Ally's POV
Today we had to take a different bus, which meant Trish and I were on the same bus as my friend Dez. And it also happened to be the same bus as Gavin, which painfully reminded me that he had a girlfriend, who he was sitting next to. There was nothing I could do about it, even though Trish had always wanted to split them up so he'd be single, then I would go in for the "kill" as she called it.
I took the window seat and sigh, wondering if I would ever get a chance with Gavin Young, but I really doubted it. He never even gave me a sign that he wanted to be my friend. And, if I was being honest with myself (which I always tried to be because my mother always told me that honesty was the best policy), I probably never will get a chance. He seems happy with that girl in which I don't know her name. I like to just call her Dark Haired Girl With Blue Eyes. It once occurred to me that I should talk to her, but, even though I wanted to date Gavin, I didn't want to start any trouble with her, which for some reason I was the cause of a lot of bad things. If only I weren't so clumsy.
Trish sat next to me. "You okay?" She nudged me.
"Fine."
"Nah," Dez said. I was unaware of my tall redhead friend's presence until now. He was leaning up against the top of the seat ahead of us. "Tell us what's wrong." He poked me a few times, sounding somewhat sly.
"What do you want me to say?" I asked irritably, suddenly feeling no need to socialize anymore. My father always calls me a social butterfly, which is true. I'm quite the talker at times, and sometimes not always at the right times. When I was little, my mouth would get me in a lot of trouble. If I did something wrong, the guilt would burn inside me, and usually in the most inappropriate moment I'd shout what I did. I still do it, but not nearly as much but I tend to not get in much trouble rather I'm at home or at school.
"Why-"
"Dez," Trish interrupted sternly, and from the corner of my eye I saw her point her finger to Gavin and the Dark Haired Girl With Blue Eyes.
"Oh," Dez realized, voice quiet. He took a deep breath, almost annoyed. He got annoyed when Trish and I talked about guys. But, if you're friends with girls, you have to deal with it. And it didn't make any sense that he got annoyed with us talking about who we liked, when he always talked about who HE liked, which was a girl that happened to be one of our friends. Her name was Carrie. She was pretty, blond, and tall. She seemed right for him and I often used my matchmaking skills to try to get them together. But Gavin wasn't a close friend that I talked to everyday. His crush was easy, mine wasn't.
I didn't say anything as I felt the bus move. "Ally, do you think, erm, it might be time to move on?" Trish asked awkwardly, seeming very careful with her word choice.
Finally, I turned my head. "It's not that easy."
"I...I know. But I'm just saying- I mean- I…"
"Are there any other guys you think are cute?" Dez finally speaks up, saving Trish from embarrassment.
I think for a moment.
For some reason Austin comes to my mind. I hadn't thought of him all day. When I went to join Trish and Dez at their lockers, all they seemed to notice was how I fell into Gavin. I have Austin to thank for that. When I saw him there, struggling to remove the spray paint, I knew that he wasn't a very happy person. I could just tell those things, as if it were a 6th sense. I also knew he could use a chocolate bar, but he didn't have any money. A few of my friends had already paid me, and Austin was the first person I had actually asked other than my friends.
"Well?" Dez pressed.
Austin was kinda cute, but judging by the way he seemed to grumpy, I don't know if he was my type. I'm told often that I'm too perky. Maybe he's right. "Well, there's…" My voice dies away, and I decide not to even tell them about Austin. Part of me knew that it wasn't important, and I probably wouldn't see him again. He was just there to clean up the graffiti, right? Why was he even doing that when it was someone else? Unless…
"Ally." I feel someone painfully nudge me. I was drowning in my own thoughts to even realize the bus stopped, and Trish and I were the first stop. "It's time to get off."
I nod, proving that I was listening, half promising myself that I wouldn't space out again like I always did.
Grabbing my backpack, I get on my feet, wave a goodbye to Dez (who never got his question answered), and follow Trish down the aisle. I sighed as I watched Gavin and the Dark Haired Girl With Blue Eyes share headphones, laughing and listening to music. I make my way out of the bus, where Trish was waiting for me, and join her side.
