Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for the really nice reviews; that's always appreciated by any author. We've had some really good Liley stories posted recently, and I'm so happy to read them! However, the number one story I'm still waiting on is LaughLoveLive's sequel to "Requited." That story curled my toes when I first read it months ago, and it still does it to me every time I reread it! 3L's take on Lilly and Miley, "The Best of Both Worlds," was also exquisite, and I'm doing my best to patiently wait for that sequel as well. I'm also finding myself pleasantly distracted by MrFishy's outstanding stories, which I likewise recommend wholeheartedly. Finally, there have recently been some great Liley oneshots by xTexasGalx and two short but great stories by LJBard. If you're a Liley fan and some of these names aren't familiar to you, consider checking them out. They all bring a slightly different take to the subject, and each of them does a great job. I'm dedicating this chapter and the next to all of you authors out there! Keep working on those ideas and we'll keep reading them!
For my list of disclaimers, please see Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Also, please exercise some common sense when reading this or any other story. If you don't like it, then stop reading it!
As I Am, I Take Thee
by Jo P.
Chapter 3: Timing Is Everything
Can't you see I'm just an ordinary girl
Livin' in an extraordinary world
Tryin' to live
Tryin' to learn
Tryin' to just be who I am
--Hannah Montana;"Just Like You"
Miley looked at her watch for about the fifth time in the last few minutes, prompting a gentle swat on her left wrist with the magazine Lilly was reading. "Sorry," Miley muttered. "I just wish they'd let 'em get off that plane already!"
Lilly closed the magazine and looked at her girlfriend. "Miley, they've got all sorts of things they have to do before they let the passengers unload."
"What kind of things?" Miley asked heatedly.
"I don't know!" Lilly replied. "Airplane... stuff, I guess!"
"Airplane stuff?"
"Yeah, airplane stuff."
Miley held her serious look a few seconds longer before dissolving into a giggle, triggering the same reaction from Lilly. "Oh my gosh, Lil, airplane stuff? Is that the best you could do?"
"Hey, I don't know what all they have to do. I just fly on the planes, I don't work on 'em." Lilly popped her gum, a bit louder than she had intended. Heads turned around the crowd waiting on the passengers of Flight 1055 from Memphis to disembark, with one grumpy-looking older woman glaring at Lilly and shaking her head. "Sorry!" Lilly said in a stage whisper. "Man, why are some of these people so grouchy?"
"Probably because they've been waiting twenty minutes for their family and friends to get off the plane, same as us," Miley said as she lightly poked Lilly on the chest. "And that was a loud pop."
"But you still love me, right?" Lilly said with a grin as she gently grabbed Miley's hand and kissed it.
"Always," Miley said with a smile as she put her left arm around Lilly's waist and settled her hand on Lilly's hip, hooking her thumb into the waist of Lilly's capri pants.
The sound of a door banging open instantly drew both girls' attention back to the door at the end of the airport gate, where passengers were finally beginning to trickle into the airport. "I hope we can still recognize her," Lilly said. "I mean, it's been six months since we've seen her last."
"Lilly, she's my sister. I think we'll recognize her, don't you? After all, how much could she have changed?"
"Um, a lot, I think," Lilly said, her eyes firmly glued to the stream of people as she raised her hand and waved. Miley turned and was likewise struck by the change in her sister Luanne's appearance. Born Miley's twin, Luanne had told Miley and Lilly last month that she had set out to make her own identity for herself in her mind, and some physical changes apparently accompanied her change in mindset. The long chestnut brown locks that Miley still wore had been cut short by Luanne into a near bob. Her hair color and face were still identical to Miley's, but a thin wire-rimmed pair of glasses accentuated her face nicely, framing her crystal blue eyes. Luanne was wearing a denim jacket over a Hannah Montana t-shirt, matching her faded jeans and running shoes. But more striking than all those changes was the smile on Luanne's face, which only grew as she saw Miley and Lilly waiting on her. As soon as a break in the crowd presented itself, she made a beeline for the girls.
