/*….Melodically Yours….*\

Chapter 4- Face Down

[Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi:TNG or its characters]

Jay and Tori sat on the basement couch making out. Jay rubbed on her thigh making her moan into his mouth. "Jay, wait. Stop." She pulled away standing up. "Don't start what you can't finish."

"Oh trust me, I can finish."

"No you can't, because I'm leaving soon."

"Why it's only seven?" Jay asked following Tori into the store.

"I know babe, but I have a lot of homework." She frowned at him. "Plus, I have to check my voice-mail to see if any companies called."

"Companies?" Jay walked up to her kissing her neck.

"Yes, from the recital today. It wasn't just a school concert Jay, it was to network. Get a job after I graduate."

"Oh, that's cool." He ignored her holding her from behind.

"Jay seriously," she pushed him off turning around. "We need to get this together. I might be moving to California. You know I want to sing, so we need to find a good college for you in L.A. and-"

"Wait, wait, wait. We're going to California?" Jay asked stuttering.

"yes,"

"We as in me and you?" Jay gestured between them.

"You and Me Yes." She corrected him. Jay starred at her like she was crazy. "You are coming with me right? I could use a producer to help make beats for my first album. And my parent's can't wait for me to move out." She hugged him. Jay rested his chin on her head still in complete shock from the thought. I haven't thought about a future with Tori- or any girl for that matter. Geez, I don't even plan on going to a school in the U.S., I was just going to go for the summer to visit Alex in New York, but come back to go to Briar Institute. "Yeah. I guess."

"Well, that's a good plan, don't you think? Anyways, Im going home to plan out our future." She got on her toes to kiss Jay and left to catch the bus home.

Thirty minutes later…

Jay was at the front desk asleep. He locked the door so he didn't have to be bothered while he took his nap.

"Jay! Jay, wake up!" Manny knocked on the glass door waking Jay up. He slowly got up stretching and walked over to the door.

"You're late."

"I know, I'm sorry. I missed the bus so I had to walk." Manny walked in. Jay locked the door behind her. "Why are you locking the door?"

"So no one robs us. We're going downstairs where my piano is." Jay said as Manny followed him.

"Oh, you have your own piano?" They got downstairs in the basement. "I have two, this is my classical one I teach with and my other one is at my house which is a keyboard." He sat down at it dusting it off.

"That's cool. So you make beats?"

"Sometimes, when I'm not actually learning how read music."

"Wait you don't know how to read music?"

"I'm not a scale kind of guy, but I've learned to teach beginners- I have a certificate." Jay smirked at her being cocky. Manny giggled. "So you don't know any songs?"

"I said I don't how to read music, not how to play." He began playing Bach.

Jay and Manny practiced for two hours. She learned the scales, two songs and passed two mini quizzes Jay gave her. Now Jay was fooling around playing any song that she thought of.

"Okay, Just Dance by Lady GaGa." Jay played the beat on the piano making Manny and him laugh.

"Wow, time flew it's already 8:30." Manny said.

"Don't you have to get home?" Jay asked sitting on the couch.

"My parent's think I'm at the movies with Emma. They're so stupid."

"Oh yeah, why you say that?" Manny sat down beside him. "Because we don't even talk anymore. When I joined the band, we just went separate ways. I'm closer to Marco. He's like my girlfriend now."

"Eww. No comment on that one." Jay made a face.

"Stop with your gay phobia." Manny patted his leg. Her arm rested on his knee. Jay looked up at her raising his eyebrow. Manny quickly moved it blushing. "Sorry." Jay smirked looking at her form the corner of his eye. "It's cool. Do you need a ride home?"

"Sure." They got up leaving.

Jay drove up to the apartment complex. "Thanks Jay. You really made my day."

"I get that a lot from girls." Jay chuckled. Manny slapped Jay on the arm laughing. She unbuckled her seat belt. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Jay said.

"Oh yeah." Manny reached into her pocket and gave Jay ten dollars. He left his hand out waiting. "I drove you home."

"You offered."

"You accepted." Jay argued.

Manny reached over giving Jay a kiss on the cheek. "There's your tip." She blushed getting out and going into the complex.

"Wow," Jay said. "I gotta give rides more often."

Jay got home at 8:45 to find his dad sitting on the couch. "Dad what are you doing? Why aren't you at work." Jay took his jacket off.

"I don't think 'm opening tonight. I only have one bartender able to work."

