Author's Note: Thanks for the positive reviews! I'm glad everyone is enjoying my story, because I'm still having great fun writing it. I have two particular reviewers I want to recognize. First, I'd like to thank ginaa123 for her review and her comment on the Miley/Lilly relationship on the story. In the TV show, Disney has definitely written them as friends only, and that probably won't ever change. The interpretation of their relationship remains a subjective one, to be defined by each viewer. So your interpretation of their relationship is every bit as valid as anyone else, and don't let anyone tell you different! The fanfic stories let us explore those different possibilities, with mine obviously interpreting them as partners as well as friends, but at the heart of any relationship of theirs is the true, strong friendship.
The other reviewer I want to single out is LaughLoveLive, who has been writing absolutely amazing fanfics for some time. My favorite 3L pairings are Raven/Chelsea, London/Maddie, and now Miley/Lilly, and his writing on every one of those couples is just wonderful. Thank you so much for the kind words and praise for "You and Me, Together"! Those compliments from my personal favorite fanfic writer ever mean a tremendous amount to me. Hope you're enjoying this tale!
All I Want
by Jo P.
Chapter 10: Instant Karma
Face to face
Eye to eye
You're standing there
Feels good on the inside
--Hannah Montana"As I Am"
Miley and Lilly walked hand in hand down the concrete tunnel leading back to their dressing room. As they approached the dressing room, Miley suddenly stopped. "Wait," she said, catching Lilly by surprise.
"What is it, hon?" Lilly said, unsure of what Miley had in mind. "You not wanting to do the interview?" she asked.
Miley smiled as she said, "Actually, I was thinking we could take advantage of the empty arena and let me do a private concert for you."
Lilly thought about that for a few seconds, letting her imagination give shape to the idea. But then she smiled and said, "Aw, that's sweet hon, but I'd rather you give me a private concert at home." She gently ran her fingers along Miley's left cheek as she said, "You know, in a more... intimate setting."
Miley swallowed. "Okay, one intimate setting concert coming up as soon as we get home," she spit out quickly.
Lilly continued to stroke Miley's cheek. "And I expect at least one encore," she said seductively.
Miley was sweating. Apparently Lilly had learned how to do the sultry voice too, and she certainly did it well. Miley opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out initially. After another attempt, she said, "Yes ma'am," getting a giggle out of Lilly.
"Wow, I seem to be having quite an effect on you, Hannah," Lilly said, laughing.
Miley nodded her head. "Being totally in love with someone will do that, Lola." She hugged Lilly tightly, breathing in the scent she associated with her girlfriend, a hint of strawberries from her wig and the blonde hair hidden underneath.
Lilly didn't answer verbally; instead, she just hugged Miley back, rubbing her girlfriend's back warmly. After a minute, they stepped out of the embrace and once again held hands, resuming their walk to the dressing room.
As they reached the dressing room, Miley stepped forward and opened the door for Lilly, letting her fiancée walk into the room first. Two cameras, their cameramen, and a reporter were already camped out in the spacious room. As the girls walked in, everyone stood up. The cameramen began checking their equipment, while the reporter smiled and walked over to Miley and Lilly.
"Hi Hannah, Lola," she said pleasantly. "Thanks much for agreeing to do this interview! I'm Jenna Haswell with Entertainment Tonight, and I'll just take a bit of your time tonight. I'm sure you're both tired."
Lilly and Miley both nodded at the last statement. "Yeah," yawned Miley, "we're pretty beat." Lilly gently rubbed Miley's back as she led her over to the couch, where they both sat. Lilly then began massaging Miley's shoulders and neck, coaxing a moan of pleasure out of her lover. "That feels great, Lola," Miley said, her eyes involuntarily closing.
Lilly looked over at the reporter, who had likewise sat down across from the girls. "I suggest you go ahead and get started, because Hannah's going to crash before long. She put everything she had into that show tonight." Lilly gave Miley a kiss on the left cheek as she said, "My poor little rock star," in a baby voice that coaxed a weary smile onto Miley's face.
The reporter signaled the cameramen to begin recording, then she said, "Hannah, Lola, thanks for giving us some time to sit down and talk to you tonight. Hannah, I know you're exhausted after that amazing show you just put on tonight here in New Jersey. What prompted you to end your show tonight with a cover of Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run'?"
Miley opened her eyes as Lilly stopped rubbing her neck and instead settled her right arm around Miley's lower back. Miley sat up but scooted back against Lilly as she dropped her left hand onto Lilly's thigh, visually claiming Lilly as hers; at the gesture, Lilly lit up, fully understanding what Miley meant by it and quite comfortable with Miley's claim on her. When she was ready, Miley said, "Well, this is New Jersey, after all. And Lola is fond of telling anyone who asks that 'Born to Run' is the best rock and roll song ever recorded. Plus, with our birthdays coming up, this was a perfect opportunity to give both the woman I love and the state of New Jersey a surprise gift tonight."
"Thank you again, Hannah," Lilly said, smiling as she hugged Miley.
"You're welcome, hon," Miley said, leaning back into the hug.
Haswell smiled at the genuine affection displayed between the young women. She then asked, "When exactly are your birthdays?"
