A/N: So here's another one-shot inspired by how awesome America is. (Just kidding. But not really.) I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th and that everyone enjoys this little story. :)

Ally Dawson loved fireworks.

When she was little, her mom would help her crawl onto the roof so they could get the best view from their house. They would watch the pier's fireworks from a couple miles away. The bursts of color and sounds like gunshots thrilled Ally.

Ally missed watching them with her mom. Her dad tried to keep up the tradition with her, but his bad back wouldn't let him. So Ally was forced to sit on the roof by herself, staring at the fireworks and the stars. It usually just made her miss her mom more.

So when Austin Moon waltzed into Sonic Boom on July 3rd, a huge grin spread across his face, she cut him off. "I'm not going anywhere with you tomorrow night."

The blond frowned at her before hopping onto the counter. "Why not?"

"I have plans. I have a tradition."

"Well may I have you for the daylight hours then?"

Ally thought for a minute. "I can't leave my dad alone," she answered, shaking her head sadly.

"He can come too!" Austin exclaimed, hopping off the counter. "My parents always have a huge barbecue and I'm allowed to invite a few friends. And their families," he added the last part when she had furrowed her brows in doubt.

"I don't know-"

"MR. D!" Austin shouted, looking towards the upper level of the store.

The middle-aged man stepped out onto the balcony and looked at the two teens curiously. "Hey, Austin. What is it?"

"Would you and Ally like to come to my house tomorrow? My family's having a barbecue and you're both invited!"

Mr. Dawson donned a huge grin before answering, "That'd be great, Austin! Tell your parents we'll be there!"

"But Dad-" Ally started, shooting her dad a look.

"Ally, we'll be home before dark. I promise!" He retreated back into his office.

Austin shot Ally a mischievous smile. "It'll be fun! Besides, Trish and Dez are coming."

"Are they bringing their families?" Ally asked.

"Uh, no. Trish's parents and brother are going to some family thing but Trish was allowed to stay behind. And Dez's parents, well..." he trailed off into silence.

"Austin, what are his parents up to?" Ally asked, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"They may or may not be driving up to D.C. to try and meet the President."

Ally covered her mouth so Austin wouldn't see the smile she had cracked. She cleared her throat to get rid of it. "Good for them. Can't believe Dez didn't want to join them."

"Actually, he did. But his parents didn't want him to."

"Why not?"

"Have you met Dez?" Austin asked.

They both laughed before Austin left the store with a wave. "See you tomorrow, Ally-gator!" he called.

She simply rolled her eyes in response.


The next day, Ally and her dad arrived to the Moons' barbecue to find it in full swing. Mike and Mimi Moon quickly rushed up to introduce themselves to Mr. Dawson before ushering him away to the other adults.

Mimi looked over her shoulder at Ally. "Austin's in the gazebo!" she called before turning back to the adults.

Ally rushed over to join him and found him sitting in the gazebo with Trish and Dez.

"Ally!" they all shouted.

"Hey guys. So, what's up?"

"We were talking about our favorite things about America," Dez said matter-of-factly.

Trish rolled her eyes. "Dez said his favorite thing was the burgers."

"They don't make burgers the same anywhere else!" the redhead yelled, shooting a glare to the short Latina girl.

"Well, Trish what's your favorite thing?" Ally asked.

"Um, hello, the job opportunities, duh," she answered. "America has so many different things you can do. It's awesome!"

Her friends all laughed at this answer. Trish's job hunting had been particularly crazy lately. She had a new job every few hours.

"Ally- favorite thing?" Austin asked.

Ally sat down next to him before scratching her head in thought. "Well, I'm gonna have to be totally lame and say our freedom." All of her friends groaned. "I know, I know! But really, we're so lucky."

"So boring," Dez said with a shake of his head.

"What's your favorite thing, Austin?" Trish asked.

The blond boy's mouth dropped open as he spaced out in thought. "Uhh.. oh! Movies. That was America right?"

Ally laughed before nodding. "Yeah, America was the country to really introduce movies."

"Okay! Red, white, or blue?" Dez asked.

"What? You're such a whack-a-doodle!" Trish answered.

"Uh, which is your favorite color? Come on, Trish," he replied.

"Um, red. Definitely red."

Dez turned to Ally. "Ally? Red, white, or blue?"

"Umm, I like blue a lot."

"Me too!" Austin said. "I pick blue."

Dez frowned at them. "But I love the color red..."

"What's wrong with that?" Trish asked, glaring at her freckled friend.

"N-nothing!" he answered. Dez looked stricken at the short girl's reaction.

The friends spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and sipping on lemonade.


Ally had failed to notice the sun setting at first. The Moons' backyard was lit up as bright as daylight, so it was nearly pitch black before she realized what time it was. She looked at her phone before shrieking and running from the gazebo.

She searched the many heads in search of her father. She finally spotted him next to Mimi and Mike. She rushed up and simply pointed at the sky with a desperate look.

He looked at her in confusion for a moment before seeing the dark sky overhead. "Oh, honey. I lost track of time! Let's go."

They both turned to the Moons and thanked them before rushing towards their car. As Ally went to close the passenger door, a hand stopped it from closing. She looked up into a familiar pair or hazel eyes.

"Austin-"

"Can I come with?" He looked at her with his classic puppy dog face.

Ally shook her head violently. "We have to-"

"Trish and Dez had to leave. I don't want to be alone."

"You have a ton of guests right now, Austin."

"Nah, they're all old. Come on, Ally."

Mr. Dawson cleared his throat, causing the two teens to flinch.

"Dad, can-"

"Austin, just get in," Mr. Dawson said, rolling his eyes slightly.

Austin's smile broadened as he flew into the backseat. The whole trip to the Dawsons' house, he playfully pushed against Ally's chair. She would always turn and shoot him a glare. But her eyes twinkled at his actions.

When they finally got to the house, Mr. Dawson sat on the couch and turned on the television. Ally dragged Austin upstairs to her room.

When she threw open her window, Austin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Uhh, what are you doing, Alls?" he asked.

She turned back to him, a small smile gracing her features. "Tradition."

She crawled out of the window and Austin stuck his head out to see what she was up to. He watched as she started climbing a ladder that had been added on the outside wall of the house. When she reached the top, she ushered for him to join her. He climbed up excitedly before laying down beside the small girl on the roof.

They sat in silence, both of them unwilling to break the silence at first. And then they saw it: the bursts of color followed by a sound like a gun going off.

It was the perfect distance away; the bursts of color were large but the two teens could still see the entire designs. After a few bursts, Austin turned to look at Ally. He had opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

"My mom used to bring me up here. She loved fireworks more than I do." Austin felt a smile creep onto his face as he continued to look at the girl next to him. As if suddenly aware of their intimacy, Ally felt a deep blush overtake her cheeks. "I've only ever shared that with Trish before."

Ally sat there uncomfortably aware of her friend's silence. She turned to look at him. His mouth opened as if to say something multiple times; but he had changed his mind and closed it every single time. They both turned back to the show in the sky.

Ally was watching a particularly beautiful blue burst when she felt Austin grab her hand. She looked down at her hand in shock, but didn't pull away. Their fingers laced and she turned to face the blond boy next to her.

He was still looking up at the sky, his familiar childish grin taking up his face. She squeezed his hand before looking back up to the display of color and sound.

Ally Dawson loved fireworks. But she figured she loved other things a little bit more.


A/N: Read & review! I have a lot of ideas going on in my head right now, but I'm struggling putting them into words. But hopefully there will be more stories from me soon! Be sure to check out my other stories! :)