Ally sprawled herself out across her bed, allowing tears to leak down her cheeks as she closed her eyes. Austin's words kept replaying in her mind, and the expression of hurt that crossed his face seemed to be plastered behind her closed eyes. I can't do this anymore, Ally. I'm going to California. So, that was it? All of the fighting, the crying, the frustration and the arguments for the past month had all been for nothing? Austin was going, and there was nothing she could do about it. She had considered going...really, she had. She would fight internal battles constantly, fighting to go, but...something always persuaded her otherwise.
This is huge! It's California! People would be paying for a CD of Austin singing my songs! He'd be famous, and so would I, as his songwriter!
But is that what you want? Do you always want to be known as Ally Dawson; Austin Moon's introverted songwriter? Or do I want to make more out of myself than that?
Are you crazy? I could never do that – Austin and I are the perfect match because of the way I am. I'm a shy songwriter with stage fright, and he's a confident guy who loves to perform! It's why we work – and if we work here, we're bound to work in California.
But what about Trish? You honestly think she can still be his manager if he's some famous rock star? And what about Dez? Austin will have professional directors directing his videos when he signs the record deal. And do you honestly believe that Austin's album will be made up of your songs? He'll have professional songwriters teaming up together to write songs for him – he won't use mine; I'm an amateur.
That's not true, Austin wants to sing my songs; he said so himself! He would never do that to me. Besides, even if he didn't use all of my songs, he's my best friend. This is all he's ever wanted, and he wants me to be there with him. This is his dream. Shouldn't I be supporting him?
Oh, just like he's supporting your dream? He doesn't care that you want to go Julliard; he's happy taking you away from your life in Miami to go to some school in California, before graduating and going to any random music college! That's not what I want – I want to go to Julliard!
But...but this is Austin. He's my best friend, and I love him. I can't lose him. The idea of not seeing him everyday breaks my heart. I'm so used to him being around...what will happen when he's gone?
...
Suddenly, the song Ally had written for Austin when he'd nearly swapped managers for good flashed through her mind. Better Together.
Hey, I will always stay by your side forever, cos we're better together. Hey, there's no other way, we'll make it through whatever, cos we're better together. Like the waves need the sand to crash on, like the sun needs a world to shine on. You're the bright side of every day, me without you just isn't the same.
Ally jumped up, her decision made. She'd written that song not just for Austin to sing, but it was about the pair of them, and how she felt they were better together rather than far apart. She knew exactly what she wanted now. In fact, she knew what she needed. Ally had to go California with Austin. There was no other option.
Austin flopped on his bed, chucking a mini basketball in the air and catching it again repeatedly. How could Ally not want to go to California with him? This meant everything to him; to both of them! Singing 'Double Take' had made him an overnight internet sensation, and ever since then, he'd made a name for himself, but there was so much more that he wanted. Sure, Ally wrote songs and he performed them because it was what they both loved; they did it because they loved it, not because they craved fame and money. But now that the opportunity was presenting itself to him...how could he say no? He couldn't; there was no way he could turn down such a fantastic opportunity. When he'd told his dad, he'd been so excited, but most of all, he'd been proud. That was something Austin always wanted to make him feel, especially after he'd told him music was a waste of time. He was making his father proud, while also proving him wrong. Clearly, turning this opportunity down was not an option.
But Ally. Was leaving Ally an option? Obviously, to her it was. But he couldn't do any of this without her. Why couldn't she see that? He knew Trish and Dez were delighted to go. Dez's parents were the careless type; they didn't really care what Dez did. It was probably one of the reasons Dez dressed like a clown, or acted like a total goof most of the time. So they had granted him permission to go. Trish was still trying to get through to her parents, but Ally hadn't even mentioned it to her dad yet. His heart ached. Did she really not want to go with him? She was the one who had written all those songs...'Without You', 'It's Me, It's You' and 'Better Together'. They were all songs underlining the importance and uniqueness of their relationship, and how they needed each other. Were they all just words, or had they really meant something?
