Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel, That's So Productions, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment, It's A Laugh Productions and Warren & Rinsler Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.
Author's Note: Okay, so it seems that for this story I'm pulling out the sports phrases as titles for my chapters. The Shot Heard 'Round the World that took place on October 3, 1951 was a home run by Bobby Thomson for the New York Giants (yes, they were in New York before they moved to San Francisco!). This shot heard 'round the world is a little bit different. You'll see. This is not what I would call a happy chapter. Just a warning.
The Best of Both Worlds
Chapter 10
The Shot Heard 'Round the World
It was after four o'clock when "the magnificent seven" returned to London's house from the restaurant. The ladies were still buzzing over Miley's stunning surprise proposal. It was amazing to them how so much had changed in less than 24 hours. The smile on Miley's face was a mile wide. She hadn't been this happy in her entire life. The excitement of the concerts she headlined and world tour she embarked on as Hannah Montana paled in comparison to the euphoric feeling Miley had as she strode happily and confidently into London's house.
Lilly had a similar smile on her face and strut in her step as she crossed the threshold to Manila Gardens. The whirlwind of the last 24 hours kept her head spinning. She went from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye. She went from Lilly Truscott, best friend of Miley Stewart to Lilly Truscott, fiancée of Miley Stewart. And while she still believed in her heart that things felt right, she was still in a slightly bewildered state.
"Lilly! We are going ring shopping tomorrow! Bling, bling, girlfriend!" London exclaimed.
"That rock better be fierce!" Raven exclaimed. She then looked at Chelsea, who had the same thought as they both shouted, "IF YA SMELLLLLLLLL, WHAT THE ROCK… IS… COOKIN'!"
"Oh that rock is gonna be cookin' all right!" Maddie said. "Isn't that right Miley?"
"Yeah. I'm thinking… double-digit carats." Miley said with a smile.
"Now wait a minute!" Lilly chimed in. "What if I want to get Miley a ring?"
"Well you can." Jennifer said. "But she did propose to you."
"Yeah. I mean, I proposed to Raven and gave her a ring that night but she gave me an engagement ring later." Chelsea said.
"How did you propose?" Jennifer asked.
"Raven got us opera tickets for our six-month anniversary…" Chelsea started.
"Phantom of the Opera." Raven added.
"Right." Chelsea said. "And this beautiful Rolls-Royce Phantom."
"Nice touch." London said.
"I know, right?" Chelsea said. "So I had Alex, you remember Alex…" She said to London and Maddie."
"You mean the owner of the club we…" Maddie said. "He drove you two that night?"
"Yep. Alex drove us up to Marin Headlands near the Golden Gate Bridge…" Chelsea recalled.
"And we took a romantic walk and sat under the stars and Chelsea had Velcroed a pillow under a park bench to kneel on…" Raven said as she began to well up. "… and she took out this blue velvet box… and dropped to one knee…"
"And Raven began crying just like she's doing now…" Chelsea said as she put an arm around Raven. "… and the rest is history."
"That… is so special." Miley said. "Damn! Now I want to go do ours over!"
"No way!" Lilly exclaimed. "I loved the way you did it." Lilly said before planting a soft kiss on Miley's lips. "So when did you tell your parents?"
"That same night." Raven said, wiping away tears. "I called my mother in England on the way to my house then we went to Chelsea's to tell her parents and spend the night."
"I know what you're thinking." Miley said to Lilly. "We've got to tell your folks."
"My mother and brother will be shocked but supportive." Lilly said. "My father… WOW."
"Not the understanding type I take it." London said.
"The words 'faggot' and 'dyke' are still a part of his vocabulary." Lilly said with shame evident in her voice for even repeating those words.
"We can wait for a while before telling them so you can break it to them slowly." Miley offered.
"No. I want to tell them sooner than later." Lilly said. "That way we can get married that much sooner."
"Speaking of the wedding…" London said. "Have you thought about a date?"
Miley spoke up. "I haven't really…"
"I was thinking Saturday." Lilly said.
"Saturday of what month?" Miley said.
"This month. This Saturday." Lilly said to the shock of everyone in the room. "I want to get married this Saturday."
Miley stood with her mouth agape. "Lilly?"
Lilly took Miley by both hands. "I don't want to wait. I want us to be together now. I don't want to date for God-knows-how-long… no offense, ladies…"
Raven, Chelsea, London and Maddie all responded, "None taken!"
