Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for the kind reviews; as always, those are immensely appreciated. I seem to have touched a collective nerve with Ashley in the previous chapter. You'll see more of her as this story unfolds, I promise. There are going to be some of you out there who can already see where part of this is going, so just enjoy it when it happens, because it's poetic justice.
For my list of disclaimers, please see Chapter 1. Please take a moment to go read those disclaimers if you haven't already. Let me repeat, if reading about relationships between two consenting young adults of the same sex offends or upsets you, understand that my stories focus around such a relationship. If these relationships offend or upset you but you decide to read further anyway, then do everyone a favor and don't leave nasty comments masquerading as reviews, because you were warned. It really looks silly when someone posts a "review" about how much a chapter offended him or her but then that same person turns around and reads two or three more chapters, getting offended at each one. If you don't like it, then stop reading it! Don't call other people ugly names and threaten them just because you couldn't take the time to read an author's disclaimers and warnings. If you didn't like a chapter, then just saying so will suffice. We all came to this site of our own free will, and there are plenty of excellent stories here. If my stories aren't for you, I'm confident there are many others that would fit what you're looking for.
As I Am, I Take Thee
by Jo P.
Chapter 2: Small Steps
Some will win
Some will lose
Some are born to sing the blues
--Journey;"Don't Stop Believin'"
As Ashley walked down to the beach, she found herself even more nervous than she had been driving to Miley's house. What if they just beat me up? Well, if it happens, I guess I've earned it. I'm pretty sure Miley wouldn't do something like that, not without good reason. But Lilly... Well, Lilly's got a temper, especially when it comes to her girlfriend. I just hope she hears me out before she pounces.
As she reached the sand, she stopped and removed her sandals, holding them in her left hand as she stepped onto the warm sand, feeling it squish between her toes. This part of Malibu's beaches was always kept neat and clean, and she enjoyed the warmth under her feet and toes as she walked to the towel spread on the beach. She could see and hear Miley and Lilly playing in the ocean as she got closer, and finally she was near enough for them to see her. "Hey Miley, Lilly!" Ashley said, trying to make her voice as friendly as possible as she waved to them. As they started swimming back toward shore, Ashley gingerly sat down on the large beach towel, being careful to not get sand on her dress.
Miley looked like she was going to be the first one out of the surf as she stood where the water was waist-high, but Lilly surged forward, riding a wave past Miley to be the first one out. Ashley was watching their faces under her sunglasses, and she clearly saw Miley take a good long look at Lilly's butt as Lilly stood and began walking in. Weird. Oh well, whatever works for them.
"What do you want, Ashley?" Lilly said, more than a hint of anger in her voice as she interposed herself between Ashley and Miley.
Ashley had originally taken Lilly beating Miley in to the shore as more of Lilly's well-known competitiveness, but now she realized Lilly's true motive: she was quite literally shielding her girlfriend from any possible harm Ashley might represent.
Ashley gritted her teeth. Well, I knew this wasn't going to be pleasant. She looked up at Lilly, standing roughly seven or eight feet away, water still dripping off her body as she stood, hands on her hips defiantly. "Look, I know the past between us has been ugly," she said cautiously. Lilly and Miley stood silently. Miley had taken up position directly behind Lilly, her arms wrapped around Lilly's abdomen with her hands resting on Lilly's lower stomach. "And while almost everything directed at you two initially came from Amber, I was part of it by not doing anything about it." This is harder than I thought it would be. "I wanted to say that..." It was hard to say the words she needed to with her mouth so damn dry, but she tried again. "I wanted to say that I'm... sorry for the things we did to you. To both of you."
"Wow," Lilly said.
"You can say that again," Miley added, not believing what she was hearing.
"Wow," Lilly repeated with the same inflection in her voice, earning a playful smack on her belly from Miley, which in turn brought a giggle from Lilly. "Hey, you said to do it!"
"Do you have to do everything I say?" Miley said, her smile indicating that she certainly wasn't angry in the least.
Lilly turned her head to look over her right shoulder at Miley. "Yes, I do," she said sincerely. "I love you."
Miley gave her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Love you too, and you're sweet." Miley turned to look back at Ashley, who wasn't squirming but didn't appear too comfortable at the whole situation. Still, she hadn't reacted to their little display of affection, which was a good sign. "Toss us our towels, Ashley? Please?"
