Sorry for not updating sooner...had loads of stuff 2 do...plus i wuz a lil dissapointed by only 2 reviews, but the reviews were VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

Thanks SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH:

jamiemarie33

maroonedpirate11

u 2 are the only ones who reviewd the past chapter!

And A Not So Happy New Year

Everyone was over Freddy's house for New Year's Eve. They were partying it up in his basement. They had channel 7 on so that they could watch the ball drop, and were blasting CDs. Luckily Freddy's parents were staying home and making sure that Joey didn't come down and bother them. It turned out that Summer and Marco were going out, and quite happy about it, so Summer was being civil to Ray, even though they still weren't considered friends. Zack and Freddy cleared some space for dancing, and they hooked up their equipment so that they could jam if they wanted to. Katie also brought over a karaoke machine. She and Ray were singing along to a pop song, pretending to be all preppy. Tomika joined in and all three girls started doing completely slutty moves. They eventually all ended up on the ground from laughing too hard.

"Hey guys! Let's play It's a Long Way To the Top!" Zack called. Everyone got to their positions and started playing. Each person got a solo. At the end Ray gave them a standing ovation.

"That was great...You guys never told me how you all started playing. How'd that happen?" The band looked at each other and started laughing. Eventually they told her the whole story, laughing the whole way.

"So you're saying that Dewey posed as your teacher and no one noticed that he was a fraud?"

"We did...we just didn't want to tell anyone. We were having too much fun." Leonard told her. She nodded in agreement.

"If only I had been there...I would have LOVED to see you guys when you sucked." She said sweetly.

"I never sucked." Freddy told her. Everyone laughed.

"Yeah, sure, alright Freddy. So we'll just forget when Dewey first showed you how to play drums then." Katie said teasingly. Freddy pouted in mock sadness.

"I have good news everyone." Summer announced. "We're going to get signed and start working on out first CD at the end of the school year!" Everyone started screaming in excitement.

"Everyone get ready! Its time for the countdown!" Lawrence yelled. Everyone started counting down.

"Ten..."

"Ray, I need to ask you something." Freddy said seriously.

"Nine!"

"Okay, shoot."

"Eight!"

"Will you go out with me?"

"Seven!"

"No Joke?"

"Six!"

"No joke."

"Five!"

"Umm...Alright...just don't rush me alright?"

"Four!" Freddy nodded and gave her a hug. Katie and Zack heard the whole thing.

"Three! Two! One!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone shouted. Ray gave Freddy a kiss on the cheek and he hugged her tighter. Zack and Katie kissed, as did all the other old couples.

"So, what happened to that other girl?" Ray asked teasingly.

"Well," Freddy put his arm around her. "I didn't end up liking her as much as I thought." He smiled.

"So, are you two going out now? Like seriously going out?" asked Katie. Ray nodded.

"Yeah." They spent the rest of the night playing songs and partying it up. Eventually everyone started leaving, and Ray was the last one at the house. She was helping Freddy clean up a bit when the doorbell rang.

"Ray, your Daddy's here!" Joey called. He had answered the door because the butler was off for the holidays. Ray paled. How'd he get here? How'd he know I was here? She rushed upstairs. Freddy wasn't far behind. They were at the end of the hallway when Freddy saw a man with brown hair looking around the entryway. It was easy to tell that he was drunk.

"Ray, I don't think you should go with him." Freddy whispered. She gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll be fine. He just needs me to take him home. I'm gonna drive him. I'll be back later for my bike okay?" She walked over to the man. "Let's go home Dad. You need to sober up."

"Larry told meh yew were heere." He said slurring his words. "S's a nice place...Why'd yew tell meh yew was at Ryan's?"

"I had a change of plans Dad." She led him out the door.

"Thatsa lie. Don't yew lie to meh like yer mother!" He raised his voice. They were now in the street, by the parked car.

"I'm not lying Dad."

Freddy watched from one of the windows. He wanted to make sure she was alright. He saw Ray's Dad smack her across the face.

"Mom! Dad! Call 9-1-1! Quick!" His parents rushed to him.

"What's wrong sweetie?" Freddy opened the front door and pointed to the street where Mr. Shaw was beating Ray. He slammed her into the car door.

"Don't lie to meh yew sslut! Shouldda known...s's a nice house!"

"Dad you promised! You promised!" Freddy ran out of the house, his dad not far behind. The screaming had caught the attention of everyone on the block. Zack rushed out of his house (he's Freddy's neighbor in my story) just in time to stop Freddy from getting in the way of one of the blows. Mrs. Jones had called the cops and was holding Joey back, who was crying. Mr. Jones tried to talk to Mr. Shaw.

"Sir! You may be her father, but you have no right –"

"Sshuddup! Stupid slut deserves it. Jus like her mother!" Mr. Shaw punched Ray again and she fell to the ground. Something popped. He grabbed a bottle from inside the car and broke it on the hood.

"Sir! Stop this right now!" Mr. Jones ordered, not really knowing what else to do. Ray was trying to get up. She had some shallow cuts on her face.

"Dad stop! You promised! You said you'd get help!" He flailed the broken bottle at her, and cut her weakly in the arm. Sirens became louder and louder until a police car broke through the crowd of people. Two officers grabbed Mr. Shaw. Officer Marks got out of one of the cars and ran to Reina. She tried to get up, but her right arm couldn't support her weight.

