Guys, I'm at my friends house using his laptop so I can post my new chapters. My net is gone for awhile, so I hope you can excuse my absence.

This is dedicated to my dear friend itmeansnothing. You know what it's for, man!

After that emotional night, Miley had developed an even greater respect for Lilly. The once cold girl seemed to have warmed up to Miley and, even though she didn't blame Miley for what happened, she was still gravely disappointed that her friend had the party in the first place. Her light-hearted response when Miley first told her was only lacking in judgement because Lilly was just so happy to see the brunette again that she didn't take in Miley's confession until after she discovered Nibbles' death.

In turn, Lilly requested space so that she may grieve appropriately and Miley of course obeyed her eccentric neighbour.

It was now Miley's third day alone and she realised she wanted to violate Lilly's rules and pay a visit to the girl, even knowing she would most likely be cast away. Yes, she had made a huge mistake, but forgiveness was bound to be distributed eventually, so why not sooner than later? Why wouldn't Lilly allow Miley into her company?

With this reasoning in mind, Miley ventured from her home and onto her porch, contemplating her next move as she laid her eyes on Lilly's house. She took a seat on the top step of her porch as she mulled over the outcomes that would take place if she crossed the road and knocked on the blonde's door. But, then, wouldn't a phone call be a better idea? There would be no saddened countenance, only a stiff tone that would be slightly clipped and frank. That was Lilly. Frank. Mildly sarcastic. Serious. Occasionally playful. Adorable. Just, Lilly.

Miley battled over her options and stood, ready to take the plunge, but as soon as she was upright, she collapsed back onto the step, her nerve lost. She just didn't know what to say, what to do. Lilly was firm with her decisions and doing something without her consent was always a bad idea.

But Miley missed her so much.

However, as Miley was about to continue honouring Lilly's request, the door to the house across the street opened and Lilly stepped outside.

She looked in Miley's direction, but made no indication of acknowledgment as she fell onto her porch swing, guitar poised on her knee.

She began to play.

Miley remained where she was for the duration of Lilly's song, waiting for an invitation to join the blonde's side. Minutes passed as Miley listened to Lilly's music, feeling serene, but also very anxious. The strums were gentle, but Miley searched for a signal of permission. Eventually, a smile aimed at her brought Miley to her feet and she edged her way over to Lilly's house, uncertainty shadowing her strides. She wasn't sure if this was the end of their time away from each other, or if Lilly was just presenting a temporary pause in the segregation.

When Miley was on Lilly's porch, the blonde stopped strumming and placed her guitar next to her on the swing. She met Miley's eyes.

"Hey," she greeted evenly.

"Hi." Miley was timid, losing any courage she thought she'd possessed and she clasped her hands together behind her back, rocking lightly from heel to toe.

Lilly rose to her feet and folded Miley into her arms.

Delighted by the sudden contact, Miley urgently held Lilly closer, thankful for her neighbour's ease. She hadn't moved robotically like so many times before. She sprung at Miley as if she'd needed to be embraced, as if it had become something she enjoyed and missed.

"Will you stay over for the day?" Lilly asked, withdrawing.

"I don't know where else I'd want to be," Miley returned, joining Lilly on the swing as her friend started to fill the afternoon with music again.

"Hey, Lilly..." Miley interrupted before Lilly fell into a trance, lost in her strumming.

"Yes?"

"What made you choose to play outside today?"

A pause was Miley's only answer. Lilly visibly struggled to produce words, her lower lip drawn between her teeth. Miley waited in shock, not used to Lilly ever having trouble with a response. And, it only became more astonishing when Lilly finally spoke. "Well...I kind of... wanted you to hear so you'd come out of your house. You saved me half the trouble, but I didn't know how to approach you, so, I thought this was the best way to bring you to me," Lilly said, a shyness overtaking her as she struck the same chord on her guitar repeatedly.

Miley was awestruck and acted without consideration. She leant over and pressed her lips against Lilly's cheek. The blonde's plucking halted and her face reddened.

"You are so cute, Lilly."

"So, Miss Truscott, I would like to know something," Miley informed as she lay on Lilly's bed, relaxing into the covers as if she'd been doing so for years.

"And what would that be, Miss Stewart?"

Miley turned and faced Lilly, who was sitting on the floor reading a magazine.

"Why do you hate parties so much?"

Lilly stopped leafing through the glossy pages and froze. Her reasons were never fully explained to Miley and it was natural that the brunette was curious, but it was obvious Lilly had some reluctance whenever it came to sharing her secrets.

"I just want to understand," Miley continued, peeling herself from Lilly's warm bed so she could join the blonde's side.

"I don't know if I can tell you."

"Please, Lilly."

"It's hard to talk about..."

"Take your time." Lilly met Miley's eyes then, knowing she could trust her despite the betrayal. She knew this because Miley was honest and regretful, but the question was, why? Why did Miley do reckless things if she regretted them afterwards?

"I'll tell you on one condition," Lilly wagered.

"Shoot."

"I'll tell you why I hate parties if you tell me why you have them." Miley faltered then, contemplating the proposition silently. It was surely a fair trade. Secret for secret. Miley knew she could rely on Lilly to listen without judging her, but she'd never discussed this personal matter with anyone before. Would Lilly really understand or would she mock Miley? The brunette would have to find out.

"Deal."