Miley and Lilly looked at each other, but Lilly spoke this time. "Well, we'd prefer not to give you the exact dates, but they are sometime in the month of November."
Haswell took the way Lilly phrased that answer as a lead-in to another question. "Both of you seem to take great efforts to keep many details of your lives secret. Some people believe that the two of you attend a very secretive private school or are home schooled, while others believe you maintain secret identities, if you will, where you can remain out of the spotlight part of the time. Which is it?"
Lilly laughed, catching Miley by surprise. "Okay, you can't really expect us to answer that question, can you?" Lilly said. "Whatever steps we take to keep our private lives secret, we'd be crazy to list them all for you. Hannah tries very hard to give her fans everything she has when she's performing or in public, but she needs a break just like everyone else. Please respect our wishes for some privacy in at least part of our lives."
Miley smiled and looked at Lilly as she said, "Exactly, Lola." She turned to the reporter and said, "She's as smart as she is beautiful," smiling dreamily.
The next question was one the girls had learned to expect. "Have the two of you given any more thought as to the particulars of your wedding? Where it's going to be, when it will be, will it be public or private, or any other details you can share with us?"
Miley said, "We've talked about it, but we still have some time before we're getting married. We'd very much to get married before we turn eighteen if our parents will agree to it, but Lola and I both realize we have to prove to them that we're as mature as we would need to be to get married early. As for any details, right now we'd prefer not to discuss any of that since we haven't decided if the ceremony is going to be public or private. I will promise that as soon as we are married, we'll happily announce it to the public." As she finished that sentence, Miley yawned again, triggering a matching yawn from Lilly as well.
The reporter smiled warmly. "You two are really exhausted, so let's go ahead and wrap this up. One more question, if that's okay with you two." The girls nodded. "Is it true that you're going to be performing at Fashion Rocks next month, Hannah?"
Miley smiled at this question. "Yeah, plus Lola will be one of the celebrity models at the event!" she said happily. "I've very proud and honored to have been asked to perform, and I'm just as proud of my sweetheart that she was asked to model. She's going to burn that runway up!"
Lilly blushed slightly at the compliment. "You inspire me, Hannah," she said sweetly.
The reporter said, "Please forgive me, but I would like to ask one more question if that's okay." The girls nodded again, giving her permission to continue. "How comfortable are the two of you with becoming models, if not icons, for the gay and lesbian community?" she asked.
Miley and Lilly looked at each other, both just slightly caught off guard by the question. "Are we really?" asked Lilly with all sincerity. Haswell nodded. "Wow," Lilly said. "Well, I'm totally in love with Hannah, so I'm comfortable with anything that comes with that," she said. "And if it means we can help others realize that love is always beautiful when it's between two people mature enough to make their own decisions, then I'm quite happy with that."
Miley nodded as she said, "I agree totally with Lola. We didn't set out to become some sort of role models or gay activists; we just fell in love and are going to spend the rest of our lives together." The two girls giggled at that, then they hugged each other briefly, keeping their arms around each other when they ended the hug. After tearing her gaze away from Lilly, Miley continued, "But we realize and accept that being celebrities means we are role models for girls today. What we want to promote is that we should be accepting of others even if they're different than what we're used to, we should love each other rather than be hurtful or critical, and that you don't need to drink, do drugs, smoke or sleep around to be cool. That kind of risky behavior is destroying more girls and young women every day, and it needs to stop." Miley sat straight up, releasing her grip on Lilly and instead taking Lilly's hand in hers. She looked directly into the camera and said with a strong voice, "Don't throw your life away with drugs, alcohol or any other self-destructive behavior. Celebrate love and celebrate your life by showing respect for yourself, your parents, and your family. If your friends try to get you to do things that could hurt you or get you into trouble, then they're not really your friends. Is it worth possibly throwing your life or future away just to impress some people who really don't care about you? If they did care about you, why would they ask you to do something like that to begin with?"
Haswell looked dumbstruck as Miley finished her statement. "Wow, that's a beautiful statement, Hannah."
Lilly hugged Miley just a bit tighter and said to Haswell, "She's something special." She then softly said to Miley, "I love you."
Haswell smiled and said, "You two young ladies are truly shaping up to be excellent role models for girls and young women around the country, gay and straight. Your courage in coming out has energized the gay community while also promoting acceptance among the straight community. Your charity contributions, involvement with reading and arts programs in the Los Angeles area, and positive messages to avoid drugs and alcohol have been strong signals to teenagers and even preteens. The messages you promote are messages sorely needed today: respect others, help others, respect yourself." She smiled at Miley and Lilly. "All of us at ET wish you young ladies nothing but the best."
"Thank you," said Miley as Lilly said, "Thanks," at the same time.
The cameramen turned off their cameras and began checking the playback, while the reporter walked over and shook Miley's and Lilly's hands. "You two are every bit as sweet as people say," she said, a warm smile on her face. "I haven't worked in this business that long, but I've already seen enough hypocrites for one lifetime. It's nice to see people who really are good and caring. Good luck with your lives together."
Miley smiled and said, "Thank you. And thanks for keeping the interview short." Lilly yawned loudly, prompting Miley to say, "I think it's time for us to head out."
