One Shot
“Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don’t belong and no one understands you. Do you ever wanna run away? Do you lock yourself in your room with the radio on, turned up so loud that no one hears you screaming?” Simple Plan’s ‘Welcome to My Life’ was blasting through my iPod as I ran. Running was my escape from the world. Whenever something went wrong, most guys would get a bunch of buddies together and hit the gym. I wasn’t like most guys though. Instead, I would grab my iPod, put my headphones in, and just ran as far as my legs would take me. Today was no different. My dad and I got into a fight, what else was new? He was freaking out because instead of being a star athlete like he was when he was my age, I was just an average guy who kept to himself. I was the kid in the back of the classroom who rode themotorcycle to school and wore the beat up leather jacket, white t-shirt, jeans, and vans everyday. I was the kid that people were afraid if they went against me or pissed me off, I would beat them up. I was "Joe Jonas". But even more than that, I was alone. I didn’t have any friends because everyone was scared of me. Most of the time, I loved it because there was less risk at losing the people you’re close to. If you don’t get close to anyone, your heart won’t be broken. It was as simple as that. But there were times when I didn’t like it so much. Sometimes it sucked when everyone would hang out and party on Friday and Saturday nights and I would just sit at home watching time go by. I wasn’t always like this. I did have friends at one point in my life. But that was before I lost the most important person in my life, my mother. From the time I was ten to just before I turned 14, she had a battle with cancer. On January 28, 2008, the cancer won and I lost my mother. Ever since that day, I made a promise to myself; a promise I would never break no matter what. Never fall in love. I was so serious about this promise that the day I turned 18, I was gonna get a tattoo of it.
As I continued running, I noticed my shoe had untied. I slowed down until my body came to a stop and bent down to tie it. My song was coming to an end but before I did, I hit the back button causing it to start again. I was gonna get up when I heard someone screaming. “S’cuse me! Pardon me. OUTTA MY WAY PEOPLE!” I looked over my shoulder to see a beautiful girl on roller skates headed my way. “Uh, dude, you may wanna get out of the way.” She yelled. By the time I realized she was talking to me, it was too late. WHAM! I was on the ground and she went down with me. I just lay there, motionless, not sure what was going on around me. That was the last thing I remember before it all went blank.
I woke up in an unfamiliar setting, a hospital. The last time I was in one was when my mother was taking her final breaths. Ever since then, I’d hated them and today was no exception. I began getting nervous and wondering why I was here. I looked around the room and my eyes stopped when I looked over at the chair which was not too far away from my bed. There she was, the girl in the roller skates. She was sitting about 5 feet away from me not paying attention to what was going on. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me jumping a little. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” “It’s okay.” She mumbled, very quietly. “So um, who are you?” I asked, curious to know. “My name’s Miley. I just moved here about a week ago. I’m a Sophomore. You’re a senior named Joe, right?” I nodded my head. “I’m sorry I ran you over with my roller skates and knocked you unconscious. I felt bad about leaving you alone on the ground until the paramedics came so I waited with you. They tried to call your dad but he was busy at work so I came instead to make sure you were okay.” I heard nothing she said after “I’m sorry I ran you over with my roller skates and knocked you unconscious.” I was too distracted by her beauty to pay attention to anything else she was saying. I assumed it was something along the lines of why she was here. Frankly, I didn’t care why she was here. I was just glad she was and I didn’t want her to leave. “Well, it’s getting late I should probably get home so my mom doesn’t worry about me.” Miley said before attempting to get up. “No. Wait.” I called after her. She was now near the doorway but turned around and looked at me. “Thanks for your help, Miley.” I said, smiling, something I rarely ever did. “Anytime, Joe. I’ll come visit you again tomorrow if that’s ok.” I nodded my head. “Great. See ya tomorrow, Joe.” She said with a huge grin before walking away.
