Lilly lay sprawled across the bed, a single sheet haphazardly strewn over her naked body. For some hazy reason, a sharp twinge of guilt had enveloped the blonde immediately preceding their romp. Sure, the sex had been pleasurable, but despite her best efforts to focus her undivided attention on Lexi, her mulish mind continuously pulled her thoughts in the direction of a different brunette...

Lexi, blissfully unaware, sat beside her, back pressed up to the headboard, and a single knee bent as she sealed a joint with the tip of her tongue. Pot smoking was not a foreign concept to Lilly. She had dabbled in Seaview High's puff-puff-pass subculture under Lexi's guidance a handful of times. Although the unique sensations were never unpleasant, she had never taken a real liking to it. Lexi, on the other hand, always kept a stash nearby. Productive, active, and exuberant, Lexi didn't fit society's preconceptions of the stoner archetype.

The older girl lit the end, filling her lungs to capacity with two hits. She turned towards Lilly, and motioned to her lips, beckoning the blonde to participate in a shotgun. The younger girl smiled, and leaned up, letting the sheet fall down to her waist as she pressed her mouth to Lexi's, and accepted the smoke. Lilly exhaled quickly, coughing as the harsh second-hand smoke left her irritated throat.

Lexi laughed, and rubbed the blonde's back. "Amateur," she teased.

"Whatever. At least pretend to give me some credit? You've been smoking since you were in pull-ups."

Lexi winked at her before taking a couple more drags. "You want this?" she asked, in that tight-lipped way to keep the smoke down.

Lilly shrugged. Why not? She couldn't think of a single reason. She inhaled slowly, letting it ease down as opposed to sucking a show-offy load in. She knew a hard toke would surely make her regurgitate a lung, as well as an additional, neighboring organ.

"Hey, sister fucker," yelled Warren. He banged on the door. "Miley wants you back! What is that delicious odor, you little weed rats? It smells like a dank buds factory in there. You better have some for me, or I'll tell mom and dad you're being stingy."

Their parents had been active members of the hippie era, managing to escape the 70s as resilient lifers even when all their other hippie friends had yielded to societal pressures. They each subscribed to medical marijuana cards, and held bi-monthly council meetings to disscuss the legalization of the herb.

Lexi opened the bedroom door in her bra and panties, the half-spent joint dangling from outstretched fingers. "Ew," squealed the boy, promptly lidding his eyeballs.

"Stop being a dweeb. It's like a bathing suite," she said, dismissing his prissiness.

Warren pulled a face, but reluctantly opened his eyes. He motioned for Lilly to get up. "We have to go," he sang. "Like 10 minutes ago. I thought I'd give you an extra couple minutes in case my sister was being extra whore-ish."

Lexi slapped him over the head. "You're only jealous that Lilly scores more poontang than you ever will. You should consider a career as a eunuch." She laughed.

"Bitch."

Lexi smirked and took a drag of the joint, rolling her eyes back before waving it in front of Warren's face in a slow, rolling rhythm. His eyes followed the swaying object, mouth watering in anticipation. Lexi blew a thick gush of smoke towards his face. He quickly sniffed at it, nostrils expanding and contracting rapidly, like a puppy dog licking at left-over gristle. "If you want to hit this, and much, much more over the summer, you'd better be nice to your big sis. I brought bags of this stuff back with me from college. There's this guy who sets up shop right from his dorm room. He even delivers, cool, huh? The best part is that it's primo, unfathomably primo. Like nothing you've ever burnt before. I mean, the epitome of one hit shit."

He grit his teeth. "I'm sorry for being a jerkwad."

She smiled, and gifted him the rest of the joint. "Thanks, twerp. Now go away so that Lilly can get decent." She shut the door.

Lilly had ditched the modesty of the bed sheet to search for her missing articles of clothing, struggling slightly as the high kicked in.

"You can borrow something to wear," chided Lexi, walking over to the closet to pick out an outfit. She loved dressing the younger girl up.

"Thanks. Oh, yeah, Miley invited a couple people over for a little birthday get together. You're more than welcome to crash it."

Lexi smiled. "Of course." She handed the girl a pair of tight, ass-accentuating jeans, and a simple, yet elegant black halter top. It had somewhat of a plunging neckline, which showcased a generous amount of skin.

"You look good enough to eat," purred the older girl. "Why don't we just ditch the party and stay here? I promise I'll make it worth your while."

Lilly shook her head, masking her exasperation with a gentle let-down, "As enticing as that offer sounds, I can't do that to Miley. She was looking forward to this."

"Alright. To the party, it is," sighed Lexi, poking her bottom lip out as she straightened her top and mini skirt. She gave herself a quick sprits of a fruity smelling perfume, and re-touched her lip gloss. "How do I look?"

Lilly gave her a quick once over, and a thumbs up of approval. "Hot."

"Good." Lexi slipped a baggie full of green and a pack of zig-zags into her purse. She handed a bottle of eye drops to the blonde. "Your eyes are a little red."

