Hi everyone! Sorry for being late, but hey, better late than pregnant right? Anyways, I was trying to decide whether to leave you with a cliffy again, but couldn't do that to you awesome lemonade fans and reviewers! Ready to see what Stella does? Well now you can find out! Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER:I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CREATED CHARACTERS AND IMAGINATION
At a quarter till 6, Stella basically jumped out of her seat on the Flagstaff city bus, hurriedly thanked the bus driver, and ran down, the now almost deserted, strip of shopping stores. When she finally made it to the door of Magdalena's shop, she could barely hold in her disappointed cry as she saw the "CLOSED" sign hanging in the window. Stella leaned an exhausted head against the door and closed her eyes and took in a breath. When she opened her eyes she was met by a posted note on the door she hadn't seen before. It read, "Stella, look down." When she did she saw the end of a clothing garment bag underneath the door, bent down, and pulled it out. She unzipped the bag and gawked at the garment in front of her. Another posted note was attached to the dress.
"Thought you'd change your mind ;) Knock him dead honey. –Mag
Stella smiled to herself at Maggie's knowing nature, and with one piece of the puzzle in her hand, ran to meet the next bus. When she boarded she pulled out her phone and hesitantly texted Mo.
Get your animal tested, biohazardess beauty products and medieval torturing device called a curling iron ready. I'm about to surrender into becoming the sexist male fantasy of a Barbie doll. I want Lucy Lui NOT Memoir of a Geisha! Capiche?
-100%BA
Stella could almost hear the squeal in Mo's voice.
EEEEEPPPPPPPPPPP! I knew under all that talk you wanted to be a girl! I'll go buy more body glitter! See you in 10!
-HindiGoddessA+
Stella rolled her eyes. What had she gotten herself into?
"I like it like that! Hey windows down, chillin' with the radio on. I like it like that!
Damn, sun's so hot, make the girls take it all off!" the male side of Lemonade Mouth sang loudly along with their former (and still on and off) enemy Ray Beech, as they cruised down the busy streets of Flagstaff. The suburban neighborhoods were flooded with Mesa High students taking cheesy pictures outside their houses, and their parents giving them the annoyingly long lecture about driving safely and being home before 11. However, half those students were zipping past our favorite characters faster than a bat out of hell.
"Come on Pickett, you can't drive any faster?" Ray questioned.
"I would if this was the vintage Camaro we were supposed to take, instead of Bob's Rental Mini Vans." Scott glared at Charlie from the rear view mirror. Charlie sheepishly shrank his shoulders.
"Can't we just let this go? I said I was sorry like 100 times!" Charlie said exasperated.
"Well I would forget it if I wasn't about to pick up my girlfriend in a car that looks like I'm on the camera crew for To Catch a Predator." Wen said from next to Charlie.
"You bled in my car, and now this. One more strike Delgado and you're the one who's gonna get Delgado-d." Ray said with a serious tone but with a smirk playing on his face.
"He looks like he's already been Delgado-d. What's up with that 1980's jacket? Who are you, the wedding singer?" Scott joked at Charlie. All the boys in the car laughed, except for the target.
"I make it look bad ass since I'm a drum god. And what are you laughing at Wen? Forget to change out of your pajama pants?" Charlie teased punching Wen's leg that was covered with his interesting fashion choice. Wen slapped Charlie on the back of the head, and they ensued in one of their infamous wrestling matches.
"Knock it off back their girls! I don't want people driving by to think Wen is beating up a girl. Delgado you gotta get a haircut." Ray stated. As soon as Wen let him out of a choke hold, Charlie slicked back his hair.
"Don't be jealous because the girls don't want to run their fingers through your bleach blonde, porcupine-spiked mess." He said cockily putting his hands behind his head. Ray turned around in his seat.
"What did you just say to me?" He spoke intimidatingly, with a glare cold as Alaska. Charlie got those familiar goose bumps of fear and his mouth went dry.
"Um…Uh… I didn't mean-" As he stuttered Ray began to laugh.
"Hah, still got you scared Delgado. Bad ass drum god my foot." Ray laughed as the rest of the car joined in; accept for Charlie who took a sigh of relief and a sigh of embarrassment.
"Why is it always me?" He said, just as they pulled into Mo's driveway. The boys exited the car and walked up to ring the doorbell of the Banjaree's home. All the boys except for Ray were busy fixing themselves.
"What are you a bunch of teenage chicks? You see these girls every day. Today is no different just because they have poufy dresses on." Ray rolled his eyes. The door swung open and they were met face to face with Mr. Banjaree. Scott gulped, as he was hoping it was Mrs. Banjaree: she was nicer.
