Chapter 10

The doorbell ding-donged throughout the house, and downstairs, footsteps clacked across the fir flooring.

No, no, no, no, no. Oliver kicked a pile of old laundry and a stack of Twilight books under his bed.

The front door clicked open, and a female voices floated up to him.

Too late. He banged his closet door shut.

In the foyer, his mother held the door open, her brunette braided plait dropping over her back. A strong gust of wind blew honey blonde hair in front of milky skin, flat brows, and a tight-lipped smile.

Oliver took a deep breath and grinned in response to Lilly's smile. He opened his arms. "You look grea—"

"—What's up, bro?" A hand with black painted nails boxed his upper arm.

Oliver's face fell. He had asked Lilly several times not to call him bro. They were dating. It was weird.

"Perfect weather for kite flyin'."

That raspy voice. Oliver wheeled around to face the living room. Miley's lips trembled into a smile. What was she doing here? He had made plans to meet Lilly after she had insisted on seeing his room. You don't really know someone until you've seen how they live, she had said.

Mrs. Oken thudded the door shut. "Miley, I haven't seen you in a long time."

"I've always wanted to come by, but… "

"I know, honey, I know." Mrs. Oken gave Oliver a pointed look, as he jammed his hands into his pockets and shuffled his feet.

Mrs. Oken shifted her gaze to Lilly. "Oliver told me about you. D'ya enjoy your student exchange in Crowley Corners so far?"

"It's starting to grow on me."

"You'll soon fall in love with the rural life and want to stay here 'til the cows come home."

Oliver clenched his teeth. Couldn't his mother just be quiet for a change? He had specifically instructed her to stay away when his girlfriend arrived.

"Whatever. We'll be in my room." Oliver took Lilly by the wrist and led her upstairs.

Lilly leaned against the window sill. "Cool space." Despite her upbeat words, she wore a scowl on her face.

She hadn't even noticed the skateboard with the Blink-182 graffiti hanging above his bed, which Oliver was sure she would love. He didn't skate, but it looked cool next to the punk shirts and punk vinyl records he had hung above his desk. "Thanks." He scratched the back of his head.

Lilly had been absentminded since the drive home from the concert the day before yesterday. Oliver had initially blamed it on her being stunned by meeting Hannah, but how long could that last? That scowl made no sense either. Miley had told Oliver beforehand that she wanted to surprise Lilly with a Hannah Montana meet and greet because Lilly was such a big fan. Oliver thought it was a great idea at the time, but now he wasn't so sure anymore.

Mrs. Oken and Miley's voices floated up from downstairs.

Oliver flopped on his bed and bounced one leg, a nervous tic he couldn't shake. "I was hoping you'd come alone."

Lilly stared at him through glazed-over eyes.

"Miley? Why is she here?"

"Oh, she caught me when I left the house, and I didn't know what to say, so I told her you invited us both to your farm."

"Is it safe?" Miley poked her head into his room and smelled the air. "Did you clean? It ain't smellin' like old socks anymore."

Oliver's gaze darted to Lilly as she picked at her nail polish. "You haven't been here in over a year. People change, okay."

"Or they figure out how to use a washin' machine." Miley let out a strained giggle, swiveled the swivel chair in front of his desk so it faced the bed, and sat. "Anyway, thank you for the invitation."

Oliver waved her off.

"So what are your plans?"

Oliver had intended to watch a horror film with Lilly, one that was so scary it would frighten her into his arms. "Just hanging out."

A knock went through the open door. Mrs. Oken stood beneath the doorframe, hands clasped in front of her. "D'ya'll want some lemonade?"

There was no way in hell his hillbilly mother didn't do it on purpose. "No, we—"

"—Your homemade triple berry lemonade?" Miley swiveled the chair to face the door.

"You really haven't been here in a long time. I changed the recipe to quadruple berry."

"I'd love to. Thank you very much."

"An' how about you, Lilly?"

Lilly blinked at Mrs. Oken for a moment before a hint of a smile formed on her lips. "Sure, thanks."

"What about you, cowboy?"

