PROVING AND PERFORMING-AUSTIN AND ALLY- my version of what should happen after Chapters and Choices.
*Previously- Austin and Ally just performed a duet and went backstage. They kissed and then Kira came in and agreed to be Austin's girlfriend. Both of them were shocked.*
ALLY'S POV.
I ran to SonicBoom as fast as I could. I couldn't believe him! He goes and asks out Kira, but then he kisses me! I'll admit that it was a really good kiss, but Kira walks in and ruins it all. I really like Austin, and I know he likes me, but he can't just go back and forth between me and Kira. So I'm stepping out of the picture. I'm letting Kira have all the spotlight. I'm just not going to talk to Austin anymore. I will avoid him and make it easy. I was sitting in the practice room and I heard a knock at the door. It had to be Austin. I really wanted to sort things out, because he is my best friend, but not right now.
"Go away Austin." I said.
"Ally, it's me, Trish. Open the door." Said Trish. I realized it was her and made my way to the door.
"Oh, hey Trish." I said sadly.
"I saw everything. I'm really sorry. Kira is a jerk." She said.
"Kira isn't a jerk. She didn't know what happened. But Austin knew he asked her out, and he kissed me anyway. So in this case, Austin's the jerk." I said.
"I hate to disagree, but I think Austin likes you more than Kira. I think that was his way of trying to tell you that. I'm sure he would've told Kira what happened the next day and break up with her, but he probably just didn't expect her to show up when she did." Trish said.
"Maybe you're right...but I don't care. When he wants to tell me his REAL feelings, maybe I'll listen. But right now, I want nothing to do with him." I said.
"Ally, I'm usually on your side, but I'm with Austin on this one. I think you've got it all wrong. Tell me, did you LIKE that kiss?" Trish asked.
"Trish, that's personal." I said.
"TELL ME!" Trish yelled.
"Okay okay!...yes..." I sighed.
"See? Now tell me something else. Did you kiss HIM, or did HE kiss YOU?" She asked.
"He kissed me..." I said.
"Now, do you think he would go in to KISS you, if he didn't like you?" She said.
"I guess not..." I said. Since when did she become a therapist?
"I KNOW he likes you. He has told me. He has told Dez and Dez has told me. Actually, he REALLY likes you. And I think you guys belong with each other. I can see how happy he makes you just by walking in the room. I can see how happy you make him just by walking in the room. C'mon! I know you still like him too." She said. I was surprised at the fact that she thought Austin really liked me. I mean, I know he had feelings for me, but are we really, meant to be?
"I'm gonna think about it a little more tonight Trish. But for the rest of today, I think I just want to be alone." I told her.
"Okay, I get it. I'm gonna go ahead and go home. If you need anything, just call me." She said.
"Kay, bye." I said. I went to lay down on the couch in the practice room. The shop was closed today so I didn't have to worry about that. I tried to sort out my feelings. I kept reliving the kiss over and over again in my head. I couldn't help myself, it was my first kiss and it was amazing. I remember exactly what he said to me before he kissed me. 'I know I can do anything, as long as I'm with you.' That was the best sentence I've ever heard him say to me. I heard another knock on the door after that. Who was it this time? I got up and opened the door to see Dez standing there.
"Hey Ally." He said.
"Hello Dez." I said back. Then he did something that he usually doesn't do. He held his arms open inviting me to a hug. I wasn't going to hug him at first, but my need for a good hug got the better of me and I hugged him. Dez was a total whack job, but he could be really nice sometimes.
"I know this must be hard for you Ally. That's why I'm here to give you a little inside scoop." He said.
"Dez, I'm fine" I lied.
"No you're not. I'm the love whisperer. Don't question me." He said. I realized there was no point in arguing, so I gave in.
"Alright, so what are you here to tell me?" I Asked.
"Listen, nobody knows Austin better than I do. I know he likes you. A lot. He is always comparing Kira to you. Every time we try to talk about our day, or just guy talk, he always directs the conversation to you. He starts talking about you without even realizing it. I used to just let it go, but you're all he thinks about. He was telling me about his date with Kira, but every time he should've said Kira, he said Ally. I asked him if he knows what he just said, but he acts like he doesn't know. He has like four pictures of you in his room. He doesn't have any of me or Kira. I could tell you countless numbers of secrets of things that he has told me about you, but I think that he would rather say them to you. He loves you Ally." He said. I was at a loss for words at the speech Dez just gave me.
