Lemonade Mouth
TLC
Chaptered
Written by Lavender
Not owning Lemonade Mouth. If I did, Rayella would be canon.
(^^)
"I told you that I could do more than order pizza," Stella claimed as she crossed her legs as she sat on Ray's bed, Izzy sucked in her noodles with a grin and said, "Yeah, Mr. Chow's is pretty good." Ray snickered. "Yeah, at least we didn't have a chance at food poisoning with Mr. Chow."
Stella glared. "Hah, you're so funny Beech."
"Pass the sweet and sour sauce," Izzy said, poking the half-Asian with her disposable chopsticks. "You aren't eating that stuff in my room," Ray interjected getting an eye roll from Stella. "And yet you'd eat Dante's sticky special seven cheeses special pizza."
Izzy blinked. "Did you say 'special' twice?"
"It's that special," both teenagers stated getting the eight year old to shrug. "So what're we doing after this?" Izzy asked, lazily poking into her cartoon of noodles.
"We're going to look through your big brother's baby pictures!"
Her chopsticks clattered into her cartoon. "What?"
She gestured at the thick, leather bound album sitting on one of Ray's bedside nightstands and stated, "We had a compromise." Izzy gaped at her and then looked at her older brother for confirmation. "Ray…you…you're going to let her…see?" He gave her a blank look and then nodded at her. "You…" turning quickly to look at Stella she claimed, "How'd you do that? Did you…did you put some stuff in his food or something?"
"Of course not," Stella waved off, but once Ray looked away from both females, Stella nodded slowly and whispered, "Just some medicine to help put him to sleep."
Izzy's lips formed into an 'o' shape, the look disappearing and being replaced by an innocent smile as Ray's attention returned to both females sitting in front of him.
"So let's look at the pictures!" She quickly said, as the only male in the room placed his cartoon of Mr. Chow's on the other bedside. "Best seat in the house," Izzy quickly added, jumping over to squish herself next to Ray. "Stell come on," the eight year old gestured dramatically at her brother's other side. "So we can all look at it at," she continued, bluntly ignoring the look that the blonde beside her was sending.
Shaking her head at the girl, Stella said, "After I throw Mr. Chow's remains; go wash your hands Izzy."
"My hands are clean!" she declared.
"I'm sure it is, but since Ray doesn't like sweet and sour in his room, I don't think he'd like it in his bed."
"Out my bed," the blonde ordered, pushing his sister off of his blankets, getting Izzy to pout. "Aw Stell."
"Go," both directed; gesturing at Ray's connected bathroom.
Sighing somewhat dejectedly, Izzy walked over to the door and turned to face them as her hand sat on the doorknob. "You two aren't going to make out while I wash my hands right?"
"Go."
Lifting her other hand in defence, Izzy said, "Okay, okay; don't get your boxers in a twist."
xXx
To Ray
From Patty
Baby, why is Stella at your place?
Order her to let me in
I miss you so much :(
xXx
To Patty
From Ray
That's none of your business
That's not happening
Stop texting me.
xXx
To Patty
From Your service provider
RAY BEECH has blocked your number
xXx
"Naaawaaaaa, you look so adorable!"
"Wasn't he the cutest?"
Grunt.
"He was!" Stella pointed at one of the pictures of a chubby blonde eleven year old, his face covered in cake, as both hands displayed the same cake that was sitting on his cheeks and lips. "Naaaaawwaaa, look at little Ray-Ray!"
"Someone likes cake," Izzy added with a giggle as both girls seemed to be tugging on the album for a better look.
Ray was caught in between the two as he glared down at the image of himself, chubby faced, cake covered and grinning like an idiot. "Aw Ray, you were the cutest," Stella cooed making his expression cross between a scowl and a goofy smile. "So I was cute huh?" She rolled her eyes and nudged his shoulder with hers. "Was being the key word," she stated eliciting a snort. "Oh and what am I now?"
Tilting her head to look at him better, Stella looked from the picture of Ray as an eleven year old to him now.
He grew out of his baby-fat, his facial features were more defined and his eyes weren't as bright with childlike glee but were dimmed by a soberness that Stella was never aware Ray had; but those ice-blue eyes of his were still eye-catching, piercing and drowning. The only thing that truly changed beyond the usual physical attributes of aging done by the soccer captain of Mesa High, was the fact that mini-Ray smiled; a lot, judging from the size of his dimples.
"Smile," she didn't know why she said it, but it slipped out before she could take it back.
"What?"
"I just need you to smile."
Izzy grinned, and nudged her brother with her shoulder. "Come on Ray, give Stella a big one!"
Stella saw the somewhat uncomfortable look of the elder of the Beech siblings and elbowed him as well. "Come on Ray, pretty please? Pretty, pretty please?"