Oliver slid down the bed, his hands stuffed into his trouser pockets. "Mom, just bring the whole jug and three empty glasses." Oliver cast a glance at Lilly, who had turned toward the window. Either she didn't notice or didn't care about his mother's thick Texan accent.

Mrs. Oken returned with three glasses of lemonade. "Have fun." She disappeared down the corridor.

Lilly clicked a nail against the window. "Are you keeping animals in the barn?"

Miley grunted and broke into a giggle.

"Pigs?"

Oliver scowled. "Among other animals, but who cares?"

Miley pushed off with one foot, sending the chair into a spin. "Oliver calls his favorite pig Plug socket."

Lilly grinned. "Let me guess." She indicated the socket outlet next to the door. "And that's Pig."

Lilly and Miley both cracked up laughing.

Jesus, one girl was great on her own, but in a pack they were obnoxious. Oliver crossed his arms. "If you're into pigs, how about the film Pig?"

"Man-Eatin' Pigs?" Miley shuddered and rubbed her arms. "I remember you tryin' to make me watch that movie two years ago."

Oliver threw his shoulders up in a shrug. "Girls. Making a big deal about every drop of blood." God, he despised that movie, but he kept it for any future girlfriend.

Miley pffed. "Boys. They have no idea how much blood we have to deal with three days a month."

Did Miley hint at what he thought she meant? Yikes. Oliver squirmed on the mattress, stood up, and made his way to the door. "Miley, grab some carrots on your way out."

The wind clank-clank-clanked the low iron gates that separated the front yard from the dirt road into each other. A pungent, foul stench stung Oliver's eyes as they entered the barn. The pigs grunted and squealed. Oliver slithered across the muddy spots of the ground that weren't covered in hay.

Lilly cupped her hands around her nose. "Jeez, this place smells exactly like the rest of the neighborhood did in the beginning. Was it your pigs all along?"

"No." Oliver pressed his lips together and turned back to the entrance. "Let's go see the pigs in the outdoor pen."

They circled the pigpen until they reached a wooden fence that extended about twenty feet from the back of it onto the lawn. A door connected the pig pen to the outdoor pen. Two large pigs dozed off in the mud, and a piglet splashed in a puddle.

Oliver opened the door of the pen, the rusty hinges squeaking and motioned for the girls to enter. "Ladies first."

Lilly leaned back against the fence, her arms slung around her stomach. "No way."

Miley's cowboy boots squished bootleg deep into the mud. She squatted in front of a pig and held a carrot to its snout.

With a grin on his face, Oliver leaned next to Lilly and elbowed her into the side. "I told you the movie would be better."

"No, the pigs are cute."

"You're not even looking at them."

Lilly let her arms fall to her sides, turned around with a sigh, and clutched the fence. "Sure I am. Adorable, really."

The piglet shook off the muddy water, its floppy ears fluttering around its head.

Oliver drummed his fingers against the fence. "Something is bothering you."

"No, everything's fine."

"It's me."

Lilly whirled her head to face him. "What makes you think that?"

It was the gross pigs, the stupid farm, and his funny-talking mother. Oliver flung his arms in a great gesture. "I have nothing to do with this. If it were up to me, I'd live in California, just like you."

"I like the farm."

Lilly was lying. "You've been kinda absent-minded since the concert."

Lilly remained silent for a moment before a curt smile flitted across her lips. "No, really, everything's fine."

Girls could be strange. Was she on her period or what? He wrapped his hand around Lilly's. "If you don't like the pigs, we can go upstairs."

Lilly sighed and rested her forehead on his shoulder.

"We don't have to watch Pig. We can watch Hannah Montana Pumpin' Up the Party Tour DVD."

Lilly shook her head, her forehead brushing against his shoulder. "You don't have a Hannah DVD."

"I swear I do." Miley had given it to him last year. He hadn't watched it even once.

"Nah."

Okay, something was definitely wrong with Lilly. "I don't get—" Oliver's eyes met Miley's wide ones and he jerked away from Lilly.

Lilly took an additional step away from him.