Two weeks went by and I was finally released from the hospital. As Miley promised, she visited me the following day, and the day after that, and the day after that, and every day after that, including the day I was discharged. I walked out of my hospital room and took the elevator to the lobby and there was Miley, waiting patiently for me. She was looking in the opposite direction, a perfect chance for me to sneak up on her. I tiptoed over to her and whispered in her ear “Hello beautiful. Looking for someone special?” She jumped so high I thought she was gonna hit the ceiling. She turned around and when she saw it was me she burst out laughing. “You’re a jerk!” She yelled before gently hitting my chest repeatedly. I took her hands away from my chest and just held them while I looked at her. “Is that really any way to treat someone who was just discharged from the hospital? For an injury that YOU caused, might I add.” I joked. She laughed even more. “Come on Sir Dork. let’s get you home.” Miley said before taking my hand and leading me to her car. Home. I didn’t wanna go there. For the whole two weeks I was in the hospital, not once did my father come see me. I can’t say I’m shocked though, work was always number one in his life.
I didn’t want to go right home. I wanted to spend more time with Miley. I was getting hungry and felt in the mood for something that wasn’t hospital food. I convinced her to drive us to the local diner, Jake’s, which Miley’s dad happened to own. We went inside and Miley picked the table. We talked and laughed and had a good time. Everything was going great until Chelsea and Brad walked in. “My, my, my, if it isn’t Miley and…Joe Jonas?!” She gasped at the sight of me. I knew this wasn’t going to be good. “Yes, it is me and Joe. Is that a problem?” Miley snapped back. I was shocked. No one and I mean no one talked back to Chelsea. Especially if you were a cheerleader, like Miley. That was just unheard of. While Miley and Chelsea talked about God knows what, I slipped money on the table and walked out of the diner to my house. I didn’t want to hear all the shit they were gonna say about me.
I was released from the hospital on a Friday afternoon which gave me the whole weekend to prepare myself before stepping back into North Shore High. When Monday rolled around, I woke up that morning and put on my usual attire; my motorcycle jacket, a white t-shirt, dark wash jeans, and my vans. I went downstairs and saw my dad sitting at the table reading his paper and sipping his coffee. Reluctantly, I sat down next to him which shocked both he and myself. What started as an awkward silence, ended in us talking and laughing for an hour before my dad had to go to work. He offered to drive me to school but I declined, opting for my bike instead. “Alright, I love you son. I’ll see you when I get home from work. And bring that Miley girl here. You’ve been whining about her nonstop since you came home from the hospital so I would like to meet her.” And with that, he left. Oh crap, I was gonna have to see Miley today. I successfully avoided her for two and half days but now, there was no excuse. I had to face her whether I liked it or not. After finishing my glass of
orange juice, I went out to the garage and started my bike. Not only was I starting my bike but I was starting back up my life in Hell, or as some people
call it, school. I parked my motorcycle and put the chain on it so no one could take it and made my way inside. As I walked down the hallway, everyone’s eyes
were on me. But this was nothing new. I then realized they weren’t looking at me. They were looking behind me. She was wearing a small leather jacket, a white tank top, a jean skirt, and heels. I did a double take at the beautiful girl I was now looking at. Could it really be? “Miley?” The words accidentally left my
mouth. The girl nodded her head. What had happened to the girl who always wore skirts, nice tops, heels, and completed her outfit with a matching accessory of some sort. “Can we talk?” She asked. It was clear she was nervous. I couldn’t blame her though. People were staring at her and not because she was a
cheerleader but because she was with me, the one everyone avoided. I nodded my head and took her hand and lead her outside of the school. I stood there as
Miley paced back and forth searching for the words to get out what she wanted so badly to say. “Why did you ditch me at the diner the other day?!” “Because,
Chelsea and her boyfriend showed up. I knew you’d be embarrassed to hang out with me so I figured I’d save you the trouble of being seen with me so you
wouldn’t lose your spot on the cheer squad.” “Wow Joe. After the two weeks we’ve spent together, that’s how you think of me. I considered you to be my best
friend and then you go and make a comment like that. I am at a loss for words right now. You know what, forget what I was gonna say and just go. Leave me alone.” I didn’t want to leave her alone but I knew if I stayed, I would only make her more mad so I did as she wished and walked away. She must have thought I was out of ear shot because she began talking to herself. I slowed down my pace so I could hear her. “Selfish asshole. I take you to the hospital. Visit
you everyday. Take care of you for a few hours after you’re released. Quit the cheer squad for you.” Those last six words hit me like a gun shot. She quit the
cheer squad for me! That’s why she was dressing differently, and that’s why everyone was now staring at her. She did so much for me and what did I do for