Lilly continued. "I want to start the new chapter of our lives like now!"
"O… Okay… Yeah… Yes. Saturday. We're doing it. This Saturday it is." Miley proclaimed. "Just us and our friends and family… no press… no paparazzi…"
As Miley was talking, her cell phone rang. A second later, Lilly's cell phone rang. That was quickly followed by London's, then Maddie's, then Raven and Chelsea's simultaneously, followed by Jennifer's. The sound of seven cell phones ringing at the same time scared all of the women, giving them the sense that something was terribly wrong.
In no particular order, the conversations on the cell phones went as such:
"Jenn, it's Scott." Scott is Jennifer's agent. "If you're near a TV, turn on Entertainment Tonight."
"Rae, it's Eddie. Flip to ET right now!"
"Chels, this is Gina. I'm in the studio right now and you're on ET!"
"London, Entertainment Tonight's on and you, my dear are on it." Marion Moseby said.
"Maddie, why are you on ET?" Maddie's mother inquired.
"Lilly, you better watch ET." Renee said.
"Hey Bud, you and Lilly better turn to ET, but sit down before you do." Robby Ray said.
London shot out of her seat and headed for the stairs. The other six women followed her as they made a beeline for the TV room upstairs. London ran into the room and quickly turned on the 72-inch plasma TV and flipped to Entertainment Tonight. The commercial was on.
"What the hell is going on?" Jennifer said.
"I don't know!" Raven said. "Eddie just told me that I need to turn to ET now!"
"Gina told me I was on ET!" Chelsea said.
"Moseby told me the same thing!" London added.
"My mother asked me why I was on there!" Maddie said.
"SHHHH! SHHHH! It's back on!" London said.
Fill-in host Gabriel DiGiacomo appeared on screen standing next to a flat panel monitor next to a teaser screen shot and graphic that made Miley and Lilly's blood run cold. The host began his monologue.
"America's newest country sensation, a lesbian?" Gabe DiGiacomo started. "Exclusive footage that ET obtained today apparently shows that Miley Stewart's new hit single 'More Than Meets The Eye' has taken on a new meaning. ET's Lisa Andropolous explains. Lisa?"
The shot switches to ET correspondent Lisa Andropolous in the studio standing in front of a similar monitor.
"Thanks, Gabriel. A father filming his daughter's birthday party in Malibu today may have inadvertently captured country music star Miley Stewart proposing to her girlfriend as she was surrounded by family and friends, including two high profile lesbian couples." Lisa began as images of Miley kissing Lilly and the celebration at the table were being shown. The women sat watched in utter disbelief as the story of their lunch outing was being told on national television. "Stewart can be seen here kissing the unidentified blonde during what is being reported as a celebration of her new record deal with Arista Nashville. Attendance at the celebration included hotel heiress London Tipton and her girlfriend, Boston attorney Madeline Fitzpatrick along with fashion mogul Raven Baxter and her wife, environmental attorney Chelsea Daniels as well as pop singer Mikayla. Although the audio is garbled, a witness passing the table said that they heard the country star ask the blonde to marry her. Calls to Stewart's manager and father, Robby Ray Stewart have not been returned. We will stay on top of this breaking story out of Hollywood. Gabriel."
"Thank you, Lisa Andropolous…"
The television became background noise as the women sat in stunned and Lilly sat motionless on the sofa next to each other, clutching the other's hand tightly. Everyone that spoke had stunned disbelief in their voices.
"I don't fucking believe that." Jennifer said.
"Did you see anybody with a video camera?" Chelsea asked.
"I didn't pay anybody any attention." Raven said.
"I didn't see anybody either." London said.
"Money-grubbing sons-a-bitches." Maddie eked out as the ladies could hear their cell phones downstairs blaring for the second time in five minutes. "Miley, what are you gonna do?"
"I'm not worried about me." Miley said. "Lilly…" Miley's tears gave her pause. "… hasn't told her parents, her colleagues at work… oh God! The children."
Lilly sat silently staring at the television, tears streaming down her face. Shockingly, her voice never wavered as she spoke. "My parents watch ET every night. They saw that. I know they did."
"Lil, I am… so… sorry I did this to you." Miley said as she began sobbing.
"Did… what? Tell me you love me?" Lilly asked. "I'm… not sorry. What's done… is done. I need to go tell them."
"Lil, you know the media is probably staking your parents place out right now." Raven said. Just then, London flipped the channels until she reached the channel for her closed circuit system that looks out at the main gate.
