Chapter 15

Oliver had been staring at Lilly since she had pushed open the front door to the school building this morning. During geography class, he kept turning around in his seat. As she walked out of art class, he was leaning against the wall opposite the door. And she could feel his gaze on her from behind in the line in the cafeteria.

Lilly had answered his call a few days ago, and when she realized he wasn't talking about anything other than getting her back, she had ignored any following ones. Then the SMS had started pouring in, full of requests for her to give him another chance. Lilly had never had to press the delete button so many times in a row.

After school, Mr. Stewart asked her to go shopping for a few items he had forgotten on his last shopping trip. Miley was tasked with cleaning up the leaves and dried mud they had tracked across the front porch all week. Lilly got that tingly feeling in her neck one gets when being watched, but when she turned around, all she saw was the green roof of a huge roaring tractor sticking out of the corn field. Corn cobs seemed to fly through the air on their own and clattered into a trailer behind.

As she pushed open the door to the red brick stone building with the moss green awning across the front, a bell dinged above her head. Lilly heaved a one-gallon orange juice jug from the shelf and into the basket that hung around her arm. She almost dropped it to the floor from the unexpected weight. Mr. Stewart hadn't specified how much juice she should bring, but she had only ever seen the large jugs in the refrigerator.

She reached for a package of flour. How many did he want her to buy? Lilly fiddled with the shopping list in her hand. Didn't he say he wanted to bake? She reached for another package but came to a halt. The basket was already far too heavy for her, and even though her friends dubbed her Super-Lilly when she performed the Gazelle Spin on her skateboard, she lacked Supergirl's strength. She returned the package to the shelf.

Toothbrushes were the only other item on the list. She placed the basket down in front of the shelf and reached for the pink toothbrush hanging at the very front. Did he only want one for himself? Or for everyone? What colors did he always buy?

A ding-ding sounded throughout the store.

Miley always used a pink one. She had never been in Mr. Stewart's and Jackson's bathroom, but she couldn't go wrong with blue and green—

"—Lilly."

That voice. Lilly groaned inwardly and turned to face Oliver.

"What a strange coincidence." He gave her a cheeky smile.

"Are you following me?"

Oliver blew out a pff. "I'm here because I needed to buy… " He reached into the shelf and took out a small package. "This."

"Really?" Lilly fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Tampons?"

Oliver hid his hand behind his back. "They-they're for, umm—"

"—What do you want?"

"Talk."

"No, thanks." Lilly turned away and threw the first four toothbrushes she could get her hands on into her basket. Crap, they were all pink. That would almost certainly earn her a scowl from Mr. Stewart and an earful from Jackson. Lilly circled an aisle piled high with gingerbread, candy canes, and other holiday treats. Oliver's footsteps tapped behind her.

"It's because I'm from the South, isn't it?"

"You already know my answer."

"We Texans aren't like the people in Tennessee, okay?"

"I don't care."

"Wait." Oliver slipped his hand into Lilly's.

Lilly yanked her hand away and twirled around. Damn it, why couldn't he just give up?

Oliver fiddled with the tampon pack in his hands. He seemed to notice that he still had them and tossed them in with a pile of gingerbread house kits.

"You were going to tell me something?"

"Right. What-what's the difference between Texas and Tennessee?"

Lilly sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"In Texas, they ride horses. In Tennessee, they ride their cousins."

Lilly banged her basket on the floor. "Oliver, that's disgusting."

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry."

That was the first time Lilly had heard him apologize for a southern joke. "My breakup with you has nothing to do with you living in or being from the South."

"Would you give me another chance if I promised not to ignore you at school anymore?"

"You already did, and you broke it."

"But what if I actually keep my word this time?"

"I'm not sure I would believe you, and even if I did… " Lilly shook her head.

"Come on. Just one chance."

"It's too late."

"Too late? Did you find a new boyfriend so quickly?"

"Not really, but… " She couldn't possibly tell him about her meeting with Hannah, could she? Since breaking up with Oliver, she missed not being able to talk about her problems. Even if it was something as insignificant as bad grades. This was a big one, though. "Let's talk outside."