As they met, Luanne dropped her carry-on bag and enfolded both Miley and Lilly in a hug. "It's so good to see you two again!" Luanne said. "How are my two favorite girls in the world?"
"We're great!" Lilly said happily as she hugged Luanne and Miley both.
"We're better than great," Miley said, wrapped up in the group hug. "We're amazing. Especially now that you're here." They stepped back slightly, and Lilly grabbed Luanne's bag to carry it. They started walking toward the baggage claim area, with Robbie Ray joining them just then.
"Land's sakes, Luanne! I didn't recognize you there," he said in a friendly way. "Glad you're here safe and sound."
"I'm glad to be here, Robbie Ray," Luanne said pleasantly. "Little bit of a delay back there, but that's okay."
"Luanne, you look great!" Miley said, taking in her sister's new look. "But I thought you had the laser surgery on your eyes?"
"I did, these are just for looks," Luanne said with a grin. "I looked at the same angry person in the mirror for so long, it's nice to see a different me now." There was a hint of bitterness in Luanne's voice, but no more than a hint. "So, have you got dinner cooked for me already?" she asked eagerly.
Robbie Ray caught up and said, "Well, I figured I'd take you three beautiful ladies out to dinner tonight, if that's alright."
"That would be perfect," Luanne said politely. "Let's get my bags, and then this girl needs some food in her. A three-hour flight with nothin' but peanuts and Sprite is just cruel!"
All of Luanne's bags made it to Malibu with her, and the four of them had a lovely dinner at one of Miley and Lilly's favorite Japanese steakhouses. By the time they made it back to the Stewart house, it was nearly nine o'clock, but none of the girls showed any sign of being tired yet. Jackson was sitting on the couch watching television when they burst in the front door, talking at full volume and high speed. "Hey, I'm tryin' to watch a show here!" he said loudly.
"Jackson Stewart!" Miley said loudly. "Is that any way to greet your cousin?"
Jackson turned around and did a double take at Luanne's appearance. "Luanne?"
"Hi Jackson," Luanne said politely. She turned to Miley and Lilly, standing right beside her with each holding one of Luanne's suitcases, and said, "I'm startin' to feel a little tired now. Can we go on up to the room so I can get ready for bed?"
"Sure," Lilly said as Miley nodded her head in agreement. They went ahead and started up the stairs with Luanne following them up. As they went into the girls' bedroom, Luanne took a look around. ""Look any different?" Lilly asked.
"Yeah, from what I can remember," Luanne said. "Not a lot has changed, but the covers on the bed are different, and there are tons of pictures of you two everywhere." She picked up a picture of Miley, Lilly, and Lilly's parents and examined it. "Your parents?" she asked Lilly after a minute or two.
"Yeah," Lilly said, peeking at the picture. "Miley and I had that picture made for our anniversary this summer, plus we did one with Miley's dad. We wanted pictures with our families."
"We also had some made with Jackson and Lilly's brother, Ron," Miley said. "But we needed one more to get the whole family, and we couldn't get that picture made at that time."
"Who's missing?" Luanne asked. "Aunt Dolly?"
"No, silly!" Lilly said with a smile. "You!"
Luanne was surprised by Lilly's statement. "Me?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes, you," Miley said as she set Luanne's suitcase down beside the closet. She walked back over to Luanne and Lilly and said softly, "You are my sister, you know," smiling as she lightly tousled Luanne's hair. "The family pictures aren't complete until we have one with you too!"
Lilly stepped over beside Luanne and added, "Which is why we're going to have our picture made with you tomorrow after school and the concert. If that's okay with you," she hastily added.
Luanne walked over to the window and looked outside, taking in the moon glowing over the ocean. She turned back around with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. "I'd love that," she said.
"Aw," Lilly said, "don't cry, okay? Because if you cry, then I'll cry, and then Miley'll cry, and then--"
"We'll all be swimmin' to breakfast in the morning!" Miley said triumphantly. "But seriously, Luanne, we want you to know that you are absolutely part of our family. Whether you feel more comfortable being there as a cousin or as a sister, we just want you there, okay?"
