CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
HEROES AND VILLAINS
The piercing sound of a phone ringing dragged Lilly out of her deep, comfortable sleep in her wife's arms, and she groaned in annoyance. Groaning, she hid her face in Miley's shoulder and tried to ignore it, but the ringing persisted. Finally, unable to stand it any longer, Lilly carefully reached over her wife's sleeping body and slowly picked up the receiver.
"Hello?" she asked sleepily.
"Lilly? Is that you?" the voice of Robbie Ray Stewart replied.
"Hey, dad," Lilly managed. She glanced at the alarm clock nearby and muttered something under her breath. "You do know how early it is out here, right?"
"I know, and I'm sorry to wake ya'll up so early," Robbie Ray apologized. "Knowing you two, I'm sure ya didn't get much sleep last night…" Lilly had to fight the urge to blush. She quickly cleared her throat.
"Sorry darlin', I just couldn't resist," Robbie Ray chuckled.
"Not that I'm not enjoying this, but I know you didn't call us at 6:30 in the morning just to embarrass us again," Lilly managed. Robbie Ray sighed.
"No, I'm afraid not," he said gently. "You better wake up Miley and turn on Channel Seven… that Mikayla girl you two ran into a few weeks ago is tryin' to start trouble again." Lilly's fingers tightened angrily around the phone.
"Great," she muttered. "Just how I wanted to start my morning…"
"Sorry," Robbie Ray apologized.
"Not your fault," Lilly replied. "Now where's the dang remote?" She found it a few moments later, on the floor beside the bed, and flicked on the tv.
"…and here and now, I'm calling out Hannah Montana!" Mikayla's voice shouted. "What happened at that charity sing-off was a fluke, and I dare her to prove me wrong! Meet me at the Fiesta Bowl, and we'll settle it once and for all during the halftime show!"
"Please tell me she's joking…!" Lilly gasped.
"Fraid not, darlin'," Robbie Ray replied. "She's already contacted Miley's agent and me… Mikayla wants Hannah Montana to face her in a winner-takes-all sing-off during the halftime show at the Fiesta Bowl, and she's already got everything all set up for it!"
"Is that Mikayla on tv?" Miley's sleepy voice called out. She slowly sat up, wrapping a sheet around her nude body as she did so.
"Unfortunately," Lilly muttered. "I've got dad on the phone too."
"And if she doesn't agree to meet me, then her family and all her friends will know she's just a coward!" Mikayla continued to rant. "And so will everybody else!" Mikayla looked directly into the camera then, smiling malevolently.
"So what's it gonna be, Hannah? Do you have the guts to meet me… or are you gonna run and hide?" The fiery Latina's image was then replaced by a television anchorman sitting behind his desk, an older man with gray hair and a thin moustache.
"There's been no response from Hannah Montana or her manager yet," the reporter announced, "though she may have little choice but to accept Mikayla's challenge, if only to save face…" Lilly abruptly switched the tv off and tossed the remote angrily aside.
"I can't believe that witch!" she hissed.
"Let me see the phone," Miley said, her voice tight. She held out her hand, and Lilly handed her the phone.
"Daddy?" Miley spoke into the receiver. "Call Mikayla's people and tell her she's on."
"Are you sure, bud?" Robbie Ray replied, sounding doubtful.
"I'm not about to let that tramp call me a coward in my own home," Miley told him angrily. "I'm gonna teach her a lesson she won't forget!"
"Take it easy Miles, please," Robbie Ray said gently. "I know you're upset, but don't let yourself become like she is."
"I won't daddy, I promise," Miley whispered, closing her eyes. "I may be mad, but I'm not stupid… and I don't trust her."
"Somethin' tells me you've got a plan," Robbie Ray remarked.
