I'm so sorry this took so long! Family and then work obligations pulled me away from my fun here. I hope the length of this chapter makes up for all the time it took me to get it to you. There is much Stella/Ray happy squishy warmth here.

I don't own Lemonade Mouth.

Chapter 7

Stella burst into her house, happy to note that it was one of the rare evenings that both of her parents were home.

"Mom! Dad! I'm so glad to see you!"

Stella's parents exchanged a look. "Hi, sweetie. How was school?" asked her mother.

"It was fine. But here's the thing. Remember that guy that I had to go sit with in the hospital?"

"Yeeeees," said her dad. "Is he feeling better? He was discharged, right?"

"Yeah, he was," said Stella. And now, she had no idea how she was going to get this next part out. A guy who is two years older than I is taking me out, in his car, and we're in love, oh and by the way, we were mortal enemies a few weeks ago. She did what any rational person in her position would do: give as little information as possible.

"So, uh, as it turns out, he's uh, taking me out tonight. And he'll be here at 6."

"How is he getting here?" asked Mr. Yamada.

"He's driving…" Here's where Stella began to get nervous.

"How old is he?"

"He's a junior, Dad. He's a musician, like me! He totally helped out the band last night. And his dad owns Turbo Blast."

"Really?" said her mom.

Oh no, here it comes. Because Stella's mother was in the business of saving the planet, she knew everything about every major company's planet responsibility, or lack thereof. If Turbo Blast was leaving a huge carbon footprint, then Stella and Ray were doomed.

"They're an incredibly responsible company!" said her mother. Stella couldn't contain her sigh of relief. Her mom continued. "Their delivery trucks are run on natural gas, their production plant produces very little emissions, and all of their packaging is made of recycled materials."

"So, then, I can go out on a date with him?"

"My 14-year-old daughter can go on a date with a 16-year-old boy?" said Mr. Yamada.

"Um, yes? And I'm going to be 15 next week…" said Stella, feeling smaller as she looked to her dad for his approval. Thankfully, Stella's mother intervened.

"Oh, honey, he probably wants to thank her for all the help she gave him in the hospital. I think it is very kind and gentlemanly of him to take her out like this."

Mom, you're a goddess!

Her father acquiesced. "All right."

"Yippee!" said Stella, and she bolted to her room to get ready.

An hour later, Ray pulled up to the house. He couldn't believe it, but he actually felt nervous. For the thousandth time in the past few weeks, he reprimanded himself. This is ridiculous. You're a genius with adults, especially girls' parents. It was true. Ray had a gift of charming parents into trusting him with their daughters.

This time was different. This time, Ray needed to be himself. He didn't want to simply be allowed to take a girl out for a night. He was in for the long haul with Stella, and he needed her parents to know – and like –the real him.

The problem was, Ray didn't quite know who the real him was anymore. He was changing, but was he? For years, he had been deeply engrossed in his persona as Supreme Ruler of the School and Soccer Field and Stage. That person was a character, not a real human being. It seems that now, these layers were being stripped away, and the real Ray Beech was emerging.

As lovely as that was, it did him no good right now. Ray was so used to being the character he had so diligently developed, that he had forgotten how to be himself, whoever that was. And he was going to have to be himself when meeting Stella's parents, or there was no way that they would have a chance at a future together.

Future? Ray shook his head. This was crazy, all of it. And yet, he was pretty pleased with the way that this kind of crazy made him feel. It went beyond the feverish bliss that first embraces with a new love brings. Even before he had secured Stella's affections, Ray had already begun to genuinely enjoy not being unkind to everyone around him.

That afternoon, for example, he had earned Olivia's trust. He now knew her well enough to understand that that was not easily done. That he had accomplished this sparked a warmth inside of him that he hardly recognized.

Ray felt as if he were shedding his old bully self like a snake does to its dried skin. But that still leaves you with a snake. He would have to come up with a better mental analogy, as soon as he could discover what creature was going to emerge from the distasteful behavior that he was leaving behind.

For now, however, he needed to focus on the task at hand: making a good impression on Stella's parents.

Thankfully, Stella answered the door. His breath caught at the sight of her. She was wearing a short, red sundress, and she looked spectacular. She greeted him quickly with a smile and ushered him into the house. Her tone and movement suggested that she, too, was nervous. Before she led him into the living room, she said, "Heads up: they are both Dr. Yamada." Ray said, "Huh?" Stella clarified, "You already know that my dad is a medical doctor. My mom is a PhD in environmental science." "OK," he said, making the necessary mental note.