"Ray, Ray are you alright?" he asked.

"He promised! HE PROMISED!" she shouted. "He said it'd stop Marks!" she cried. Marks hugged her. Then he realized her arm.

"Did it pop out again?" she nodded. Freddy, Zack, and Mr. Jones were by her now.

"Pop it in." She told him.

"Did her shoulder pop out?" Mr. Jones asked. Marks nodded. "I'm a doctor, I'll set it back in." He grabbed her shoulder and upper arm.

"One...two...three!" he pushed the joint back in. She cried out in pain.

"Shit!" she gasped. Tears still streaming down her face. She watched as her dad was put in the cop car and taken away.

"Ray, we'll get you to the hospital if anything is broken."

"Nothing's broken. He didn't hit me hard enough. I'll be fine. Just need to get some band aids and go home." She tried to stand but fell back down, still in shock. Freddy and Zack caught her.

"You can't stay home alone." Marks told her. "Stay with Ryan."

"She can stay with us until I see her fit to go home." Mr. Jones told Marks. "Freddy'll get the pull out couch set up."

"I-I couldn't do that Mr. Jones...I have no clothes at your house and that'd be too much trouble for you."

"No it wouldn't Reina. We love having you over the house."

"Yeah, and you can wear my clothes." Freddy told her. "They'll be a little baggy, but they'll fit. Come on Ray."

"But my dad..."

"He's not going home Ray. He's gonna serve hard time. Court case and all because of all the witnesses. You're going to have to testify this time Ray. You have to fight against him." Marks told her. She looked at the ground. "We'll talk about it later. Now, I want you to get cleaned up. You'll stay in the Jones's care until I say so." Ray nodded.

"If I'm going to be staying with you Mr. Jones, then I think you should know something about me." Mr. Jones rose his hand.

"We know all about your issues with the police Reina. I asked the principle at Pascack Hills about you and he told me everything. Don't worry about it."

"Thank you Sir." Freddy and Zack helped her inside, and Zack went back home.

"So Officer, how long as this been going on without anyone saying anything?" Mr. Jones asked.

"Things have been said Sir, but we never had enough evidence to put him away. Ray's never pressed charges."

"Why's that?"

"That's not something I know Sir. You'll have to ask Ray." Mr. Jones nodded and walked into the house. Marks entered his car and left. Things are finally starting to look up for Ray...she'll be fine now. He thought.

Freddy sat Ray down in the bathroom and rummaged through the medicine cabinet for peroxide.

"I knew you shouldn't have gone with him." Freddy muttered.

"Shut up Jones. It really wasn't that bad."

"Not that bad?! He could have killed you! Now keep still." He softly dabbed the cuts on her face from when she fell. She flinched. After he was done he gave her some blue sweatpants and a black T-shirt. She took a shower and came out clean. They bandaged her worse cuts and went to the basement. Ray laid down on the pull-out couch and Freddy turned out the lights.

"Hey Jones?" she asked quietly. He stopped on his way to his room.

"Yeah?" No reply. "Ray what's the matter?"

"This is going to sound really weird, but can you stay in here?" Freddy gave a small smirk.

"Yeah sure. Let me just get changed." He came back in a pair of black pajama pants, no shirt, and laid down beside her.

"You alright now?" Ray nodded.

"I just get scared when he gets like that...like he's gonna come and find me in the middle of the night."

"Don't worry, I won't let him near you." They were quiet for a while.

"Freddy?" Ray whispered.

"Yup?" He was shocked. It was the first time she'd called him by his first name.

"Thanks." She rolled over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Freddy wrapped his arm around her and she rested her head on his chest, draping an arm across his waist.

"No problem babe, no problem."

The next morning Freddy woke up to an empty bed. He went to the bathroom and made his way to the kitchen. There, he heard voices and decided to do a little eavesdropping. He opened the door a crack and saw Ray eating breakfast with Joey.

"Ray?"

"Yeah little man?" she knelt by his chair.

"Does it still hurt?" He traced his hand along the cuts on her face.

"A little bit, but it'll be better soon."

"Ray, why does your daddy hurt you?" Ray pulled him onto her lap.

"My daddy drinks a lot, and gets really drunk. Do you know what that means?" Joey nodded, "Well some people are happy drunks, but my dad was a mean drunk. He'd get really mad at me when he was drunk, so he'd hit me." Ray explained.

"My daddy drinks sometimes, will he hit me?" Joey asked.

"No little man. Your dad's a good guy. Mine was bad."

"Freddy's gotten drunk before." Joey told her. "He yelled at me...what if he hits me?" Ray kissed the top of his head.

"You've got nothing to worry about Joey. Freddy won't hurt you. I'll make sure of that." She grabbed a napkin and pen. "Here's my cell phone number. If you ever think someone is going to hurt you, or anyone else, I want you to call the cops and then call me." Joey nodded and gave her a hug. "Now I believe that your friends are waiting for you outside, so go have fun." Joey nodded and ran off. Ray started cleaning up. Freddy took this chance to go in.

"So, my brother gets your number before I do?" He asked teasingly while wrapping his arms around her. She smiled.

"Maybe I like him better."

That's the end of this chapter...gonna take me a while 2 get the next one posted...got soccer practice and summer reading...SRY :-( PLZ review!!! It'll keep me from ending my story here!