I'm back. I'm soooooooo, so, so, sorry for the dream at the beginning of the last chapter. And I'm sooooooo, so, so sorry for the wait. My life is crap at the moment and inspiration is hard to find. Anyway, thank you for the reviews and a special thanks to my sister for letting me use her laptop charger, here's the next chapter and I don't own Hannah Montana.
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Miley was sprawled on her couch flicking through the channels, searching for something to watch. She finally came to a stop on a 'South Of Nowhere' marathon. It was the first season and Miley settled down to watch it. It had just got to the episode where Spencer tells Ashley that she thinks she likes girls when she heard the familiar sounds of her father's truck pull into the driveway. Sighing, she flicked the channel over to MTV just as the car doors slammed.
"Hey Bud." Robbie Ray greeted as he poked his head through the front door.
"Hey Dad."
"Wanna come help us unload the truck?" He asked, gesturing his head outside.
"Sure." Miley smiled at him and he nodded, ducking back outside. Miley switched the TV off before walking outside to join them. "Hey Jackson." She nodded towards her brother when she saw him unloading the truck.
"Hey Miles." He nodded back before wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Wow, there's a real fishy smell, Miley can you close…."
He was cut off by Robbie Ray playfully smacking him upside his head. "Don't even think about finishin' that sentence boy."
"Ow." Jackson groaned, rubbing his head. "I was gonna say close this box." He gestured to the ice-box filled with fish.
"Sure you were." Miley rolled her eyes, unloading some of the fishing gear from the bed of the truck. "Anyway, how was the weekend? Did y'all have a good time?"
"Yep, no thanks ta this idiot." Robbie Ray answered, nodding his head towards Jackson.
Jackson shrugged and attempted to lift the ice-box from the truck. "So, I forgot to anchor the boat when we went diving? Big deal."
Miley threw her head back and laughed when she pictured her dad and Jackson swimming after a runaway boat. "Oh man, you really are an idiot. Hey Daddy, do ya think it's too late to trade him in?"
Robbie Ray stopped his movements and looked like he was seriously contemplating that for second. "Na, Miles, looks like we're stuck with 'im." He moved to help Jackson lift the ice-box.
"Well, haha. You'll be happy to know I'll be leaving for my second year of college soon so you'll be getting rid of this idiot." Jackson said sarcastically as he and Robbie settled the ice-box on the ground.
"Oh, we're just joking with ya son." Robbie said, wrapping an arm around Jackson's shoulders. "Ya know I love ya, just the way ya are."
"Whatever old man." Jackson said, smiling good naturedly as he shrugged the arm off his shoulders and grabbed a duffel bag from the truck. "I'm gonna start taking some of this inside."
"'Kay." Robbie said as he and Miley grabbed the last bags and shut the bed of the truck.
"What about me, Daddy?" Miley asked, brushing her hands off on her jeans.
"Sure Miles, ya can start takin' some o' that stuff in now." He answered distractedly as he was couched down sorting through some fishing equipment.
"No." Miley said, shaking her head. "I mean, do you love me no matter what?" She asked, dead serious.
Robbie turned to look up at her with a bewildered expression on his before standing and wiping his hands off. "Of course I do darlin'. Why ya asking?"
Miley turned her head and started picking at the peeling paint on the old pick up truck. "Just wondering." She mumbled.
"Bud, there is nothin' you can do that'd make me love ya any less." He told her firmly.
"Really?" Miley asked turning to look at him with an expression that was both sceptical and hopeful.
"Really." He answered, smiling reassuringly before opening his arms. "Now get over here an' give ya ol' man a hug."
Miley smiled, walked into his arms and hugged him. "I love ya Daddy."
"I love ya too, Miles." He moved back from the hug and bent down to pick up some fishing gear. "Now, you grab that duffel bag there and let's get some of this inside."
"Sure." Miley grabbed the bag and swung it over her shoulder, still smiling.
"So, how was your weekend?" Robbie asked her, opening the door for her.
"It was good. Lilly came by and stayed over. We went to the carnival and just hung out."
"Well, it's nice to hear that Lilly's been by. I'm glad we're gonna be seeing more of her 'round here, you've been miserable without her."
"I haven't been miserable." Miley said, putting the duffel bag on the floor by the washer.
"Yeah you have, Miley." Jackson said, walking into the kitchen just coming down from the upstairs. "You've been miserable, mopey, whiney and moody." He counted off on his fingers.
"Okay, okay." Miley said, holding her hands up and blushing a little. "I may have been a little down since Lilly and I were too busy to hang out but hopefully that's over now."
"Yeah, hopefully." Jackson muttered. "It was like you were permanently pmsi…"
He was cut off by Robbie Ray slapping a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Son, let's go get that ice-box?" He asked, steering him out the door.