Ray didn't know what it was. It could have been the way her eyes shone in excitement, the way they twinkled at him teasingly and not in the usual contempt that he was met with when they fought or the fact that she was smiling at him; but he did it and he couldn't take it back either.
His small grin was cooed at playfully by both girls beside him.
"Aw!" Izzy squealed, poking her index fingers into his cheek. "I've never seen you smile before Ray, you look less like a grouch now!"
"That makes me feel better," he deadpanned getting Stella to poke his other cheek as well. "I agree; you should smile more often."
"Oui, tu regarder très beau, mon frère," Izzy claimed getting the girl on the other side of Ray to ask sheepishly, "American translation?" Ray rolled his eyes. "She said she agrees with you and that I look pretty good."
"I said you looked handsome, get the translation right." Leaning over to see past Ray, she asked Stella, "Don't you agree Stella?"
Both teenagers looked at each other. "Uh…" The blonde arched a brow at her. "Yeah, what do you have to say Stella?" She gave him a look, tilted her head at him and poked an index finger just an inch away from his still smiling lips. "Carry on smiling like that Ray."
"That doesn't answer the question."
"Doesn't it?"
"You do know that I'll take your answer as a compliment right?"
"It wasn't meant to be an insult." Izzy rolled her eyes. "Can you two not flirt while I'm sitting right here?"
xXx
To Stella
From Patty
Stay away from Ray
xXx
To Patty
From Stella
How'd you get my number?
xXx
According to Ray's bedside clock, it was half past midnight. Somewhere along the line, Izzy fell asleep, her head resting on the crook of Ray's arm. The two teenagers however, were still occupied with looking through Ray's baby-days.
"Where was this?" Stella asked, pointing to the image of Ray as a six year old, chubby and for once, not smiling. But then again, he was completely baked in white sunscreen lotion and adorned a floppy pink sunhat. "Lava Springs, Aunt Claire's 'home', it's in Albuquerque."
"This is where your mom went to? I can't believe she didn't leave sooner!"
"Gee thanks."
"I'm just saying Ray, Lava Springs of all places!"
"Yeah well," he shrugged as Stella pointed at another picture on the same page. "And who're these guys?" An image of two blondes standing with him in front of the wave-pool, the only girl in the picture had on huge sunglasses –obviously trying to look older than the six year old that she was. "My cousins," Ray responded pointing to the other blonde boy in the photo, "That's Ryan, the other one's Sharpay."
"Sharpay?" Stella asked incredulously.
"Yeah; Aunt Claire, my uncle named Ryan," Ray answered with a shrug. "They're twins."
"Are they as bad as you and Izzy?" she asked jokingly eliciting a chuckle from him. "Something like that. They're drama snobs, well at least Sharpay is. Ryan just tags along."
"Huh…" The page was turned and another blonde appeared, different from Ray's cousins and obviously a bit older than them as well. "This…is Bell, right?" Stella asked; her tone slightly hesitant. Ray stared down at the girl in the picture. Blonde curls pulled delicately back against her neck, a radiant smile present on her naturally pink lips. That was Bell; his older sister Annabelle. Ray nodded.
"She's pretty."
"She was." There was an almost awkward pause. Stella shut the album and tried to sound cheerful, "Well, looks like I've kept you up long enough," she paused at Izzy's light snore. "I better get her to bed."
Quietly, Ray watched her as she got out of her side of his bed, and walked around it to gently shake his younger sister. "Izzy…Izzy?"
The eight year old did nothing but mumble incoherently making Stella sigh as she swung Izzy from the bed almost effortlessly. The slightly petite looking guitarist was surprisingly strong. Ray found himself standing on the other side of the bed while Stella held onto the sleeping Izzy quite clumsily.
"You can go to sleep," Stella said quietly nodding at him. "I'll be fine carrying – Ray!" she hissed, as the blonde gathered his sister over his shoulder like a marauder with his bounty.
"What are you doing?"
"Helping."
"Ray, you're going to wake her up!" She hissed, but could do nothing but follow him out his room and towards Izzy's room. "Couldn't wake her up with an atomic bomb," he responded, "She sleeps like a brick."
Stella inhaled heavily, giving him a look as he practically tossed his sister onto her bed.
With surprising tenderness, Ray adjusted her beneath her blankets and turned on her favourite SpongeBob nightlight. "Good, but you're going to sleep now," Stella ordered, already grabbing his arm and dragging him out of his younger sister's room. Ray sighed and said, "Okay I get it. I'm going to sleep." In her bed and comfortably beneath her blankets, Izzy chuckled. "Geez Ray; whipped much?"
xXx
To Olivia
From Mo
Liv what's been up with Stella?
xXx
To Mo
From Olivia
I don't know, we'll bug her tomorrow about it…
xXx
To Olivia
From Mo
Can't we bug her now?
xXx
To Mo
From Olivia
I don't think she's awake at one in the morning…
xXx
"Alright; comfortable?" Stella asked as she fixed his blankets atop him. He rolled his eyes at her, tucking a hand behind his head. "I'm fine Stell."
