I Find Myself in You

“What the hell is she doing here,” I groaned as we walked back to Joe’s house.

“Making mends,” Joe suggested.

I glared at him. “Like it’ll work.”

He laughed. “Chill Lainey. Just hear her out. You guys are still best friends.”

“Were,” I grumbled.

He smirked. “Maybe it’s still an are.”

“Maybe I can punch her in the face,” I suggested excitedly.

He laughed. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Can you stop going all pacifist on me? The girl did try to ruin your brother, you know.”

He smirked. “And she failed.” He opened the door and we stepped inside.

“Lainey,” Miley jumped off the couch as Joe and I walked into the living room where Miley and Nick were sitting on opposite couches. Nick was glaring at her, his stare deathly.

I cringed and stepped back slightly, to which she paused a few feet away from me. “Why are you here,” I questioned.

“I’ve missed you,” she said. I saw her wince.

“Oh really,” I rolled my eyes. “Funny, I thought you’d like me not being around so you could hook up with my boyfriend in the open.”

She winced again. “Lainey, I swear—“

“I really don’t want to hear your lame excuses Miley,” I said coldly. “No, that’s incorrect. I really don’t care what your lame excuses are.”

“Lains,” she said. “Come on. You know I wouldn’t—“

“Actually, I don’t know what you wouldn’t do Miles,” I interrupted her again. “I put up with a lot of your shit while we were friends. But I’m done.”

“Lainey, please, we’re best friends,” she said.

“No, we’re not,” I said quietly. “We stopped being ‘best friends’ when you hooked up with my boyfriend in my green room while I was on stage.”

“I didn’t mean to Lainey,” she begged. “I swear, I didn’t plan on kissing him. It just – it happened.”

“Right,” I said sarcastically. “I’m sure you didn’t mean to stick your tongue down his throat.”

“Lainey, come on,” she begged.

“She obviously wants you to leave,” Nick grumbled from behind her.

“Why don’t you mind your own business,” Miley snapped at him.

I spoke before Nick would retaliate. “Does Justin know you made out with Jesse,” I asked.

She stopped in her tracks, turning to face me. “You wouldn’t tell him,” she said, though her voice wavered slightly.

“No I wouldn’t,” I said. “I’m not you. I’m not a two-faced, backstabbing bitch. You can try to deny it, but we both know it’s true. Tried to mess up anyone else’s life lately, Miles?”

Her face had now turned into a glare. “You really don’t want to go down this road Peters.”

“I think I do Cyrus,” I said calmly.

Miley was glaring at me now. “Fine Lainey. We’re through.”

“Glad you finally got that,” I said.

“You’re going to miss me,” she said.

“Hmm, I don’t think I will actually,” I corrected.

“You needed me a whole lot more than I needed you,” she went on. “Who are you going to hang out with now?”

“She’s got the hot Jonas boys with her now,” Joe put his arm around my neck before I could reply. “She doesn’t need you. But we need you to get out.”

Miley glared. “Fine Lainey. I’m leaving. But you’re going to regret this.”

“No I won’t,” I said. “By the way, I was lying before. Demi is a lot prettier than you.”

“Bitch,” she mumbled.

“Slut,” I shot right back.

She left, and my legs felt like jelly. Wow. I felt so empowered, yet so – mean. I hadn’t meant to say any of those things. But seeing her, reliving the memory in my mind of them swapping spit, it got to me. Joe, sensing why I wasn’t moving, grabbed my arm and maneuvered me to the couch. “That was awesome,” he complimented me.

I laughed weakly. “Thanks.”

“She deserved it,” Nick sat down on the other side of me.

“Why the hell did she even come,” I groaned.

“Because she really thinks everyone likes her,” Joe suggested, having the answers as usual.

“Idiotic really,” Nick mumbled.

Kevin came in. “Uh, did I just hallucinate, or was Miley here,” Kevin said, coming into the living room.

“Don’t remind me,” I mumbled.

---

I was sitting on the floor in between the islander and the counter in the boys’ kitchen. It was like one o’clock, and they were all passed out. Early sleepers, I grimaced. And so I was sitting here by myself, eating a big pint of Rocky Road ice cream. Seemed as good a way to wallow as any.

Suddenly, the light switched on. Okay, so maybe not all of them were sleeping. Joe was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. “Lainey,” he asked, half dazed. “What are you doing?”

“Wallowing,” I mumbled with a spoon of ice cream in my mouth.

He came over and sat next to me on the floor, sighing. “What are we going to do with you?”

I decided to change the subject. It was too close to painful to be good. “Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Can’t sleep,” he shrugged, taking my spoon and grabbing a bite of he ice cream. “You?”

Of course, I thought. Right back to me. “Me neither,” I replied.

“Want to talk about it,” he asked.

“No,” I said.

He stood up. “You know what you need?”

“More ice cream,” I asked innocently.

He rolled his eyes, smirking and offering me his hand to help me up, which I accepted. Once I was standing, he said, “Come on.”

He started leading me out of the kitchen, and out the front door.

“Where are we going,” I asked, looking down at my pajamas. I had on a pair of Joe’s pajama bottoms, and Nick’s beater. This was extremely incriminating. I hoped no cameras caught this, especially since we were walking out the front door, holding hands. I could see the headlines already. And I had a feeling neither Flannery nor my mother nor Jesse would be too happy about that. Miley might though.

Joe turned around and smirked at me as he dragged me down the street. “You’ll see.”