Then, they entered the living room, where Stella's parents were waiting. Stella spoke, "Mom? Dad? This is Ray. Ray, this is my mom." Usually, Ray made some sort of comment about how he could see where the daughter got her beauty, etc. But with Stella's mother (even though he totally could see traces of Stella's beauty in her), Ray simply shook her hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, Dr. Yamada."

"This is my dad." Ray turned to Stella's father and greeted him in the same way.

"So," Stella's father began, "You're a junior?"

"Yes, sir." Ray always addressed the fathers as "sir", but this time, his respect was sincere.

"Have you given thought to life after high school?"

"Yes, sir, I have. I want to study business in college and then either work with my father in his company, or perhaps in the entertainment industry. I did some managing work for my band last year, and recently, Mr. Gifford has invited me to help out with Lemonade Mouth."

"OK, daddy, I think we have a dinner reservation," said Stella. She had no idea where they were going, but she wanted to get the heck out of there.

Stella's father was not quite done with Ray. "Broken leg? How do you drive?"

Stella's mother answered for Ray, "with his left foot, dear, just like you did last summer."

Woo-hoo! Stella adored her mother!

Stella again made an effort to leave. This time she was successful. She gave each of her parents their good-bye hug/kisses, and whispered a "thank-you!" to her mom. "See you later!" She said.

As they were leaving, they could hear the twins running to their parents and complaining over some fight they were having.

"You're not an only child?" asked Ray.

"Hardly." said Stella. "My twin brothers are 11 and in 8th grade. They'll be at school with us next year."

"No way!"

"Yeah."

Ray was beginning to see why Stella had such a poor perception of her intellect. "But can they run a band, solve their friends' disputes, play guitar and sing on national television, and-"

"And land the hottest guy in school? I know where you're going with this one, Beech." She smiled at him and shook her head.

He cleaned up nicely! He had traded in his usual graphic t-shirt for a white button shirt with some faint grey stitching on it. It suited him. "Your shirt has buttons," she said.

"Your pants are torn in the middle," he replied. She was happy that he noticed her dress.

He opened the car door for her. After they were both settled in their seats, and he had begun to drive, he finally felt relaxed. He kept stealing glances at her, enjoying her stunning beauty, and the fact that she put herself together like that just for him.

Stella also couldn't keep her eyes to herself. He just looked so good, and he made himself look this good for her. His shirt, clean shave, showered and re-styled hair. There he was, all sparkly and pretty, and he was all hers.

She eventually noticed that he was looking at her, often. She smiled.

They pulled up to a restaurant called Aunty's Garden.

"I've never heard of this place," she said.

Ray said, "Me neither. But Yelp says that they have a good vegetarian menu."

Stella couldn't pretend to play this cool. She faced him, jaw dropped. "How did you know I'm a vegetarian?"

"Scott told me. Will it offend you if I eat meat?"

OK, this was just too strange. He was asking permission to eat meat? The old Ray would have filled her locker with raw chicken and steaks upon learning that Stella was a vegetarian. This was unbelievable, wonderful, but unbelievable.

She couldn't reply to his question because she still couldn't close her mouth. She shook her head and finally got out an "uh-uh."

There was enough of old Ray around to delight in shocking people with his new behaviors. "Close your mouth, dear, you're going to catch flies." He put his hand on her back and led her into the restaurant.

After dinner, he asked, "Do you have a curfew?"

She said, "I don't, but it's because I've never pushed the envelope with getting home. And, as you already saw, Dad's kinda freaking out about someone who's old enough to drive taking out his only daughter. So, I should probably be back before midnight."

"That's plenty of time. There's this place I want you to see."

Though Stella loved the idea of getting more time alone with Ray, she was also a bit nervous that he was going to take her to a make-out spot. She still had some concerns about falling into the category of another girl on his list of conquests.

To Stella's relief, they pulled into the parking lot of a coffee house. Though she frequently went out for coffee with her mother, Stella had not heard of Minnie 'n Joe's.

"You're going to love this place," said Ray. "I've only been here a couple of times, and it is great!"

It was fairly small, a standard coffee house. However, the space near the front window was cleared as a stage, the chairs and small tables all situated with a view of the stage space.

Ray explained, "There is music here almost every night. And it is almost always something unusual. None of that typical oh-so-indie pretentious coffee house crap."

That night was a vintage jazz group (their flyer referred to their style as "trad. jazz"). The 4 members played a variety of instruments, depending on the song: guitars, banjo, "gut bucket" (wash basin bass), harmonica, even the spoons! Their music sounded both brand-new and classic, at the same time. Stella loved it.

