She steps up on to the stage, and the light is so bright she's momentarily blinded. Whoever thought it was a good idea to put the lights pointing not at the stage, but the performers face, must have been smoking something.
When she finally can see again, she looks out over the small crowd. She's played here before, so she knows that the dozen or so people here are as big as it gets. Yeah, it's not the best gig, but these days she'll take what she can get, and sadly, this is all she can get.
"Hi guys." She says into the mike, and her voice rings out through the small coffee shop. "If you've been here before, you probably recognize me, but if not, my name's Cassidy. Today I'll be singing a song I wrote called, We Never Even Had a Start. I hope you guys like it."
There's a small pattering of applause from the people awake enough to know what's going on before she starts singing.
;;;
He's sitting in the back corner of the coffee shop. He was a regular here – he came almost every day. The place was small and grungy and the chairs had stains on them, but the coffee was good.
Plus, the owner had a pretty good taste in music.
In fact, that was the main reason the store had eleven people – himself and the owners not included – in it, a much larger number than the usual three or four.
He watched as the next singer made her way up onto the small 'stage' that was set up. She looked to be about his age, and had straight, long blonde hair.
"Hi guys." She started, and he tunes her out. He'll start listening again when she starts singing.
As the first words of the song wash over the store, he perks up a bit. The girls' voice is clear and pretty, but it's the words that get him.
"We never got the chance to be
Anything but you and me
We never even had a start
So why do I feel like I'm falling apart
In my heart
Ooh Ooh
In my heart
Ooh Ooh"
There was something sickeningly familiar about this story the girl was telling.
"There always as that other one
Who stole away my sun
Shine
Who had you heart even though you had
Mine"
Yup. No doubt about it. This girl – Cassidy? – had gone through something similar to what he'd had happen to him.
"And I don't know
if I can stand it any longer
I went away
Absence made you fonder
I said I'd be back
You said you'd be waiting
But it was to long
For you to be staying
And when I came back
It was she you had in your arms
My heart went black
Do you know how much that harms
She was the girl you loved from the beginning
The one I could never be
That girl you love
The one that makes you sing and
I'm not her
I'm me
Ooh
I'm not her
Just me
We never even had a start
So why do I feel like I'm falling apart
In my heart
Ooh Ooh
In my heart
Ooh Ooh
And tell me did you feel a thing
A spark, some fireworks, a zing
Did you mean to lead me on"
Her voice died down, and she whispered the next part, her voice full of emotion and pain.
"Or was it an accident?"
Then her voice picked back up, rising perkier with every 'oh'.
"Oh oh oh
We never even had a start
So why do I feel like I'm falling apart
In my heart
Ooh Ooh
In my heart
Ooh Ooh
Did we even have a start?
Or was that all felt just on my part?
For even a moment did I have
A place in your heart?
Ooh Ooh
In your heart
Ooh Ooh
In your heart."
;;;
She looks down at the crowd again as the applause starts - only a bit stronger than when she first came on. A sigh escapes her lips as she smiles and waves before walking down the steps of the mock stage.
She's just gathering her stuff – and her small paycheck – when a boy who looks a little younger than her walks up to her.
"Hey." He says, and she nods at him.
"That was an awesome song." He tells her and she smiles at him, because he actually seems guanine.
"Thanks." She says, waiting for him to say more.
But he just smiles and ducks his head before leaving.
;;;
It's his sister's birthday tomorrow, and since he has a job his parents want him to buy his sister something. She's been hinting all week that she wants some Bobbie doll – he has the exact name written on his phone somewhere - that's sold only at We B Toys…
The closest location just happens to be located right beside Sonic Boom.
He kind of wants to puke at the thought of going back to that mall. Ever since he started working at the Library he's been visiting less and less, up to the point where he only goes when he has to.
And now he has to.
;;;
She was honestly not spying.
Honestly.
She just happened to be going to Melody Diner to see if she could have her old job back (She couldn't. Life's just unfair like that.), when boom! There were four out of the seven people she really didn't want to see ever.
The red headed one – she was pretty sure his name was something with a D. Dirk? Dexter? He looks way too excited, just like he did when she worked here, and Trish, her used to be co-worker, stands next to him smack his arm, starting an argument between them.
And of course, because the group is literally always together Austin Moon and Ally Dawson are with them.
She ducks into a booth and picks up a stray menu to cover her face as the group of friends slide into the booth opposite of hers. Cassidy tries not to notice how close Austin and Ally are sitting, but who the hell is she kidding? They're so squeezed together that you could fit three more people in that booth.
