Hello, and welcome to the rewritten version of That Cliché Love Story. For those of you who have been waiting for my return; here I am! And to those who are new to this story; hello and welcome, you're in for a long ride. Although I haven't been active in this fandom for a while now, I have decided to try writing an Auslly fanfiction, but then decided to rewrite this one. Now, please go ahead and read the first chapter of the rewritten version of That Cliché Love Story, and enjoy!
That Cliché Love Story
Chapter One
There was something Ally found peaceful about waking up in the morning with birds chirping outside and trees rustling in the early morning breeze. Maybe it was the tranquillity that Miami rarely had, considering how much of a tourist attraction the place was. Or maybe it was because Ally had a bad habit of waking up at an ungodly hour in the morning, when barely anyone would be awake.
Either way, Ally was awake at 5 AM and she was oddly calm and relaxed, a rare feeling that she savoured now that she was a senior in high school. Knowing her luck, her day was going to be ruined very soon; it was Monday, after all, and the first day of the school year.
With that thought bearing in her mind, Ally threw her blanket off and rolled out of bed ungracefully, her thin limbs tangling with the pillows that had somehow ended up on the other end of the bed. After pulling herself away from the comfort of the bed, she strolled into her bathroom, ready to get her day started with a cold, refreshing shower.
Ten minutes later, Ally was dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans and a worn-out yellow Beatles shirt. It was her father's from when he was a teenager, which she stole a few years ago when she went through a Beatles phase. It was really comfortable and she couldn't bear to part with it, despite the fact that there were some holes forming in the sleeves.
She quickly blow-dried her hair, spraying some deodorant on and putting on light makeup afterwards, not seeing the point in girls wearing so much makeup to school. It wasn't like it was a fashion show or a red carpet; it was school, a big place overflowing with hundreds of bodies with different odours and stenches. Sure, you have the freedom to wear however much makeup you wanted, but there is a time and a place. Was school really the time and place for all of that lipstick and eyeshadow?
Ally quickly shook the thoughts out of her head, watching the clock turn to 5:30 before she laced her beloved wedged boots up. She'd bought it at the insistence of her mother, who claimed that she would need it because she was short (thanks, Mom). Although reluctant at first, Ally immediately fell in love with it after wearing it for a day. It was comfortable and stylish, and not to mention, cheap. But, let's not ruin a lovely morning with thoughts about money and her future, after all, she had a long day that would test her patience waiting for her.
Skipping down the stairs of her small, two-storey home, Ally turned into the kitchen, barely lit by the lights filtering through the gaps between the curtains. She scrunched her nose at the sight of the dirty dishes in the sink, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and a water bottle from the fridge.
She paused at the doorway of the kitchen, debating whether she should make breakfast for her parents or not. They would be hungry after a long night at work, wouldn't they? Plus, her mother had been recently doing odd jobs, trying to earn money for Ally's education. With a determined nod, Ally spun back around and began making bacon and eggs, forgetting the fact that she was a horrible cook.
Although she burned most of the breakfast, she'd made two decent sunny-side ups and a few bacon strips that were only slightly burnt but still edible. With a proud grin, Ally raced up the stairs and knocked on her parents' door before swinging it open, seeing that her parents had stirred.
"Wakey, wakey!" She shouted, leaning against the door. "I made breakfast, and it's actually decent, so you have to eat it before it gets cold."
Penny Dawson, her dearest mother, snorted in an unladylike way. "Allison, sweetie, you shouldn't have."
"You really, really shouldn't have," her father added with a loud yawn, padding across the room and ruffling Ally's curls as he passed by her to go downstairs. Her mother laughed when Ally rolled her eyes at them, following her father to the kitchen. "Oh, wow, you didn't burn the kitchen."
"You say that like I've burnt the kitchen before."
"Oh, dear, please don't start. It's too early in the morning for this." Her mother mumbled as she sat down at the table. Ally watched her parents eat in silence, smiling when they complimented on the fact that she didn't burn the bacon this time. When her phone buzzed to remind her that she had to go to school soon, she began to wash up the dirty dishes from the past few nights that her parents were often too tired to do.
"You should go, we'll wash the dishes," her mother said as Ally turned on the tap. Her father choked on the piece of bacon in his mouth, raising an eyebrow at his wife. She merely glared at him, smiling when he nodded in agreement.
