Austin Moon and Ally Dawson have been pen-pals for years. When they were both in second grade, their teachers were good friends and thought it would be a cute idea to have the kids do so. They were actually only a few cities apart. The women had gone to Teacher's College together a long time ago and kept in touch.
In Austin's class, their assignment was to each pick a number between one and twenty-six, as there were coincidentally the same number of students in his and Ally's. Austin chose five of course – it was his lucky number. How he could have a lucky number at seven years old baffled his mother, Mimi, but she didn't question him. You see Austin's birthday is May 5th. That means that he was born on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year. On that day, his favourite basketball player (who's jersey was number five) shot five baskets at the championship game. He also got five toys. It was his lucky number!
Well when Austin chose five that day, he was hoping to talk to a cool guy just like him. Someone that liked basketball and the colour orange and pancakes. But he didn't get that. His best friend Dez – a quirky individual with questionable fashion taste and equally questionable intelligence – found the perfect person to talk to. His name was Dex. Austin was jealous.
Of course he ended up being paired with this girl named Ally Dawson. She was boring. She liked school, liked pickles and her favourite colour was blue. "Did you know that blue and orange are complimentary colours?" Mimi had asked him that day after school. "That means that those are two exact opposites that fit perfectly together no matter what. Like puzzle pieces." She just wanted him to give the pen-pal thing a chance. He was reluctant, but eventually agreed.
Turns out she wasn't too bad. She liked music, too. Just like Austin. That was really the only thing they had in common, though. He was known for being fun and outgoing and laid-back. Ally liked order, rules and watching clouds. The only thing they bonded over was music.
In grade eight, six long years after their teachers assigned – and completed – the assignment, Austin and Ally were still in contact. They wrote music together over the MSN Messenger video chat. Ally was still that shy and demure girl from grade two. She still liked pickles and he was never able to convince her that orange was a much better colour to favour. But they were friends now. Dez had long since stopped talking to Dex. Turns out they were too similar, they were incompatible. Austin liked being Ally's friend, though.
Austin lived in Miami, Florida while Ally lived in Pinewood. Neither of them knew, though. Their parents told them that they had to keep that private. They didn't really know each other. It was a smart idea.
On the night of her grade eight graduation, they video chatted while she got ready, as they did on his grad night, the night after. He watched her get ready and thought she looked funny for dressing up. The Ally he knew wore floral print skirts not floor-length ball gowns. She had a little bit of makeup on, something he knew she despised, but her mother insisted. On his grad night, she watched him get ready. He was relieved his job wasn't as complicated as hers. All he had to do was get dressed in a suit and brush his hair. Admittedly, he almost killed himself by accident when he tried to put his tie on. After a giggling fit, she looked up how to properly do up a tie and she walked him through the step-by-step process.
On both nights, they wished each other good luck and congratulated each other for making it through grade eight. They shared a virtual high five and left. Ally came home right after hers because she had a special night planned with her mom and dad, while Austin went to two after-parties. He told her that he basically ate an entire bowl of salt and vinegar chips by himself. He didn't mind. She told him that her family gave her three hundred dollars. He was jealous. But she just put it away.
This is where they differ sometimes. While he would run out and spend it on video games or an endless breakfast at IHOP with Dez, she put most of it away and bought a twenty dollar iTunes gift card for music. He just laughed and shook his head at her but she didn't care.
They talked all the time during the summer.
It's three years later now, and it's a late, August day. Summer is shortly coming to a close. Austin is playing Guitar Hero by himself, trying desperately to become the master. He's close. Really close. But he needs a break. As if on cue, his laptop chimes, indicating a Skype call. He sees it's from Ally.
He connects and shuts his video game off before sitting at his desk.
"Hey Als," he says cheerily to her.
"Hey, Austin," she smiles. "What's up?"
"Not much, just playing Guitar Hero, you?"
"A lot actually, she says. "Apparently we're moving."
"Moving?" Austin exclaims. "Where?"
"Not far," she laughs. "Just a couple cities away for my Dad's work. It's weird that I'm not going to be at my old school for my senior year."
He sighs, relieved. He didn't want her going somewhere far away with a different time zone. They wouldn't be able to talk all the time. "I'm sure you'll do great, wherever you are."
She grins. "Thanks. I hope the kids are nice to me. I don't have many friends here, but the kids aren't mean at all."
"Hey, if they're mean, text me and I'll come beat them up," he laughs, half-joking.
She giggles. "Right."
"When are you moving?"
"Next week. I should be packing right now." She looks around her room, sighing.
"Go ahead," he teases, leaning back in his chair. "I won't stop you."
She rolls her eyes jokingly at him. She turns to her suitcase and her bookshelf, beginning to pack. She always loved her room. It was very sisal. Welcoming. The new house they were moving to was a little bigger and she had her own bathroom, thankfully. She didn't mind moving.
She carefully packs her picture frames and her books. She skims the pages in her songbook and places it on her desk. She hasn't written in it for a while. She should get back to it.
"Is that..." Austin says, getting closer to his screen. "The infamous songbook I've heard so much about?"
"Yes," she laughs.
"I wish I could touch it," he says, admiring it.
She plops back down at her desk. "Even if you were here, I wouldn't let you touch it."
His hand flies to his chest. "Ugh, I'm hurt," he says, feigning pain.
She giggles again before going back to her room.
Alright, this is just an idea. I have another story on the go and it sucks big time right now, because I have absolutely no inspiration. If this works out I'll TRY to update lots. Don't hold me to it. Read and review! :)