"I don't know what to say,..." I trailed off.
"You don't have to say anything. I just thought I'd let you know that before Austin tried to tell you and screwed up. He really wants to tell you, but he is afraid of what you'll think. He doesn't know that you like him too. When he gets nervous he always messes things up. So I just thought I'd clear that up. That's all, bye Ally!" He said skipping out of the room. I slumped back down on the couch trying to clear my head. I went to sleep and didn't wake up until the next day.
AUSTIN'S POV.
Kira was still hugging me when I saw Ally's face change from happiness to confusion to pain and finally sadness. I saw her run away to the store. I started to run after her, but suddenly felt like I was going to pass out. There was nothing I could say to her that would help anything. I pushed Kira off of me and she was confused.
"What? I thought that's what you wanted." She asked.
"Well not anymore." I said harshly. I really didn't mean to hurt her feelings, but I was so mad at myself for destroying Ally that I couldn't help but be mad at everyone.
"Oh, okay." She said kind of sadly. I suddenly felt bad for being mean to her. She didn't deserve it.
"I..I'm sorry. It's just that, I think I've finally made up my mind for good. And it's Ally. And I just did something terrible. I gotta go sort it out. It's not going to work out with us. But I hope that we can still be friends." I said.
"Yeah, I understand. We can still be friends." She said.
"Thanks for understanding." I walked past SonicBoom on my way home. I stopped outside the practice room window and tried to listen. I heard Ally crying and talking to herself. I felt like a total jerk. I really wanted to go in there and hug her until she calmed down like I usually do when she's upset, but I know that she probably doesn't want to see me right now. I went home and sprawled out on my bed and let out a huge sigh.
"I'm such an idiot!" I yelled into the pillow. If I hadn't have asked Kira to be my girlfriend, none of this would be happening. I only asked her because I wanted my friendship to stay the same with Ally. I knew that I should've picked Ally because I know I like her more. It turns out that I didn't just have 'mixed feelings' for her. I am IN LOVE with her. And it's impossible to deny it now. I tried to go sleep, without success. I finally crashed at three in the morning and woke up again the next afternoon. I had like ten text messages from Dez asking if I was okay. It's really surprising how he can be really deep, sensitive and caring when it comes to romance. I texted him back saying I don't know. He told me he was coming over to talk. Maybe he really was the love whisperer. I looked at the picture of Ally and me at Trish's quincinera that I had on my dresser. That was a really good day. Dallas was a jerk and rejected her after her pathetic attempt at asking him to dance. I felt bad for her and I danced with her instead. That was the first time I had feelings for Ally. But I forgot about it so things wouldn't be awkward. I wish I could just forget everything now. I wish I could set back time two days ago. Then maybe none of this would've happened. Dez knocked on my door and came in.
"Dude, what's wrong with you?" He said.
"Dez?! I thought you were seeing if I was okay?" I said.
"Well, I am. But you really screwed up this time. I've already talked to Ally. She really hates you." He said. That last part stung.
"She really HATES me?" I asked sadly.
"Nah, I don't think so. She is really upset though. The practice room was covered in teary tissues. I can tell she still likes you though." Dez said.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"I'm the LOVE WHISPERER." He said in a hushed tone.
"Okay, but I still don't feel any better. I want to be with Ally, but she probably wouldn't even let me talk to her. I don't know what I would say anyway. I can't just walk up to her and say 'hey, I love you'. It's not that easy." I told Dez.
"Just do what your heart knows is right." Dez said.
"That's what's confusing me. I don't know what's right." I said.
"Do you like Ally, or do you love her?" Dez asked.
"I don't know." I said.
"Alright. Say you have a pizza." Dez said.
"Umm, I have a pizza?" I said.
"Okay. Now name one ingredient you have to have on your pizza. One ingredient you couldn't eat that pizza without." Dez said.
"Cheese." I said, getting hungry at the thought of pizza.
"Okay, what is something you like having on that pizza, but if you didn't have it, you could still eat the pizza." Asked Dez.
"Pepperoni, I guess. What is with the food questions? I'm getting hungry." I said patting my stomach.
"Is Ally cheese or pepperoni?" Asked Dez.
"What?" I asked confused.
"Ally. Is she your cheese or pepperoni? If she's the pepperoni, you like having her there, but could live and move on without her. But if she's the cheese, you wouldn't be able to go on with the fact that she wasn't with you. Cheese or Pepperoni?" Dez asked again.
