Bleeding Love

Chapter 1: Dead And Gone.

I've been travelin' on this road to long, Just trying to find my way back home. The old me is dead and gone, dead and gone

Dead And Gone – T.I. feat. Justin Timberlake

15 year old Miley Stewart walked down the hallway in school, clutching her books to her chest. She got to her locker and was met by her best friend and only friend, Mitchie. Miley smiled at Mitchie and opened her locker. "Hey, Mitch," she said. "Hey, Miles. What's up?" Mitchie asked. "Ugh, Populars hanging out by the fountain outside. I had to come in the side door to avoid them," Miley groaned. "Um, looks like you can't avoid them for long because Jockzilla and Slutsalot are coming this way," Mitchie warned.

Miley turned her head to see the people that bullied her most, Nick Gray and Alex Russo, coming down the hall towards them with their group of followers walking behind them like lost puppies. They stopped in front of Mitchie and Miley with smirks on their face. "Stinky Stewart actually bothered to come in today, huh, Nick?" Alex asked. Nick laughed cruelly and looked Miley up and down. "I would say that I'd tap that, but it's her. No thanks," Nick said. Alex cackled. Miley looked at them and closed her locker.

"Have you nothing better to do than annoy me?" she asked. Mitchie stood by her side. "Oh, trust me, we do, but there's nothing as fun as watching you get cut up about it," Nick said. "So, Stinky, why did you even bother coming in today? You already know that everyone hates you. So why don't you just leave?" Alex asked, walking in a circle around Miley. Miley closed her eyes and inhaled. She then opened her eyes. "Because I don't care if anyone hates me. The only thing that matters is that I don't hate myself," she said.

"Who do you think you are? A priest? Get over yourself, Stewart. Even you hate yourself. Don't even try and deny it. Your so called best friend hates you, just like the rest of us. So why don't you jump off a cliff or something? Save us all the pain of having to see you every single day. I mean, it hurts to see someone has boring and ugly as you walk into the same school as me. It's just plain embarrassing for the school. What kind of advertisement do you send out for Seaview High?!" Alex asked. Miley knew it was a rhetorical question, but she decided to answer it anyway.

"I send out a better advertisement and example for this school than you ever will. Look at yourself, Alex. You think that guys will fall for you because you show some skin? I know that deep down inside of you, there's more to you than short skirts and high heels. I know that deep down, you're an amazing, kind, smart girl," Miley said and smiled. Alex scoffed. "What, so you think I'm a nerd? Sorry, Stewart, but keep the description of yourself. And only use it about yourself. Don't embarrass others but making them feel like they're like you," she said.

Miley looked at Alex. On that particular day, she was wearing black heels and a short denim mini skirt. She was wearing a revealing tank top. It stopped just above her belly button and showed a lot of cleavage. All the boys in the hallway were staring at her, either wishing and praying that her cleavage was so big that her tank top would burst, or trying to catch a glimpse up her skirt. Miley and Mitchie noticed that Nick was glaring at all of them so that they would divert their eyes from his girlfriend's skin.

"Right, Nick?" Alex asked with a smirk. "Correct, Al. And anyway, what guy would date that?" he spat, also walking around Miley. Miley closed her eyes, praying that they'd walk away soon. "Let's see. She has disgusting hair, disgusting style, a disgusting face, a fat body," Alex said. Nick laughed. Miley felt the tears prick her eyes. "Leave her alone," Mitchie said. "And you are?" Nick asked. "Her best friend. What the hell has she ever done to you?!" she exclaimed. "She was born," Alex said, and she walked away with Nick, pushing Miley against the lockers roughly as she passed.

Miley fell to the ground and bumped her head on the lockers. She felt her eyes become watery and her vision become blurry. She blinked, trying to get rid of the tears, but it just caused them to fall down her cheeks. Mitchie sat down beside her and hugged her. "It'll be alright, Miles. It'll all be okay. It'll all end some day. I promise you that they are just jerks that need to get over themselves," Mitchie said. Miley let out a quiet sob and wiped her tears. "I can't do this anymore, Mitch. This has been happening for over 2 years. I can't handle it anymore," Miley cried. Mitchie hugged her.

"I know, hun. You don't deserve any of this. But as much as I hate to say it, we can't do anything about their behaviour. They're jocks. They don't care about anyone but themselves. You're worth far more than they ever will be," Mitchie said. Miley wiped her tears and sniffled. "Thanks, Mitch. You're the greatest friend I could ever ask for. No one else would be there for me," Miley said. "I love you, Miles. You're like my sister. I'll always be there for you. Whether you like it or not. You don't have a choice," Mitchie said. They giggled and linked arms before walking towards English.

"Oh, by the way, Mitch, I wrote a new song last night," Miley commented as they walked down the English corridor. "What's it called?" Mitchie asked, taking her phone out of her pocket and checking the time. "The Climb," Miley replied. "Can I hear it some time?" Mitchie asked. Miley smiled and nodded as they pushed through the door to English and sat down in their seats. Mitchie turned to talk to Miley. "Miles ... I still think you should record a demo and send it to a label. You're bound to get signed," Mitchie said. Miley sighed.