Luanne nodded her head. It had been a very, very long year for her. She had spent over three months inside an intensive psychiatric facility, where she received therapy and counseling for the abuse she had suffered in childhood as well as treatment for what had initially been called antisocial personality disorder. However, the progress she had made over this last year had been remarkable, prompting the psychiatrists and counselors to rethink that particular diagnosis, as it tended to be extremely resistant to treatment. Now the prevailing diagnosis was that Luanne's aggressive behavior represented a form of post-traumatic stress disorder, possibly with some bipolar tendencies. What everyone had agreed on was that Luanne possessed a tremendous amount of willpower and drive. Her earnest desire to get better was the spark that powered her recovery, and though it had been a very long road of inpatient and outpatient treatment, Luanne had persevered. She had no illusions that she was "cured." She knew that those childhood memories would always be with her, ready to appear without warning. Her temper and her anger would also always be a part of her personality. However, she now had developed some control over her anger rather than allow it to control her. Luanne realized that her rage had consumed many years of her life, years that she would never get back. Come hell or high water, she wasn't going to lose any more of her life to it.
As tears continue to trickle down her cheeks, Luanne sat down on the bed and opened her arms wide. Instantly, Miley and Lilly were sitting beside her, one on each side, holding her while she cried. As Lilly had predicted, Luanne's tears did start a chain reaction that ended with all three of them crying, but after a few minutes, the tears subsided and the smiles began to emerge, like rainbows following a thunderstorm.
"Thank you. Both of you," Luanne said again. "I love you two, you know that?"
"Yeah," Miley said, wiping her tears with her free right hand. "We know it. Just like you know that we love you, too."
"Ab-so-fa-lutely!" said Lilly energetically, getting a look from both Miley and Luanne.
"What the heck does that mean?" Luanne asked with a laugh.
"I dunno, I just made it up!" Lilly said with a perky voice. "But it made you laugh!"
Miley beamed as she looked into Lilly's eyes. "I swear, Lilly Truscott, you can be goofy at times, but you always make me happy." She reached out and took Lilly's left hand. "I love you."
Lilly squeezed Miley's right hand with her left. "I love you, too, Miles."
"Well, if this is leading where I think it is, I think that's my cue to extricate myself!" Luanne said as she slid out of their grasp and plopped onto the floor, leaving Miley and Lilly laughing wildly at her haste.
"We do have more self-control than that, Luanne!" Lilly said, still laughing. "And we don't want you to be uncomfortable around us, either."
Luanne tucked her legs under her as she got into a sitting position on the floor. "Well, I did a lot of soul searching while I was in Searchlight, and one of the things I thought about was exactly how I felt about my sexuality. The first thing that I was really sure of is that I'm certainly not gay."
"Well, duh," Lilly added. "You were sure ready to pucker up for Oliver last time you were out here."
"He was kinda cute!" Luanne said defensively. "In that hopeless puppy dog way..."
"Well, he's been seeing this one girl for over a year now, but she had to move to Wyoming last month. It's been really hard on him lately." Miley paused. "Lilly and I are flying her out to the wedding in Niagara Falls."
"Well, we offered to," Lilly clarified. "Oliver hasn't actually asked her yet." She gave a sad look to Luanne. "And even if he and Lindsey do decide that things are over for the two of them, I just don't think there's any way he'd be ready to date anyone again this quickly."
Luanne held her hands out in front of her and shook her head. "Oh no, please don't think I'm going to be searching for some boy while I'm out here. The only reason I'm here is to spend time with you two and get to know my family better."
"And to help us shut down this real bitch at school," Miley added.
"Yes, and to help you shut down that real bitch at your school," Luanne repeated with a smile. "Oh, thanks to the Homebound program, I was able to finish my sophomore year last month! I start my junior curriculum in two weeks!"