Lilly gestured to the trashcan by her bed, still overflowing with paper and a small platform that was lodged in the middle. Miley dragged it over and Lilly fished out the platform, revealing a framed photo with cracked glass that obscured the image it held. Lilly flipped the frame over and wrenched the photo out.

Two crumpled smiles met Miley's eyes as she gazed at the image. There was a younger Lilly smiling at the camera with her arm wrapped around a boy. His brown eyes and long nose were familiar, but Miley couldn't remember where she had seen him before.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"That's Oliver. He was my best friend," Lilly replied, sighing wistfully as nostalgia threatened to overtake her.

"What happened?"

"He got a girlfriend and she fucked up his life," Lilly growled, snatching the photo from Miley's hand and tearing it in two, throwing the half with Oliver on it back into the trash crossly. The other half went unnoticed as Lilly hugged her knees to her chest. Miley slid closer, tracing her fingers across Lilly's back until she held the girl in a semi embrace, waiting for her to proceed.

"He got drunk, took drugs, all because she wanted him to 'have fun'. It was destroying him, changing him. I was losing my best friend and when he finally noticed that I still existed, he asked me to join in with him. The parties, the fucking idiots that go to them, they all just remind me that Oliver gave up a decent life to ruin it with a stupid bitch he liked fucking. He may as well be dead."

Miley sat very still as she absorbed Lilly's past woes. She never even realised the depth of Lilly's contempt. She thought she was merely annoyed by the noise and the vandalism. It made perfect sense that she was so cold towards careless people and Miley shrunk away, knowing that this deeply wounded girl would surely disown her if she found out the petty truth behind Miley's parties. But she had made a deal. And lying to Lilly was something Miley would never do.

"Your turn," Lilly weakly prompted, wiping at her eyes.

"Please don't hate me after I tell you..."

Lilly smiled ruefully and slipped an arm around Miley's waist, nestling into the girl's shoulder as she said, "Miley, I don't think I could ever hate you." The warmth of Lilly's affection empowered Miley and she smiled in spite of her dread.

"Well, I have an older brother named Jackson," she begun, adjusting her position so that Lilly sat more comfortably against her. "He is the perfect son. He owns multiple companies and Daddy boasts about him with every opportunity he gets. Not one word is spoken about me. You see, Jackson's mother was a beautiful woman, but she died in a car accident when he was six. Daddy must have been desperate because he doesn't even know my mother's name." Miley stopped for a moment, her body tensing as her anger flared. "I'm just the bastard child, daughter of a whore. I was kept a secret for a long time and Daddy was always ashamed of me. He never talked about me, never encouraged me to be somebody. It was always Jackson this, Jackson that."

"So ,these parties are a cry for attention?" Lilly questioned quietly.

"In a way, yes, but really... they just make me forget that I am a complete accident, that I have no potential in life. I wanted to follow in Daddy's footsteps and create my own music that people would love, but he never listened to me. He just gave me money and told me to get out of his face. I only want him to tell me once that he's proud of me, but he can hardly look at me. I just thought that if I got so fucked up, he'd care, but now I realise how foolish I was." Miley's voice trembled and Lilly sat up and pulled Miley onto her lap, cradling the taller girl softly. Miley was unprepared for this, but buried her face in Lilly's shirt regardless.

"I'm sorry I'm so messed up," she whimpered, trying not to let herself succumb to the pain of her neglect. She didn't want Lilly to see her cry, but the light caresses teasing her curls soothed her enough to weaken her resolve and she uncontrollably dotted Lilly's collar with her tears.

"You're not messed up, Miley. You just chose a dangerous path to take. Now I know that you're an intelligent person and I know that if you tried, you could do anything you wanted. I mean, look at you, you're beautiful and even with such deprivation of love in your life, you grew up to be such a bright and happy girl," Lilly said, hoping she was helping in some way. She never admitted to Miley that all her efforts were greatly appreciated and that she really didn't want to lose the brunette now that they'd become such good friends.

"It's only because of you," Miley mumbled into Lilly's neck. Lilly became puzzled.

"What?"

"You make me happy, Lilly. The person I am with you, that's me. That's who I am and always want to be. I want to be real, I don't want fake friends who can't see past my money. I want you. As my friend, as my best friend, forever," Miley whispered and Lilly's chest was feeling strange and light, as if the powerful emotions Miley ignited within her were congregating beneath her ribs.

"I promise I will be. I'll be the best friend ever," Lilly pledged, curling herself tightly around Miley.

A faint laugh penetrated the embrace. Lilly decreased the strength of her grip as Miley drew back enough to meet her eyes. She was smiling. Genuinely happy.

"Do...Do you really think I'm beautiful?" Miley asked somewhat bashfully. Lilly blushed.

"Uh... Yeah, I do," she admitted, watching Miley's still glistening eyes. Lilly slowly reached out and brushed away Miley's tears.

They stared at one another, a breath apart. Miley didn't know what she'd do without Lilly there, keeping her feet on the ground and stopping her from falling from existence. Lilly was her anchor, her protector. Lilly saved her life and continued to do so. Miley could find no way to thank Lilly for everything, to express her array of consuming feelings that clutched her insides and made her short of breath. Nothing.

But there was one thing that Miley's mind decided was appropriate for this moment. One thing that she could use to show this creature with shining blue eyes just how deep her feelings ran. Her blood and bones were made up of this feeling and it trickled into the most unchartered areas of Miley's body and heart that it almost pained her not to close the distance that kept her from Lilly.

Miley slid her arms around Lilly's neck and dipped her head until their lips connected.