So, here's the next chapter of the story. I got it up much quicker than expected, should be working on essays but this is much more fun really :) Thanks for all the lovely reviews peeps. Really appreciated.
'They Say That Good Things Take Time' – Chapter 14
The time that passed between Lilly leaving and the arrival of Christmas was drawn out and painful for both girls, particularly so as they would not be spending it together. Miley had been invited by her beloved Mamaw to spend the entire holiday season back on the old farm upon which she had grown up on in Tennessee, whereas Lilly was experiencing a Christmas in her new surroundings followed by European skiing into the New Year.
Miley looked to the distance between the girls as a way of finding a new hope, and as a means for dislodging the feelings which she had come to bear so heavily for her best friend. Now that Lilly communicated more regularly with Miley, the brunette felt herself sinking back into a comfortable place in her life, with the cheerful blonde always only a phone call away to support her. Robbie Ray could not help but smile every morning that he saw Miley with a grin on her face and, although he knew that she was still putting herself through a hard time, she was working on getting over her troubles.
Arriving at Mamaw's farm was the greatest thing that had happened to Miley ever since she had shared those last precious hours in Lilly's company. As soon as she stepped out of their hired jeep and onto the doorstep of her grandmother's converted barn, she knew that she was home. A smile blossomed across her features as she took in the familiar surroundings and the crisp, winter breeze caught up her flowing locks, blowing them about her face and bringing a sense of freedom back to her, clearing her mind. The warm embrace her grandmother gave her, combined with the old familiar smells of country living, was everything Miley had wanted for a long time. For the first time in months, Miley was truly happy and nothing was going to prevent these feelings.
"Miley Ray," her Mamaw greeted her with affection flowing through her voice, "I swear you still get taller every time I see you. And look at how beautiful you're becoming. My, I see more of your mother in you everyday."
Miley beamed into her doting grandmother's face, grateful for the praise that she bestowed in the wonderful way that only a grandmother could. Her heart was beating so warmly that she felt that she would never be cold all the while she was here, even though the ground was crisp underfoot and the breeze was chilly.
"What about me Mamaw?" Jackson whinged from behind his younger sister, "You haven't told me how handsome I've gotten yet, or how much I've grown."
"Oh Jackson, do forgive me. You are so very handsome, but I am afraid that I cannot say you've grown in body. Only in mind, perhaps?"
"We can hope." Miley snorted under her breath whilst her brother pouted slightly behind her. "Aw come on Jackson," Miley sniggered, "one day you'll grow. Maybe you'll just have one of those late growth-spurt things. I mean, you're only what, twenty now? I'm sure you're still growing."
Jackson stuck his tongue out at his sister's taunts before turning to help his father with their baggage. Mamaw once again smiled kindly at her favourite granddaughter and led them all inside for some hot chocolate.
A few hours later and Miley was standing inside Mamaw's old cattle barn, which had been converted into stables for the few horses that she housed there. Miley no longer owned any of the horses in this barn; they had all been sold or passed on to other cousins once she had moved to Malibu. The remaining horse that she had known from her life in Tennessee was an old grey gelding who stood watching her with big, brown eyes, chewing attentively on his hay. Miley grinned as she stroked the long nose of one of her childhood favourites.
"Hello Teddy." She greeted the animal gently and giggled slightly as he snuffled at her face, his whiskers tickling her cheeks whilst his velvety lips rubbed one of her ears. "Woah boy, you're not going to find any treats in there." Miley said lightly and took a step back from him.
"You know we had to double-lock that stable door when y'all left for Malibu." Mamaw's voice spoke from the entrance of the barn.
Miley turned round and smiled as she watched her grandmother pick her way through the building, a few carrots clutched in her hands as she slowly offered them out to the eager animals.
"Really?" Miley replied as she returned her attention to cuddling Teddy.
"Yup. He missed y'all so much that he kept working out ways to escape, so we had to get smarter than him and employ more drastic measures on his door." Mamaw was smiling as she came to a stop in front of old Teddy and offered him the last carrot.