Ashley retrieved the towels out of their beach bag and tossed them one after the other to Lilly. As the girls started drying off, they moved apart so as not to bump elbows. Lilly said, "So what prompted this change of heart?"
Now Ashley did look uncomfortable. She opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself. After trying again, she got out, "I've known that some of the things we've done to you two was wrong. But there are different levels of wrong. Calling you names and burying you on our Cool List were minor, but--"
"Well, minor or not, they still weren't nice," Miley interjected.
"I know," Ashley said, "but trying to get Lilly hurt at the soccer game was really wrong. I know you won't believe me when I say this, but it's true. It really was Amber's idea to do that, but--" she raised her hands for emphasis-- "I did go along with it, so it's my fault too. But after we got suspended for that, I really got in big trouble with my parents." She looked away for a minute as Miley and Lilly sat on the large towel with her, then she took off her sunglasses and looked back at them. "I lost my car for the rest of the school year, and if I get in any more trouble at school, I lose it permanently. I'd have to get a job to buy a new one, and there is no way I'm doing that."
Lilly and Miley glanced at each other, but neither made a comment.
"What made me come by here today is that Amber is starting to get obsessed with getting back at you two, and I wanted to warn you that she's got the crazy idea that you two are really Hannah Montana and Lola Luftnagle."
That got both Miley's and Lilly's attention. "Ashley say what?" Miley said, truly surprised. Lilly looked at Miley with a nervous look, but both girls maintained their composure.
"Yeah, that's just... crazy!" Lilly added. "I mean, you've seen how well I do on stage," she added, hoping Ashley would be quick to remember Lilly's attempt to sing at the freshmen talent show.
Ashley nodded her head as she said, "Yeah, exactly. I mean, Hannah is just amazing, and there's no way to hide that kind of talent. And the same for Lola. She's just the coolest on Heroes! Plus her fashion sense is really unique. Like, she can wear anything and make it work!"
Miley raised a hand to interrupt Ashley. "Okay, getting back to the crazy idea part," she said. "Whatever put this loony idea in Amber's ratty little head?"
"She said it was some look that you gave Lilly during lunch. She said she saw that exact same look on that special on Hannah and Lola the other night."
Lilly quickly said, "Well, I think lots of people madly in love with each other give their partners looks like that all the time." She reached out and gently stroked Miley's left cheek with her right hand. "Especially when their girlfriend's this beautiful."
Miley gently captured Lilly's hand and held it. "Aww, you are so sweet, Lil. Thank you," she said as she looked into Lilly's eyes.
"You're welcome," Lilly responded. She turned back to Ashley and asked, "And what part are you playing in this?"
Ashley looked surprised. "I'm not playing anything with her anymore!" she said abruptly. "She's stuck-up, she's hateful and she's mean. Being around her used to be fun, but now it's just a pain in my butt. I never get to have a good time, I never get to do anything unless it's with her, and I am OVER IT!"
Miley and Lilly both pulled back slightly at Ashley's mini-rant. She looked at each other and silently agreed that she definitely seemed quite sincere. "Okay, Ashley," Miley said. "Thank you for telling us this so we'll be ready for her latest little attempt to make our lives hell."
Lilly looked closely at Ashley for several seconds before she spoke, "Ashley, I remember when we were in elementary school, before you started hanging out with Amber. You were a sweet person and you were smarter than you gave yourself credit for." She gingerly took Ashley's hand, and surprisingly Ashley didn't try to pull away. "I hope you can get away from Amber, because I think that you lost yourself somewhere along the way. You need to find that good person that you used to be, because she's still in there somewhere."
Ashley blinked twice and tears rolled her cheeks. "How can you say something like that to me?" she whispered. "After all the things Amber and I did to you two, how can you not hate me?"
"Because we're not good at hating people," Miley said honestly. "We don't like you very much, but that might be changing." Ashley was wiping her eyes with her fingers as Miley handed her a clean towel. "We really appreciate you telling us this. Really. And while I didn't know you until I moved here, I know enough to trust Lilly. If she thinks there's good in you, then there is." Miley smiled as Ashley's tears slowed and stopped. "Maybe we can try to be friends?"
Ashley nodded. "I think... I think I'd like that."
Lilly squeezed Miley's hand in approval. "You have to get away and stay away from Amber, Ashley. She'll try to suck you back in and make you a part of this crazy idea of hers. What is she planning exactly?"