her? Nothing. That was about to change. I stopped walking and turned around. I ran full speed towards her and she had this horrified look on her face that I was gonna kill her or knock her over or something. I did just the opposite, I picked her up and spun her around. She started giggling uncontrollably. Her laugh was the greatest sound in the world. I would do anything to hear her laugh. “Joseph! Stop spinning me, I’m gonna get sick!” She joked. I obliged to her and gently set her down. She looked up at me and I looked down at her. I took the lead and slowly leaned in towards her. When I felt her get up on her tiptoes and bring her face near mine as well, I was so happy. I thought she would have turned her head which would only give me contact to her cheek or push me away but no, I was kissing her and she was kissing back. When she pulled away, the first thing I did was search her face for any and all emotion. The only one she was showing was happiness. We just kissed and she was happy? She wasn’t repulsed? Miley slowly leaned back in and I gladly accepted her lips once again. The school bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. We pulled away and made our way to the building. Miley intertwined our fingers and I looked down at her, she looked so happy. I kissed the top of her head and she blushed a little. As we walked down the hallway, the stares continued, like always. “Joe, they’re looking at us.” Miley stated the obvious. “Welcome to my life.” I joked and Miley laughed. I walked her to her first period class before kissing her goodbye until lunch. I told her how my dad wanted to meet her and she gladly agreed. The warning bell rang which meant I needed to sprint if I was gonna get to my class on time. I gave her one more kiss before running down the hall. I sat through first period, very eager to go to lunch and even more eager for Miley and dad to meet. When lunch arrived, I sat at my usual spot, in the back corner by myself. I saw Miley walk in and her friends called her over to sit with them but she declined and sat by me. “Hey cutie.” She said before kissing my cheek. I couldn’t believe this. She actually wanted to be near me and seen with me. She wasn’t afraid to kiss me in public. I was now grinning. “You seem happy.” Miley said before taking a sip of her Diet Coke. “I just can’t figure this out. You were absolutely perfect but you were willing to give up your social status and parties to be with me. That’s just amazing.” Miley rested her head on my shoulder. “There’s some things that are worth losing everything for. You just have to figure out what those things are.” I put my arm around Miley and kissed her head. “So what’s your dad like?” “He’s a lawyer so he spends most of his time in his office. Before my mom died, we were as close as it could get. Our plan was I would go to school on an athletic scholarship. But after mom died, I changed and became who I am today which dad didn’t like. We would argue all the time but the weirdest thing happened, today, we actually had a civil conversation for the first time in years. Then before he went to work, he told me he loves me.” “Aww, Joey bear, that’s soo cute!” I loved when Miley talked all mushy. If any other girl did it, it would piss me the fuck off but when she did it, it was cute. Soon though, lunch came to an end and so did the day. I waited by Miley’s last period class for her to leave. I couldn’t get over how cute she looked in her outfit. “Hi babe.” Miley said before leaning up waiting for me to lean down and kiss her which I did. “Hello beautiful. You ready to go meet my dad?” I asked. She eagerly nodded her head and we walked over to my bike. “We’re taking the bike?” I nodded my head, nervous of her response. She squealed with excitement and ran on to it. I gave her a helmet and put mine on as well. We drove off to my house and it finally hit me, Miley was going to meet my dad. To my surprise, dad was home and Ricardo, the chef, was at work in the kitchen preparing a meal. While we waited for the food to be ready, Miley and I hung out outside by the pool. It was now 3:30 and the food was done. I escorted Miley to the dining room, where we only ate for special occasions, and helped her get situated at her seat. The food was served and the conversation that afternoon was actually enjoyable. We talked about everything from sports to music. You could tell from the way my dad was acting, he was thrilled with Miley and really liked her. We finished eating at 5ish and I decided to take Miley to the beach which wasn’t too far from my house. We walked there and made small talk as we walked along the shore. There was something on my mind from that morning up until now and I knew now was the time to get it off my chest. I stopped walking and Miley did too. “Miley, can I ask you something?” I was so nervous. “Of course you can. You can ask me anything. You should know that.” “Are we, you know t-t-together?” I shouldn’t have said anything because Miley’s face went from smiling like an angel to dead serious. “I don’t know Joe. I should be asking you that.” What was that supposed to mean? I knew what it meant, well, I thought I did. I was gonna take a risk. I took Miley’s hands in mine. “Miley, will you be my girlfriend?” The big smile on her face from before had now returned and she nodded her head so much I thought she was going to get whiplash. I couldn’t believe it. I, Joseph Jonas, had a girlfriend! I picked Miley up and spun her around while kissing her. I was the happiest I had been in a while.