"Aw, poor Teddy." Miley whispered and rubbed his nose as he crunched thoughtfully on his treat.
"Yes, poor old Teddy. He sure has missed you all." Mamaw answered and looked deeply into Miley's eyes.
Miley smiled back at her grandmother before embracing her in another one of their famous hugs. She knew that her Mamaw had missed them all and was talking more for herself than the old grey creature in front of them. The warmth of her grandmother's love, combined with smells that Miley associated with winter, which signalled the drawing nearer of Christmas, was all that Miley needed to turn her life around. As she broke away from Mamaw, she could not help but grin as she contemplated that she was going to make herself better and move on. She just needed to take this step back into her old life first, and soon everything was going to be alright.
Meanwhile, across the stately divide, finally exiting a crowded shopping mall, Lillian Truscott was a in a stormy mood. She disliked seasonal shopping for her family and, due to her tendency to leave everything that little bit too late, had been even more pressurised to find the right gifts for everyone. Now she was laden down with heavy bags and had to get the bus home since her mother had the car, which they normally shared, for work purposes. Lilly made it to the bus stop in enough time to find a large queue of people already assembled. She rolled her eyes in despair as she stood, panting and sweating slightly as she waited her turn to board.
After an obnoxious journey home, shoved in the tin-can of a vehicle with heating turned up too high and pressed up close to a very smelly man, Lilly was finally able to walk in her front door and take her purchases up to her room. She groaned in relief as she flung herself onto the bed and rolled over onto her back to stare at her ceiling as she let her fowl mood wash over her and out of her system. It was at times like these when she missed Miley profusely. She was always so good at spotting a bargain, she had to be efficient with all her preparation for her Hannah concerts, and had been ruthless in the past at getting Lilly organised on time. Lilly smiled to herself as she reflected over how so many hours of Miley's personal, family shopping moments had been spoiled by the brunette's selfless tendencies to put Lilly's needs before her own. Miley knew that Lilly was hopeless when it came to tedious duties like these, and had always been willing to help the quirky blonde. Lilly's facial expression fell slightly as she remembered why Miley was always ready to overcompensate when it came to Lilly, and shook her head as if to free herself of these thoughts. She had been contemplating this too much recently and, now that things were finally as normal as they could be between the pair, gathering the distance, knew there was no need to dwell on Miley's feelings toward her.
Lilly swung her legs over the side of her bed and wandered over to her computer to check for emails. The screen stared blankly back at her as her inbox read empty and Lilly sighed from disappointment as she remembered that Miley was with her Mamaw now. Stiffening up, Lilly heard the front door click open and her mother's voice greeted her from downstairs in the hall. Hurriedly, she stowed her family's future presents underneath her bed and went downstairs to greet her mother.
A few hours later, Lilly was embracing the cold, St Louis winter, with a self-motivated walk along the block to her friend Luke's house. On arrival she was happy to find the teenage boy, contentedly snuggled up with his recent girlfriend Amelia on the couch. Lilly could not be more pleased for the pair who got together within the last month and were virtually inseparable. Amelia's delight had been unconfined as she had secretly adored Luke since the first day of high school and, when the boy had finally realised, he had only been too happy to sweep her up into his arms and return his affection.
"Hey guys," Lilly greeted her friends as she entered the room, "I hope I'm not disturbing anything?"
"Nah not at all." Luke motioned toward a nearby armchair, "Take a seat Lil. I was just telling Amelia how cute she looks."
This statement elicited a pleased giggle from the already blushing brunette who was nestled in the crook of his arm. Lilly watched as Luke smiled in amusement at Amelia's reaction, but his eyes were full of warmth and fondness, they made such a sweet couple Lilly reflected to herself.
"So, what are you guys up to over the holidays?" Lilly asked.
"Well, not a lot really. This and that…" Luke sighed vaguely. "Oh, there's a party some guy called T.J is having and he invited me and told me to bring some people along. I suppose I better bring you two girls or you'll feel left out." Luke grinned warmly.
