Olivers P O V

"Cudlems where are you?" I asked. I was spending another afternoon playing hide and go seek with my gerbil. My dog always won so I decided I would try to play with my gerbil, but so far he just goes onto his exercise wheel and sleeps. he actually sleeps in his exercise wheel. Don't ask why, but if I had one, I probably would too. It looks like fun to me anyways.

"Cudlems don't make me play with your bushy little tail," I warned. He squeaked and went back into his tunnel where I couldn't get to him.

"Uh! Cudlems! I'm gonna trade you in for a ferret," I said giving up.

"We always don't agree on what is the best way, to get to the place that we're going from here," my phone sang. I picked it up. The caller ID said Jake.

"Hey Jake," I answered.

"Hey Oliver, what are you doing today?" he asked.

"Trying to get my gerbil to play hide and go seek," I said. "I need a ferret."

"Well, you wanna go to the mall with Lilly and Miley and me?" he asked.

When I heard Lilly was going my heart almost beat out of my chest.

"Yeah I guess," I said trying to sound calm, but inside I was screaming in joy of going to the mall with Lily.

"Cool. My driver will pick you up in a few," he said.

"Okay," I said calmly. But as soon as I hung up I changed into some clothes that Lilly would like. I was hoping she would anyway. One of these days I promise I will tell Lilly that I like her. But she's going out with Jake, so that would get him mad at me, and he's like, my best buddy. I finally have a friend who I don't have to talk about bras with. Uh! I shuddered.

"Goin somewhere Oliver?" someone asked behind me. I turned to see my older sister Courtney. She was Jacksons age, and thought that she was all that, but she wasn't. Jackson told me.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"I thought I would tell you that your swim trunks are in the dryer," she said.

"Oh. Thanks," I said. I started leaving my room to get them and passed her in the doorway. "Mrs. Stewart."

I always gave her crap about liking Jackson, even though it was Jackson who liked her. Jackson may think that she isn't all that, but apparantly that is what he likes about her.

"You are so dead you little wormbrat!" she yelled trying to get me. I ran down the hallway and down the stairs to the laundry room and slammed the door behind me.

"Fine, you may get away from me, but I can still call Lilly and tell her how much you love her," she teased.

"I do not love Lilly!" I said.

"Whatever wormbrat. You like her just as much as I like Jackson," she said. I guess she is totally in love with her.

I climbed out the window after getting my trunks, and ran down to the beach. Jake and Miley and Lilly were already there.

"Hey Oliver I didn't know if you were comin," Jake said.

"My sister, uh, it's complicated," I said.

"My brother thinks that your sister likes him," Miley said.

"Mine too," Lilly said.

"Eew. The only person she likes is her self," I said.

Miley and Lilly giggled.

"So, you ready to swim man?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, I just gotta go change," I said.

When I went into the bathroom to change. I looked at my scar on my arm from when I was younger. It was when I pushed Lilly out of the way from a big bully back in preschool. He punched me and I fell into the playground equipment, and it bleed all over the place. when it stopped and it was cleaned up with a band aid Lilly kissed it. I felt my fingers over it, remembering how easy things where back then with her. Now she's a young woman, and things are three times as complicated no matter how big that scar is.

"Okay ready," I said when I was done and met back up with everyone.

"Cool. Can we play chicken?" Miley asked.

"Fine but I have to play Jake atleast once," Lilly said getting an evil grin on her face.

"I wouldn't want to embarrass you by kicking your butt so fast," he said.

"Dream on lover boy!" she grinned.

"Ladies!" I shouted getting a playful glare from Jake. "Let's just go kick some butt."

They shrugged and we went out to the water until the water level was a little below our chests. I was on Jakes shoulders playing Miley first.

"You're goin down Smokin Oken," she said.

"Miles o' smiles, I think you are sadly mistaken," I said.

"Go!" Lilly declared.

I reached out and pushed Miley off of Lillys shoulders like it was the easiest thing since counting your fingers for homework.

"Oken, you just had a lucky shot," she said.

"Uh huh. Who's next?" I asked.

"Me! I wanna play Jake now," Lilly said.

I smiled. This was going to be good. Jake would have her so easily. I went under water allowing Jake to sit on my shoulders. We got up way easily than Miley and Lilly did. After Jake and I pretended to be ingaged in a good debate on whether clowns liked yellow or electric blue better, Lilly was ready.

"Okay, go on go," she said.

"Go!" I declared.

Lilly locked her fingers into Jakes and they battled it out for a little. Jake was obviously letting her win. All of a sudden he caught her off guard and she splashed into the water.

"Yes!" he said in victory.

"Lucky push," Lilly said in defeat.

"So now it's Lilly and Oliver," Miley said. Lilly got on Jakes shoulders and I was on Mileys. I'm sure Lilly was happy about that. I should've farted while on Jakes shoulders for taking my girl. Not even he or Miley knew about my crush.

"You are so dead Oken," she said giving me the eye.

"Really Mrs. Lilly Vanilly?" I asked. I remember when I gave her that nickname. It makes me feel happy since she likes it. She got it one day when she had vanilla ice cream and it managed to get all on her face. That was probably when we were nine.

"Oh yeah Oken," she challenged.

"Go!" Jake said.

I immeidiatly grabbed her shoulders, something she didn't expect, causing her to loose balance.

"Holy!" she shouted trying to grab onto something before defeatingly splashing in the water. Should I have let her win? No. This makes her want to play me so she can win.

"Ha!" I boasted.

"You suck Oken!" she laughed.

"Is that why I won Mrs. Vanilly?" I asked.

Miley giggled.

About an hour later of playing chicken, marco polo (which I suck at by the way) and just chillin out, we had to get home for dinner. I gathered my stuff up from the beach after drying off a little bit.

"bye Oliver," Lilly said when I dried off.

"Bye Lilly," I said.

"Hey wait let me give you a big, wet, sticky hug," she said spreading her arms out. Any other time I would've been okay with it. I ran away from her, and she stopped eventually but went into a fit of giggles.

I got back to my house and decided to crawl through my laundry room window because the door was probably still locked from earlier. I opened it up, but I heard voices inside talking about something serious so I decided maybe to listen for a while.

"We have to tell the kids sometime," someone said. It was my parents. They were talking about me, Courtney, and my little brother Cody (he's eight).

"I know. We've known for a week now. We have to before it gets too late. I've already put money down on our new house, and called movers," dad said.

Wait movers? What for? Who's movin? We ain't moving.

"Yeah. I'm sure they will be fine with Indiana in no time. Tonight at dinner," mom said. I saw mom give dad a hug when I snook around the corner enough.

"Okay. I think Oliver will take it the hardest. I'm also going to hate moving Courtney right before her senior year," dad said.

"Yeah. But we'll be fine with your new job. We'll start packing next week," mom said.

oh. my. gosh. We are moving. Away from Miley and Jake. But most important, Lilly.