Alright, this one-shot is different from anything than I've ever written. It's an Auslly story, and I hope you enjoy it.
"Ally?" Austin yelled out for his girlfriend, his right foot on the first step of the stairs. He eyed the practice room door, wondering why it was closed. The store sign was flipped over to 'open', so why wasn't she looking over the store. "Als?" He called once more. There was no response.
Without thinking, Austin ran upstairs and basically barged into the practice room, not caring if Ally was busy or not. But as soon as he was in, his heart shattered into a million little pieces. Right in front of him sat Ally Dawson, his girlfriend who was balling her eyes out. He immediately lowered down to her level and wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. He didn't question why she was crying, he just wanted her to stop.
"Shh, you're okay." He whispered, kissing the side of her head. Ally just clutched onto him for dear life, as if he would disappear if she let go. "Just try to calm down, okay?" He murmured into her hair.
"Why me?" She cried, tears continuously rolling down her cheeks. Her tears were wetting his shirt, but he didn't care. He just wanted the love of his life to stop crying.
After what seemed like hours, the fragile brunette was finally able to calm herself down and relinquish her tears. Without uttering a word, she stood up and walked out of the practice room, Austin right behind her. He was sure that she would stop walking once she reached the bottom of the stairs, but he was proven wrong when she suddenly ran out of the store. He could faintly hear the sobs escaping her mouth as she did so, making him frown.
"Um, what's wrong with Ally?" Trish asked, entering the store with the crazy red head. The look of concern was almost immediately replaced with a look of anger. "What did you do to her, Moon?"
"Nothing!" The blonde shouted, throwing his hands up. "I came to take her out for a surprise lunch, but I found her crying in the practice room. I have no clue what happened because she just ran out!"
"Did you two get in a fight?" Dez questioned, pulling out a turkey leg from his bag. He took a bite and smiled. "Yum."
Austin looked at his best friend like he was crazy, before frantically shaking his head. "We didn't have a fight, Dez. We're fine, perfect even. I have no clue what's going on." He was so confused. Why would Ally be crying? And why wouldn't she tell him. They had been dating for four years, she should be able to tell him everything. They started dating at the age of eighteen, and they were now twenty-two.
"Uh, guys." Trish spoke, her voice a tad shaky. Both boys turned to the Latina, who had been on her phone for the past few moments. Her eyes were wide, her bottom lip wedged between her teeth.
"Trish, what's wrong?" Austin asked worriedly.
Shocking both boys, Trish's eyes filled with tears. She was never one to cry, and they couldn't even remember the last time she did. She was supposed to be the tough one in the group. The one that rarely got emotional.
"I think I know what's wrong with Ally." She murmured.
"What?" They both chorused.
"This." With a flick of the wrist, Trish turned her phone so the screen was facing Austin and Dez. Both their eyes widened when they saw what Trish was looking at.
It was a Tweeter account made for Ally. A hate account.
Austin's hands immediately clenched into fists, and his jaw clenched shut. He was grinding his teeth so hard that he swore they would start breaking. Although Dez was known to be crazy and cooky, even the red head looked pissed. His face was matching his hair, and it was obvious that he was angry. Why on earth would someone make a hate account for Ally Dawson? The sweetest and kindest person in the world?
"Who the fuck is this person?" Austin growled. Austin was used to receiving hate that was directed at him, but he had never witnessed Ally getting hate. He was used to it, Ally wasn't.
"I don't know." Trish replied weakly, tucking her phone back in her pocket. "But I think you should go find Ally before she does something she'll regret."
"What do you mean?" Austin questioned, confused.
Trish sighed and ran a hand through her curly hair. She never imagined telling Ally's secret, but she was left with no choice. She was looking out for her best friend.
"When we were ten," Trish began, the tears already forming in her eyes. "Ally's mom was killed in a car crash. A-Ally was in the car, but since the driver's side was hit and Ally was on the passenger side, she walked away with a few cuts and bruises."
"And her mom?" Austin asked quietly.
"She died on impact." Trish let a tear slip. "Ally watched her mom die."
Austin and Dez couldn't help but gasp. Out of all the years they had known Ally, they never knew this information.
"Her dad was distant after the accident, and he always spent his time at the store." Trish continued. She let out a sob, the weight of what she was about to tell her friends crashing down. "She attempted suicide a month after the accident."
Time seemed to freeze for the trio. Trish had never told anyone this, and Austin and Dez never thought they would hear this. They just couldn't believe that Ally would try to commit suicide.
"What happened?" Austin managed to choke out. He wasn't even going to try and hide the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. He didn't care if crying made him less of a man.
Trish swallowed the lump in her throat. "She was admitted into the hospital and placed under suicide watch."
Dez, who had been quiet this entire time finally spoke up. "How did she...?" He trailed off, not able to formulate the right words.
"She took a bunch of pain meds." The Latina replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "She tried to overdose."
Not wanting to hear anymore, Austin bolted out of the store and ran to his girlfriends apartment.
Please don't do anything stupid.
"Ally!" Austin yelled, storming into the brunette's apartment. He couldn't be more grateful that she had given him a key when she moved in last year. "Als, please answer me!" He begged. When he received no response, he ran straight for her bedroom. He almost collapsed in relief when he saw his girlfriend curled up in a ball on her bed. She was shaking, sobs escaping her mouth, but she looked unharmed. That's what mattered to Austin the most. He wouldn't know what to do with himself if she tried to do what she did at ten years old. He shuddered at the thought.