"You can say that again," Lilly said, her voice heavy with sleep. Roxy appeared seemingly out of nowhere to help Miley and Lilly make their way to the limousine. As the girls piled into the back of the limo, they curled up on the back seat, Lilly resting on Miley's body, their heads supported by their jackets.
In no time they were at the airport. It took Robbie Ray and Roxy some concerted effort to rouse Miley and Lilly, but the cold, bitter wind helped stir them into wakefulness. Lilly shivered as she climbed out of the car first. "Brrrr!" she said, reaching for Miley to help her climb out. Miley tried to hand Lilly her jacket, but instead Lilly just pulled Miley close to her as they ran to the jet. By the time they climbed the steps and were safely in the warmth of the airplane, both of them were rather chilled.
Without saying a word, they made their way back to the rear passenger compartment, again closing the door and separating it from the rest of the plane. Once they were in their private section, Miley pulled out the sleeper bed from the sofa, while Lilly began stripping off her clothes. As soon as the bed was opened, Lilly, now nude, grabbed two blankets and spread them over the fold-out bed. Miley began shedding clothes as well, tossing them in the floor. As her bra hit the floor, she said, "What are we going to do with our wigs, Lilly?"
Lilly had slid under the covers without removing her wig; in fact, she hadn't even thought about it until Miley brought the subject up. "Might as well leave 'em on, I guess," she said sleepily.
Miley smiled and said, "'Kay," stepping forward and lying down beside her lover as Lilly held the sheets open for her. Miley scooted against Lilly's warm body, enjoying the respite from the chill that had settled in her bones from the freezing New Jersey air. Lilly adjusted her position, allowing Miley maximum body contact as she wrapped her arms protectively around Lilly, the woman she loved more than anything she had ever known. As Miley closed her eyes, she heard Lilly giggle softly. "Wha's so funny, Lil?" Miley said.
Lilly's eyes twinkled as Miley gazed into them. "I just realized this'll be the first time Hannah and Lola have slept together," she said, a hint of mischief in her eyes.
Though Miley was exhausted, the glimmer of desire in Lilly's eyes ignited a fire deep inside her, burning away some of her fatigue. As the airplane began taxiing toward takeoff, Miley said, "You know, my daddy and Roxy are in the next room." However, the prospect of them making love for the first time as Hannah and Lola was pretty darned erotic, and Miley felt her own desire rising inside her. She leaned over and kissed Lilly as the engines' roar increased. As the kiss deepened and they shifted their hands into better positions on each other's body, they barely registered the airplane picking up speed and eventually taking off. As the wheels left the ground, Miley shifted her legs to let Lilly's hand find its target, gasping at the burning touch of the only person she would ever be intimate with. "Oh Lola..." Miley moaned softly, her eyes clenched shut in pleasure.
Lilly used her other arm to pull Miley back down against her so she could resume kissing her. "You like that, Hannah?" she asked hungrily between kisses.
"Uh huh," Miley was able to whisper before her own warm touch made Lilly shiver with excitement. The gasping of her lover quickly pushed Miley over the edge of orgasm, as Lilly likewise bucked under Miley after just a minute of her lover's sensual touch. As they cooled down, it took a few moments before either of them was breathing regularly. Miley finally opened her eyes and looked at Lilly in amazement. "Honey, you must have been wound tight!" she said, planting soft kisses on Lilly's neck.
Lilly laughed as she said, "Oh sweetheart, you have no idea! Well, maybe you do now," she said, smiling a very contented smile. "I've been wanting you all evening, and it's been killing me to hold it in." She ran her fingertips lightly up and down Miley's back, getting shivers from Miley as a result. Lilly's playful mood once again surfaced as she purred, "I think I still have some tension deep inside me, Hannah." She kissed Miley on the lips and continued, "Want to help work it out? We do have a few hours before we land."
Miley grinned as she rose to her knees in the bed, tossing the covers off. "Anything for you, Lola," she said, desire dripping in her voice as she pounced on her future wife.
By the time the plane was making its approach in Malibu, Lilly and Miley had definitely relieved every bit of tension that either of them possessed. They were awakened by a knock at the door to their section of the plane.
"Hannah! Lola!" Roxy yelled as she knocked on the door. "We're getting' ready to land this thing, so you ladies better wake up and get strapped in!"
"Okay, thanks Roxy!" yelled Miley as she and Lilly both began to stir. They felt the nose of the plane start to dip, so they simply grabbed their blankets and threw one over the love seat, sat down and buckled their seat belts, then covered with the second blanket. The pilot quickly had them on the ground with minimal bumpiness, and as the plane began to taxi to the private hangar, they got up and got dressed again.
As Lilly pulled her shirt on, she said, "Our bed is going to feel so good!" It was just before midnight in Malibu, and the girls were very grateful for the three hours of sleep they would gain from the time zone difference.
Miley smiled at her as she slipped Hannah's jacket on. "Yeah, tell me about it," she said. She sat back down on the bed, reaching out for Lilly with her arms. Lilly obligingly crossed over to Miley, sitting down on the bed beside her. "Although we did pretty good with this bed right here," she said, her blue eyes sparkling as she held Lilly close.
"Yes, we did," Lilly said, her voice thick with both sleep and desire as she nuzzled against Miley's neck.