Lilly paid, and Oliver carried her basket as they circled the block. They took a seat on one of the old-fashioned benches that lined the street. Lilly rubbed her hands together to create friction. This morning, the thermometer on the Stewart's front porch had read 32°F. The lowest temperature she had ever experienced in her life was fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit, and Miley had warned her that it would drop even lower. Yuck.

"You've been hella persistent in getting me back, even though we were only together for like a month and a half."

Oliver leaned back and gazed into the bare canopy of the tree beside him, whose bony branches reached for the grey cloudy sky. "To be honest, I'm not the biggest chick magnet. On the contrary, something about me seems to repel them."

Was he for real? If that was his way of persuading her to return to him, he was failing miserably. "You were my very first girlfriend. I liked having one."

"I didn't notice much of that."

"I promise you, the next time will be different."

Lilly squirmed on the bench. Would Oliver even believe her? "I met someone I've always admired."

"So you have a new boyfriend."

"I wouldn't even call them a friend." Lilly puffed out a groan. "Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but somehow I think I'll meet her again."

"Her?" Tense lines formed around Oliver's eyes.

Why was he staring at her like that? Was it really that wrong? "It's not what you think. She isn't really a girl, I mean, she is, but not an ordinary one." A familiar warmth spread across Lilly's cheeks. "It's Hannah Montana."

Oliver's narrowed eyes took on a sheen as he gazed into the distance, his jaw muscles jumping.

"This may seem to be silly fangirling, but the thing is," Lilly's voice dropped to a whisper, "I think she likes me too."

"And by like, you mean… ?"

"She kissed me."

Lilly had expected several reactions, like a laugh or Oliver pointing to his head to show he thought she was cuckoo but a spat, "Fuck, she didn't!" wasn't one of them. "Was that after the concert? Because if it was, I swear to God—"

" —After the autograph session. We weren't together anymore."

"All this time, she was just waiting for us to break up."

"Oliver, stop it." Lilly pinched the bridge of her nose. "We're talking about Hannah Montana here. She doesn't even know you exist. I never told her I had a boyfriend."

Oliver lurched up. "Oh, believe me. She knew."

Lilly's gaze followed him as he stomped down the street. What the hell just happened?

Lilly had only returned to class to retrieve her pencil case, which she had left on her desk, and now Miley was gone. In her place, a boy leaned against the locker and smacked on a piece of cyan-colored gum with his open mouth. She had given Miley a quick Be right back, but hadn't paid attention to whether she had heard her. The next class was physical education, and Miley would never enter the locker room without her. Until three weeks ago, she had changed in the girl's restroom, but since Mikayla had intercepted her there and nearly drowned her in the toilet bowl, she wouldn't go in there alone anymore.

Miley wasn't in the locker room either. The Fakettes were also missing. This could only spell trouble with a capital T. Lilly drew the gray T-shirt with the stenciled pine logo over her head. She could check with one of her classmates if they had seen Miley. She yanked the navy blue shorts up her legs. But they would probably ignore her if she mentioned her name.

A metallic screech rattled through the walls. The hissing of shower spray drifted from the doorway next to her, leading to a harsh-lit room with the same white-turmeric-tiled walls as the girls' restrooms. Lilly had never seen anyone shower prior to a workout. Hell, she had never seen anyone shower at this school before.

Lilly peered around the corner. Neon lights ran along the ceiling, and open walls separated the showers. "Miley?"

Water splashed.

"Is there anyone in there?"

A girl whimpered.

Lilly's stomach sunk with the heaviness of an unpleasant déjà vu.

She walked into the room. A neon pink flowered satchel lay on the floor in the far back, its contents scattered across the tiles.

Miley's satchel.

Water sprayed from behind the last cabin. Lilly's steps quickened.

Miley huddled in the corner. Violent shivers jolted her body as the water rolled off her clothes. Soaked notebooks and books swam around her in a puddle above the drain, and her sports clothes lay piled in a soaked heap at her feet.

Lilly drew in a sharp breath. She reached for the faucet under the spray and winced back. It was freezing cold. The water washed the blood from a thin cut across Miley's temple and carried it into the collar of her blouse, turning the white fabric a light pink.

A pair of hands pushed against Lilly's back. She stumbled into the shower and gasped. Ice cold spray needled her head, and plastered her clothes against her skin. She fiddled with the faucet and turned the water off. Her soaking wet hair smacked her in the face as she reeled around.

