Lilly retreated from the dance floor many songs later. A light sheen of sweat made her skin glow prettily. Lexi had clutched at her, wielding a disheartened puppy dog face. She begged her to stay, exploiting the hell out of her pretty hazel eyes. When Lilly failed to surrender, the older girl quickly dismissed her with a flick of her hand and a fiery little huff. "Fine!" she had burst.
Same old Lexi, Lilly thought, suppressing an eye roll. The older girl could be obnoxiously self-centered, and although it aggravated her, she promised to return.
Lexi smiled sweetly, slipping her hand into the blonde's back pocket as she leaned in to whisper, "You better." The words were both a threat and a promise of sexual gratification which made Lilly's stomach involuntarily warm with want.
After failing to locate Miley and Oliver, Lilly wandered outside. She scanned over the booths, exterior dance floor, and rides once, and then a second time, squinting at a vague, Oliver-shaped figure by the dunk tank. The boy stumbled, staggered, and fell, accidentally taking someone's cotton candy cone with him. She could tell the boy's bumbling antics were angering nearby partiers. Lilly sighed and charged towards the scene, convinced of the drunken idiot's identity. "Oliver!" she called, reaching the fallen boy. She helped him onto his feet, and allowed him to lean on her as she led them back into the house.
"Shanks, Lilly!" Lilly had always thought Oliver sounded a lot like Scooby Doo when he was drunk.
"Don't mention it," she grumbled, dumping him onto a vacant chair. "No more drinks, okay? You look like a trainwreck." She couldn't help but laugh. The picture op was too good to resist. Lilly took out her cell phone, aimed it at the cheesing boy, and shot a candid photo. She snapped a few more for good measure before tucking the phone away. "Where's Miley?"
Oliver shrugged.
Lilly bit her lip in thought, and gave the area another meticulous scan. Where was Miley? She seemed to have up and disappeared. Her eyes wandered to the staircase. It had been blocked off by velvet security rope. Maybe the brunette was upstairs? "Stay put, Ollie," she ordered.
Oliver touched his pointer finger to his thumb and mouthed a slow,"Okay."
Lilly eased over to the staircase, swinging her head left and right to make sure the coast was clear before hoisting her legs over the rope and tip-toeing up the stairs. She approached Miley's room, turned the knob, and gave the door a gentle push forward. She spotted Miley before Miley could see her. The brunette looked miserable. Her fingers seemed rigid and white with pressure around the red party cup she'd been nursing since earlier. She was seated on the floor, back against her bed. The bottle of Gray Goose sat beside her, keeping her company. "You definitely should have a chat with your security detail. Sneaking up here was easier than your Aunt Dolly," piped Lilly, laughing a little at her own joke.
Miley slowly looked up, and Lilly mistook the fury in her eyes for a thorough lack of amusement. "Sorry," she coughed, embarrassed. "That wasn't even remotely funny. It was super crass, and super tasteless. I don't know what I was thinking…" She stepped into the room, and shut the door behind her. "If it makes you feel any better, my Aunt Mabel is skaaaanky. If you look up skank in the dictionary, there's a little picture of her face beside the definition." In all actuality, Lilly didn't even have an Aunt Mabel, but she figured the fib would make Miley grin, anything but that caustic glare.
If it was any other day, under any other circumstance, Miley would have cracked a smile, but it wasn't. She continued to look at Lilly, through Lilly, with that same infuriorated intensity. The blonde suddenly felt antsy. That burning look made more than just her skin crawl. "Miles?" she asked, voice hesitant and shaky. "Are you okay?"
For whatever reason, something inside Miley seemed to click, animating her. She cocked her head to the side, and spoke, "What makes you think I'm not okay?" Her eyes locked onto Lilly's.
Lilly dropped her gaze. "You just seem distant."
Miley laughed, emptied her cup in one swallow, and tossed it aside. She stood up on her feet, and made her way towards Lilly. Her walk was languid, sexy, and intimidating, if a little wobbly from all the booze. Lilly felt herself shrink backwards, cornered, like prey. Miley advanced until Lilly was firmly against the door. They were merely centimeters apart. Miley smelled of vodka and expensive perfume. The pop star leaned in even closer. Lilly could feel the brunette's ragged breaths against her neck. Miley got lost in the dizzying proximity, momentarily forgetting her rage. She breathed in Lilly's scent, and her body seemed to ice over. "You smell different," she whispered, recoiling slightly. It was more of a growl than anything else. She realized why Lilly smelled different, and the feelings came flooding back, invigorated. She smelled like Lexi.
The rage, fueled and amplified by alcohol and hurt, overwhelmed her. She felt a need to do something drastic. She surged forward, and slammed her lips against Lilly's. She was desperate to make the other girl feel her turmoil. The liplock wasn't Miley's ideal first-time kiss, it was meant to be Lilly's punishment. It wasn't sweet, leisurely, or tender. It was hard, and fast. Her tongue demanded entrance into the other girl's mouth, and claimed it. Lilly gasped, and moaned at the same time. She couldn't help but feel aroused by Miley's sexual aggression. She allowed herself to kiss back, making Miley growl in pleasant surprise. Miley's brain wandered, evoking counterfeit images and thoughts of Lilly and Lexi. How did they kiss? How did they touch? Was Lilly as receptive to the older girl? Had they fucked? It was all too much, and before Miley could process it, she growled and bit down on Lilly's lip, causing the girl to whimper and hiss in pain.