"Thanks," sighed Lilly, dispensing a drop in each eye. Miley was as unaware of her pot smoking as she was about their past relationship, and she wanted to keep it that way. She dropped the bottle into Lexi's purse, and shouldered past the door. "Warren! Let's go!"

They trotted down the stairs, and squeezed into Lexi's Miata. The two-seater car gave Lilly no choice but to sit on Warren's lap. "If you pop a bone, I'll kill you," she joked.

Miley sat down by the front door, anxiously awaiting Lilly's arrival. It had been well over half an hour since she had called Warren. They should have been there already. No sooner after calculating the likelihood of some type of accident did Lexi's Miata roll up the driveway. Miley could hear laughter and music blaring from inside. Oh great, she thought, disappointed and slightly hurt that the blonde had invited the older girl without informing her first.

The frown on her face gave way to a dopey lovesick look as Lilly awkwardly slid off Warren's lap to stand on the driveway. Miley's breath hitched. The blonde looked luscious in her uncharacteristic get-up. She wet her lips, and gulped down the knot in her throat. "Lilly," she called, voice raspy and low with desire. The blonde didn't hear her. She cleared her throat, and tried again. "Lilly!"

The blonde girl's head snapped towards her direction, a big grin in place. "Miles!" she hollered, running up on the girl. "You look radiant," she said it playfully, but meant it. The brunette looked downright scrumptious. She helped Miley onto her feet, and held onto her hand as she gave her a slow twirl. "If you got any hotter, my eyeballs would melt off."

Miley laughed, blushing all the while. "Cheesy, but nice. Thanks, Lilly, you look…," she swallowed, "beautiful, too."

Lexi, leaning against her car as she observed the two's interaction, rolled her eyes. Lilly's friend was so obviously crushing on the blonde. It was cute, in that painfully pathetic kind of way. She elbowed Warren, and made a gagging motion, before swooping down on the scene, and hooking her arm with Lilly's. "Hey, Miley," she greeted.

"Lexi," returned the pop star, mirroring the older girl's lackluster tone. "How have you been? It's been a heck of a long time."

"Can't complain."

Awkward silence befell them as the group made its way to the front door. Miley grabbed Lilly's hand and tugged her forward as she pushed the door open. "Surprise," said Miley, biting her bottom lip.

Lilly's initial reaction was minor annoyance, but the more and more her eyes drank in, the less angry she became. It was really gorgeous. Miley had obviously planned the party out to the tiniest of details. She heard random people giving her birthday wishes as Miley lead her throughout the house, but all that registered was a swelling in her heart, and a deeper appreciation for her best friend. She gave Miley's hand a sharp tug, signaling for the brunette to stop walking. The pop star, still uncertain of Lilly's feelings, kept her gaze low, and her bottom lip wedged between her teeth. Lilly placed her hand beneath Miley's chin, and lifted the girl's head up so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "Thank you, Miley," she whispered. "I love it."

The sincerity in Lilly's eyes made Miley weak at the knees. "Are you sure?"

Lilly nodded, and gave her friend a hug. Yes! Miley's spirits soared, reaching astonishingly high heights. She felt a sense of relief and accomplishment. She hugged Lilly back, letting her head rest on the blonde's shoulder. It was such a perfect moment, and before she could contain herself, three dreaded words came out of her mouth, "I love you."

She could feel Lilly tense in her arms. Oh no, she hissed at herself. God, you're such an idiot! Miley didn't dare pull away. She prayed to God for a little assistance, swearing to volunteer her time to charitable causes, promising to be good for years to come, the rest of her life even, if only the Supreme Being could throw her a bone…

And then it happened. The clouds parted, opening the gates of heaven, and Lilly said the words that Miley had been longing to hear, "I love you too, Miley." Lilly pulled back and gave her the patented grin that made her belly flop like a fish. "I mean, you're my best friend. Duh! Of course I love you," she giggled, ruining the moment, shattering Miley's dreams into a zillion pieces, maybe more.

The feeling was indescribably bad. Miley had to dig her nails into her palms to keep from crying. She was sure her eyes were broken and watery. "I have to use the bathroom," she whispered, rushing off without so much as a warning.

Lilly watched her friend go, and was about to follow her, when a hand clamped down on her shoulder. "Hey, Lilly! Happy birshday!" It was Oliver, slurry, jolly, definitely a little trashed Oliver.

She gave him a grin, and a solid pat on the back. "Thanks. How many drinks have you had?"

"Jush a lil!" He admitted, leaning against her as he spoke. "I shaw Lexi! Did you know she was here? She's shooo hot." He had a sloppy grin on his face.

"Yeah."

"Oh, cool. Lishen, Lilly, I'm gonna jush, I'm gonna go freshen up my drink, and then I'll be back, okay? You want anything? Don't, don't anshwer that. I'll surprishe you! Don't go anywhere!" Before she could stop him, he darted off, swaying this way and that.

"Lilly, there you are," Lexi hollered from within a group of unfamiliar people. People tended to flock to the girl like moths to a flame, and from the looks of it, the older girl had already attracted a sizable crowd. "Come here!"

As soon as she was within touching distance, Lexi looped her arm around the blonde's waist, and pulled her close. "This is my lover," she introduced, "Say hi."