Their interlude was cut short as Roxy began pounding on the door. "Are you two up yet? You girls are movin' slow as my momma's molasses!"
Miley and Lilly both laughed at that comment. They stood and swiftly crossed the compartment to the door, carrying their remaining clothes with them. Lilly opened the door for Miley, then followed her girlfriend into the main compartment of the plane. "What time is it?" Miley asked sleepily.
"Too late or too early, dependin' on which time zone you're talkin' about," Robbie Ray said. Just then the plane gently came to a halt. "Looks like we're ready to unload," he said. As soon as the attendant was ready, the four of them hurried to the door and swiftly climbed down the steps.
"Oh, that feels so good!" Lilly said, enjoying the late night warmth in the air of Malibu.
"Yeah, feels great," Miley mumbled. "Now get your butt in the limo so we can get home," she said as she gently pushed Lilly toward the limousine. Lilly happily went along, opening the door for Miley then falling in behind her.
The changeover in the secure parking garage went so quickly that neither Miley or Lilly really woke up. In a few more minutes they were back at the Stewarts' house. Roxy and Robbie Ray helped the exhausted girls get inside the house, but once they were inside, Miley and Lilly were awake enough to make it upstairs on their own.
As they trudged upstairs, Lilly took off her wig and began taking off her shirt. When they made it into their room, she shut the door while Miley took off her wig and hung it and Lilly's wig back up in their closet. The clothes, however, just got tossed in the floor, with the exception of Miley's leather jacket. Lilly carefully picked it up where Miley had thrown it in the floor and hung it back up in the closet.
As Lilly came back out of the closet, she heard the toilet flush and was then treated to seeing her lover walk to the bed wearing just a light nightshirt. Lilly couldn't help but smile as she made a beeline to the bathroom to empty her own bladder; as soon as she was done, she washed her hands and climbed into bed without even a nightshirt on. After just a few seconds, Miley's nightshirt was off as well. However, both young women were so tired that they knew any more lovemaking would be too much tonight. Instead, they curled up, content with simply holding each other close as they once more fell back into peaceful slumber.
The girls slept the entire morning, finally getting up around one o'clock. After stretching, showering and getting dressed, they went down to the beach, playing in the ocean for a while, then going to Rico's to hang out with some of their friends. Before they knew it, the day was ending.
As they walked to Lilly's house, Miley said, "I had a great time with you this weekend, Lilly. And happy birthday." She hugged her fiancée tightly as she spoke, enjoying the feel of Lilly against her body.
"Same here, Miles, and thank you again," Lilly said, smiling as she looked at her partner. "What are we going to tell my parents about our car?" she asked.
Miley hadn't thought about that too much. "Good question," she said. "Let's not tell 'em just yet. We can wait until we actually get our licenses later in the week, then we can show them." While today was Lilly's birthday, Lilly had already told Miley that she was going to wait the two days between their birthdays so they could take their tests together and get their licenses at the same time. "And Lilly, it's your car. I got it for you."
"Okay, waiting to tell them works for me," Lilly said. "I mean, my mom we can just tell the truth, since she already knows about us, but we do need to come up with something for my dad." She moved her arm from around Miley's waist, under the pretense of adjusting her shorts. "And even if you got that car just for me, I'm giving part of it to you. Partners share everything, remember?" She then pinched Miley's butt through her shorts, getting a yelp and a leap forward from her lover.
"Ow," said Miley, rubbing her bottom. Her fake pout look didn't last too long, however. She was simply too happy with her weekend and their birthday gifts to even act upset. She smiled back at Lilly as they approached the Truscott house. "Hey, I don't see your dad's car. Maybe he took your brother to play golf or something."
As they opened the door and went inside, they saw Lilly's mother in the kitchen, fixing dinner. Lilly walked over first as she said, "Hi Mom!" and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. Miley followed suit, hugging and giving a similar cheek kiss to the woman she already saw as her mother-in-law. "Thanks for letting Lilly come with me this weekend, Mrs. Truscott. We had a fabulous time!"
Lilly walked back into the kitchen, having checked the living room and down the hall for any signs of anyone else in the house. "Is it just the three of us, Mom?" she asked.
"Yes, dear," Mrs. Truscott answered. "Your father and your brother went to some store in Los Angeles to pick up one of your birthday presents. And happy birthday, Lilly," she said with a warm smile.
"Which store did they go to? And thanks, Mom," Lilly replied with an identical smile.
Her mother turned to look back at her. "Oh no, Lillian, you're not getting me to tell you that, because it'd give away what the present is!" She turned back to the stove, stirring a medium pot casting a warm, spicy aroma into the kitchen air.
Miley grinned at Lilly's attempt to trick information out of her mother. She decided to try and gently nudge the conversation back on track. "Hannah and Lola got interviewed for Entertainment Tonight after the concert this weekend," she said.
"Oh, how exciting!" Mrs. Truscott said. "When will it be on television?" She had grown to enjoy following the activities the two girls got into in their secret identities as celebrities, and she had proven to be very capable at keeping their big secret.
Lilly answered, "Not sure just yet. Probably this week sometime." She looked at Miley, silently saying, Might as well tell her now. "Mom?" she said. "I'm going to tell you what Miley got me for my birthday, but you can't freak out, okay?"
