A/N: I am so sorry guys! Really! It's been almost a month and you have no idea how hard it is to not write for this long! I can explain why I was away so much longer than usual but it doesn't make leaving this unwritten for so long any better. I know you guys are dieing to find out what happens next and, hey, at least part 39 will be out in 6 days. I hate the fact that I've had a million tests in the last few weeks and I know you guys are thinking: What about the 4 day weekend? Well I got sick. I'm barely getting over it and I still haven't gotten rid of my stupid cough. For several days I could barely talk and for a person who loves choir not singing is just as hard as not writing! Plus now I've got to practice for my solo in two weeks considering that for the past week I couldn't. I hope you guys weren't getting too impatient or worried. I'd never forget about this story or my fans. And now I'd like to give extra special thanks to my reviewers of last chapter. You guys have been waiting way too long for your HAPPY NEW YEARS! from me! Thankies to Gutter and Grace, Winter's Child, Crizzy4RFR, jhhhhjfjk89, and ZephrWiltshire!

Part 38: I'll Never Understand Them

Robbie and Ray had procrastinated till the very last minute, though they'd created their design a week earlier, on building their catapult. In fact, they waited so long that they only had 1 day to buy their materials and create the machine. Luckily though, Ray's mother was quite a fan of the exact pumpkin-like bells they were searching for as Halloween was at least her 3rd favorite holiday of the year.

They hadn't bothered to decide on measurements or materials, so having no clue what they were looking for and not knowing what would work best; they bought the basics: wood, nails, screws, and a large supply of nuts and bolts. They spent 2 hours cutting the wood to pieces and shaping the pieces together so they looked like some kind of spoon on a tight rope. In the end it looked like a very good device, at least to them. They'd even tested it and found that their pumpkin-like projectiles went more than 10 ft.

Just as they put the finishing touches on it, and considering they were at the Underground, Lily came walking up.

"Wow guys!" She called excitedly as she admired the machine.

Ray smiled, "So you think we'll win?"

Lily thought a moment, "No." She answered finally.

Robbie turned to face her with a horrible look on his face that reminded her of an erupting volcano.

She put her hands up in surrender, "I'm just kidding."

"I thought you might be," Robbie replied.

"It looks great guys, really, and seeing as I walked past a small orange device on my way here I assume you've been testing it."

"Yup!" Ray answered enthusiastically.

Then all of a sudden, as they stood there silently, Lily's face fell.

"I have to go home, guys," She explained regretfully.

"Why? What's wrong?" Robbie asked.

"Nothing…Tr…I can't," She sighed. "I just have to go."

Ray put his hand on her shoulder, "You'd tell us if something were wrong, right?"

She smiled softly, "Of course Ray."

"See ya," Robbie said cheerfully.

The two of them stood there for several minutes after she left.

"What's gotten into her?" Ray asked.

"No clue," Robbie stated.

"Do you think she had another fight with Parker?" Ray offered.

Robbie shook his head, "No she'd have told us if it were that simple."

Ray sighed, "Girls. I'll never understand them."

"You said it," Robbie agreed.

They looked off at the distant sun. Pink and orange were already taking over the sky as they stood there. And then Robbie sighed.

"Well, Ray, I guess we'd better get going. We've got a long day ahead of us."

"Yeah," Ray agreed, "A long day of celebrating."

Robbie frowned, "Don't get too confident. They always win."

"Not this time."

"See you tomorrow Ray," Robbie waved and left.

"Yeah see ya," Ray called after him.

He sighed and went into the RFR station. As he walked inside he felt something crunch under his foot. He stepped back and looked down. It was one of Lily's cds. Fortunately it was undamaged except for a small crack in the cover. He picked it up and turned it over. There was a small caption reading: From Pronto, Smog, and Question Mark. He smiled as he remembered getting it for her with Robbie and Travis. She'd failed a test and the three of them had wanted to make her day a little better. He remembered that she'd wanted this particular cd for 3 years, but she never got it. He'd asked her about it once but all she had said was "I don't know." That was Lily for you. She'd wait a lifetime for the things she wanted and she usually didn't work to hard to get them. But something had changed about her. She had never kept a secret from him before; even if he really did have a good idea what was bugging her.

He sighed and put the cd on the table by her microphone. She'd find it tomorrow when they did their broadcast. He didn't know what she'd say about the crack but he'd do his best not to tell her it was his fault. Her music was something you just didn't touch.

With a sigh he turned around and went home. He didn't even give Lily a second thought after that; he was much too excited about the idea of finally being able to beat the dream team.