Disclaimer: Because Austin and Ally belong to Disney, I am making no money from writing this.
Senior year was the most crucial year of high school. It was the year that some kids looked forward too since elementary school, because it meant that in roughly nine months, they would graduate and be done with school forever. Those kids never dreamed that when senior year finally rolled around, they would melancholically realize that in nine short months, they would be done with school forever. Senior year was like the ending of an era and the beginning of another. It was also the year when life first walks in, slapping you across the face just to announce, "I'm here, Bitch! What'cha gonna do 'bout it?!" With adrenaline rushing through your veins, you double up your fists getting ready to fight. Only to realize that you're nowhere near ready to face the real world and end up crying in your mother's arms like a little girl.
While senior year was a lot about last homecomings, last proms, and the last time you will see your best friends every day, it also meant no goofing off because graduation was just around the corner and this was your last year to pull your grades up so colleges would actually take you seriously. Senior year also meant making some of the hardest decisions of your life; fateful decisions that your parents and friends couldn't make for you. These were decisions that would change the course of the rest of your life. First was the decision to go to college, join the navy, or try to make it on your own while working at McDonald's five hours a day, three times a week for minimum wage.
For some, the decision was an easy one because they always knew that they would go to college. Ally Dawson was one of those people. She knew from a young age that she wanted to go college, so when her senior year finally rolled around, she spent many long hours after school filling out college applications and getting letters of recommendation from her teachers. The only major decision was figuring out what to study in college.
Then there were others who had no idea what they were going to do after high school. People like Trish De la Rosa who fell asleep in class because the teacher was boring her with learning and who couldn't hold down a job for more than a day. Trish knew there was no way she was going to get into college, so she never bothered to try. Unfortunately, Trish wasn't stupid, she was just lazy. Deciding what to do after high school probably would have been so much easier if she wasn't so lazy. If one looked up the word lazy in the dictionary, they would probably find Trish's yearbook photo next to the definition.
Finally, there were the lucky few who had a jumpstart on their dreams of being a rock star. All Austin Moon wanted to do was to continue on like he was doing now, making music and memories with his best friends. He didn't need to go to college because there was nothing any lecture hall could teach him to prepare him for his career. His career was here. It was now. He was going to do exactly what he was doing now. The only difference would be, he wouldn't have to worry about his parent's grounding him for failing algebra.
After making the crucial decision of whether to go to college came another string of crucial decisions to make like where to go to college. This is what had 18 year old Ally Dawson stumped.
It was like any other Saturday. Between looking through college brochures and studying for her upcoming economics and calculus exams, Ally was working at her father's music store; which was uncharacteristically dead. There were no customers. No Trish hiding from her employers. No crazy antics of Dez. And no Austin. Her three best friends were always hanging around Sonic Boom while she was working, trying to distract her. Grateful for the quiet, Ally poured herself over the college brochures and acceptance letters lying on the counter.
This was by far her hardest decision yet.
Only one of the colleges she had been accepted to was out of state. Not wanting to be that far away from Austin or home, Ally had recycled the acceptance letter almost as soon as it arrived in the mail. Only one of the colleges was in Miami. Did she want to go there and live at home and still see Austin and Dez and Trish every day? Or did she want to go live in another city and broaden her horizons, only coming home for breaks and holidays?
Stressed out, Ally began chewing on her long, brown hair like she always tended to do when she got nervous. Setting the brochures down, she wandered over to the baby grand piano. Sitting down on the sturdy bench, Ally positioned her long fingers on the keys and began to play.
Her relationship with Austin had really taken off in the past few months. While they had practically been best friends since they were barely fifteen, their dating relationship had been a little more complicated. There was Austin's booming career. She was after all, still his songwriter. Then, there was her up and coming singing career. Life was so much simpler when she had stage fright. But, she had gotten over it and wanted to share the spotlight with Austin.
Unfortunately, Ally was beginning to realize, like many of her classmates, that after high school you stopped playing games when it came to dating and started to take it seriously. Every once in a while, a feeling, a tiny inkling of a thought would come stating that maybe it was time to break up with Austin. Of course, she didn't want to. While she had dated a few other guys, her relationship with Austin was the most serious. It got to the point where they had joked about moving in together after graduation. Only, Ally didn't know if he was joking or not.