"Way to go, Lu!" Lilly said, giving her a high five. "Are you planning on getting back into a school for your senior year?"
Luanne nodded as she replied, "I'd really like to, but I'm still not sure if I could handle that real well yet. I guess it'll just take me trying it to find out."
"Luanne," Miley said seriously as she looked into her sister's eyes. "You are brilliant. When you really put your mind on something, you can make it work."
Luanne looked down at the rug next to Miley's bed. "You're right," she said quietly. "The real question is, do I want to go back to a regular school? I'm just not sure right now." She looked back up at Miley and Lilly. No sign of criticism or disapproval was to be found on either face, just compassion. "I have some time to find the answer to that. I've learned that I need to be honest with myself, because that's a very important part of dealing with these mental demons of mine. Self-deception is a form of denial, and it leads to places I don't ever want to visit again." Sensing that the mood in the room was about to turn somber again, Luanne said, "So, what's the deal with this girl at your school?"
"Oh, she's this total stuck-up bitch who's had it in for Miley and me for years now," Lilly said.
"She jealous? Of how you two love each other, I mean?"
"That's what several people have said," Miley said, "but she was mean to us a long time before we even started thinking of each other that way. What has us worried about her this time is that she thinks that I'm really Hannah Montana and that Lilly's really Lola Luftnagle."
Luanne paled slightly. "Yeeeah, I can see why that might be a problem," she said. "So you want me to stand in for Hannah while you prove her wrong?"
"How'd you know we wanted you to stand in for Hannah and not Miley?" Lilly asked.
Luanne smiled as she got back to her feet. She walked over to Lilly and gently touched the tip of Lilly's nose with the tip of her right index finger. "Because you wouldn't want anyone else holding you like Miley does. Just like you wouldn't feel right holding anyone that way except for Miley." Luanne smiled her knowing smile, then she added, "Plus my haircut would make it a bit hard to fill in for my sis here."
Lilly looked at Miley. "Oh, she is good, girlfriend," she said with a smile.
"Yup, she is," Miley answered with a matching smile. "And this time, she's on our side."
"Let Amber beware!" Lilly said happily.
After staying up another hour talking, the girls finally succumbed to the fatigue creeping up their bodies and went to bed. Miley and Lilly obviously slept in their bed, while Luanne slept on the couch downstairs. Miley and Lilly had promised that they'd behave themselves, but Luanne felt like she'd be intruding on their private space by staying in their bedroom with them. She needed to find her own space. While spending time with her sister and sister-in-law was now an important part of her life, there was no doubt in Luanne's mind that her time with them had to have limits.
It would be easy, so easy, to move right into their wonderful life and be part of the family. Of that Luanne had no doubt; in fact, she knew Miley and Lilly would gladly welcome her as their sister. But by doing that Luanne would be turning away from finding out who she really was. The most important part of a quest is the journey, not the destination. She had read that somewhere over the last year, and she had come to realize how much truth was hidden in that statement. Miley and Lilly had what appeared to be wonderful, happy lives ahead of them, but they had made those lives for themselves. It now lay before Luanne to do the same. Getting to know her sister and sister-in-law was going to be a vital part of the discovery of her true self, but it had to be only a part of her journey, not the final destination.
And they know that. The thought slipped out of Luanne's consciousness as she teetered on the edge of sleep, resonating throughout her mind as she pulled back from the brink of slumber to further consider that thought. They want to give me my space while making sure I know I'm always welcome. Before this last year, Luanne considered tears to be a sign of weakness, a reminder of her childhood nights of terror. But now she realized they were only an expression of emotions, no different than laughing or frowning. When tears came to her now, she took a moment to consider what the underlying emotions behind them were, then she could try to respond appropriately. But as she silently cried in the dark of the living room that could have been hers, she found so many emotions that it was impossible to catalog them all. Happiness. Sadness. Regret. Joy. Hope. Fear. Gratitude. Love. Most glaring, however, was the absence of one particular emotion: anger. Much of the therapy that Luanne had been through focused on her anger. At one time, anger was all Luanne thought she had left. But she had slowly realized that was a lie. The truth was that anger was all she had allowed herself.