"You could say that," Miley told him with a smirk. "So before I go through with this, I need you to do somethin' for me…"
Neyland Stadium, home of the Tennessee Volunteers, was overflowing with excited football fans – and screaming Hannah Montana & Mikayla fans – on the bone-chillingly cold morning of January 4th, 2014. The large parking lot surrounding the stadium was also crowded, with people setting up tailgating parties and holding up huge signs for their favorites.
In the private dressing room she'd been given, Mikayla was putting the finishing touches on her carefully designed plan for revenge. Everything was ready, and Hannah Montana didn't stand a chance of leaving with the victory or her self-respect… if everything worked the way Mikayla wanted it to.
"You're sure you got everything set up?" she asked out loud as she carefully applied some dark mascara to her eyelashes.
"Don't worry," Jake Ryan replied. "Everything's ready."
"Good," Mikayla hissed. "Hannah Freaking Montana has had everything handed to her on a silver platter for the last time… now it's time I finally get what's rightfully mine!"
"You will, babe," Jake whispered. He walked up behind Mikayla and put his hands on her shoulders, in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. Mikayla angrily jerked away from him.
"Don't touch me!" she growled. Jake backed away, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"All right, all right… take it easy," he managed.
"I'm sorry, I just… need to focus right now," Mikayla lied. "Why don't you go make yourself useful? I'll be out to start my song soon."
"Fine," Jake retorted. "Just quit worrying, okay? Hannah Montana's finished."
"She'd better be," Mikayla muttered, glaring at Jake's back as he walked away. "For your sake…"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the stadium, Miley was finishing getting ready for her own performance, with Lilly by her side as always. Robbie Ray stood just outside the dressing room, leaning against the wall beside the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.
"How do I look, Lils?" Miley asked her wife as she carefully straightened her blonde Hannah Montana wig.
"You look beautiful," Lilly said honestly. "Just like you always do…" She gently kissed Miley where her neck and shoulder met. Miley let her eyes flutter shut and she smiled.
"I think you might be a little biased, Mrs. Stewart," she said teasingly.
"Maybe," Lilly said playfully. "But I call 'em like I see 'em." Miley grinned.
"And what do you see when you look at me?" she asked her bride. Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley's waist and pulled her close, resting her chin on Miley's shoulder.
"I see the woman I fell in love with," Lilly whispered. "She's sweet, and caring, with the biggest heart you could ever imagine… and so breathtakingly beautiful I still can't figure out why she picked me, out of all the people in the world, to spend her life with…"
"I love you, too," Miley whispered. "And I always will…"
"No matter what happens here today?" Lilly asked her carefully. Miley nodded solemnly.
"As long as I've got you, I'll be fine," she promised. Lilly smiled.
"Good," she said warmly. "And don't worry, you're gonna wipe the floor with that troublemaker Mikayla!"
"I hope so," Miley replied distantly. "Then maybe she'll leave us alone!"
"You've gonna do great," Lilly insisted. "I watched you rehearsing earlier, and you're gonna rock this place so hard it's not funny!" Miley chuckled.
"Thanks, Lils," she said, smiling radiantly. "I don't know what I'd do without you!" She turned around, ready to pull wife into a fierce hug, but her outstretched arm ended up accidentally striking something on the vanity behind her, knocking it to the floor.
"Hey, where did this come from?" Miley asked, looking at the overturned basket lying on the ground.
"I don't know," Lilly replied suspiciously. "Someone must've left it here for you…" She gently picked up one of the shiny foil balls that had been in the basket.
"I think they're chocolates," she said softly. She carefully pulled the shiny blue foil away from a small part of it, revealing a soft brown chocolate truffle. Lilly sniffed it daintily, and almost gagged.
"What is it?" Miley shouted. Her shout quickly brought her father into the dressing room as well.
"Whatever's in these things has gone way bad," Lilly managed, dropping the offending chocolate back into the basket. "Good thing you didn't try to eat any…"
"Or I'd have probably gotten really sick," Miley finished solemnly. She looked up at her wife and her father.
"You don't think Mikayla…?"
