NaCl: Here it is! My first Lemonade Mouth fic!
Stella: Just great…
Ray: As if lemonheads weren't popular enough…
NaCl: SHUT UP!
Stella: NO! I WILL BE HEARD!
NaCl: (waves her hand and a sword appears out of nowhere)
Stella: Shutting…
Ray: (amazed) How come you never shut up when I ask you?
Stella: (rolls eyes) Can you make a sword appear out of nowhere, Beech?
Ray: …
Disclaimer: I do not own Lemonade Mouth. However, this plot is owned by me, and I would be more than thrilled if it was used in Lemonade Mouth Puckers Up!
Ray: Why is everyone so insistent on Rayella? WE HATE EACH OTHER!
Stella: Seconded.
NaCl: First comes hate…then comes love!
Ray: Freak…
A Spoon Full Of Sugar
Ray and Stella hate each other, right? There's NO way the front-man of Mudslide Crush and captain of the soccer team can love the lead guitarist of Lemonade Mouth and troublemaker extraordinaire. Or maybe, all they need is a spoon full of sugar.
Olivia and Wen were laughing at a joke Charlie just made. Mo just shook her head at him, rolling her eyes, "That was so lame."
"Oh," Charlie asked, "I'd like to see you top that!" After Mo saw Scott cheating on her with Jules, again the both had become good friends…or more than that.
Ray had shown her, once again, Scott making out with Jules to faze her right before a huge gig at the most expensive restaurant in town. Unfortunately, it worked, and Stella found herself cursing Ray Beech as she tried to make the necessary adjustments so that the four of them could play, seeing as Mo was too distraught.
Thankfully, the Indian girl recovered fast, and her next song made jaw drops all over the country. Now, Mo dived for her bag as she heard the familiar tones of Determinate.
"You should answer that before Stella comes," Charlie called out, "You know how she is about cell phones during band practice."
Mo smiled at him and continued digging in her bag.
"Speaking of Stella, where is she?" Olivia asked, worried, "She said that the planning for the New Year Bash would end at seven. It's seven thirty."
"Stella's never late," Wen remarked, "Have you tried calling her?" Olivia pulled out her phone and was searching her contacts list for Stella when a loud gasp stopped her.
Mo was looking at her cell phone as if it was going to explode, her face fearful, her eyes wide, "How in hell does Ray Beech have my number?"
Charlie reacted first. Grabbing Mo's cell phone, he answered it, simultaneously pressing the speaker button.
"Hello?" Charlie asked.
"Girly freak?" came the voice on the other side, surprised. It was definitely Ray Beech, Prince of Mesa High. All of them could hear him mutter, "Could've sworn it was the Indian chick's number."
"What do you want, Ray?" Wen said calmly, shooting a nervous glance at the other three.
"Redhead?" the voice came again, "Oh. Speaker." Ray was many things, a jerk, a bully, a complete asshole and bastard, but stupid he was not.
"Well, come to this address." With that the call cut. The four of them stared at the phone as if it was going to somehow self-destruct.
"Address?" Wen asked. No sooner had the words left his mouth than Mo's phone beeped again, this time with a text from the front-man of Mudslide Crush.
All of them looked at the address with suspicious eyes. Charlie was the first to speak, "I bet you this is a trap."
"Wait," Mo said, her eyes lighting up, "Ray works with Stella for the New Year Bash. Maybe he knows where she is!"
When Principal Brenigan told them that Ray Beech and Stella Yamada would be the co-coordinators of the New Year Bash, the entire student population groaned. Mesa High would be destroyed within the week. No one wanted to volunteer to work under the two most antagonistic arch-enemies. However, Ray bullied a bunch of freshman to enter and Stella shouted at the students until some people signed up to get rid of her wrath.
It was a week from New Years and surprisingly, the school was still standing. Everyone had heard that the only thing Ray and Stella did in the planning session was argue so loud that Alaska would've heard it, but they had gotten most of the things done. However, they were still fighting over which band would perform at the bash, Lemonade Mouth or Mudslide Crush.
"Wait a minute," Olivia asked, skeptical, "You want to ask Ray Beech if he knows where Stella is?"
Mo glared at her, "It's the only option we have left since Stell isn't answering her phone."
"Why do I have the feeling that this is going to go horribly wrong?" Wen asked to the empty air as the rest prepared to leave for the directions Ray had provided.
Fifteen minutes later they were standing in front of a hospital.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Olivia piped up, looking at the large building.
"Well, we can't figure out anything if we just sit here," Mo said, sliding out of the car while waving good-bye to Charlie's older brother, Tommy, who agreed to drive them there.
"I would be careful I was you," Tommy called from the driver's seat, "When I was there, Ray still ruled the school, even as a freshman, and you wouldn't believe the things he's done."
"We'll keep that in mind," Wen said as they entered the hospital. They looked around the room, it was almost empty, now, it was almost eight.
"What is he planning?" Charlie muttered as he glanced around the room, fingers twitching.
"You're Lemonade Mouth!" a chipper nurse came to them smiling. Everyone just stared at her, suspicious looks exchanged. She looked down at her clipboard then up at them, "I assume you're here to see Ms. Stella Yamada?" The four members of Lemonade Mouth glanced at each other, their eyes wide, worried.
"She's in room 117," said the nurse, pointing down a hallway, "Second to last door on the right." They thanked her, hurrying down the hallway with identical expressions of worry on their faces.
The first thing they saw when they burst through the door was a pissed Ray Beech. He was sitting on one of the chairs next to the bed, staring at a point on the opposite wall with so much anger that they questioned why it hadn't burst into flames yet.
The second thing they saw was Stella, looking pale and lying on the bed in a hospital gown. She was unconscious and there was a cast on her left arm. Also, a few tubes were hooked into the cast, leading to a set of machines that were beeping.
"God, could you lemonheads make any more noise?" Ray said angrily, standing up, "Whatever, I'm leaving."
"You are not going anywhere," Mo said with a ferocity that shocked the band, "Until you tell us what happened to Stella."
Ray sighed, running a hand through his spikes, "Loser Mouth slipped on a pile of decorations we were setting up and broke two of the bones in her left arm when she hit the bleachers."
"Why did you call us?" Mo demanded, "Why not her parents?"
"Her parents?" Ray raised an eyebrow, "Her parents are off for some seminar in England with her twin brothers."
"How do you know this?" Olivia asked, narrowing her eyes.
Ray smirked, "It's amazing what you can retain if someone is shouting the same thing in your ear over and over and over again." With this he opened the door, turning to leave. Right before he shut the door closed he said, "Oh, right. The doctor says that someone has to be there when she wakes up which will be in a few hours."