The unfamiliar group quickly greeted Lilly, and Lilly gave them a lame, "Hello."

"Isn't she beautiful?" purred the older girl, giving Lilly a peck on the cheek. "Excuse us for a while, we're going to go dance!" She didn't give Lilly a choice in the matter.

The older girl led her all the way to the dance floor. A Nine Inch Nails song exploded from the speakers.

You let me violate you

You let me desecrate you

You let me penetrate you

Lexi's dancing style was vulgar, straight up sex on legs. Despite the crudeness, she didn't come off as skeevy or skanky, just hot. More than a few people stopped to stare at them. Lilly worked well with the older girl, raking her fingers through her hair, running her hands all over her body. A random boy tried to dance his way behind Lexi, but the older girl just shoved him away.

Help me

I broke apart my insides

Help me

I've got no soul to sell

Help me

The only thing that works for me

Help me get away from myself

Lexi always demanded, and provoked fireworks. They moved and gyrated against each other, playing off one another's energy, building the blatant sexual tension between them steadily, like a teeter-totter.

I want to fuck you like an animal

I want to feel you from the inside

I want to fuck you like an animal

My whole existence is flawed

You get me closer to God

Miley, now composed, finally left the comfort of her bathroom. She walked around the house looking for Lilly to no avail. Luckily, she spotted Oliver. He was slumped against a table topped with cups and alcohol. He had a red party cup in one hand, and an open bottle of Vodka in the other. He was staring at something with lusty intensity. Miley stomped up to him, and spoke, "Oliver." No dice. She tried again, louder,"Oliver!" Still nothing. She reached out, and shook him.

Oliver nearly dropped the glass bottle as Miley startled the shit out of him. "Miley!" he gasped, breathing roughly. "You freaking shcared me!"

"Sorry, Oliver." She crossed her arms across her chest. "Have you seen Lilly?"

Oliver gave her a dopey drunk grin, as if she had asked the world's dumbest question. Who hadn't seen Lilly? She and Lexi were the spectacles of the party! He nodded.

"Well? Where is she?"

He put the bottle of Gray Goose onto the table, shut one eye, and pointed towards the dance floor. "Riiiiight there," he said.

Miley followed his direction, and nearly fell over on the spot. Lexi and Lilly were practically fucking on the dance floor! Fucking! Her blood boiled, her nerves screamed, her stomach felt nauseated. She wanted to jump on Lexi's back, and claw her stupid, pretty face off, and then slap Lilly silly. Stupid, oblivious Lilly. Stupid, ungrateful Lilly! That should have been her on the dance floor, dry humping the blonde amidst a sea of onlookers. She could have screamed bloody murder, hell, she could have broken into a mouth-frothing conniption. Instead, she swung around and picked up an empty cup, pouring a generous helping of Gray Goose into it for good measure. She lifted it to her lips, and downed the vile liquid in one go, before refilling it.

Oliver gasped at his best friend. Miley wasn't much of a drinker, let alone someone known to pour herself a drink. "Take it easy, Miles," he cautioned, wondering what had gotten into the brunette.

She paid him no mind. Who the hell was he to tell her to take it easy? He was as shitfaced as anyone else, if not more. "Back off, Oliver," she growled, sloshing more Vodka into her cup.

She turned back around towards the dance floor. The Nine Inch Nails song had long been over. Lexi and Lilly continued to dance into the next song. It was "All Over You" by The Spill Canvas. Fitting.

Yeah, he's a looker

But I really think it's guts that matter most

I displayed them for you

Strung out about from coast to coast

I am easily make-believe

Just dress me up in what you want me to be

I'll take back what I've been saying for quite some time now

Cute, thought Miley, taking a sip each time their eyes happened to connect, evoking an expression she had yet to see on Lilly's face.

I gotta feel you in my bones again

I'm all over you

I'm not over you

I wanna taste you one more time again

I'm all over you

I'm not over you

Oliver shook his empty cup, and sighed. "Well I think they make a good looking couple," he said, brain too mucked up by alcohol to notice the slip.

Miley nearly spit out her drink. "What?"

Oliver shrugged. "I mean, I don't know what their relationship shtatus is now, but they were a cute couple. I mean, before Lexi moved away. Don't you shink so?"

Oliver regretted every saying a word when he saw the look on Miley's face. He swore her eyes had flashed red, and then green, like blinky Christmas tree lights. She let out a crazed laugh. I really am stupid, she thought, laughing even more hysterically. I'm so fucking stupid, and Lilly knew it. God, I'm so dense! The signs had been staring her in the face all along. The jealousy and envy she had felt towards Lexi wasn't all made up in her head. It was her innate gut feeling ringing the alarm bells, telling her something fishy was up, because Lilly sure as hell wasn't telling her anything. On top of all the other horrid feelings, she felt a profound betrayal. She choked down the rest of her drink, snatched the entire bottle, and stormed off to her bedroom, preparing herself for the nuclear-scale meltdown that she was about to rain down upon the entire party.

God help Lilly Truscott.