"I don't know," Robbie Ray answered. "But we're not taking any chances. Don't touch any of 'em, okay bud? I'll get someone to clean up the mess."
"All right," Miley replied. She stood up and straightened her pale blue dress. "I'd still like to rehearse a little before I go on, though…"
"I'll go with you, Miles," Lilly replied. Miley smiled at the woman she loved.
"Thanks Lils," she said softly. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Forgetting for a moment that her father was still standing nearby, she pulled Lilly into a passionate kiss.
"Keep kissing me like that and you won't have to worry about it," Lilly joked.
"Oh, you like that?" Miley said playfully. "Maybe I should do it again…" Robbie Ray cleared his throat loudly.
"No offense, but I can think of a lot a' things I'd rather be doin' right now than watchin' you two makin' out," he quipped. Miley & Lilly smiled nervously.
"Sorry, daddy," Miley apologized. "I guess we just get so carried away with each other sometimes that we just forget about…"
"Apology accepted!" Robbie Ray said quickly. "Now how about we get this show on the road?" Miley took a deep breath and nodded. She gently squeezed Lilly's hand, held tightly in her own.
"All right, let's do this!"
"Welcome everyone, to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Halftime Show, and the Ultimate Rock Star Showdown!" the voice of Ryan Seacrest echoed across the stadium. "But before we get started, I'd like to introduce our special guest judges for tonight!" He gestured to a small table set up near the side of the stage, where three people sat; two men and one woman.
"Everyone please welcome the star of "Men in Black", Will Smith!" Ryan Seacrest called out. The actor waved as the crowd roared their approval.
"…And the lead singer of Aerosmith, Steven Tyler!" Ryan Seacrest continued, gesturing to the second man sitting at the table. The famous singer nodded and waved at his excited fans.
"…And last but not least, the first female artist ever to win Entertainer of the Year from the Academy of Country Music two years in a row, Miss Carrie Underwood!" Everyone in the stadium seemed to shout, scream and applaud all at once. The petite blonde smiled and blew a kisto her fans as they cheered loudly for her, trying hard not to blush at their response.
"All right everyone, the moment we've all been waiting for is finally here!" Ryan Seacrest called out once the crowd had calmed down – enough so that he could be heard, at least. "The ladies will perform one at a time, and afterwards the judges will rate their performances based on Vocal Ability, Stage Presence and Overall Presentation and Performance. In the end, only one of our talented performers will walk out of here a winner!" He paused for dramatic affect.
"So, is everybody ready to get this showdown started?" he shouted. A deafening storm of excited shouts and screams answered the young host. "Then without further ado, please welcome our first contestant… the one and only Mikayla!"
Pyrotechnics exploded from the front of the stage, followed by a thunderous drum beat. The echoing sound of guitars followed, and three spotlights flashed on, focusing their beams of light on someone rising up from the very center of the stage… none other than Mikayla herself. Grinning widely, Mikayla lifted the microphone to her lips and began to sing…
You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner, and...
You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't You?
You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive
Well you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved, and one of them was me!
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and...
You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't You? Don't You?
The tempo of the song was much quicker than usual, and as she sang the chorus, Mikayla punctuated each "Don't You" by pointing at the audience. Each time she did so, additional pyrotechnics would burst up all around her, and the multi-colored lights surrounding the stage would flash. Throwing herself into her performance, Mikayla danced energetically across the stage as she continued to sing…
I had some dreams, they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and...
You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't You?
Well I hear you went up to Saratoga and your horse naturally won
Then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun
Well you're where you should be all the time
And when you're not you're with
Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend, and...
You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't You? Don't you?
You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you
You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you…!
A final burst of pyrotechnics and a blinding flash of light signaled the end of the song, and the stage went dark. Mikayla seemed to vanish, but when everyone could see again, she was being carefully helped off of the stage. Smiling and waving to the audience, she carefully approached the three judges.
"All I can say is, that was awesome!" Will Smith exclaimed.