Mikayla's dark-circled eyes narrowed beneath a furrowed brow. "Get out of here, this isn't about you."

Chelsea and Nancy stepped beside her.

"Principal Keith is going to hear about this."

Mikayla arched her brow. "About what? That Miley cut herself?"

Lilly cast a glance behind her, where Miley had buried her head between her drawn-up knees. "You're lying."

"I never lie."

"Miley, let's go." Lilly reached back, relieved when Miley's cold fingers curled around her hand. She pulled her up.

"Not so fast." Mikayla blocked their way out of the cabin and spun a bloody razor blade between her fingers. Lilly staggered back, pushing Miley with her. She wouldn't dare…

"Mikayla!" Chelsea ran a shaky hand through her hair. "Isn't this going a little too far?"

"Don't you want me to get better?" Mikayla's eyes flashed with intensity for a fraction of a second before going dead again.

Nancy took a step forward, palms outward in an appeasing gesture. "You already know we do, but this—"

"—feel free to leave."

Chelsea and Nancy's gazes fell away from them.

"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, as the saying goes." Mikayla trusted the razor blade in front of Miley's face. "Finish it, and this time go deeper."

Lilly did something she had never done before: she screamed for help.

Mikayla ducked her head.

Her scream faded into silence. A hollow drip-drop echoed off the tiled walls. Everyone was probably already in the gym. Miley's hand crept forward, past Lilly's head, to the razor blade in Mikayla's open palm.

No. What was she… ? With a growl, Lilly pushed Mikayla away. She stumbled backward, knocking Nancy down with her. Lilly dragged Miley behind her into the locker room. She tore open her locker, ripped a stack of tissues from a package, and pressed it against the cut on Miley's temple.

Miley winced.

"Hold this." Lilly pulled a towel from her locker and wrapped it around Miley's shoulders. "Did Mikayla cut you?"

Miley shook her head.

"You did it yourself?"

Miley nodded.

"But she made you do it." It was more of a statement than a question.

Miley's gaze dropped to the floor.

Lilly didn't need an answer; it was obvious. This time, Mikayla wouldn't get away with her bullying. Lilly would make sure of it.

Mikalya dropped her shoulder against the doorway, her hand cradled to her chest. The razor blade protruded from her palm, and blood puddled at her feet. Nancy pushed past Mikayla, gave Lilly a sharp glare, and grabbed a towel from a bench. Mikayla squeezed her eyes shut, clenched her teeth, and yanked the razor blade from her skin. Nancy wrapped the towel around the wound.

"Look what you've done," Chelsea snarled, and pushed past Mikalya into the locker room.

Lilly gulped. It wasn't her fault. No one could blame her, right?

"So much blood, so much… " Mikayla's whispers became incomprehensible.

Chelsea's hard gaze shifted to a spot behind Lilly. "You shouldn't have returned."

Lilly turned to face Miley, who was still staring at the floor.

"But I reckon perpetrators just can't resist coming back to the scene of their crime."

A shiver rippled Lilly's body. Her clothes stuck to her like a diving suit made of cold, wet fish skin. She reached for her bag and slammed her locker shut. They needed to get out of here. They could use the restroom to change. Then it was on to the principal's office.

"That used to be my locker." A bloodstain gradually spread across the white towel wrapped around Mikayla's hand. "The one I had during the Talent Show two years ago."

Lilly stopped. The half-dismantled stage next to the school she had seen on the first day had read Crowley Corner's Annual Talent Show. The competition was held here. Mikayla's incredible singing voice, her plans to attend a music school in Chicago, and her non-existent Southern accent. Lilly had never given it much thought, but Mikayla had clearly moved here to participate in the show.

When Mikayla approached, Lilly took a step back, pushing Miley with her. Mikayla ran her trembling fingers over the Dragonfly sticker that once read Fly high, dream high. "I put the sticker here as a good luck charm. Colorful and glittery, just like my future. Or so I thought." Mikayla took a shaky breath. "This is where Miley did it."

Miley clenched Lilly's shoulders from behind and pressed her cold forehead against her neck.