Mo and Olivia just stared at him, shell-shocked as the door shut. This was not the Ray Beech that they all knew and hated. The Ray Beech they knew would've never taken a girl to the hospital, even if it was his supposed girlfriend, Patty and she broke her spine or something. Certainly not his rival, Stella.
"Who was that and what has he done with Ray Beech?" Olivia murmured.
"What do you mean?" Wen asked, sitting in the seat that was recently vacated, "He's the same."
"And I suppose Ray would take a girl to the hospital, wait there, remember that her parents are out of town, call her friends, and give them the information that they asked for? That too for Lemonade Mouth?" Mo snorted.
"Maybe he caused her injury and felt guilty?" Charlie said, leaning against the wall.
"Ray?" Olivia choked on air, "Ray, feeling guilty? When hell freezes over."
"Yeah well, we'll question his motives later," Wen said, "Which one of you is free to babysit Stella until she wakes up?"
"I can't," Mo immediately said, "After the whole thing with Scott, I have a curfew of eight-thirty. And it's eight right now."
"I can't either," Olivia said, "Gram is ill and I need to go back to take care of her."
"Neither can I," Charlie looked worried, "As Tommy's back from college, Mom and Dad are forcing me to have dinner with them."
Wen sighed, "I can't stay here also. Sydney and Dad are going for a small trip to California and I have to stay with Georgie."
All of them looked at Stella, who looked like a corpse with her pale complexion, worried. Who else was there to watch her until she woke up?
Ray cursed as his phone rang just when he was going to sleep. Fighting with Mesa High's resident troublemaker took a lot out of him. Glaring at his phone as if he wished it would go up in flames; he got up and answered it.
"What?" he snarled into it.
"Ray?" It was Scott. "I need a favor."
"At this time?" Ray said incredously. It was nine.
"Yeah. Stella's in the hospital," Scott said.
"I know that," he growled, irritated.
"Yeah, well someone needs to be there when she wakes up. Can you do it, Ray?"
Ray was so stunned he nearly fell off his bed.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You want me to stay in the hospital till Yamada wakes up?"
"Please Ray. Mo called me which shows how important it is. Apparently none of them can stay," Scott pleaded.
"Why don't you go?" Ray groaned. He was too tired to argue for long.
"Because my cousins are over. Remember, you owe me, Ray. And think of this as a push in the right direction." Ray was left staring at his phone when Scott hung up. He scowled as he got up. Scott was right, Ray did owe him, and it was time to repay the favor.
A few minutes later he pulled up in front of the hospital and went to Stella's room. He resumed his staring at the wall, if the hospital burst into flames it meant he didn't need to stay here.
The first sensation Stella felt was pain. Her left arm felt like a thousand knives were stabbing her. When she opened her eyes, she was met with a brightly lit room. Squinting, she tried to sit up, only to let out a gasp of pain when her left arm burned with agony. Sitting up was out of the question. So was moving her left hand.
"Finally awake, Yamada?" Stella blinked, shocked as she heard the voice. Turning her head to the right, she saw Ray Beech sitting there, smirking at her.
"Where am I?" Stella asked cautiously.
"You died and went to heaven?" Ray answered with a straight face.
"Hardly, Beech," Stella scoffed, "If you're here I must be in hell."
"You're in the hospital, dumbo," Ray shook his head in exasperation, "How's your left arm?"
"It feels like someone poured kerosene on it and lit a match to it," Stella said matter-of-factly before narrowing her eyes, "What happened to it?"
"I poured kerosene on it and lit a match to it," Ray said, leaning back, a smirk on his face.
Stella continued glaring at him, trying to get the information out of him. The last thing she remembered was Ray insulting her intelligence, to which she stomped away angrily, intending to go to the bathroom and cry, seeing as her stupidity was a sensitive topic, considering her family. She remembered slipping on a pile of crepe and an excruciating pain in her left arm before passing out.
"You broke two bones in your left arm," Ray said, getting up, "And now, seeing as you're awake, I can finally leave."
Seeing Ray walk away, something snapped in Stella. Since when she was three, and she had seen her cousin die in the hospital, she had been diagnosed with nosocomephobia, or fear of hospitals. Ironic that her father was a doctor and she couldn't stand them. Stella knew if Ray left, then she would be alone in the very thing that caused her panic attacks in the past.
"Wait," Stella called just as Ray put his hand on the doorknob. She shut her eyes from seeing his mocking face and gulped. It was going to kill her pride to say the next words, "Don't…leave. Please."
Ray paused, shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, the Stella Yamada plead for him, her worst enemy, to stay with her. The shock was enough to make him turn and look at her. Her eyes were shut tight, as if she didn't want to see him and her right arm was balled up. Ray debated leaving, and spreading it around tomorrow that she, one of the few girls that didn't fall at his feet, asked for him. However, just as he turned the doorknob, Stella gave a small sob.
He looked at her, surprise shooting across his face. Her face showed her horror and she looked like she was about to cry. Ray had never seen Stella cry, not even when she suffered an acid burn in Chemistry. He didn't even see her cry when she broke her hand. There was something more and Ray was determined to find out what. This curiosity led him to shut the door and take the seat again.
"You just can't let me go, huh, Yamada?" Ray snorted.
Stella gave an undetectable sigh of relief as she heard him. Even having her worst enemy was better than staying alone. She opened her eyes, contemplating the ceiling as she replied, "In your dreams, Beech."
"In my dreams? Yamada, you only appear in my nightmares."
"Oh, so you're saying you do think about me," Stella crowed, victorious.
"As I said, Yamada, the only place I see your ugly face is in my worst nightmares, and this hell known as high school."
"You're not ugly," Stella remarked, after a pause.
Ray blinked, "Are you high on pain meds, Yamada?"
"You're fugly, Beech," Stella gave him a glare.
"Fugly? What the hell is that?"
"Fucking ugly," Stella snorted, "What did you think?"
"I think I need to get my hands on some of painkillers they're feeding you through that wire."
Stella was silent for a moment, before asking, "Where is Lemonade Mouth?"
Ray leaned back, a sneer on his face, "I'm the only one who's awesome enough to handle you, Yamada."
"Beech…that sounded wrong on so many levels."
"I know," Ray scoffed, "Why do you think I said it?"
"…Sicko."
"To answer your question seriously, they all had stuff to do."
"So they asked you to come?" Stella asked, disbelieving, "What did I do to them to make them hate me to the point that they would ask you to come babysit me?"
"Actually, Mo called Scott and Scott was busy," Ray said nonchalantly.
"Uh-huh. And why did you agree?" Stella raised an eyebrow at him.
"Firstly, I was too tired to argue with Scott. Secondly, it was kinda my fault. And thirdly, I missed you," Ray said, giving an expression of mock hurt and pretending to clutch his heart.
"I'm taking the first excuse," Stella deadpanned, "Seeing as there's no way the Almighty Ray Beech is going to apologize for something and you would only miss me because there isn't another person in this school brave enough to stand up to you."