**Two months later**
“Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don’t belong and no one understands you. Do you ever wanna run away? Do you lock yourself in your room with the radio on, turned up so loud that no one hears you screaming?” Simple Plan’s ‘Welcome to My Life’ was blasting through my iPod as I ran. Running was my escape from the world. Whenever something went wrong, most guys would get a bunch of buddies together and hit the gym. I wasn’t like most guys though. Instead, I would grab my iPod, put my headphones in, and just ran as far as my legs would take me. Today was no different, I was under pressure from applying to colleges and I just wanted to run and clear my mind. It was going well, or so I thought until I heard a familiar voice calling me. “Joseph Jonas, pick up the pace!” “I’m coming Miley, damn!” I joked. I caught up to her and we both started laughing. I leaned down and Miley leaned up and our lips connected in a soft, sweet, and simple kiss. It was moments like these I cherished. “Oh, I meant to tell you, Brianna’s having a party this weekend and wanted to know if we were going.” Miley said. I pretended to think on it. “Of course!” Ever since Miley and I became a couple, people gained a new respect for me. I was no longer the weird kid in the back corner of the classroom who rode the motorcycle to school and wore the beat up leather jacket, white t-shirt, jeans, and vans everyday. I was no longer the kid that people were afraid if they went against me or pissed me off, I would beat them up. I was just Joe Jonas. And that was good enough for me. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Miley who was now twirling around for some reason. I didn’t want to say anything though because she looked so happy. “What in the world are you doing Miles?” “Just being myself.” I chuckled and she gave me a look. “What’s so funny?” She asked. “Nothing, it’s just, you’re so cute. And, I love you.” “Aww, Joey, I love you too!” That was the first time I ever said those words to a girl and I was happy my first time was with someone I really loved and cared about and would do anything for, Miley.
As I continued running, I noticed my shoe had untied. I slowed down until my body came to a stop and bent down to tie it. My song was coming to an end but before I did, I hit the back button causing it to start again. I was gonna get up when I heard someone screaming. “S’cuse me! Pardon me. OUTTA MY WAY PEOPLE!” I looked over my shoulder to see a beautiful girl on roller skates headed my way. “Uh, dude, you may wanna get out of the way.” She yelled. By the time I realized she was talking to me, it was too late. WHAM! I was on the ground and she went down with me. I just lay there, motionless, not sure what was going on around me. That was the last thing I remember before it all went blank.