"Hello Mr. Banjaree, it's lovely to see you this evening." Scott said with a strained smile as Mr. Banjaree just stared him down, not uttering a word. This created an awkward silence.
"Is Mo ready?" He asked trying to relieve tension. No such luck. Then with perfect timing, Mrs. Banjaree came behind her husband.
"Oh Scott, boys! How good to see you! Rajesh, why do you have them standing out there? Come on in boys!" she greeted ushering them in, her Indian hospitality compensating for Mr. Banjaree's clear distain for boys in his household.
"Thank you Mrs. Banjaree." Scott said cautiously walking past Mr. Banjaree.
"Way to lose your balls Pickett." Ray whispered to him with a smirk.
"Shut up Beech." Was all Scott could muster in his own defense. When they came in the house, they were met by Olivia's grandmother, Stella's mom, and Sydney (A/N, Wen's step mom if any of you forgot ).
"Ray sweetheart, how are you?" Mrs. Yamada greeted as she gave Ray a big hug. If Ray's mother was bad with overly loving Stella, Mrs. Yamada was just as bad, if not, worse.
"Good Mrs. Yamada. How's my Stel dealing with all this girliness?" He asked putting his hands in the pockets of his suit pants, as Mrs. Yamada smiled at the sweet possessive pronoun "my" in front of her daughter's name.
"Complaining, kicking, and screaming. The usual." Mrs. Yamada smiled, as Ray nodded in agreement.
"She wouldn't be Stella if she didn't. You would think I was making her hit herself with a baseball bat when I asked her to this dance. She's not very happy about 'conforming'." Ray said gesturing quotation marks. Mrs. Yamada laughed.
"Very true. But I think tonight, you'll be pleasantly surprised by how she's gotten on board." She said sneakily as Ray got a suspicious feeling.
"Is that why she acted really strange after she left my house today? One minute we're-" he paused as he realized he was talking to her mother. "…talking, and the next she bolting out the door."
"You know what they say about us girls Ray; can't live with us, can't live without us." She said with a knowing smile as she left him mentally scratching his head.
"Oh you're beautiful!" Ray heard Mrs. Banjaree gush as Mo came down the staircase, smiling widely as she beamed in her pink and black floral strapless, belted dress with pink high heeled wedges. She wore small dangling black earrings and a pink hair band with a bow to hold her dark black tresses back neatly. Scott was smiling sweetly as she met him at the end of the stairs, after her mother performed a photo-shoot with her flashing camera.
"You're stunning." He said as he slipped the small pastel hibiscus flower corsage on her wrist.
"Thank you." She said and kissed his cheek as she heard her father growl slightly. Mo pulled away and blushed from the protective gaze her father had and the way Scott gulped in fear.
"Your turn Liv!" Mo yelled trying to get the attention off her. Olivia then came down the stairs, as she looked adorable in her knee length charming cream one shoulder pleated dress, with beige, sparling flats that were adorned with a bow. She wore dream catcher feather earrings, small bangle bracelets, and her blonde hair was swept into a whimsical high ponytail. In Olivia fashion, she blushed as Wen stared at her and mouth agape as if he was to drool at any time.
"Don't hold back Gifford." Ray said as he was leaning on the Banjaree's buffet table with a comfortable and impatient attitude, as he anxiously wanted to see Stella. Wen snapped out of it, as he smiled at Olivia and slid on the modest white lily corsage he bought for her. He discreetly leaned in and kissed a spot on her face right next to her ear, and whispered something that was inaudible to everyone else, but meant a lot to Olivia as she bit her lip and got a little teary eyed. Olivia and Wen turned their attention to her Gram and Sydney as they posed for pictures.
"I'm pretty sure Ray is supposed to have a date." Scott said as he could see Ray fiddle anxiously.
"Oh yeah! You guys, I am proud to present my greatest accomplishment to date: making Stella Ayame Yamada into a girl!" Mo said formally and excitedly. "Come down Stel!" Ray got up from his comfortable position to see his girlfriend. But, all he saw was blank space. Mo and Olivia looked at one another.
"Come down Stella!" Mo yelled again. This time she was met by a, "No!" The girls got worried. Mrs. Yamada put a hand up to silence their concerns.
"Don't worry, she's fine. I'm just going to talk to her for a minute." She said and made her way up the stairs. When she reached the top, she saw Stella sitting on the sink in Mo's bathroom.
"Stella sweetheart, what's the matter?" her mother asked. Stella was breathing heavy.
"I can't go down there." She said hoarsely, as if she had just taken a run.
"Why? You were so excited 10 minutes ago."