"Als, talk to me." He murmured softly, climbing into bed next to her. Instead of lying down, he sat up and leaned against the headboard, pulling Ally's small body into his arms. More sobs was his response. "I know you saw the account, but you can't let it get to you." He hated seeing her like this. It made him want wrap his hands around the neck of the idiot who created the account.
"That wasn't the first one." Ally whimpered, her breathing uneven. Austin's breath hitched in his throat. "I want it to stop." She buried her face in his chest, and he tightened his grip on her.
"I know." He whispered, running his fingers through her hair. "I'll find the people who made those accounts and put a stop to them."
"It won't help!" She cried, jumping out of Austin's arms. "I've seen dozens of these accounts! You won't be able to shut all of them down!" Ally felt like she was on the verge of having a panic attack. She had been harboring the secret of these hate accounts for the past month, but she could no longer handle the hate. Today was the day she cracked. Once the water works started, they wouldn't stop.
"Ally, you need to try and calm down, okay?" Austin told his girlfriend softly. No longer on the bed, Austin stepped forward and cupped Ally's face in his hands. "Just breathe, Als." Resting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and rubbed soothing circles on her cheeks with his thumbs. He knew he had to calm her down before she started hyperventilating.
Minutes passed, the couple still frozen in their spot, and Ally was no longer crying. Her cheeks were still wet, but no fresh tears were appearing. Although her breathing was still slightly uneven, she seemed to have calmed down almost fully.
"Better?" Austin asked softly, his eyes staring intently into the brunette's. Ally nodded, then wrapped her arms tightly around Austin's waist. Austin immediately threw his arms over her shoulders, bringing her closer. "You have to ignore those idiots out there, Als." He murmured, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"It's hard." She croaked, her voice raspy from crying. Leaning back, she looked up at her boyfriend. "Why would people make hate accounts for me? What did I ever do to them?" Tears began to pool in her eyes once more, but Austin shook his head and kissed her forehead softly.
"No more tears, okay?" When one escaped, he lovingly brushed it away with his thumb. "And you've done nothing to them, Als. They're all a bunch of jealous idiots who have nothing better to do. I know this is hard, but you have to try to ignore them. That's all you have to do."
"I can't just ignore them, Austin." She told him.
"Yes you can." He said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "When I first got hate, do you remember what you told me?"
She slowly nodded her head. "Forget the hate, 'cause you're great."
Austin let out a small chuckle. "I thought it was really cheesy when you first said it, but I learned to love it. It helped me get through that tough time in my life."
"But you're a stronger person than I am."
Austin shook his head. "That's not true and you know it. You are one of the strongest people I know, Ally. Showing these haters that you don't care what they say proves that."
"But I do care." She sat down on the edge of her bed, Austin taking the spot next to her. She stared down at her hands, not able to look at Austin. "I know I shouldn't, but the hate gets to me. I always knew this career would come with hate, but I never expected so much."
"No one does." Austin confirmed. "It sucks, I know, but the only thing we can do is ignore it."
"Easy for you to say." Ally grumbled.
"It's not easy, Ally." He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. "Ignoring it is probably the hardest thing to do, but it has to be done. If you don't, you're miserable all the time. You remember how I was, right? I would lock myself up in my room and not come out. But you got through me, Als. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be where I am today."
"You're making me sound like a super hero."
Austin brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, his eyes never leaving hers. "You're my super hero."
The brunette who had a frown plastered on her face all day finally cracked a smile. "You're a dork."
The blonde full on laughed. "But I'm your dork, baby."
The crack of a smile on Ally's face turned into a full blown smile, causing Austin to match. "There's that smile I love so much." Austin murmured, kissing her forehead.
Ally wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. "Thanks for making me feel better."
"Anytime, Als." He pressed his lips on the top of her head, letting them linger there for a few moments. "I just have one question?" Ally hummed in response. "Why didn't you ever tell me about the hate?"
She knew he would ask this question, but that didn't mean she wanted to answer. She didn't feel like crying anymore, but that could change in the blink of an eye. She just didn't want that to happen. She was done crying. She was done giving the haters what they wanted.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Ally clenched her eyes shut and let out a breath before speaking. "I didn't want to burden you or Trish and Dez with this." She began. "I thought that if I just ignored it, that it would go away. But today...I just cracked. I couldn't hold it in anymore."
Austin had to hold back his anger so there wouldn't be a hole in the wall. "You should've come to me the second you received hate, Als. That's what I did. I talked to you, and that was the best decision I ever made." He paused, a question entering his mind that he had to ask. "H-how long has this been going on?"
Ally bit her lip to stop the tears from forming. "A month. Please don't be mad." She added quickly.
"Mad?" He questioned. "Why would I be mad? The only thing I'm mad about is the hate, Als. You should have told me as soon as it happened."
"I know." She said quietly. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long."
"You don't have to apologize, alright?" He pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "I'm here for you, Ally. Trish and Dez are here for you. You're never alone."
"Good." She murmured, a small smile on her face. "I don't know what I'd do without you guys."
"I guess it's a good thing you'll never have to find out."
So this was kind of a sad chapter, but it got happy towards the end. I know there are a lot of one-shots about the topic of hate, but I wanted to give it a shot. What do you guys think? And if anyone has ideas for other one-shots, I'll be glad to take some and write them. I just can't get enough of writing. Review, favorite, and follow! Love you, guys!