I woke up in an unfamiliar setting, a hospital. The last time I was in one was when my mother was taking her final breaths. Ever since then, I’d hated them and today was no exception. I began getting nervous and wondering why I was here. I looked around the room and my eyes stopped when I looked over at the chair which was not too far away from my bed. There she was, the girl in the roller skates. She was sitting about 5 feet away from me not paying attention to what was going on. I cleared my throat and she looked up at me jumping a little. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” “It’s okay.” She mumbled, very quietly. “So um, who are you?” I asked, curious to know. “My name’s Miley. I just moved here about a week ago. I’m a Sophomore. You’re a senior named Joe, right?” I nodded my head. “I’m sorry I ran you over with my roller skates and knocked you unconscious. I felt bad about leaving you alone on the ground until the paramedics came so I waited with you. They tried to call your dad but he was busy at work so I came instead to make sure you were okay.” I heard nothing she said after “I’m sorry I ran you over with my roller skates and knocked you unconscious.” I was too distracted by her beauty to pay attention to anything else she was saying. I assumed it was something along the lines of why she was here. Frankly, I didn’t care why she was here. I was just glad she was and I didn’t want her to leave. “Well, it’s getting late I should probably get home so my mom doesn’t worry about me.” Miley said before attempting to get up. “No. Wait.” I called after her. She was now near the doorway but turned around and looked at me. “Thanks for your help, Miley.” I said, smiling, something I rarely ever did. “Anytime, Joe. I’ll come visit you again tomorrow if that’s ok.” I nodded my head. “Great. See ya tomorrow, Joe.” She said with a huge grin before walking away.
Two weeks went by and I was finally released from the hospital. As Miley promised, she visited me the following day, and the day after that, and the day after that, and every day after that, including the day I was discharged. I walked out of my hospital room and took the elevator to the lobby and there was Miley, waiting patiently for me. She was looking in the opposite direction, a perfect chance for me to sneak up on her. I tiptoed over to her and whispered in her ear “Hello beautiful. Looking for someone special?” She jumped so high I thought she was gonna hit the ceiling. She turned around and when she saw it was me she burst out laughing. “You’re a jerk!” She yelled before gently hitting my chest repeatedly. I took her hands away from my chest and just held them while I looked at her. “Is that really any way to treat someone who was just discharged from the hospital? For an injury that YOU caused, might I add.” I joked. She laughed even more. “Come on Sir Dork. let’s get you home.” Miley said before taking my hand and leading me to her car. Home. I didn’t wanna go there. For the whole two weeks I was in the hospital, not once did my father come see me. I can’t say I’m shocked though, work was always number one in his life.
I didn’t want to go right home. I wanted to spend more time with Miley. I was getting hungry and felt in the mood for something that wasn’t hospital food. I convinced her to drive us to the local diner, Jake’s, which Miley’s dad happened to own. We went inside and Miley picked the table. We talked and laughed and had a good time. Everything was going great until Chelsea and Brad walked in. “My, my, my, if it isn’t Miley and…Joe Jonas?!” She gasped at the sight of me. I knew this wasn’t going to be good. “Yes, it is me and Joe. Is that a problem?” Miley snapped back. I was shocked. No one and I mean no one talked back to Chelsea. Especially if you were a cheerleader, like Miley. That was just unheard of. While Miley and Chelsea talked about God knows what, I slipped money on the table and walked out of the diner to my house. I didn’t want to hear all the shit they were gonna say about me.
I was released from the hospital on a Friday afternoon which gave me the whole weekend to prepare myself before stepping back into North Shore High. When Monday rolled around, I woke up that morning and put on my usual attire; my motorcycle jacket, a white t-shirt, dark wash jeans, and my vans. I went downstairs and saw my dad sitting at the table reading his paper and sipping his coffee. Reluctantly, I sat down next to him which shocked both he and myself. What started as an awkward silence, ended in us talking and laughing for an hour before my dad had to go to work. He offered to drive me to school but I declined, opting for my bike instead. “Alright, I love you son. I’ll see you when I get home from work. And bring that Miley girl here. You’ve been whining about her nonstop since you came home from the hospital so I would like to meet her.” And with that, he left. Oh crap, I was gonna have to see Miley today. I successfully avoided her for two and half days but now, there was no excuse. I had to face her whether I liked it or not. After finishing my glass of
