Disclaimer! I don't own Lemonade Mouth

It was a few days after the attack when everything fell apart for Dylan. Dylan lay in his hospital bed, feeling like a mummy from all the bandages he was wrapped in. His skin had split open in several places along his back where some of the jocks had gotten over zealous. Dylan shifted to get more comfortable, glancing over at Stella.

Stella sat nearby like she always did when she visited. She'd been pissed when she had first visited him, wanting to go beat up the jocks but Dylan had threatened to get out of his bed. The doctors were insistent that he stayed in his bed so she agreed not to do anything. Now when she visited, she sat as near as she could get, sometimes holding his hand.

"Is Lemonade Mouth going to visit?" Dylan croaked his throat feeling dry. Stella smiled leaning over to kiss him. His arm throbbed with the spike in his blood pressure. He looked at her with partial resentment. "You really have to stop doing that"

"Stop being a baby" Stella said playfully though her worry shown through her eyes. "And yes Lemonade Mouth should be coming soon." She touched the small square of skin between his sleeve and his cast, looking down. Dylan could see the anger rising within her. Hastily he covered his hand with his own.

Now maybe? Dylan wondered. Stella was already torn emotionally and it might ease the transition for them…if there was a transition at all. "Stella…" He began before the Rebels piled into his room. Dylan's eyes widened in surprise; many of the band members had cleaned up and as far as he could tell, most were sober but the bigger surprise was that they were at the hospital at all. He hadn't expected them to visit.

Someone whistled when they caught sight of Stella, who was gaping at the group. "Who are these people Dylan?" She asked quietly. Dylan struggled to find a way to answer. Kyle stepped forward obviously trying to save Dylan the trouble of explaining.

"We're Dylan's band. We came to see if he could still play in GroundBreak." A vein throbbed in Stella's temple and Dylan cringed, cursing Kyle for putting it so bluntly.

"What?" Someone said in disbelief. Dylan closed his eyes briefly when he noticed who was at the door. Lemonade Mouth had apparently decided to come early. His life couldn't get much worse right now. Dylan could see the hurt in many of his friends' eyes as everyone began to talk, asking questions or saying something accusatory at Dylan.

"That's it. Everyone out!" Dylan shouted his hand curling around Stella's. She ripped it from his grasp, heading for the door. "No! Stella! Please stay. I…I have a lot of explaining to do." The two bands piled out the door some people glancing back. Kyle caught Dylan's eye before he left, nodding apologetically.

Stella sat down silently but Dylan cringed. Fire seemed to blaze within her eyes, trying to burn him just by looking at him. "I…have no idea how to explain." Dylan confessed rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe that's why it took me so long to get around to it…" Stella's gaze didn't soften as Dylan sighed. "I guess I'll start at the beginning."

He wished he could hold her hand while he began his story. "It all began when my mother got sick. I was twelve I think. I try not to remember that time too much because it's filled with a lot of pain for me." Dylan took a deep breath. "Anyways I got in a lot of fights because I was afraid for my mom. It was like I knew she was going to die. So I fought…until my mom called me and my sisters. She knew she was dying."

Dylan looked away from Stella, hoping she hadn't noticed the tears in his eyes. "She made me promise that I wouldn't fight anymore. Not for her sake. Not for the sake of the pain I felt. I promised thinking of the loopholes in the promise. Fighting was the only thing I had to hold the pain off." Stella's eyes had softened somewhat when Dylan looked back at her.

"I figured a way around my promise when I saw a kid getting bullied later that year. I could fight for the sake of others. That began the series of events that led me here" Stella touched his arm gently and Dylan looked over worriedly.

"What does this story have to do with us Dylan?" She asked. Dylan closed his eyes trying to think of an answer. It wasn't really related to them but at the same time it was. His past had made him who he was.

"It's something I should have told you a long time ago Stella. I should have let you know who I really was." Dylan sighed. Stella smiled at him, reaching up to cup his cheek. He could still feel the anger in her touch carefully contained.

"You're a good person. You help those weaker then you. You go out of your way to put jocks in their place." She looked confused when Dylan shook his head.

"No Stella. I'm a coward." He gestured to his body. "I knew this was coming. I knew all of it was coming. It just took longer to happen then I thought it would." Stella withdrew her hand and Dylan looked away.

"Every school I've been to it's been the same story. I help out one kid, putting the jocks in their place. Then sometimes I find a girlfriend. Sometimes I don't. I think it's better when I don't find a girl. It would hurt less then." Dylan swallowed, daring to look back at Stella. She looked troubled by his words. "Finally the jocks get tired of it and beat me up. I've broken almost every bone in my body Stella because I can't defend myself well enough."

Stella leaned back in her chair. It was subtle but Dylan could see that she was leaning away from him. His heart cracked at the movement but he continued. "Then I change. Every time I back down into myself. Usually I start to get picked on by everyone and my girlfriend, if I have one, breaks up with me because she can't deal with the new me."

Dylan sighed running his hand through his hair. "That's what I'm expecting to happen here." Stella leaned forward slightly shaking her head. Dylan felt a little hope that she'd forgive him. They'd been together long enough for this not to drive a wedge between them…right?

"No Dylan. Lemonade Mouth won't pick on you. You may have hurt our feelings and you may have lost us as friends but you won't get picked on by us." She drew in a deep breath, looking out the door. "Why didn't you tell me?" The question was a low whisper that Dylan almost didn't hear.

He must have looked confused because she sighed. "Why didn't you tell me about your band? I mean I understand why you didn't tell Lemonade Mouth but why didn't you tell me?" Dylan groaned inwardly. His past didn't matter. Stella didn't care who he had been but who he was now. In a way that was good but at the same time it was worse than anything. Dylan always worked out of the past, not the present.

"I…don't know Stella. I was scared you'd leave me. You mean…so much more to me than any other girl I've dated. I didn't want to hurt you and I didn't want you to hurt me." Dylan said softly. Stella gave him a hard look, standing up. He tried to open his mouth to apologize but she talked over him.

"That doesn't matter now does it? You've already hurt me Dylan. I obviously can't be with you because you can't trust me." Stella hesitated before kissing his cheek. Dylan could feel the tears on her eyelashes. Then she straightened walking toward the door. "Goodbye Dylan." She said softly before walking out the door. Dylan watched her leave, his heart shattering into tiny pieces.

Dylan put his head in his hand. He had worried too much about the past when he was living in the present. How could he have been so stupid? Dylan punched the wall in anger. Tears slid silently down his face as he looked up. Kyle stood in the doorway, his hand raised to knock.

"I don't think I've ever seen you get that upset over a girl" Kyle said unfreezing and entering the room. Dylan snarled, anger and pain rising within him. It was Kyle's fault that things had fallen apart. If he hadn't come with the Rebels, Dylan might still have Stella. He might have been able to tell her about the Rebels without breaking her trust. "But can you play at GroundBreak?"

Dylan looked down at his cast, shaking his head. "I don't think I'll be able to play by then." Kyle nodded heading back out the door. Dylan was grateful that his friend knew when he needed to be alone but one thing bothered him. "Kyle?" His friend turned around hesitantly. "This isn't some girl. This is Stella." Kyle nodded before walking out the door, closing it behind him.

Dylan put his head back into his hands and cried. His heart poured out with his tears, the pain seeming to grow every minute. The nurse entered a few minutes later to find Dylan still crying silently. It would be a long time before he was able to stop.