"That's before the doorbell rang." Stella said. She then looked down at her hands. "I'm afraid of what he's going to say." Mrs. Yamada was shocked by 1), her daughter being afraid of something, and 2), afraid of what a boy thinks no less.
"Honey, Ray is going to think you look gorgeous." She reassured putting Stella's hands in hers.
"But mom, you don't know Ray like I do. He has a smart remark for everything, and can't pay me a compliment without a wise crack afterwards. Granted, sarcasm is one of the reasons we get along, but tonight I don't want a sarcastic remark, I want-" She cut herself short embarrassed and unsure. Her mother sighed.
"Stella, you make a big deal of not being one of the girls, but sometimes, you just want to be a girl. You know why?" Her mother said lifting her chin. "Because believe it or not: you are one. Nothing wrong with that, or wanting your boyfriend to tell you you're beautiful." Mrs. Yamada gave a reassuring smile. Stella nodded still looking insecure.
"Now get up and turn around." Stella listened to her mother and was met by her own reflection in the mirror. Her mom wrapped her arms around her daughter's shoulders and put her head next to hers.
"I see a confident, beautiful, determined, young woman, who tonight, is going to have an amazing time, and get her Pretty Woman moment. Except for the whole hooker thing, because your father would not be happy about that." Stella laughed, feeling much better.
"Why are you so awesome?" Stella asked her mother.
"You had to get it from somewhere." Her mom concededly joked, and Stella turned around and hugged her.
"Are we ready now?" Her mom asked her. Stella took a deep breath and nodded yes. Her mom gave her one more excited smile. When she left, Stella smoothed down her dress and fixed her hair. 'Now or never', she thought to herself.
"Third time a charm Stella?" She heard Mo yell for her. With that as her cue, she took to the stairs, and hoped on her life that she received the reaction from her emotion-avoiding boyfriend.
Ray Beech had been speechless 3 times in his life. 1), when he had his jaw wired shut after Nana kicked a soccer ball into his face. 2), when his father chewed him out for not being the MVP of the year against Tommy Delgado. And 3), when his dad hugged him when he was chosen for the soccer program in the UK. But on this dark summer night at the Banjaree's house, Stella Yamada became speechless moment number four. When Stella came down the stairs, he was expecting a simple dress she had bought or borrowed from someone and Converse sneakers. But she came cautiously down the stairs, averting his eyes, as his were glued to her. She shined in a slightly above the knee gold sequin tunic strapless mini dress that hugged her body perfectly. On her, it was not costume-y and too much, but made her olive skin tone glow. She wore matching golden-bronze ankle strap pumps with a moderately small heel; as she would topple over otherwise. Her finger nails stayed true to her edgy personality as they had her signature black nail polish, and her middle finger was decorated with a small golden winged ring. Her right wrist held a golden bracelet with a peacock feather design center and from her ears dangled the emerald earrings Magdalena presented her. Her black silky locks were loosely curled and her blonde highlighted bangs were swept to the side in a deep curl. Ray's face spoke volumes to Stella as words were not his strong soot at the present moment. His speechlessness gave her the mixed message of did he or didn't he like it?
"Oh Stella, you're a sight!" Mrs. Banjaree gushed again snapping another picture.
"A true rock goddess!" Olivia's Gram said as Olivia gave her a weird look for her usage of "rock goddess". Stella smiled shyly at the sudden attention.
"Who would've thought that my Halo partner could be so smoking hot?" Charlie complimented.
"Yeah, you look great Stel." Wen said his arm around Olivia's shoulders.
"Thanks guys." Stella said. Then she looked at Ray, who in front of her still hadn't spoken a word.
"Ray? Say something." She pressed. He gave her a look up and down and tried to form words.
"Um- you look- it's very- I mean it's really-nice." Ray closed his eyes and mentally slapped himself for sounding so lame and stupid. Stella was a little disappointed with his statement.
"Oh. Thanks." She said looking down at her hands. It became awkward between the two and Wen slapped Ray's shoulder.
"Give her the flower dude." Ray jumped at the chance to ease the tension. He pulled out a purple calla lily corsage.
"I thought you were wearing a darker dress, so it doesn't match now but- it's your favorite flower so I thought…" He trailed off as he slipped it on. Stella nodded.
"It is. Thank you." She said searching his face for more of an emotional reaction. But all she got was him avoiding her eye. She felt that familiar insecurity arise again.
"Enough chit chat, we're gonna be late!" Charlie said in classic Charlie fashion.
"Okay, one group picture and you can go!" Said Mrs. Banjaree, and they all squeezed in and smiled, Stella's and Ray's being strained after their disappointing moment. After the picture they all headed out to the car as their parents said goodbye. Scott pulled Ray aside.
"'Nice'? Really dude?"