"Why don't you bar tend? It's your club." Jay sat beside his stress out dad.

"I though about that. But I have some guys from a new beer company coming to make a contract with me and I have to meet with them."

"I'll do it. You have to have the club live to prove that your bar is a good place to sell their beer."

Andrew looked at his soon suspiciously. "Okay, but what's in it for you?"

"I owe you for the keyboard." Jay smirked.

"Fine, be ready in ten." Jay went in his room and put on a white button down shirt, black slacks and a skull belt. He combed his hair back, put his cap on and sprayed cologne. His dad only let Jay go to his club a couple of times. The last time he went, he was 15, and Jay saw the hottest girls in Ontario. This time he was 17 and he was going to get a number. They got to the club at nine just in time to open it up. Jay put on his apron and bar tended, while his dad waited for the VIP to show up.

As Jay cleaned the glasses, he watched his dad in the VIP section with the people from the new beer company. There were girls all over them and they were doing coke. His dad was really out of it and if Jay weren't there to run the club, the place would probably fall apart. Jay was furious and couldn't wait to talk to his dad. But he knew he would be upset if he ruined this deal with him.

It was 3:30, the place was cleaned up and the employees were leaving. Jay carried his dad to the car making sure he locked the club up.

"Dad I can't believe you're too high to even function."

"Shut it Jay. I don't need you babysitting me."

"Well I am."

"Shut it!" Jay kept quiet and didn't say anything the rest of the way home. When they got to the house, Andrew fell out the car. Jay rushed over to the passenger side to help him up. "Get off me, I got it." He stumbled into the house making a lot of noise. Caroline and Ellie came into the living room awakened by the noise.

"Dad let me help you to your room." Jay grabbed his arm.

"No, leave me alone." He pushed Jay into the wall. Jay pushed him back making him fall to the floor.

"What is up with you? You get fucking high out of nowhere and you won't even listen to me. Yet you wonder why I act the way I do?""You put your hands on me again, then we are going to have serious problems." He said getting in Jay's face.

"Drew, please, let's just call it a night." Caroline said.

"Yeah Drew call it a night." Jay smiled at him. Drew turned about to go in his room. "Wouldn't want Carrie to see your true colors now anyways."

"Please Jay don't." Caroline insisted.

"Why don't you mind your business." Jay commented. Drew turned around bringing his hand with him. He slapped Jay with the back of his hand hard. Jay fell into the wall. He pushed himself off pushing his dad, who quickly knocked Jay over landing three punches on Jay.

"Drew stop!" Caroline yelled holding Ellie. She was in so much shock all she could do was watch. "Stop it please!"

Drew stopped realizing what he was doing. He looked down at Jay who pushed him off and ran into his room.

Jay heard Caroline and Drew talking, but drowned them out lying in his bed. He had a black eye and a cut cheek . This didn't surprise Jay, because he's done worse.

"Jay?" Ellie came into Jay's room.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Jay mumbled his back towards her. Ellie walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.

"I was just checking to see if you were okay." Jay scoffed and turned over to sit up and face her.

"How do I look?" Jay squinted at her. She could tell there was still rage in his eyes, which scared her.

"Not so good." Ellie gave a sincere look. Jay just frowned at the thought of his face. Caroline peeked in Jay's room, "Can I join?"

"Sure, why not?" Jay offered her to sit on the bed too. "As long as Rocky doesn't."

"He's sleep. Jay, your dad is sorry. Trust me."

"I want to believe it. But he's been this way before. And the fact that it was as long as five years ago kills me.""You may not know this. But I met your dad at a rehab clinic I went to two years ago. We've been friends since. I've seen your dad high and drunk and he's seen me drunk. I know the real him and I know when the drugs take over. So just trust me. You have to be in that place to understand. By tomorrow he'll be okay and realize what he did to you. He loves you."

"I know and I do understand. I've known him when he went from being sober to high to sober again. But he promised me, after he wasn't sober when my mom died and he became sober when he got some chick pregnant. He promised it would just be me and him no matter what." Jay slumped feeling uncomfortable talking to them.

"Oh, I see." Caroline stated.

Ellie looked at Jay understanding where he was coming from. "Jay, It's hard for me as it is for you. My mom hasn't been with anyone but my dad and her being with your dad while mine is gone is upsetting. But you should want your dad happy, like I want my mom."

Jay sighed getting tired, "Whatever." Ellie and Caroline got up to go back to sleep.

