I do not own Hannah Montana.
Lilly woke up with an aching head, a sick feeling in her stomach, and a foul taste in her mouth. Groaning, she sat up in her bed and threw the covers off of herself. She recalled the previous night clearly enough to remember stumbling up the stairs and collapsing into bed with silent tears running down her cheeks.
She hadn't drunk much, but her alcohol tolerance was weak compared to what it used to be. She confiscated the bottle from her mother, and left a note on the coffee table telling her mother she had thrown it out. Unfortunately, this was not the case. She had taken it up to her room with her and thrown it in her closet shortly before throwing herself onto her bed.
Standing up from her bed, Lilly stabled herself on her feet and reached for her phone on the nightstand to see what time it was. Her phone portrayed three missed calls, all from Miley, and the time of 10:32 am.
Lilly groaned, feeling thoroughly disgusted with herself and lifted the phone to her ear after dialing Miley's number. It rang twice.
"Hello?" Miley answered anxiously.
"Hey, Miles," Lilly sighed, "Sorry I missed your calls,"
A short pause followed. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah," Lilly nodded to herself, "I was up late talking to my mom about a few things, and I overslept,"
Another short pause.
"Listen… Lilly… I'm sorry about yesterday…" The somber tone of Miley's voice made Lilly frown, "I shouldn't have tried to force you to tell me something. When you're ready, you can talk to me any time,"
Lilly stood in silence, guilt ridden, and then sighed. "I'm sorry too, Miles… I… I'm really upset with myself for not being able to talk to you openly… I want to, and I'm trying real hard to get to that point… I just have to get over not worrying about you worrying…"
"It's okay," Lilly could hear the soft smile in Miley's voice, "I'll wait. I trust you, and I know with time you can get there,"
Lilly smiled sadly, "Thanks, Miley,"
"So, do you want to come over? Jackson's at work all day and Daddy's meeting with Hannah's record label out of town to discuss a contract to he wont be back until tonight. It's kind of lonely here, and I was thinking we could spend the day together,"
"That sounds good," Lilly spoke softly, "B-but could you give me a few hours? There's something I gotta do…"
There was a hesitation before Miley spoke. Lilly knew it was disappointment that Miley knew Lilly was being secretive.
"Yeah, no problem," Miley said, trying to sound cheerful.
"Okay, I'll see you around 1:00,"
"Alright," Miley hesitated again, "I love you, Lil,"
Lilly smiled sadly, feeling like the worst girlfriend in the world. "I love you too, Miles,"
Lilly hung up her phone with a sigh. She took a few minutes to get dressed, picking out the most professional clothing she could find, and went downstairs.
She found her mother, sitting at the kitchen table, wearing the same clothes from last night. She had a cup of coffee in her hand and was looking successfully hung over.
"Morning, mom," Lilly greeted. Her mother glanced up at her.
"Good morning…" There was an awkward silence as Lilly pulled up a chair and sat at the table with her mother. "Lilly… I'm sorry you had to find me like that last night… I know there's no excuse… I'm just glad you remained strong and were able to deal with it the right way. I'm going to try my best to stay away from alcohol the best I can. I was at a loss, worried over our situation, and I was weak. I'm so glad you're here,"
Heather reached over and rested her hand on Lilly's, smiling weakly with tears building in her eyes. Lilly looked away guiltily.
"I'm always here for you, mom. We'll figure it out,"
To Lilly's relief, Heather relaxed and seemed to be put more at ease by Lilly's words. For the first time, she glanced at the black skirt and white button up shirt that Lilly was wearing. "You look nice. What's the occasion?"
Lilly swallowed and looked away. "I'm going job hunting,"
Heather's smile faded, "Oh, Lilly, sweetheart, you don't have to do that…"
"Don't worry about it, mom, I wanted to sometime soon anyways," Lilly dismissed her mother's concern, "I'm going to Miley's afterwards, call me if you need anything,"
Before her mother had a chance to collect her thoughts, Lilly turned to leave the kitchen, and walked out the front door.
Lilly checked several places for job openings; burger stands, coffee houses, supermarkets, clothing stores. The people she asked smiled kindly, and simply handed her an application to fill out and bring back, telling her when the manager would be in.
As 1:00 was approaching, Lilly sighed and started towards her car with a handful of applications. She hated playing the waiting game and jumping through hoops. She needed a job sooner rather than later.
"Hey," A voice stopped her as she exited the outlets. She turned and saw a stout man with greasy, groomed hair, a pale blue button up shirt, and dark slacks walking towards her. "You just came out of that CD store, right? You were standing in front of me in line,"
Lilly blinked, confused, "Oh? Is something wrong?"
The man's face turned a bright red. He was one of those people whose face changed shade very easily, and very noticeably. He lowered his gaze, embarrassed, "Well, you see, I heard you ask about a job, and get brushed off with an application. It just so happens, I've been looking for some one to be a secretary for my company,"
"Are you saying what I think you saying?" Lilly asked cautiously.