Miley watched her dad lead Jackson outside, shaking her head at them with a silly smile on her face.
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Five days. It had been five days and there was no sign of Lilly. She didn't call, didn't come by and whenever Miley called her, she never answered. She went through the entire weekend in her head a million times and couldn't think of anything she did that could have upset Lilly. In fact she thought they had left things okay. The sitting around and waiting was making Miley antsy. Conversations repeated in her head and she picked them apart looking for all kinds of different meanings and it was driving her crazy. She needed to do something to keep her mind preoccupied, but what?
She stopped as she walked past Jackson's room and took a couple steps back, peering in through the wide open door. There it was, messy as ever and Jackson was down at Rico's. She smiled as she realised that cleaning it would take hours, hours not spent worrying about Lilly. She quickly bounded down the stairs, getting cleaning supplies, gloves and a face mask, then set about cleaning the room.
Hours later and she was just finishing up. Sweat lined her forehead, making her head itch. She wiped it with the back of her hand and looked around at her handiwork. The room was unrecognizable and she gave a satisfied nod at it.
"Okay Miles, what is it?"
The voice startled her and she span around to see her dad standing in the doorway. "What ya mean?"
"Well, ya just cleaned Jackson's room which means either you did something that'll get ya in trouble and this is your way of lessening the blow or something's bothering ya. So, which is it?" He asked, crossing his arms.
Miley sighed. "Something's bothering me."
"Care to tell me what it is?"
"No Dad. This is something between me and Lilly."
"Then why didn't 'cha just talk to Lilly? That had ta have been easier than cleaning this pigsty."
Miley sighed again. "Because Lilly hasn't been by and she won't answer my calls and I don't know why."
"Ahhh." Robbie said as he walked in and put an arm around her shoulders. "So that's why you attacked Jackson's room."
Miley nodded and leaned against his side. "I don't know what to do."
"Here's a thought, ya ever think of just goin' ta Lilly's?"
Miley frowned. "I can't do that. Can I?" she asked, looking up at him.
"I don't see why not." He smiled down reassuringly at her. "If the mountain won't come to ya, ya gotta go to the mountain, Bud."
Miley pondered that for a second. He was right. She needed to talk to Lilly so she should just go to Lilly's. It sounded simple enough. She could do it. She smiled gratefully at him and gave a determined nod. "You're right. I just gotta go talk to the mountain…I mean Lilly. And to think if you had just spoken to me sooner I wouldn't have cleaned Jackson's room."
Robbie scratched the back of his head. "I was gonna come in sooner an' talk to ya, but the room was so messy and you looked so determined…"
Miley glared at him. "Ya mean you could've stopped me but ya didn't?"
Robbie backed away from her slowly, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. "Now Miles, before ya get too mad jus' remember who gave ya that good advice…"
Miley still glared at him then rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I got a mountain to go see otherwise I might've accidentally slipped whilst carrying this bucket o' water and it could've spilled all over you." She said, walking out of the room carrying the bucket of water she used to wash down the carpet.
"Speaking of water. "Robbie called out after to her. "Ya might wanna take a shower first."
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Turns out, going over to Lilly's was not so simple. Of course the walk over, filled with determined strides, that was simple. That actual knocking on the door, now that was complicated. This was why Miley was pacing, up and down Lilly's porch.
"It's easy." Miley muttered to herself as she stopped in front of the door. "Just raise your hand and knock." She glared down at her hand when she realised it wasn't moving. "Coward…"
The door opened and Miley jumped back startled and managed to fall down the steps, landing on her backside on the ground below. "Ow…" She groaned, placing her hand to her butt. Laughter made her look up and she saw Lilly standing, leaning against the door frame, laughing for all she was worth. Miley's face was beet red in seconds and she let herself fall completely back, lying on the ground and covered her face with her hands.
"Are you okay?" Lilly asked, still laughing a little.
"No, I'm mortified." Miley answered, through her hands. She removed her hands and raised her head to glare at the laughing girl. "What were you thinking, opening the door and scaring me like that?"
"I was thinking that I should invite you in before you wear a hole in the porch." Lilly said, giving a one shoulder shrug.
"Oh God…" Miley muttered, letting her head fall back down and making Lilly laugh again, as she blushed, again.
Lilly walked down the steps and sat down next to her. "So…why were you wearing a hole in my porch?"
"Because I needed to talk to the mountain."
Lilly frowned. "Why did you need to talk to a mountain?"
"Because, the mountain stopped taking my calls and was avoiding me."
"Ohh." Lilly said, realisation showing on her face. "I'm the mountain?"
Miley nodded, which looked weird considering she was still lying on the ground. "You're the mountain. So…I guess it's my turn to ask you why've you been avoiding me, huh?"
Lilly sighed and lied down next to Miley. "I'm mad at you."