The waitress who brought them their drinks stopped short when she got a look at the two of them. She quickly re-gained her composure, and she said quietly, "I loved your new song last night."

Stella and Ray were surprised. "Thank-you!" Stella said. She was always sincerely happy to hear from fans.

The waitress addressed Ray, "Their style is so different from yours, but you managed to find the perfect way to combine the two."

Ray was not used to hearing such specific compliments, less so ones that displayed a level of musical knowledge. The most in-depth response he'd ever received after a Mudslide Crush show was, "You totally rock, man!" So, he'd grown accustomed to giving a half-hearted high-five to the guys or a semi-hug to the girls (maybe a full hug if they were hot). He was taken by surprise by this girl giving him a compliment on his music, for a song he didn't even sing. Furthermore, she didn't seem to be coming on to him (also a surprise to him).

He said, "Uh, thank-you!"

"Sorry, I'll stop babbling," said the waitress. "Just…thank-you for coming to our place."

"Our?" said Stella.

"This is my parents' place. They're Minnie and Joe. But it's a double meaning, referring to a bunch of Cab Calloway songs that a lot of fans call the Minnie and Joe Saga."

The name sounded familiar to Stella. She asked, "Wait, wasn't there an early punk duo called Minnie and Joe?"

"That's them! They thought they were capturing the anything-goes spirit of early punk by playing subversive lyrics but in a folk style, thinking that it would be a clever way to make fun of hippies. They had marginal success from people with a very specific sense of humor. But the rest of the world wasn't quite ready for kitsch factor in music yet. They were before their time."

"Did they open this place in order to perform?" asked Ray.

"Sort of, but mostly to be a welcome venue to other off-the-beaten-path musicians."

Stella said, "That is so cool! Oh man, I'm so rude! What's your name?" and she extended her hand to the waitress.

"I'm Veronica." She shook Stella's hand. "Actually…my best friend, Stacy, interviewed Charlie a couple of weeks ago for her blog."

"She's the one doing the live feed next week?"

"Yeah…" said Veronica. Before she could say any more, a woman from behind the front counter called, "Ronnie!"

"That's Mom. It's nice to meet you!" And she left.

The band went on break. Stella said to Ray, "OK, this is one of the coolest places anyone has ever taken me to!"

"I can't believe you've heard of her parents," he said.

"I'm obsessed with anything remotely related to punk, especially the early days."

Ray looked at the instruments left on the stage by the musicians. He looked back at Stella. "I have an idea. Wait here."

He talked to one of the musicians. Stella couldn't hear what they were saying, but she saw the man nod. Then, Ray motioned Veronica over to their table.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Would it be all right if Stella and I played just one song during the band's break?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course!"

Stella raised an eyebrow. "What are you up to, Beech?"

Ray took Stella's hand, leaned in closer to her, and he said, "I think that you and I should play 'Good Interrupted' together, just us." He stared intently into her eyes.

"I can't refuse that," she said.

They approached the stage area and took two seats. Ray handed Stella a guitar. He said, "I think it should be slow." She nodded in agreement.

Veronica took a mike and said, "Folks, we have a surprise treat tonight! Stella Yamada from Lemonade Mouth and Ray Beech from Mudslide Crush are here. They're going to sing a new song, which you will love." She handed the mike to Ray before she ran back to the kitchen to get her parents to watch.

Stella began to play. When Ray began to sing, she almost stopped playing. She had heard him sing before, but had always listened through angry ears. Now, she realized how beautiful his voice was. But the truth was that he had never sung like this before. She wanted to just listen to him. Ray also wanted to just listen to Stella. He had never heard her play acoustic before, and he was surprised at how delicate and yet soulful she could sound. He's be happy to put down the mike let her take over, but he also needed for her to hear him sing this song.

They quickly got over their surprise at hearing each other in this new light, and they re-gained the focus that both of them were famous for, when it came to their music. They locked into each other, voice and music perfectly intertwined. When Ray sang the bridge, the last words were barely a whisper. My place…with you. A lump caught in Stella's throat when she heard him. She looked up in order to catch a glimpse of his beautiful face. She found that he was staring intently at her, that he had been the entire song.

The song was very well-received by the Minnie and Joe's crowd. Stella was suddenly shy, an unusual feeling for her. She found a way to quickly bow and smile at the audience, and then she left the stage area.

She felt a now-familiar warmth near her ear as Ray had come up behind her. He said quietly, "You wanna get out of here?" Stella nodded.

