed thoughtfully.
“Haha, you can’t come!” Noah said, grinning and showing off her lack of front teeth.
“Haha, you can’t come!” Kevin mocked in a high squeaky voice, grasping her elbows and lifting her high off the ground. He turned around and put her down near the door. “Bye-bye.” He smiled, waving. Noah stuck her tongue out at him. She opened the door, hopping out into the darkness, followed reluctantly by her brother.
“You kids behave!” The adults said simultaneously before following the kids to the other bus. “See you in the morning.”
“Finally!” Miley groaned, dropping onto the couch. “Really guys, don’t you think it’d be easier to just switch me and Frankie than make everyone move?” Nick shrugged.
“You have a nicer bus.” He smiled, sitting on the couch beside her, putting an arm around her shoulders.
“So true.” Joe murmured, opening the mini fridge and rummaging inside of it. He took out four Red Bulls and tossed one to everyone before finding a seat at the kitchen table across from Kevin. They had only been talking for a few minutes before Kevin gasped, looking frantically around.
“What time is it?” His panicky tone seemed to catch on with his brothers, and they both straightened up in their seats.
“We have an interview; we were supposed to call in immediately after the concert.” Nick explained, looking at Miley apologetically as he stood up, leaving her sitting alone. He joined his brothers at the table where Kevin was quickly dialing a number, setting the call to speakerphone and placing the phone in front of them. After a single ring, someone answered.
“There’s the call we’ve been waiting for! Ladies and gentlemen, the time is here, we have The Jonas Brothers live and on the air!”
“Hey, thanks for having us!” The boys said together. Miley got up and crossed the room, barely listening to the conversation. She did notice, however, the DJ ramble off a website, saying that fans could log on and send in questions for the boys. With nothing better to do until they were finished, she found her laptop, sat on the floor with it, and went to the radio station’s home page. Comments from fans were pouring in and she smiled. All these girls proclaiming their love for the three guys sitting literally feet away from her; they had come so far, and she was proud of them. She tuned back in to what they were saying, keeping her eyes on the screen in front of her.
“Oh the fans are just amazing.” Kevin was telling the interviewer. “It’s just unbelievable how much love and support they give us every day.”
“Yea, you know, it just feels so great to go out and have these beautiful people coming up to us and saying they love us, that that appreciate what we do.” Joe added.
“Ooh, sounds like Joe’s got his eye on some cute fans.” The DJ teased. Joe smiled.
“They’re all beautiful, each and every one of them.”
“They are, a lot of the times I feel like my fans are my best friends.” Nick said, beaming at the thought. Miley subconsciously smiled. She was so glad that they were able to experience the love from fans and have the feeling that they were doing something for all the kids in the world. As she listened to the DJ talk to them, she began reading some of the fan messages.
“OMG I love JB!! You guys are so awesome!”
“Can you guys say ‘hi Lisa’ while ur on?”
“Hey JB! Describe each other, but this time, only use colors. Haha im random…”
“Aahh im coming to the BOBW concert in THREE DAYS!!!”
“Nick, are you dating miley cyrus?”
“What are your favorite animals?”
“Eew! No way, hes not dating miley!!”
“why would he go out with her?”
“he is! My friends cousins sister saw him hug her because she was sitting on the side and could see backstage. She said joe was also dancing to Hannah Montana songs! LOL!”
“ur friends cousins sister. Now THERE'S a reliable source”
“I hate miley cyrus”
“me too, shes so ugly and cant sing or act”
“u guys r just jealous cuz shes dating nick XD”
“SHES NOT DATING NICK!”
“yea seriously, he can do way better”
“she talks like shes got something in her mouth or something”
“LOL she does!”
“he probably hates her”
“and is just nice to her for the publicity, happens all the time”
“isn’t she dating that other dude from Hannah Montana?”
“mitchel musso? No I don’t think so” Miley frowned. Lately she had been getting this all the time, Jonas fans hating her, and it all seemed to start when somebody brought up her and Nick dating. There had always been people who didn’t like her, but recently it had been getting out of control. About half of the fan mail she opened was telling her she had no talent and shouldn’t have her own show, and to stay away from Nick Jonas because apparently he was going to marry the particular writer of the letter. She glanced at Nick. She saw this coming when they first started dating, but figured the girls he called some of his best friends would care enough about him to be satisfied with his girlfriend as long as he was happy. Nick saw her watching and smiled. Miley gave a half-hearted smile back. Whatever, she thought, people can say what they want, she knew the truth and Nick knew the truth, and they were both happy. That’s all that should matter, right?
“I don’t know if you’re watching what’s going on online, but your fans are at war here trying to decide if one of you boys has something special with a certain Miss Hannah Montana.” The DJ said suddenly with a chuckle. The boys exchanged glances.
“Our little brother loves the show.” Kevin said. The DJ laughed.
“That’s great, but I think you all know what I’m talking about. Nick?” Nick glimpsed quickly at Miley and took a breath.
“I’ve heard some rumors.” He said, teasingly.
“And? Half the girls here are like ‘OMJ he’s so with Miley!’ and the other half’s like ‘eew no he’s not, he can do way better.’” Nick shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Miley watched him, waiting for him to clarify the rumors and defend her, the way she’d always thought a boyfriend would. Instead he laughed.
“Really? That’s pretty crazy.” He looked at his brothers. “You know, we’re touring together, it’s a lot of fun, and we’re just…enjoying each other’s company.”
“Ooh, am I hearing things right? Listen up ladies, so are you saying that the Jonas Brothers are all single?” Kevin and Joe exchanged glances, and then looked at Nick. He gave a small shrug.
“Um…yea.” Joe said hesitantly. Nick turned and looked at Miley, but she broke the eye contact.
“Wow! Great, so…” The DJ continued the interview, ignoring the confusion in Joe’s answer. Nick cleared his throat, trying to get Miley’s attention from across the room.
“What?” He mouthed when she looked up at him again. She rolled her eyes, pulling her knees to her chest and hugging her legs, resting her chin on her knees. Nick suppressed a sigh and whispered something to Joe, who glanced at Miley and nodded. Nick quietly stood up and left the table, crouching in front of Miley. She turned her head. “Miles?” He whispered, gently unclasping her hands from around her legs and squeezing them. “What's wrong?” Miley looked at him, into his soft, concerned eyes. He smiled at her; such a sweet and innocent smile.
“You’re just…acting exactly like some of your friends.” She shook her head and Nick furrowed his eyebrows.
“Oh...ok.” He said, confused, not making the connection to his ‘friends’ and ‘fans’. Even if he did, Miley thought, he thought so highly of the fans that he wouldn’t get it anyway. “I’m…sorry?” Joe coughed, looking urgently at his brother. When Nick looked, Joe waved him over. It was his cue; he had been asked a question. He looked at Miley.
“Go.” She said, forcing a smile. “Go finish your interview. I think I’m going to go to bed. I’m really tired now, tell them I said goodnight.” She said. Nick smiled and nodded, giving her a quick hug before sprinting back to the kitchenette. Miley watched him.
“I’m sorry, could you repeat the question?” He asked into the phone. He looked at her and waved, mouthing “’night.” Miley stood and waved back.
“Goodnight.” She whispered, wiping her eye, what Nick thought was from tiredness, but in reality was to stop a tear from escaping.