"I don't know, she didn't tell me. But knowing her, she'll do whatever it is in front of the whole school during the Hannah concert Wednesday. She likes an audience."
"Makes sense," Lilly said, looking at Miley. "She's nuts! I mean, she's going to get expelled if she pulls something on us. Remember what the school super said last year?" Left unsaid was Lilly's concern that Amber might actually succeed in proving Miley to be Hannah Montana.
Miley nodded. "Yeah, but that just means she'll be swingin' for the fences. We need to be really careful during the concert." Sensing Lilly's true concern, Miley added, "I'll have Daddy tell the record company to make sure Hannah has enough security there, so nothing happens to her in case Amber flips out when she sees that neither of us is Hannah Montana." And I have just the plan to make sure the whole school sees that she's wrong.
"We need to get back up to the house and eat dinner," Lilly said, looking at the watch in their beach bag. "You want to walk back up to the house with us?" she asked Ashley.
"Sure," said Ashley, unconvincingly.
The three girls walked up the beach, Miley and Lilly slightly in front and Ashley trailing slightly behind. Ashley watched how Miley and Lilly were playfully pushing each other, laughing as they walked on ahead. Eventually the playing gave way to holding hands, and Ashley had to admit that they really did act like any other couple in love. I'm just not attracted to that. But I don't have to be. I wonder if they're uncomfortable being around boy-girl couples. I did see them at that bowling alley with Kaela and Miley's brother and another couple. "Are you two, you know, creeped out when you're around boys with girls? You know, like on a group date or at school?"
They had reached the deck of the Stewart house, and Miley and Lilly kicked off their flip-flops and began washing the sand off their feet with the hose. Lilly looked up at Ashley and said, "No. Why should we be? None of us can help who we fall in love with."
Miley finished washing her feet and stepped up onto the deck, wiping her feet on one of the doormats. "Ashley, Lilly and I dated boys for several years, remember? And neither of us has ever really had feelings for another girl. It's just that we fell in love with each other." She looked at Lilly, who had now also stepped up onto the deck and began drying her feet. "And now that I have Lilly, I could never truly love anyone else. She's perfect for me," Miley added with a loving look at her fiancée.
Lilly leaned over and kissed Miley lightly on the lips. "And I feel the same way." She turned to Ashley. "Ashley, it's all about acceptance. We accept that you have a crush on Gary Mendes--"
"I do not!" Ashley said loudly, but it didn't slow Lilly down at all.
"--and that's cool with us," she finished.
"Ashley," Miley said, stepping forward to pat her left shoulder lightly, "thank you so much for telling us about Amber's loony idea. But we need to go eat dinner." On cue, Lilly's stomach growled softly.
"Oops," Lilly said with a giggle. "See you at school tomorrow, Ashley." She took Miley's hand as she said, "After you, Miles," opening the door for Miley. Lilly followed Miley inside and softly closed the door, giving Ashley a quick wave before she turned around.
"Bye," Ashley said to the closed door, almost too faint to hear. She turned and walked back to her car, her brain processing the conversation of the last half hour as she slowly drove home. They're right about Amber. I'm done with that witch. But can I stand up to her? She slapped her steering wheel in anger. "Dammit, if those two girls could stand up to Amber and me both, then I can sure as hell stand up to Amber!"
Dinner stood no chance against Lilly's appetite, and it was vanquished in short order. "Wow, that was great, Mr. Stewart," Lilly said as she leaned back in her chair. Miley stood up and kissed Lilly on top of her head as she took her plate to the sink. "I didn't leave much to clean off, Miles," Lilly said proudly.
Miley looked at the empty plate. "Uh, no. You didn't." She held it up, making a show of examining its surface. "Did you lick this plate to get it so clean?" A wadded-up napkin lightly smacked the side of her head.
"Ha ha," Lilly said sarcastically. "No, I didn't." But I can sure thing of something I'd like to lick. She fixed Miley with a look that radiated heat across the room, and right at that time Miley turned to say something to Lilly.
Oh no. I know what that look means. Miley felt the back of her neck tingle as it began to heat up from both the desire in Lilly's eyes and her own need for Lilly. Oh girl, you're burnin' me up! Miley had intended to get her own plate, but she was flexible. "Lilly! We forgot about that... Science test!" she said hurriedly. "We have to go over it now!" She took off toward the stairs. "Daddy, leave the table like it is, we'll clean it up in about thirty minutes!"