They thanked Veronica. She said, "That was amazing." Seeing Stella's expression, she said to Ray as they were leaving, "I'm honored to see that one-and-only performance that no one else will know about." Stacy was going to kill her for not telling her about this, but something in Stella's face told Veronica that everyone had just accidentally seen an incredibly intimate moment. Even though Veronica had known Stacy all of her life, and she had only just met Stella and Ray, Veronica still felt a moral responsibility to give them their privacy. As far as the Minnie and Joe's crowd was concerned, they probably would forget about this as soon as the band started up again.

Ray gave her a smile in thanks as he left.

Back in Ray's car, they were silent. He drove to someplace a little bit secluded. He turned off the engine and faced Stella. He could see a tear peaking out of the corner of her eye.

"What is it?" he asked, alarmed. Crap. What the hell do you do when a girl cries? He echoed the panicked thoughts of every man since the dawn of humanity.

Stella quickly reached up and shoved the tear away. "I'm all right. I'm fine. It's ok," she said.

"OK," he said, greatly relieved, initially. However, he was a bit curious. And truth be told, he was a little bit worried.

Ray put his hand on Stella's arm. He said nothing. He looked at her face, and he saw that trace of tear peaking out of the corner of her eye again.

"Hey," he said, his concern softening his tone. He reached up and took the tear away with his thumb. His hand remained on her face, and he gently turned her toward him. "What is it?"

Stella hesitated, but then she spoke. "This is a lot, and very fast," Stella began, "and sometimes I'm alarmed by all of it." Then, the words came tumbling out all at once. "I mean, we hated each other, I mean, hated each other just a few weeks ago. And now, even before last night, my heart aches when I'm away from you. When I'm near you, I feel a fire inside of me all lit up. It's all so intense, that it almost frightens me."

"What? What frightens you?"

"Well, that loss of self-control. I think I would be perfectly happy to just be near you, regardless of how you feel. So, that puts me in the potentially ugly spot of being yet another girl who pines for you. And I can't stand that about myself."

"OK, but why did this start while we were playing the song together?"

"I was completely lost in the beauty of the song, and in your voice. I mean, I felt as if I could use your voice as a blanket and just wrap myself all up in it. Then, I looked at you, and you were looking at me, all, like, intensely. I felt as if you could see right through me. It took me by surprise."

She went on, "You said you don't do these kinds of conversations. You told me that when we were alone together. But then there you go and sing like that and look at me like that, in front of a room full of strangers. I don't get it, which makes me think that maybe I don't get you, that all of this will evaporate in an instant."

"I'd fall apart if it did." Ray said that before he could think about his words carefully. He didn't like for people to know the inner workings of his mind and especially of his heart. That's for saps. Keeping himself at arm's distance was what gave him the edge that put him ahead of his fellow teenagers.

It was a small and simple sentence. But it was the most exposed Ray had ever allowed himself to be to a girl. This was bigger than telling Stella that he loved her.

I'd better go all-in at this point. Ray turned to face Stella. He took both of her hands in one of his hands, and he rested the other hand on her cheek. He said to her, "Look, I know we have an unusual past. But I also think it's what makes us perfect for each other. You keep me in my place. But much better than that is that you are the most incredible girl I have ever met. You are an amazing musician. You're beautiful, inside and out."

Stella interrupted, "But really, what makes you say that?"

"Stella, you visited me, your worst enemy, in the hospital, because you wanted to help your friend. And then you came back every day. Except for Scott, all of my friends, and even my girlfriend, visited me once, and they couldn't wait to get the hell out of Dodge once they got there. But you kept coming back, and you bent over backwards to help me in every way you could."

"It was needed, and I was the one who could do it. It's not like I wanted to…at first. And then I did want to…see you and be near you."

"Stella, you pour all of your heart into everything and everyone you care about. And now, I get to be one of those recipients of all of you! Why in the world would I ever want to lose that?"

Stella shrugged, but she let a small smile escape.

"Stella, I love you. Not, 'I think you're hot' (but I do). Not, 'we should hang out.' I. Love. You. This is all new for me, too. And I'm a total idiot sometimes (don't let that get around). I'm sorry I left you exposed like that in front of all those people. But when I'm around you, I can't help myself. You know that fire in you? I feel that, too. But then, when you're nearer to me, and knowing that you care about me, too, there are fireworks. You make everything inside of me melt away, and you make everything outside of me better, greater, than it ever was before."

Stella smiled. Ray kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her. And Stella, too, felt fireworks.