"Jay?" Caroline stopped. "What happened to the pregnant chick?"

Jay rolled his eyes. "She lost it after three months. She did coke too."

It was 4:30 and Jay was wide-awake. He couldn't sleep and for the past half hour he starred into space thinking. He started to think of his mom and shook it off pulling out his phone. He got three numbers form the club and he needed to talk to someone quick before he started to think again. Hmm, should I call Ginger with the freckles, Holly with the big boobs or Natalia from Brazil? There probably all wasted anyway. Maybe Tori? Jay continued to scroll through the phone and hit send on the familiar name.

"Hello?" The sleepy voice answered.

"Hey Lexi, are you busy?"

Jay stayed up the whole night talking to Alex. She was the only one who knew about the other side of his dad and the only one who could really open up to. It was now seven and Jay was getting dressed. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror looking at his face. The cut on his check had faded, but his eye was now blue.

"I have some good foundation that could hide that." Ellie came in the bathroom looking at him in the mirror.

"Don't I look bad enough?!" Jay cried.

"Seriously, Jay. I can help." she grabbed his chin.

"No! Cut it out. You're gonna make me ugly!" Jay tried to get her off him. She sat him down on the toilet and put the foundation on his eye.

"There, it looks a little better." Jay stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. You could still tell it was black and blue, but the ring wasn't as big.

Ellie sat with Craig and Marco during music class. Jay was at the other table with Manny and Jimmy talking about the Valentines Day dance coming up.

"And he kept hitting him?" Marco asked.

"Yeah. Jay was in shock just as much as we were."

"Has his dad done it before?" Craig asked.

"He said he did after his mom had died."

"That makes since though. My dad got angry too after he and my mom divorced. Maybe his dad just went back to a place that he was at before."

"I think Jay pushed him there. He didn't want to bothered. Craig, maybe you can talk to him? You understand, like my mom said to him you don't really know unless you've been there." Ellie asked.

"I don't know. He doesn't seem like he's the open up kind of guy. Besides, I thought you didn't like him?" Craig stated. Ellie shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know why she cared so much about Jay either. She nodded her head over to Jay telling Craig to talk to him. Craig got up and walked over to their table where they were doing a worksheet on notes.

"No. Unh unh. I don't do dances." Jay said to Manny.

"Oh come on Jay. It's Valentines Day there has to be someone you have a crush on." Manny shook him.

"No. I have a gir-"

"Jay." Craig interrupted him.

"What up Manning?" Jay turned to face him.

"I just wanted to say I understand completely what you're going through and if you need someone- Im here." Craig patted him on the shoulder. Jay looked at Craig's hand then at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, Craig what are you saying?" Manny asked confused.

"I know what happened last night Jay, Ellie told me." Jay's face turned from confused to furious in point nine seconds. He shoved Craig out of his way and marched over to Ellie and Marco's table.

"Where do you get off telling them my business?" Jay got in her face.

Ellie stood up. "It's my business too Jay. I was there and Craig can help you, he understands."

"Help me what?!" Jay yelled. The class got up and looked. Mrs. Goldman walked over to see what was going on.

"He's been in your shoes Jay, just talk to him." Ellie whispered.

"How the fuck is he going to help me?! And why the fuck do I need fucking help?!" Jay screamed irritated that not only her friends knew something was wrong, but the class did too.

"Mr. Hogart! Please settle down." Mrs. Goldman warned him.

"I'm not settling shit down, until I find out what emo boy's bitch ass is going do solve?" Jay turned to face him.

"Slow down Jay. It's not even that serious."

"Excuse you. It must be serious if you think you had the nerve to confront me about it." At this point, there was no calming Jay down. He was annoyed and upset that Ellie told his business and the class was now in it too.

"Im just trying to help Jay! Don't blame Ellie it's not her fault for what he did!"

Jay bit his lip trying to hold back his anger, but it got the best of him. He shoved Craig into the drum set making a loud noise. Mrs. Goldman went across the hall to get Mr. Perino. The class stood around them hooping and hollering. Craig got up and punched Jay in the stomach. He tackled Craig knocking over equipment and strikes him in his mouth cutting his lip. Craig mushed Jay back pushing him off and punching him square in nose. Mr. Perino and Mr. Armstrong came in and separated the boys. "I'm sending you boys to the principal's office."

Please review. This is the longest chapter I've done and this wasn't supposed to be the ending. I'll post again as soon as I can.

=} JayLuver