The man lifted his gaze, suddenly much more confidant. "I'm offering you a job,"
Lilly tried to keep her cool and stay realistic. "Doesn't it matter if I don't have any experience?"
"Not at all," The man reassured her much too quickly, "All I need you to do is answer the phone and transfer calls. It'd be an under the table gig, 8 bucks an hour. That's why it's been so hard to get someone. No one really likes it when you don't jump through the hoops,"
Lilly thought the whole thing was suspicious, but unfortunately, she was desperate. "I-If you're serious, I'd like to work for you,"
"That's wonderful," The man smiled, "My name is Greg Miller, by the way," He extended his hand for Lilly to shake.
Lilly shifted the stack of papers in her arms so that she could grasp the man's hand. "Lilly Truscott," She was still cautious.
"Good to meet you, Lilly," He shook her hand a little too aggressively, and once he released her, he reached into his pocket to pull out a memo pad and a pen and proceeded to scribble on it. "I assume you're still in school, Lilly, so how about 4:00-8:00 for starters sound?"
Lilly really wasn't getting a good vibe with how perfectly this was falling into her lap. "That's fine,"
Greg finished jotting down a few more things and then tore the sheet off and handed it to Lilly. "Alright, Monday through Friday, if you wanna start weekends, let me know. My place is the little shop in the corner of the outlets. The internet networking place,"
"I think I've passed by it before," Lilly nodded.
"I'll see you Monday, then,"
Lilly watched him smile and then walk away, leaving her to continue her walk to her car with an uneasy feeling in her gut. She decided that she would take it, and just be sure to be extra cautious.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miley opened the front door before Lilly even had a chance to knock on it. She threw her arms around Lilly, who was slightly caught off guard, and pulled her into a warm kiss, which, despite the hot Malibu heat, Lilly seemed to enjoy very much.
"I'm glad you're here," Miley said when she pulled away, leaving her arms laced behind Lilly's neck, "I missed you,"
"I missed you, too," Lilly smiled warmly, gazing adoringly into Miley's eyes.
Miley leaned to kiss Lilly's lips again. Lilly nearly fell over from Miley's forwardness, but quickly stabled herself and rested her hands on Miley's waist.
Miley's hot heavy breath nearly drove Lilly crazy, and feeling Miley's body rub lustfully against her wasn't helping either.
"Miles, l-let's go inside, okay?" Lilly managed to say once she reluctantly broke away.
Miley blushed and nodded sheepishly, embarrassed at how caught up she had gotten. She quietly went to Lilly's side, fitting her arm into Lilly's arm. They walked inside together and sat down in the living room on the couch. Miley immediately gravitated close to Lilly, burrowing under her arm and resting her head on Lilly's chest. Lilly gently put her arm around Miley and began stroking her shoulder.
"Hey, Lil, what are you all dressed up for?" Miley asked, noticing Lilly's apparel and examine the top button of her shirt with her fingers. She was aroused at the thought of unbuttoning it.
Lilly hesitated before answering. "I was out looking for a job. I lucked out and got an under the table desk gig,"
Miley's mischievous thoughts were momentarily interrupted. She looked up at Lilly curiously. "A job? Since when? And why?"
"Well," Lilly sighed and Miley sat up, "Miles… My mom lost her job,"
Miley's jaw dropped, "What? What?? Lilly, are you serious?"
Lilly lowered her head and nodded. "That's what I couldn't tell you yesterday…"
"Oh, Lilly…" Miley breathed sadly, "I'm so sorry…" She lowered herself back down into Lilly's arms and tightly wrapped her arms around her.
"It's okay, Miles," Lilly smiled and held Miley close to her. "We're gonna work through it,"
Miley chewed nervously on her bottom lip and squeezed Lilly in her arms. "I know it's a dumb question, but, is there anything I can do? I'm sure Daddy could help out if—"
Lilly hushed Miley by giving her lips a mild kiss. "You're already doing everything you need to be doing to make me happy,"
Miley blushed, and buried her face back in Lilly's chest, hiding her flushed coloring. "I love you," She whispered softly, meaning every word of it.
Lilly smiled and kissed the top of Miley's head. "I love you too, Miles,"
Not a minute later, Miley sat up. She wanted to be able to see Lilly's face. After gazing lovingly at all of her features, Miley spoke.
"Lil, you look really tired…"
"Yeah, I had one of those restless nights last night…" She was careful not to tell a direct lie.
Miley snuggled closer to Lilly. "Well, let's just relax, then. We could even take a nap, if you're tired,"
"Okay," Lilly smiled, and they both laid back, still in each other's grasp.
As Lilly lay with Miley in her arms, all of her troubles and worries disappeared. She was with Miley, and that was all she needed. Still, she was reminded by the nausea in her gut and the dull ache in her head, of the weakness that she had shown the previous night. She had drunk from the bottle once more, and fear was dwelling in her mind; she was scared of the thirst that had come back, and was continuing to haunt her.