I wanna be with the one I know.
December, 2007. Best of Both Worlds sound check.
“Nick, man, you’re doing great, but that was your cue.” Nick looked at Kenny, the tour director, almost in shock.
“Oh. Right. Sorry. We’ve got the party with us.” He said, playing his part with no enthusiasm. Kenny looked at the kids on stage with concern in his eyes, but continued.
“And Miley, sweetie, move over a bit.” Miley glanced to her left and automatically stepped to her right. “Um, other way please. You’re singing that line with Nick, remember.” Miley didn’t move. “Guys, please. We’re running through this song before the show even if it means delaying it all night.” Kenny shook his head and grabbed a water bottle. “Alright, you know what? Take five, we’ll take it from the top when you get back.” He decided, waving them away. Nick immediately lifted his guitar strap off of his shoulder and leaned the instrument against an amp, quickly grabbing his bottle of Diet Coke and heading backstage. Miley ignored him, instead taking her Hannah Montana wig off and jumping off the stage, going the opposite way Nick had into the seats. Joe and Kevin exchanged glances, watching as Nick disappeared behind the curtains and Miley isolated herself to the middle of the fifth row of seats with her iPod. The boys sighed.
“I’ll take Nick, you get Miley.” Joe said with an eye roll before replacing his microphone securely onto its stand and following his brother backstage.
“Hey Miley.” Kevin smiled, approaching her and taking a seat beside her. She looked up at him and reluctantly put the song she had been listening to on pause, returning his smile.
“Hey Kev.”
“What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Miley shrugged. Kevin raised an eyebrow.
“You know what I’m asking.”
“It’s just…a little disagreement.” Miley shrugged again. Kevin’s eyes softened.
“You two have been having a lot of ‘little disagreements’ lately, haven’t you?” He asked quietly. Miley gave a small shrug. “Everything ok? I mean, you used to be so close. Joe and I’d show up and you guys would barely notice we were there, and the smiles never left your faces.” Miley felt the corners of her mouth pulling into a small smile, but she stopped herself. She shook her head.
“Kevin, if I talk to you about this, it’s just between you and me, right?” She asked, looking up at Kevin. He smiled.
“Of course, always.” He nodded.
“He’s changed, Kevin. He’s not the same anymore.”
“How so?”
“He used to be so…I don’t know, amazing.” Miley shook her head slowly. “He still is, of course, but…I don’t know. It’s different. He’s so serious now, too concerned with things that shouldn’t matter so much to a 15 year old boy. He never wants to just hang out and have fun.”
“You guys still hang out.”
“Well yea, but it isn’t the same. I don’t know how to explain it. He just grew up too fast.” Miley said quietly.
“He’s just in an awkward position.”
“Why? Because he doesn’t want the press or the fans to know we’re together? What, is he ashamed to be seen with me?”
“That isn’t true! You understand how it is, he just wants this specific part of his life to be left private.”
“That’s part of the job, Kevin. The paparazzi, the rumors, I don’t like it any more than he does, but he signed up for it when he decided to get into the industry. He had to know that ahead of time.”
“I don’t know, Miley. Maybe he didn’t realize how hard it would be?”
“I don’t know either. But there’s something I do know.” She blinked back tears and looked down at her lap, her voice becoming so small it was barely a whisper. “He used to be fun. He used to like me.”
“He still likes you Miley, trust me, he’s just…” She shook her head, cutting him off.
“You don’t need to make excuses. You can’t deny that he’s different than he used to be, even just a little. He grew up, and he isn’t the Nick I fell in love with. This Nick is just as amazing, if not more so. And it’s been nearly two years, I’ve probably changed too. I’m probably not the Miley he fell in love with, but I can take a hint. Whatever is different about her, he isn’t too thrilled with this Miley.” Kevin stared at her, speechless. She got up and walked away before he could disagree with her.