Austin's phone began to ring, and he glanced over at it dully. The caller ID photo informed him it was Ally calling. Her caller ID was a photo he'd snapped of her waking up after falling asleep on the piano. She was smiling sleepily, her hair was a little messed up and her makeup was fading. But laughter was showing clearly in her sparkling eyes, and honestly, it was his favourite picture of her. But he couldn't talk to her right now. It hurt too much. Sighing, he hit the 'ignore' button and knocked his phone off the bedside table, listening to the muted thud as it hit the floor.
Ally sighed in exasperation as the call went to voicemail.
"Hey, it's Austin Awesome Moon. I can't come to your call right now, cos I'm probably eating pancakes, or I'm just being awesome, so leave me a message and I'll get back to you later. What up!"
Ally hung up the phone and shoved it in her pocket. She knew for certain that Austin always kept his phone with him to check for Tweeter updates, so clearly, he was ignoring her calls. Fine, then. This would have to be done the hard way.
She ran downstairs, past her dad who was lying on the couch, asleep. The basketball was still on TV, and he had a bowl of popcorn resting on his stomach. Should she leave him a note, or...? Yes, leave him a note just to be on the safe side. Ally quickly scribbled him a note explaining where she was going, and left it resting on the bowl of popcorn. She turned the volume down on the TV, closed the curtains, before tip-toeing from the room and out the front door.
Once out in the cool night air, Ally began to walk briskly down the street. Austin didn't live too far away; it was about a ten minute walk from her house. But ten minutes wasn't quick enough. Even though Ally sucked at sport, she broke into a run. The wind rushed by her, and it felt good. Her heart was slamming furiously against her chest, but not because she was out of breath, but because she was nervous. She was nervous about what she was about to do. Ally hardly ever made rash decisions, but she just knew in her heart that this was the right decision to make.
By the time she got to Austin's, her heart was beating even faster and her blood was pounding in her ears. Gasping for breath, Ally knocked desperately on the door. And then she remembered that Austin's mom worked late on Friday nights, so she wouldn't be back for another couple of hours. Her hand touched the door handle. And knowing Austin, the door would be left...she twisted the handle and pushed the door open. Unlocked.
"Austin!" she yelled, running into the living room. Not there. She ran into the kitchen, the dining hall, the study...not there.
"Austin!" Ally tried again, running up the stairs. She immediately made a beeline for his bedroom, but when she pushed the door open, his room was empty.
"Austin?" she called. Suddenly, the bathroom door opposite opened, and Austin walked out. He was shirtless, with only a pair of boxers on.
"Ally?" he said incredulously. "What are you doing here?"
But she didn't answer his question. Instead, Ally ran at him and flung her arms around his neck, not caring that he wasn't wearing a shirt. She hugged him tightly, forcing a reaction out of him. Immediately, his arms encircled her and he hugged her back, burying his nose in her soft, brown locks.
"How did you get in?" he mumbled into her hair.
"You don't lock your door," she replied accusingly, her voice muffled by his chest. Ally pulled away to look at him. "Austin, promise me for the next two minutes you won't say anything. Just let me talk, okay?"
Austin nodded, before miming zipping his lips and throwing the key away, like a dork. Stifling a giggle at how cute this was, Ally remembered her train of thought and began on with her speech.
"I hate it when we fight," she began. "I hate it. We hardly ever fight; not like that, anyway, and when we do, it breaks my heart. And you know what else breaks my heart? The thought of not being with you breaks my heart, Austin. I need you, and you need me. I love you, Austin, and I'm going. I'm going to California with you."
Unable to contain his happiness, Austin released a laugh and hugged her tightly. She hugged him back, feeling her heart swell at the ecstasy on Austin's face right now.
"I love you too, Als," he whispered. "And I'm so happy you're coming with me. This is the right decision. I promise you."
Ally giggled and beamed up at him. "I know."
A/N: Thanks for the reviewing, I really appreciate it. I know, this chapter seems all happy and fluffy, but I'm warning you, it's gonna get a little sad after this one. But don't worry, I hate depressing stories myself, so I can assure you, it will all brighten up later on. I promise. Please review, feedback is always welcomed :)
