Hello. Is there anyone reading this? I still hope so. Y'all do not know how guilty I feel for updating so late! Ugh. Darn school. Darn homework. Why are you ruining my spare time?! But hey, on the plus side, I got a new chapter for you! Um. Yes. New chapter! I kinda like some parts in this one. Idk. It depends what mood I'm in.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana or any of its characters. The creators do.
SilenceistheLoudestScream2: Actually, we'll be seeing part of her history in this chapter. Just a smidge. It's quite interesting, actually. But that'll be on hold for later chapters.
Stessa: Yes, marriage does seem quite rash. I hope it'll still keep you interested in the story?
P.S: I've decided that it was a bad idea for me to watch the "Party in the USA" music video. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the song, no matter how annoying it gets. But it's hard to believe that Miley is only a year and three months older than me. It's unbelievable, really. To tell the truth, I don't like the way she's transitioning out of her 'Hannah Montana' shell. She should've waited until S4 was done, and then go with the whole short-spandex galore. I dunno. That's just me, playing it safe. How boring is my life? Yes, that boring.
Robbie Ray Stewart sat down on his desk, still trying to digest the thought of her daughter getting married. So what if she ditched the family for her pop star life? She was still his baby girl. This was his fault. He should've never gotten in an argument with her. This is what happens when he's not there not helping her make the right choices.
There she goes, marrying some guy named Ian. God, she's making those stupid mistakes all over again. Why is she so stubborn? She never thinks about the consequences! When will she learn her lesson?
He's been reading the newspaper and has been keeping in touch with a few entertainment news, but less frequent as the time went by. Scandal after scandal, she still keeps at it. Stan's not exactly doing a good job of keeping her out of it. Maybe handing Miley over to the management was a bad idea from the start.
She's going to ruin her life again if she's going to do this. She's going to get heartbroken by another chump and Robbie can't be there to help her.
Sweet niblets, what am I going to do? That's it!
Tomorrow he's going to go over to visit Stan and make him call Miley over. There, easy. Yea, they were mostly definitely going to talk this over. He'll make sure that Miley will think it over and not marry this 'Ian' guy.
But first, he has to check on Rachel and Louise, make sure if they got the news. "See ya later Chuck, I'm goin' off. I'll be back later." He grabbed his keys and jacket. "Make sure the business stays strong while I'm out." The door's sensor beeped as he swung the door open.
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"So…how's life?"
Lilly breathed unevenly. This jerk, this bastard jerk was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed in the living room. He literally could be the death of Lilly, other than Miley. Those Stewarts could seriously kill her with a high blood pressure.
"How did you get inside here?" Her fists were starting to clench, as with her jaw. Her nostrils flared and her blood boiled. He shrugged and Lilly knew that was a bad thing to do.
"Get out of here you freakin' douche bag!!!" Quickly, she pulled him by a handful of hair. "Get out!!! Get out, get out, get out, get out!!!" She kicked him out of the house with her shrilling screams. "Get the fuck out of here, damn it!"
"Wait! Can't I just explain why I'm here?" He pleaded. His shins were on the welcome mat, he was literally begging on his knees. Still, it wasn't good enough for the girl.
"No! I fucking hate you, you piece of shitty garbage, god!" Lilly's eyes stung. "You-you're making my life miserable! I trusted you! You promised me! You sold the house! Without me knowing! How the hell can you explain that to me?!"
Jackson stood up slowly and wiped his hands on his shirt. Why did he ignore his conscience? Lilly was the best friend he could ever have and he just ruined their friendship because he was so stupid. She was always looking out for him while he always gambled and do some crappy stuff behind her back. But this time he had no choice. It was to either pay the gang back or die a horrible death. What could he do?
"Look, Lilly, I'm sorry." He tried to comfort the crying girl, but was scared that she could kill him on the spot. "Really, I am."
"Just shut up and leave!" Lilly gripped the door handle, looking at the floor.
"Fine, but…Just tell Hannah I said congratulations." He said quietly and turned around, walking towards the gate.
Lilly finally looked up and stifled a sob. "Just…go. Just get the hell outta here."