[Anna]

And the seventh thing I hate the most about you, you make me love you.
February, 2008. Hannah Montana set; Miley’s dressing room.
Miley laughed at the joke her costar had just told.
“You’re such a dork!” She giggled, pouring a candy heart into her hand and throwing it at him.
“Hey, I’ll eat those if you don’t want them!” Their other costar, Emily, complained, reaching out to take the box out of Miley’s hand.
“Here, you can have mine, these things are nasty.” Mitchel grimaced, pushing his own small box of the candies toward her.
“I know, right? They're probably from last Valentine’s Day.” Moises, another actor from the show, smirked.
“I swear, we’ve gotta stop taking food from Jason. He’s gonna poison us one day.” Miley rolled her eyes. At the sound of his voice, Jason turned from where he was sitting at another table.
“Yea, you better watch out!” He called, rolling his eyes before returning his attention back to his own conversation. Miley glanced behind their table at the clock on the wall.
“I’m done eating; we still have half an hour left, so I’ll be in my room if you need anything.” She said, her tone becoming more quiet and calm than usual. Her friends exchanged glances.
“Doing what?” Mitchel asked. Miley looked at him for a moment.
“Schoolwork.” She said finally, figuring her answer would keep her friends from disturbing her. She threw away the remains of her lunch and sprinted into the studio, opening the door that led to her dressing room. She grabbed her laptop and plopped down onto the couch, getting online and noticing instantly that Nick was also on. She stared at his name for a few minutes, deciding whether or not to say something to him. Things had been tense between them lately, it might be best if she just left him alone. She sighed, remembering the day exactly one year earlier, it hadn’t seemed so long ago. She swiftly looked through her folder of saved e-mails, smiling when she saw the one sent on February 14, 2007, from Nick. She quickly opened it, knowing exactly what she’d find. There was a video, and the instant she pressed play she was greeted by a young, curly haired boy with a huge smile on his face.
“Happy Valentine’s Day Miley!” He exclaimed, his voice cracking. Miley chuckled. “Sorry I can’t see you today, that’s what you get for being so incredibly awesome that you have a big concert on a holiday though. Good luck tonight, I know you’ll do super good! I’ll see you soon; I can’t wait until we get back to California!” There was a holler in the background, and Nick spun around, his eyes wide. Miley hit pause and clicked back to her buddy list. She clicked on Nick’s name and took a breath. They might not have been on great terms, but he wasn’t a rude person. If she said something to him he wouldn’t ignore her.
Hey, happy <3 day! She stared at a blank screen for a moment, but the response came.
You too.
No video this year, huh? She hesitated before hitting send, knowing it wasn’t the smartest thing to ask. She needed to know how he’d reply though. He didn’t, and Miley got nervous, beginning to type up an excuse, like she meant to send that message to someone else, not him. But the words appeared at the bottom of the screen, Nick is typing.
Oh..um, sorry I didn’t think of it. Miley sighed.
lol its fine, I was kidding. I didn’t expect one... She replied, although she wished she could travel back in time to a year before.
Oh, ok. There was an awkward silence, and Miley knew he didn’t want to talk to her. She needed him to though, it had been too long since they’ve had any sort of conversation and she could barely stand it anymore.
So..hows the tour?
Great.
Where are you guys now?
Um…Michigan? Maybe? idk, im not driving.
Haha Id hope not.
Yea…well I gotta go, bye
Bye. Have a good holiday.
Yea, you too. Enjoy it =]
Miley watched as his name disappeared from her buddy list. She went back to the old video, pressing play and bringing the image of the boy she used to know back to life. His back was still to the video, the voice behind him shouting something about unloading dishes from the dishwasher. He yelled something back and turned back to the camera. “I gotta go, I’ll talk to you later, ok? Happy Valentine’s Day, I miss you.” He stuck his tongue out and crossed his eyes, making a ridiculously silly face at the camera and laughing. He flashed the smile that many girls across the world would die for, his big brown eyes glistening. His hand reached up to the camera and the image froze, stopping on Nick’s innocent looking face, looking up at the camera, biting his lip in concentration and his arm covering half the screen as he pressed the ‘off’ button. There was a knock on her door.
“Table reading at the main set Miley, starting with scene 10. 3 minutes.” A voice called, drifting through the closed door.
“Ok!” She called back, rummaging through papers on her desk until she found her script. She quickly glanced in the mirror, ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times, and slipped a hoodie on over her shirt. She looked at the computer, smiling softly at the stopped video on the screen. She laughed to herself at the expression on Nick’s face and closed the window, knowing that she wasn’t a part of the friend in the video’s life anymore, even though he would always be a part of hers.