"You definitely nailed it," Steven Tyler agreed.
"Your energy and enthusiasm for the song were obvious," Carrie Underwood said with a smile. "You definitely have a gift, Mikayla… but you don't need all those special effects to make people see it." Mikayla just nodded and smiled, and tried not to show how angry she was at the petite country singer's rebuke.
"All right Mikayla, let's see how the judges scored your performance!" Ryan Seacrest announced eagerly. He gestured to the stadium's huge scoreboard, and a moment later, it displayed Mikayla's final score.
29 out of 30! Mikayla thought excitedly to herself. No WAY can Hannah flippin' Montana beat that! I've already won!
Meanwhile, backstage, Miley was struggling to get ready for her own performance, with a little help from her overprotective wife and father.
"Honestly guys, I'll be fine," Miley insisted. "All I wanna do is practice a little!"
"Go ahead," Lilly said gently.
"Yeah bud, don't mind us," Robbie Ray agreed. Miley noticed, however, that neither of them moved from where they were standing. They were determined to stay by Miley's side, whatever it took.
"All right, I can see I'm not gonna win this one," Miley said with a sigh. She looked over her shoulder at the group of talented musicians who performed alongside her.
"Okay guys, you ready?" Miley asked them with a grin. Miley raised the microphone to her lips and, on cue, started to sing… then stopped suddenly when she realized the microphone in her hand wasn't working.
"Hey, what the…?" Miley managed.
"What's wrong?" Lilly asked her.
"The stupid microphone isn't working!" Miley exclaimed.
"I think I see why," Robbie Ray pointed out. He gestured to the cord that was supposed to connect the microphone to its power supply; it had quite obviously been cut, and the microphone was no longer attached to anything. Miley frowned.
"No way that's an accident," she muttered.
"Or a coincidence," Lilly agreed darkly. She didn't say it out loud, but she & Miley were clearly thinking the same thing: it had to be Mikayla.
"Well, it's a good thing I was prepared for somethin' like this," Miley said after a moment. She reached for her cellphone and flipped it open. A few moments later, a familiar voice answered.
"Jackson?" Miley greeted him. "Looks like we're gonna need an extra microphone."
"On my way sis," Jackson replied simply. Miley then hung up and looked at her wife with a grin.
"I'm glad I had Jackson bring some backup equipment," she quipped.
"Nothin' wrong with bein' prepared," her father agreed with a smile. "You'll be ready to go again in just a minutes, bud."
By the time Mikayla was finally finished with her performance and made her way backstage again, the sabotaged microphone had been replaced, and Miley was ready to begin her own performance; accompanied by her wife and father, as always, she made her way confidently down the entrance tunnel towards the field.
A figure dressed in jeans and a t-shirt suddenly rushed by her. He was wearing a baseball cap pulled down low over his face, to conceal his features, and he held what looked like an extra-large cup of soda in one hand. Without warning, he hurled the cup of soda at Miley and took off running. Out of the corner of her eye, Lilly saw the mysterious stranger pull his arm back just in time, and she instinctively threw herself in front of her wife, letting the ice cold liquid drench her instead.
"Lilly!" Miley shrieked.
"I'm okay," Lilly managed. "Cold and… ugh, sticky… but okay!" Brownish-red liquid dripped from her hair and her face, and the entire front of the sparkly white dress she was wearing was soaked. Lilly could even feel drops of the liquid trickling down her bare legs.
"Oh, sweetheart..." Miley whispered sadly.
"Relax Miles, it's okay," Lilly replied, trying to keep Miley calm. "It's only soda… I think…"
"It's not okay!" Miley insisted, her anger growing. "I can't believe she'd do this!"
"Miley, please…" Lilly whispered. "You need to focus on your performance right now…"
"Dad, stay here,' Miley said tensely, all but ignoring Lilly's plea. "I'm going to take Lilly back to the dressing room so she can get changed…"
"No," Lilly interrupted, her voice hard. Seeing Miley's startled expression, Lilly immediately softened her tone.