"Ha. Ha." Amelia muttered dryly from his side but smiled sweetly as she turned her attention back to the blonde in front of them. "We'll be up for that, won't we Lil?"
"Erm, yeah, sure I guess so." Lilly muttered. "When is it exactly?"
"December 23rd." Luke replied, "Just before Christmas and perfect timing, as I'm sure they'll be plenty of mistletoe to accidentally get stuck under." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at his girlfriend in suggestion. Amelia merely grunted and playfully hit her boyfriend in the stomach.
"Whatever Luke." She then turned her attention back to Lilly, "Although, that could work out. I heard that Jason Shaw is going and he is totally hot. What do you think Lilly?" Amelia's eyes were sparkling mischievously.
"Erm… I dunno." Lilly replied, her throat suddenly felt strangely dry and her body prickled from the question. The idea of seeing someone at this time was an alien thought to her, and she had not thought about her own love life since before the summer.
"Aw, come on Lilly." Luke joined in, "It's time we got you properly settled in here with the guys. Word in the locker rooms is that a lot of them think you're a hottie."
"Oh really?" Lilly questioned shakily. The room was surprisingly warmer than she remembered it being only a minute ago and her palms were sweating slightly. What was wrong with her?
Luke chuckled, "Hell yes. I don't know how you haven't noticed it before."
"It's true Lil, I've always noticed you getting a lot of attention in the corridors. Plus when the guys are running track around us during soccer practice, well, they are warm for your form." Amelia finished with a giggle as she quipped one of Luke's lines.
"Oh, I never noticed before I guess." Lilly laughed nervously.
"God, you must be blind." Luke responded dryly, "When was the last time that you actually flirted with a guy or something happened?" Lilly's face remained blank as her mind scoped back, past the summer, to her last year of school in Malibu. After gauging no response from the uncharacteristically silent blonde, Luke probed further, "Scratch that. When was the last time you even kissed someone?"
Lilly's eyes widened at the question and she felt bewildered that she could not even remember the simple answer to that. Her mind was tugging at a memory which was having difficulty coming to the surface. Who was her last boyfriend in Malibu? She was sure that was not the right moment though. It must have been during a party before the summer.
"Luke, she probably doesn't want to answer that question." Amelia broke in as she examined Lilly's thoughtful disposition. The blonde's face was twitching and her brow was furrowed as she tried to remember the niggling piece of information. The answer was closer than she thought and suddenly her mind struck it, causing Lilly to wince slightly from the impact. It had been at the airport, on her last day in Malibu when she was saying goodbye to her old life. Her last kiss had been with Miley.
"Are you alright there Lilly?" Luke questioned gently.
Lilly nodded tersely in response as her heart-rate began to quicken and her breath got caught up in her sticking throat. The memory was becoming more real to her as she uncovered the broken pieces, which she had never really remembered until now. Their accidental kiss, which had meant nothing to Lilly at the time, had secretly elicited so much more from Miley. The casual brush of her lips upon Miley's and how surprised her friend had been. The kiss had been warm, filled with friendly affection and all too short to be momentous or worrying. Yet now Lilly was fretting over this previously unrecorded event of her life. She had far greater memories of kissing, which she used to remember and replay whenever she thought of an old boyfriend or crush, but now it was Miley's image in her head. It was Miley's face that she saw as she remembered pulling away from their kiss. The brunette's features had been slightly flushed, her lips were pouted in shocked reaction but her blue eyes had been beautifully alive and enchanting. Lilly had previously overlooked all of this, but now it was suddenly vivid and frightening.
Lilly stood up quickly as she cleared her throat and babbled to the pair on the couch, "It doesn't matter really. I can't seem to remember." Lilly giggled nervously. "Anyway, look at the time, is it really that late? Golly gee, well I'd best be off. Nice seeing y'all again. Catch up soon okay?"