"Oh, um,.." I sat there thinking of my life without Ally. It was unbearable. The thought of losing her destroyed me. I never knew I felt that way about her. "Cheese. Definitely cheese." I said knowing it was true.
"That's what I thought. Then you just answered your question. You love her." Dez said. I thought about it.
"Yeah, I know." I replied, smiling at the thought of Ally.
"The love whisperer's work here is done. I'll leave you alone with your thoughts. I would make something happen soon though. Ally's losing it." Dez said.
"Alright. See ya later." I said. I laid back down on my bed, thinking of a way to get through to Ally. Just out of curiosity, I called her to see if she would answer. She didn't. I didn't actually want her to answer because I had nothing to say. I was just curious. I needed to do something really special, because she was really special. I thought of countless ideas but nothing seemed to be good enough. Then the perfect idea finally hit me. It was going to be meaningful. I know that she has wanted another piano. Because when she accidentally gave away all the instruments in the store, she never had enough money left to replace all of them. Unfortunately, they never replaced the piano. But I started thinking, and it wouldn't mean that much because I've already gotten her a piano before. When we first met and we decided to be music partners. That's the one that's still in the practice room. But then again, it would still be meaningful because it would show how far we've come and I want her to know we still have a long way to go. I decided to try and think of something else to go with it though. Wait a minute! She doesn't have stage fright anymore! I knew exactly what I was going to do. I was going to arrange a concert. An Ally Dawson concert! And surprise her! I thought of another good idea and the ball kept rolling from there. I decided to make it a night to remember. I was going to incorporate all of the times we have shared together into one night. I immediately had the entire night planned out in my head and knew it was going to be perfect. I called Dez and told him everything. I met up with him and Trish in the food court to tell them about my surprise for Ally. They were just as excited as I was.
"Austin! That's so romantic! It'll mean the world to Ally! Especially coming from you." Trish said.
"Yeah, I told you to listen to your heart." Dez pointed out.
"Dez, you're kind of a genius." I said. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth.
"No he's not." Trish disagreed. We all started laughing and got busy planning a HUGE night. After about three days of preparation, I finally had everything perfectly ready for Ally.
ALLY'S POV.
When I woke up, I didn't feel any better. I had a dream about Austin. Shocker. I was done with feeling like this. I gave in to my guilt and promised myself that if Austin tried to talk to me, I would now listen. Trish ran into the store with a huge smile on her face. She muttered something that sounded like 'today's the day' in a really peppy voice.
"What's got you so happy?" I asked.
"Oh, nothing." She said in a voice that sounded somewhat sarcastic.
"I don't believe you. What's up?" I asked.
"What? I can't be happy just because?" She asked.
"No." I said.
"Well then. I can't give away anything, but if Austin tries to talk to you, PLEASE just listen to him." She said.
"I know. I already promised myself that I would. I'm tired of feeling down in the dumps." I said with a small sigh.
"Good." She said. She got a message on her phone and smiled even more and ran off saying, "I gotta go, bye!" I had a feeling that something was going to happen today. I don't know what it was, but it was pretty obvious that it was something. About five minutes later, I was sitting on the countertop writing in my book to release some tension inside me. I felt somebody tap my shoulder and I freaked out. I was so wrapped up in the secret world of my book, that when whoever it was that tapped me did that, I screamed and fell into the floor.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you!" The voice belonged to none other than, Austin Moon. I felt a mixture of anger and sadness swell up inside me. And longing. There was some of that too. Actually a lot. Even though I was mad at him, he was still my best friend, and I hadn't seen him in a week. I missed him. I'm hopeless. I got up and brushed myself off awkwardly.
"Uh, yeah, I'm good." I said shyly. He kinda just stood there fumbling with his fingers for a minute. He started to say something but stumbled over what words to say and muttered things to himself. He was a total nervous wreck. It was actually kinda funny because he never gets nervous. He reminded me of me when I get nervous. He started talking about random things and saying stupid stuff.
"Did you notice that this pencil is really sharp?" He said picking up the pencil laying on the counter. He was pretending to examine the pencil and kept talking about it. I finally stopped him from embarrassing himself any further and said,
"Did you have a reason to come over here?" I said. I still tried to sound upset because I was. He put the pencil down and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Uh, yeah, actually I did." He said.
"Well let me hear it." I said crossing my arms over my chest.
