Trish eyed Ally warily, but followed her best friend into the practice room nonetheless.
"I just need you to grab some sheet music from the closet for me."
"And you couldn't do this yourself because...?"
It was silent for a moment, then...
"My nails!" the brunette practically shouted, sticking out a hand for emphasis. Trish automatically took a step back. "I just painted them."
"You've had that color for, like, three days now."
"Have not! Uh...this!" She wiggled her fingers, "...Is Regal Blue. Before I was wearing Royal Blue."
"Never heard of it."
"It's been a while since you last worked at the nail salon. Maybe your knowledge is a little rusty."
"Hey!"
"Trish!" Ally argued back, persistent. Her lips set in a slight pout and she changed directions, pointing to the open door mere feet away. "Could you please just look for that sheet music? You know I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important, especially when you're on a break from...er...wherever."
It was silent for a long moment before, finally, the newest Nerd Brigade Technician sighed. "Fine. But I want a smoothie after this and you're paying."
"Deal."
"I'd ask Austin, but I haven't seen him since this morning. Ten bucks says he and Dez got - " A small, familiar pair of hands shoved Trish forward. She shouted in surprise and stumbled forward, right into the supply closet's empty darkness. Then the door slammed shut.
A click sounded from the doorknob as Austin released it.
"Locked." he declared, facing his partner with a broad grin. "Now what?"
"Now," Ally pressed an ear to the door. "we listen."
Trish ran her hands across a smooth expanse of wall, cursing softly when she felt nothing else.
"Ally!" she screamed. "If you don't open this door right now I'll - "
"You'll what?"
The bare light bulb flickered on overhead, illuminating both the small room and the duo occupying it.
"Dez?"
"In the flesh. And flannel. And colorful patterned denim."
As soon as she calmed down, Trish scrutinized her companion from tousled hair to blinding neon sneakers. He was giving her one of his trademark dopey grins, one hand clasped loose around the lightswitch - which was actually a long piece of string that hung from the ceiling.
"Did you do this?"
"Nope." he answered brightly, "I'm waiting for Austin to tell me I can come out."
"Austin?" Trish repeated. Her brow furrowed as she considered this, the whole picture forming rapidly in her head. She knew exactly was was going on and, unfortunately, it was almost all her fault.
What was she thinking, talking romance with Ally Dawson of all people?
Roughly Twenty-Four Hours Earlier (Give or Take Ten Minutes)
Her new uniform was a big, gaudy frock that turned heads all over the mall.
That is, until she marched into Sonic Boom and got an eyeful of her best friend getting thoroughly smooched.
"Ahem."
Ally pulled away from Austin with a fine blush spread across her cheeks.
"Hi, Trish."
"Hey - awesome!" Without warning, Austin leapt over the counter and hurried towards Dez, who had constructed some grand contraption that may have actually been moving. Impressive, Trish could concede, though it still looked like a pile of junk and she had no clue what it was even supposed to do anyway.
"Do I even want to know?"
"Mmm." Ally hummed distractedly. She had taken to doodling in her book rather than paying attention to the conversation, lopsided hearts dancing beside stanzas of meaningful lyrics.
"Ahem."
"What?" A wayward a cymbal crashed into an instrument display, the noise effectively jolting Ally from her daze. "Oh," she bowed her head. "Sorry."
"Not like I'm surprised anymore."
Her best friend smiled. "You know, Trish, we should totally get you a date."
"And why should we do that?"
"So we can go on dates together."
"We can already do that." Trish pointed out, unimpressed with the proposition. "It would just be kind of weird."
"You know what I mean. We were planning on doing something this weekend and I'd love it if you came along, too. It could be fun."
"No offense, Ally, but yours and Austin's idea of a good time isn't exactly the same as mine."
"It's not like we're going to lock ourselves in the practice room and write all night."
"I know, I know, sometimes you like to change it up and snuggle at your house when your dad isn't home."
"Trish. Come on. What have you got to lose?"
"My dignity? Respect? My reputation as a fierce yet fabulous heartbreaker?"
"What?" Ally frowned and Trish sighed.
"It's been a while, Alls." she admitted in a low voice. "My game's totally off. I need some practice before I go on a serious boy-snagging spree."
"Practice? You mean like a - "
Both girls started as Dez suddenly appeared.