"Mitch, I told you. I can't handle rejection well. I've handled it far too many times in my life. My mom rejected me, the Populars rejected me, every other person in the student body of Seaview rejected me, my brothers rejected me and went off to college. The only people left are my sister and dad. And even then, Brandi's never home and my dad is always at work," Miley said. "Miles. It isn't about your past. If you get signed, then it's all about your future. I love you whatever you do. But, Miles, this is a major opportunity," Mitchie pleaded.

"How desperate do you want me to get signed and become famous? Mitch, I don't sing because people want me to. I sing because I love singing. It's been my whole life since my mom and brothers left. All I can do is write songs about my past. What else do I do? Mitchie, I can't handle being rejected by a major label. I've been rejected so many times before. I can't do it anymore," Miley said. Mitchie sighed and took out her paper and pen. She wrote the words 'yes' and 'no' in the corners of the page. She started writing things in the 'yes' column:

AMAZING voice, you deserve a new start, people need to hear you sing, you're an amazing writer, maybe your mom will come back, you

It got cut off when Miley snatched the page away from her best friend. "We can wish and pray and hope that my mom will come back all we want, but we both know that my mom will NEVER come back for me!" she hissed. She crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the bin while their teacher walked in and sat at her desk. "Okay, guys, today we're just going to work on our creative writing assignments," she called. Miley grabbed a pen and started writing on her page. Suddenly, a ball of paper was thrown back onto her desk. She picked it up and read.

Hey :) -Mitchie

Hey, Mitch. Nice talking to you after, oh, I dunno, 10 SECONDS?! Lmao. -Miley

Thank you :) I was bored =/ Creative writing isn't my thing. Nor is it yours, unless we're doing lyrics or poetry or whatever :( Which sucks, I must admit. -Mitchie

Mitch, I have work to do! -Miley

So? Talk to me instead! I'm more entertaining and you know it ;) -Mitchie

Miley laughed silently to herself and shoved the note in her bag. She looked up at the board and saw that there were quotes from Romeo and Juliet. "Miley. Is there a problem?" the teacher asked, looking up from her paperwork. "Um, no, ma'am," Miley replied, and looked down at her page again.

"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun"

What were those words supposed to mean? Was it something to do with the ridiculous yet magnificent concept of love? Or was it just Shakespeare trying to be cheesy? Miley sighed and continued her writing. What else was there to do?

--

That afternoon, Miley walked out of Trigonometry and walked to her locker, where she saw Mitchie waiting. "Milerz!" Mitchie squealed, and hugged her best friend tightly. Miley laughed and hugged her best friend back. "Mitch, why are you excited?" she asked. "You will never believe what my dad just got us!" Mitchie replied. "Um, a voucher for the CD store?" Miley asked, confused by what Mitchie was talking about. "No, silly! He got us ... TICKETS TO GO AND SEE COLDPLAY!" Mitchie exclaimed.

"NO FREAKING WAY!" Miley yelled. "YES FREAKING WAY! WE'RE GOING IN 2 WEEKS!" Mitchie yelled. Miley hugged Mitchie as tightly as possible. "YOUR DAD IS THE GREATEST!" she yelled. Mitchie giggled and pulled away from the hug. "I officially love him more than ever for doing this. He knows how obsessed with Coldplay we are!" she said and smiled broadly. But her smile was wiped off her face. Miley followed her gaze and saw her glaring in Nick's direction as he walked past. "Problem, nerd?" he asked.

Mitchie rolled her eyes. "Can you not think of any vocabulary besides the word nerd or geek?" she asked. Nick walked over and put his hand on top her books. He pushed them down and out of her hands. They scattered across the hallway, while all Mitchie's papers fluttered away and out of sight. "Who the hell do you think you are? No one talks to Nick Gray like that," Nick spat. Mitchie glared at him. Miley picked up a few books and handed them to Mitchie. "Mitch, let's go," Miley said, gripping Mitchie's arm as Nick smirked at them.

Mitchie allowed herself to be pulled along by Miley. They picked up any of Mitchie's sheets that they saw along the way. "Mitch, he isn't worth it," Miley hissed. "But he's worth your tears?" Mitchie hissed back. "That's different and you know it," Miley snapped. "What? So he bullies you worse and you cry and it's okay, but when he bullies me and I try to fight back, it's wrong?" Mitchie asked. "Mitch, you're taking it the wrong way. What I meant is that he's not worth getting cut up about," Miley said softly as they walked out to Mitchie's car.

"Miles. You get cut up every single time. I just don't see how it's different for you and not for me. Nobody wants to see you this miserable, mainly me. So why get cut up over it? I'm not the one getting cut up. You are," Mitchie said. She started up the car and reversed out of the space. She started driving out of the school gates and down the street to Miley's street. "I don't like this life, Mitch. But it's the only life I can have since my mom went," Miley said. She stared out the window, thinking about her mother. It had been a few years since she had seen her. The only things she had left were Mitchie, her sister, and her dad. And even then, the only one she really ever saw properly was Mitchie.