"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I have to get it off my chest. ...I'm sorry. I really truly honestly am. I feel like the biggest jerk in the world and I can't believe I'm so stupid. I made you cry, I hurt you, and that's something I promised I would never do. But I was an idiot and broke that promise. So I'm sorry." He said. It meant a lot that he would apologize. I was trying to think of a way to sound like I was still mad, but I couldn't. He was my best friend and I had to forgive him.
"It's okay Austin. I forgive you." I said with a teeny smile growing on my face.
"Well you shouldn't. I don't deserve it. But today is not about me. I have something planned that I hope will make you feel better. If you don't want to go, I understand, but...PLEASE come with me!" He begged.
"Okay, I'll come. But I have to get dressed. Where are we going? I need to know what to wear." I said.
"It's a surprise. Just put something on, it doesn't matter." He said. I walked up to my room and got changed. I came back down and Austin grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the store and through the mall.
"Slow down! Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see when we get there." We ran around a little longer until we got to the destination. We arrived at this ENORMOUS beautiful building that I never even knew existed.
"Here we are." Austin said, still holding onto my wrist.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"It's where I'm going to see a concert." He said.
"Will I get to see this concert too?" I said noticing that he said he would see it, not we.
"Kind of. You will be watching the audience. Your audience." He said smiling, and moving his hand from my wrist to my hand intertwining our fingers.
"What are you talking about?" I asked a little confused. My audience?
"I'm about to attend the first ever Ally Dawson concert." He said smiling even wider.
"Austin...I, really?" I said in shock.
"Yep. How does that sound?" He asked.
"It sounds great! But, my stage fright... And nobody wants to come see me..." I said.
"What stage fright?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, I guess I'm kind of over that now. Man, I'm not even used to the new me." I laughed.
"And I already sold tickets. You are going to have a big audience." He said.
"People actually paid money? To see ME?" I asked stunned.
"Yep, 500 people actually." He said.
"Five HUNDRED people?!" I said.
"That's what I said. People must have liked it when you sang with me at the book release. I told you that you were amazing." He said.
"Wow. I can't believe this. Thank you so much Austin!" I said. And out of habit, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. It felt so good to hug him again. I was missing that. It felt like my sadness and anger just flew away right there. Every last bit of it. I finally released my grip on him and stood there awkwardly. He just smiled at me. He took my hand in his again and walked me into the building. I looked around to see an interior that was just as beautiful as the outside. There were red carpets and balconies and chandeliers and a big stage with old timey columns in the edge. It was incredible.
"Wow, Austin, how did you book this place?" I asked.
"It was tough, but I'd do anything for you." He said. I knew I was blushing and looked around the place more. He took me to the stage and stood with me right in the middle of it.
"You're gonna be singing right here in six hours. Like the view?" He said.
"Of course I do. This is going to be a lot of people though. I don't know if I can do it now." I said thinking of the 1000 eyes that will be watching me.
"I know you can do it. You sang with me a week ago." He said.
"Yeah, WITH you. I'll be alone this time. I don't know if I can do it." I said.
"Sure you can. I'll be sitting right there in the front row cheering for you. So will Trish and Dez and your parents." Austin said.
"Okay, but if I faint and fall off this stage, you better catch me." I said.
"Deal." He said laughing.
"So what am I supposed to do for six hours?" I asked.
"I have plans. For us." He said.
"Like what?" I asked. He grabbed my hand again and took me through one of the backstage doors to a big outdoor area. FULL of people. There were low lights, people dancing, food, and a DJ.
"What is this?" I ask.
"It's a party in honor of you. Why not celebrate your first concert?" He said.
"Cool! Thanks!" I said. I was so excited to actually have this happen. "What should we do first? There's so much to do!" I said.
"Hang on. You have to stay with me. This isn't just random activities. They mean something. We have to do them in a particular order. So follow me." He said. I looked at him and looked around at all the stuff I wanted to do. They were just little stations set up everywhere with different themed games. I wasn't catching on to what it was supposed to be, so I looked back to Austin.
"Let's go." I said.
AUSTIN'S POV.
Now that everything was ready, I had to face the hardest part. Convincing Ally to spend the day with me.
"How I'm I gonna get Ally to listen to me?" I asked Trish and Dez.
"I'll go talk to her. Text me when you're on your way over and I'll leave." Trish said.
