From Cali to the Bronx

Lilly sat on the beach, watching the waves crash as they got closer to the shore. It was the night before graduation and all the seniors were at a bonfire a little further down the shore. The blonde wasn't too far away from the party, she could still hear the music blaring from somebody's boom box, but she could hear herself think now, and she had a lot to think about.

Tomorrow was the first day of the rest of her life, and Lilly was already feeling a little lost. She still hadn't made a final decision about where she was going to go to college. She had been accepted to everywhere she applied. The skater had hoped only on or two places would accept her, making the choice easier for her, but it was just her luck she had such good grades that everywhere wanted her.

It probably helped that she was a girl interested in computer science as well.

Lilly looked toward the bonfire and could see her two best friends laughing, probably at something Oliver had said. She was glad to have such amazing friends, lucky even. Both of them had already picked where they were going. Oliver was going to stay in California and go to UCLA. Miley had decided to stick with what she was good at, and was going to Julliard on a full ride scholarship, not as a singer, but as a songwriter. As much as Miley loved the songs her dad wrote for Hannah, she had always told Lilly she'd love to write her own songs. Lilly had been accepted to UCLA and a bunch f schools in New York, including NYU.

Turning her back to the bonfire, Lilly frowned. She had always wanted to go to either UCLA or NYU. If both Miley and Oliver had decided on a school in the same state, this would be such an easier decision. Lilly did not want o have to choose between her two best friends.

The blonde felt someone sit next to her and after a few seconds, picked up the scent of Miley's perfume. She leaned back against her friend and sighed. "What am I going to do Miley?"

The brunette wrapped her arms around Lilly's waist, pulling her close. "So, you haven't decided where you're going yet?" The blonde shook her head and sighed again. "Well, have you tried making a pros and cons list?"

"No."

Miley nodded. "Okay, so, what are your top choices?" she asked.

"NYC and UCLA."

"Wow," Miley said as she began to braid Lilly's hair. "Those aren't even close to each other."

"Nope." The blonde sighed. "That's my problem. You and Oliver are going to opposite ends of the country."

Miley frowned as she dropped her friend's hair. "I'm part of the reason you can't decide?" Lilly nodded. "Lilly, you shouldn't make where I'm going a deciding factor. Hell, you shouldn't even make Oliver a deciding factor, but that's more understandable than me."

Lilly turned around and looked at the other girl. "Miley, you're my best friend, you're a bigger factor than Oliver. I mean, the only real reason to go to NYU is because you'll be there. UCLA is near Oliver and my dad and Rico … wow, NYU is looking better and better."

Miley turned around and saw the short millionaire attempting to dance with a senior girl. "Now that is a very good reason to get as far away from here as possible." Lilly laughed and shook her head. "Where do you want to go Lilly? You're the only person that matters in this whole decision."

Lilly nodded and turned back toward the ocean. "I thought I wanted to go to UCLA, because I would be in a familiar place and Oliver would be there with me. I'd already have friends. They have a pretty good computer sciences program."

"Geek."

The blonde reached back and smacked her friend's thigh. "Hush you."

"So, what changed?" Miley asked. Lilly just shook her head. The young singer wrapped her arms around her best friend's waist once again, leaning her head on the skater's shoulder. "Lilly, you can tell me. You can tell me anything."

Lilly took a deep breathe. "I don't know Miley, I think this is one thing that I can't talk to you about."

Frowning, Miley tried to think what Lilly could possibly be feeling. "Lilly, I love you. There is nothing you could tell me that would ever change that."

"Oliver and I broke up two weeks ago." Lilly pulled away from Miley and walked toward the beach, close enough for the small waves to lap at her toes. She knew her best friend was not far behind her. "Apparently, he wasn't surprised. He was just waiting for me to end it."

"Is there someone else?" Lilly nodded. "Please not Rico."

"Eww, gross Miley. I'd rather date Jackson than Rico."

Miley grimaced. "Please tell me its not Jackson either."

"Again, eww, which should emphasize the eww on Rico." Miley chuckled. "Miles, its not another guy."

Miley's eyebrows scrunched up. "But, you just said there was someone else." Lilly nodded and tried to walk away, but not before her friend grabbed her arm. "Lilly, what's going on? What's go you s scared?"

"I'm scared of what you'll think of me."

"That doesn't make sense Lilly. You could murder someone and I wouldn't think anything different about you because I know you would have a good reason behind doing it."

Lilly shook her head and tried to pull away. "Miley, just let me be."

"No."

"Why not?" Lilly yelled, spinning around to face Miley. "You always make me and Oliver leave you alone when something's bothering you and then you get mad at us when we don't, why won't you just do for me what you usually ask of me?"

"The same reason why you and Oliver never actually do what I ask."

Lilly spun around again. She couldn't even look at Miley. "Look, I appreciate the concern, you know I do, but, I really am not ready to talk about this, not with you."

"I don't get this Lilly," Miley said. "I don't understand why you keep saying you can't talk to me about this. We talk about everything. You were the first person outside of my family to learn about Hannah, and while I know it was by accident, I risked my identity by keeping that bracelet on." Miley pulled her best friend to her and hugged her with all her strength. "Please tell me."

Lilly cried as her friend hugged her. "It's you," she whispered.

Miley's eyes widened when she heard her friends whispered words but she could react. She had to be sure she had heard what she thought she heard. Carefully pulling away, she lifted Lilly's hand, forcing her to look at her. "Lilly?"

"You are the other person. Oliver said he couldn't believe neither of us noticed it before.'

Miley thought about that. She thought back on their relationship. The two of them had always been close, but she'd always assumed her feelings were sisterly, and they had started out that way, but even the brunette couldn't claim the feelings hadn't changed. She couldn't lie to herself or her best friend. "Oliver said neither of us?"

Lilly nodded, not realizing the importance of that statement. "I guess I was kind of obvious."

"He said neither of us."

Lilly frowned. "Yea, why do you keep repeating that?"

Miley smirked at her best friend and pulled the blonde into her. She looked down at the blonde, her smirk turning into a sweet smile as Lilly looked up at her bewildered. Without saying a word, Miley leaned forward and kissed her friend. "That's why I keep repeating it."

Lilly had a silly grin on her face, but she still didn't quite understand. "Um, what?"

"Oliver said neither of us, meaning, we were both kinda obvious in our attraction toward each other," he brunette answered with another smirk.

"So, NYU it is." The two girls laughed as they leaned in for another kiss.

Oliver saw his two best friends a little ways down the beach, kissing, and he smiled. "It's about damn time," he muttered before turning back to the party, giving the girls the privacy they deserved.