Austin says something to Ally in a whisper and she laughs. Trish chimes in with an, "How much more lovey-dovey could you be?" prompting the red haired boy – Dez! That was his name! – to contradict with an, "I think it's cute" causing another fight between Dez and Trish.
"Guys" Ally says, looking over at her friends with a look of amusement. "Do you always have to fight?"
Dez yells no as Trish yells yes, prompting another round of laughter from Austin and Ally.
After spending sufficient time glaring at Dez, Trish looks over to Ally and asks if she's done with some song.
Cassidy decides that right now would be a great time to sneak away. Grapping the menu and holding it over her face she sidesteps out of the building. She knows she's being silly, but honestly she doesn't care right now. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?
All the best Famous Last Words always start like that.
;;;
It's just his luck that he would end up lying on the ground in the middle of a Diner with the two people he was hoping he would never run into again staring down at him with concern.
"Oh my god!" the other person lying on the ground says, "I am so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and-"
"It's okay." He assures her, trying to pull his eyes away from Austin and Ally, who are still there looking down with concern at him.
"Dallas?" Ally finally says, her eyes lighting up with the realization. "It is you! I wasn't sure because you were lying on the ground, but…" she trails off awkwardly, but soon sparks back up. "I haven't seen you since you went to work at your mom's library! Oh gosh, stupid me, are you okay? You too!" she says, turning to the girl on the ground. "Cassidy! This is so funny! Running into both of you!"
"I'm fine. But I, um, I have to go." He says, quickly standing up and ducking out of the diner, leaving behind the bag he'd brought with him and five confused teenagers.
;;;
As soon as the boy – the same one who had come up to her after her performance a few days ago, she realizes – runs away, the four teens standing around her descend upon her like a pack of wolves.
Okay, so maybe that's a little harsh. But Ally immediately starts chatting with her ("I haven't seen you in forever, Cassidy! Not since you visited Sonic Boom after getting back from L.A.! It stinks you don't go to school with us anymore, right, Austin? We could have all hung out!") like Cassidy at one point hadn't agreed to a date with Austin, and said boy nods along with Ally like he hadn't ever begged Cassidy for that date.
In fact, all four of the teens seem to be forgetting the fact that Austin had once wanted to date her, and the awkwardness that had happened when she came to hold him up on that date just a few months ago.
Thankfully, at that moment, Mindy appeared. She honestly never thought she'd think that, but with Mindy came the group's food and Cassidy's freedom.
Right before she leaves, she notices a bag on the ground, one she can remember seeing the boy who crashed into her holding before their accident.
She picks it up. Ally had called him Dallas, and mentioned him working at a library.
Really, how hard could finding the owner be?
;;;
Damn hard.
She figured that there couldn't be that many Libraries in Miami, but there are so many. Ten, to be exact.
She's visited five so far. Ever since the number three she's been telling herself the next will be the last, just as she's doing right now as she swing open the door to Library numero six.
She walks up to the front desk, mirroring the same steps that she's done five times before, and asks the person working there – a pretty middle aged woman whose tag reads Donna – and asks her the same redundant question: "Does a boy named Dallas work here?"
But this time, instead of the fake smile and the "No, sweetie." She's been getting everywhere else, the woman pauses, looking confused.
"Yes." She says, and Cassidy nearly burst with relief. "In fact, he's my son." The woman continues. "Why?"
This was not something Cassidy was expecting to be asked, but it's not like she was doing anything wrong.
"Well, you see, ma'am," she begins, "Your son and I kind of crashed into each other – literally – at the mall, and he dropped this," she held up the bag for the woman to see, "and I wanted to return it to him."
"Oh." The woman says. "Oh! My! Well, thank you so much, dear. He's not working here today, but if you just give me that, I can make sure it gets home to him."
Cassidy's heart sinks a little, but she hands the bag over.
"thank you again, dear.' The woman says. "What's your name? So I can tell him who found it." She clarifies, and Cassidy smiles, tells the woman her name, and promptly leaves.
As she does, she hears the woman mutter, "Pretty girl. It's a shame Dallas wasn't here."
;;;
"The kindest girl visited me at the library today." His mom tells him over dinner.
"Really." He says, staring down at his chicken.
"Really." His mom deadpans, before continuing. "She brought something very important that you forgot at some diner. Something that you should be very glad she delivered today, because any later would be too late."
He gets what his mom means, and so says sarcastically, "Wow, I'm indebted."
"Yes. You should be, at least." His mom tells him, giving him the 'evil eye' over her meal. "I believe she said her name was Cassidy. Do you know her?"