"Okay, Trish is getting Ally taken care of. I got the surprise part taken care of, and Dez, you go back to the building to make sure everything is going smoothly." I commanded.
"Sure thing!" Dez said marching off. I went to my house to change clothes while Trish went to talk to Ally. I don't know what I would do if she didn't want to come. I finally got ready and texted Trish that I was on my way over. As I got closer to the store she met up with me after leaving.
"I think you'll be fine. She still seems a little upset, but she wants to listen to you. Just be considerate of her feelings, don't say anything stupid." Trish directed.
"Got it." I said.
"Good luck." She said giving me a smile and a pat on the back. I nodded my head and kept walking to the store. I got to the front entrance and saw Ally sitting there on the countertop with her back facing me. She was writing in her book. I was about to call out her name, but I got really nervous. REALLY nervous. I have never been more nervous in my life. I stepped a little closer, but she still didn't know I was there. I didn't know what to say, so I just tapped her shoulder. It must've scared her because she screamed and jumped and fell into the floor. I immediately bent down to help her.
"Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you!" I said offering her a hand to get up. She didn't take my hand, she just pushed herself up and brushed herself off. Her face was redder than a tomato.
"Uh, yeah, I'm good." She said awkwardly. I was about to blurt out all my feelings and apologize, but she doesn't want to hear that. I stuttered and didn't know what to say. I started to nervously play with my fingers and tried to think of something to say. I saw a pencil sitting on the counter and picked it up.
"Did you ever notice that this pencil is really sharp?" I said nervously. I kept talking about that stupid pencil because I couldn't make myself say anything else. Finally I guess Ally had enough of my stupidity.
"Did you have a reason for coming here?" She said a little harshly.
I admitted that I did. She crossed her arms and wanted to hear it. I stuttered at first, but the words started flowing out of me before I could even think about what I was saying. I apologized for being a stupid jerk. I told her that I didn't mean to hurt her, and that I really was sorry. She accepted my apology with a tiny grin. It felt so good to see that. I wanted to hug her, but I listened to Trish and decided to let her come to me when she's ready. I told her that I was taking her somewhere. She wanted to know where but I told her that it was a surprise. She went upstairs and got changed and I grabbed her wrist and ran out of the store eager to surprise her. We finally got to the huge building that I rented for her party. She was surprised that it was so big. I finally told her that she would be performing in that building. She was so excited and thanked me, and then she jumped up into my arms and hugged me tightly. I held onto her tightly, missing that wonderful feeling of her arms around my neck and her head in my shoulder. She let go and looked at me awkwardly. I held her hand again and walked her into the building. I made sure the inside was beautiful and classy. I knew that's what she likes. She was amazed that all this was for her. I took her down to the stage and asked her how it felt to have her own stage. She loved it but then got nervous. I promised I would be there for her. She agreed and asked what we were going to do for six hours before the concert. I told her I had that planned too. I took her to the outside area where all my activities were to take place. I had each of them themed to different times that me and Ally have been together. Hopefully she would catch on to that and like it. I made sure she understood that she had to stay with me so we could do them in order. She looked unsure if she wanted to spend the whole day with me, but she agreed. I held her hand and walked her to the first activity. All of my games were kinda cheesy, but at least it will prove something. The first game was one where you had to dance to get points. Person with the most points wins. Simple as that. It was inspired from our first time trying to write a song together. Ally gave me a look that said there was no way she was dancing in public. I stepped closer to her and whispered,
"Break down the walls." She smiled and then nodded her head. We both started dancing wildly to earn points. To my surprise, she won. She laughed at her pathetic dancing.
"In your face. Looks like Ally-D knows how it's done." She said with a competitive grin on her face. I laughed remembering her saying the same thing when she was trying to show me her red carpet walk. I don't know how I remembered everything we did, but with Ally, she's unforgettable.
"What's next?" She asked.
"You'll see." I said taking her to the next game. The next game was really stupid, but Dez mostly came up with it. There were these bags with pictures of kangaroos on them and you had to have a sack-race to the big cardboard cut-out of face puncher. It was inspired off of the time we had that kangaroo when we were writing my second song. The kangaroo accidentally attacked face puncher, so that's were this game came from. I beat her on this game, because she's uncoordinated when it comes to using her feet.