Jackson glanced a short sorry look at her, but Lilly remained looking to the marbled floor. The door clicked closed and Lilly sighed shakily. He must've learned from Miley that Lilly's her personal maid.
Lesson learned: Don't trust anyone from the Stewart family. Or anyone, in that case.
She kicked her duffel bag against the wall and went to the sofa to lie down. Too many things have happened in the past few days. What the hell just happened? Lilly decided to recollect.
First, Jackson sold her house while she was on vacation to New York. No matter how much she doesn't want to think about it, it'll bound to come up again. Not to mention her bank account got rejected, and then, she meets Hannah Montana and makes a deal with her to unbeknownst for three thousand dollars for her freaking house. Oh, and to end up living as a maid for Hannah Montana, who is really Jackson's little sister, Miley Stewart.
As if that wasn't enough, she marries Hannah Montana as a man named Ian. Lilly sat up. The more she thought about it, the more outrageous it became. Somehow her life went from down-right boring to the ridiculous extraordinary. Too bad this wasn't a dream. It would make one hell of a story.
"Oh wait." Lilly rapped her fingers against the coffee table. This could be a story. A whole new story Lilly could write. Maybe even screen write for a movie. It could work, she thought. Make new names for the characters…It could be like a box office hit!
The phone rang and Lilly snapped out of her trance. She got up and picked it up from the receiver. Well, the thought was nice. She should start brainstorming some ideas.
"Hello?"
"Hi, um, is this Ian?"
"Uh, yea," Lilly lowered her pitch. "Who's this?"
"It's Jake. Jake Ryan. I was wondering if Hannah is there?"
Oh. "No she isn't here at the moment. She's at work. Wanna leave a message?"
Lilly heard a rustling in the background from the other side. "Um, no nothing. Never mind. But, uh, congratulations on your engagement!"
"Thanks –"
"Sorry, but I have to go now. Just tell her that I called, 'kay? Thanks. Bye." The phone clicked and Lilly pulled it away from her ear. She stared at it for a long time. There's something fishy about Jake and Miley's relationship.
Lilly put it back on its holder and walked over to the kitchen island. Oh, well look at that. A list of things to do. Even when she's busy, Miley still has time to make a to-do list for Lilly. Unbelievable.
Sighing, she posted the list on the refrigerator and began to read it through.
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Miley came back home to see that the mop was out of its bucket, the faucet dripping, and dirty bowls piled in the sink. She swiped her hand on the refrigerator's top. Dust was still visible on the tips of her fingers. Lilly better have a good explanation for this.
"Lilly!" Her voice echoed throughout the house. No response. "Lilly Truscott!" Nothing. Miley switched the faucet off and cursed. She went up the stairs to Lilly's room.
"Holy hell. What a mess." She kicked some boxes out of her way, along with some scattered belongings. God damn it. Where the hell is she?
Miley glanced along Lilly's small table. It was aligned with pictures of her family and surprisingly one of her and Jackson. Even after what he did, she still kept of picture of him. Miley would've burned it.
So Lilly isn't home. She left before she cleaned up her mess. Miley took out her phone and dialed Lilly's number. She picked it up after the first ring.
"Hey! I gave you a list to clean this up!"
"Hey, Miley." Her voice was in her male pitch. Miley didn't want to think why Lilly wanted to joke around like this.
"Don't joke around with me! Where the hell are you?"
"About that…"
"Well? And don't use that voice with me!"
"I'm sorry," she heard Lilly's voice toned down to a whisper. "But I'm being taken somewhere."
"Excuse me?"
"I'm being escorted somewhere. Some place called Cannes."
"Cannes? Why there?" Oh no. "Oh my god, please don't tell me…"
"The escort told me that I was going to your family's place."
Her heart stopped beating for a sec. "As Ian right?"
"Yes, why did you think I used that voice earlier on?"
"Just…God damn it." Miley hung up and quickly went down the stairs, grabbing her car keys. Shit, shit, shit. What the hell is going on?
Escorted to her old house? Who'd think of doing that? Oh wait. Rachel. No, Rachel's mother, Louise.
Miley stepped on the gas pedal and raced her way towards Cannes. This is not going to end well. She could feel it in her blood.
