Hey everybody! I believe this is my last chapter! YAYAYA! I'm kind of sad, though, u know? I mean, I loved writing this story and getting reviews from you all! It was so awesome! Well, anyway, no more tears, I will now list the reviewers from the last chapter. I would like to thank lilerin91, Supergirrl, Spencer-Sweetie, luckyducky93, Garden Spade, luvokemo, and softballchick03 for reviewing! Here's chapter 11!
"Dad! How could you forget? Where did you think we were these past three nights?" Miley said, obviously frustrated. Her once-perfect hair was now frizzy and all over the place, her make-up was now smeared and running down her face, her clothes were slightly twisted around. She paced back and forth across the kitchen floor, deep in thought.
"I'm sorry, Bud. I just- I didn't know." Robbie sighed deeply and rose form the couch. "I could cancel- but this will bring in big bucks, baby girl." He looked at her inquisitively. No one said a word.
"Well, what are you gonna do?" Lilly asked, breaking the silence. She was sprawled out on the floor close to where Miley was pacing. "I mean, you can't just lose on purpose."
"That's it!" Miley said, stopping mid-step.
"What is?" Lilly asked. She rose and stood next to Miley.
"Lilly you're a genius!" Miley said, pulling her friend into a tight hug.
"Umm, thanks?" Lilly said, clearly confused. Robbie suddenly understood what they girls were saying. He walked over to them and gave Lilly a pat on the back.
"Yes! Lilly you saved us!" He said.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on here?" Lilly asked, pulling away from Miley and her dad.
"Lilly, don't you see? I can just lose on purpose!" Miley squealed.
"What? How are you going to do that?" Lilly still didn't understand.
"Listen carefully okay?" Miley said, speaking slowly. "I am not going to win this pageant tomorrow. I will do something that prevents me from winning. It really won't be too hard. Do you understand?" She asked.
"Yeah, I understand. So I wonder who's gonna win and meet Hannah Montana?" Lilly said. Miley shrugged.
The Next Day, At School
Amber and Ashley came up to Miley Lilly, and Oliver in the halls. They each had smug, cocky looks on their faces.
"You guys are going down tonight!" Amber said.
"Yeah, we are so going to beat you." Ashley added.
"Like, there's no way you could win while you're up against us." Amber said nastily.
"Yeah, we are like, way cooler than you." Ashley said cruelly.
"And prettier, smarter, sweeter… all around better." They said together. "Ooooo…sssss!" They said, performing their trademark hand move.
"Well, let's see, who got absolutely no praise from the judges and minimal applause from the crowd?" Miley said. She could have just slapped them, by the looks on their faces.
"Would that be, you?" Lilly and Miley said together. "Ooooo…sssss!" They mimicked Amber and Ashley's absurd movements and walked away, leaving Oliver alone with amber and Ashley.
"I-I'm just gonna…g-go…" He stuttered, and hurried after his friends.
Miley's House
"Yay! We get to wear the awesome dresses!" Lilly said excitedly. They were in Hannah Montana's closet, getting ready for the show. Miley had already decided to keep the dress plan, but go wild with the hair and make-up. Lilly was going to keep it cute and simple. "This is so badical!"
"This is going to be fun!" Miley laughed. "I think we should do something totally wild! You know, go crazy; dark make-up, wild hair; very messy! I think that'd be so awesome!" Miley said, walking over to her vanity and grabbing her brush. She sat down as she began to brush her long, brown hair. Lilly didn't say anything. She was looking down at her feet. Miley looked over at her. "What's the matter?" She asked.
"Well, what you described sounded really scary. I mean, I guess that'd be cool…" She trailed off.
"What is it, Lilly?" Miley was concerned. She didn't know what Lilly was talking about. Scary was the idea, right?
"Do you remember how Amber and Ashley came up to us this morning?" Lilly asked. Miley nodded. "Yes, well, do you remember how they were all 'We are so going to beat you!' And then they were all 'Oooo...sssss' and then we were all 'Would that be you?' and then they were all 'oh my gosh!' and then we were all 'Ooooo…sssss'?" Miley nodded again, this time a bit unsurely. "Yes, well, would you really want to lose to that?" Miley was silent. Lilly makes a good point. Miley thought. I really wouldn't want to lose to them, now that I've said all of those things. Man, now what?