"The leeches have arrived." London deadpanned as the women gazed at a screen full of paparazzi outside the main gate.
"I need to see my parents now. They are probably beside themselves right now." Lilly said.
"I'm going with you." Miley said defiantly.
"No. You don't have to. This is my cross to bear." Lilly said.
"If it wasn't for me and the proposal, you wouldn't be going over there right now. I'm going." Miley reiterated her defiant stance.
"I would have had to make this trip at some point. Better now than later." Lilly said.
"You want us to go with you for support?" Chelsea said.
"No. You all stay here. You've got questions of your own to answer." Miley said. "Thanks anyway. Come on Lilly." Miley and Lilly stood to leave.
"Wait!" London said. "Go through the kitchen to the garage. There's a Mercedes sedan with limo black windows. Take that. They can't see inside, except through the windshield. Keys are hanging on the wall."
"Thanks." Lilly said.
"Be careful." Maddie said.
"We will." Miley responded.
Miley and Lilly made their way through the kitchen to the garage and to the Mercedes. They slid in, closed the doors and sat silently for a moment, taking in what they imagined being their last quiet moments for a while. Before Lilly cranked up the car, Miley touched her arm.
"If you want, I can issue a statement, say we were goofing around and they captured a silly moment, out of context…" Miley started. Lilly shook her head.
"No. We're not gonna lie." Lilly said softly. "I love you and in the back of my mind, I prepared myself for a worst case scenario. And damned if this isn't close." Lilly smiled, causing Miley to smile. "Remember when you had to pass that biology test in order to go to Europe, and you came up with the bone song to remember all 206 bones?"
"Yeah." Miley recalled before singing the chorus. "We're doin' the bone dance, we study the answers, again and again till I get it right." Miley sang. "You're tellin' me that we should sing the bone dance at your parent's house?"
"No." Lilly said, chuckling slightly. "I suggest that to get past the paparazzi outside, we don't put our hands up to shield our faces, but we sing. We're gonna have our faces balled up at my parent's house anyway. Let's enjoy our last twenty minutes of mirth singing."
Miley looked at Lilly in awe. "My God. You really intend on making this work." Miley said.
"It's like you said all those many years ago…" Lilly began singing.
Don't let no small frustration
Ever bring you down...
No, no, no, no!
Just take a situation
And turn it all around!
With a new attitude, everything can change
Make it how ya want it to be
Staying mad, why do that... give yourself a break
Laugh about it and you'll see!
Miley quickly recognized the song as her Hannah Montana hit "Life's What You Make It". She decided that, while Lilly's singing had drastically improved over the years, she could use a hand and joined in time for the chorus.
Life's what you make it,
So lets make it rock
make it rock
Life's what you make it
So Come on, come on... come on
EVERYBODY NOW!
aye aye aye oh aye aye, aaaaaye
Why be sad, broken hearted
There's so much to do...
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Life is hard or it's a party
The choice is up to you
With a new attitude, everything can change
Make it how ya want it to be
Staying sad, why do that, give yourself a break
I know you wanna party with me...
By the time Lilly had pulled out of the garage and up to the main gate, the two of them were singing in full volume as the photographers snapped away, flashes peppering the soon-to-be dark September night.
(whea) Life's what you make it
So Let's make it rock
Life's what you make it so come on, come on, come on
[Life's What You Make It lyrics on now
Let's celebrate it, join in everyone
You Decide
Cause life's...what you make it!
Robby Ray got through to Miley and explained that ET left him a voicemail message only minutes before they ran the story. He went on to tell her to "just say the word" and he would sue ET for everything they were worth. He also told her that he had been in touch with Arista Nashville and they indicated to him that the story would have no bearing on the contract that Miley was about to sign. Miley calmed him down and asked him to meet her at her place after she and Lilly left Lilly's parents house to discuss issuing a statement.
Moments later, Lilly called her mother to tell her that she and Miley were on their way and that they were fifteen minutes away. After Lilly hung up the phone with her mother, she turned her attention to Miley, who was staring blankly out of the passenger side window, much like she did with Raven the night before.
"You wanna stay at my place tonight? I figure it'll be morning before they figure out who I am." Lilly said.
"What if a neighbor or one of your co-workers ID's you?" Miley said.