Lilly stumbled toward the door and let herself out before her friends could protest or question her over this erratic behaviour. She soon found herself striding down the streets on the return to her own house, paying little regard to the cold December night or of anything that was going on around her. She told herself she was just having a strange moment, that she was delirious from shopping, and needed a good night's sleep to put herself right again. Yet something in her heart told her that there was more to this than she could imagine. Lilly blinked, and that was that.
On Christmas Eve, after her mother had playfully scolded her blonde daughter for gorging on too much cheese and crackers as a late night snack, Lilly was in bed and writhing fretfully in her sleep. She was being haunted by dreams which she had never had before, yet they were surprisingly real and she was drenched in a stirring emotion.
Lilly was trying to absorb her new surroundings, which were doubtfully blurred around the edges. She knew that she was at a train station, yet the place was small and bleak, unknown to her conscious mind, and she was gazing fretfully at a timetable to various random and non-existent places, including the days of the week.
Her attention was shortly drawn away from the board by a familiar looking brunette who had appeared by her side out of their murky backdrop.
"Miley?" Lilly questioned as she swept her eyes over her best friend, her heat rejoicing that they were together again, "What are you doing here."
Miley merely shrugged her shoulders as she watched Lilly's expression very carefully. The dream version of Miley's eyes were bluer than Lilly had ever remembered and as she watched on, all of their hot attention was fixed on her. Lilly began to feel nervous and her body began to shake, practically whimpering from an unknown desire. She shook her head from these imaginings and tried to clear her mind of what was happening. Their friendship was meant to be platonic, but what was happening, Lilly did not know.
The Miley of Lilly's subconscious still had not spoken and she took a step closer to Lilly, who found that she was aching, yet her body was paralysed next to the brick wall behind her. Dream Miley put her hand up to Lilly's cheek and brushed away the long blonde hair which had gathered there. The contact made Lilly's skin tingle and she felt as if she were set on fire. Lilly gulped as Miley's face was perilously close to her own, yet she could not move, it was impossible. She could only stand and watch as her Miley leaned forward to capture her lips up underneath her own. Lilly moaned forlornly into Miley's open mouth and trembled as the brunette pushed her up against the wall, keeping Lilly's body pressed against her. The kiss was heated and intense. Miley's mouth was caressing Lilly's lips and leaving the blonde crying out for more, or less, Lilly did not know.
Suddenly, Miley's body began to move away and faded backward towards the train tracks. Lilly was calling out her name, but the brunette was not responding. Her burning eyes were still fixed to Lilly's face and the blonde soon found herself choking for air, from the intensity of the dream, as she could no longer breathe…
Lilly sat up in bed, gasping for breath as she had been holding it too long in her sleep and her chest was heaving in agony. Lilly's back was covered with a sheen of cold sweat, while several strands of golden hair clung to her forehead and cheeks in reminder of her disturbing dream. She rubbed her face in her hands as if to dispel the thoughts that harboured close to the front of her mind. When this did not work, Lilly stumbled out of bed and quietly slipped into the bathroom down the hallway. She ran the cold tap and splashed water on her face and neck, wiping the cold sweat away and trying to bring relief into her clouded mind. Her thoughts were jumbled and her heart beat was erratic as her mind panicked about the context of her night visions. When she returned to her bed, she found that the notion of returning to sleep, and the possibility of that dream, was both alarming and shockingly desirable. Yet, before she could properly contemplate what was happening to her, Lilly sunk back into sleep and dreams which were not worth remembering.
The brief Christmas period was both filled with lethargy and undermining anxiety for both teenage girls. Although they got to spend much needed time with their family, the arrival of the New Year spelled out life choices, which would soon be made. One rainy February afternoon, when Lilly was too bored with studying for her upcoming English exam, she decided to pick up the phone and find out what was going on in Miley's life.