Miley stumbled backwards as Lilly touched her mouth. Her lips were swollen from all the rough kisses, and her bottom lip was bleeding. Good, thought Miley. "You deserve that," she said out loud, like a petulant child.
Lilly's initial shock caved into anger. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Miley?" she spat, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She shot the brunette a lingering glare, and stormed out of the room.
"No," squeaked Miley, stomping after her. The nerve! Lilly had no right to be angry! "No, you can't do this! If anyone's getting pissy, it's me! Come back here, Lilly! I'm not done talking to you."
"Yeah? Well I am," she growled, never stopping or slowing her strides. She was nearly at the foot of the staircase.
Miley struggled to keep up, cursing her stupid high heels as she gripped the walls to keep from tumbling over. "You don't have a say anymore," she hollered.
Lilly aimed an over-the-shoulder look that conveyed something close to oh, please, before disappearing into the crowd. Miley triumphed over the tricky steps minutes later. It had been a laborious trek. Now that she was ready to ream Lilly's ass, the girl was nowhere in sight! Karma sure worked in mysterious ways. She huffed, and stalked off in one direction, figuring she'd comb the place out top to bottom. There was no hiding from her impending wrath!
Lilly had immediately sought out Lexi. Miley's callous display had left her confused, and hurt. She wanted nothing more than to leave it all behind. She spotted the older girl by the back door, smoking a joint with her brother, and three strangers. She tugged on Lexi's arm, and the older girl greeted her with a luminous smile. "Hey," she rasped, brushing Lilly's hair away from her face. It took a second before she realized the blonde was in some sort of distress, and her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "What's the matter?"
"It's Miley," she sighed, "I don't want to talk about it. Can we go, please?"
"Is everything okay, Lillypad? Did she do something to you?" Lexi placed a hand on either one of Lilly's shoulders, carefully examining the younger girl's face for any implications.
"Can we just leave? Please?" Unshed tears rimmed Lilly's normally vibrant eyes.
Lexi nodded. "Yeah, sure. Whatever you want. Are you coming, Warren?"
"I'll just walk home later," he said, figuring some alone time would do Lilly justice. He rubbed Lilly's back, and spoke softly, caringly, "Try to buck up, Truscott."
She sniffled, and offered him a thank you nod. Lexi wrapped her arm around Lilly's shoulder and led her towards the front door. As they walked through the dense clustering of partiers, Oliver spotted them from the sidelines, pointing them out to Miley. The young brunette slitted her eyes and advanced, wasting no time. She pulled Oliver with her, disrupting the sip of cranberry and vodka he was about to take. The liquid splashed onto his face, making him splutter. It dripped down his chin, and onto the front of his shirt. He groaned in frustration, but kept his legs moving, deciding that whatever was going on with his best friend outweighed the significance of a prominent stain.
Miley and Oliver jumped in front of the retreating girls. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, pure rancor.
"Taking Lilly home," was Lexi's curt reply. She tried to weave around Miley, but the young brunette moved with her, blocking any attempts at escape. Lexi laughed. "I don't have time for your juvenile high school games, Miley. Maybe that's why Lilly would rather find comfort in my bed," she sneered. "Honestly, I don't know what she sees in you two losers." She addressed Oliver's shock. "That's right, Oken, you too."
By now, the crowd of partiers had broken their previous formations and fused into a giant circle around the bickering group. A few people had their camera phones out in anticipation of a cat fight. "You know, Lexi, I feel sorry for people like you. At some point, you'll grow old, and that pretty face you take so much pride in, well guess what? It ain't going to be worth a second glance. Someday you'll be saggy, and alone. No one will want to be around you because without that face, all that's left is ugliness." Miley spoke confidently. "Anyone can vouch for me. It's just a shame Lilly's too busy fucking you to see it."
Lexi's face was a dark red. Her eyes were crazed. She had long retracted her arm from Lilly's shoulders. The blonde stood behind her, eyes wide. How did Miley know? How long had she known? The current events began to blur. She was too caught up in astonishment to focus. Lexi took a step towards Miley, but the girl didn't budge.
"You're just jealous. You've always wanted Lilly for yourself, haven't you? I can see it in your eyes, the way you touch her, dote on her, take careful consideration in your wardrobe choices, please! You think that's going to impress her?" She spat, eyeing Miley up and down. "Well it doesn't. While you're pining for her, probably wondering what it would be like to run your hands up and down her body, to have her… I've got her in my bed, doing things you've only ever imagined! Let's face it, Miley, you're just a girl, and Lilly deserves a woman. No matter how hard you try, you'll always come up short."