"I know, I know! But I wasn't expecting her to look like-" He paused and gestured with his hand to her as she walked to the van with Charlie. "That!"
"Well now she thinks you think she's ugly, so you got a lot of ass kissing to do in the car."
"Like I don't know that Pickett." Ray said irritated and walked to the car. Scott smirked. "And I'm the one who lost my balls." As they all piled into the van, Scott turned up the music and made their way to the dance.
"Not to be ungrateful, but what's up with the stalker van?" Mo asked. Wen just shook his head.
"Long story."
"Well at least we're in it together." Olivia said and kissed Wen's cheek.
"You two are just disgusting cute." Mo said with a laugh. The light mood surrounded everyone but Ray and Stella, who sat next to one another not talking, as Stella's arms were crossed tightly across her chest out of anger and frustration. Ray was squirming from the tension and tried to begin his ass kissing.
"Your hair smells nice." Ray said and Stella just looked at him like he was high. Ray wanted to jump out of the car. "Your hair smells nice? What is wrong with me?" He thought.
"Thanks." She said coarsely and turned away to look out the window again.
"And the dress too, it's nice. My mom wants me to send her pictures. I think she's making a baby book for our kids." Ray joked as Stella made no comment and didn't bother this time to look at him.
"Stella, I'm trying to pay you a compliment, you could at least look at me." Ray said growing annoyed with her ignoring him, and his plan to ass kiss waning. Stella sharply turned her head to look at him.
"Pay me a compliment? Pay me a compliment!" She about screeched. Olivia rolled her eyes.
"Here they go." She muttered as the rest of the car grew quite from the couple's inevitable squabbling.
"You have some nerve Beech! I should have known better to think you were capable of being a decent human being." Stella said. Ray tried to stop her.
"Stella-"
"I could have easily thrown on some ugly black frock and not give a rat's butt about tonight. But I go through all the unnecessary trouble of plucking, primping, and pushing everything on my body up to try and please you, and all I get is a 'nice'? Could you have at least acted like I'm your girlfriend for a minute and pretend like you care or find me remotely attractive?" She said, her voice on the verge of rage and crying; something she didn't do often.
"Stella please-" Ray tried to get her to stop talking.
"I was praying that you wouldn't say anything rude or sarcastic and make me feel like an idiot, but believe me- speechlessness is worse." Stella just shook her head and tried to hide her face. "I'm such an idiot." Suddenly the van stopped and they were in front of the school.
"I'm going to get out of this car before blood is shed." Charlie said as the others followed. Stella tried to exit the car but Ray stopped her hand.
"Stella, listen to me."
"No." she said and tried to pull the door knob again.
"Stella, stop being so damn stubborn and listen!"
"No!" She said and pried his fingers from hers and jumped out the car. She tried to walk away but Ray was too fast and caught her roughly by her waist and thrusted her body into his as her breath hitched from the sudden closeness of him. She then felt his lips touch her ear as he whispered a needed message.
"You're breath-taking." She heard. "I'm so sorry it took so long to tell you." He said. He pulled back his head to look into her eyes. She could see the honesty and passion in his seaside orbs.
"Really?" She asked wanting reassurance. Ray swept a piece of her blonde hair out of her face.
"When I was speechless, it was a good speechlessness. You're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen." Stella was expecting the punch line about how many girls he's been with, but she wasn't met with one. It was just a genuine compliment. Stella's heart swelled up. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his chest (even with heels he was taller than her). Ray reciprocated and then pulled back and caressed the side of her face with his palm.
"Now can we please act like we like each other and show Mesa high who the best couple is around here?" He said with a smirk and she simply nodded, actually not wanting to leave his warmth. Ray pressed his lips to hers and she depend the kiss by pulling his body closer and parting her lips to allow Ray to French kiss her. Ray was holding Stella by her waist with one hand and by the nape of her neck as his fingers played with her curled dark hair. She was equally as infatuated with his hair as well, running her fingers through his, as he gently sucked on her bottom lip. Ray was losing himself in their embrace and pulled away reluctantly laughing, but not before placing a small lingering peck on her lips.
"What do you do to me woman?" He said as Stella put her small hand into his, entwining their fingers.
"That's a conversation for a more private place." She winked. "For now, I want to wreak havoc under Brennigan's supervision." Ray laughed leading her into the school.
"Glad I don't mess with a trouble maker like you."
Well that was a roller coaster ride! What's next? Don't worry, the story isn't over yet, some major stuff is about to go down at the dance! Brennigan trouble? A fight? Maybe a performance? Violent illness? You will find out soon! For now, that blue review button waits for you! Let me know what you think, your awesome!
Allure xoxo