"Yeah, I see what you're saying. " Miley mumbled.
"So what should we do?" Lilly asked.
"I think I have an idea." Miley said, smiling deviously. Lilly looked at her curiously, knowing that Miley's ideas were usually trouble. They finished getting ready slowly, because they wanted to look just right. Miley helped Lilly put her hair up in a classy bun, with a few curled strands hanging around her face. She applied light grey eye shadow that faded into green (to match her dress) and what Miley likes to call "Just the Right Shade of Red" lip gloss. Miley's hair was left down, and Lilly helped her curl random strands to give it a cool effect. She wore the same eye shadow as Lilly, except hers faded into pink instead of green. When they were finished, they got dressed.
"Wow." Lilly gasped when they stood in front of the same full-length mirror of Miley's that they had stood in front of for the past 3 days.
"Beautiful." Miley agreed, putting her arm around her best friend. They stood in front of the mirror, admiring how they looked in probably two of the finest gowns they would even put on. After a few minutes, Miley snapped out of her trance and glanced at the clock hanging on the wall near the door. It read 4:55. "Ahhh!" Miley shrieked.
"What?" Lilly asked, alarmed.
"We have to be there in 5 minutes! Let's go, quick!" Miley said, grabbing a light pink sweater from the back of a purple chair. She threw an identical light green one to Lilly, who was right behind her. They rushed downstairs, trying not to trip over their long gowns. "Daddy?" Miley called through the house. No answer. "Daddy?" She called again. No answer. "Jackson?" She tried Jackson's name. No answer. "What is going on here?" She wondered aloud. Lilly shrugged. "Jackson? Dad? Where are you guys?" Miley screamed. She stopped for a moment and removed her shoes. "I can't believe I'm doing this. Come on Lilly." She shook her head and made for the door.
"What? You mean we're going to walk there?" Lilly asked in disbelief.
"Actually, I was thinking of something more along the lines of a sprint." She said. She was already at the door, about to open it. Lilly followed suit and removed her shoes.
"I cannot believe this." She breathed. They went outside. It was freezing. "I thought we were in Malibu." Lilly said. They ran down the Stewarts' driveway and headed in the direction of The Club.
"It's not too much further." Miley said to a shivering Lilly. Lilly nodded. Soon, they arrived at The Club and walked inside. It was much warmer in there. The girls shed their sweaters and headed for the dressing room. Once inside, they received constant compliments from Elizabeth, who seemed to be absolutely in love with their dresses. They told her over and over again that her dress was gorgeous, and they should be the ones complimenting her. She was wearing a long, sleek, deep red dress that complimented her perfect figure wonderfully. It was cut low across her chest, and criss-crossed across the back. She looked gorgeous in it. Her hair was left down; it hung straight down her back. Amber and Ashley also looked quite beautiful in the gowns they had on. Amber sported a pink sleeveless dress with 3 black stripes on the torso and 3 small pink and black flowers on one side of the hip. Ashley was wearing a long black gown with a slit that reached the left hip. Underneath, you could see white fabric, and right above the slit were many glittering sequins arranged in no specific pattern. Miley and Lilly thought they looked…well, pretty. Both girls' hair was left down; Amber's was curled, and Ashley's was straight. As Miley and Lilly put their shoes back on, they talked to Elizabeth about how they had to walk to The Club. Elizabeth laughed and sighed and smiled and giggled in all the right places.
It wasn't long before the stage manager called their names and they lined up to go on stage. Since there were only five of them, they all went on at the same time. The stage manager told them that all they had to do was walk across the stage, smile at the judges, and line up on the red line at the back of the stage. Each girl would take a turn walking up in front of the crowd, curtsying, and smiling for everyone to see. They would say their name and age, and one thing about them. Then they would go back to the red line. When everyone was finished, they would head backstage and give the judges a chance to decide to winner.
"Got it?" The woman said when she was finished explaining. The girls nodded. Are you guys ready to go on?" The girls nodded once again. "Alright...Go!" She said, gently pushing Amber, who was first in line, through the curtain. They pranced in front of the crowd, stopped for a moment to smile at the judges, and then went back to the red line. Amber headed up to the front of the stage as instructed and curtsied for the judges.
"My name is Amber Matthews, I am 14 years old, and…I am one of the prettiest girls in my school!" She said.