She quietly stood up and made her way to the stairs. A night light gave her enough visibility to climb the stairs and find her way to the door to Miley and Lilly's room. She opened the door as silently as she could and crept into the room. As she looked at the couple asleep on the bed, a sliver of moonlight cast a pale glow over part of the bed. Luanne walked over to stand beside the bed and looked down at the faces of Miley and Lilly. Even asleep, happiness was evident on their faces. Miley smiled in her sleep, her arms wrapped around Lilly, whose head rested on Miley's left shoulder. Lilly's left arm was across Miley's chest, her hand lost amidst Miley's curls of hair. Lilly's nose was nearly touching Miley's cheek, and as Luanne watched she saw that their chests rose and fell in time with each other.
They're perfect for each other. In every way. She leaned over the bed, drying her tears first so they wouldn't fall and disturb the girls' sleep. She very, very lightly placed a kiss on the forehead of first Miley, then Lilly. "Thank you," she whispered quietly as she ran her right hand delicately over both girls' heads where they were touching. "Thank you for saving me from myself." She stood and retreated from the room, silently closing the door behind her.
Miley woke slowly, relishing the feel of Lilly's fingers over her ribs as she slipped back into consciousness. It was still dark outside, and she turned her head to check the alarm clock. Five-fifty-nine. I beat the alarm by one minute. She placed a kiss on Lilly's face as she slid out from underneath Lilly's sleepy embrace.
"It's too early, Miles," Lilly mumbled as Miley slid the switch on the clock, stopping the alarm before it could ring.
"We need to get up early, Lilly Bear," Miley said as she got to her hands and knees and planted several light kisses on Lilly's forehead, cheeks and nose. Lilly giggled at Miley's show of affection, saying, "That tickles!"
"Do you want me stop?" Miley asked playfully.
"Heck no!" Lilly responded emphatically. "Tickle away, my dear."
Miley obliged Lilly with a few more kisses, then she got up. "I'm going to start the shower, hon."
Lilly sighed as she rolled out of the bed and rose to her feet. "Okay," she said as she stretched and yawned loudly. By now their morning routine was automatic for both girls, and within forty minutes they had brushed, showered, soaped, shampooed and shaved. As they were getting dressed, a knock came from their door.
"Hey, can I come in?" Luanne asked.
"Sure," Lilly said as she slid a light green long-sleeve shirt over her head to go with her khaki cargo pants. As Luanne came in, Lilly saw she was still wearing her pajamas. "You need to take a quick shower, Luanne?"
"Yeah, I really do. Do we have time?"
Miley appeared from deep within the closet. "Girl, you're gonna be Hannah Montana today! You've got all the time you want." She pointed to the bathroom. "Shower's that way, and we didn't run all the hot water out as far as I know."
"Okay," Luanne said with a faint smile, then she slipped inside the bathroom.
Lilly turned to look at Miley, who was wearing a purple tank top over a white long-sleeved t-shirt and lavender capri pants. "Wow, you look cute today!"
"Thanks," Miley said with a grin. "I wanted something I could change in and out of fast."
"Good thinking. You picked what Hannah's going to wear today?"
"Yeah. I'll have Luanne take some of her own clothes to change into while I'm singing. That way you're not by yourself if Amber tries to start something when we're separated."
Lilly took Miley's hand and looked into her bright blue eyes. "Miles, you're going to be less than thirty feet away from me the whole time. But I get what you're saying."
Miley smiled. "Maybe you should stay in Hannah's dressing room while I'm performing? I could tell everyone that Miley got sick and you were staying with her until she got to feeling better."
"That's not a bad idea," Lilly said. "Except for one little detail."
"You don't get to watch me perform?"
"Bingo." Lilly sat on the bed, all made up now. "I hate not seeing you perform."
Miley frowned as she sat down beside Lilly on the bed. "Well, Luanne can't pass for me right now, so that limits our options."
