Chapter 1: Way Back When

Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana. Excuse me while I go cry in the corner…

(Italics are flashbacks)

Silence overwhelmed the three best of friends, Lilly Truscott, Oliver Oken, and Miley Stewart. No, there location wasn't silent. No, their sobs weren't silent. No, the people shuffling around them weren't silent.

But there were no words whatsoever escaping their mouths. Cries? Yes. But words? No.

The setting of the blonde and two brunettes was the Los Angeles Airport. And no, they weren't there to ride around on the cars used to transport luggage. Lilly, one of the three amigos, was moving to the other side of the country; New Jersey.

The three friends embraced in a group hug, tears strolling down their reddened cheeks. Even Oliver, a "macho man" as he likes to call himself, was crying for he had known Lilly his entire life. Well, that is his life after three, to be exact. Not having her smiling, bubbly self would be extremely difficult to adapt to and who knew if Oliver was going to overcome the struggles he faced without Lilly right there beside him.

As the three friends parted, a voice interrupted announcing individuals to board the plane to Newark, New Jersey that would soon be taking off.

"Well, I guess this is it, huh?" Lilly asked in a small voice. Both Miley and Oliver nodded through tears. Miley and Lilly shared their final hug, to which Lilly winced in pain.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Lil. Are you okay?" She asked in a nurturing manner. Lilly just nodded, reassuringly.

Lilly was used to the pain by now. She had been through it for two years. She was a strong fifteen year old who had faced horror:

Abuse.

It sounds so simple. Five letters. Two consonants. Three vowels.

But the suffering behind it?

Unbelievable.

It's next to impossible to understand the meaning behind this so called "simple" word. The way you feel useless, a waste of time. A waste of life, really. To put up with the verbal shouts, whether they contain swears or threats. To put up with the violence. To instead of being welcomed home after a hard day at school, be thrown against the wall. And instead of being told "I love you", be told to go burn in hell. To instead of being tucked in at night, under the covers, be grabbed with full force at the upper arms, squeezed so tight, and then shoved up against the headboard. It's a nightmare.

A nightmare.

And no matter how hard you try, you just can't wake up.

Lilly, was able to survive this nightmare. This horrid experience. Has she fully woken up, though?

No. Not at all. She's still left with the memories. The scars. The bruises. The pictures of before it had all begun. Lilly remembered what that had been like.

It was her dad whom had abused her. Her mother died when she thirteen, in a car accident, and but a week later, her father transformed into a whole new being.

He wasn't caring or loving or always offering to play ball out in the backyard any more. No, he was a drunk, fighting to save his job, fighting to mourn the death of his wife, fighting his daughter, risking her life as well. It sounds unimaginable. To have one person change so fast.

But when you lose the love of your life. The unimaginable might just happen.

It was in her parent's will, that if anything were to happen to them, Lilly, their only daughter, was to be sent to New Jersey and live with her Aunt Karen, a thirty-seven year old, single woman whom worked as a secretary at a law firm. Was she nice? Yeah. Was she going to take care of her niece? Yeah. Was she worth leaving all of your friends and hometown behind you? Heck no.

But, despite Lilly's protests and begging, she was forced to move in with her aunt.

A few weeks ago, Lilly was put in the hospital because of her father's actions and now has a deep, wavy scar running from her mid back to waist. It was the neighbors who heard screams coming from house next door and immediately called the cops. They were there in time before any further damage could be done. Her father was taken away in handcuffs and is currently residing in prison.

"Oh my gosh. I'm going to miss you guys so freakin' much," Lilly sighed as she wiped away a few more tears. It was then that Oliver wrapped his arms around Lilly's shoulders, gently, making sure to not hurt the small figure.

"Lilly, I…" Oliver started, quietly, but couldn't quite muster up the confidence to finish his sentence.

"What is it, Oliver?"

To be truthful, Oliver liked Lilly as more than a friend, bottom line. He was dying to spill his feelings but could he? No. Maybe it was his cowardice or that he was afraid of rejection. All he knew was that he didn't ever want Lilly to leave his arms. He wanted to stare intensely into her glistening cobalt eyes that go for miles, forever. He wanted to twirl the soft blonde tendrils of her hair around his fingertips, forever. He wanted to hear her laugh and see that million dollar smile, forever. He wanted to hold on to her forever.

Well, forever's not as long as it used to be.

The final call was made for anyone else to board Lilly's plane. The two friends, whom both secretly wished to be more, let go of each other as Lilly turned her head in the direction of the boarding area.

She then turned back to Oliver, hope and love in her eyes but all that Oliver managed to say was,

"I'm really going to miss you." Lilly sighed but pressed on a sincere smile as she grabbed her carry-on luggage.

"Well, we're all really going to miss you, Lilly and as soon as you can you have to make a trip back here to Malibu," Miley said, as a grin appeared on her rosy face.

"You can count on that," Lilly continued smiling.

"Well, b-bye," Oliver stuttered.

"No, this isn't goodbye. It's just, um, see ya," she said, nodding. The friends all smiled and pulled in for one last group hug. She then spun on her heel and walked to the terminal. She stopped halfway, her blonde hair bouncing and waved for the final time.

Lilly, whom was now seventeen years of age, smiled as she gazed at a picture of her, Oliver, and Miley that they had taken at the airport on the day of her departure.

It had been two years since Miley and Oliver had seen Lilly. After about two months, they lost touch. No more calls. No more letters. No more e-mails. Lilly just wasn't a part of their life any more.

Or was she?

It was two weeks before today that Lilly had finally decided to call Miley. They didn't talk much, just made some arrangements.

They eventually agreed that it was time for Lilly to pay ol' Malibu a visit. So, today, Miley was flying out to New Jersey, and would soon pick up Lilly and take her back to her former home.

"Now Now Now, Malibu. Don't be so naive. You didn't think that was really the last time you were seeing Lilly Truscott, did you?" Lilly said, aloud to herself as laughed and headed down the staircase.

A/N- Hey, hey, hey :)I decided to try something new and do an older fic. I most definitely want your opinions so please load me with them. Did you hate this first chapter? Love it? Want me to continue it? I know I skipped two years in just this chapter, but that wasn't what I had hoped for as the focus as this story. It was also pretty short so sorry about that. Please review! I hope it didn't totally suck. Oh, also, I will be updating When Everything Changes probably tomorrow! Well, thanks in advance (I hope L0L), much love, Val. :)