"Are you sick or something?" she asks me as we walk side by side down the sidewalk. "You haven't talked the whole time."
I give her an apologetic look. "I was just...thinking."
"About?" she asked slyly, amusement dancing in her eyes.
I hesitate. "This morning I met this guy…"
"Ohh! Ally, this is perfect! You can finally get over Gavin! What's he like? Is he a senior like us? Does he-"
"Trish," I interrupted her, feeling like I was going to disappoint her deeply with what I said next. "He...doesn't go to Marino High. He's nineteen. In fact, he's not even in college. And he seems so angry all the time, I can't figure it."
"So what was he doing at Marino High?"
I shrug. "Dunno, that's what I was thinking about. I did see him cleaning up the graffiti. The...The only reason I could see him being there is if…"
"He did it," she helped.
Would he? He kind of seemed like the type that would…
But if he did, wouldn't he get in trouble with the cops? Surely, he had. Was he alone? I wondered.
"Then, where would that leave him?" I asked more to myself than Trish, eager to figure this out. I always like mysteries and going on new adventures; the beauty and love in this world was truly amazing.
"Community service?" she suggested.
"Who knows?" I tried to be nonchalant about it, but inside something was telling me to dig deeper.
Trish lives on the right side of the neighborhood and I live on the left so before we said our goodbyes she stopped me by pulling on my sleeve.
"Listen Ally, I know that you overthink. Maybe don't think so much and things will work out." It almost scared me how serious she looked.
And with that, she left me standing on the sidewalk. I don't think too much! Crossing my arms, I walked into my house.
The smell of smoke invaded my lungs as I walked in. Ugh. I'm not surprised. Ever since my dad married her, my home has been her personal astray. Let's put it this way: Edna is almost 20 YEARS older than my dad and she is absolutely disgusting. I find her fake teeth everywhere, she talks way too loud and acts like she cares about me only when my dad is around. If you ask me, I have no idea why my dad loves her so much. It makes me want to puke.
My relationship with my dad is totally different. We tell each other everything and I trust him. You would think that he would take my opinion on Edna into consideration but he said that "I was too young to know about love and I will be out of the house soon anyways". That was three years ago, so I have no choice but to put up with her stupid face for another year.
"Hey sweetie how was school?" my father asked me.
"I sold more chocolate bars today!" I smiled as I stated matter-of-factly.
"OH joyyyyyy!" Edna said excitedly.
Gag.
"Hey Ally, listen we need to talk," he said in a serious tone.
I swallowed. "Okay..."
"As you know, I run a very high class building office and that involves some light travel... This time, the travel will be extended to three months. I leave in a week," he said quietly. "But hey! You won't be alone. Edna will be here with you."
Whoa whoa whoa. ME ALONE WITH EDNA FOR 100 DAYS? THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING.
"Could you excuse me for a second?" I asked, voice shaking
"But wait Ally I-" Edna started but I didn't hear the rest because I was already out the door, dialing the face time button to call my sister, Laura. She was a sophomore in community school living about 40 miles from Miami and I missed her so much. She had boyfriend but she had never met him.
"Hey Laura! I need your help! Dad is leaving again and Edna will be staying with me and I just can't I need you to come home for a few months!" I stopped my ramble when I heard crying on the other end.
"Why are you crying when I'm over here in the middle of an episode of my own!" I scolded.
"Yeah well try walking in on in your boyfriend making out with your best friend," she sniffled.
"WHAT?!" I thought you said he was a good guy. Laura I'm so sorry..." I really did feel bad.
"I don't want to talk about it. Listen, lets just talk about you. Now what's going on with dad?"
"He's leaving again...and I'll be stuck with Edna!" I almost cry thinking about it.
"Oh Ally." she chuckles. "Edna is a sweetheart. Sure the age difference is a bit weird but I like her."
"No you don't understand. She's so mean when no one is around you have to come over."