----------
The escort pulled over to sidewalk and Lilly looked out to see a suburban beachfront house. She opened the door and her driver led her to the door. The place (the neighborhood, really, Lilly thought) didn't look the type to have private drivers. She thought it odd to be driven to Miley's old place. She wondered why, until she saw who opened the door.
"Hi," a tall mid-aged woman greeted her. Her blue eyes wandered around Lilly's figure. She didn't look so pleased. "Please come in. I'm Miley's mother."
Oh. She didn't seem the type to be a strict mom. The first thing Lilly pointed out was her totaled bleached out hair. It looked fried and an ugly shade of yellow. And she looked nothing like Miley. Maybe her dad would be.
"I'm Ian," Lilly offered her hand to shake. But Miley's mom ignored her and walked away, leading her to sit on the green three-seated couch. "Um, nice place you have here."
"Grandmother is waiting for you." Lilly looked to where the bleach blonde lady was taking out a tray and filling cups with water and one with tea. "She'll be coming down shortly."
"Oh…'kay." Miley's mom didn't seem the type to be so elegant and quiet. At first glance, Lilly would've mistaken her for a bleach blonde bimbo, the complete opposite. Her eyes wandered to see the house to be quaint and peaceful. It was crowded with many tall in-house plants. Behind her were guitars sitting on their stands and a grand piano. It seemed like everything in the house connected, just like her own.
"Ahem," Miley's mom cleared her throat. Lilly whipped her head around to see an old lady, wrinkled around her eyes and mouth, silently glaring at her. So this must be Miley's grandma. She still looks relatively young, in a way.
"Hi there, I'm Ian," Lilly stood up. She was eye-to-eye with the grandma. "Pleased to meet you.
The gray-haired grandma humphed and walked passed Lilly to sit on the single seated couch. Ouch, Lilly thought. Now I know why Miley's so cold-hearted. Must've run in the family.
Miley's bleach blonde mother started to hand out the drinks and Lilly accepted it. "So, Ian is your name?"
"Yes ma'am." Lilly set down her drink and sat in a boyish way; legs apart, slouched forward, and played with her fingers.
"Is that some way to talk to your future grandmother? Sit up straight!"
Lilly blushed and closed her legs and sat up straighter. "Sorry, ma'am." She heard Miley's mom clear her throat and Lilly knew she already did one thing wrong. So much for showing her good impression.
"Good. Now, how old are you?"
"Twenty-two." Lilly tried to look into the grandma's eyes, but she was just scared to do it. "I'll be twenty-three in a few weeks." Yea, and there's no one to celebrate it with. Yipee.
"Okay. How about your parents? What do they do?"
"Oh, my parents aren't here anymore. I mean, my parents divorced after my brother's death. My mom passed away in a car accident, but who knows where my dad is." Lilly ducked her head in loss.
For a moment it stayed quiet, an uncomfortable silence. Lilly wanted to do something to take back what she said, but Miley's grandma still has something to say.
"Did you graduate?"
"What?" Lilly finally looked at the grandma. The senior raised her brows and her forehead creased lines. "Oh. Seaview High," she said quickly.
"And? That's it? Only a high school diploma?" Lilly looked back down at the rug in embarrassment. The grandma tched and shook her head. "Why did you stop there?"
"Um, I wasn't…I wasn't exactly the best in school –" which was a total lie. Lilly got a semester's scholarship to UCLA, but decided not to go. She was actually one of the top ten students in her class to be listed in 'Most Likely to Attend Yale/Stanford/Harvard.' She looked around nervously for a better answer. Nothing came.
From the corner of her eye, Lilly saw both Miley's mom and grandma shake their heads in disappointment. "Anyways, tell me, is it true that you and Miley have been living in the same house?"
The answer took awhile for her to compute. She didn't know which answer would appeal to the family. "Y-yes," she stuttered.
Lilly's quickened breaths seemed like it was loud enough for both of the older women to hear. "Oh, god," the grandma groaned. Miley's mom rushed to her side.
"Do you need any medication? Do you want me to call Robbie?"