"Yes, the qualities I seek in a woman are her spitfire personality and vegetarianism," Ray said sarcastically.
Stella scowled at him before realizing something, "How do you know I'm a vegetarian?" Even her parents forgot about that.
"Come on, Yamada, I'm not stupid," Ray snorted, "I think if someone kept arguing with me on my choice of a meal, I'd remember."
"Of course, Mr. Four-Point-Oh," Stella shot back. It baffled her how Ray could be the captain of the soccer team, leader of Mudslide Crush and the Prince of Mesa High while getting a 4.0 GPA. Stella couldn't maintain Lemonade Mouth and a B+ average.
Ray smirked at her and stood up. He wanted to test something. He walked towards the door, opening it.
"Where are you going?" Stella asked. Ray was pleased to hear a note of fear in her tone.
"Bathroom," he deadpanned before leaving. He had taken only three steps when he saw Stella's doctor.
"Ah, is she awake?" the doctor gave him a small smile. He nodded before walking five more steps. Then, he turned and walked back, careful not to make any noise. He stood outside the door which was open a crack. Inside, he could see Stella's expression of acute relief.
Ray sighed before backing away from the door. This told him one thing, Stella didn't actually want him, anyone would be fine. Ray wondered exactly what Stella got so afraid of that she was willing to plead with him to stay with her.
A couple of minutes later, the doctor left, smiling and Ray entered before the door closed behind her. Stella had her eyes closed and didn't notice him. Ray smirked before ducking to the right side of her bed so that she couldn't see him. What will she do if no one is around?
He could see Stella craning her neck towards the door, probably waiting for him to come. The minutes ticked by, Ray still watching her expression. After about five minutes, she closed her eyes, clenching her right fist. Her breathing rate sped up and he could hear her gasping through her mouth. The heart-rate monitor she was connected to went haywire as she started panting.
This was what it took to get him to realize that she has a serious problem about being left alone in hospitals.
He stood up, gently placing his hand on her mouth. At first she started gasping more, but then he said in a low voice, "Calm down, Stella."
He watched as she took deep breaths through her nose, getting her breathing under control. He kept his hand on her mouth till he saw her heart-rate go back to normal. As soon as it got close, he slowly took it off.
To his surprise, Stella caught his wrist with her right arm, tugging Ray down. "Don't…" she whispered, a tear leaking from her closed eyes.
Ray couldn't tug his hand from her grip of steel. Instead, he compensated by awkwardly kneeling on the edge of her bed. He looked down at her. For the first time Ray had seen, Stella looked unguarded. No, fierce expression, no pissed-off face. No wild with excitement smile. She looked like any other girl, not the revolutionary freshman she was.
"It was my cousin," Stella finally said after two minutes of sitting in awkward silence. Ray decided to keep silent for the first time in his life.
"She was a genius, of course. At three, she could play all of Beethoven's symphonies on the piano. One day, when we were both three, she had come over to play," Stella said, her voice trembling, "We took turns to see how far we could throw a ball. On my turn, my cousin grabbed my arm before I fully threw it."
Ray just studied her face, every plane of the tan skin. The wisps of brown hair floating around, covering her shut eyes, landing on her petal pink lips.
"It landed on the road. I told her that it was her fault, and she told me it was mine. We both argued for five minutes before my cousin finally consented and went to get the ball," here Stella paused, "She never saw the truck."
Ray blinked, shocked out of his trance with Stella's face from her words. She bit her lip before continuing, "I waited for 24 hours in the hospital. Finally they said she was dead. And it was my fault."
Ray waited patiently, or as patiently as he could for the rest.
"It was when I was four, when I had to go for a check-up that my parents realized there was something wrong. It set me off, the clinical sterilized smell from a place that courts death. My parents had to drag me, kicking and screaming. After two minutes I had a panic attack."
Her grip on Ray's wrist was weakening.
"My father took me to the best psychologist in the state, who diagnosed me with nosocomephobia, or fear of hospitals. With my father's influence, I had my check-ups at home and I never entered a hospital again."
Stella only loosely held Ray's hand.
"All I could remember was that my cousin was killed because of me. That's why I took music, so I'd have something to remember her by."
Ray took advantage of the fact that her grip slackened and pulled his hand away, getting off the bed.
"I don't know why I told you that," Stella murmured. Ray took a seat near her head and stroked her silky strands of hair. He could tell that they increased the stream of pain-killers, it was making her woozy. "All you're going to do is go and spread that fearless leader Stella is afraid of hospitals."
"Nobody's fearless, Stella," Ray whispered, "Not even you."
"But everyone thinks I am…" Stella muttered.
Stella felt Ray pushing her hair out of her face. She wondered why he was doing that. "Shush," she heard Ray's voice. She was half asleep already, and too tired to worry about his motives. She felt his hands move from her curls.
"Sweet dreams, Stella," the voice sounded like it came from the other side of a tunnel. The last thing Stella felt before she drifted into oblivion was a soft pressure on her lips.
This time when she woke up, it was because of the pressure that a doctor put on her arm. She opened her eyes, wincing, "Oww, that hurts!"
"I know, sweetie," the doctor replied, "But I have to do this physiotherapy if you want to be able to go to school today."
"Why don't we skip both the therapy and school?" Stella asked, hopeful.
"Well, missing school means more work, Stell," came a voice to her left. Looking, she saw a half-dead Mo sitting there.
Stella widened her eyes as the events of last night came to mind. However, seeing Mo there, she dismissed it as a dream. Her eyes narrowed in pain as the doctor put more pressure on her hand, "OWW!"
The doctor finished and stepped back, smiling. Stella suddenly had a thought, "Will I be able to play guitar?" They were dead if they couldn't play at the New Year Bash. After Scott left, they had no backup guitar and Mo couldn't play the lead.
"Well, it was a clean break, and the new medicine accelerates healing, so if you don't use your left hand for two weeks, I'm sure you can play guitar then." Stella and Mo both sighed in relief. There was two and a half weeks till New Year Bash.
"Wait a minute, Stell," Mo called out, "You're left-handed, what are you going to do about that?"
"I'll ask someone to copy notes for me!" Stella said, thrilled with the prospect of not doing work.
"Yeah, but none of us are in your classes," Mo pointed out, "You need to find someone who's in all of your classes."
Stella knew there was only one person who she was unlucky enough to be in all the classes with. "Ray…" she groaned.
"You have my sympathies, Stella," Mo said. She went out for a minute and came back in, holding a plain blue T-shirt and denim capris. "Here, I stopped at your house and brought this for you to wear."
While Stella was changing (albeit awkwardly, seeing as she couldn't use one arm), Mo started talking, "I had to argue with my parents until twelve to get them to agree to stay with you. Finally, I come to the hospital at one, expecting to see Scott, or some other soccer player, but not Ray!"