It’s awkward and it’s silent as I wait for you to say what I need to hear now, your sincere apology. When you mean it I’ll believe it; if you text it I’ll delete it, let’s be clear. I’m not coming back; you’re taking seven steps here.
April, 2008. Tigerbeat and Bop Headquarters.
“I’ll wait here, have fun!” Miley nodded and watched as her mother went into a different room, leaving her alone in the long empty hallway. She continued her way down the corridor until she found the door she was looking for and pushed it open. She was greeted with smiling faces.
“Miley! Welcome back, what’s up?” A blonde woman sitting at a desk near the door stood up, opening her arms with a grin. Miley smiled.
“Hey Leesa!” She exclaimed, returning the magazine editor’s hug. She heard music coming from another room. She didn’t recognize the song, but she recognized the voices. “Is that a new Jonas Brothers song? I haven’t heard it.” She said as casually as she could. Leesa glanced back at the next room and shook her head.
“It’s from their new movie, Camp Rock. We’ve got the cast back there for a photo shoot, we’re a little behind schedule, we’ll get you in as soon as we can.” She explained. Miley nodded slowly.
“So Nick, Joe, and Kevin are here today.” She clarified. Leesa nodded.
“Yup, is that a problem?” Miley quickly put the smile back on her face and shook her head.
“Of course not.” She said, knowing that if she said or acted like it was a problem, there’d be an entire article on it in next month’s issue. “I was just wondering. It’s been a while since we scheduled the same day for a photo shoot.” She shrugged, taking a seat on a nearby chair. She picked a magazine off the table and flipped through it, until she heard laughter and the creak of a door opening. She looked up, and several surprised faces stared back at her.
“Hey Miley! What are you doing here?” It was Anna Maria, one of her costars on Hannah Montana.
“Photo shoot and interview, same as you.” Miley replied with a polite smile. Anna Maria nodded.
“Cool, see you on set in a few weeks?”
“I’ll be there.” Miley nodded as the girl took her cell phone out and put it to her ear, waving to Leesa as she walked out the door with a couple of other girls Miley recognized from various shows.
“Bye Miley!” The remaining two girls chirped in unison.
“Bye Alyson, bye Demi.” She replied, watching them leave as well. The only people left in the small room were her, the Jonas’, and Leesa, who was conveniently on the phone.
“Just a moment boys, you can have a seat, I’ll be with you in a sec for the interview. Miley the photographer will come get you when he’s ready.” She whispered, putting her hand over the phone as she spoke to them. The guys turned to Miley and the three empty seats surrounding her, and Joe obediently sat beside her, Kevin across from her, leaving Nick to the seat farthest away, on the other side of Joe. He shot her a look as he walked to the chair and she glared right back. Joe and Kevin struggled to start a conversation to break the awkward silence. Finally a door flung open and a man with a camera around his neck emerged, a huge smile on his face.
“Miley! Wonderful to see you! We’re ready for you now, is there anything particular music you wanted to listen to?” He asked. Miley got up, straightened out her outfit, grabbed her purse, and looked at Nick, subtly but enough so that he knew what she said next was directed at him.
“You know, I’m really in the mood to listen to ‘Apologize’ by One Republic and Timbaland. Do you like the song ‘Apologize’ Nick?” she asked innocently. Nick raised an eyebrow, silent for a moment as he mentally ran through a list of songs he had recently heard.
“You know, it’s a good song, but I really like this one by Bianca Ryan more. It’s called ‘That’s Not Me’.” He uttered. His brothers exchanged glances. Miley knitted her eyebrows.
“I take that back. I really feel like listening to ‘I Don’t Need a Man’. Pussy Cat Dolls.” Nick smirked.
“Thanks for the Memories. Fall Out Boy. You know that song, don’t you?” He mused, clearing his throat before beginning to sing. “The one that goes, ‘thanks for the memories, even though they weren’t so great’?” Joe nudged his brother, and Nick just smiled. The photographer coughed.
“Right, we’ll just play Taylor Swift then.” He decided, turning away from the kids and motioning for Miley to follow. She listened as she walked away, Joe and Kevin were whispering fiercely to their younger brother. She made out the words ‘uncalled for’, ‘rude’, and ‘apologize’ but nothing else. She rolled her eyes and followed various workers to the wardrobe room. As she watched a stylist show her the different outfits she could choose from for the shoot, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and saw she had just gotten a text. It was from Nick.
“Sorry Miley =/” She was about to type a response when she received yet another text. From Nick.
“(although I’m really not the one who needs to apologize)” Miley shook her head, clenching her jaw. She deleted both texts, knowing that his brothers made him send the first one, and the second one ruined any acceptance she was willing to give him. After considering the different things she could say back, she typed her response and hit send.
“w/e. when you mean what you say, I’ll apologize too. until then, I was kinda enjoying our little song game. I think you know these two—‘goodnight and goodbye’, ‘move on’.”

