Welcome Back, Miley

swinglifeawayxx

--

"I'm fine, really," I mumbled into the mouthpiece of the phone. The backstage hallway I was standing in was deserted; everyone else was mingling, congratulating the winners. I stood, trying to convince my worried boyfriend that I was alright. I was trying to convince myself as well. "Really, Justin, I'll be fine. I wasn't really expecting to beat the Bruce Springsteen anyways." I forced out a chuckle. I was positive he knew it was fake. He knew me too well.

"Alright, Mi, if you're sure," he responded quietly, not wanting to push. "I'll be at your house when you come home."

"Thanks, Jay," I murmured softly, tears welling up in my eyes. "I'll see you soon."

"I love you, baby," he said, his voice gentle, soothing.

"I love you, too," I whispered, before pulling the phone away from my ear and ending the call. I felt awful; he had been telling me he loved me for weeks now, and I reciprocated. I did love him. Honestly, I did. He was there for me when no one else was, but how could I be in love with him when my heart belonged to someone else since I was thirteen?

"You love him?"

I whirled around to face the owner of the intruding voice. I knew that voice anywhere. That voice had caused me more happiness, more excitement, more confusion, and more pain than any other I had ever heard. And I loved it.

"What are you doing here, Nick?" I questioned tiredly, my shoulders slumping noticeably. He merely looked at me, those dark, gorgeous eyes boring straight through me. His perfect lips parted.

"You love him?" that beautiful voice repeated. My eyes involuntarily slid shut, my arms sliding to wrap protectively around my small body.

"Do you love her?" I snapped in return. There was an awkward silence.

"What does it matter to you?" I asked after a few moments, my eyes opening to focus on the hem of my dress dragging along the floor.

"He's too old for you," he stated matter of factly, avoiding my question. I let out a humorless laugh.

"That's none of your business," I said bluntly. "And he treats me better than you have, so I wouldn't be talking if I were you." I heard his sharp intake of breath. When I glanced up again, his eyes were cold. Oh, so he didn't like when poor little weak Miley fought back, huh?

"I'm sorry you didn't win," he ground out between his teeth, nearly glaring at me. "I heard the song. It was good."

That simple statement sent me over the edge. My entire body went rigid, my eyes snapping up to glare fiercely into his. Did he have any idea what that song meant? Did he have any fucking clue? The angry tears welled up in my eyes and streamed m face.

"You want to know why 'I Thought I Lost You' didn't win, Nick? You wanna know why?" I spat, wiping angrily at the tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I was done crying. I was done. Eyes still icy, he nodded once sharply. He wanted to know? Oh, I'd tell him. "Because nothing in that song actually happened! I lost you, but I never found you again! I've tried, and I can't find you. And you didn't look for me either. You saw me standing on that edge! You saw me stumble, and instead of trying to help me, you called once to let me know how disappointed you were in me, and then you let me fall."

I was shaking with anger now, and the ice in his eyes seemed to melt. He moved as if to reach for me, but I held up my hand, shaking my head violently. He stopped short, eyes wide. What, did he think I was sad? Was he worried because he thought I was heartbroken? He was sadly mistaken, and I was on a roll. I continued.

"And you want to know why '7 Things' was such a hit?" I growled, forcing my tears back. As it always did when I was angry, my accent stood out strongly. "Because I meant every single word in that song. Every single word. You're an asshole, and a jerk, and you're so goddamn vain, Nicholas!"

He stared at me, shocked. I had never seen him speechless before. I liked it

"And you wanna know why I'm the one who's gotten hurt so many times in the past year?" I nearly yelled. He nodded numbly. "Because I'm the one who hasn't changed! I'm the same southern girl who grew up in Franklin, Tennessee, and fell in love with a wonderful boy at age thirteen! I'm the one who stood by his side when things went wrong, and brought him on my tour because I wanted him to succeed so badly! I'm the one who got crushed by that same boy, and I'm the one who let him and his brothers walk all over me. I'm the one who has been made into the bad guy because that boy acts like an innocent little angel, and fools everyone. I'm the one who let everyone get me down.

"And if I have changed at all, it's that I lost all of my will to stand up for myself. I let that boy and his brothers trampleme. But not anymore. I'm back now. Now I'm the one standin' in fronta that boy who thinks he's a man, and I'm the one who is never gonna to let him hurt me ever again."

I was breathing heavily, glaring fiercely at him as he gaped at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Ehemm."

Someone coughed behind me, and I spun around. Standing in the doorway were none other than a floored Kevin Jonas and a contemplative Joe, accompanied by a proud looking Mandy. I took a deep breath and composed myself, planting a dazzling smile on my face.

"Hello, boys," I said pleasantly, ignoring their brother behind me. "Great to see you again. Nice job presenting."

"Y-yeah, um, nice to see y-you, too," Kevin spluttered, still in shock from the scene he had just witnessed. Joe tilted his head to the side and looked at me, and I thought I saw the ghost of a smile on the corner of his lips. He said nothing.

"Well, Mandy," I said, still smiling. I turned my attention to my grinning best friend. "I'd say it's time we party, don't you think?" She winked at me, walking over and looping her arm through mine.

"I'll call Justin," she responded, before turning her attention to the boys. "Nice to see you all again. It's been a pleasure, as always."

"That it has," I cut in, smiling angelically at Kevin and Joe. Kevin merely stared while Joe looked at me, his head tilted to one side, studying me. Then he cracked a smile.

"Great to see you, Miles," he said, nodding his head.

"You too," I replied, nodding mine in return. I nodded at the still-shocked Kevin, before turning my head to face the flabbergasted younger Jonas behind me. A smirk planted itself on my face, and I lifted a hand to wave sarcastically at him.

"Bye-bye, Nicky," I cooed. "It's been great." His mouth gaped open still. I snickered.

Giggling, Mandy and I swept out of the room without a second glance.

It felt good to be me again. Biting, witty, sarcastic Miley was here to stay. No more self-pitying, desolate shell. Nope, that wasn't me. Miley Ray was back for good.

--

Later that night, as I crawled happily into my bed, my cell phone buzzed. I picked the sidekick up off the table, my eyes widening as I read the name. I quickly opened the text:

Welcome back, Miley. It's good to see you little sister.

Grinning to myself, I typed in a reply and hit send, before placing my phone back on the table and falling contentedly into my pillows.

--

Around 20 minutes away, sitting in on his own bed, Joseph Adam Jonas felt his own iPhone buzz in his hand. Looking down at the object, he slid his finger across the glass, reading the message on the screen. His smile lit up his entire face as he chuckled to himself.

It's good to be back, Danger.