Her mother took the pot off the hot burner and moved it another burner not in use. As she set the pot down, she turned to look at the two girls. "Is it an animal of some sort?" she asked, with a worried expression on her face.
Lilly smiled. "No Mom, it's not an animal." She waited a second or two, then she said, "She got me a car."
Lilly's mother froze. Slowly she looked back and forth between Miley and Lilly, her face registering surprise. "Miley..." she said. "Did you really..."
Miley grinned and said, "Yup. And Lilly deserves it! She's the best friend, the best girlfriend, the best wife I could ever have!" She hugged Lilly tightly, ending their embrace with a lingering kiss.
"Thank you," Lilly said, their noses lightly touching. "You're one in a billion yourself, lover."
"What are you going to do for gas, Lilly?" her mother asked. "Will you have to get a job?"
"That's the coolest part, Mom!" Lilly said excitedly. "It's an electric car! It doesn't use gas!"
"Really?" her mother asked, looking to Miley, who nodded in return.
Miley said, "Whenever we can get it set up, I'd like to have them put a solar charging station over here at your house, so Lilly can charge the car for free. Using the solar station, it won't use any electricity at all from the house." Miley smiled, then she said, "We do need a car, Mrs. Truscott. This car is totally safe, it only seats us, it's really affordable to drive and neither of us will have to get a job to pay for gas."
Lilly snorted. "As if you don't already have a job, Miles," she said jokingly. That got a laugh from Lilly's mother as well.
Mrs. Truscott said, "I don't think paying for gas would be much of a problem for you either, Miley."
Miley blushed and said, "Well, the car looked so cute and so cool, that I just wanted Lilly to have it, okay?"
Lilly kissed Miley again and said, "And thank you again, Miley."
Mrs. Truscott turned to her daughter. "And what did you get Miley for her birthday, dear?"
Lilly tried not to blush as she said, "I made Miley a DVD of us from pictures and videos of us that I collected from lots of different people. We finally got to watch it this afternoon." Wisely, she left out the part about the leather book she had also given Miley. That was a gift that had to stay between the two of them.
Miley beamed as she said, "It's so special, I cried twice while we were watching it."
Lilly said, "Yeah, me too. Looking at those old pictures of us is really bittersweet, because now I can clearly see our feelings for each other in them, but we were too confused or too frightened to act on them yet."
Miley lightly swatted Lilly's hand. "No apologies for the past, remember?" she said. "We wouldn't have--"
"--appreciated it then like we do now," Lilly finished for Miley. She smiled at Miley. "You're right. Forgive me?"
"Always," Miley said. "For anything." She knew she needed to be getting home, because school was coming early in the morning. "Okay, Lil, I need to head home," she said. "Bye Mrs. Truscott," Miley said, walking to the door.
"Good night, Miley!" Lilly's mother said. "Be careful walking home."
"I will," Miley answered her. As she and Lilly reached the door, Miley opened it and stepped outside, where she turned to tell Lilly good night. "Love you," she said softly as she kissed Lilly good night.
"Mmmm, love you too hon," Lilly answered, licking her lips as they broke their kiss. "Thank you again for my wonderful gifts."
"You're welcome," Miley said. "And thank you again for mine. Happy birthday, sweetie." The girls embraced, then kissed softly once again. Miley then waved and turned to walk home.
Lilly watched her until she was out of sight, then she went back inside to give her mom the details on the car, which Lilly knew she was dying to see, but her mom would have to wait until Wednesday, when Lilly got her license. And for now, she and Miley still had to decide what to tell her father and brother...
The next morning did indeed come rather early. As Miley and Lilly both went through their separate morning rituals in different houses, both could feel the other's absence clearly. It seemed that the more time they spent with each other, the greater the pangs of loneliness when they were apart. However, both young women understood and dealt with the loneliness. It was important that they had some time apart from each other, for it gave them "alone time" and also made the time they had together more special.
When Miley set off to school, she saw Lilly approaching on her skateboard. Funny, Miley thought, this is almost exactly the same place we were when Lilly crashed that morning. THE morning. The day when we admitted that we loved each other. The city had fixed the broken sidewalk, but now there was a rather large lip between the repaired section and the old sidewalk. As Miley watched Lilly approach, she saw Lilly wave, then execute a perfect kickflip over the lip, landing without losing any speed as she rode toward Miley.
When Lilly got close to Miley, she flipped her board over and landed on her feet, running slightly as she came to a stop. She bent down to pick up her board, then she looked at Miley and said, "Hi," smiling at her fiancée.
"Hi yourself," Miley replied. Without further talk, the two kissed deeply, pulling each other close. As they parted, Miley, still with her eyes closed, said, "Oh, I so needed that."
Lilly grinned as she said, "Me too." She released Miley and tucked her skateboard into her backpack, the end sticking out of the top, then she turned so they could continue their walk to school together. "Mom's driving me crazy about wanting to see the car," she said to Miley.
Miley laughed. "Sorry hon, I didn't think about that."
"It's okay," said Lilly. "She's just thrilled about you getting that for me." She took Miley's hand and looked far ahead, off into the distance. "Before long we're going to be driving to school together," she said dreamily.