"No," Miley's grandma turned away from both Lilly and the bleach blonde. She sighed loudly and shook her head slowly. "There's no point…
So saying 'yes' was a bad idea. Living together was a bad idea before you got married. Lilly winced and regret her answer quickly. "I'm sorry, but –"
"Louise! Rachel!"
"Miley! My good granddaughter! Look at how much you've grown! How come you never come by anymore?"
Lilly stood up to see Miley breathing heavily and approached her. "I told you, I'll introduce him to you guys later! Geez!" Miley panted and rolled her eyes. She grabbed Lilly's wrist and headed out for the door.
"No wait!"
"Miley Ray, do you still want to disappoint your parents?" Rachel pointed out.
Miley muttered under her breath, but Lilly couldn't quite catch it. Before Miley could open the door, it swung open and Miley jerked back against Lilly. She felt Miley tense up with a shaky breath.
"Dad."
"Miley?"
"No way! Robbie Ray Stewart?!" Lilly yelled out. Everything froze and everyone stared at her oddly. "I-I mean, hey, how's it going?" she recovered in her man voice.
"Excuse us." Miley tightened her grip on Lilly's wrist. She pushed Robbie out of the way, ignoring her grandmother's pleads to come back.
"Miley, don't you think we should go back?"
"No, now get in the car."
"Miley Ray! Now hold up! Let's talk. Dont'cha think you're moving too quickly again?"
Lilly was already in the car when Robbie Ray stood next to her car door and Miley was still outside, her car door still open. What the hell was going on?
"No, we're not talking." Miley sat back down in the driver's seat and started up the engine.
"Miley…" Lilly heard the older man grunt in frustration. "Y'know what? Fine. Live your life. Don't ever think about the consequences!" Lilly watched him stomp back into the house until he slammed the front door harshly, it looked like the house was going fall apart.
Beside her, Miley looked straight ahead and gripped the steering wheel.
"Are you okay?" Lilly asked quietly.
Instead of answering back, Miley accelerated in one push that made Lilly go back into her seat.
About ten minutes into the drive, Miley started to talk. "What did Louise say to you?"
"Huh?"
"Louise, the grandma. What did she say to you?" Miley repeated. "Did she scold you?"
"No." Lilly began to peel off her disguise. At least I don't think she did, Lilly second guessed.
"Don't let her get into your head. She and Rachel are crazy."
"Wait," Lilly stopped at her eyebrows. "You're saying that bleach blonde lady and the grandma aren't your real mom and grandma?"
"No. Rachel is my step-mother," Miley grimaced, "and Louise is her mother. I have no relation to either of them. If I ever was…God knows what I'd do…"
"Oh." I thought so, Lilly agreed silently. Rachel and Miley looked nothing alike. "It's weird."
"What is?"
"I dunno. It's just weird that you have a family, even if it's dysfunctional." Lilly was curious about the deal between Robbie Ray and Miley, but that would have to be in a different time. "You never told me your dad was Robbie Ray Stewart! God, I would've practiced to acknowledge the fact better if you told me earlier!"
Miley said nothing and continued to drive along. "But seriously," Lilly continued, going on a limb, "Why is the relationship between you and your family so strained? But then again…"
"Be quiet," Miley snapped. "You don't know anything about me and my family. It's none of your business."
"Y'know, you should be thankful that you even have a family to look out for. Maybe you should talk it over with them with whatever problem you had in the past and just –"
"Hey! Shut up! I told you it's none of your business."
"Or maybe you should just listen when others are talking and not interrupt by yelling at them," Lilly sneered.
"Why are you giving me advice? I already have enough of it from work!" Miley squeezed the steering wheel.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help you out with your family problems. Sure, maybe your step-mom and step-grandma are annoying as hell, but still, they care about you."
"You don't know crap, so just be quiet. Just shut up or else I'm gonna kick you out right now."
Lilly shut up in an instant.
"Thought so."
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The next day, while they were having lunch, Robbie Ray still looked peeved. Rachel wanted to do something to take his mind out of it, but it seemed like every word she says was a bad thing. But right now, she and Louise have decided to give it another try.
"So," Rachel started to ease in. "Since the wedding is on Sunday, are you still going to go?"