"Listen to us! We sound like a couple of bank robbers on the lam from the police! STOP IT!" Lilly exclaimed. "If there are cameras at my apartment then we'll go somewhere else." Just then, Lilly's cell phone rang. She recognized the number as the principal of her school, Arwyn Chancellor. "Hello Arwyn… were you expecting me not to be there tomorrow?... okay… look, if you're going to fire me just do it now so I can save the gas driving up there… okay… all right… I will. Good night."
"Who was that?" Miley asked.
"Dr. Arwyn Chancellor, principal of Bay Laurel Elementary. Nice woman. A little stuffy, but nice."
"What did she say?" Miley asked.
"She wants to meet with me before school begins tomorrow." Lilly said.
"She saw ET." Miley said.
"She's already had complaints about me from six parents." Lilly said.
"Is she going to fire you?" Miley asked.
"She said even if she wanted to, she couldn't… equal opportunity act." Lilly said. "She said I am one of her best teachers she has and that she's not losing me over a kiss caught on camera by someone invading a private moment. She also told me to hang in there and to ask you for two autographs, one for her daughter and one for her."
"Well good." Miley said. "I don't know if we could make it on just my salary." Miley joked.
"You nut… job!" Lilly fired back playfully as they pulled up to a surprisingly quiet Truscott residence. "I guess they haven't identified me yet."
"Yeah but I bet someone followed us from London's. It's just a matter of time. Let's get inside." Miley suggested.
Miley and Lilly reached the door. Before Lilly could pull out her keys, her mother threw the door open.
"Are you okay, sweetie?" Ellen Truscott threw her arms around her daughter's neck and squeezed for dear life.
"I'm fine Mom." Lilly said. "Have you gotten any phone calls yet?"
"Just from Robby Ray and Oliver." Ellen said. "He left a message here because he figured things would be kind of… hectic. Hi Miley." Ellen said sweetly before embracing her.
"Where's Dad?" Lilly asked.
"Right here." The bass-filled, abrupt tone of Edward Truscott was heard from around the corner before he was seen.
"Hi Dad." Lilly said in a nervous tone not moving from her spot near the front door. Even as a grown woman, her father's temper bothered her.
"You're not gonna give your old man a hug?" Ed asked matter-of-factly as he stopped in the middle of the living room.
"I didn't think you'd want to give me one." Lilly said.
"That hurts, Lillian." Ed said. Lilly knew her father was upset. That was the only time that he would call her Lillian. "Please." Ed stretched his hands out for a hug. Lilly walked over and was engulfed by the six-foot-two, two hundred forty pound man. As they broke the hug, Ed acknowledged Miley's presence. "Hello Miley."
"Mister Truscott. It's good to see you again." Miley said. She mentally winced, knowing she was opening up a can of worms figuring he was not happy to see her at that moment.
"You too Miley." Ed said. "I wish it were under better circumstances. Please have a seat." Miley and Lilly sat down, followed by Lilly's parents. "So let's cut to the chase. How much of the ET story is true?"
Lilly paused and looked at Miley, then back at her father. "All of it Dad. Miley and I are seeing each other and she did propose to me this afternoon." Lilly's mother dropped her head and wrung her hands. Lilly's father tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.
"So how long have you been a lesbian?" Ed asked.
"Ed! Can you be a little more delicate?" Ellen asked.
"I found out from a nationally syndicated entertainment new show that my only daughter is a lesbian, Ellen. I think the time for delicacy has come and gone." Ed said, raising his voice slightly above conversational tone.
"Edward!..." Ellen started again.
"Mom… MOM. It's all right… It's okay." Lilly tried to calm her mother. "Since yesterday."
"Yesterday?" Ed exclaimed.
"Officially, since yesterday." Lilly said. "I've known in my heart for the last six months."
"Officially? What the hell does that mean?" Ed asked abruptly. "Did you have to wait for your decoder pin from the National In-The-Closet Lesbian Club?"
"Ed! That's out of line!" Ellen admonished her husband.
"Mom, it's all right. I expected this." Lilly said calmly. "Miley and I just admitted our feelings to each other yesterday."
"So let me get this straight. You and Miley 'officially' became lesbians yesterday and you got engaged today. I'd ask you if you were pregnant, but that question would be a waste at this point."
"Ed, that's enough!" Ellen exclaimed. "You take that back and apologize to your daughter right now!"
"Apologize?" Ed scoffed. "For what? She owes us an apology for embarrassing our family on national television!" Ed exclaimed.