Holy macaroni. He had enjoyed Lilly's proximity so much that he had forgotten about Miley. "Lilly she, "Oliver flicked his bangs out of his face, "she is sad and I wanted to comfort her."

Miley gnawed on her lower lip. "Comfort her?"

"Yup."

"You… you're still holdin' hands."

He yanked his hand from Lilly's grip. "She is kinda down."

"Why?"

Both Miley's and Oliver's gaze drifted to Lilly, waiting, dreading.

Lilly wrung her hands. "Um, the Meet and Greet. I haven't yet told you about it. It wasn't an official one. Hannah invited me backstage after the concert." Lilly shrugged. "I don't know. It didn't go so well."

Miley clutched her arms to her chest. "You… you hated it."

"No, I… " Lilly paused. "Is everything okay?"

Miley slammed her eyes shut, took a shaky breath, and nodded.

Something bad must have happened at the Meet and Greet. Oliver reached over and rubbed Lilly's arm through her sleeve.

"You-You're doin' it again."

Oliver drew his hand back. "That's what friends are for: to comfort."

"Friends?"

"Yup, friends."

"Oliver." Lilly rested her hand on his forearm and gazed up at him with penetrating eyes.

Oh no. Darn no. She couldn't—

"The truth is that we're together."

Dammit. Oliver bit his tongue and waited for Miley's reaction, but she kept quiet.

One of the large pigs rose from the mud and trotted toward the pigpen's entrance.

Miley swallowed visibly and pointed somewhere behind Oliver. "I-I need to… please excuse me." Miley trudged toward the pen's exit, her boots squishing and popping with each step.

Lilly's hands wrapped around the pen's door. "What's wrong?"

A piglet bolted from the pigpen, right in front of Miley's legs. She tripped and splashed face-first into a puddle of mud.

Oliver leaped back, dodging a flush of brown water.

Miley raised her head and, with a piglike grunt, spat mud out.

A snort erupted from Lilly. She covered her mouth with both hands. "I'm an idiot. Are you okay?"

Miley stumbled out of the puddle. The moment she stepped onto the grass, a sob burst from her and she broke into a sprint down the dirt road.

Lilly's wide azure eyes trained on her until she vanished behind a curve. "Crap, what have I done?"

"It's not your fault."

"Yeah, it is. I should've listened to you. I shouldn't have told her."

"And I should have dialed back on the PDA." Oliver kicked a stone over the lawn.

"What are we going to do? What's wrong with Miley?"

Oliver had a hunch. He sighed. "I think it's time for some girl talk."

"I think so too. Are you going to talk to her right now?"

"I said girl talk. Do I look like a girl to you?"

"But… " Lilly glanced down the dirt road, where the wind rustled the fields on both sides, and then back to Oliver. "You're her friend."

"And you're not?"

Lilly remained silent as Oliver headed for the house. "Wait."

He turned around to face her.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to make myself a sandwich. Stress always makes me hungry." Oliver noticed Lilly gaping before he continued on his way.

A grunt emanated from the pigpen. Lilly's hands fell to her sides and she heaved a sigh. Why couldn't Oliver do the talking? He had started the relationship even though he was worried Miley wouldn't like it. He had known Miley for years. Lilly still couldn't figure her out. Besides, she was already dealing with enough problems on her own.

Hannah's slumped shoulders, her wavering smile…

Lilly had done that. She had turned down the advances of her greatest idol. She laid her hand against her chest. Every female fan would've gone for it, but she had to turn into a stammering idiot. Hannah might be wondering what she did wrong to receive such a harsh rejection. Lilly would never get another chance to meet her face-to-face, clear up the misunderstanding, and apologize. But wasn't it also possible that Hannah had already forgotten about her? That she had moved on to the next fan? Whatever the truth was, both options made her head pound.

However, none of that mattered right now. It had been more than a minute since Oliver had vanished behind the pigpen. There was only one explanation for Miley's reaction.

As Lilly turned into the Stewart's farm's driveway, Mr. Stewart's voice echoed across the front yard. He sat on a stool in front of a grazing cow tied to the fence at the edge of the field and motioned Lilly over. Bubbles formed on the milk in the tin bucket under the cow's udder.