As the young blonde typed in the number for Miley's house, which she still had recorded firmly in her memory, she found herself subconsciously fiddling with the strands of hair that had fallen loosely out of her ponytail. She cleared her throat nervously as she listening to the ringing tone in her ear, each one creating a greater atmosphere of suspense. Finally Lilly's agony was put to an end when her favourite person picked up the phone.
"Hello?" Lilly heard the feminine voice and sighed with a mixture of relief and pleasure at the southern twang which had existed in that one simple word. "Erm…Hello?" There it was again, and Lilly's sigh turned into a smile which grew wider across her face and she began to sway giddily at the prospect of talking to her best friend. "Right, who is this?" The voice from the other end of the phone blurted, sounding much louder now and the owner was quickly losing patience. Lilly's eyes widened as she realised that she needed to find use for her voice before the other girl accused her of being a stalker.
"Oh gosh." she breathed at last, "Hey Miles, it's me, Lilly!"
"Lilly? Thank lord for that, you had me thinking that you were some creepy, psycho stalker there for a minute girl. What the hell were you thinking?"
"Well sorry, it's not my fault that you failed to look at your caller ID. Puh."
"Hmm…" Miley mumbled on the other end, "Well, I guess you got me there. How are you anyway and to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Her voice sounded lighter now and Lilly could just imagine her eyes twinkling as her lips creased up into one of her famous smiles.
Lilly shook her head, now was not the right time to wonder about what Miley looked like, what she was wearing or the effect that this phone call was having on her. "Erm… I don't know really. Just remembered that I hadn't called in a while and thought that I would check up on you. So, how's things?"
Miley chuckled, "Things are good thanks Lil. How are things with you?"
"Yeah, everything's alright here really."
"Good." Miley replied, and a pause instilled as both girls were lost in chasing thoughts around their head, wondering what to say to one another.
"Sorry, I don't know why I can't suddenly think of anything to say." Lilly mumbled in an attempt to break the silence with a nervous laugh.
"Ha. Me neither Lil." Miley replied, whilst similarly wracking her brain for a topic of conversation that they would both be happy with. She had already deduced enough about Lilly's life so far from her emails and from instant messaging her only the previous night. When it came to talking on the phone, both girls suddenly became shy, as if afraid that their voices could not disguise something that was lurking painfully between them. Miley winced again, as she always did during these moments, remembering all too painfully her embarrassment at revealing her feelings for Lilly. Time had helped the young brunette, especially with the ensuing terrors of finals and college choices, but she still could not prevent the butterflies which fluttered up in her belly every time she heard from her favourite blonde.
"So… do you have any plans for Spring break this year yet?" Lilly braved speaking again as Miley was providing no real insight for conversation. It was really her own prerogative; she was the one who called after all.
"Oh, yeah I do actually." Miley replied, "Why? You weren't thinking of organising something were you?"
"Oh no. No. I wasn't gonna organise anything really. I was just thinking of maybe flying back to Malibu if you and Ollie were knocking around."
"Aw, that's such a shame." Miley groaned, she sounded really put out by the news and then sighed once more as she explained her plans to Lilly, "Dad only told me a couple of days ago that Hannah has got herself four nights of performing in Berlin. That's in Germany by the way. So I guess that's where I'll be over Spring break. It was the only way we could fit it in without really disturbing my studies."
"Hey, I totally know where Berlin is! But never mind. I know I'll catch you at some point." Lilly said and forced her voice into a bright and chirpy tone, desperately covering the great disappointment that she felt in not being able to spend time in Miley's company.
"Yeah, sure. I mean, we'll see each other in the summer. What are your plans for the summer by the way? Daddy and I have already planned Hannah's retirement tour and we're all over the place. Actually, we'll be in St Louis mid-August so I'll see you then."
Lilly began to smile when suddenly she remembered her own summer plans that she had only just begun to put together over the past weekend. "I don't think I'll be here Miles." She replied sadly, "My brother and I were planning on going travelling together. It's one of the only summer vacations where he'll actually be allowed a holiday and he decided that we should go some place together. I think we're gonna do a tour somewhere like Thailand."