"Never met her." Dallas says, but he can't help but think of the singer at the coffee shop. But then he shakes his head. I mean, what would be the luck of that?
;;;
Three days later, she finds herself back at the library.
She doesn't have a reason, not really. She just…well, she tells herself she needs some music books, maybe something on how to write better songs.
Truth is she wants to see Dallas. She's only ever said a word to him, but she feels like she has a connection with him. From what she can gather, Dallas and Ally once dated, or at least came close to it.
She's browsing in the movie isles when she sees Dallas in the next isle over, stocking up movies.
She wants to hide, all her courage suddenly gone. But then she internally slaps herself. Who is she, some wimp? She's Cassidy, and she isn't going to back down from talking to some guy just because she suddenly has the jitters.
"Hey." She says to him, and he looks up surprised. "I'm Cassidy. I gave your mom a We B Toys bag a few days ago?"
"So that was you!" he exclaims, and then immediately looks embarrassed from his outburst. "Sorry, it's just…my mom said someone named Cassidy gave it to her, but I figured it couldn't be you because what are the chances right? Heh…" He trails off, noticing that he's rambling, and she just smiles at him.
"Look, I wanted to talk to you." She says. He nods, once, twice.
"I'm off in," he looks at his watch, "thirteen minutes. I'll meet you at the teen reading area?" He asks.
"Don't be late." She says, before walking off.
;;;
He isn't late. He's early.
His mom won't notice if he quits a minute before schedule, right? I mean, what's one minute.
Anyway. He's there. She's there.
It's a real party.
"So. What did you want to talk to me about?" he asks, seeing as she obviously won't be starting the conversation.
She takes a deep breath before saying "Austin and Ally." Only it sounds like Austin&Ally and he can't tell if it's because she said it so fast or because Austin and Ally have always been Austin&Ally.
"How do you know them?" she asks, and he is knocked out of his thoughts.
He looks at her. "Do you really want to know?" And she nods. "Yes. All the details, please."
"O-okay." He begins. "I used to work at this cellphone accessory cart at the mall. And Ally had a crush on me, which she accidentally told mall over the jumbo tron. Anyway, once you know someone has a crush on you, it's hard not to take an interest, right?"
Cassidy lets out a small ha! of agreement, but doesn't offer any explanation, so he goes on.
"Anyway, I eventually started to work at her store, but then I came and worked here." He finishes.
"Did you like her? Like she liked you." Cassidy asks, and he realizes that's kind of the point.
"Yes." He whispers, and she nods.
"Austin…he worked at this Diner I worked at. And he sang me this amazing song and asked me out but I was leaving for L.A. with my band," Cassidy says, without any prompting. "And then I came back, and I went to Sonic Boom to see his…to 'redeem our date' was what I was planning on saying, and I walk in on him kissing Ally." She takes a shaky breath.
"And do you want to know what the worst part is?" she says. "They're so perfect for each other."
He nods. She continues.
"And I only knew him for a few days, but it seems like longer."
She seems to be done, so he says, "When I heard you sing at that coffee shop, it was like you had gone through exactly what I had. And you have, technically, and with the person that the person I went through it with is dating, no less.
She laughs, no longer bitter, but still with hints of hurt.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you come back? From L.A., I mean."
"My band dropped me." She says, and she realizes how damn ridiculous this sounds, her whole life like one shitty sob story.
He nods, and smiles at her, and she feels better.
;;;
She gives him her number. Speaking to him was like a really successful psychologist appointment, and she wants to do it again.
;;;
He calls her two days later, and says he's going to the coffee shop where she played, and does she want to come.
Not like a date or anything, he's quick to clarify, because neither of them are ready for that, and, obviously they only just met each other so why would they even like each other like that I mean they met because they both liked these other people and they weren't over them yet and-
She shuts him up by saying yes.
;;;
They go to the mall next. It's a week after their coffee not date and they go to the mall.
Both know that the other only wants to go to see Austin and Ally and how they interact, but neither call each other on it.
They are eating at the food court when Austin and Ally walk up. Not to them, but to the food place net to them. Austin orders for both of them, and Ally laughs and says something. Cassidy catches "god, you know me better than I know myself" and then Austin and Ally are kissing.
Cassidy turns back to Dallas, making a face, only to see Dallas making the same face. They both burst out laughing.
;;;
They've been hanging out for about a month when he asks her out – for real, totally a date asks her out.
She says yes.
They go to a movie. It's kind of a cliché first date, but the movie is awesome and they both have fun.
Neither of them think about the could haves (Austin&Ally) but they do think about the can haves (secondchances).