Robbie put down his sandwich and took a drink. "Why should I? Why should I even bother?" He wiped a napkin across his mouth and resumed eating. "She made her own choice to live her own life. Let her live it to the end."
It was Louise's turn to say something. "But Ian's all by himself. His brother and mother passed away, and he doesn't know where his father is." Robbie still doesn't look convinced.
"Look, maybe you should talk to him," Rachel suggested. "He seems like a nice boy," she ignored the glare given from her mother, "he needs guidance. And plus, Miley needs someone to walk beside her down the aisle."
"Stan can do that."
"Robbie, you're missing the point. You're daughter is getting married. Marriage is a grand thing in one's life. You should be there to support her." Beside her, Louise nodded greatly.
"Also, Stan seems like a complete douche –"
"Mother!"
"– And I'm sure Miley would want to walk down the aisle with you."
Robbie finished his sandwich and looked at the women next to him. "I'll think about it." Louise and Rachel smiled and were about to high five each other until Robbie cut them off. "I said I'll think about it. Don't get your hopes too high."
After Robbie disappeared up the stairs, the daughter and mother duo gave each other high fives.
"Yes!"
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Lilly was tired. No. More than tired. She was dead tired. As if that was new anyways. Stupid Miley had to make her do the laundry by hand with a freaking washboard and had to pick the weeds by hand out in the backyard. Not to mention cleaning and scrubbing the floor, walls, windows, tub, and shower until her arms were limp.
Now she's on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling. The dark blue hue from the moon outside was her only light. She wanted to puke. She wanted to plunge off the balcony. She wanted to kill Miley then herself. She wanted to scream. But she was too tired to do either of those things.
The last thing she wanted to think about was getting married to her. It's tomorrow. Tomorrow she's getting married. Good god, that'll be the death of her. She'll die of a heart attack tomorrow on the altar. She's sure of it.
Maybe she could run away. Yea. Running away sounds plausible. But to whom? Who else does she have?
Not Miley's family. They already disapprove of her, or should she say, Ian.
Jackson? Yea right. Even if she did, she doesn't know where he lives. Or maybe…
Lilly took out her cell phone and dialed the operator. After a few minutes, she found out that Jackson doesn't live too far from his old place. Only three blocks away from his previous one. Good. Now Jackson can pay her back.
She got up from her bed, an air mattress, and jumbled to get her one and only gray suitcase. She's going to run away. It seems like it's the only way to get out of here. She wished she had someone else rather than Jackson, but she has no other choice. But then again, Jackson owes her a lot. This is how he could pay her back.
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He woke up to a small voice calling his name. It sounded familiar, but he must've been dreaming. It called him again. He pushed it away. Then a loud banging sound came from his door. Startled, he got up and opened the main door. He definitely wasn't expecting this.
"Lilly?" She was standing in the middle of the hallway with her suitcase right beside her. What the hell?
"Hey, can I come in? Thanks." Lilly made her way inside, leaving Jackson to look at her, gaping.
"What're you doing here? I thought-I thought that you don't wanna –"
"Yea, yea, can I have some water?"
Jackson rubbed to eyes if he was still sleeping. No, he was not imagining this. "S-sure."
"Y'know, your sister, god, I just wanna kill her! She's so bossy!
"Join the club," Jackson added, still slightly shocked with Lilly's doing here."Wait, you know about the whole Miley/Hannah thing?"
"Yea! And she's just so infuriating! Clean this, do that, wipe this, mop that. If she loves to clean so much, why can't she marry that than instead of me?!" she screamed, panting.
Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me? Did you just say…"
Lilly covered her mouth. "Oh crap, I wasn't supposed to say that. You never heard any of that."
"What?" Now Jackson was lost. Did she just say that Miley's marrying Lilly? Marrying Lilly? His little sister marrying his best friend? Who both are girls. This is weird indeed.
"Oh my god, Miley's gonna kill me, but," she scooted closer and leaned against the table, and in a hushed voice she said, "Miley and I are getting married today."
Jackson's lips quirked upwards. "You're lying. You've always been a terrible liar. Way to make it believable." He then laughed wholeheartedly.