[Anna]

And compared to all the great things that would take too long to write, I probably should mention the seven that I like.
June, 2006. Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags. Part 2.
Given the extra room, Miley smiled and rolled onto her back, squinting her eyes from the sun above her. Nick smirked and grabbed her ankles, pulling her backwards towards him. Panicked at the sudden movement, Miley kicked her legs, trying desperately to stand.
“Whoa, relax, I’ve got you!” Nick said. He hadn’t realized the action would scare her so much. He let go of her ankles and helped her stand. He saw the faintest tint of red on her cheeks as she looked down. He followed her gaze and realized he was holding her closer than he probably should have been with his hands on her waist, just above her bathing suit bottoms. He bit his lip. It was extremely awkward, but he didn’t want to move. Miley looked back up at him and smiled. She stood on her tiptoes and put her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer into a hug. She thought it was completely out of the blue, but she found it necessary to say it.
“Nicholas Jonas, you are amazing.” Nick looked down at her and returned the hug, resting his head on top of hers.
“So are you.” He replied softly. They pulled away, just enough to be able to see each other’s faces, and both smiled. They stood there in silence, in the middle of the nearly empty wave pool. Miley looked up at him, at the familiar bright eyes and messy hair, the crooked smile and few freckles. The two of them had so many memories together already, all fun and all great. When they were together, there was never a dull moment. They always had something to talk about, always came up with something to do. They knew what television shows and music each other liked, and they knew everything that went on in each other’s families. When one of them had a problem, the other was there to comfort them, to provide a laugh and a supportive hug. Nick was Miley’s protector; he looked out for her and helped her through any obstacles life threw at her. And Miley was just the confidence boost Nick needed to break out of his shell. She highlighted his best features, and never brought him down about his worst or when he made a mistake. She helped him realize who he was, and that he shouldn’t hide that, that it was ok to go a little crazy and not care what people think about you. And when you put the two together, they were inseparable. Joined at the hip. Two peas in a pod. Whatever you wanted to call it. They had spent many days hanging out, many nights watching movies and talking until their parents forced them to return home. When other people were around them, they barely noticed. They seemed to have their own language, they finished each other’s thoughts and had so many inside jokes that bystanders could listen in on a conversation and have no idea what they were talking about.
“I love you.” Nick whispered, breaking the quiet that had surrounded them. Miley smiled.
“I love you too.” She replied. They embraced in another hug, not pulling apart even when the waves started up again, nearly knocking them off their feet. “I wish we could just stay like this forever.” Miley murmured, closing her eyes.
“We can; we will.” Nick promised softly, speaking into her long, wet hair. “We’ll be together forever.”