Miley smiled and squeezed Lilly's hand. "I think we should tell people that my dad bought the car for us to share. We could say that he got a bonus for some songs he's written and that he used that to get the car for us. I mean, we really do share everything, and that way no one will think it's weird." She paused. "Well, relatively speaking."
As they walked into the school, both of them looked around, searching for any sign of Amber and Ashley. Lilly said, "I feel like something's going to happen, but I'm just not sure what."
Miley was likewise worried. "Have you come up with anything to try and get back at them yet for hurting you?" She knew exactly whom Lilly was worried about.
Lilly shook her head. "No, and to be really honest, I'm not sure I want to." She turned to look at Miley as they opened their lockers. "I'm not comfortable taking things to where someone might really get hurt. That's not a prank, that's dangerous."
"I agree with you there, Lilly," Miley said. "It's not worth someone getting hurt, unless it's to defend you."
"Or you," Lilly replied. "But for revenge? No way."
Once they had their books together, they set off for Ms. Jolly's algebra class, their first class of the day. As they took their seats, the bell rang. Once Ms. Jolly walked in, everyone quietened down. Ms. Jolly took one look at the class and said, "Ms. Stewart and Ms. Truscott! You two are needed in the principal's office right now." Everyone turned to look at Miley and Lilly, who were somewhat surprised at that statement.
As the girls gathered their books and left the class, Miley said, "Did we do something?" Even trying as hard as she could, she couldn't come up with any reason why they had been called to the principal's office.
Lilly shook her head. "Uh uh. Nothing. Unless this is about the soccer game, maybe."
As they reached the principal's office, Lilly opened the door for Miley, following her fiancée inside. The secretary smiled at them and said, "Right back to Mr. Young's office, girls." Seaview's current principal was relatively new, having taken over in the middle of the year. Neither girl had dealt with him yet, so they were unsure of what to expect. Even so, they were totally unprepared for what awaited them in the conference room adjacent to the principal's office. As they walked in, they saw both Amber and Ashley looking quite angry, Mr. Young, Lilly's soccer coach Ms. Larkins, Kaela and two more of Lilly's teammates, Gina Giles and Jamie Escante. Miley pulled out a seat for Lilly, then she sat beside her girlfriend.
Mr. Young said, "Alright, now that Ms. Stewart and Ms. Truscott have joined us, we can get started as soon as--" He was cut off by the door opening to admit the Malibu School Superintendent, Dr. Frank Vickers.
"Sorry David, traffic held me up slightly," Dr. Vickers said as he sat down. "Is everyone here?"
Mr. Young nodded. He gestured to Lilly as he said, "Ms. Truscott here was the young lady who apparently had a bounty posted on her during the soccer game last week." He turned to Amber and Ashley and said, "And these two young ladies are apparently the ones who instigated the whole matter. According to Thousand Oaks' principal, whom I talked to over the weekend, several players on their soccer team admitted to being offered money for hurting or trying to hurt Ms. Truscott."
Miley and Lilly turned to look at each other. Kaela smiled at them as they cautiously exchanged a smile. Never did they actually think Amber and Ashley would get in trouble for what they had done, but it appeared that was about to happen.
Mr. Young continued, "After the game several of our soccer ladies decided to exact their own revenge in the women's restroom by means of dunking Ms. Addison's and Ms. Dewitt's heads in toilets." His stern look at Kaela, Jamie and Gina left no doubt as to how he felt about that stunt. "And over the weekend I've heard rumors about a confrontation at a local bowling alley."
Lilly blurted out, "But Jen helped stop that before Amber, Ashley and their crew could start anything with us!" The heads turning to regard her made her flinch. "Shutting up now," she said softly, taking Miley's hand under the table for support.
Dr. Vickers said, "Yes, I've already dealt with Ms. Kittrell's situation. While she has been suspended for her actions on the field during the soccer game, her motives were surprisingly noble, as she was trying to protect one of her teammates. Because of that, I am allowing her to attend the championship game in uniform, but she will not be allowed to play because of her red card. However, if Seaview wins that game, she will be allowed to play in the regional and district tournaments."
Mr. Young spoke as Dr. Vickers paused. "However, we're not here to discuss that matter. We're all here to deal with two young ladies conspiring with others to injure Ms. Truscott, a student-athlete at this school, during a soccer game. I also understand that part of the motivation for this action was retaliation for Ms. Stewart blasting Ms. Addison and Ms. Dewitt in the lunchroom last week over another matter."
Seeing that Dr. Vickers didn't get the connection between retaliating against Miley by hurting Lilly, Mr. Young said to the superintendent, "Ms. Truscott and Ms. Stewart are engaged, Frank." Seeing that he still didn't quite get it, Mr. Young added, "To each other. They're a couple." Miley and Lilly smiled as they helpfully held out their left hands to show him their engagement rings, something they had really grown to love doing.
Miley spoke up before she thought better of it. "Hurting Lilly hit me harder than if they'd actually done something to me, sir," she said quickly.