"Listen, Jackson," Lilly pulled him from across the table. "I'm fucking serious. I'm marrying Miley today. She's Hannah Montana and I'm Ian."
Jackson smile went away slowly. He shook his head. "No. No way. Are you drunk or something?"
"Jackson. I'm Ian. The reason why I'm here right now is that I'm hiding from Miley. I'm running away. I just need a place to stay until –"
He went to the kitchen and grabbed the newspaper. The man in the newspaper did have the same nose and eyes as Lilly, Jackson observed, but that could've been a coincidence. But the fact that Lilly told him that she was Ian just wouldn't leave his mind.
"But I thought you were her maid?"
"Yea, until this happened!" Lilly jabbed a finger to the newspaper, making a hole to Hannah's face. "Okay, Jackson, here's your payback. Find me a place to stay. Just give me a place to stay so that Miley won't be able to find me."
Jackson became uneasy. He wanted to help her. Really. But if Miley knew that Lilly was hiding over at his place, she would kill him. He doesn't need that right now. The best thing to do is just trick Lilly into believing that he found her a place to stay. Easy.
"Okay, but –" His cell phone rang and he picked it up. "Hello?"
"Jackson, I lost my maid."
He closed the phone's speaker. "Excuse me." He went into this bed room and locked the door. "She's here."
"Okay, well, can you bring her over?"
"Why?" Jackson needed to find out what Lilly said was true or not. Miley's the only witness to claim the truth.
"Because she needs to clean the house. Just bring her over now."
"Miley, seriously, why do you need her now? You're getting married today. You could careless where your maid is."
A short break from the other side broke the conversation. "I-I need someone to look after the house while I'm gone."
"You sure about that?" Jackson pressed on.
Miley huffed. "She told you, didn't she?"
"Miley, if Dad found out that you –"
"Shut it, Jackson. Just bring her over to the house." One click and the conversation was over.
Jackson took in a breath and walked out the room to see Lilly tapping her foot against the floor. An idea popped up in his mind.
"Hey, Lilly. That was Miley."
"Oh god, she knows? How the hell does she know?"
"I have no clue…What're you gonna do?"
"Oh my god…she's such a freak! Is she coming over?" Lilly started to pace around the room.
"Yea, she's hella pissed right now. But she doesn't know that I know about your guys' wedding thing."
"Okay, then that part's good. Oh my god, Jackson, you've got to help me now."
"Okay, okay. Since she's coming over here, I could drive you back to the house and you could finish packing up your stuff quickly, then I'll be waiting outside to give you the signal if she calls me again." Jackson gulped. He really didn't want to break his friend's heart again, but it seems like he has no other choice. "Sound good?"
"Yea. Thanks, Jackson. I think you've redeemed yourself again," she smiled.
Jackson smiled weakly. Mentally, he was shaking his head. You have no idea, he thought.
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She paced around the room, waiting until Jackson arrived. God, she wanted to kill someone. That someone is Lilly Truscott. Of course, she had to ditch the day they were going to get married. And she left a parting gift, too. The post-it that was on the fridge was now in Miley's clenched hand. The freaking nerve of this girl!
The doorbell rang and Miley rushed to the door. She was shocked to see Lilly pale faced in front of her.
"What the hell are you doing here? I thought you were already on your way to Jackson's apartment!" Lilly quickly turned around to see Jackson meekly waving to them. "You-you dirty asshole! I cannot believe you would do this to me! Ugh!"
Before Lilly could run away again, Miley grabbed an arm and pulled her in the house, along with her suitcase. Lilly ripped her arm away from Miley's grasp when Miley slammed the door shut.
"Okay, you," Miley pointed to her. "We had a deal, remember?" Lilly fumed, not knowing what to say. "Do you want to quit? Fine. But remember, after six months, you get your house back. Did you forget about that?" Lilly looked down and breathed evenly. "Good. Now go upstairs. Marge's gonna pick us up in fifteen."
"Fifteen?!" What?! It usually takes her about forty minutes to get ready!
"Your fault, not mine. Just get your facial area and your corset ready. They got your suit set already."
Miley started to go up the spiral set of stairs, smirking at Lilly's dumbfounded shock. What a retard.