The seven things I like about you; your hair, your eyes, your old Levis.
September, 2006. Backstage Hannah Montana concert.
A group of people huddled around Miley, sympathetically patting her back and trying to comfort her.
“I just can’t do this anymore!” She cried, frustrated.
“Yes you can, Miley! Just relax, it’ll be fine.” Her older sister said soothingly, pulling Miley’s hair away from her face, which only fell back over her eyes because of the way she was sitting, leaning forward, elbows propped on her knees, her hands covering her face. Brandi sighed and looked up from where she was kneeling in front of her sister, waving the other surrounding people-her mom and younger siblings, a few crew members, and other bystanders who had decided to join the group-away. “I’ve got this.” She mouthed when her mother hung back. When everyone had left, Brandi grabbed her sister’s wrists and forced her hands away from her face. “Miley, talk to me. What's going on?” She asked quietly. Miley shook her head.
“I don’t know!” She exclaimed, bursting into another bout of tears. “It’s just too much! I can’t handle it anymore, the fame, the craziness, the work!”
“Hey, don’t stress, you’re doing great! You just need a little break.” Brandi smiled, standing up and pulling Miley’s hair back and tying it up, getting ready to put her wig back on. “Come with me.” She said when she was done, taking her sister’s hand and leading her into a dressing room. She stood her in front of the mirror. “Look what you’re doing to yourself, Miles.” She said quietly. Miley’s eyes were red from crying, and she had tear stains on her cheeks. Her makeup was running. She looked exhausted and sickly. “You can’t just give up on yourself, you can get through this; I know you can. Miley, this is your dream. This is what you’ve always wanted. You knew it would be hard at times, and you knew it’d get stressful. But you have the willpower to stay strong and pull this off. Think of all those kids out there right now, waiting for you to come on and make their night. Are you just going to let them all down?” Miley slowly shook her head.
“You’re right.” She mumbled. Brandi smiled and hugged her.
“Always am. Now come on, you don’t have much time.” Worry overcame Miley’s face again, and her sister corrected herself. “Don’t panic, I’m sorry, you have plenty of time. If you get going right now.” She dragged her sister out of the room and to a bathroom, making her wash her face with cold water and redo her makeup the best she could, there wasn’t time for the professionals to do it again. She handed her the Hannah wig, and Miley was ready to go with a minute to spare. They rushed to the stage entrance. Miley hopped up and down out of anxiety as she listened to the screams coming from just on the other side of the curtain. She watched a stage manager listen to something on his earpiece and mark it down on his clipboard. He smiled at her.
“Ready when you are, Hannah.” He said. She nodded.
“Go rock their worlds!” Her sister smiled, hugging her tightly. “And look in the audience, there’s someone here I think you’ll be happy to see.” She added before the stage manager held the curtain back, allowing Miley to run out onto the stage when the music started. She got to her microphone right on time, beginning to sing the instant she reached it. She scanned the audience, occasionally waving to various fans. Her eyes lit up when she looked to the back of the crowd, and her smile grew. Leaning against the back wall, clad in ratty jeans, his favorite green Converse, and his famous Team Hilario shirt, with his warm eyes glowing and his bushy hair shining in the light, making all her earlier distress and nervousness melt away with just one look, was just who she needed to see at the moment. None other than Nicholas Jerry Jonas.

[Anna]

When we kiss I’m hypnotized. You made me laugh, you made me cry, but I guess that’s both I’ll have to buy.
November, 2007. Cyrus household.
Miley’s breath got heavier and she knit her eyebrows, standing up immediately.
“Excuse me?” She yelled, getting angrier by the second. Nick raised an eyebrow, remaining calm.
“You heard me.” He said, shrugging it off instead of taking back the insult. “And you know it’s true.” He added, hardening his stare. Miley’s jaw tightened as she glared back.
“I can’t believe you.” She hissed, shaking her head slowly. Nick stood, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
“Well Miley, believe it. Because I meant it! And I’m sick of it!” He said, his voice raising into a yell.
“Then you can leave!” Miley shouted back. Nick shrugged, turning to her bedroom door. “You aren’t coming back, Nicholas.” She said quietly, but harshly, folding her arms across her chest as he put his hand on the doorknob. He turned and raised an eyebrow at her.
“Is that a threat?” He mused. “Or a promise?”
“Oh, that’s original.” Miley rolled her eyes to hide the hurt expression that would have come out on her face otherwise. Nick looked at her for a moment.
“It is, isn’t it?” He said before leaving, closing the door behind him. Miley stared at the closed door for a minute before deciding he really wasn’t coming back. She threw herself onto her bed and cried.
That night, as she got ready for bed, Miley heard something hit her window. Cautiously, she pulled the curtains back, jumping when something hit the glass again. She looked to the house next door, only to see Nick sitting in his bedroom, leaning out the window, watching her. Their rooms were on opposite sides of their houses, meaning they were directly next to each other. Miley hid the fact that she was happy to see him, remembering she was supposed to be angry with him.
“Are you throwing rocks? Don’t you think that might break the glass?” She grumbled after lifting the window open. Nick shook his head, holding up something small and neon green.
“Not rocks. Pencil top erasers.” He replied, keeping his voice in a hushed tone. Miley folded her arms.
“What do you want?” She demanded. Nick looked at her and bit his lip, holding up a finger and leaving the window. He came back with a guitar. He perched himself on the indoor windowsill and began playing, looking nervous.
“Wednesday I came home from school,
Did my homework in my room.
Then I watched some TV,
I still miss you.
Thursday mornin’ went online,
Got to school at half past nine,
Wound up in detention,
I still miss you.
Everything I do
Brings me back to you.
And I die,
One day at a time.
‘Cause I just can’t seem to get you off my mind.
No matter how I try,
Try to kill the time,
Well I think that I’m just going crazy
One day at a time.” He stopped, looking up anxiously to see Miley’s reaction. She was smiling, her eyes watering and laughing at the same time. Nick grinned. “Can I…” He was interrupted by his little brother, showing up behind him, his eyes droopy and his hair a mess.
“What are you doing?” He asked sleepily. Nick looked down at him.
“Go back to bed Frankie.” He said, holding a finger in front of his lips. “And don’t tell mom.” He added, putting his guitar down and pulling himself all the way into the window, ducking out and crouching on the sill, hanging on to the wall inside for support. Frankie’s eyes widened, but Miley shook her head and put her hands together beside her head, closing her eyes and signaling him to go back to bed. He reluctantly obeyed, and Nick carefully moved himself onto a tree branch just outside the window. There was a huge tree between the two houses, and a couple of its limbs connected Miley and Nick’s bedrooms almost perfectly. The two of them had used it to get to each other’s houses dozens of times. Soon Nick was at Miley’s window, and she stepped back to let him in. She sprinted to her door and locked it, quietly placing a few pillows along the crack at the bottom to block the light. Anyone on the other side of the door would have thought that she was already fast asleep. Nick sat himself on one end of her bed so that the floor wouldn’t creak under his weight, and Miley did the same, sitting opposite of him.
“Miley, I’m really sorry.” He whispered, his eyes sincere.
“Me too.” She replied automatically. “It was a stupid fight.”
“I know, I’m sorry I started it.”
“It was my fault too, let’s just forget it happened, ok?”
“Ok.” Nick smiled, leaning forward to hug her. After a minute he pulled away, looked at her for a moment, and then gently kissed her. “I love you.” He whispered.
“I love you too.” Miley whispered back, smiling. Nick smiled and carefully reached forward, taking a stray strand of her hair and tucking it behind her ear.
“I have to go.” He said quietly, reluctance in his voice. “I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight.” He gave her another quick hug and tiptoed over to the window, carefully climbing out and back to his house. Miley got up and went to her window, silently closing it. She looked across to Nick and smiled, waving to him. He smiled back, returning the wave.