At this Stella paused, "Ray was here last night?" Damn, there goes my dream theory.
Mo looked at her, confused, "Yeah, he even said you woke up for like a half hour."
Stella sat on the edge of the bed and put her face into her right hand, moaning, "I'm soooo stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid-"
"What do you mean?" Mo said pulled the girl up and out of the room.
"I thought it was a dream," Stella wailed as they left the hospital and got into the car Mo's dad drove.
"Um…Ray wasn't lying right?" Mo asked hesitatingly, "You did see him?"
"Unfortunately," Stella mourned, looking miserable.
"What did he do, Stell?" Mo asked, going into overprotective-hen mode, "Did he hurt you or something?"
Stella made a pout and looked at the ground, "I'll tell you later."
"Fine," Mo consented as they got out of the car. She smirked as she spotted something over Stella's shoulder, "Oh, look it's Ray!" Stella didn't turn around, but grabbed Mo's wrist when she was about to wave.
"Mo, I need your help. Let's get to school without him confronting us," Stella said hurriedly.
Mo looked at her strangely, "You love your arguments with Ray. What happened?"
"I'll explain, just please…"
Mo just rolled her eyes and started walking forward, Stella reluctantly behind. Mo whipped out a compact mirror and smiled into it, turning her head to the right. Two seconds later, she stopped dead and Stella nearly crashed into her, "Jesus, Mo, what is your prob-"
"No, I can't go into class like this!" Mo nearly screeched. Stella just raised an eyebrow, Mo looked fine to her. "Stell, I need your help!" Mo grabbed Stella's right hand, knowing full and well that she couldn't retaliate with the other hand and dragged her towards the school gates, looking worried.
Stella finally figured it out when Mo dragged her past the varsity team, and Ray, in two seconds flat.
"I love you Mo," Stella grinned at her, going to lean against the wall. The soccer team had thought nothing of it, since Mo usually freaked out like that and dragged Olivia or Stella to the girls' bathroom which was were they were now.
"What's going on?" a panting Olivia came through the door, "Wen said he saw you guys coming in here." Then she saw Stella's cast, "Oh, can I sign that?"
Stella nodded and Olivia quickly scrawled with a black marker, 'Get well soon! –Liv'. Mo wrote something similar after Olivia was done.
"Okay, now no more stalling, Stella," Mo said, "Tell us exactly what happened!" Stella with a grimace, did as she was told.
When she finished, Mo and Olivia were staring at her, jaws on the floor. "And there's something else," Stella winced, "After he kissed me, I think…well, I'm pretty sure I said 'I love you'."
"YOU WHAT?" Mo nearly screeched, causing both Stella and Olivia to cover their ears.
Olivia glanced at her watch, turning pale, "Guys we're like ten minutes late to class, Brenigan will-"
"Screw Brenigan," Mo cut her off, "This is more important. Stella?"
"I think it was the painkillers talking," Stella said, rubbing her temples, "But that's not the problem."
"It's not?" Olivia asked.
"No!" Stella nearly screamed in frustration, "I just told my deepest darkest secret to Ray Beech!"
"Ah," Mo looked thoughtful, "That is a problem."
"I'm leaving my guitar to you Mo, and my twin brothers to you Olivia," Stella said dramatically, "Now I just have to announce that I love Ray Beech and I can commit complete social suicide."
"Since when does Stella care about what everyone else thinks?" Olivia smirked.
"Since Stella found her locker stuffed with rotting meat," Stella glared at them, "I do not want any pranks played on me, plus, New Year Bash is coming up and I don't want it to be a flop!"
"Wait a minute…you actually like Ray?" Trust Mo to have not listened to the conversation.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Not even in the deepest corner of your heart?"
"No!"
"Tucked under a pile of dust?"
"NO!"
"Face it Stella, you've officially gone to Egypt," Mo had a triumphant look on her face.
"Egypt?" Stella rose an eyebrow.
"Yeah, because you're in denial," Mo squealed, "But you'll have company, Liv's there too! Certain redhead she doesn't want to admit to."
Olivia glared at Mo while Stella laughed, "Mo, you're setting me up with Ray Beech of all people? Captain of the varsity soccer team, front-man for Mudslide Crush, current topper of the honor roll, richest guy in high school, Prince of Mesa High, not to mention asshole and bastard extraordinaire and my hated enemy?"
Mo took awhile to think everything Stella said through, "Yeah, that might not be such a hot idea."
Stella sighed in relief and Olivia giggled, before Mo continued, "But since you're Stella and you don't care what anyone else thinks…yes."
Stella death glared at them as Mo snickered, "What happened to 'Be heard, be strong, be proud'?"
"That doesn't apply to asking your arch-enemy out," Stella said icily. Unfortunately, Brenigan was passing by the girls' bathroom the minute Mo and Olivia burst out laughing.
"Skipping class again, girls?" Brenigan looked at Mo and Olivia who had come out, Stella was still inside.
"Well, you see, Stella's broken her arm, and we're trying to help her soothe the pain," Mo said, wincing to make her excuse more believable. Inside, Stella tried to smother her giggles. She had been given so many painkillers it wouldn't hurt it she stuck her hand in a fire.
"Oh…" Brenigan looked at them suspiciously, "Stella?" he called.
"Yes sir?" Stella came out, trying to look as miserable as she could.
"How's your hand?" Brenigan asked, looking at her cast, "As I recall, it was Ray who carried you to the ambulance after you broke it, right?"
"I don't know, sir."
"So, you can still finish the planning, right?"
"Of course, sir," Stella put on a straight face, "After all, it would be a disaster if Ray was the only one in charge."
"Hmm," Brenigan looked at them, "Well, ladies, I don't want you to skip second period also."
"Yes, sir," they all said dutifully as they watched Brenigan speed away, before rushing back into the bathroom.
Stella moaned, putting her head into her right hand, "I'll give it till lunch. After that, the whole school is going to know that I'm afraid of hospitals. And Ray will probably spin the story like I'm scared of needles or something."
"Don't worry, Stell," Mo wrapped an arm around Stella, motioning for Olivia to do the same, "We'll always be your friends. Remember, we're more than a band."
"Thanks guys," Stella grinned, then flinched when the second period bell rang, "We better get to class before Brenigan suspends us."
"You're right," Mo said, laughing as she walked backwards out of the bathroom. No sooner had she gone out of the bathroom than Stella and Olivia heard a scream.
Rushing out, Stella and Olivia saw Mo in front of Ray, whom judging by the fact that both were looking at each other in shock, they just ran into each other.
Olivia dissolved in giggles the minute she set sight on the scene, from the whole irony of it. Stella maintained her composure for ten seconds, looking loftily at Olivia before cracking up.