Another shiver raced down Lilly's spine. "Did what?"

"She—" Mikayla's gaze fell on Miley. Her eyes widened as if she just realized she was there. She wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head as if shaking off unpleasant thoughts.

Nancy rushed over to Mikayla and guided her to sit on the bench in front of the locker.

Lilly waited until Mikayla frowned up at her. "You don't know?"

Lilly shook her head.

"She-she ruined my life. And only because Jake stepped in to save me. Otherwise, she would've taken it away from me."

Nancy rubbed her back.

"All of the contestants used this dressing room. Miley and I both applied in the same category, as singers. We were in the same middle school at the time and only knew each other briefly, but over the course of the show, we became friends."

Lilly had never considered whether Miley had entered the show. She had spent her entire life in Crowley Corners and didn't seem like the type who sought fame.

"The winner would be signed by New Southern Dimension. We both made it to the final round, where the winner would be decided by a final singing duel."

Miley whimpered.

"On the night of the big show, it was just the two of us in the dressing room putting on our costumes. I'd noticed the knight's costume on the floor, but not the rapier leaning against the wall next to it. But I doubt it would have made a difference. The only thing I remember seeing when I turned around was Miley's determination in her eyes and the gleaming blade in her hand. What followed was sickening pain and blood… so much blood."

Mikayla's revelation hit Lilly like another icy shower spray. It chilled her to the bone and froze her in place. Mikayla was lying. They were all lying. Miley would never… She was far too sweet. "Why would Miley do something like that?"

"To disfigure me?" Mikayla traced the scar on her face with her index finger. "To kill me? To take out her competition? I've thought about it a lot. I'm sure she would have done anything to win. To become famous."

Miley's humid breath quickened against Lilly's neck, and her hands tightened around her shoulders. Icy and heavy.

Lilly's muscles twitched with the sudden urge to put distance between them, but she clenched her hands instead. "This is all bullshit."

Mikayla stayed quiet.

"They're lying, right?" Lilly tried to turn around to face Miley, but Miley refused to move from behind her. "Miley?"

Miley's forehead brushed against her back in a nod.

Chelsea walked over to the row of lockers and leaned against it, arms across her chest. "We've got a witness."

Lilly recalled a conversation she had with… "Jake?"

"He'd been waiting for Mikayla outside the locker room and came inside when he heard her screams. He later told us that he found Miley with the bloody rapier standing over Mikayla. At the time, Nancy and I were waiting in front of the stage. We didn't realize anything was wrong until they announced that the show had been canceled due to an accident. When we went to the locker room to check on Mikayla, we found her covered in blood on a cot being wheeled into an ambulance. Miley just stood there crying her eyes out."

"All fake tears," Nancy interjected.

Chelsea pushed herself off the locker, a ridge forming between her brows. "Of course."

"In the end, Miley had ruined Mikayla's life for nothing. The Talent Show was declared over without a winner."

Miley remained still, and Lilly nudged her with her elbow. "Please say something." The longer Miley kept Lilly waiting, the more her stomach knotted up. Mikayla's accusations could simply not be true.

"It… it was an accident," Miley whispered.

Lilly reached behind her, moved Miley's hand off her shoulder, and turned around.

The shallow but gaping gash on Miley's temple had stopped bleeding. Miley's eyes welled up with tears, her lips quivered, and when she sobbed, Lilly turned back around to face Chelsea.

"Did you catch that? It was an accident."

Chelsea scoffed. "What's Miley's word worth? She's always talking with her tongue out of her shoe."

What had Lilly gotten herself into? She should never have come to Tennessee in the first place. She should have returned home right away after the adrenaline injector incident. That had been her only chance to persuade her mother to let her cancel the student exchange. But then… she had never met Hannah Montana.

A knock sounded through the door, followed by a deep voice. "Is anyone still in there?"

Lilly wheeled around to face the door. "Mr. Tucker?"

The door creaked open, and Mr. Tucker poked his head in. Nancy and Chelsea shrieked, raising their arms to cover their chests despite being fully dressed.

Mr. Tucker jerked his head back and thudded the door shut. "Meet me outside. Now!"