Your hand in mine, when we’re intertwined, everything’s alright.
October 2007. Hannah Montana set.
“I don’t get it; they promised they’d be here!” Miley exclaimed, her expression changing to shock when she turned away from her dad.
“And we always keep our promises!” Joe grinned.
“Duck and cover daddy, it’s the return of the Jonai!” Joe and his brothers began fiercely shooting marshmallows at Miley and her father.
“And cut! That was great people; that’s a wrap!” The director yelled. The marshmallow war ceased and the boys laughed. Kevin plucked a marshmallow off of Joe’s shoulder and popped it in his mouth.
“We should really get some of these.” He laughed, holding his marshmallow gun up.
“Give one to Frankie and mom goes insane, that’s just what we need right now.” Joe smirked. Nick smiled.
“They are pretty fun, aren’t they Miles?” He asked. Miley didn’t pay attention, she was occupied with fishing her cell phone out of her pocket-she wasn’t supposed to have it on her during filming-and pressing buttons like mad, her eyes scanning the screen at the speed of light. Suddenly her jaw dropped, ever so slightly, and she caught her breath. She swallowed, turning away from the set and running, wiping her eyes as she left. The boys exchanged glances.
“I guess she didn’t really like the marshmallow thing.” Joe said. Kevin rolled his eyes.
“Dude, what’s wrong with her?” He asked, looking to Nick. He shook his head.
“I don’t know, where’s Billy Ray?”
“I don’t know, talking to the director or something?”
“Well tell him what happened when he gets back, would you?” Nick asked before running after Miley. He heard the crying before he got to her dressing room, and cautiously opened the door. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He asked softly, crossing the room and sitting on the couch next to her. She was curled up in a ball, her hear buried in a pillow, the only sound being her muffled sobs. He gently rubbed her back. “Miley? What’s wrong?” He asked again. She thrust her cell phone at him, and he looked. One missed call from a name he didn’t recognize. “Come here.” He said, taking her arm and tugging it a little until she sat up. He opened his arms and she moved closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her. He waited patiently until her crying subsided enough for her to explain.
“My neighbor, back in Tennessee. He…he has leukemia.” She sniffed. “He had leukemia.” She repeated, changing the tense to the past. “It was getting really bad. We were expecting the call to come, and during that last scene…” She broke down, tears flowing out of her eyes and dampening Nick’s shirt. “His dad called. He…” Her voice faltered, but she didn’t need to finish for Nick to understand.
“Shh, I know.” He whispered, pulling her closer and bowing his head, his lips touching the top of her head. He closed his eyes. “I know.” He whispered into her hair and kissed the top of her head. They sat just like that, not moving and not speaking. Just sitting, Nick holding her securely in his arms, and Miley crying into his chest. After five minutes or so, the door slowly opened and Billy Ray stuck his head into the room, cell phone in his hand and pain in his eyes. Miley didn’t notice, and Nick made eye contact with him. Billy Ray nodded slowly and quietly closed the door, leaving the two alone. After a few more minutes, Nick felt her tears calm a bit and he shifted slightly, still keeping his arms tightly around her.
“Tell me about him.” He persuaded. Miley lifted her eyes to look at him, and he nodded. She was silent for a few moments, but obeyed.
“His name was Hank. He was a year younger than me, just turned 14.” She began. “He lived next-door to me, ever since we were little. We used to play together all the time, with his little sister too. We made up all kinds of games when we were younger, we’d pretend out bicycles were cars. One of us would be the police, and would sit on the side of the road and make sure the other two were driving safely on their way to work or school or wherever. And there was another game, I had made it up one day, we called it ‘Steps for Survival’. We’d have to get through the entire first floor of my house, outside and to his house, through the first floor of his house, through the backyards, and back to my door. But you could only step on carpets inside, not the actual floor, and outside you couldn’t touch the ground, if there was a leaf of the grass you could step on it, or a stone or something. If you touched the floor or ground, you lost a life, and you only had 15 lives for the entire course.” Miley was smiling at the memories, which was exactly what Nick had been going for.
“Sounds fun.” He prompted.
“Yea, it was. Then when we got older he started with sports, he loved sports. He was a freshman in high school this year; he was on the football team.”
“As a freshman? Impressive.” Miley nodded.
“Yea, he was great. And he loved it. In grammar school he played basketball, I remember he used to call me up after a game, so excited that they won. He’d been doing the same thing this year with football, until…until it got really bad again.” Her voice got quieter.
“It was for the best, you have to understand that. God has a plan for everyone. Hank’s plan was to go up and live with him a little earlier than other people, and it must have been for a reason. Maybe…maybe he’s going to organize the first sports team up in heaven.” Nick suggested. Miley smiled. “Aw, there’s her beautiful smile!” Nick said softly. “You’re going to get through this, Miley. I’m going to help you and make sure that you do. You’ll always have those memories you told me about, and I know you have more than what you told me. You’ll remember your friend forever, and he’ll always be in your heart. And he’s happier now, he isn’t suffering.” Miley wiped her eyes and sat up straighter, removing herself from Nick’s still tight hold. She leaned up against him, resting her head on his shoulder and slipping her hand into his.
“Thank you.” She whispered, gulping back the last of her cries and blinking away her tears. “Thank you”