Lilly began backing away from the table as she stammered, "Oh, yeah, as soon as we're, um, we're done with the..."
"The Science test!" Miley hissed from the foot of the stairs.
"Right, the Science test!" Lilly said. As she reached the foot of the stairs, Miley reached down and grabbed Lilly by her right arm, pulling her up the steps. "Hey, don't rip my arm out of its socket!" Lilly said loudly as they disappeared up the stairs.
Twenty minutes later, the impromptu "study session" was over, as both girls lay spent on the bed, with Miley sprawled across Lilly's body as the radio played loudly. "That was...," Lilly said softly, trying to find the right words as she idly played with Miley's thick chestnut brown hair, spilling across Miley's back and around Lilly's chest. Miley smiled silently as she looked in Lilly's eyes, awaiting the end of Lilly's statement. Lilly's soft blue eyes sparkled as she proudly said, "That was perfect." She gently pulled Miley's mouth down and kissed her warmly.
As they separated, Lilly flicked her tongue up and lightly licked Miley's lower lip, prompting a sudden shudder from her lover. "You like that?" Lilly said with a grin.
"You know it, girlfriend," Miley said happily. "But we need to go down and finish clearing the table. You need to get back to your parents' house." She glanced up at the clock on their dresser. "It's already nine."
"Yeah, you're right," Lilly said. She gave Miley another kiss, then she let Miley stand up. As Miley stood, her now unruly hair fell around her chest, making Lilly smile even more. "Miley, you are just gorgeous," Lilly said. "I'm so lucky to have you."
Miley smiled and took Lilly's hand, helping her stand. She gently brushed Lilly's hair back over her shoulders, admiring the way Lilly's braids accentuated the natural glowing beauty of her hair. "Just like I'm lucky to have you, sweetheart," she said. "Now get dressed." She tossed Lilly her bra and began looking for her own.
Lilly retrieved their panties from the other side of the bed. "Miles," she said, getting Miley's attention so she could toss Miley her panties. "I think I tossed it thataway," Lilly said, pointing toward the window.
Miley stepped into her underwear and walked over in the direction of the window. "It'd be easier to find if you turned on the light," she grumbled.
"Hello! No bra? In front of our window? You see the problem here?" Lilly said as she fastened her own bra.
"Aha!" Miley said as she bent and retrieved her missing article of clothing from behind the pink beanbag. She proudly stood and slipped it on. "Okay, Bra Tosser, will you hand me my shirt please?" she said teasingly.
Lilly passed Miley her pajamas instead. "You need these, hon."
"Oh. Yeah, I guess I do."
Lilly pulled her pants up and buttoned them. "Okay hon, walk me to the door?" she said as she tugged her shirt back on.
"Always," Miley said as she took Lilly's hand. "What do you think we should do about Amber?"
"Well, I have an idea," Lilly said with a grin.
Miley mirrored her grin. "Does your idea start with Lu- and end with -anne?"
"Yup," Lilly said with a nod. "You gonna check and see if she can come out a day early?"
"I'm on it, girlfriend," Miley said. They walked downstairs and saw that the table had already been cleared. "Daddy!" Miley said to her father, sitting on the couch watching television. "You were supposed to leave that for us to clean up."
"I figured it'd be okay to let your girls off this time," Robbie Ray without turning around.
Lilly walked over to him and gave him a hug from behind as she leaned over the couch. "Thanks," she said, then she gave him a kiss on the head. "Are you gonna be able to deal with both of us living here?" she asked playfully.
Robbie Ray glanced back over his shoulder at Lilly. "Oh yeah," he said eagerly. "Twice the work will get done around the house then!"
Lilly tousled his hair lightly as she stood back up. "Stinker," she said with a smile. She walked over to the back door, meeting Miley there. "Good night sweetheart."
Miley claimed a quick kiss as Lilly opened the door. "Night hon. Call me when you get home."
"I always do," Lilly said as she stepped outside. "Night," she said as she opened the car door.
"Night," Miley said softly. She watched with the door slightly ajar until Lilly had started the car and was backing out, then she closed the door and walked over the couch. She plopped down beside her father with a sigh. When she got no response, she sighed again, louder this time.