Dr. Vickers regarded Miley and Lilly for a minute, then he turned to Lilly's teammates. "I take the safety of my city's students very seriously. I understand that each of you has contributed in some way to this feud, but everything else pales in comparison to paying another school's students to injure a classmate." He looked squarely at Amber and Ashley. "You two are hereby suspended for a week. Be thankful I don't throw you out of school entirely." He turned to look at Miley, Lilly, Kaela, Gina and Jamie. "As for the rest of you, this feud ends NOW. If I hear anything about any sort of retaliation, threats, attacks or anything stronger than ugly looks, I will make someone regret it. Do you all understand?" Everyone nodded their head. He stood. "Good. Then this matter is dealt with, as far as I'm concerned."
As Mr. Young likewise stood, he turned to the superintendent. "Thanks again, Frank," he said.
"Anytime, David. And good luck in the championship game," he said with a smile as the two men shook hands.
Mr. Young turned back to the other students. "The rest of you can go. Amber, Ashley, you stay put until I can contact your parents." He turned to look at Miley and Lilly. "Ms. Truscott, I apologize for your getting hurt," he said.
Lilly smiled and said, "I'm doing fine now, Mr. Young. Miley took good care of me this weekend." She hugged Miley before she even thought about how that might not have been the best idea, but she didn't try to hide it or take it back. I will not be ashamed or embarrassed about being in love with Miley, even if it gets me in trouble, she thought.
Mr. Young gave her a smile. "Good. You girls get back to class now."
As they filed out of the conference room, Coach Larkins said to Lilly, "I'm glad you're feeling better, Lilly. Feel like practicing some this week?"
Lilly nodded her head. "Except for Wednesday. Miley and I are taking our driving tests that day!" She and Miley looked at each other and grinned.
Coach Larkins smiled at the two young women and said, "Okay, you're excused from Wednesday practice. I'll see you after school tomorrow, then. Take today off, because I want you rested up and ready to go for the game Thursday."
"You got it, Coach!" Lilly said cheerfully. "Ready to go back to class, Miles?" she asked Miley.
"Yep," Miley answered. She turned to the coach and said, "Thanks for being good to my girl, Coach," then she and Lilly stepped out of the office and returned to class.
The rest of the day went very smoothly. Miley and Lilly caught up with Oliver at lunch and filled him in what had happened with Amber and Ashley. As expected, he was thrilled, but he had already heard most of the details from a friend of his. Lilly and Miley knew better than to ask whom his source was.
After Monday, Tuesday went quickly, but on Wednesday school seemed to crawl. When it was finally over, Lilly and Miley raced outside, where Robbie Ray was waiting for them.
"Well, it sure looks like you two are rarin' to go take that drivin' test!" he said, amused at watching them run to the Suburban.
Not a word was said until Miley and Lilly had both hopped into the car, then Miley said, "Punch it, Dad! We've got a test to take!"
Since the girls had been practicing for several weeks now, they did quite well on both the written and the road tests. Neither of them made a perfect score, but both of them passed easily. As they sat for their pictures, they tried to make each other laugh, resulting in several retakes for each. Finally, both of them had pictures they could live with, and they danced around as they were waiting for the licenses to print. As the clerk handed the still-warm licenses over, they looked over them carefully, examining every inch of them. Together they looked up at each other and started laughing, doing happy dances in the middle of the Department of Motor Vehicles office. Finally they settled down after getting several stern looks from other patrons, and they went outside where Robbie Ray was waiting.
"We got 'em!" Miley yelled, running over to her father and hugging him fiercely. "Thank you so much for practicing with us both, Daddy," she said. Lilly piled into the group hug, hugging both Miley and Robbie Ray.
"You two are totally welcome!" Robbie Ray said. He extricated himself from the tight hugs and pulled a letter out of his jacket pocket. "And yesterday we got your letter from our Representative. You two have got special permission from the California DMV to ride together!"
One of California's laws governing graduated drivers' licenses for teen drivers stipulates that no teenage drivers with less than a year's experience may transport a passenger under the age of twenty without a licensed driver over age twenty-five in the front passenger seat. Miley and Lilly had previously written a letter last month to their U.S. Representative explaining that their car had only room for one passenger, that they were engaged with plans to be married soon, and that the car would be used mainly to travel to school and back. In the letter, they had asked for the DMV to grant them permission to ride together, since they lived together (they fudged a bit on that statement, but not by much) and simply couldn't be transporting any other passengers due to the two-seat design of their car.
Miley and Lilly had been anxious about the response they'd receive to their request. But it appeared that they would indeed be allowed to ride together now. As they looked over the letter, Lilly said, "We still need to ride with your dad some more, Miley. Especially at night."
Miley nodded her head. "Yeah, it looks like the permission only extends to nine o'clock at night. So we can't be out later than that together. At least not by ourselves."
"Well, at least we get to ride together during the day!" Lilly said cheerily. She turned to Robbie Ray. "Can one of us drive home, Mr. Stewart?"
"O' course, darlin'!" he said. As they climbed into the Suburban with Miley in the driver's seat, he said, "By the way, there's another letter that came today. I left it at the house for you two to read later. I hadn't read it yet, but if you want me to read it first, I'd be happy to."
That was an odd thing to say. Miley asked, "Who's it from?"
Robbie Ray said, "You can find out when you get home. Right now, you just concentrate on that there road, bud."
The drive home went smoothly. The months of practice had definitely paid off for both girls, as they were capable and careful drivers. As they pulled into the driveway, Miley parked the car, then she and Lilly jumped out of the car. While initially they were eager to take Lilly's car out for a drive, now there was the matter of the mysterious letter.