"How about we swap schools? Start fresh. We need that. Miles, ever since they started bullying you, you've changed. You've been quiet and distant. The only time I've seen you truly excited was when I told you about the Coldplay tickets," Mitchie said. "I just want to crawl under a rock and die. We can't switch schools. If we did, the school would be completely filled with idiots. I don't want them bugging me, sure. But my education is more important. How about we just forget about them and focus on each other and learning," Miley suggested. Mitchie sighed and pulled up outside Miley's house.

"Whatever you like. But do me a favour. Remember that I'll always be here for you," she said. Miley smiled fakely. "I know that, Mitch. You don't need to remind me that. I'm here for you too," she said. "Okay. What time does your dad get back?" Mitchie replied. "8. Brandi's sleeping over at a friend's tonight. So I'll be alone until 8. Want to come in?" Miley offered. Mitchie shook her head and said, "Thanks, but I have to help my mom with dinner tonight. Call me if you need anything, alright?" Miley nodded and got out of the car. "Thanks for the ride!" she called, and ran into the small bungalow.

Ever since her mother had gone, they had been living badly. There was never any food that wasn't past its use-by date, and the house was filthy and unclean. There was no one to cook for, because Brandi and Mr. Stewart got dinner, breakfast and lunch at work or school, and no one cleaned because Mr. Stewart and Brandi were never home to appreciate it. Miley sighed and walked into the kitchen, or what they claimed to be a kitchen.

There were piles of filthy plates and glasses stacked up around the sink. The bin was overfilled with rotting, decaying food and wrappers that probably had mice living inside them. The room was literally disgusting.

Miley jumped across the rubbish and mould and over to the answering machine, which was flashing. She pressed the button that played the messages. There was one from the landlord, which she deleted immediately. Then she had one from her father. "Miles, baby girl, I'm going on a business trip for the week. I'll see you next week. I love you, sweetheart. See you when I get back." Miley sighed again and picked up a glass. She threw it at the wall as a few stray tears slid down her cheeks. She screamed loudly and cried softly.

Her phone went off. She looked at it and saw that a withheld number was calling her. She picked up and answered. "H-Hello?" she asked. "YOU'RE A SLUT, BITCH!" a girl yelled into the other line, then hung up. Miley sat there and cried harder. How did someone even manage to get her number? She already knew who the culprit of the call was. Alex. Miley sat her phone on the counter and walked into the cleanest room of the house. Her bedroom. It was the only room she ever cleaned since it was the only room that was ever really used.

She closed the door after herself and threw her bag on the bed. She picked up her copy of Romeo And Juliet and began to read. It had always been her favourite book. She sank into her beanbag in the corner, reading in deep concentration. All she focused on were the words inked on the pages of the book. She found the line she had been thinking about in English that day. "It is the east, and Juliet is the sun". She spent a few moments trying to figure out what William Shakespeare was trying to point out in the book before moving on.

--

The next morning, Miley was walking along the puddle-filled street to school when a black Mercedes drove past and splashed her. Miley screamed and jumped back from the fright of the contact the water had made with her. She looked up and saw Nick and his best friend Justin laughing at her.

"YOU JERKS!" she screamed at the car. "Better get to school, freak. Wouldn't want your little friend getting lonely now, would we?!" Nick yelled over. He and Justin laughed one more time before closing their windows and driving away towards school.

Miley picked up a couple of books she had dropped and blew on them to try and dry them a bit, but it didn't work. Miley felt the tears stinging her eyes as she started running down the street to school. It was the only thing that kept her mind off her drenched clothes and hair.

She eventually walked through the front doors of the school. Everyone stared and laughed at her soaked appearance. Mitchie ran over. "Miles what happened to you?!" she exclaimed. "Nick and Justin drove past and soaked me," she said quietly. Mitchie hugged her and led her into the bathroom.

"Things will get better for us, Miley. I promise," she said, handing Miley a large pile of paper towels. Miley rubbed her bare arms with a couple and threw them in the bin. "Don't you get it, Mitchie? Things are never going to get better!" With those words, Miley scattered the pile of paper towels across the floor and stormed out. "MILEY!" Mitchie yelled after her, but it was too late. Miley was already gone.

A/N: Woo hoo! First chapter of my brand new story. It'll probably be my longest story to date. So REVIEW WITH 3+ WORDS! Tell me WHAT and WHY you loved it, if you loved it at all. I know it was sort of crap, but it's the first chapter. Cut me some slack. So REVIEW and tell me if you want me to continue, and if you liked it or not. I think that's it for today. So I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Bleeding Love. Thanks. I love you. This was originally called Fifteen so I had to replace the title and stuff. Sorry! Lolz

- Charlotte xoxo