Robbie Ray turned to look at his daughter. "Something botherin' you, Miles?" he said with a mockingly curious voice.
Miley sat leaning forward, her head resting on her hands. "It's silly," she muttered.
"Must not be that silly if it's botherin' you."
She sat up and turned to face her father. "I still miss Lilly on school nights. I mean, less than a week and we won't have to spend the night apart any more, but even knowing that I still miss her tonight." She ran her hands through her thick hair. "I mean, she just left! How can I be missing her already?"
Robbie Ray looked at his daughter, and something he never, ever expected happened.
"Daddy?" Miley said, concern in her voice. "Why... Why are you crying?"
"I'm not cryin'," Robbie Ray said as he rubbed his eyes. "Just got something in my eye." She's grown up. On the surface, it was a silly thought. Miley was newly seventeen, but she hadn't been a child for a long time. And she still had some ways to go before fully being an adult. But now, with marriage just days away, he realized his little girl had become a young woman some time back.
Miley leaned over and hugged her father tightly. "Daddy, thank you. For everything you've done for Jackson and me. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for loving Lilly. And thank you for raising me to be who I am today."
"Miles, you're the one responsible for the wonderful young lady you are today. I just kinda helped you out now and then when you needed it." He hugged her tightly, at once wishing she never had to leave childhood yet proud of the woman she had become. He leaned back and looked his daughter in the eyes. "I'm proud of you, Miley. And your mother would be proud of you too."
Miley saw the wetness in his eyes, but she didn't comment or try to wipe it away. Instead she corrected him. "No, Daddy, she is proud of me."
Robbie Ray smiled again. "Right. She certainly is." He took a look at Miley and opened his mouth to say something about her mother, but he just couldn't. The memories, even years later, were still too painful, the wound still raw and painful. "I still miss her," he said, turning her face away from his daughter so she wouldn't see any more tears.
Miley put her arms her father from behind and rested her head against his back. "And I know she still misses you, Daddy. But she still loves you, I know. I can feel it."
Robbie Ray didn't turn around. Not yet. "Miles, a while back you had said that sometimes you had dreams about her. What... kind of dreams?"
Miley had been waiting on this question for over a year now, and she answered without hesitation. "Good dreams. Dreams where she tells us that she still loves us. That she still loves you and misses you. Dreams where she told Lilly and me that we were right for each other, that we were meant to be together. And dreams that tell us that we have a wonderful future ahead of us."
Robbie Ray wiped his eyes with the bottom part of his shirt, and then he turned back around. "Miley, your momma had a gift, and I think you got part of it from her. She could--"
"See things in her dreams," Miley finished. "I know." She felt her own tears trickle forth, but she held her voice steady. "I got one of my own dreams to come true," she said quietly. "I got her to meet Lilly in one of my dreams. I had wanted that for so long, and it happened last summer."
Robbie Ray looked at his daughter carefully. "Miley, you and Lilly have got somethin' real special. I can't explain it or understand it, but you two need each other. All those times when the two of you fought and went a day or two without speakin' to each other, you two were miserable. It was like all the life just drained out of you. When Lilly's around, that life comes back, stronger than ever. And it spreads to everyone around you two. Look at the change in Jackson since you and Lilly started datin'. That boy went from actin' a fool to buildin' a life for himself. He found a young lady who loves him, he started studyin' more, heck, he's goin' to college, Miles."
"Did he get in?" Miley asked, surprise in her voice.
Robbie Ray nodded. "Got the letter today from UT. I called and told him at work. He and Kaela were goin' out to celebrate, that's why he's not home yet."
A smile spread across Miley's face. "I'm so proud of him," she said sincerely.
"So am I, Miles. So am I." Robbie Ray patted his daughter on her left cheek. "When you and Lilly are together, Miles, it's kinda like the sun shinin'. Things look brighter for everyone around you." He tapped her chest, over her heart. "There's so much love and goodness in you two, it spills over and makes everyone a better person. You girls have a bond that runs deeper than anything I've ever seen, and that's why it hurts for you two to be apart." He smiled. "But you're not gonna be apart much longer, even at night." Now he sighed. "I'm getting' old, Miles," he said wistfully.
"No, Daddy," Miley said earnestly, a hint of mischief in her eyes. "You've been old for a while now," she added with a grin, then shrieked as her tickled her ribs. "Okay, okay, I take it back!" she yelled, happy to see the grin on his face. She hugged him one more time. "I love you, Daddy. Thank you for everything you've done for me. For us."