"What's so funny, Yamada?" Ray asked, irritated.
"It's-just-that-when-we-rushed-outside," Stella managed to speak between her laughter, "We-were-expecting-a spider-or-something. And-we-find-it-was-you!" At this, Stella started hiccupping.
Ray just gave them all an annoyed glare before stalking off.
"What's with him?" Stella asked, raising one eyebrow.
"Oh, soccer practice," Mo said, "They're getting more intense."
"You know what else is getting more intense?" Olivia asked, slyly, nudging Stella with her elbow. Both Mo and Olivia lapsed into giggles when they saw Stella's martyred expression.
It was finally the last period of the day. Unfortunately for Stella, it was P.E. She watched everyone come in with a glare. Today they were playing soccer, and Stella had waited for this day, to finally kick Ray Beech's ass and to show him that she could play better than him, and now she's in a cast. Ray just smirked at her, sitting on the sidelines as she waited for the teacher to call roll. For some strange reason, he had chosen not to tell anyone about what happened yesterday. Stella was having her daily arguments; pretending like yesterday didn't exist, which worked for both of them.
However, now, she was sick to the stomach with nerves about when and where Ray would decide to tell the whole school.
"Stella Yamada?"
"Present," she called out. That was one of the problems with a last name starting with 'Y', you always go last.
"Yeah, but can you play?" the teacher looked at her skeptically.
Stella's eyes gleamed as she got an idea, "Yeah, I can play, after all, soccer doesn't require your hands." At this the soccer team gave whistles and turned to Ray. His expression clearly stated, 'Bring. It. On.'
"Alright, Yamada," the teacher said, shrugging his shoulders, "You'll be captain of one team, Ray on the other." At this, the gym erupted with cat calls and wolf whistles. Apparently a lot of people thought that the Prince of Mesa High and the only girl who ever upset his throne had a thing for each other.
"Don't hit Yamada's arm, or suspension," the teacher called out over the jeers. Stella looked Ray in the eye and jerked her head to one side, motioning him to go to the bleachers.
"What is it, Yamada?" Ray scoffed.
"I have a deal," Stella looked him in the eye.
"Deal?" Ray looked incredously at her.
"Yes. If I win the match, you have to keep your lips shut about yesterday in the hospital," Stella glared at him.
"And if I win?" Ray sneered.
"You get to tell everybody," Stella shrugged.
"I need a little something more than that," Ray looked her up and down, "If I win, I can tell everybody, and you have to kiss me in front of the entire school."
"WHAT?" Stella's scream of disgust reached the other members of the class who were watching the interaction with amusement and curiosity,
"Take it or leave it, Yamada," Ray scorned before walking back to the center of the field.
Stella debated for a moment before shouting after him, "Fine!"
Ray turned around with a smirk, "Great, and if the lead is more than ten points, I get to add a stipulation."
"Whatever," Stella shrugged, "You'll never reach that high."
Stella walked to the side, pulling out her cell phone as the teacher started dividing the teams based on skills.
Chat Room (LM GIRLS ONLY):
Online members: 3
EmpoweredStudent24/7 is online
Nobody2 is online
She'sSoGone4vr is online
EmpoweredStudent24/7: ive made the worst mistake of my life
Nobody2: u said that u lovd ray in front of the skwl?
EmpoweredStudent24/7: ur close
She'sSoGone4vr: U WHAT?
Nobody2: calm down…she didn't
She'sSoGone4vr: then what did u do?
EmpoweredStudent24/7: i made a deal with ray, if he beats me at soccer he can tell the skwl abt yest and i have to kiss him in front of the entire skwl…
She'sSoGone4vr: U. DID. WHAT?
Nobody2: stell, NOBODY can beat ray in soccer…
EmpoweredStudent24/7: hence the 'worst mistake of my life' part
She'sSoGone4vr: …i have no words…
Nobody2: mo, pls don't start…
She'sSoGone4vr: …i am so curling up with a box of death by chocolate
Nobody2: MO, THIS IS STELLA'S PROBLEM!
EmpoweredStudent24/7: thnx for the support, liv
Nobody2: cheer up, stell, its not lyk it can get any worse
She'sSoGone4vr: there, liv, u jinxed it…
EmpoweredStudent24/7: damn…it has got worse…all the soccer playing geniuses r on ray's team…yeah, i lyk ur idea of FAIR teams, coachie…
She'sSoGone4vr: nice…
Nobody2: u brought this on urself, stell
EmpoweredStudent24/7 has signed out.
She'sSoGone4vr: at least this'll help her with her prob of denial, rite?
Nobody2: stell will be humiliated
She'sSoGone4vr: she's not lyk that…
Nobody2: yeah, but having ray diss her down is a bit harsh, isn't it?
She'sSoGone4vr: she rlly does luv him, rite?
Nobody2: lyk u and Charlie
She'sSoGone4vr: I DO NOT LYK CHARLIE!
Nobody2: thnx for joining us in egypt, the weather's fairly mild but a hurricane named ray is planning to make its way ashore and maybe wash away de nile…
She'sSoGone4vr: …i hate u
Nobody2: luv u 2
She'sSoGone4vr has signed out.
Nobody2: all by myself then…
Rapper16: not quite
Hearthrob2nite: we hacked into ur chat room
Nobody2: U 2 WERE LISTENING THIS WHOLE TIME?
Rapper16: yes
Hearthrob2nite: ray lyks stella? the world is cracking apart
Nobody2: no…stella lyks ray…
Rapper16: oh…then hell just froze over
Hearthrob2nite: hey, liv, y does mo keep saying ur in egypt?
Rapper16: charlie…ur hopeless…
Hearthrob2nite: …oops, gotta go, brenigan's here
Hearthrob2nite has signed out.
Nobody2: shit, im going 2 get detention
Nobody2 has signed out.
Rapper16: y am i always the one left?
Rapper16 has signed out.
Online members: 0
At the end of the day, Stella trudged out of the school, passing Ray and the varsity team who called after her with jeers. She glared at anyone unfortunate enough to be in front of her. When she reached Mo and Olivia, Mo winced sympathetically, "That bad, huh?"
"The score was 11 to nothing," Stella said coldly before chucking her bag inside the Mo's father's car.
Mo gave a look to Olivia who responded with a tapping motion before getting on her bike and leaving. Mo sighed, they really needed to work this problem out. She got into the car, formulating plans and theories which, if she was going to be honest, were ranging into the fanatical.
Meanwhile, Ray was laughing and joking with his teammates about Stella's complete defeat. He never thought for a moment that the half-Asian troublemaker would keep to the deal.
Obviously, he didn't know Stella Yamada.
The next day, Ray didn't tell anyone about Stella's phobia, pretending that the whole deal didn't exist. It wasn't, he reasoned, like Stella was going to hold up on her side.