"Sorry." he nodded and swiped something off the counter before disappearing again, this time making his whereabouts known by inciting a noisy collision nearby.
"Not a problem, Dez." Ally laughed softly. A moment passed. She suddenly turned thoughtful, brow raised as she locked eyes with Trish. "Dez..."
She knew that look.
"Absolutely not."
"But - "
"Don't!"
"It's perfect - "
"It's not happening!" Her voice lowered again. "Just because Dez and I are kind of...almost sort of like friends doesn't mean that I want to date him. Especially alongside you and Lover Boy. Nuh-uh. I'd rather be locked in a closet for a day with nobody but him to keep me company."
So Trish was slightly guilty, but it's not like she actually wanted to be locked in a closet for a day with nobody but Dez to keep her company. Who does that sort of thing? And to their supposed best friend, no less?
"We'll let you out in a second!"
Speak of the brunette little she-devil.
"Finally!" Trish jiggled the doorknob impatiently while Dez pointed out (unhelpfully, if she may add) that it had only been three minutes since she entered the closet.
"If and when," Austin added, "one of you asks the other to double date with us on Saturday."
"And the other agrees."
"This is the last time I'm ever helping you with anything!"
She felt the door move while somebody on the other side surely flinched at her fist hitting the door.
"You might thank me for this someday!"
"I might also be an overnight internet sensation someday, but I doubt that'll happen either!"
"You know, that's probably not as impossible as you might think. With the right amount of editing and a really great song - "
"Shut up, Dez."
Nearly an hour later, Trish leaned against the door while Dez happily played with the string still wrapped in his fingers.
"What if we both ran at the door? At the same time, you know? I'm strong, you're big, it could work."
"Aw! Did you just say that you guys could work?"
Trish kicked at the door with her heel.
"Shut it, Ally. And let us out of here!"
"I hope I'll get to soon!"
"Ugh."
Two hours later, the beginnings of a headache were starting to pull behind Trish's eyes. She scrubbed her face with a hand and watched Dez as he lounged on the rickety old piano bench like it wasn't a splintered wooden deathtrap.
"How long have you been in here now?"
He shrugged. "Not much longer than you."
Trish laughed humorlessly. "And how did Austin trick you into walking in here?"
"Well..."
"Hey, Dez, could you come stand in the closet for a second?"
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"That's fair. Hey, what'd you shut the door for? Austin?"
"Idiot." she accused, but there was a tiny smile on her face.
Three hours had passed if Dez's pocket watch was correct, which according to him it was. He did have a reputation for being rather punctual when the mood struck. And really, the outrageous outfits and peculiar antics weren't so bad. She did kind of like his hair and, surprisingly, his smile wasn't the creepiest thing she had ever witnessed.
Trish had always assumed she could do better, but then she did so much worse with Trent and things got confusing.
"Whatcha looking at, Trish?"
"I...don't know." she answered honestly.
Half an hour later, he asked another question.
"What if I do it?"
"Huh?"
"You know, if I ask you to go with Austin and Ally. Would you, er...sell all my clothes to the circus and leave me in the middle of some desert, or, I don't know, punch all my teeth out and wear my leftover baby tooth as a necklace or call my mom and tell her about that one time that I - "
"If you ask me to go with Austin and Ally," she said, "then we lose."
"Lose what?"
"This." she gestured to the air around her, unsure and unclear.
"Eh, I wouldn't really miss this closet."
Something in the piano bench cracked at that exact moment. It collapsed, dropping Dez unceremoniously on the ground beside Trish.
She doesn't laugh enough to miss his staring at her.
Trish wins about as much as she loses so there's almost always a perfect balance there.
"Dez, go with me on Saturday with Austin and Ally."
Her recent good fortune has given her a bit of leeway to make questionable decisions.
For the record, Ally does not hold up her end of the bargain. It takes her and Austin almost ten minutes to open the door. First because she won't shut up, then because the doorknob gets a little stuck.
Also, Trish was not holding Dez's hand when she dragged him out of the stupid closet.
It looked that way because...well, it did.
But it didn't.
a/n: How do we feel about Trez? I was thinking of possibly adding another if anybody would be interested. You know, documenting the potentially un-asterous double date and such. Which, by the way, if you have any ideas for what this date may entail, please feel free to tell me. Thank you so much for reading and please review if you could! :)