"Ally-D really knows how it's done." I said sarcastically. She just laughed and rolled her eyes. The next game was hard to come up with, but I finally figured out something. You had to split up into two teams and come up with a secret. It didn't have to be a real secret, but something. It was kind of like charades. The other team had to try to guess your secret by what you were acting out. The winner got a glass of orange juice. That was inspired from the time I read Ally's book an thought she had a crush on me. The orange juice was just a clever little thing I added to the game. It represented me being orange and sweaty. Two orange liquids. We tied on that game and so we both got orange juice. The next game was kind of interesting. I figured Ally was going to like this one because it was a cloud watching game. There was a projection screen that showed pictures of different shaped clouds. I kinda rigged it though. All the clouds were shapes of different characters in the movie Zaliens. I knew I would win at this because she didn't pay much attention to that movie, but I think she'll get the hint. As I predicted, I won. The next one was a game where you had to color to win. All you have to do is color a picture, and whoever finishes theirs first wins. I made sure that the pictures we had to color were clown pictures, and the only thing you could use to color the picture was blue crayons. I scribbled all over mine, but she still tried to stay inside the lines. Well mostly.
"Look," she said. I looked over and felt a huge smile appearing on my face. She pointed to a tiny spot on the clown's leg where she colored outside the lines. She clearly remembered the day I planned the game from. I grabbed her hand and scribbled all over the page. She laughed, and I think she was finally starting to figure out the plot of my games. We moved on to the next game. It was another clever idea, if I do say so myself. We went into this little dome where the air was filled with butterflies. There was a robotic girl in there dressed up as Tilly the hatergirl. You had to catch more butterflies than Tilly to win. Obviously, this was my play on the day hatergirl made Ally sing the butterfly song, but I ended up singing it instead. Ally won at this game.
"Ally-D is back in the game!" She laughed.
"Not for long!" I said back.
We walked to the next game. This game was simple, and didn't mean much, but I created it anyway. There was a cardboard cutout of Shiny Money with a trash bag tied to him. It was simply a game of 'get the most cans in the trash bag'. We tied again. The next game was another simple game. Of target shooting. I used another cardboard cutout (they were easy and helpful) of Demonica Dixon. You had to try and hit her with a meatball shooting gun. It was fun and Ally beat me. She was better at some of these games than I thought. The rest of the night flew by while I was playing the rest of my games with Ally. I had games themed of Trish's quincinera, our attempt at the fun day at the beach, Ms Suzy's soups, the golden stars she so desperately loved, the time we caught the Alphabet bandit, buying a myTab, losing Owen, my fear of umbrellas, our trip to the Everglades, the time I lost my voice, Ally's MUNY ordeal, when we performed our first song together, bungee jumping, her fundraiser for losing the instruments, embarrassing Trent on TV, the time I got to perform Times Square on New Year's Eve, everything. I so clearly remembered everything we have ever experienced together. By the end of the night, she looked exhausted. But happy.
"Did you like my games?" I asked.
"Of course I did. They were really fun. I finally get the reason why we had to play them in order." She said.
"Good, that would've been embarrassing if I did all that for nothing." I said.
"So why exactly did you plan all those games?" Ally asked.
"To show you that we have been through so much together. I have done more with you than I have with anyone else. I needed a meaningful way of showing you that you mean the world to me and I would never ever try to hurt you." I said sincerely.
"I believe you. I'm sorry for blaming you for everything and ignoring you." She said.
"It's okay, I deserved it. It's hard for me to make decisions. But this one is a no-brainer. It's you Ally. It's always been you. You're my cheese." I said truthfully. She smiled at me and blushed. I was blushing too. She started to question the part about the cheese, but I told her to forget about that.
"That's why I have another present for you." I said. My next present was a really good one I thought. I got her a piano like I said I would, but I got it customized. All over the piano I had quotes engraved in gold into the piano. Not just any quotes, things that I remember saying to her over the many years we have known each other. These included:
'Break down the walls'
'We're a perfect match'
'I'll always be an Ally Dawson fan'
'Color outside the lines'
'That guy doesn't know what he's missing, you're awesome'
'It doesn't matter if the world doesn't know how talented you are, I always will'
'Ally-Gator'
'If you need me, I'm there'
'It's no longer Austin time, it's Austin and Ally time'
'I'm not afraid of anything'
'Dance it out'
'I don't know what I would do if I couldn't sing the songs you write for me'
'Close your eyes, and Don't look down'
'You're more important to me than all of that'
'Hold my hand, we'll jump together'
'You know I'll always help you'
'I couldn't let you down'
'Girl you got it too'
'There's no way I could make it without you'
'I know I can do anything, as long as I'm with you'
'I love you, Ally Dawson'
Okay, I never actually said that last one, but I plan to. I pulled back a curtain revealing her brand new piano. She gasped and smiled and ran up to the piano.