"Has Miley taught ya yet how to milk a cow?"

Lilly shook her head.

"D'ya want to give it a shot?"

"I'm not sure." Lilly raised her gaze to Miley's bedroom window, strands of hair blowing in front of her eyes.

Mr. Stewart stood up and motioned for Lilly to take a seat. "Grab a teat with your thumb and pointer finger."

Lilly expected the udder to be slippery and flabby, but it felt soft and warm to her touch, and from this distance, she could see that it was covered in soft fur.

"Now pull downward."

Lilly yanked on the teat.

"Careful."

"I'm sorry, Mr. S, but I don't have time for this."

He regarded her with knowing eyes. "Did somethin' happen at Oliver's?"

He had to have seen Miley, which meant she was back at the farm. "I'm not sure, but I was going to find out."

Lilly entered the cottage. How did these girl talks even work? Was there a set of rules that had to be followed? Crying first, then talking, and finally comforting? Or was it the other way around? Hopefully, they would just talk, but based on what Lilly knew about Miley, she would be totally into both C's.

Lilly rapped her knuckles against the bedroom door, but Miley kept quiet.

"Can we talk?"

Still no response.

Sheesh, Miley sure didn't make things easy for her. Lilly opened the door. Miley lay prone on her bed, dressed in rosy plush horse-printed pajamas, with Beary tucked under one arm. She buried her face in her pillow, her hair spreading out on her comforter.

Lilly sat on the edge of her own bed and rubbed her sweaty hands over her jeans. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Miley remained motionless.

Lilly leaned in and nudged her on the shoulder.

Miley grunted. "I don't want you to see me like this." The pillow muffled her words.

"Like what?"

"Puffy and ugly."

"I don't mind."

Miley sat up and wiped her tear-streaked face with the back of her hand.

Fuck, first she had hurt Hannah, and now Miley. "I'd never have agreed to go out with Oliver if I'd known about your feelings."

Miley's hands dropped away from her face, her eyes popping wide. "You-you know?"

Lilly fiddled with the crunchy from her nightstand. "I had a hunch. That's why I couldn't keep my relationship with Oliver a secret any longer. You're my hostess. I have no right to stab you in the back. Now that I know how you feel I'm going to break up with him."

Miley pressed Beary against her heaving chest.

"Even though he's fun to be around and kinda cute in his own weird way." Lilly propped herself up on her knees and shook her head. "But you already know that."

"I do?"

"Oliver denied you were in love with him, and I believed him, but it's obvious you are."

Miley drew a sharp breath and buried her face in Beary.

Oh God, Miley wanted her to leave immediately. But wasn't that what Lilly had wanted just a few days ago? She fumbled for a tissue from the box on Miley's nightstand and pressed it into her hand. "I can fly back as early as tomorrow if that's what you want." Lilly held her breath. Some part of her still wished Miley would agree.

Miley shook her head vigorously, strands of hair clinging to her wet cheeks.

Okay. Lilly frowned. Why wasn't she disappointed? "You never mentioned Oliver much, and most of the time I got the impression you were annoyed with him."

Miley wiped her eyes with the tissue. "It's-it's complicated."

"You know what? I'm calling him right now to break up with him." Lilly fished her phone from her pocket.

"Wait."

"I promise not to hurt him. I can tell him in person as well—it's up to you."

"You like him, don'tcha?"

It was nice to have someone to talk to other than Miley. It made her feel less alone. Lilly lowered the phone to her lap. "Yeah."

"Then don't."

"What?"

"I don't want you to break up with him."

Lilly leaned forward. "But doesn't seeing the two of us together bother you?"

"It does, but… it's complicated." Miley's puffy eyes went dull. "I'm sorry."

Miley had been nothing but kind and generous to her since Lilly arrived at the farm, and Lilly had lied to her before they had even met, hated sharing a room with her, secretly insinuated she wanted to kill her, and finally stole her crush from under her nose. "No, I am."