"Fine. I have a two day break next week. I'll be there."
She hung up before I could say anything. I felt bad I even asked at all, but I couldn't be alone with Edna for 3 months! I wouldn't let that happen.
I went back inside, faked a smile, and went upstairs and into my room.
Budding my knees, I tried to stay calm. Laura will be here, Laura will be here... I try to comfort myself, but it wasn't working very well when I remind myself that my sister is only going to be here for two days. And I'll be glad to have her, but once she leaves again...I don't know what I was going to do. Maybe I could convince Trish to stay for a few days, but she doesn't like Edna either; she's the only person that seems to believe me.
Sighing, I grabbed my songbook and laid flat on my stomach and started writing about what was happening. My songbook was one of the greatest things I have ever owned. It wasn't just for song-writing either (which was something I enjoyed doing, even though I was afraid to actually sing my songs in front of other people), it was also my journal/diary in which I wrote every one of my thoughts down about my seventeen years on this beautiful planet.
A few minutes into writing, Dad knocks on the door. "Knock knock," he says.
"Come in," I say, not looking up.
He sits down on the side of my bed. "I...I know that Edna may not be your favorite person, but, I have to go. It's business..." His hand goes behind his neck.
I raise up and put my hand on his shoulder. "I understand." I had to be strong for my father. I knew he had to go, as much as I didn't want him to. "I have Laura, she said she has a two day break and she'll come soon. But after that, I don't know." That might have been risky to say, because he raised his eyebrow.
"What's wrong with some Ally-Edna bonding? It'll give you a chance to get to know each other better. You don't always need to have another person with you."
Yes I do! I wanted to scream. She gives me the creeps! "Well..." I try to think of a good thing to say without hurting his feelings. "I would just want Edna to get to know my friends, that's all." I lied.
"Yes, but I think it'll be good to just have you two."
"I guess." I knew that in the mean time I could always visit my mom, who was married to a man named Luke. He was nice, appealing, and was actually close to my mom's age. So in other words, the exact opposite of Edna. And his son, Dallas, was a sweetheart. In fact, he is in his senior year of college and engaged to a girl named Cassidy. Cassidy was sweet too, and they seemed right for each other. I considered her my sister.
"Cheer up!" Dad tries. I knew he had been trying desperately for over a year to get me to like Edna, but I just couldn't. He didn't see the real side of her. I tried to tell him about it, but he, like everyone else, would tell me I was just being paranoid. Dallas was another person that believed me.
I close my songbook, forcing myself to give him a smile to prove I had "cheered up".
Austin's POV
I walked home, hands in my pocket. It had been a long day of training. Mr. Johnson, one of the older bus drivers, managed to teach me everything he knew. He had good patience, considering he was my old bus driver before I learned how to drive; and unlike any of the staff at Marino High, he actually liked me. He said he was like me when he was in high school. It wasn't very hard to drive a bus, really, and if you knew how to drive a car, it was the same thing in my opinion.
"Hey Moon, where are you going?" a familiar voice asks from behind me. I stop, narrowing my eyes in annoyance.
Oliver.
"Nowhere," I answered. I wasn't exactly happy with him right now for running away like a coward. I quicken my pace.
"Hey! Wait!" He caught up to me fast then lighting.
"What do you want?" I asked, stopping.
"Zack, Brooke and I didn't mean to leave you back there."
"Sure," I mumbled, pushing past him.
He runs again and walks on the side of me. "Come on Austin," he put his arm over my shoulder, "you can't stay mad at your best friend."
"Oh, really?" I stop again, ripping his arm away and glaring at him. He didn't meet my gaze. "While you three ran like cowards I have to be Marino High's new bus boy! And I had to clean up our graffiti by myself! And you get off scot free!" I snap.
Oliver looked guilty. "I'm sorry, we didn't-"
"I don't even want to hear it," I murmured, quickening my pace again. "Leave me alone."
He doesn't follow me.