"Owe you an apology?" Lilly raised her voice for the first time as her father saying she embarrassed the family set her off. "I… don't… owe… you… shit! I am not an embarrassment to this family because of who I choose to love! If anything, YOU are an embarrassment to this family for being so shortsighted and prejudicial! Come on Dad! Call me a dyke! Call me a carpet-muncher! I've heard you use those words before! Go ahead! You have a living breathing lesbian in your living room! Here's your chance! I'm so fucking embarrassing! Go ahead! Give me what's coming to me!" Lilly fumed. Her mother sat in horror, never seeing either of her children go toe-to-toe with their father. "Oh, you can't open up on me? Here's Miley! The same Miley you said was like a daughter to you! The same Miley that has slept in the same bed as me for years! The same Miley that you not five days ago invited over for dinner because you hadn't seen enough of her! Go ahead! She's a dyke too! Open up that can of judgmental Edward Truscott whip-ass on her and let it flow!"
"Okay Lillian, that's enough." Ellen stood up and walked over to her daughter. "I think he gets your point."
"I came over here to do the one thing that you have always taught me… to face up to my responsibilities and for doing that, I am an embarrassment?" Lilly said as her mother attempted to usher her out of the room. Lilly then spoke with an eerie calm. "You know Dad, I am glad that I am getting married, because I would hate to embarrass the family any more than I already have by keeping the Truscott name. I mean being salutatorian in my high school graduating class is so embarrassing. Being a Phi Beta Kappa and graduating Summa Cum Laude is so embarrassing. Being Teacher of the Year last year is just so un-fucking-bearable for this family!" Ellen finally managed to reign in Lilly and move her into the kitchen.
Several moments of awkward silence passed between Miley and Lilly's father as they sat alone in the living room. Ed could barely bring himself to look at Miley after being the recipient of his daughter's telling off.
"Mister Truscott, she needs you right now. She adores you." Miley said softly.
"Miley, I really don't need you to tell me what my family needs right now." Ed bristled at Miley's attempt at reconciliation.
Miley, always being taught by her father to be respectful of her elders, once again approached Lilly's father with humility. "Mister Truscott, Lilly is hurting right now and wants…"
Ed cut off Miley and snapped at her again. "We can see the thing that Lillian wants is really doing her wonders right now, so that might not be…"
"First of all, I don't appreciate being called a thing!" Miley was starting to feel her Tennessee blood boil. "Second of all, we can see exactly where your delicate handling of the situation has left us and third, since YOU took the gloves off, I don't give a damn whose house this is, MISTER TRUSCOTT…" Miley was in hall-of-fame telling off form as she rose to her feet. "… you ever talk to me or my fiancée the way you just did, and I'll light your ass up with my tongue... just like I lit your daughter up with my tongue last night!" Miley made a beeline for the kitchen, where Lilly and her mother heard the entire exchange between them.
Miley went through the swinging kitchen doors fully expecting Lilly's father to explode through behind her enraged. She heard nothing from the living room.
"My God Miley! That last part was SO wrong!" Lilly exclaimed in a whisper-yell.
"I know. I went too far. I just couldn't help myself. Mrs. Truscott, I am so sorry I said that." Miley said.
"That's all right. He's not used to having people stand up to him. He deserved that. But… if you're going to zing somebody with references to your sexual activities, just warn me first. Okay?" Ellen said.
"We will Mom." Lilly said. "I guess we better go."
"Wait." Ellen said. "I've nailed him like that in the past. If I know him, he's sitting in there in his favorite chair licking his wounds and thinking about what you both said. Give him a few minutes and then ease in there and sit on the arm of the chair. He'll talk to you. You're his pride and joy. In the meantime, let's talk."
Lilly, Miley and Ellen sat at the dining room table and began talking. At one point, Miley's cell phone went off. She looked down at it and turned it off. For that night, they were pinned down in the bunker as the grenades the media was lobbing exploded over their heads.
Miley looked at Lilly as an imperceptible look of thanks passed between them. As Lilly's mother talked, Lilly squeezed Miley's hand, then wrote with her fingertip, "I love you" in Miley's palm. Miley mouthed it back. The events of the day were not killing them, they were only serving to make them stronger.
There is an old saying that says, "It's always darkest before the dawn." I'd say it's pretty dark right now. The roller coaster ride is not over yet. Chapter eleven is on deck and is coming up next. PLEASE REVIEW.