"Okay, okay, I'm just checking…"
Ray watched her as she walked towards the chaise at the side of his room. Stella was given a spare room to use, but his mom was worried that if her 'baby' needed something, he'd strain himself with the effort so she practically shoved the lounger at the Lemonade Mouth guitarist in hopes to avoid such a thing happening. Stella didn't seem to mind it though, and seemed quite content with sleeping on it for the past six days.
She flicked the light-switch of his room filling it with darkness.
"Night." The window on one side of the room allowed in a ray of moonlight, catching Stella as she rubbed her eye and walked a little ways to her bed.
"Night…" Ray faced the ceiling and stared at it silently. He listened to the light shuffling done on the one side of his room and sighed. "Stella?"
"Mmm?"
"I need you." Moonlight caught her face, as she sat up. "What's wrong?"
"Come here." He knew he was stepping on egg-shells. Stella wasn't exactly very co-operative when she was sleepy, he learnt that on her fourth night at the Beech household when he demanded a glass of water and he got given an empty glass and an annoyed look from the half-Asian. Thankfully this night seemed different and she complied to his demand, and was at his bedside just as he asked.
"What do you want?"
"Lie down."
"Huh?"
"The bed's more comfortable than that thing."
"I'm sorry, am I hearing you right?" She was surprised and confused. Was this Ray's quirk? Asking for weird things at weird times of the night? "Ray what exactly do you -"
"I need you to check on how this Chicken Pox thing is going."
"What?"
"I haven't itched for over two hours."
"How do you know?"
"You haven't put that weird pink ointment on me."
"Oh…but can't I check tomorrow?"
"It is tomorrow Yamada."
He was frustrating. Stella inhaled deeply and knelt on the mattress beside him after he shifted and lifted his blanket up. She didn't know why she didn't turn the light on before and instead opted to just get in, but she supposed that she was simply tired and wanted to give him an answer so she could go to sleep.
Since she couldn't see if his skin was still covered with the same red blemishes, she tried to feel for a sign of them as her hand traced his arm.
The feel of her soft palm almost accustomed to his calloused skin trekked a familiar route from his forearm. There was a silence, still and unnerving as she tried to tell whether the Chicken Pox was still present. She sighed and said, "Look Ray, I can check this tomorrow, I have no idea if you still have it."
"Alright fine."
Stella was about to swing herself out of Ray's bed, but was stopped by the same arm she was holding. "Ray what are you -"
"Shut up and go to sleep."
"What?"
"Night," was all he said, as his arm seemed to automatically wrap itself around her to keep her from leaving, his other hand throwing the blanket over them.
She promised herself that as soon as he was fast asleep, she'd slip out of his bed and return to the chaise. But even as his even breathing caressed the sensitive skin of her neck and ear, the orders of her brain didn't reach the necessary parts of her body. Instead of pulling away from him, her body seemed to nestle up to him, instead of training her eyes to the darkness; her orbs were slowly shutting accustoming itself to the comfortable dusk of night.
Ray would have liked to have an excuse as to why he was currently snuggling with his so-called enemy. But truly he didn't have an answer. The only excuse he had was that he was reacting on impulse, and even that wasn't working in his favour.
Oh well. It wasn't like he was complaining.
To be continued
Hah, okay! We're almost at an end here ladies and gents. I think maybe next chapter or the chapter after that? Hmm…I can't do it longer; this is a side-project after all so it has to end before the fifteenth chapter (though that's just me). So yeah! To those who noticed Lava Springs, Albuquerque and the fact that Ray's aunt's surname is Evans, along with the idea of Sharpay and Ryan as his cousins, then congrats you noticed my mentions of Disney Channel's cliché high school love story High School Musical. Don't ask me why I did it, that was something I did on whim XD
Hope you guys enjoyed our couple acting on impulse, leave me a line to tell me what you think!
Here's to the amazing supporters of this story, you guys rock!
Princesakarlita411: Thanks!
SaguaroCactus: I'm glad you like Izzy!
Lizzy Awkward Turtle: Let's face it; everyone's baby pictures are pretty embarrassing...
Everybodyelse027: Sorry about that! Hope you liked the chapter!
Lemonademouthluver: Yay you liked it! And yes, we're almost there...
Christian Sunday Valentina: Hope it was worth the wait!
iStoleYourBlueMoonIceCream: Spiking a drink means putting alcohol it in without the other person knowing, which in essence is trying to drug them. It's very dangerous for the person as spiking a drink requires a LOT of alcohol.
Xbrowneyesx13: Glad you like it!
Booklover1995: Glad you're enjoying it!
A super thanks to all the reviewers of past chapters for getting me all the way to 99 reviews, you guys rock!
Lavender