She is so self-centered! Miley, Lilly, and Elizabeth thought from their place on the red line.
Next it was Ashley's turn. She walked up, curtsied, and smiled for the judges. "My name is Ashley Christianson, I am 14, and… She took mine!" Ashley whined. Miley and Lilly looked at each other in disbelief. They could not believe she actually said that. "I was gonna say that, Amber!" Ashley said, turning around to glare at her friend. Miley looked over to Ms. Livingston. Her once-cheerful face was now searching for something to say in this odd situation.
"Ummm…" She said, trying to find the right words. "Well! Now, uh, let's move on to our next contestant, shall we?" She said, gesturing to Elizabeth to move forward. At the same time, her eyes were pleading with Ashley to stop the madness. Both girls stood still for a brief moment, looked at each other, then silently agreed they wouldn't torture poor Ms. Livingston any longer. Elizabeth went up to the front of the stage and curtsied for the judges. She smiled confidently and looked out into the crowd. When she spotted Jackson, she blushed and smiled sweetly.
"My name is Elizabeth Montgomery, I am 14, and I have a huge crush on the boy with blonde hair sitting in the fourth row." She said. There was only one blonde boy in that row: Jackson. He looked surprised, but quickly changed that into a look of pure cool. He smiled at Elizabeth, and she smiled back broadly before walking back to the red line. Elizabeth's performance got much applause from the crowd and many cat calls and "Ooos" in Jackson's direction. Next, it was Lilly's turn. She walked up to the front of the stage, curtsied gracefully, and smiled brightly for the audience. She caught Oliver's eye, which only made her smile grow bigger and bigger. When she spoke, her voice rang out perfectly through the room.
"My name is Lilly Truscott, I am 14 years old, and I love Oliver Oken!" Lilly said, staring straight at Oliver, never letting her smile fade. Oliver blushed, and Zoey hit his arm playfully. The people around Oliver were all laughing and smiling at him. Lilly walked back over to the red line with a sort of spring in her step. Next, it was Miley's turn. Lilly was really curious to see what she had planned. Miley walked up to the front of the stage and sort of half-curtsied, half-knelt in front of the judges. When she spoke, she used her strongest southern accent.
"My name is Miley Stewart, I am 14, and…uh…I…" She searched for just the right words.
"She's a complete hillbilly!" Ashley called from behind her. Miley looked back at her and smiled. Ashley seemed taken aback by this act of gratitude, but quickly regained her snotty composure. Miley turned back to the audience and nodded her head in agreement with Ashley's statement. The audience looked puzzled. Jacinda started clapping, uncertainly at first, but soon, the audience joined in and Miley received loud applause. She smiled graciously towards Jacinda, and then at the audience, then headed back to the red line. Halfway there, she looked at Lilly and smiled slyly. Miley walked on; she was about there, with only a few steps to go. Suddenly, she began to fall. She crashed down right in front of Ashley, who kicked her foot and squealed with disgust.
"My bad!" Miley called, loud enough for everyone to hear. She rose and made her way over to stand next to Lilly.
"Nice one!" Lilly whispered, giving Miley a high-five behind their backs.
"Thanks! It kind of hurt when Ashley kicked me though." Miley said, giggling. Soon, their attention was turned up front, to where Jacinda was speaking again.
"Well, now, wasn't that… eventful?" She said uncertainly. She looked right at Miley. "Now, can we please have our lovely ladies go backstage so the judges can decide the winner?" She gestured to the curtain. With Amber leading the way, they headed backstage. Once all 5 girls were through the curtain, they all erupted with laughter.
"I can't believe you tripped!" Ashley said.
"Way to go, graceful!" Amber added.
"You are such a loser!" They said in unison. "Oooo, sssss."
"Shut up!" Elizabeth shouted out of nowhere. Miley, Lilly, Amber and Ashley all looked at her, surprised. "It's not like she did it on purpose!" She looked at Miley sympathetically. Miley just smiled. You don't know the half of it. She thought, looking over to Lilly and smiling discreetly.
"Oh please!" Amber said, and they walked away before it got really ugly.
"Thanks, Elizabeth. That was really nice of you." Miley said, giving Elizabeth a warm hug.
"No problem. They were being jerks. No one deserves that." She smiled as they broke apart.