"Oh, Austin! Thank you! I've been wanting a new piano!" She said. She hadn't realized the writing in the piano yet.
"I know, take a closer look." I told her.
She bent down and looked at the golden quotes engraved in the piano. She smiled as she read each and every one of them. I saw her expression change slightly when she read the last one. She looked back at me with tears in her eyes. Darn it! I tried to make her feel better and now she's crying again. My face fell into a frown at the sight of her crying. But then she ran over to me and hugged me really tightly. I was a little confused but hugged her back anyway. I would never pass up that opportunity.
"Do you like it?" I asked.
"I love it! I absolutely love it! It's the best gift I've ever gotten. Thank you SO much Austin." She said still hugging me.
"Well good. Hey, you know it's about time for your concert" I said. She pulled away from the hug with a sudden flash of fear in her eyes.
"Oh yeah! I gotta go get ready! What will I wear? What will I sing?" She nervously rambled.
"Trish is in your dressing room backstage, I think she has everything under control. I hope." I said.
"Oh good! I'll see you in twenty minutes!" She said running back into the big building. I felt glad that she was happy, but wasn't sure if she read that last quote right. I really did love her, and I needed to tell her. I officially broke up with Kira and she was completely out of the picture. I walked back to my seat in the big arena. Dez was there setting up some audio stuff.
"How'd it go?" He asked.
"Really good. She understood the games. But I still need to tell her that I want to be with her." I said
"You haven't told her yet?! Dude!" Dez yelled.
"Sorry! Sorry! I'm not the love whisperer ya know." I said.
"Ugh! Make sure you tell her today. She needs to hear it. She WANTS to hear it." Dez said.
"I will'' I said. I sat down as people started coming in. I was so proud of Ally for conquering her fears. I wish I could conquer mine and just tell her I love her already.
ALLY'S POV.
Austin walked me to the first game. I didn't want to dance in public, but I did it for him. I actually beat him. I beat Austin Moon at DANCING. I was pretty proud of myself. We continued through the games and I slowly began to recognize them. They were all based on times me and Austin have experienced together. After I finally realized this, I felt like crying. It was SO sweet. When we finished he asked me if I liked his games. I said yes and told him that I understood what they were representing. I asked him why he did it all. He told me that he wanted to prove to me that he would never try to hurt me. He said that his choice was me and it always has been. Then he said something about cheese. I felt butterflies stir up in my chest and I started blushing anyway. He said he had another present for me. He was amazing! He moved a curtain to reveal a brand new grand piano! It was so sweet of him. I knew he knew that I wanted another piano, since I was stupid and gave the other one away to little kids. He told me to take a closer look at the piano. I did. And as I got closer, I recognized lots of familiar quotes engraved into the piano. His quotes. Things he has said to me. Things I still remember very clearly. He had quotes that I remember from the day I met him, up to things he said last week. It was incredible. Then I saw a quote that I didn't recognize. It said 'I love you Ally Dawson'. I got really excited, wondering if it was true. I looked back at him and knew by the spark in his eye that it was. I felt so much happiness fill up inside me that I started to cry. He looked upset then, from seeing me cry. I ran up to him and gave him a huge hug. He asked me if I liked it, and I told him that I loved it. He reminded me that I had a concert to perform very soon. I immediately stopped hugging him and freaked out. I was about to perform in front of more than five hundred people. Five HUNDRED people. I started asking what I was going to wear and sing and other random questions. Austin told me that Trish was in my dressing room and had everything under control. I told him I would see him soon and ran off to go meet up with Trish. I bolted into my dressing room out of breath. Trish was sitting in there reading a magazine.
"It's about time you showed up. Tell me EVERYTHING!" She squealed. I told her about all the sweet games and the amazing piano gift and everything.
"I knew you would love it. When Austin told me what he was planning, it was everything I could do to not blurt it out to you. He really likes you ya know." she said.
"Yeah, it was amazing." I said.
"So how bout this concert of yours? Pretty awesome right?" She asked.
"Yeah, but I'm really nervous. I know I've performed twice before, and I'm more confident than I used to be, but five hundred is a lot of people." I said nervously.