"Oh." Miley's voice was quiet and her face fell. "So, when will we see each other again?"
Lilly frowned slightly out of sadness as she allowed the options for time together filter through, and those were limited to zero. "I don't know."
Lilly heard Miley sigh audibly down the other end of the phone. "God, this sucks."
"Yeah."
"You know Lil, this is the one time when I thought that Hannah Montana would eventually stop messing up bits of my life, the time when I bring that whole chapter to an end, ya know? But now it actually seems worse because she's keeping us apart more than ever."
"Hey Miley," Lilly interjected, "it's not Hannah's fault. Hannah has done so much for you, heck she's even raised all of your college money for you. And pretty much set you up for life Miss Squillionaire."
Miley chuckled morosely, but she had to appreciate Lilly's attempt at cheering her up. There was one benefit out of all of this, without the promise of the blonde in her near future, and the fact that she was slowly drifting further out of Miley's life meant that Miley could finally get over the feelings that she housed so painfully for Lilly.
"You're right. But I'm not really allowed to lay my hands on that money. Daddy's probably scared that I'll try to buy an island or something."
"Ha, yeah. An island for you to hide away from the rest of the world, a lonely little hermit… A hermit with a phicus probably, knowing you." Lilly teased.
Miley could not help but let out a laugh at her best friend's taunting, "Yeah, well, she'll be my phicus. And she shall be called Fearne."
"Well, that's original." Lilly mumbled.
Miley giggled on the other end of the phone, unwarily sending shivers down Lilly's spine, and causing her skin to tingle. Lilly frowned slightly at the feeling and swallowed as she tried to bring her adolescent body back under her control, surely she was too old for these irrational feelings.
"You know Miles, I still can't believe that you're actually gonna go through with this. You're really retiring Hannah Montana."
"Yup."
"Wow. It seems like just yesterday I was the mesmerised fan, eagerly cheering you on from the front row…"
"…Behaving like a total dork?" Miley finished her nostalgic sentence for her.
"Yeah, that's about right. But I'm your dork." Lilly pouted.
"You are my dork." Miley replied softly, a smile growing on her face which Lilly could hear through her voice down the phone. Another pause settled between the two young girls as their hearts surreptitiously warmed toward one another out of pure affection.
"But, even though I was a total dork and loser freak who stalked you into your own dressing room, forcing you to give yourself up… I had such a good time exploiting your kind nature and making you take troublesome old me onboard as Lola Luftnagle."
"Hmm… still wondering if that was such a good idea." Miley teased.
"Hey! Just because I almost socially excluded you from a lot of big names in the music industry by walking around with chocolate smeared all over my face, chasing Orlando Bloom and following Kelly Clarkson into the toilet does not mean… Oh wait. Sorry about that." Lilly mumbled sheepishly.
"That's okay Lilly. I know I did a lot of things to embarrass you whilst we were in high school."
"Err, hell yes Miss Stuart. Like that time when you tried to do a dance whilst taking a test and almost failed. Oliver and I seriously had your back on that one. Or that time when you misread what Matt Marshall thought about me and then we ended up on that TV program…" Lilly suddenly came to an abrupt stop as she reminded herself about Miley's feelings. She slapped her hand against her forehead in punishment for the ex-boyfriend which she had brought up, probably quite painfully, for her lovesick best friend.
"Ha, yeah, that sure was a stupid idea." Miley answered and giggled nervously. "Especially as the guy already liked you for who you were in the first place. I guess I never thought that any guy would ever see you in that way." The way that I do. Miley thought to herself, but then quickly shook her head and glanced up at her ceiling, silently praying that Lilly would overlook all of this and move on.
"We're both to blame for that really Miles." Lilly stepped in, trying to overcome the tension which was warping their previously pleasant conversation, "I never noticed how he felt about me either. I was too oblivious really." Lilly laughed anxiously, her mind spiralling as she realised she was digging herself in deeper, yet was not able to escape the word vomit which she kept producing, "It's really all my fault. If I hadn't worked myself up into such a state that I spent the evening crying on your porch, then we wouldn't have taken it so far." Lilly nodded to herself; hopefully she had now managed to turn the conversation into something positive.