"You should totally come to our school. You know, teach Amber and Ashley a lesson." Lilly said.
"Where do you go to school? Miley asked curiously.
"Oh, I'm home schooled." Elizabeth said simply.
"Awesome." Miley said, smiling at her friends. They talked about Elizabeth's home schooling until Mary, the backstage manager, called for them to line for the last time.
"I can't believe it. This is it, I mean; this is where it all ends." Lilly said, pulling her friends into yet another tight hug. They were all close to tears. They walked to the center of the stage; hands interlocked, and anxiously awaited the results.
"Well, girls, you were all wonderful, but sadly, we can only pick one of you to be the winner. You know that. Now, what you don't know is the winning prize that the best contestant will receive." Jacinda paused to raise the excitement. "The winner of this pageant will receive not only a $1,000 scholarship check, but she will also get to meet pop-singing sensation…HANNAH MONTANA!" At the sound of Hannah's name, the crowd erupted in applause, whistles, you name it. They went wild. Miley looked at Lilly and they smiled at the secret only they shared. "Now, now, calm down everyone! The first and second runners-up will receive a $700 scholarship check, and the third and fourth runners-up will receive a $500 scholarship check!" Jacinda smiled. "The judges have given me an envelope that contains the name of that one lucky winner, as well as the fourth, third, second, and first runners-up. Here we go." She began to open the envelope. The audience was dead silent. I mean, you could have heard a pin drop. Lilly tried not to laugh when Oliver sneezed into Zoey's shirt. She went to the bathroom to try and wash it off.
"Leave it to Oliver." Lilly whispered, causing Miley to chuckle. After a long silence, Jacinda finally spoke.
"Now, the fourth runner-up is…" She read off of a small pink paper. "Ashley Christianson!" The crowd cheered loudly as Ashley began to make her way to the front of the stage. She didn't look too happy as she curtsied and waved her hand in thanks.
"She looks… disappointed." Lilly observed. Miley nodded in agreement.
"Alright! Well done, Ashley, well done Ashley!" Jacinda said, applauding. "Now, for the third runner-up..." The audience fell silent once again. "Amber Matthews!" Amber looked up, surprised. She, like Ashley, didn't expect to be placed this low. She walked up to the front of the stage and curtsied half-heartedly. Then she went over to stand next to Ashley on the right side of the stage.
"Miley!" Lilly whispered, squeezing Miley's hand tightly. She was so nervous. Just because Miley can't win, doesn't mean I shouldn't be able to. She thought excitedly.
"Alright, Amber! Well done! Now, for the second runner-up!" The audience was silent yet again. Miley, Elizabeth, and Lilly squeezed each other's hands tightly as they waited for Jacinda to call one of their names. "Elizabeth Montgomery!" Jacinda called. Elizabeth smiled and gave each Miley and Lilly a big bear hug before walking to the front of the stage and curtsying. She brandished a huge smile as she joined Amber and Ashley. Now it was between Miley and Lilly.
"Here we go." Miley whispered, giving Lilly's hand a tight squeeze. Miley felt relived when Lilly squeezed back.
"Alright, ladies, it's down to the two of you now. Miley Stewart and Lilly Truscott." Jacinda lowered her voice. Miley and Lilly looked at each other and smiled, as if they knew everything was going to turn out okay. "Are you ready, girls?" They nodded. "Okay, then here we go." She read off the paper. "The winner…of the Sparkly Spirits Beauty Pageant is…Lilly Truscott!" The audience erupted in applause once again, but all Lilly could think about was what was going on right beside her. Miley was beaming. Both girls were too happy for words as they hugged each other tightly and made their way to the front of the stage to curtsy for the audience. They hugged again and Miley went over to stand next to the other girls. "There you have it everyone! Lilly Truscott is the new Miss Sparkly Spirit!" Jacinda shouted over the sound of the audience. Lilly stood in the center of the stage as the camera men crowded around her, showing the world how absolutely fantastic she was.
Just how it was meant to be. Both Miley and Lilly thought, looking at each other, their smiles shining radiantly for the world to see.
Finished! Yes! I hope you all loved the story! Please review! You guys are so awesome, thank you! Oh, and if you have any ideas for stories you want to read but can't write yourself, tell me! Thanks guys! Love you all!