The problem wasn't she loved him, like really loved him.
The problem was she wasn't sure if she wanted to try a long distance relationship with him or not.
"What'cha doing?"
Startled, the hair fell from her mouth and she jumped up from her seat, the song she was playing forgotten. Ally pivoted around the piano bench to see Austin Moon standing behind her.
Only it wasn't Austin.
Austin Moon played drums with corn dogs, gave her plane tickets to join him on tour. He would give up his concert to slow dance with her so she would be happy. He would also sneak out of his bedroom while he was grounded to perform for a fundraiser.
Austin Moon didn't rock back and forth on the balls of his sneaker clad feet. Austin Moon didn't shove his hands in the pockets of his jeans, while nervously biting the inside of his cheek. He didn't fiddle with whatever was in his pockets either. Austin Moon didn't get nervous.
Yet there he was, standing less than a foot away from her.
"So, I've been thinking a lot about the future lately," he admitted, lamely.
"So have I," Ally admitted.
Austin began to pace back and forth, clearly avoiding whatever he had come to say. Ally followed him with her gaze, making her dizzy as she watched him.
"Austin," she said, trying to get him to stop pacing in front of her.
"And we've been friends almost four years now," he began lamely, almost stuttering and stumbling over his words.
"Yeah. So?"
"And I know our relationship hasn't been the easiest-"
"Austin-"She interrupted him again. Still he kept on pacing.
"People love me-Us. They love us. Like our song says, "I can't do without you.""
"Austin."
"Like when you went on stage as Taylor Swift because Trish and Dez almost killed her with a pumpkin."
"Austin."
"Or the kiss when your mother returned from Africa and the song we sang."
"Austin."
"I wanted to date you. Not Kira."
"Austin."
"And-"
"Austin!" Ally exclaimed, lunging forward. Grabbing his shoulders, she exclaimed, "Stop! You're making me dizzy."
Immediately, Austin stopped what he was doing and pulled his hands from his pockets, letting them dangle at his sides. He walked past her and jumped up on top of the piano. Making himself comfortable, he planted his feet on the piano bench. Ally turned around to face him, watching his right hand slip back into his pocket to fiddle with the contents.
"And I've been thinking if Austin Moon ever needs a duet partner, it should be you."
He was smiling now. Ally wasn't.
"You want me to sing with you?" She asked slowly, letting him know she was confused.
"No!" Austin exclaimed, lunging forward to grip her shoulders now. "I want you to be my wife!"
Ally stumbled backwards in shock. She wasn't expecting Austin to propose. Not now and definitely not like this. Regaining her composure and sensibility, she tried to reason with him. "We're barely eighteen, Austin."
"So?"
"You do know what the word wife means, don't you?" Ally asked. Now it was her turn to pace, making Austin dizzy.
Austin snorted. "Of course I know what it means, Ally."
Ally continued pacing and talking. "It means you and me! Married!"
"Yeah."
"You do know what married means, don't you?"
"Why are you quizzing me on vocabulary?"
Ally sighed as she stopped pacing to face him. Instead of answering his question, the game continued. "Why are you proposing?"
"Because I love you," he replied with a goofy grin on his face. "Duh."
Ally smiled. His answer was so simply Austin. She watched him dig through his pocket again. This time, he pulled a tiny object out. Ally immediately knew it was a diamond ring.
By now, Austin looked almost desperate as he looked deep into her brown eyes. "Please Ally," he begged. "I love you and I don't want you to go away."
If she went to college, Ally knew that she would study music. But did she really need to go to school to study it? She was already giving music lessons to kids. Nelson was actually getting pretty good now that he knew the difference between and oboe and a hobo. Besides going away would mean that those kids she gave lessons too would have to find another teacher or they would quit.
She leaned in, her mind made up. "Okay. Sure. Yes."
God, she was scared.
"You will marry me?"
"Yes, Austin!"
Excited, Austin slipped the ring onto her finger before he kissed her long and hard.
Austin had unknowably helped her make the biggest decision of her life.
Now the problem was that Ally had to explain a very small but very noticeable diamond ring on her left hand and that she was foregoing college to marry a rock star.