*authors note* ^that part was my favorite. just pointing it out

[Anna]

im not sure if the lyrics at the end are real, thats just what i found on the internet. i guess we wont know for sure until next month, unless they release the song early.

I wanna be with the one that I know. And the seventh thing I like the most that you do, you make me love you.
August, 2008. Hannah Montana Feature Film set. Miley’s dressing room.
Miley heard a knock on her door.
“Come in!” She called. The door opened and Mitchel walked into the room, taking a quick glance around.
“What's up?” Miley asked, twisting the cap off a water bottle and taking a sip. It was refreshing on the hot, summer Tennessee day. Mitchel walked over to her desk, where a small radio was sitting, and began fumbling with the dial.
“There's something you need to listen to.” He said. Miley stood and approached him, confused.
“Like what?” She asked. Mitchel found the station he was looking for and straightened up.
“Honestly,” he said, looking at her, “I don’t know. A friend really wants you to be listening though. Just keep it on, ok?” He smiled, clapping her on the shoulder. Miley raised an eyebrow. “Just do it.” Mitchel insisted and left. Miley rolled her eyes as she shut the door behind him and sat back down, listening to the end of the song on the radio. Suddenly a familiar voice came on the radio.
“The next song we’re gonna play is one of our own.” It was Joe Jonas. They must have been taking over the radio station for the hour or something.
“It’s off of our new album, which comes out tomorrow.” Kevin continued.
“I wrote this song, and it was inspired by someone very special to me. And I really hope she’s listening to this right now.” He paused. Miley waited, not expecting anything more. She found herself almost feeling sorry for the girl, she knew how it went. If it was his girlfriend he was talking about, which she assumed it was, he’d be so worried about rumors and people knowing about her that he’d deny they were dating, and he’d never flat out say who she was, basically torturing not only the thousands of curious fans but the poor girl. She couldn’t help but feel the least bit jealous though, if he did have a girlfriend. She waited for the song to begin, but instead Nick spoke, surprising her. “This song is dedicated to a very good friend of mine, who I really miss. I regret everything that happened that tore us apart, and I can’t stand the tension between us.” He paused again before finishing with, “Miley, this one’s for you. It’s called ‘Sorry’.”
I called and I texted.
I got us connected.
I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there for you.
It wasn’t my choice to be gone from you.
I know I told you I’d be there.
It was a promise. I still care!
I’m sorry for breaking the promises I wasn’t around to keep.
I wanted to tell you, “I love you,”
But the connection was weak.
I’m sorry; it didn’t turn out the way that I wished.
I’m sorry; at least we had that perfect kiss.
I’m still in love with you.
I’d do anything for you.
And, baby, I’m sorry…
I know that I broke a promise that meant something to you.
And if you were to say, “I need you,” I would have said it too.
I’m sorry; it didn’t turn out the way that I wished.
I’m sorry; at least we had that perfect kiss.
I’m still in love with you.
I’d do anything for you.
And, baby, I’m sorry…
I’m sorry; it didn’t turn out the way that I wished.
I’m sorry; at least we had that perfect kiss.
I’m still in love with you.
I’d do anything for you.
And, baby, I’m sorry…
Listen girl, you mean the world to me.
And if I would’ve been there for you, maybe you would see,
That...I’m sorry.

[michelle]

awww! i really liked this! very well written...i'm glad that someone can write with one of the guys making mistakes...lol