"You'll do great. Me, Austin, and Dez will be sitting right in the front row." She said reassuringly.
"Thanks Trish. Now what am I gonna be wearing tonight?" I asked.
"Only the most beautiful dress on earth!" She said holding up a dress. It was stunning. It was a beautiful satin red strapless dress with slight ruffles at the bottom. It was about knee length and really flowy and gorgeous. I put on the dress and shoes and did my hair into curls and Trish did my makeup. I looked into the mirror and saw a movie star. I hate to brag, but I looked unbelievable! I got a message telling me I had five minutes until I needed to be on stage. I calmed myself down and did some simple breathing exercises. Those five minutes were up quicker than I thought and I found myself being pushed closer and closer towards the stage. They handed me a mic and sent me onto the stage. As I walked out, the crowd roared with excitement. It was a dream come true. I saw camera flashes and people standing and cheering. What did Austin do to these people? I thought. I looked down and saw him smiling at me from the front row. I looked back at the crowd and found myself at a loss for words. I got nervous again and looked back at Austin. He mouthed something I didn't quite catch and I looked at him with confusion. He mouthed it again, and this time I understood. He had said,
"Break down the walls." I immediately felt better and managed to say,
"I'm Ally Dawson! How are you guys tonight?" I said in my best performer voice. The crowd cheered in reply. I had been working on some personal songs for myself and decided to sing them. I ended up singing four different songs. I had my eyes on Austin most of the time because he made me feel like I could do anything. I finally finished up and thanked the crowd for being such an amazing audience. I walked backstage and met up with Austin who was running around the corner to meet me.
"You were amazing! I knew you could do it!" He said.
"Thanks! It felt great! I have been dreaming of that moment my whole life!" I said in excitement. I smiled at Austin and he smiled back at me.
"I have a moment that I've been dreaming of my whole life too. Hopefully my dreams come true..." He said.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"I love you Ally Dawson." He said. I felt the heat return to my cheeks and smiled at the ground. He put his hand on my neck under my chin and tilted my head up to face him. "I really do." He said. And then he leaned down and kissed me. I felt my pain return for a second remembering what happened last time he kissed me. But then my feelings got the better of me and I let my arms wrap around his neck and kissed back. He eventually pulled away and smiled while still holding me close to him.
"That's the moment I've been dreaming of. That's how it should've happened the first time." He said softly. I just laughed and blushed.
"Now, I have one question. Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked. I thought about it for no reason. I already knew my answer.
"Of course I will Austin! I...I love you too." I said. He pulled me in for another big hug and kissed me on the cheek. Life was finally going the way I dreamed it should.
AUSTIN'S POV.
I saw her come out on stage and she was breathtaking. She looked beautiful, and nervous. She looked at me for reassurance. I smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She looked around at the crowd and wasn't talking. I mouthed at her 'Break down the walls'. It was an expression that we used when we first met to symbolize taking that big step and risking something for the better. I guess it worked. She started talking like a pro. She announced her songs that she would be performing and sang them. Four in all. Each and every one better than the last. She finished up and thanked the audience. I got up and ran backstage to meet up with her. I found her and grabbed her by the arms.
"You were amazing! I knew you could do it!" I told her.
"Thanks! It felt great! I have been dreaming of that moment my whole life!" She said excitedly.
"I have a moment that I have been dreaming of my whole life too. Hopefully my dreams come true..." I said. Knowing that I was thinking of Ally.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"I love you Ally Dawson." I said letting the words slip out. Ally meant everything to me, and she needed to know that. She smiled and looked down at her feet as she blushed, but I put my hand under her chin tilted her head up to face me. "I really do." I leaned down and kissed her. It felt so good. At first she stood there stiff as a board, but then she put her arms around my neck and relaxed. I enjoyed it for a few more seconds, then reluctantly pulled away.
"That's the moment I've been dreaming of. That's how it should've happened the first time." I said still holding her close. She just laughed softly to herself trying to hide the redness on her face.
"Now I have one question. Will you be my girlfriend?" I asked hopefully. She seemed to be thinking about it for a second. But she said,
"Of course I will Austin! I...I love you too." She said shyly. I just smiled and hugged her really tightly and kissed her on the cheek. Every weight on my shoulders had just been lifted off, and I felt genuinely happy. Something I haven't felt in a while. No stress, just completely carefree, living the perfect life with my best friend and now girlfriend, Ally Dawson.
