She's nominated for an award. Her first award, to be exact.

Best Breakout Artist of 2014. Teen Choice Awards.

It's a big deal to her and everyone knows that.

"Austin, you're going to be there, right?" she asks, a hopeful gleam in her eye.

"Of course I will. I promise," he smiles. "I know how important it is to you. And I'll be cheering you on when they announce your win. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

And Ally's excited because her three best friends would be there to cheer her on, even if she didn't win, which she didn't expect to.

"Thanks, Austin," she smiles bashfully, as she throws her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

[page breaks here]

She's walking down the red carpet, stopping for a few photos and an interview here and there.

Dez and Trish are inside, patiently waiting for her to return.

And Austin... She didn't know where he was. And she's worried, but she keeps smiling.

He said he wouldn't miss it. And he wouldn't.

Right?

"Ally!" a reporter calls to her, making her head turn. "Where's your other half?"

She blushes. "He's here somewhere, right?" Her words come off as a joke, but she was really beginning to question it.

The brunette smooths out her yellow dress and continues to amble down the carpet.

"Miss Dawson!" another reporter yells out, snapping a photo. "Take a photo with Miss Pope, please!"

And she graciously stands with the other brunette singer, Cassadee.

If this were any other time, she would feel starstruck, but she is preoccupied with thoughts of Austin, hoping to hear a reporter call out his name at any second.

And she hopes to see his "baby, I'm right here" smile, so she keeps her brown eyes locked on the entrance to the carpet.

She makes small conversation with Cassadee while impatiently awaiting Austin's anticipated arrival.

"How are you doing, though?" Cassadee asks, a smile on her face, noticing the pained expression on Ally's face.

And Ally's mind races.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," his words echo in her head.

"I'm good," she lies. "What about you? How's the album doing?"

[page breaks here]

She was now sitting in her seat; Trish and Dez were to the left of her and to the right was an empty seat.

Demi Lovato wins an award that Ally didn't catch, but she claps anyway, a nervous feeling filling the pits of her stomach.

And she feels so stupid.

She was wearing a yellow dress, Austin's favorite color, heels that made her want to amputate her feet, lipstick that she didn't even know if it looked attractive, and a necklace Austin had bought here for her sixteenth birthday, two years ago.

She had made sure she looked perfect to impress a certain blonde.

But here she was with no one to impress.

[page breaks here]

She looks around the room, seeing the crowd, even Trish and Dez, laughing at the antics of the hosts, Lucy Hale and Adam Levine.

And normally, she'd be hanging onto every word that the male singer spoke, because, heck, he's Adam Levine.

If Trish didn't nudge her in the ribs, she would barely notice the actual words leaving the singer's mouth.

"And best new breakout artist of 2014 is..." Adam opens the envelope carefully. He reads the name and smiles. "Ally Dawson!"

Her friends scream and shout, as promised. And she smiles, making her way into the aisle.

But she looks around. Austin is still absent. And in that moment, she knows. She knows he's not coming.

[page breaks here]

The show is ending and the hosts are saying their thanks and introducing Danielle Bradbery as the closing act.

But before Danielle's song can even start, Ally bolts out of her seat and out of the auditorium, desperate to be alone.

Desperate for Austin.

Because he promised.

But it's not long before she hears feet coming after her.

"Ally!" Dez yells, grabbing her tiny wrist. He sees the tears pouring down her face. "What's wrong?"

And Trish is looking at the scene in front of her with a look of horror on her face.

And Ally breaks. The wall she had been holding up all night finally cracks.

The sobs come out heavily. "He said he'd be here," she chokes out, throwing herself into her red headed best friend's chest as he hugs her.

Neither Trish nor Dez say a word, because what could they say? Austin promised.

[page breaks here]

Ally sits in a seat at an after party she was invited to hours before. And she should be stoked because it was Adam Levine's after party. And he invited her personally.

But Austin still wasn't there and that's all she was worried about.

"Ally Dawson, right?" a voice says.

She looks up, her eyes widening at the man in front of her. "Correct," she nods hastily. "Adam Levine, right?"

He nods. "You would be correct. Congratulations on the win, by the way."

She smiles shyly. "Thank you. Really. It means a lot."

And Adam laughs at her modesty and continues to make conversation with the teenager.

It's not long before he takes a sip of his drinks and gives her a look. "So, where's Austin Moon at tonight? I thought he'd be here."

And it's like her vocal cords shut down, but that's okay, she guesses. Because she had no idea where he was.

She shrugs and changes the subject.

Because she knows he's not coming.

[page breaks here]

It's almost an hour after her conversation with Adam when she cracks again.

She's sitting on a couch she doesn't recognize with faces that she does recognize staring at her, confused.

But Trish and Dez look on to her sadly, not knowing the right words. Because even they know. They know he's not coming.

Regardless, Dez walks over and plops on the couch next to his best friend, putting his arm around her comfortingly, letting her cry.

And Trish walks over, rubbing Ally's back soothingly. "It's okay, Ally."

And Ally picks her head up, rubbing her eyes. "What are you supposed to do when... the person who means the most to you is the one who doesn't show up?"

And they don't answer. Because they don't know what she's meant to do.
Because he promised.

[page breaks here]

And she's still wearing her yellow dress and her lipstick and she stops crying long enough to converse again.

People are smiling and telling her "congratulations" and hugging her. And other artists who she had yet to meet before now are praising and she smiles.

She takes one last look around the party before she leaves, because despite being happy for herself and having fun, something is missing.

Austin.

Because he said he'd be there. He promised.

But she knew he wasn't coming.

[page breaks here]

And it's not until 2am that her phone begins ringing.

She stares at the caller ID; her breathe hitches in her throat.

"Hi," she answers meekly, her voice barely a whisper.

"Hey," Austin says breathlessly. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it."

And Ally sighs. "I'm sorry too."

She hangs up.

Because she knows he isn't there.

And her heart breaks.