Mickey's Lounge was riveting with all of the visitors it was getting tonight. The windows were crowded by signs saying things like 'Lily Randall Live' and 'Meet Our Star Tonight!' Ray had just finished putting them up, and although Lily had never liked being the center of attention, he was just another one of those oblivious men that didn't really pay attention to what their loved ones really wanted. So he made them in hope that Lily would shine.

"Come see Lily Randall tonight! Fourth act!" He called to passersby on the streets, grinning wide. He had loved the cornstalk yellow-haired girl so much, and Ray was actually proud of himself for doing this. It had taken a lot of psychological arguing just to make him come tonight. "Lily Randall! She's going to be the best act of the night!"

"What do we have here?" He heard an eerie voice in the distance, one that sounded both friendly and distant at the same time. Glancing up, Ray's eyes narrowed. Of course, Travis. Of all people that could have come, it just had to be him. Ray had always pretended to be his friend around Lily to make her feel better, and he wasn't sure if they were or not, but Travis always seemed to hate him for some reason or another. Besides, it was fun to make fun of him. "I didn't know Lily was performing tonight."

Ray shrugged, pulling ideas out of the top of his head. "I guess she turned around," he replied, glancing at his watch. The last thing he wanted was to promise everyone that Lily would be coming tonight and have her not show up. Besides, it'd hurt his own feelings as well, even if she couldn't possibly have known who wrote the anonymous note that afternoon. He felt a sly grin coming onto her face as his eyes wandered over to Travis. "Unless she just didn't want to tell you."

He'd always been rather cruel to Travis, but how could he possibly help it? After all, the blonde had always betrayed him when he knew which moments were special to Ray, stealing away the spotlight, taking away all that he had worked so hard toward... Take, for instance, Lily. Ray had been best friends with her for years, and as soon as Travis found out about his feelings for her, he had to compete. Maybe that was what annoyed Ray so much about the boy.

"Or maybe she just wanted you to come and see that she isn't coming," Travis added harshly before walking inside, leaving Ray out in the dusty street, a glare in his frostbitten eyes.

Ray grunted angrily. He wasn't sure if he ought to hate Travis or like him for being friends with Lily, but either way he was quite angry at him at the moment.

It was just then that his eyes caught sight of a certain Lily Randall singing to herself as she walked toward the lounge, and Ray felt his body freeze for a moment before he rushed into the building, taking a rushed seat next to Travis (and not exactly liking it, either). Lily walked in only seconds later, smiling at the two of them. Oh, joy.

"Li-" Ray started, but Travis cut him off.

"Lily!" Travis called, grinning. Ray tried to play along, but he could only sigh in embarrassment. "So, what song are you performing tonight?"

He wanted to slap that kid in the face. Did he have to mess everything up?

"He means," Ray corrected him, staring Travis dead in the face. "That you, uh..."

He was at loss for an explanation, but he wasn't going to give up that easily. "Uh, Lily, can I, uh, talk to you for a minute?"

Lily gave him a look of concern before following Ray to the back of the building, Travis looking very impatient. "What is it, Pronto?" She grinned, but he could sense her worry. She'd never been one that enjoyed the performance aspect of singing, or so Ray could tell. But it was his job to wear her in, right?

"Uh..." Ray started, his heart racing at a rapid rate. "I... I don't know."

Lily's eyebrows narrowed, and Ray wetted his lips quickly before taking in another breath, prepared to try again. "Well, uh, why did you come tonight? Weren't you going to sing?"

The girl looked as if she were about to faint. "What? I wouldn't sing here in... in a long time!" Ray had to hold in the urge to laugh at Lily's inability to think of excuses as well. It was kind of cute, really, which wasn't a word that he used often. "And why do you care about why I'm here?"

"No reason, I just... uh..." But it was at that time that a booming voice came over the speakers, the microphone giving a bit of screeching feedback for a moment, causing the two to cover their ears in pain.

"And our next performer, the exceptionally talented Lily Randall!" It was Mickey talking, and Lily's face went white.

Ray hadn't been expecting it to happen so fast, but he plastered on a winning smile and grabbed a guitar from the side of the closet next to him. "Here's your guitar, I went and picked it up last night. Uh, break a leg!" He said, pushing Lily away as fast as he could. "Well, not 'break a leg,' but you know what I mean..."

"I can't do this!" Lily pleaded as she stepped a bit closer to the stage, terror in her normally lovely eyes.

"Yes, you can!" Ray reassured her, but he wasn't so sure if she would go through with it. "You're Lily Randall, you can do anything!"

He watched as a shade of rose came to her face, and his thoughts crumbled as she started to walk back toward him. "No!" Ray told her, practically yelling over the clapping and cheering. "You can do this, I know you can! I love you!" But the 'you' in that sentence was cut off. He'd been throwing out random words out of his head, and that wasn't what he had planned on saying. This time, his face blushed, and his heart rate

She froze.