"Lilly…" Miley approached gently, after a taking a breath, "Please don't take this the wrong way, but what exactly were you doing on my porch that night?"
There was a slight pause before Lilly answered, but at least it was the honest answer, "I don't know."
Time seemed to stand still as the blonde remembered back to that evening, where she had been dressed up so presentably for her long-awaited date. Miley had been away due to a Hannah concert, and Lilly had later heard from Oliver that she had dedicated One in a Million for Lilly on her date. Miley had known how much her best friend had been crushing on Matt Marshall and this was yet another example of her selfless behaviour toward her best friend, even though it hurt her so much.
After Lilly's date had failed to show, she had sought comfort in the only place she had really wanted it from, and that was Miley. She had sat for hours by herself in an old chair which Robbie Ray used to occupy coincidentally when Miley came home from dates. That was when she used to see boys to take her mind off Lilly. Once Lilly heard Miley's footsteps on her return that evening, she had suddenly felt happier as she knew that her best friend would make her better again. The comforting pair of arms which wrapped themselves around Lilly's forlorn torso that night was all that the blonde girl really needed. Now that Lilly looked back upon that night, she could only smile in wonder at her tortured Miley, knelt lovingly beside her; so close, and yet so far.
"Lilly? Are you still there?" Miley's voice broke through the terse silence once more.
"Hmm? Oh gosh. Sorry Miles, I was miles away just then. Ha." Lilly babbled, jumping slightly and blushing as she realised that Miley might have taken this the wrong way.
"I thought you would be." Miley reprimanded Lilly gently. "Look, I'm really sorry but I'm gonna have to go. Dad's got dinner ready and Jackson's kinda been glaring at me for the past five minutes because it's time we sat down to eat. Thanks for calling though it was really good to hear from you."
Lilly smiled, "It's really good to talk to you Smiley."
"Aw shucks Lil, you'll make me blush." Miley teased her best friend. "Anyway, I will speak to you later. Same time next week?"
"You bet." Lilly replied.
"Cool. Alright then, gotta go, love ya!"
"Have a good dinner. Love you too Miley. Bye." Lilly said and hung up the phone. A brooding shadow of emotion hung over her and she sighed before turning to face the college application form which lay on the kitchen table. One demon at a time, Lilly thought to herself, only this was a big one.
It was early March and Lilly was gazing solemnly at her reflection which stared back at her from her bedroom mirror. She did not look any different from the day before, and she did not feel specifically altered, but she was a changed woman.
"Come on Lilly!" Her mother's voice called anxiously up the stairs to her, "We're all waiting for you!"
Lilly sighed and removed the item of clothing which sat jauntily atop her head; it was most definitely not a hat day.
"Happy Birthday Lilly!" was the sound which greeted the startled teenager as she entered her kitchen that morning.
"Thank you." Lilly responded politely as she eyed the offering of birthday presents which were spread out like a feast upon the table.
Her mother happily gushed over her daughter and set about to placate her with everything she needed for the most perfect eighteenth birthday morning. Lilly supposed that her mother was still feeling guilty about uprooting her from Malibu, especially after her previous birthday, which Miley had made sure that no one could have ever hoped to beat.
Lilly shortly set about to ripping open her presents, throwing paper over her shoulder in her haste to get to the goods. Years spent in Miley's delicate company had not yet taught her to be slow when it came to opening gifts, but nobody seemed to mind this. Finally, she unearthed one small parcel which Lilly eyed carefully, the handwriting that spelled out her St Louis address gave it all away, and this one was from Miley.