He waited for them in the hallway. His dark-rimmed glare wandered from Lilly to Mikayla, over Chelsea and Nancy, and lingered on the cut on Miley's temple. "What in the world happened? Can't I leave you unattended for even a second? Why do you two look like you walked through a monsoon?"

What an emotionless douch. "Mikalya shoved Miley in t—"

"—I-I took a shower. Then I cut myself while shavin'." Miley's shaky hands gripped the hem of her soaked blouse.

"And you didn't think to undress first?"

Miley kept quiet.

"I had no idea women grew beards, either."

"My-my legs. My hair was in front of my face, and, um, I wanted to pin it behind my ear, but I still had the razor in my hand… "

Mr. Tucker scowled at Lilly as he crossed his arms over his brought chest. "What really happened?"

"Mikayla had a razor blade and made Miley cu—"

"—Miley found me when I —" Mikayla was cut off.

"—Mr. Tucker asked me to tell him what happened!"

A hand rested on her arm, and Lilly turned to meet Miley's wide-open eyes.

Miley shook her head.

"But—"

"—Could we please just finish this?" Mr. Tucker motioned for Mikayla to continue.

This had been Miley's chance to finally expose Mikayla's bullying and get her expelled from school. Wasn't that what she wanted?

"I-I went into the showers to… " Mikayla showed Mr. Tucker the gaping gash on her hand before she pulled the bloody razor blade from her trouser pocket. "I don't know how far I would've gone if Miley hadn't found me."

This fucking liar! Lilly locked eyes with a wide-eyed Miley again and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

Mr. Tucker's flat gaze swept over Miley's cut. "How did this happen, then?"

Miley cupped her pasty cheek in her hand. "It must've happened while I was tryin' to take the razorblade from Mikayla."

"I'm sorry for causing so much trouble for everyone." Mikayla hung her head.

"Is this true? Is this how it went down?" Mr. Tucker's gaze shifted from Mikayla to Miley, then to the other three girls.

Everyone except Lilly nodded.

"You need to go to the infirmary." Mr. Tucker turned to Miley. "And you as well. After that, you can all go home."

Mr. Tucker returned to the gym, and Chelsea and Nancy followed Mikayla to the hallway, but Miley refused to join them.

"It-it don't hurt as much anymore."

That was hard to believe. "I don't think it needs to be stitched, but they should put suture strips on it. Or do you want a scar on your face?"

Miley shrugged.

"We'll wait until Mikayla is finished, then we'll go."

Lilly lent Miley her street clothes. She looked miserable enough as it was, and Lilly didn't want to add to her misery by forcing her to endure the cold on their way home. If the circumstances had been different, Lilly would have burst out laughing when Miley appeared in her clothes. Her jeans had turned into high-water pants, and her black Guns n' Roses hoodie clashed with the two pink ribbon hair ties that held her pigtails together.

When Miley called home to ask that Mr. Stewart pick them up, only the answering machine answered. This morning he had mentioned attending an important meeting. Lilly removed her wet T-shirt and replaced it with her winter coat, leaving her short-clad legs exposed to the wind, which sank its icy teeth into her bare skin and tore at her jacket as if it wanted to rip off every last piece of clothing from her body. When Miley offered to swap the trousers Lilly had lent her for the shorts, Lilly assured her that the cold wasn't a problem.

After they had showered and changed into dry clothes, Miley lit the fireplace in the living room, and they collapsed on the wine-red Persian rug in front of it. They stared silently at the hot flames, which flickered their glow across them and cast dancing shadows on the walls.

Despite her confusion and uncertainty about the events, Lilly had always been by Miley's side and supported her. She had given up on a school year that was supposed to be fun at best and okay at worst. All she had ever wanted was to make new friends and get through the year successfully. She had never openly talked about her emotions. Neither her mother, Miley, nor Oliver, had been open about it. "I feel left alone."

Miley kept her gaze fixed on the flames, but Lilly noticed her shoulders slumping forward.

"I'm not sure who to believe or trust."

"I'm sorry as all get-out. I didn't mean to drag you into this."

"You said it was an accident?"

Miley nodded.

"Tell me your side of the story."

Lilly held her breath, expecting Miley's typical dismissive shrug, but instead, Miley turned to face her, the flames laying a warm sheen over her eyes. "What d'ya want to know?"