Miley turned her head to face her, trying really hard not to notice how close the other girl was. "Why?"
Lilly turned to face Miley, blue eyes meeting blue and staying there. "Because you're keeping secrets from me again."
Miley's eyes widened and she sat up. "Secrets? What secrets? I'm not keeping secrets."
Lilly sat up and signed. "I found your letter. The letter you wrote confessing your feelings for me."
Miley stomach twisted itself into a knot that a boy scout couldn't even undo and she looked everywhere but at Lilly. "Oh, that." She gulped, her throat suddenly dry.
"Why didn't you tell me? I thought we said no more secrets?"
Miley sighed. "I wanted to tell you, I did. But I was afraid."
"Afraid of what?"
"I was afraid that once you knew, you wouldn't wanna be my friend anymore. I was afraid that you would leave me." Miley answered.
This time Lilly sighed. "I'm getting tired of telling you that would never happen." She grabbed hold of both of Miley's arms. "I could never not be your friend Miley. You're my best friend and I don't know what I would do without you. Do you get that?" She asked, looking deep into Miley's eyes trying to get make Miley see how serious she was.
"I get that." Miley answered. "And I'm your best friend too, but I need to know if you…y'know…do you…maybe like me back?" Lilly lowered her arms and looked away so Miley quickly backtracked. "It's okay if you don't. I just need to know so that I could move on. I mean, I think I could move on. I'm not sure, but I can tr…"
She was forced to shut up when Lilly pressed her lips to hers'. It took the southern girl a second to realise that Lilly was kissing her. As soon as she did her heart leaped in her chest and then started beating so hard she thought it would breakout of her chest. Her lips didn't even have the chance to kiss the blonde back because Lilly had already moved away, leaving Miley looking wide-eyed and awestruck. "W-wha…huh…why…w-what about Oliver?" Miley stammered. What about Oliver? Miley thought to herself, in disbelief. She finally kisses you and you ask about Oliver? What is wrong with you? She wanted to slap herself on the forehead but her limbs weren't cooperating.
"We broke up because I kinda have feelings for someone else." Lilly answered, smiling and blushing a little at the awestruck expression still on Miley's face.
"Oh…um…I'm the someone else?"
"You're the someone else."
Miley closed her eyes, her forehead finding Lilly's and resting there as she smiled in relief. Lilly had feelings for her. Lilly felt the same. Miley felt like she had just finished running a marathon and just wanted to shout 'Finally' at the top of her lungs. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that." She said, not moving her head away. Lilly didn't move either so she figured it wasn't a bad thing.
"Sometimes I'm kinda slow. I'm blonde y'know?"
Miley chuckled and pressed her lips to Lilly's, smiling into the kiss when she felt Lilly kiss her back. "This is real right?"
"Yes this is real." Lilly answered, laughing at the serious expression on Miley face before kissing her again. It started out slow but was quickly getting more intense. Their hands tangled in each others hair and they fell back on Lilly's lawn, making Lilly pull back.
"We're stopping. Why are we stopping?" Miley asked confused.
Lilly giggled. "Because we're on my lawn and I don't want to give the neighbours a show."
"Huh? Good idea." Miley answered then got to her feet, holding out a hand for Lilly to take so she could help her up.
"Thanks." Lilly said, smiling coyly at Miley. "What do you wanna do?"
"I wanna take you out on a date tomorrow night."
"Really?"
"Yep." Miley nodded. "I figured if I'm getting this much action before we've even been out, imagine what I'll get after?" She finished, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Hey." Lilly slapped her arm, laughing with the brunette before sobering up. "Is it weird how this isn't weird?"
"I don't think so. I think it doesn't feel weird because this was how it was supposed to be all along." Miley took her hand and raised it to her lips, giving it a quick kiss, relishing in the fact that she could do that now.
"You really think so?"
"Mmm hmm."
"What does this mean though? Am I gay? Are you gay? How are we gonna tell our parents?"
"Woah Lilly, slow down." Miley said, chuckling. "I think this is more of a love thing than a gay thing. And how about we go on a date first before we tell our parents anything?"
"Okay."
"Okay you'll go on a date with me?" Seeing Lilly nod Miley smiled and kissed her again.
"You wanna come inside for a while? Mom's out shopping."
"Sure." Miley answered and allowed Lilly to pull her inside by their hands that were still joined.
"We've got lots to talk about." Lilly said as she shut the door.
"Like what?" Miley asked.
"Like this." Lilly said, placing a quick kiss to Miley's lips. "And this." Another kiss. "And this…and this…and this…"
"We've got lots to talk about." Miley said, grinning.
"Lots and lots." Lilly replied, giving Miley a wink.
Miley just smiled back, beyond ecstatic she decided to go to the mountain.