Ally snorted under her breath, watching the exchange. "Forget about it, my hands are already wet anyway. You just enjoy your breakfast." It didn't take her long for her wash the dishes, maybe five or ten minutes at most. By the time she finished, her parents were almost done with their breakfast and coffee. After drying her hands, Ally stuffed her phone in her back pocket and grabbed her apple and water. "Okay, I'm gonna head to school. Don't want to be late."
Her father scoffed, "you have a whole hour left. I'll drop you off this morning if you want."
"No, it's okay. I'm gonna walk to school today," she pecked her parents on the cheeks before heading upstairs to grab her school bag, books and a jacket. After studying her room to see if she left anything, she closed her bedroom door and jogged downstairs. "Mum, dad, I'm leaving now!"
"Alright, see you this afternoon!" Her dad replied before sticking his head out the kitchen door, "do you want some lunch money, sweetheart?"
Ally shook her head in response before waving goodbye and leaving the house. The sun had risen and it was beginning to warm outside, but there was still evidence of last night's rain on the ground and the road. Shrugging on her denim jacket to fight off the cold breeze, Ally began to make her way to Marino High School - or, as she prefers to call it, Hell.
Just as she plugged her earphones into her phone, she heard the sound of a motorcycle rumble into life. She paused at the corner of the street, her heart picking up at the sound; there was only one person who owned a motorcycle on her street and he shouldn't be up until, at most, five minutes before the bell time.
So, why the hell was he up now? She wondered, watching the familiar black and red motorcycle head down the street, it's rider helmetless as per usual. With a roll of her eyes, she returned back to walking to school, turning her music up loudly in her earphones. Whatever, I don't care.
Ally froze a few seconds later, realising that the motorcycle hadn't passed her yet. With a sigh of both annoyance and fear, she turned around, barely containing herself from jumping back in shock. "What the fuck, Moon?" She asked instead, heart racing when she realised that the motorcycle had stopped directly next to her on the road. "Can you not sneak up on me like that?"
"Sorry," the blonde replied, a smirk tugging on his lips. Ally raised an eyebrow, unsure of how to react to his apology. It was very rare for Austin Moon to apologise, let alone to her. As if noticing her unease, Austin chuckled. "Listen, I was hoping to catch you before you left for school, but when I turned up at your house a few minutes ago, your parents told me you already left."
Ally shrugged, hesitant in saying anything in case he had more to say. This was probably the longest conversation they'd ever had, to be honest, and she was having trouble deciding whether she wanted this to go on a bit more or whether she should just end this there and then.
Austin turned off the engine, jumping off his motorcycle and ruffling his platinum locks. "You're not gonna ask me why?"
"I'm sure you'll tell me." She responded, hoping to sound more confident than she felt.
He nodded, unbothered by what she said. "Well, I was going to ask you to do me a favour-" before he could finish his sentence, Ally had rolled her eyes and was walking away. She was a little surprised -and scared- when she felt him pull her back by the elbow; not because he did it harshly, but rather because he didn't pull her harshly. Maybe there was something wrong with him.. Austin continued, ignoring the fact that she was obviously incredibly confused about whatever this situation was. "-because I figured you'd gain more out of this than me, and you seem like the perfect candidate anyway, so-"
"Perfect candidate for what exactly?" Ally interrupted, frowning at him as she tugged her arm away.
"For being my fake-girlfriend."
If Ally was wondering if something was wrong with him before, she definitely knows there is something wrong with him now. "Are you… are you okay in the head?" She asked, tapping the side of her head softly. "Did you fall out of your bed too hard? Fall down the stairs, too?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, that's the only explanation for why you would ask such a ridiculous question to me." She growled, "why the hell would you think I'd even agree to that?"
"The prize is a thousand dollars," Austin said, leaning against his motorcycle casually, finding amusement in the way Ally's eyes widened in shock. "You can get seventy percent of it if you agree to be my fake-girlfriend and fool everyone."
Ally narrowed her brown eyes at him, crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side. "What's in it for you?"
At her question, Austin Moon gulped, avoiding her gaze. It was probably the first time she'd ever seen him so unconfident, so she savoured it, because who knew if she'd ever see him this way again. "The only thing that's in it for me is the fact that Gabrielle will be jealous of you, her popularity will go down, and she'll realise what she's lost and regret ever cheating on me."