"Lil?" Lilly's thoughts were interrupted by Miley's timid voice, "What's wrong? You're shaking…"
Lilly swallowed, and tried to compose herself. "S-sorry Miles… I'm just kinda nervous about the job I'm starting,"
"When do you work?" Miley's voice hinted that she was worried about conflicts in the time they usually spent together.
"Weekdays, 4:00-8:00. Maybe weekends,"
Miley frowned and flipped herself around so that she was facing Lilly and cuddled closer. "Will I be able to see you after you work?"
"Definitely," Lilly nodded, giving Miley a tender squeeze, "I'll make sure of it,"
Miley sighed happily, relieved by Lilly's words, and smiled. After another comfortable silence she spoke.
"Hey, Lil? Do you want to spend the night tonight?"
Lilly's thoughts went to the bottle of vodka in her closet, and then to her mother. "Yeah, I'd love to… but… Is it okay if I come over later tonight? I want to check on my mom,"
"Of course," Miley smiled and tilted her head to kiss the point of Lilly's chin.
Lilly snuggled closer to Miley, "But that can wait. First, I want to stay here with you for a while,"
Miley grinned and nuzzled her face into Lilly's shoulder. Lilly smiled and closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift off into a rare peaceful slumber.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Mom, I'm home," Lilly called as she entered her house. There was no answer, but the sound of the television drifted to her ears from the other room. "Mom?"
Lilly cautiously walked into the living room and found her mother passed out again, a bottle of whiskey propped up in her hand, and fresh tears running down her cheeks.
Lilly sighed, disheartened, and walked over to take the bottle from her mother's grasp. "Shit, mom. You go for the hard stuff,"
A somber numbness passed over Lilly, clouding her mind and bringing emotionless tears to her eyes. Without thinking, she took a drink from the bottle, as if it were a natural action.
Lilly felt the tingling sensation swarm throughout her body, and her mind and her thoughts left her completely. She proceeded to drink, sip by sip, unable to think clearly, or of anything else. She was running away again. Running away from her problems at home; running away from her creepy new boss, running away from the guilt of how she was indirectly hurting Miley and all the people who loved her by drinking.
Eventually, she found herself in a stupor. Desperately repeating over and over in her head, "I don't want to be drunk. I don't want to be drunk!"
Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she fumbled for it. She already knew it was Miley.
"Hello?" She answered weakly.
"Lilly?" Miley's concerned voice found its way to her ears, and she wanted to cry. "Lil, are you okay? It's 9:00, are you still coming over? Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, Miles… I'm on my way," Lilly said drably.
There was a pause from the other line.
"Okay…" Miley sounded worried, "I-I hope everything's okay… but… I'll see you soon… I love you,"
Tears crept from Lilly's eyes. Her voice cracked as she answered, "I love you too, Miley," She hung up the phone before she did anything else stupid.
Lilly fumbled out the door, already feeling sick. She opened the door and walked outside into the humid Malibu night. She continued forth, desperately trying to hold back her tears.
As she continued to tromp forward, she stumbled and fell. When she was down on all fours, she vomited into the street, feeling the burning liquid force its way up out of her mouth. Luckily, she avoided getting any on herself, but she had succeeded in scraping her knees and palms from the fall. She pulled herself up and continued to tromp forward.
As she neared the Stewart house, Lilly was running through what she would do once she got there, but she was subconsciously aware that she was probably in no state to pull anything elaborate off.
The porch light was on, and the house was dark, with the exception of the dull light of lamp in Miley's room. Lilly knew Miley was waiting for her. She pushed herself to the front door an opened it sloppily.
"Lilly?" Miley stood up from the couch, startled by Lilly' gruff enterance. She rushed to her side. "Lil, what's wrong? You're out of breath… Lilly?"
Miley grasped Lilly's arm, as she noticed Lilly was having trouble standing. Lilly's breath hastened, and she tried to speak through her gasps and sobs. Miley began to panic when Lilly fell to her knees and burst into tears.
"L-Lilly, come on, let's go up to my room, okay?" Miley's voice was trembling, and she was on the verge of tears. "Everything will be alright, let's just get upstairs, alright?"
Miley helped Lilly stand, and they both staggered towards the staircase. Miley helped steady Lilly, extremely concerned about Lilly's frantic emotional state. As far as her imagination was going, Lilly was having a breakdown. Alcohol was the last thing on her mind.
They entered Miley's room, and collapsed onto the bed, where Lilly proceeded to curl up into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest, and sob. Miley ran to shut her door, and then rushed back to Lilly. She knew no words would reach Lilly now, so she climbed into bed, and wrapped herself around Lilly's trembling body. She held Lilly close and rocked her back and forth while she hushed her soothingly.
There was no pointing Miley trying to hold back her own tears, so she released them. Sobbing with Lilly, clutching onto her in her arms. Lilly flopped around in the bed, desperately trying to get closer to Miley; as close as she possible could. She buried her face in Miley's shirt and shook with sobs, feeling every ounce of guilt for starting down this spiral again; and dragging everyone else down with her.