Therefore, in lunch, when Stella stood up from her table, marched up to him, pulled him down by his collar, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him for ten seconds, Ray was beyond shocked.
Patty was staring at him with an expression akin to drowning in fire. Scott knew that the soccer captain was drowning in denial about his feelings and had overhead about his deal with the half-Asian Firecracker and was currently trying very hard to not burst out laughing. Ray looked at Stella with widened and shocked eyes, just like everyone else in the cafeteria while she let go of his collar, turned on one heel and strode from the cafeteria.
Charlie looked like he was debating from horror and humor. Wen just shook his head, mumbling something about how he didn't understand girls. Mo and Olivia looked at each other with expressions of amusement.
For once in the history of Mesa High, the cafeteria was dead silent.
Mo and Olivia shot each other a glance and stood up, going past Ray to go after their friend. They had so not thought she would follow up.
However, Stella was a girl of her word, and she would rather die than break a promise. Dying looked rather good from her perspective as she stood on the toilet seat, leaning on the handicap bar, trying to make sure her friends wouldn't find her. She wasn't in the mood to talk as she buried her head into her right hand, trying to keep her body from shaking from her sobs.
Yes, Stella, revolutionary and rebel was crying. Because of a boy.
Mo and Olivia rushed in, worried, "Stella? Where are you?" There was no response save from the sniffling that came from the third stall. Mo and Olivia looked at each other, then knocked on the door softly. All that did was it made the sobbing louder.
"Stella," Olivia said softly, ducking down to see that there wasn't a pair of feet, "Stella, it's us. Open up, please." As if on cue, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.
"Stella, please," Mo said, not caring about whether they would be late, "Can't we talk?" Right then, her phone beeped.
GO TO CLASS!
-Stella
Olivia looked at the text message, then back at the locked door, "Stella, we-" Mo's phone beeped again.
Go. I'll talk with you later.
-Stella
"Alright," Olivia said, knowing that what Stella needed right now was alone time, "Come on Mo, we'll be late." The Indian girl took one last look at the closed door and Stella's sobs before following Olivia out.
Imagine to their surprise when they walked out of the bathroom and into Ray. He looked flustered, as if he had run a long way.
Mo narrowed her eyes, "What are you doing here, Beech? Stella doesn't need your insults right now." Ray just narrowed his eyes at her in a glare.
"Even you should have an ounce of compassion for a fellow human being in that black stone that you call a heart!" Mo spat out at him.
"Yeah, whatever," Ray replied, "Oh, and I advise not going near Patty unless you know how to swim." Saying this, he ducked inside the girls' bathroom.
Olivia pulled Mo along, realizing that whatever Ray had to say to Stella was pretty important if he was willing to go inside the girls' bathroom for her. It was actually kind of sweet when she thought about it.
When they reached the main hallway, they were greeted by a wailing voice and a murmuring crowd.
"What happened?" Mo asked, sidling up next to Charlie, looking at the jeering crowd.
Surprisingly it was Scott, who was in front of her, that answered, "After you two left, Patty came up and started screaming something along the lines of 'HOW DARE YOU LET THAT SLUT KISS YOU?' Ray was still staring after Stella, and he went, 'Why do you care? It's not like you're my girlfriend.' And that's why Patty's been crying ever since."
"He said that?" Mo looked skeptical.
"Yeah, he never liked Patty anyway, he told me that he liked a girl who stood up for herself and presented a challenge."
Mo suddenly remembered something, "Oh yeah, and Scott? When I told you to find someone to stay with Stella, I didn't mean Ray!"
Scott looked guilty, "Sorry, Mo but they both looked like they needed a push in the right direction."
"Wait, what?" Charlie cut in, "Push for what?"
"It was only when we preformed at Madison Square Garden two months ago that I realized who the only girl that fit Ray's description of a perfect girlfriend was," Scott continued, with a growing smirk on his face, "When he came to the performance."
"Wait a moment," Mo said, "RAY BEECH CAME TO MADISON SQUARE GARDEN?"
"Yeah," Scott looked downright evil, "To see his dream girl play."
"Dude," Wen butted in, "They hate each other. They're not going to get together in a million years."
"I'll make a bet," Scott spoke up, "If Ray and Stella are together tomorrow morning, you have to spill every embarrassing secret you know about them. If they're not, I'll spill."
Wen looked at him in utter shock, "Do you have a death wish?"
Charlie looked up at him, "I'll take the deal."
Mo looked at him, sighed and shook her head, "Way to go commit suicide, Charlie."
"But I still think you're wrong, Scott," Charlie smirked, "And then you'll be the one getting your face pounded in by both Ray and Stella."
Both of the boys envisioned their dream hospital bed, as it would be after the Prince of Mesa High and the Troublemaker from Rhode Island came after them.
Meanwhile, Ray had entered the bathroom. He crouched on the floor, noticing with irritation that there wasn't a single pair of legs underneath the stall doors. She was smart enough for that; he had to give her credit. However, all he had to do was follow the sound of sobbing to the third stall.
Wow. If she was actually crying, that means it must have mattered to her…a lot.
Ray went up to the third stall, leaning against it, looking at himself in the mirror, "Hey, Yamada." He heard an intake of breath and the sobbing sound ceased. He frowned twirling one of his spikes of blond hair waiting for a response.
"This is the girls' bathroom, Ray." Damn, her voice was cracked and sounded hoarse.
"And the sky is blue," he rolled his eyes, "Anything else you want to add while we're stating the obvious?"
"I'm not in the mood, Ray," she whispered back, and resumed her sobbing.
"Remember what I told you in the hospital?" Ray asked suddenly after a pause. Stella sucked in a breath. She should've known he would just pour salt into her wounds.
"Nobody's fearless, Stella, not even you," came the breathy whisper from the other side of the door. Stella blinked, she hadn't expected that. Still, she would be damned if she let his insults hit her now.
"Why are you here, Ray?" Stella finally asked, fed up of whatever Ray was planning. If he wanted a picture of her tear-stained face, why didn't he just come out and say it?
"I thought you'd never ask." Stella could practically hear the growing smirk in his voice. "Remember our deal?"
Stella rolled her eyes at him, of course she remembered the deal, it wasn't like she wanted to kiss him…did she?
"If I got a ten-point lead, I get to add a stipulation, remember?" Ray asked, a dark smirk growing on his face.
"Y-Yeah…" He could hear Stella grow wary, wondering what he wanted.
"So come out of the stall," Ray snorted, "I need my stipulation." There was silence after that. To Ray, it was as if she wasn't even breathing. "Come on, Yamada, I'm not going to attack you," Ray rolled his eyes.
There was a pause after that and Ray could hear Stella jump down from the toilet seat and unlock the door. She stepped out, both arms crossed, "What is it?" Ray only stared at her. She looked horrible, her cheeks were wet, her eyes were blood-shot, and her hair was messed up.