"She cheated on you?" Ally gasped, uncrossing her arms. "Wait, you're telling me that you weren't the one who cheated on her, and that it was the other way around?"
Austin scowled at her, "I don't cheat, Dawson. If I'm in a relationship, I stay loyal until the end of the relationship. Just because I've slept with multiple girls before doesn't mean I'm a cheater." He watched Ally process his words, glancing around when the silence between them stretched further. "Look, I need you to pretend to be my fake-girlfriend because, out of everyone in the school, you're the one Gabrielle hates the most. Plus, you get $700 out of this." He watched her pace back and forth as she played with a lock of her hair. He was beginning to worry that she wouldn't agree. "If you're thinking about how long this will have to last, it's only a few months. Seven months at the very most, I swear. So, what do you say?"
Ally finally comes to a stop in front of him, resisting the urge to chew on her hair and bring back a nervous habit that she had gotten rid of a while back.
Was $700 really worth it? Well, it wasn't just the money that was part of the deal; she could make her cousin jealous and upset at the fact that she had something that Gabrielle couldn't touch. Ally wasn't the type of person who would intentionally hurt anyone, but Gabrielle Haydon wasn't just anyone. She was the Queen Bee of Marino High School, someone who was pretty and rich and abused her power over her peers by bullying them.
Finally making up her mind, Ally lifted her head and met Austin's light brown eyes with her own dark ones. "Seven months - no more, no less." She told him, resisting the urge to smile when he pumped his fist in victory. "I have a few conditions though."
"Go ahead."
"First, you can't show me off like I'm a trophy; I'm my own person and I don't belong to anyone. Second, to make this convincible, we have to act couple-ly, which means being touched by each other and lots of casual touches in front of friends and family, so you're gonna have to suck it up and deal with it. Third, no flirting with other girls or cheating. Fourth, we tell each other everything, including if Gabrielle says something to you, or if I hear someone say something, et cetera." She listed, lifting her fingers up for each one. "And last but not least, don't call me stupid pet names like 'princess' or 'angel'; stick with the basics, like babe or something."
Austin nodded, agreeing with all of Ally's statements. "Deal," he added, in case she wanted a definite response. He pushed off the red and black motorcycle, opening the compartment and pulling out a helmet. He pushed it towards her, before hopping onto his motorcycle. "Come on then, I'll give you a ride to school."
"I don't ride motorbikes," Ally responded as she shoved the helmet on, quickly adjusting the straps. "You better not go fast, or I swear to god, I'll throw up on you."
"Don't worry, princess, I'll take it slow." He smirked when Ally's eye twitched at the nickname, "alright, alright, that will be the last time I call you that. Now get on, or else we'll be late for school."
"Since when did you care about being late to school?" She asked as she climbed on behind him, hands tentatively holding onto his broad shoulders clad in leather. She didn't want to admit it, but she was beginning to get nervous; could she pull this off? Would it be believable? Would she even get a chance or would she die while riding this motorcycle? "Are you eager to tell everyone the fact that you've moved on from Gabrielle to me or something?"
"Actually," Austin's soft voice interrupted her thoughts as his hands closed around her wrists. He moved them so that her arms were wrapped around his waist, pulling her legs forward so that they were loosely behind his. "Yes, I am."
If her heart raced when he said that, she didn't notice, as her attention was on the fact that he had pulled her closer. Voluntarily. Almost instinctively. With absolutely no hesitation. She could feel her neck and face starting to heat up at the realisation.
She tightened her grip around him as he started the engine, dreading the long ride waiting for them.
(And she was not talking about the motorcycle.)
How was it? Did you enjoy it? It's only an introductory chapter, so it doesn't have a lot going on. I've made quite a few changes, so write me a review on what changes you've noticed!
Also, I know that I wrote in my previous update that I would delete all the chapters of the original version of That Cliché Love Story, but a guest reviewer requested me not to because they'd started TCLS and would like to continue, so I've decided to keep the other chapters. I will be deleting the chapters as I post it's equivalent though, so watch out.
Anyway, thank you for reading That Cliché Love Story. Please don't forget to follow, favourite and review to get updates and let me know what you think! Until next time, love from FashionLovah.