When Miley opened her eyes she saw everyone looking at her with concerned looks on their faces. For just a few moments she couldn't recall what had happened or why she was lying on the floor. As her mind started to clear she recalled something that had be part of a twisted nightmare since it involved her having to kiss Joanie Palumbo and Ashley Dewitt as if they were her lovers. The next thing that she became aware of was the sound of her dad's voice asking if she was OK. It wasn't until a couple seconds later that she was thinking clearly enough to realize that she should answer his question.
She still felt a bit light headed but she manage to say "I'm OK, I think." She started to get up but as soon as she moved both her dad and Lilly helped her up to the couch. Once seated on the couch Miley said "What happened? I had a horrible nightmare where someone said I had to kiss Joanie and Ashley." Even as she spoke her memory came flooding back and the realization that it was probably not any kind of dream at all.
"Um," Oliver started hesitantly. "That wasn't a dream Miley. Joanie and Ashley are auditioning for the same part in the play that Lilly is and you're gonna have to kiss them both during the auditions next week."
Miley let out a little groan before looking at Robby Ray and said "Do I have to daddy?"
"Now bud you did promise me that you'd go through with the play, all the way through until the very end." Miley knew by the tone of his voice that he wasn't let her get out of keeping her promise.
A few hours later, after Lilly and Oliver had left, Miley was up in her room when she finished carefully reading the play all the way through. Now she knew why Jackson and Oliver had been laughing about their interpretation of the scenes in the first act, which was just about all that they had actually read before then. Now that she had actually read the whole thing she still wanted to do the play but for different reasons now. She put the script down on the bed next to her. For the next few minutes she wondered why her dad had turned it down for Hannah. While she thought about that she drank the last of the big mug of Loco Hot Cocoa her dad had brought her while she had been reading.
After she finished thinking about that Miley got up off the bed. While getting up she picked up the mug along with the plate that the piece of strawberry-rhubarb pie had been on when she came up to read in her room. While her room was usually not as clean as her dad liked her to keep it Miley never left dirty dishes in it any longer than necessary unlike Jackson usually did. That was one thing she was always quick to point out whenever her dad complained about her room being messy. When she went downstairs into the kitchen and deposited the dishes in the sink Miley noticed that someone had polished off the the rest of the pie while she'd been reading. When she went into the living room she noticed that her dad was asleep in front of the TV while holding a plate that still had a big bite of pie left on it.
She quietly walked over to the couch then sat on it as gently as she could next to him. Then she reached and started to lift the remainder of the pie off the plate when Robbie Ray grabbed her wrist in a vice like grip. Miley winced in pain as she cried out "Ow, ow, don't rip my arm off you dumb hillbilly."
"Sorry Miley, but you know better than to touch my pie while I'm slee... watching TV."
Miley smiled and put on her best innocent little girl look as she said "I know, but when it's strawberry rhubarb you can't blame a girl for trying can ya? " As soon as her dad let go of her arm she quickly popped the last bit of pie into her mouth.
As she did that Robbie Ray asked "Did you finish reading the script yet?"
Miley nodded her head yes as she slowly chewed the pie savoring the the taste of the last bit of pie. Once she finished she said "I sure did and I was wondering why you turned it down for Hannah. You obviously read it and you must have known that I'd like it and want to do it."
"Yeah I knew you would but, your contract with the record company has a clause in it the forbids Hannah Montana from doing any potentially dangerous, controversial or scandalous PR stunts, photo shoots, movies, TV shows and charity work. That includes this play but as Miley Stewart you can do the play without violating the contract."
"Why did they put in that Hannah's contract?"
"Bud, they didn't put that clause in, I did. You see when I had my first contract in the music business those cold heartless executives that ran the record company had me doing all kinds of crazy stuff for free publicity. I didn't like it one bit but had to do it anyway because of my contract. I didn't want anything like that happening to you."
Miley hugged him and said "Thanks daddy." She thought about how to bring up the subject of her not wanting to kiss Joanie and Ashley in the auditions. She realized that there no way she could just ease into it so she decided to just lay it out to him. "I know I promised to go through with it but I don't think I can do the auditions, not the kissing part with Ashley and Joanie. I don't like them and I can't stand them." As Miley spoke she looked her dad in the eyes while silently silently begging him to let her off the hook.
Robbie Ray recognized the pleading look on Miley's face immediately but he had no intention of letting her off easy this time. "The girl who kissed a dog on national TV says she can't do this. The girl who fake dated Austin Rain, a boy she can't stand, for almost a month says she can't kiss a couple girls she doesn't like."
"But Daddy that was different. I mean at least Austin was a boy and I was able to pretend I was kissing a boy that I liked whenever I had to kiss him. And the dog, well I …. OK I have to agree about the dog."