orange juice, I went out to the garage and started my bike. Not only was I starting my bike but I was starting back up my life in Hell, or as some people
call it, school. I parked my motorcycle and put the chain on it so no one could take it and made my way inside. As I walked down the hallway, everyone’s eyes
were on me. But this was nothing new. I then realized they weren’t looking at me. They were looking behind me. She was wearing a small leather jacket, a white tank top, a jean skirt, and heels. I did a double take at the beautiful girl I was now looking at. Could it really be? “Miley?” The words accidentally left my
mouth. The girl nodded her head. What had happened to the girl who always wore skirts, nice tops, heels, and completed her outfit with a matching accessory of some sort. “Can we talk?” She asked. It was clear she was nervous. I couldn’t blame her though. People were staring at her and not because she was a
cheerleader but because she was with me, the one everyone avoided. I nodded my head and took her hand and lead her outside of the school. I stood there as
Miley paced back and forth searching for the words to get out what she wanted so badly to say. “Why did you ditch me at the diner the other day?!” “Because,
Chelsea and her boyfriend showed up. I knew you’d be embarrassed to hang out with me so I figured I’d save you the trouble of being seen with me so you
wouldn’t lose your spot on the cheer squad.” “Wow Joe. After the two weeks we’ve spent together, that’s how you think of me. I considered you to be my best
friend and then you go and make a comment like that. I am at a loss for words right now. You know what, forget what I was gonna say and just go. Leave me alone.” I didn’t want to leave her alone but I knew if I stayed, I would only make her more mad so I did as she wished and walked away. She must have thought I was out of ear shot because she began talking to herself. I slowed down my pace so I could hear her. “Selfish asshole. I take you to the hospital. Visit
you everyday. Take care of you for a few hours after you’re released. Quit the cheer squad for you.” Those last six words hit me like a gun shot. She quit the
cheer squad for me! That’s why she was dressing differently, and that’s why everyone was now staring at her. She did so much for me and what did I do for
her? Nothing. That was about to change. I stopped walking and turned around. I ran full speed towards her and she had this horrified look on her face that I was gonna kill her or knock her over or something. I did just the opposite, I picked her up and spun her around. She started giggling uncontrollably. Her laugh was the greatest sound in the world. I would do anything to hear her laugh. “Joseph! Stop spinning me, I’m gonna get sick!” She joked. I obliged to her and gently set her down. She looked up at me and I looked down at her. I took the lead and slowly leaned in towards her. When I felt her get up on her tiptoes and bring her face near mine as well, I was so happy. I thought she would have turned her head which would only give me contact to her cheek or push me away but no, I was kissing her and she was kissing back. When she pulled away, the first thing I did was search her face for any and all emotion. The only one she was showing was happiness. We just kissed and she was happy? She wasn’t repulsed? Miley slowly leaned back in and I gladly accepted her lips once again. The school bell rang, signaling the start of the school day. We pulled away and made our way to the building. Miley intertwined our fingers and I looked down at her, she looked so happy. I kissed the top of her head and she blushed a little. As we walked down the hallway, the stares continued, like always. “Joe, they’re looking at us.” Miley stated the obvious. “Welcome to my life.” I joked and Miley laughed. I walked her to her first period class before kissing her goodbye until lunch. I told her how my dad wanted to meet her and she gladly agreed. The warning bell rang which meant I needed to sprint if I was gonna get to my class on time. I gave her one more kiss before running down the hall. I sat through first period, very eager to go to lunch and even more eager for Miley and dad to meet. When lunch arrived, I sat at my usual spot, in the back corner by myself. I saw Miley walk in and her friends called her over to sit with them but she declined and sat by me. “Hey cutie.” She said before kissing my cheek. I couldn’t believe this. She actually wanted to be near me and seen with me. She wasn’t afraid to kiss me in public. I was now grinning. “You seem happy.” Miley said before taking a sip of her Diet Coke. “I just can’t figure this out. You were absolutely perfect but you were willing to give up your social status and parties to be with me. That’s just amazing.” Miley rested her head on my shoulder. “There’s some things that are worth losing everything for. You just have to figure out what those things are.” I put my arm