"You think you're so much better than everyone, don't you?"
Lexi smirked. "No. Just you."
"Oh yeah?" Miley's brain raced, searching for something to one up the older girl, zeroing in on a single factoid. It felt like a good idea at the time. The only rebuttal-worthy trivia. She opened her mouth, and yelled, " I'm Hannah Montana!" Beat that!
The onlookers erupted in gasps and errant chatter. Was it possible? Could Miley Stewart really be Hannah Montana? Lexi seemed perplexed, opening and closing her mouth several times. Either the girl was really superstar sensation Hannah Montana, or she'd really flown the coop! Neither outcome was too favorable.
Lilly seemed to snap out of her trance, terror seizing her gut in a vice grip. She pushed her feelings aside, and stepped up, laughing loudly, "Miley," she reprimanded, "How much have you had to drink? I'm sorry everyone, Miley's a little wasted," she trailed off, making a drinking gesture. "Last time she got this smashed, she thought she was Britney Spears, post K-Fed Britney Spears. It was a riot! Move it along now, nothing to see. Give the girl some privacy!" She made shooing gestures, and most of the crowd seemed sympathetic.
"No! I am Hannah Montana! Stop it Lilly! Stop lying to them," insisted Miley. The last thing she wanted was for Lexi to win.
The events had sobered Oliver up considerably. He slowly caught on to Lilly's ploy, and jumped in to help keep the crowd moving. "Yeah. She's a drunken loony," he giggled. "Whoo! Good one, Miley. Hannah Montana? You crack me up!"
Lexi rolled her eyes, and gripped Lilly's arm. "Whatever! Come on, Lilly. Let's get out of here," she said, lightly pulling on her.
Miley grabbed Lilly's other arm. "No! She's staying here," she growled.
Lexi huffed. "Uh, no, she's not! She's coming with me!"
Both girls tugged on Lilly's arms at increasingly violent increments. Lilly's head ached from all the stress. Oliver tried his best to detangle the girls, but coward under Lexi's glower. He backed off limply, tail tucked between his legs. Lexi pushed on Miley's chest, making the brunette stumble backwards. Miley gasped and quickly regained her footing, rushing forward to give Lexi an equally hard shove. "I'm going to make sure that Lilly never, ever wastes her time with you pathetic nerds again," growled Lexi.
The crowd began to bunch up again, more interested in the prospects of a fight than the Hannah Montana slip up. Miley politely excused herself before snatching a cup out of a nearby boy's hand. She dumped its contents in Lexi's face, making the older girl shriek.
"Lilly," she screamed, "Get this little girl out of my face before I hurt her!"
Lilly did her best to hold them apart, but Miley wasn't helping matters. She continued to struggle against the blonde. Lexi trembled with barely contained fury. Everyone braced themselves for the explosion, and then it happened. Not in the form of catty slaps, name calling, or punches, but out of Miley's stomach. The brunette pushed forward and fell onto her knees, suddenly puking her guts out on Lexi's pretty shoes. Roaring laughter echoed throughout the room. A few people even clapped their praises. Lexi was mortified. Lilly quickly collected Miley's long hair in her hands, rubbing the girl's back soothingly as she continued to empty her stomach. She couldn't help but feel embarrassed for her best friend. Miley really wasn't a drinker.
Lexi backpedaled towards the exit. "Lilly!" she snapped. "Are you coming, or what?"
Lilly shook her head. "I can't leave Miley like this," she motioned.
"Whatever! We'll talk about this tomorrow," she sniveled, leaving.
"Oliver, can you tell the security guy that it's time to shut down the party," pleaded Lilly, still rubbing at Miley's back.
"Oh, God," groaned Miley. "I feel awful. I'm never drinking," she hiccupped, "again." She promptly clutched her stomach and continued to hurl.
Lilly grimaced and turned her head away, seconding Miley's stance against alcohol. They were able to clear out the entire house in under an hour. Oliver and an apologetic Warren elected to stay to help clean puke off the floors. Lilly practically carried Miley's weight upstairs, and into the bathroom, carefully disrobing the girl. Despite the night's events, and the superfluous volumes of puke Miley had coughed out, she still couldn't help but flush at the lacey sight beneath Miley's dress, or at the fact that she was removing her friend's clothing in the first place. She unclasped Miley's bra and tugged off her underwear. Miley could do little more than moan and groan, so Lilly was left with no other option but to climb into the shower and scrub the girl herself. She tried to keep her eyes focused on Miley's pained face, but was finding it difficult. She towel-dried the girl, dressed her in pastel jammies, and tied her hair up in a loose pony tail, before changing her own wet clothing.
Lilly tucked Miley into her bed, and lay down beside her, stroking her face. Miley made whimpering noises. "Lilly?" she whispered, fighting off nagging slumber. "I love you."
"I know." Lilly kissed the top of her head, and shushed her. "Now go to sleep, Miley. We'll talk in the morning."
The brunette snuggled into her best friend and fell asleep.