I keep on walking until I notice a familiar figure walking on the steps of a house and knocking on a door. "Ally," I whispered. Why would she be selling her chocolate bars this late?
The door slammed and I saw her flitch. Head down, she walked down the steps and went on to the next house which was slightly closer to me. "Ohhh!" I hear Oliver's voice come up from behind me.
I scowled, growing even more annoyed. "I thought I told you to-"
"Nerd alert!" He rubs his hands together and chuckles maleficently. "Let's jump her."
"No," I immediately say, feeling slightly protective, putting my hands up, blocking his way before he could run to her.
"What's gotten into you? Let me through!" He struggles to get through me.
"It's just...um..."
"What?"
"She..."
"You're not telling me you like her, do you?"
"No! I..."
"What is it?" he asked in a challenging voice, still getting through me.
"You can't-" I shifted and restarted my sentence. "Don't hurt her!"
"Why? We always jump nerds! How is she different?"
My head spun with confusion. I didn't know why I was being so protective of her all of a sudden. As I tried to figure it out, Oliver finally gets the strength to push past me and make his way to Ally. "Get back here. Don't..."
"What's the matter?" he challenges slyly as he creeps towards her.
"Oh! Hello sir!" Ally walks quickly towards him. No! Get out while you still can! "Would you like-"
Oliver slaps the bag off out of her hands. "Shut up!" He took the glasses off her face.
"Hey! Give them back!"
"If you want your glasses back, you have to jump for them nerd!" He laughed as she jumped, and she was failing miserably.
I clenched my fist. Don't just stand there! Do something! And you call Oliver the cowered.
I still didn't move.
He then stops. "You think you actually can sell these candy bars? Well, you can't, because you're just a dumb nerd." He pushes her into a puddle.
I scowled.
This was the last straw.
Fists still clenched, I marched to my "friend". "Hey!" I gripped onto Oliver's shoulders and forced him to face me and the glasses fell out of his hands and onto the street. My hand falls down to the collar of his shirt, my hands firmly grasped on the shirt.
I hear Ally gasp in surprise, head weakly lifting, a tear falling from her face and into the puddle. My gaze met hers for a split second, then back to Oliver.
"Leave her alone!" I said scornfully, yet softly.
"What are YOU going to do?"
I never thought I'd do this, but my knuckles met his face, and he made a small sound of surprise, but I felt myself falling slowly and now my head was close to hitting the road. Oliver thrwe a punch. "That's all you got?" He punched me again.
I don't answer as I punch him once more. I met Ally's gaze again; she was still laying in the puddle, looking too horrified to move.
For some reason, her gaze gave me the courage to hurl myself up, my feet kicking Oliver's stomach and he landed on the hard street. He got up and held his stomach in pain.
I took a few deep breaths, watching him stand there in agony. My eyes went big. But I didn't regret a thing; he was asking for this.
I blinked, and he was gone. I gasped in surprise.
I looked at Ally, who wiped the tears from her eyes. She wasn't the big ball of energy I met this morning. "What are you looking at?" She sniffed and got up.
"Er..." I shift, feeling speechless. I reached for her chocolate box, and apparently she was too because my hand touched hers. I winced my hand away, feeling blush form on my face.
I stay silent and grab her cracked glasses. "H-Here." I shyly gave them to her. She took them from me slowly, as if she didn't trust me with them.
Swallowing, I turned my back. "W-Wait, you're hurt!" I hear her say.
Pain was coming to me very quickly. I almost had forgotten Oliver and I's fight for a second. "I'm fine." I don't look back.
"Austin," I feel her hand on my wrist, and I felt electricity run up my arm. I finally look at her. "Thank you."
I nod slowly and turn again, limping back home.
I felt her gaze burn through me. Every time I looked over my shoulders, I saw her looking right back at me. I look back for the last time, and I saw she finally dissappeared, as if she was swallowed in a swarm of darkness.
Hoped you liked the chapter! I kind of lost inspiration on my others stories so I decided to post another chapter (you're welcome ;)).
Please review and don't drink pee from the pool!