The girls ran inside, where Miley went over to the stack of mail on the desk next to the door. She sifted through the letters until she found the one they were looking for. "Sweet niblets," she said, reading the name on the return address. Jake Ryan.
Miley felt Lilly bristle up as she also read the name. Immediately after the girls had begun dating, Jake had tried to blackmail Miley into posing as his girlfriend. He had also threatened to hurt both Miley and Lilly if she refused to play along with his plan. When he actually hit Miley, Lilly fought him off until he overpowered her by attacking her from behind when she turned to check on Miley. At that point, Oliver had hit Jake with Lilly's skateboard, breaking Jake's arm. Oliver had also recorded the entire exchange to keep Jake from revealing Miley's secret life as Hannah Montana. Since that altercation, no one had heard anything from Jake Ryan.
"Are you sure you want to open it, Miley?" Lilly asked nervously. Her biggest fear for years had been that Miley would fall in love with Jake, which would end any chance for a romance between her and Miley. But now she knew that nothing would ever break the two of them apart, not even the famous Jake Ryan. Still, Lilly knew that Miley's memories involving Jake were mostly painful, and she wanted to spare her girlfriend that pain if at all possible.
Miley looked at the envelope as she considered Lilly's question. "Yes," she said. She turned to look at Lilly, whose eyes were tearing up slightly.
"I'm sorry, Miley, I know you're never going to leave me, it's just that..." Lilly said haltingly. "My emotions when it comes to him and how he's hurt us both in the past are, like, really stormy."
Miley smiled at Lilly and hugged her. "I know, sweetheart, I know. Believe me, I know." She felt herself tearing up as well; this was a very raw subject for both of them still. "But you're right in that nothing is ever going to break us apart. I have you here to read this letter with me, and no matter what it may say, I love you and I will always love you." Miley put her hands on Lilly's shoulders so she could hold her as she looked into Lilly's eyes. "You are my future, Lilly Truscott. We are going to get married, build our future together, and have children together. Nothing in this letter," she said as she removed one hand to shake the letter, "will do anything to change any of that or make us love each other any less."
Lilly moved in close to hug Miley tightly. "You're right, hon. And I'll gladly read it with you. I think it's best if we do read it together."
Miley smiled as she said, "C'mon, let's sit down and read it." They went to the couch, where they sat down before Miley tore open the letter. Inside was a single sheet of paper with handwritten lines on it. Together they read the letter:
Miley, I know that what I did and what I tried to do to you and Lilly was terrible. I'm not making any excuses, because nothing could completely excuse my behavior. However, I would like you to know that for the past eight months, I've had a problem. Here they call it "polysubstance abuse and dependence." It started with some drinks, then someone I thought was a friend got me taking pills she brought me. It made me feel good in the beginning, but before long it started interfering with work. I missed rehearsals, my acting suffered, and I became... somebody else. Somebody I didn't like.
When it got to the point that my television show was canceled, I knew my problem had gotten really bad. But I still thought I could handle it. I just needed something to keep my career going. So I came after you. When I think about what I said to you, about the things I threatened to do, it scares me. As weird as this may sound, I'm glad that Lilly and Oliver stopped me from hurting you. Getting hurt was what showed me I was out of control. Because of that, I went into a really nice rehab program. It's been a long process, but I've been clean for over a month now, and I'm never going back to the place I was at.
You don't have to worry about me trying to get in touch with you any more, other than this letter. I'm writing this to you because I need to apologize to you and to Lilly for what I've done to you in the past so I can move on. I now understand that you and Lilly really do love each other, and every time I see the two of you on television or in a magazine, you both look really happy. I'm glad for both of you, because you're both really great. Thank you for making me realize what a monster I had become, and thank you for setting me on a path where I could get better. I wish you two the best for your lives together.
Jake
As they finished reading the letter, Lilly said, "Wow."
Miley softly said, "You can say that again."
Lilly looked at her with a grin on her face and said, "Wow," prompting Miley to swat her with the letter. When Miley settled back down, Lilly said, "That was nice of him. It's almost enough to make me forgive him."
Miley had a pensive look on her face as she said, "I know what you mean. I mean, he's apologizing and everything, but it's going to take me a long time to get past him threatening and hurting you."
Lilly said, "Same here, Miles, same here. But maybe he's got another chance at life now." She paused, then said, "I hope he doesn't screw this one up." She stood up, grabbing Miley's left arm and pulling her to her feet. "Now put that letter down and let's go for a drive, girlfriend!"
Miley grinned as she tossed the letter in the trash. "Anything for you, Lilly," she said as she walked across the room with Lilly, not looking back.
Author's Afterword: The next chapter brings us to the Fashion Rocks event and begins the girls' Christmas Break in Tennessee! I expect it's going to be a bit longer than most chapters, so bear with me and try to be patient as I get it typed. Like I said, the story writes itself, but sometimes it takes turns I'm not expecting, and those turns usually wind up taking longer than I had planned. But being true to the story is worth it, in my opinion. I'm sure Lilly and Miley will enjoy spending time together as the next chapter coalesces. See you soon!
-- Jo --