a/n: final chapter.

Chapter Twelve: If I Didn't Have You

Once Lilly and I made it back to the house, my parents fell all over her asking her questions about where she's been, how she's been, and what she's been doing. Then suddenly Jackson pipes up out of nowhere, "If you ever leave my sister again…I'm going to have to find you and then force you to come back here. Don't do it again."

Lilly's face crumbled, "I'm so sorry…"

"Jackson," I hissed at him with a glare, I scrambled off the chair I had been sitting in to get over to Lilly where she was sitting on the couch. I wrapped my arm around her back, "It's okay Lilly." I mumbled into her hair.

"I'm so sorry, really." She whispered again, leaning against me.

Jackson looked a little guilty, and slunk over to us, "I'm sorry Lilly…I just hate Miley the way she was with out you."

Lilly glanced up and saw Mama and Daddy give each other a knowing look and nod their heads in agreement with Jackson. Tears over flowed from her eyes and she clung to me again.

"Lilly, it's okay." I tried to tell her again, knowing it really hadn't been her fault she had to leave two years ago. "I understand."

She just looked at me sadly, so I decided to drag her up the stairs to my room, glaring at my family as I went with her.

"I can't believe them…they're really happy to see you Lilly I swear…and it's not just 'cause you're back and I'm not sad anymore."

Lilly sat there quietly for a couple of minutes on my bed before she asked softly, "What happened exactly when I left?"

"Well…I woke up in the morning and found your letter saying you had left and after that I spent the next two months of summer being mopey and as Jackson was getting ready to go back to school my parents decided it'd be best if I went back too…just to get my mind off of things. People were rude at first…so Travis agreed that me and him could pretend to be a couple so they would be a little nicer. It worked, and the next two years of high school weren't so miserable as the beginning of my sophomore year was…after the whole Mikayla thing." I took a breath and looked at her.

"Oh…what happened with Mikayla…will you tell me yet?"

"Uhm," I had a flashback to that summer…now seeming so far away.

-----

"Come on Miley," Mikayla pulled at my arm, "I really want to go to this movie."

"But Mik! You know how you get during movies…you don't ever watch them, you just want to make out the whole time…c'mon, we can stay home and do that."

"Noo, really Miley I want to see this one!" She whined at me.

"God…I guess we can…you better not pull anything though." I gave in because I was sick of listening to her whining.

"I won't, I promise."

….then her pulling nothing ended up being her trying to get me to fuck her during the movie…me being a total sex crazed maniac because of her, gave in to her after several of her attempts. Then the whole town heard about us…after several people realized what we were doing in that little theather. They were so disgusted with us, several people walked out of there…after that I pulled away from Mikayla and also ran from the theater, feeling dirty and fucked up.

She disappeared shortly after, knowing she had messed up my life…she hadn't even left a sorry or anything behind.

I started school a month later, and kids hated me. Looked at me like I was filthy…growing up in a small town, there hadn't been any gays around…and if there had been they didn't out themselves and left the town as soon as they could. People around here were strong believers in the whole, "gays are dirty and going to hell" thing. So my life was ruined by some skank from Flordia.

-----

I sighed, looking at Lilly, my shame from that summer rushing back to me. "I'll tell you one day…it's just stupid really."

She agreed hesitantly, "Okay…I'll still love you even when you do tell me about it."

"I know…I love you Lilly." I pulled her to me and kissed her gently.

"I love you too." She sighed happily this time; leaning against me…I ran my fingers threw her hair thinking about how soft it was.

People may not have accepted Mikayla and I…but I knew eventually Lilly would grow on them, and if she didn't…this time I wouldn't feel ashamed. I stand by Lilly every step of the way. It would be okay in the end…I knew it would be. "Everything's going to be just fine." I breathed.