"I want to write something on your cast." Inwardly Ray smirked. He had planned this.
At this Stella blinked, her suspicious look gone, "That's it?"
"Yup," Ray smirked and held out his hand for her arm. She reluctantly handed it over to him. "Close your eyes," he suggested, whipping out a permanent marker.
Stella looked at him as if he had grown a second head, "Are you fucking crazy?"
Ray just looked at her in mock innocence, "Don't you trust me?"
Her reply was prompt, "Not in a million years, Beech." Ray grinned when he saw her shut her eyes anyway. He carefully took Stella's arm and wrote three words, and then signed it with his name. He held the cast to arm's length, admiring his work.
"Are you done?" Stella asked, growing fidgety. What if he wrote something like 'Stella is afraid of hospitals' all over her cast?
She nearly jumped out of her skin when his breath fanned against her lips, "Not yet." Then he brought his mouth down against hers.
It was nothing like the kiss in the cafeteria which had been trying to smooch with a steel pillar which is looking at you with a horrified expression. This time, his lips moved with hers, his arms coming around her waist and pulled her on her toes. She didn't bother opening her eyes, instead, hooked her right arm around his neck, bringing him closer to her. She savored the feeling of his lips against hers, damn; he was impossibly good at kissing.
They broke apart for breath a minute later, and Stella opened her eyes, staring into the electric blue eyes that she'd thought she hated. Now when they were filled with love, looking at her, she felt like an electric shock had course through her body. Yes, they had kissed, but she still needed to sort some things out.
She struggled to speak while he was staring at her as if she was the center of his universe. Finally she found the words, "What about Patty?"
"Patty?" he gave a scornful laugh, "She was just for appearances. After all, we can't have the Prince of Mesa High without a queen to his name. And at the current moment, she's occupied."
"Occupied?" Stella inquired. Ray didn't miss the flash in her eyes.
"Yeah, she's too busy crying over her ex-boyfriend," Ray said, uncaring.
"Ex-boyfriend?" Stella's eyebrows rose up, "And who might that be?"
"Damn, Yamada, I knew you weren't intelligent, but I didn't think you were stupid," Ray said as he leaned against a sink, gauging her reaction.
"You?" Stella scorned, her expression one of complete disbelief.
"Broke up with her in front of the whole school, love," Ray half-smiled at her.
"Firstly, don't call me love. It sounds plain wrong. Secondly," Stella narrowed her eyes, trying to find something else to say. Ray smirked at her attempt to get angry at him. Luckily for her, Brenigan took that very moment to announce something through the P.A.
'All students who are part of the New Year Bash planning committee please report to the gymnasium to set up more decorations. I repeat, all students who are part of-'
"Let's go, then," Ray said decisively, straightening up, "Oh yeah, I brought some ideas for decorations but they're in my locker. I'll meet you in the gym."
Well, that part was a lie, it was just that Ray didn't want to be near her when she discovered what he wrote on her cast. She would tear him apart and feed him to the dogs.
Stella nodded at him, before dazedly walking out after him. She walked in the general direction of the gymnasium, thinking about Ray. He was too damn confusing. In the span of three days he goes from her arch-enemy to her…boyfriend? Well, at least that was the way it looked to Stella, not that she was ever going to say that to Ray until he confirmed it.
Unfortunately for Stella, Mo and Olivia were lying in wait for her, after hearing the announcement. "What happened?" Mo was the first to pounce, "What did he say? Did he make you cry?" Stella took a step back bewildered.
"Um…what?" Stella asked, looking at Mo cautiously. Mo was deprived of her chance to speak by a high-pitched squeal. Olivia was looking at Stella's cast, looking like she would die of happiness. Mo looked at it as well, and gave a matching squeal.
Olivia jumped up and down in excitement, "That's just sooo sweet!"
Mo agreed with her, "I wish someone would do that for me." Suddenly both girls stopped and looked at Stella with a horrified expression. Not understanding what they looked so terrified about, Stella looked at her cast. She narrowed her eyes when she read Ray's message. Of all the…
"YOU EGOTISTICAL ARROGANT CONCIETED CHAVUANTISTIC LITTLE PIG!"
Ray winced when he heard her scream even in the gym. A few of the members of the soccer team looked at him, saying, "Down, boy!" Ray glared at them. It was absurd how everyone in the school thought that Stella had Ray whipped.
Scott just shook his head, trying not to laugh, "What did you do this time, Ray?"
He widened his eyes, faking looking innocent, "Why would you think she's yelling at me?"
Scott chuckled, "Come on, Ray, we all know she's yours. She's got you whipped." Ray shot him a death glare, clenching his fists. He was so not-
"RAY LUCIA BEECH, YOU ARE THE SINGLE MOST ARROGANT PERSON IN THIS WORLD!" Stella stormed into the gymnasium yelling at him, the look in her eyes saying that he was going to pay. Inwardly he winced, how had she found out his middle name?
Scott all but collapsed laughing, "L-Lucia?" he managed to burst out between chuckles. The entire gymnasium echoed with jeers, catcalls and laughs until Ray turned his famous I'm-going-to-murder-you-in-your-sleep glare on them all. The gym quieted down so quickly, it was as if someone had turned off the sound switch.
Stella was still striding towards him angrily, looking at him as she wanted him to die with her eyes alone, "You are the most self-centered person that I've ever meet, you jerk and complete asshole!"
"Ouch!" Ray heard someone whisper in the silence, "Kitty's got claws." This caused another shut-up-or-die glare from Ray.
"I'm…sorry?" Ray half-asked, turning his expression hopeful.
"Are you asking me or are you telling me?" Stella looked colder than ice. Ray could practically hear the suggestive thoughts that everyone was bursting to say about his girlfriend. Luckily, Stella sensed it too, as she turned to everyone who was watching their encounter, "IF I HEAR ANOTHER INNUENDO I'M GOING TO PERMANENTLY REMOVE YOUR ABILITY TO HAVE KIDS!" At this, the majority of the males in the room turned back to doing their work with terrified expressions.
Ray took the opportunity that she was distracted, and put both arms around her petite waist, pulling her to him. Stella turned back to him, probably with the intention of yelling at him some more, only to find him kissing her. After Ray decided she had sufficiently cooled down, he took his lips off hers. She looked dazed. Everyone else in the room had their jaws on the floor.
"Will you be my queen?" he whispered to her as he looked into her chocolate eyes.
She snapped out of it with the cheesy statement, and huffed at him, "I'm still mad at you."
"I'm sowieee, Stella," Ray pouted, "All I wanted to do was to make sure everyone knew you were mine."