"You are welcome, Miles," he said as he held the young woman who would always be his baby girl tightly. "You are welcome."
Shortly after that conversation, Lilly did indeed call to tell Miley good night, and Miley made a call to her aunt Dolly in Nashville. It was quite late there, but Dolly understood and promised she'd have Luanne on a plane to California that evening. The next morning at school went quickly, but both Miley and Lilly remained vigilant about Amber and her plans. At lunchtime, Miley, Lilly and Oliver were eating when Kaela stopped by with a surprising companion. "Hey, musketeers," Kaela said with a smile. "I'm heading to fourth period, but do you mind if Ashley sits with you today?" Kaela and Ashley shared a homeroom, and they had been dismissed to lunch directly from there today, as it was a Tuesday.
"Sure," Miley said.
Ashley said, "Thanks," as she sat down. "I wasn't really sure where to sit today."
"It's no problem," Lilly added. "We were just talking wedding stuff." Left unsaid was exactly which wedding they had been discussing.
While the subject of Miley's and Lilly's relationship wasn't something that Ashley thought about endlessly, there were a few points that she was curious about. "So, like, how exactly is that going to happen? I mean, isn't it illegal for two women or two men to get married in the U.S.?"
Lilly swallowed, then she said, "That's why we're going to Canada to get married. It's legal up there."
"And it stays legal when we come back here," Miley added.
"Oh," Ashley said. "Wow. I didn't know that." She turned to Oliver and said, "Who are you?"
Oliver looked disheartened, but then Miley and Lilly started laughing, making him say, "It's not that funny!"
"Oh, it's pretty funny!" Miley countered, with Lilly nodded in assent, her own mouth full.
"Oliver," he said to Ashley. "Oliver Oken? We have American History together?"
"Oh. I don't really pay attention in class that much," Ashley said. "Sorry."
"It's okay," Oliver said. He forced a smile on his face as he said, "I'm glad you finally realized that Amber is just plain trouble. I always thought you used to be pretty nice back before middle school when you started hanging around with her."
Ashley looked down at her plate as she pushed her fork around the salad she had in front of her. "Yeah, I seem to have made some dumb decisions over the last few years."
"We all have," Miley said. "But as long as we learn from them, it's okay." She looked at Lilly. "I let a cute face and puppy love lead me into making what could have been the worst mistake of my life."
"And we both let being scared keep us apart for over a year," Lilly said as she piled her trash on her tray. She turned to look at Ashley. "But Ashley, we learned, just like you have. Now you get to start fresh."
"Yeah, with no friends. All of my old friends won't talk to me now. They're too scared of Amber."
Oliver, Miley and Lilly all three looked at Ashley intensely until she finally said, "What?" Then it hit her. "Oh! You mean..." All three nodded. "Really?" Ashley said, a smile creeping across her face. Another set of three nods was her answer.
"You've got friends, Ashley," Oliver said. "You just have to know where to look for them."
Ashley looked like she was about to cry. "Thanks," she said. "I need to take my tray back," she said, abruptly standing up and hurrying to drop her tray off, then she headed to the bathroom.
"I really feel bad for her," Lilly said. "But she's doing the right thing now."
Miley watched Ashley go into the bathroom as she said, "She's got lots of baggage she's carryin' around, but I think she'll be okay. Hey, wasn't Sarah looking for a partner on her latest community service project?"
"Yeah, she was," Oliver said. "Should we steer her in Ashley's direction?"
"But they're totally different!" Lilly said, then realization slowly dawned on her face. "Which is... maybe what Ashley needs right now."
"Exactly!" Miley said, a big smile on her face. "Now, any word on what Amber has planned for tomorrow?"
"Nothing," Oliver said as he shook his head. "I've got lots of people keeping an eye on her, though."
Lilly stood, prompting the other two to stand as well. "You know, maybe we're giving her too much credit here. Who's to say she isn't just planning on charging the stage during the concert?"
Miley didn't like the sound of that too much, but then she remembered something that gave her great comfort. "Sweetheart, I think Roxy can handle that approach."
"Okay, good," Lilly said with obvious relief. "But we're going have to work fast before and after the concert to get our own plans done."