"Well, as much as I love Luanne, I couldn't act like she was you anyway, Miles. I just couldn't hug her and hold her hand like it was you. I'm pretty sure people would be able to tell I was faking that."
Luanne opened the bathroom door and came back into the bedroom, her bra and panties already on. "Whoo!" she said loudly as she ran her hand through her short hair. "That felt just right!" She saw Miley and Lilly sitting on the bed and smiled. "Okay, so am I Hannah this morning?" she said.
"Yup," Miley said. "When you get in the dressing room they're using, Lilly and I will join you, and you and me'll switch out so I can sing. Once the show's finished, then we switch one more time."
Luanne said, "Sounds like a plan. So what kick-ass clothes do I get to wear today?"
Miley and Lilly both stood and escorted her to the Hannah closet. "Time to get you Hannah'd up!" Miley exclaimed as they began digging through the racks of clothes.
Thirty or forty minutes later, Miley and Lilly were on their way to school in their car. Miley was driving this morning, and Lilly was singing along to the radio. Her singing had improved further, and Miley had gotten to where she enjoyed hearing Lilly sing simply because of the joy that came through when it was just the two of them singing. Around others Lilly still tended to get more nervous and not sing as well, but with Miley she could relax, because she already knew what Miley thought about her.
As they parked their car in their parking place, they saw Oliver walking past them. He waved and stopped, waiting on them to get out of their car. "Hey, ladies," Oliver said politely as they got out of the Roadster.
"Morning Oliver!" Lilly said cheerfully, then her smile faded as she saw how sad he looked. "What's wrong?"
At Lilly's question, Miley straightened up and took a long look at Oliver as well. He did appear sadder than he had been lately, and that probably meant one thing. "Oh, Oliver, I'm sorry," Miley said, guessing that his talk with Lindsey hadn't gone the way he had planned it.
Oliver rushed over and hugged Lilly, who gladly returned the embrace, holding Oliver as she whispered, "Shh, it's okay, Oliver. It just wasn't meant to be."
Miley hurried around the car and hugged Oliver as well. "Oliver, sometimes things just don't work out. Both you and her are still in school, and that distance is just too much to overcome."
His voice breaking, Oliver said, "Yeah, that's what she said, pretty much. And I believe her. She was crying while we were talking, and she said that I was a wonderful person and that if she had been able to stay that she thought we'd have been together a long time."
Miley looked over at Lilly and the two of them shared a knowing look. Nearly a month ago Lilly had told Miley she was afraid that Oliver and Lindsey weren't going to overcome the distance. Miley had also shared her fears, but the two of them realized that only Oliver and Lindsey could make the final decision. Until then, they had decided to do everything they could to give the two of them to opportunity to make things work. But now the time had come, and both Miley and Lilly felt altogether helpless as they watched Oliver work his way through this.
"I knew this was coming," Oliver said. "And I think she did too, just neither of us wanted to believe it."
Lilly put a smile on her face as she said, "Oliver, you're going to get through this. We know you will. Miley and I have both been there, and we made it through with each other's help and with your help. The right person for you is out there somewhere."
Miley looked at Oliver and then jerked her head toward Lilly as she said, "And sometimes that right person is closer than you realize."
"Hi!" The three of them turned to see Ashley standing next to them, smiling until she got a look at Oliver's face. "Oh, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Oliver and Lindsey broke up," Miley said. "Nothing either of them did, it was just too hard to make a long-distance relationship work."
"Oliver, I'm so sorry," Ashley said as she also offered him a hug, which he accepted after a second of indecision. "I never really knew her, but the two of you seemed happy together when I saw you with her." After several seconds, they pulled apart.
"Thank you," Oliver said to Ashley, then he turned to Miley and Lilly and said, "And thank you two, too. I know you'll always be there for me. You always have been." He looked at his watch. "Uh oh, it's almost eight. We gotta hurry!" The four of them set off for the school building at a brisk walk.