----------
Honestly, Lilly did not know her body could react so quickly. In five minutes, she got her corset done. In three minutes, she got her 'eyebrows' fixed and her wig set, and in seven minutes, she got her five o' clock shadow imprinted on her chin and jaw. A mix of morning sickness and anxiety washed through her body, but she really didn't want to throw up now. All she cares now is just to get over the stupid wedding.
By the time Marge picked them up to the time Lilly got her white suit on, she didn't feel like getting married. Hell, she never felt like getting married. She always imagined that someone else would be the groom, not her.
A few cameras started to take pictures of her as Ian while she was thanking a few people for coming to the ceremony. She didn't even know more than half of the people who thanked her. How sad. She felt guilty, partly because all the people seemed so nice for congratulating her. And partly because they were getting married in a church.
Lilly wasn't exactly religious, but lying to the people and the church just felt like they were going too far. She doesn't understand how Miley doesn't feel a pang of remorse, especially when she's the one who chose the place. Maybe it's because Miley has reconciliation, or whatever they called it, so she can confess her sins to God. But Lilly doesn't think that they will get away with it easily.
"Excuse me, Ian?" Lilly looked up to see Marge telling her to come over. "Mr. Stewart says that he wants to see you."
Lilly gulped. The Dad? Robbie Ray Stewart? Lilly remembered the last time she saw him. She got goose bumps, not because he was the Robbie Ray Stewart, but it seems like he's the kind of person you really don't want to mess with.
"Sure," Lilly said a little uneasily. Marge led her through a private hallway until they reached a closed sectioned. The red-head knocked softly and the Dad opened the door. He looked like a freaking giant. Both Marge and Lilly had to crane their necks to look up.
"Hi, Mr. Stewart. This is Ian," Marge paused, not knowing if she should continue. She chose not to. "I'll leave you two alone."
Robbie stepped aside and led him in the room. Lilly looked around, not knowing if she should sit or stand. "Okay kiddo, listen up."
"Y-yes sir," Lilly perked up.
"Miley is still my daughter. Even if she's Hannah, she's still me daughter. She's still only one person." Lilly nodded without blinking once. "If you hurt her once, even just one little thing, you will have no second chance." Lilly shrunk slowly into her suit. "Do you understand?"
"Yes sir. Understood, sir!" Lilly stood erected and started to sweat from head to toe. She didn't know what happened next, but she felt a heavy arm around her back. He was hugging her. Ian. He was hugging Ian.
"Good. I know that we don't know each other very well, but I know I can trust you." He pulled away and shook Lilly's hand. "Now, I want you to listen up. I'm pretty sure you've noticed that Miley's a very independent soul –" no kidding, Lilly thought "– but I want you to be patient with her. I'm pretty sure you've noticed what happened a few days ago…" Yea, Lilly still remembered the awkwardness between everyone. "But the situation between us, Miley and I, I want her to tell that to you. It's delicate, but don't pressure her to tell it out all at once. It's all about trust."
Lilly licked her lips and nodded. The door knocked. It was as if it was on cue. Lilly opened the door and saw Marge gleaming with her dress. Lilly remembered that Marge is Miley's maid of honor. "Ready to go?"
Lilly looked back to Robbie, who gave her a thumbs up. "Remember what I said. I'll see you out there." She nodded once and turned back to Marge who held open the door for her.
It wasn't that she was excited to get married. It wasn't that she was anxious to get married in front of hundreds of people. She didn't know exactly why or what, but she felt like a huge burden had been lifted off her shoulders. It felt good to be able to trust and to be trusted to someone.
It was just at that moment, when Lilly stood on the altar, seeing everyone in the pews turn their heads to the bride, Lilly felt a slight glimmer of hope. Hope that maybe, just maybe that somehow, she and Miley could get along.
So. Tell me. Did you like it? Yes? No? Oh, and sorry for throwing out two more OCs at ya. They're pretty important, though. Especially Louise. She's a grandma I wish I had.
Next chapter: Honeymoon!!! Where do you think Miley and Lilly are gonna go? Place your bets everyone! I really want to hear your guys' thoughts!!!