Robbie Ray said in a serious tone. "Look Miley I believe in you and know that you can do this. Not just the audition parts either but the whole thing and you can do it very well regardless of who gets the part. I know this, Mr. Terry knows this and I know that deep down you know it too." He watched her as she thought about what he had just said. He could almost hear her thinking about it.
At first Miley didn't want to admit to herself that what he said was true. She knew deep down that she could go through with not just the audition but the whole play and do a good job even if Lilly didn't get
the part. If Lilly didn't get the part she wouldn't like it, not one bit, but she knew she could do it. Then she considered sabotaging Jonie and Ashley's auditions. Almost as soon as that thought her dad interrupted her train of thought.
"Look Miley I know that this audition thing is going to be tough on you. So I'll make a deal with you. If you promise me that you'll do you very best during the auditions, and not just with Lilly but with all the girls trying for that part, I'll consider that punishment enough and lift the grounding." Then before Miley could respond he quickly added "But if don't do your very best you'll be grounded again for twice as long. Is it a deal?"
Miley didn't have to think about that for more than a second before saying. "Deal. I promise to do my very best during the auditions."
Meanwhile over at Lilly's house her mom was watching TV when Lilly came home from her informal date with Oliver. Heather Truscott had Lilly's copy of the script lying next to her on the end table. Lilly wanted to discuss how she felt about the play first ever since she had finally read the whole thing after she left Miley's house earlier. She had tried talking to Oliver about it while on their date but it didn't help her at all.
"Mom, can I talk to you about the play?"
"Sure sweetie, so what is it about the play that you want to talk about?
"Did you read it like I asked you to?"
"Yes I did and I like it. I think it great that, since you and Miley said that you support gay rights, gay marriage and so forth, you two are getting involved in something like this."
"I don't think I can do it mom."
Why do you say that? You said that you really liked the play once you read it through. What part of the play is it that you have problems with?"
"I know I said that and I really mean it but..." Her voice trailed off as she thought how say what she felt. "You read the play so you know that I'm gonna have to act like I'm in love with Miley and kiss her like I do with Oliver. I don't think I can do it. Well I can do it, but I don't think I can do it well enough to make it seem like my character is in love with Miley's character."
"Sure you can Lilly. I know you can." She smiled at her as she spoke trying to reassure her. "When you go places with Hannah you go as Lola right. I've noticed that you not only look different as Lola but you act like a different person as well."
"No way. All I do is put on the wild wigs and outfits but other than that it's just me."
"Yes way Lilly. When you get dress up as Lola, you do things and behave in ways you wouldn't normally do. It's like you become another person. You even talk differently."
Lilly looked very surprised when she heard her mom say that. "I do?"
"Yes you do and if you can do that, you can bring the your character in the play to life."
"I guess maybe I could, but the characters Rachel and Julie are lesbians and I'm not. I don't know how to act gay."
"How are gay people supposed to act? What about the gay kids in your school, do they act 'gay'?"
"I don't really know of any gay kids at my school so I don't know how they act and that's the problem."
"I know your school has a LGBT support group and it's a safe bet that some if not most of the student members are gay and lesbians. Do they act 'gay'?"
"I never thought of that mom but I'm sure you're right." Lilly thought about that fact for a second or two before adding. "In fact a couple people I know are members but they don't act any differently than everyone else. I guess I don't know as much about them as I thought."
"Lilly I've found that most gay people don't advertise their lifestyle. You'll find that they're regular people just like everyone else except for the fact that they prefer partners of the same gender. So you don't have to worry about how to act gay. All you have to do is act like a girl in love, one that happens to be in love with another girl but a girl in love none the less."
"Oh, I guess I might be able to do that but it just seems so weird to me." The look on Lilly's face and the set of her shoulders showed that she felt less sure about being up to the task then her words indicated.
"I know it does but that is something you and Miley are going to have to work out." Heather Truscott sighed before she went on to say. "Lilly you're going to have a huge advantage over the other girls auditioning for the same part. First of all you're able to practice for the audition with Miley and the other girls won't be able to do that. Second the two of you have been close friends for years and know each other very well. Last of all the love you too have for each other will almost certainly make playing the parts a lot easier then you might think."
Lilly was reassured enough by her mothers words that she finally felt, for the first time since learning the full truth about the character, like she was actually able to play the character and do a good job of it. Lilly smiled and said in a much lighter tone of voice as she hugged her mother "Thanks mom, you really helped me a lot."
After completing the hug Lilly practically flew off the couch and headed towards her room while pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. Before she was able to even use the speed dial for Miley's number her phone began to ring. Miley's name was display on the phone's small screen. Lilly answered it before it could ring a third time. "Hey Miles, I was just going to call you."