"Miley, you need to go," Lilly said softly. "I'll be fine, I promise… but right now, you need to get out there and show that no-talent troublemaker just how good you really are."
"But…" Miley started to protest, but Lilly placed a gentle finger on her lover's lips.
"And after you whip her butt out there, we'll go home and celebrate," she whispered. "And I promise I'll let you love me all you want…" She wagged her eyebrows slightly, and Miley smirked.
"You sure you can handle me lovin' you all night long?" the secret pop star asked with a grin.
"Only one way to find out," Lilly said playfully. "Now get out there and do your thing… soon as I get changed, I'll be out there cheering for you." Miley nodded and Lilly gave her a quick kiss before hurrying away to get changed. Watching her wife leave, Miley took a deep breath, and finally turned to continue her walk out of the tunnel…
Miley walked onto the stage and waved to all her fans, smiling radiantly. She could see Mikayla out of the corner of her eye, standing nearby and glaring at her, but the petite Latina's ire didn't bother her at all. She was ready to do what she loved the most – performing for all her fans – and she was excited. Behind her, the talented men and women in her band began to play, and Miley paused to let the rhythm and energy of the familiar song wash over the audience. Then, right on cue, Miley raised her microphone and began to sing…
We're no strangers to love
You know the rules and so do I
A full commitment's what I'm thinking of
You wouldn't get this from any other girl
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand!
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!
We've known each other for so long
Your heart's been aching but
You're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it
And if you ask me how I'm feeling
Don't tell me you're too blind to see!
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!
"You were supposed to take care of her!" Mikayla hissed angrily as her boyfriend walked up beside her. Jake was still dressed in the same grubby jeans and t-shirt he'd been wearing when he tried to throw his drink on Miley earlier.
"I tried, believe me!" he insisted. "I don't know how she made it out here!"
"Never mind!" Mikayla snapped. "I should've known I couldn't count on you!"
"Whatever…" Jake muttered, angry and unwilling to accept the blame. Mikayla looked up at Miley, still performing on stage.
"Well, at least there's no way Miss Goody Two-Shoes can beat my score," she said smugly.
By the time she was about halfway through her song, Miley saw Lilly finally reappear near the stage. The secret pop star's smile grew wider, and she turned slightly so she could sing the love song directly to her wife. Lilly blushed slightly, but couldn't help being deeply touched that her wife was singing her a love song in front of thousands of people. Then, as she watched in astonishment, Miley actually walked over to her and took her by the hand. Lilly tried to shake her head 'no', but Miley just grinned and pulled Lilly onto the stage with her. Smiling, and still holding Lilly's hand, Miley continued to sing to her…
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!
Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up!)
Never gonna give, never gonna give
(Give you up!)
We've know each other for so long
Your heart's been aching but
You're too shy to say it
Inside we both know what's been going on
We know the game and we're gonna play it
I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you!
Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you…!
The song slowly faded away, and Miley leaned in to kiss Lilly gently on the lips. The crowd screamed and cheered their approval.
"Stinker," Lilly whispered, blushing slightly. "I love you too, cowgirl…" Before Miley could respond, Ryan Seacrest vaulted onto the stage and walked over to her.
"That was incredible, Hannah!" he exclaimed. "I can't wait to see what the judges thought!"
"No doubt about it, that was a love song!" Will Smith shouted.
"I think everyone here can tell how much you two love each other," Steven Tyler said with a smile. "And that made the way you performed that song incredibly powerful and honest!"
"I just… oh my gosh, there just aren't any words to describe how awesome that was!" Carrie Underwood gushed. "Hannah, that was wonderful!"
"Thanks," Miley replied shyly. "I didn't do much though… I just sang to the woman I love."
"And that's exactly what made it special," Carrie Underwood assured her with a grin.