Lilly nervously, and slowly, began to peel apart the seal and steadily pulled out a square package, neatly wrapped to perfection. The blonde also took her time with peeling off the wrapping paper, eager not to tear up Miley's hard work. Both of her parents exchanged glances without their daughter's knowing, completely bemused by her sudden uncharacteristic shift in behaviour. Lilly gasped as she unearthed a white box, obviously containing some form of jewellery. She eased open the lid slowly and removed the remaining soft tissue which was preserving her gift. Her lips creased up into a smile as she finally cast her eyes upon a silver chain with a small, silver pendant in the shape of round circle with the words Laugh Much…Love Often inscribed into the metal. It was perfect.
The remaining months, which contained the last episodes of Lilly's school career, were played out. Finally the day which Lilly had long been anticipating and dreading had arrived, and all of her excitement, combined with anxiety, was summoned up into the space of a single envelope, which had appeared in their mailbox that very morning.
Her hands trembled as she pulled out the official letter and she cast her eyes impatiently over the mundane type of formalities and full names, until eventually she found the information which she had needed so badly. With a resounding "Eeeep!" Lillian Truscott broke out into her happy dance.
"Let me see, let me see that sweetie." Her mother surged forward and took the piece of paper into her own hands to double-check for herself. With a wholesome laugh, Heather Truscott began to join her daughter in the ceremonious dance of madness which took place in their kitchen.
"Hang on, hang on honey…" Her mother gasped breathlessly as she hastened over to the phone, "We need to tell your father, he'll be thrilled." Lilly only half-listened as her mother dialled her father's office and told him the good news. She knew that he would be pleased for her also, even though it was not originally the college which he had wanted her to attend.
The blonde could hardly believe her own luck as she allowed the parental talk to subdue into background noise and, without further ado, pulled out her cellphone to bother her best friend.
"Miley!" Lilly practically shouted down the phone as she heard her best friend pick up.
"…What? Who is this?" Miley responded, her voice still thick with sleep, lilting with her southern accent, and Lilly realised that she must have woken her up.
"Wakey, wakey, sleepy-head!" Lilly goaded down the line, "I've got some news for you."
Miley snuffled slightly and Lilly could hear bedcovers rustling as she imagined the brunette sitting up in bed, trying to give her best friend her full attention.
"Alright, I'm all yours." Miley mumbled and Lilly blushed slightly, out of awareness of Miley's words and from embarrassment at her keenness which prompted her to cruelly forget the slight time difference between states. It was almost shameful to disturb her best friend so selfishly, but she knew that Miley would not be amused if she was not one of the first to know.
"Miley… I got in!" Lilly shrieked, "I just got my post and I'm going, I'm actually going. I can't wait! I finally get to move out of home…and of course study for my future." Lilly finished seriously, yet her voice was barely able to conceal her grin.
"Aw Lils, I'm so proud of you." Miley replied softly. The warmth from her tone was enough to heat Lilly's insides and the blonde beamed from affection. "Well, I guess I'll be finding out later today so I'll let you know when the post gets here."
"Cool." Lilly answered as she tried to bat away her relentless mother. Heather Truscott was standing with the phone practically pressed up to Lilly's ear in an attempt to get her to speak with her father. "Alright, alright…" Lilly mumbled tensely to her mother, before turning her attention back to the brunette in her ear, "Look Miles, I've gotta go. Dad wants a word. Let me know how you do though, kay?"
"Sure will hon." Miley replied with a yawn. "Speak later."
"Bye!" Lilly squeaked and then hung up, turning her attention back toward her excited familial relations.
After a morning's worth of phone calls from other relatives and an excited Oliver who was awaiting his own results, Lilly finally got what she had been waiting for in the single beep of her cellphone. She smiled nervously at the screen as she noticed Miley's name, adjoined with the image of an envelope, and bit her lip as she opened the message.
See you in Denver Lillypad. Love Smiley xox
Lilly almost dropped her phone as her knees buckled and she sank slowly onto the couch behind her. She raised her face slowly upwards to face the pale ceiling above her and thanked god in a silent prayer. It was almost too good to be true; she and Miley were both going to the same college.