around Miley and kissed her head. “So what’s your dad like?” “He’s a lawyer so he spends most of his time in his office. Before my mom died, we were as close as it could get. Our plan was I would go to school on an athletic scholarship. But after mom died, I changed and became who I am today which dad didn’t like. We would argue all the time but the weirdest thing happened, today, we actually had a civil conversation for the first time in years. Then before he went to work, he told me he loves me.” “Aww, Joey bear, that’s soo cute!” I loved when Miley talked all mushy. If any other girl did it, it would piss me the fuck off but when she did it, it was cute. Soon though, lunch came to an end and so did the day. I waited by Miley’s last period class for her to leave. I couldn’t get over how cute she looked in her outfit. “Hi babe.” Miley said before leaning up waiting for me to lean down and kiss her which I did. “Hello beautiful. You ready to go meet my dad?” I asked. She eagerly nodded her head and we walked over to my bike. “We’re taking the bike?” I nodded my head, nervous of her response. She squealed with excitement and ran on to it. I gave her a helmet and put mine on as well. We drove off to my house and it finally hit me, Miley was going to meet my dad. To my surprise, dad was home and Ricardo, the chef, was at work in the kitchen preparing a meal. While we waited for the food to be ready, Miley and I hung out outside by the pool. It was now 3:30 and the food was done. I escorted Miley to the dining room, where we only ate for special occasions, and helped her get situated at her seat. The food was served and the conversation that afternoon was actually enjoyable. We talked about everything from sports to music. You could tell from the way my dad was acting, he was thrilled with Miley and really liked her. We finished eating at 5ish and I decided to take Miley to the beach which wasn’t too far from my house. We walked there and made small talk as we walked along the shore. There was something on my mind from that morning up until now and I knew now was the time to get it off my chest. I stopped walking and Miley did too. “Miley, can I ask you something?” I was so nervous. “Of course you can. You can ask me anything. You should know that.” “Are we, you know t-t-together?” I shouldn’t have said anything because Miley’s face went from smiling like an angel to dead serious. “I don’t know Joe. I should be asking you that.” What was that supposed to mean? I knew what it meant, well, I thought I did. I was gonna take a risk. I took Miley’s hands in mine. “Miley, will you be my girlfriend?” The big smile on her face from before had now returned and she nodded her head so much I thought she was going to get whiplash. I couldn’t believe it. I, Joseph Jonas, had a girlfriend! I picked Miley up and spun her around while kissing her. I was the happiest I had been in a while.
**Two months later**
“Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don’t belong and no one understands you. Do you ever wanna run away? Do you lock yourself in your room with the radio on, turned up so loud that no one hears you screaming?” Simple Plan’s ‘Welcome to My Life’ was blasting through my iPod as I ran. Running was my escape from the world. Whenever something went wrong, most guys would get a bunch of buddies together and hit the gym. I wasn’t like most guys though. Instead, I would grab my iPod, put my headphones in, and just ran as far as my legs would take me. Today was no different, I was under pressure from applying to colleges and I just wanted to run and clear my mind. It was going well, or so I thought until I heard a familiar voice calling me. “Joseph Jonas, pick up the pace!” “I’m coming Miley, damn!” I joked. I caught up to her and we both started laughing. I leaned down and Miley leaned up and our lips connected in a soft, sweet, and simple kiss. It was moments like these I cherished. “Oh, I meant to tell you, Brianna’s having a party this weekend and wanted to know if we were going.” Miley said. I pretended to think on it. “Of course!” Ever since Miley and I became a couple, people gained a new respect for me. I was no longer the weird kid in the back corner of the classroom who rode the motorcycle to school and wore the beat up leather jacket, white t-shirt, jeans, and vans everyday. I was no longer the kid that people were afraid if they went against me or pissed me off, I would beat them up. I was just Joe Jonas. And that was good enough for me. I was snapped out of my thoughts by Miley who was now twirling around for some reason. I didn’t want to say anything though because she looked so happy. “What in the world are you doing Miles?” “Just being myself.” I chuckled and she gave me a look. “What’s so funny?” She asked. “Nothing, it’s just, you’re so cute. And, I love you.” “Aww, Joey, I love you too!” That was the first time I ever said those words to a girl and I was happy my first time was with someone I really loved and cared about and would do anything for, Miley.