The abbreviated school day seemed to race by, and soon it was already eleven o'clock. Miley and Lilly were getting their books for chemistry when Amber confronted them at their locker.
"So when are you going to disappear and change for the concert, Stewart?" Amber asked with a smug grin. "I've got my cell phone all ready to record you, wherever you go this period."
"Record away, Amber," Miley said with a smile. "You'll just get me talking to Lilly during chem class."
Lilly looked to Miley and said, "Well, just that would increase her phone's IQ by about ten points!" The girls laughed at that comment until Amber slammed the heel of her hand against the locker next to theirs, making Miley, Lilly and everyone around them jump.
"What is YOUR PROBLEM?" Miley yelled in Amber's face. "If you keep stalking us or whatever you wanna call it, all you're gonna get is expelled, which would suit us just fine!" With a quieter voice, she added, "And if you treat Hannah Montana the way you're treating us, you'll wind up in jail. Now step back and let my girlfriend and me get to our class, or you're gonna get more of me than you can handle!"
Lilly had rarely seen Miley so angry and ready to fight, and every time it had been over some threat to one of them. This time, Lilly wasn't sure about whether to restrain Miley or not. While getting into a fight with Amber would land all of them in trouble, there was no doubt that Amber had a sound beating coming her way. Lilly also had no doubt at the outcome of such a fight. While Miley didn't look as strong as Amber did, her physical condition had improved nicely over the last eighteen months, plus Miley's temper was profound once it was finally freed, and for Lilly she'd fight to win at all costs. However, Amber removed the need for Lilly to say anything when she stepped back from the two of them.
"You just wait, Stewart," Amber said as she walked backwards. "Before the day is over, I'll--"
Amber's threat was cut short by shrieks going through the hallways. Ashley ran over to Miley and Lilly and squealed, "It's Hannah Montana! She's here!"
"Really?" Lilly said, quick to seize the opportunity. "Where?"
"Right down the hall! She's coming this way!" Ashley grabbed Lilly and Miley each by a hand and pulled them through the lockers to where a crowd was gathering. "Move it, people!" she said loudly, clearing a path for the three of them stand and look down the hall.
Lilly softly said, "Wow, she has got it down cold," to Miley, getting an appreciative nod in reply to the deeper meaning of that statement only the two of them caught. Luanne and Principal Young were walking toward them with Roxy in close proximity and several other people trailing behind. While not possessing the natural charisma that Miley exuded, Luanne had the smile, the walk, the talk and the hair to be Hannah Montana. They had worked on that some the night before, and Luanne's sharp intelligence made her a very fast study. As Luanne reached them, she looked at Miley and Lilly and winkedbriefly as she walked by. The retinue passed, heading on to the gymnasium.
Miley turned to look at Amber, who looked like she had seen a ghost. Or maybe two. "Still wanting to video me today?" she asked sarcastically. "Or are you finally gonna admit you're just plain nuts?"
Amber fumed silently for a few seconds, then she turned and stomped off, eliciting laughs from Miley, Lilly and Ashley. "Did you see her face?" Ashley said. "Wow, she was totally wrong!"
"Totally," Lilly and Miley both echoed in unison. They briefly looked at each other, each thinking the same thing: It's still not over yet. Amber won't give up that easily. But then the tardy bell rung, triggering a near stampede as the students clogging the halls immediately tried to race to class. After a minute, the hallways were empty except for echoes of doors slamming and a few sheets of paper fluttering to the ground.
Author's Afterword: I took an extra day trying to decide whether or not to include the concert in this chapter or not. I finally decided to just take it to the next chapter rather than postpone this chapter even longer to finish it or turn it out in what I think is a rough finish. Hope no one minds, really, but I promise it'll be worth moving it to the next update. Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing; I've been impressed and humbled by how sweet the Liley community is here on FFNet. I suppose that's because we're all believers in love at heart, with Lilly and Miley perhaps the greatest believers of all. See you with the next chapter in a few days!
-- Jo --