"All right Hannah, it's time to see how you did!" Ryan Seacrest said excitedly. He gestured again to the stadium's huge scoreboard… and, incredibly, a perfect score of 30 out of 30 appeared in brilliant blue neon. Fireworks roared in the sky above. Miley's jaw dropped open, and she gaped at the scoreboard in astonishment. Although she couldn't see it, Mikayla was gaping as well, but her expression was one of utter disbelief… and, ultimately, rage.
"This isn't right!" Mikayla shouted angrily. "There's no way you could beat me, unless you cheated!" Miley finally turned and looked at her rival.
"Give it up, Mikayla," she said softly. "You lost fair and square… don't make yourself look worse by being a sore loser." Mikayla stalked over to Miley, until she was standing directly in front of the secret pop star.
"You cheated," she snarled. "You must have… there's no way you could have fixed your microphone or gotten changed so quickly!"
"And how would you know about all that, Mikayla?" Miley asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "Unless you were the one responsible for all of it." Mikayla's eyes went wide. She hadn't intended to reveal what she'd really been up to, but her anger had gotten the best of her.
"And by the way, seeing as how I'm still holding my microphone and it's still on, everyone in the stadium just heard everything you said," Miley pointed out with a smile. Mikayla looked down to see the microphone that was indeed still in Miley's hand.
"So unless you want everyone to see you for what you really are, you might want to apologize now," Miley continued. She was still smiling, but her tone was no longer friendly. Mikayla clenched her hands into angry fists. She knew Miley was right, that she needed to do some serious damage control if she wanted to save her public image – to say nothing of her career – but the petite Latina was so angry at being beaten and humiliated by Hannah Montana once again that she was no longer capable of rational thought.
"I hate you," Mikayla hissed, and before anyone realized what was happening, she drove one of her fists into Miley's face. Miley cried out in surprise and pain and fell back, the turf of the football field rushing up to meet her.
Lying there, holding her injured face, Miley watched everything happen around her as though it was in slow motion. Police and security personnel were suddenly everywhere. An enraged Lilly flattened Mikayla with a vicious right hook of her own, and the sharp crack that accompanied the blow told Miley the foul-tempered Latina's nose had probably been broken. Before Mikayla could even attempt anything else, a familiar pair of arms grabbed her from behind and held her in a full nelson wrestling hold.
"Quit strugglin' and I won't have to hurt you, witch!" Luanne Stewart growled. Mikayla threshed about in a desperate attempt to escape, so Luanne proceeded to prove her point by applying pressure on Mikayla's neck, resulting in a sharp hiss of pain from the petite Latina.
"We'll take it from here," a gruff voice called out. Luanne looked up to see half a dozen uniformed police standing over her.
"She's all yours," Luanne muttered. "Enjoy your time in jail, sweetness… I'm sure they'll give you a nice cellmate!" She released her hold, and two of the police officers quickly grabbed the beaten singer. Mikayla was led off the field, shrieking and screaming about how she was going to sue everyone for everything they had. Jake, still hiding in the shadows nearby, did nothing to help her. There was no way he was going to endanger his career for her, or for anyone. Shrugging, he turned and ran away, disappearing into the shadows once again.
"Thanks, Lu," Miley called out. "I'm really glad I asked you to come." Luanne turned to look at her look-alike cousin and smiled.
"Believe me, it was my pleasure," she said with a grin. "That witch had it comin'. You all right, Smiley?" Aside from what looked like a nasty bruise forming on one of her cheeks, Miley seemed to be okay; thankfully, there was no blood.
"I'll live," Miley replied with a smile, allowing Lilly to support her. "Nurse Lilly's on the job." Luanne laughed.
"Good," she responded. "I know she'll take good care of your stubborn ass. You might wanna get some ice on that cheek, though." Miley chuckled.
"I'll be fine," she promised. "Besides… Mikayla hits like a girl." And with everyone staring at them like they were insane, the three cousins enjoyed a good laugh.