Stella softened at his use of baby-talk. He smirked and drew her closer to whisper huskily in her ear, "You should be happy, after all. There are other ways of marking my territory." As if to prove his point, he trailed down her neck, placing a soft kiss at the junction of the neck and the shoulder. Stella shivered, and cursed herself for falling into his trap so easily when she saw his smirk.
Ray loved looking at her when she was too confused to know what to do. She looked like a dazed kitten which turned into a ferocious tigress when angry. One thing to note; Ray loved cats.
He frowned when he saw everyone was looking at them, shocked beyond description. Some looked like they were on the verge of a heart attack. Others, Scott included, looked like they were going to die of oxygen-deprivation, trying hard not to laugh.
"BACK TO WORK YOU IMBECILES!" Ray shouted, effectively getting everyone back to their respective jobs. Stella glared at him, but then softened as he took his hand in hers and lead them to the stage from which they always supervised the work.
She glared at the note that had been written on her cast with permanent marker; 'Stella. Is. Mine. –Ray'.
One hour later…
"Selfish, arrogant prick!"
"Stuck-up spoilt brat."
"Oh, so I'm the brat, Mr. I-Have-A-Different-Car-For-Every-Day-Of-The-Week?"
"Yes, Miss I-Can-Get-Whatever-I-Want."
"HOW IN HELL DO I GET WHATEVER I WANT?"
"You got me, didn't you?"
"…SELF-CENTERED NARCISSISST!"
"Well, at least I can sing."
"You? Sing? Your singing sounds like a dog dying, Beech."
"So we're back to last names now, Yamada?"
"STOP CHANGING THE DAMN SUBJECT!"
Everyone on the planning committee was watching the fight. Normally, it wouldn't have merited any thought, as the two frequently did this. Now, however, everyone was wondering if the couple would last even past this hour. Well, all except a few, like Scott who was going about his work like nothing was happening. He could see the content look on Ray's face as he retorted calmly with insults and he could see the amusement glittering in Stella's eyes as she screamed at him.
Scott wouldn't deny they were an odd couple, but they probably couldn't survive without their daily dose of arguing. It was like a drug to them or something.
"MUDSLIDE CRUSH IS NOT PLAYING BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SING TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!"
"Ouch, Stella. Well, at least my family isn't made up of music prodigies. On the other hand, with your grades, being in your family…" Ray trailed off as he saw the flash of pain in Stella's eyes. He felt like hitting his head on a wall, he was so stupid! The last time he brought up her intelligence in comparison to her family, she had stomped away, slipped on crepe and broke her hand.
And the tears slowly forming in Stella's eyes were making his guilt ten times worse. He opened his mouth to say sorry or calm her down or something when the lights went off.
Talk about timing.
Now, being the intelligent teenagers they were, possessing a least an ounce of common sense, the entire planning committee started panicking and running around in circles.
It didn't help that it was raining outside and about ten degrees colder than normal and when the electricity went out, the heaters stopped working.
Also that the doors were electrically operated, so now they were shut inside the gymnasium.
Ray couldn't care less though. He was focused on the slight footsteps leading away from him and the occasional sob. He followed it off the stage, using his hands to guide him away from obstacles. He finally found himself at the bleachers which had been pulled out. Not making a sound, he sat down next to Stella, who was sniffling next to him. The small sobs tore his heart.
"I'm sorry, Stell," he whispered. He assumed she heard him in the midst of the chaos because her breathing hitched for a couple of seconds. He bit his lip. The half-Asian troublemaker had cried twice in the past two hours, when he hadn't seen her cry for six months. All because of him.
Not knowing what else to do, he found her right hand and held it loosely in his. She let him, her sobs dying down, "I-It's okay, Ray."
He smiled, even if she was unable to see it. Then he realized she was shivering and mentally berated himself. Of course she was shivering, she was wearing a green tank top today, one that said, 'Yes, I do have a death wish.'
He shrugged off the varsity jacket he had been wearing. On coming in contact with the cool air, wearing just a plain navy blue T-shirt, he shivered, goosebumps forming.
"Hold your hands out to the side, Stella," he whispered, getting up.
"I – what?" He could hear her confusion.
"Trust me," he said, half-kneeling in front of her. Gently, he put her left arm through the sleeve of his jacket. He slowly pulled the left jacket sleeve over her cast, folding it so that it came to above the cast. He also put her right arm through, folding the too-big sleeves over her wrist. He straightened it and stepped back.
"Thanks, Ray," came the faint reply as he sat back down. Ray just leaned back, watching the chaos unravel itself. Scott was taking charge, shouting at someone to call Brenigan on a cell phone that the heaters shut down and that they were locked in. He was passing out flashlights, telling them to use those to work. Ray smirked when he saw him screaming to everyone who came up and asked him why they should work under these conditions.
He was surprised when Stella rested her head against his shoulders. Throwing an arm around her waist, he looked down at her, confused.
She answered his unspoken question, "I didn't get any sleep last night because I was worrying about the deal." Ah. Ray tugged her down until her head was in his lap. He twirled a lock of her hair in one hand, softly brushing her hair away from her forehead with the other hand.
Stella tried to make some noise of protest but he cut her off, "Shush, Stella, sleep." He kept on stroking her hair, even long after she had fallen asleep.
It was after half of an hour when the lights came back on, and the heaters started working. Scott, tired from screaming at everybody, came down and sat next to Ray, "How do you two do it?"
Ray knew he was referring to their near-constant arguments without getting tired. He shrugged his shoulders and then glared at Scott, "Shut up, she's sleeping." Scott took a weary glance at the half-Asian girl who was napping contently in her boyfriend's lap and affirmed his statement.
"Wait a minute, dude. Is she wearing your varsity jacket?" Scott's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. Even Patty hadn't got the honor of wearing Ray's prized jacket.
"She was cold," Ray shrugged as if it was no big deal. Scott grinned evilly, hearing the words that Ray was too proud to say.
Stella is special to me.
"Yeah sure," Scott mocked before standing up. He caught a flash of brown hair in the crowd of teenagers working, and he paled.
"What's wrong, dude?" Ray asked, seeing his best friend's sudden pale complexion.
"Damn," Scott whispered, "I lost the bet. You moved faster than I expected, Ray."
Ray's eyes narrowed dangerously, "What bet?"
The next morning, the whole school knew that Stella was now wearing Ray's varsity jacket and that she was his. The dream couple of Mesa High, comprising of the front-man of Mudslide Crush and the lead guitarist of Lemonade Mouth; captain of the varsity soccer team and champion of the arts; 4.0 average on the honor roll and B+ average; the Prince of Mesa High, and the half-Asian troublemaker who overturned his throne.
Nobody knew exactly how Ray and Stella got together. Well, except for Scott. But then, he was in the hospital with a sprained wrist and a few broken ribs. He had tripped on a pile of crepe, according to one conniving Ray Beech.