"Yeah," Miley said as they in turn deposited their trays on the conveyor belt carrying them into the dishwashing room. "So we have to make sure we're in the right places. Good thing we just happen to know the setup for when and where Hannah's supposed to be." She took Lilly's hand as they and Oliver started walking to the lockers just as the bell rang. "Now we just need the last piece of the plan, and she'll be here tonight."
After school was out, Miley and Lilly were walking to their car when a sneering voice behind them said, "Well, well, if isn't the losers."
Without turning around or stopping walking, Miley said, "Get lost, Amber. We've got nothin' to say to you." But then a firm hand grabbed Miley's right wrist and spun her around. Immediately Lilly swung her backpack off her shoulder, striking Amber in the forearm and breaking her grip on Miley.
"Touch my woman again and they'll be carrying you out of this parking lot!" Lilly yelled at Amber as she moved between her and Miley.
Amber flexed her right wrist carefully, then she gave Lilly her evil grin she did so well. "My my, did I touch a nerve Truscott? Afraid someone's going to rearrange your little slut's face--"
Lilly's punch cut off the rest of Amber's insult. Her fist caught Amber squarely on the left cheek and sent her sprawling backwards onto the concrete. Miley quickly grabbed Lilly by both shoulders and began pulling her to the car. "Come on, Lilly! If we stick around here, we're all gonna get expelled!"
"Let me go, Miles! That bitch deserves this!" Lilly jerked in an attempt to slip Miley's grasp, but Miley held her firmly and continued to tug her toward their car. Thankfully, they were already near the Roadster, and just a few more steps saw them at their destination.
"Lilly!" Miley practically yelled at her girlfriend, finally getting her attention. "If you finish giving Amber what she deserves, then you're gonna get expelled too!" Lilly turned and looked at Miley, understanding that Miley was right. Miley took a look at Amber, who was trying to get up. Apparently Lilly had hit her pretty hard, because Amber looked rather wobbly as she struggled to stand up. "I love you, and yes, she deserves to have her ass kicked, but this is not the time or the place! Now get in the car. Please." She tapped in the code to open Lilly's door then hurried around to her own side. They both sat down at the same time,and Miley quickly started the car as Amber finally got to her feet and began running toward them.
"You just wait until tomorrow!" Amber screamed as she ran after the shiny gray-black car, rapidly falling behind as Miley accelerated away. "I'll show everyone in this school who you really are, Miley Stewart!"
"She is really flipping out," Lilly said as she watched Amber fall away behind them. She turned back around and said to Miley, "Thank you for getting me to the car. You're exactly right, of course."
"About what?" Miley said. She slowed down as they pulled onto the road in front of the school, then she accelerated as they sped away from the school.
"About me getting in trouble too if we had been caught back there. But she did grab you first, and I was defending you."
Miley smiled, then she said, "It felt great to see you pop her one. She had it coming."
Lilly looked at her knuckles, which were a bit red but nothing too serious. "Oh, she's got lots more than that coming. But like you said, that wasn't the time or the place." They drove in silence for a minute or two, holding hands, before Lilly asked, "What time is Luanne's plane getting in?"
"Six. We can't fit her in our car, so I figured we'd ride in to the airport with Daddy."
"Makes sense," Lilly agreed. "So your house then?"
Miley nodded. "We were supposed to got an updated guest list for the big wedding this afternoon. We can look at it together when we get to the house."
"Sounds good," Lilly said. "Are there going to be any surprises at the wedding that you've planned?"
Miley glanced at Lilly quickly. "Maybe," she said coyly.
"Are you going to sing some? And dance with me?"
"Of course I'm gonna dance with you, silly!" Miley said. "It's our wedding! But I'm not sure about singing. I mean, I want to stay with you the whole time."
Lilly turned so she was facing Miley, then she said, "Miley, I love hearing you sing. And part of our lives has been you performing while I get the privilege of watching you do such an amazing job." She squeezed Miley's hand. "I love that. So please sing at least one or two songs at our wedding. For me."
When Lilly said that, all Miley's confusion about whether or not it was proper for her to perform at their own wedding evaporated. Lilly wanted her to do it, and that was all that mattered. "Okay," Miley said. "For you, anything."
"Yay," Lilly said softly with a smile. "And thank you."
Author's Afterword: Next chapter, Hannah Montana rocks Seaview High! See you as soon as I can get it finished, and Happy New Year!
-- Jo --