"Trish! Oh thank god your here! Look at this music video!" The computer screen showed a tall, handsome, blond boy jumping around his room while playing an electric guitar. Some shots included the boy dancing. While doing all these things, the boy was singing.
"Oooh, that song is HOT! And pretty boy is even hotter when he sings!" Trish says.
"Trish, this isn't funny! See, he is even taking credit for MY song! See, look at the ending credits! It says his name under song writer!"
"Whoa, wait, you mean you wrote the song?"
"Of course I did! Austin Moon could never write a song without me."
"Well, according to this, Helen does."
"What Helen? Helen Jacobs who used to be my lab partner, or the famous Helen Begenerous? And where does it say this?"
"Right there. Helen Begenerous has booked Austin Moon for live TV interview tonight. Catch his first exclusive at 6."
"Oh, that boy, I hate him right now! I should be the one getting the credit!"
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Trish, I'm going to get revenge! And I'm going to need your help!"
"Dez! Why aren't you answering! And you know I didn't write that song! What am I supposed to tell Helen! Call me back!" Austin let out a grunt of frustration, and kicked his dressing room's wall. The black screen in the right corner on the ceiling was blinking in bright red letters: FIVE MINUTES TILL SHOW! Meaning in five short minutes, he would have to lie to his fans, to Helen, to the world. If Ally were here, she would know what to do. She would know how to get out of this.
"Mr. Moon, you need to come to the landing area." A man dressed in all black announces in the door way.
"The what?"
The man in black sighs. "The landing is the part of the stage that is blocked from the camera. It is where you enter from."
"Oh, okay. Got it." Austin is really freaking out on the inside, but is trying to exude confidence. One of his most predominant traits is confidence, so it can't really be that hard. He follows the man to the landing, and smiles at every girl he passes. Ally Dawson doesn't own you, he repeats to himself.
All too soon he hears Helen introduce him, and he is forced to go out onto the stage and wave to all the adoring fans wearing his face on a t-shirt.
"Well, Austin, congrats! How does it feel to be an overnight sensation?"
"My video hasn't been up for a whole day yet."
"Sweetie, it's just a phrase. I'm asking how does it feel to have your new music video be viral in such little time?"
"Oh. It feels great. My dad always told me I had a bazzillion to one chance in making it in the music business, so I feel like I proved him wrong." The audience applauds.
"Well, a talented boy like you, how could you not make it! And I bet the ladies are swooning for you!" All the girls in the audience either whistle or cheer.
"Yeah, I guess they are." He sends a smirk out into the crowd.
"Speaking of ladies, is there any girl in particular right now? Come on, Austin, the fans want to know!"
He ducks his head and blushes as mental pictures of Ally flood his brain.
"Well, there is this one girl. She's crazy talented and super nice, but I think for now she wants to stay friends."
"Even after you wrote that song? Who can resist a musician? Wait, was the song written about this girl?"
Austin is very uncomfortable, and the crowd is starting to notice. Ally and the song, wrapped up in one question. Suddenly, the truth is blinding him. He needs to say it, he needs to tell everyone that Ally Dawson wrote the song. And he is going to, but the TV behind them starts to glitch, and suddenly his own figure and Ally's is on the screen, in the Sonic Boom practice room.
It appears this is the security footage from last night, because they both are wearing the same clothes as they were and are bent over the piano.
"Ally, I wish I could just write a song." The TV Austin says.
"Well, your helping me write this one. I would have never thought to use the C major chord."
"Yeah, but I can't write lyrics that match the beat. I mean, you came up with 'let's laugh about that thing, let them question if we are sane' in seconds, and switched the whole chorus without even blinking an eye. You wrote this song, not me."
"Stop being stupid, Austin. You're helping me. Anyway, what should we name it?"
"Ugh, I don't know, how about 'Lost Without You'."
"I like it. See, I would have named it something stupid."
And the video cuts out, and then shows a different video of that short Latina girl, and she is just standing in front of the plants outside Sonic Boom.
"Huh, that's weird, Austin. The name of the song you were claiming that you wrote is called 'Lost Without You', isn't it? And that verse, it sounded like one of the first ones in said song...(gasp) Austin, did you lie? Did Ally Dawson, the girl in that video, really write that song? I think she did." And then the TV screen just turns back to the Helen show back drop.
Austin is rendered speechless. He was just publicly humiliated by this seemingly sweet girl.
"Uh, and with that, we'll take five." Helen says, and then the director yells cut.
Austin runs backstage to the landing immediately, looking for some water to calm himself down.
"Want some water, stealer?" Is the voice that meets his ears. Ally Dawson is sitting in a director styled chair, sipping a water bottle. Her eyes are burning with betrayal and victory.
"How could you do that to me! I thought you were nice!"
"Well, what did you expect? That I would just sit back, and let you take the credit for the song that I wrote?"
"I didn't mean to steal your credit! It just–"
"I don't want to hear any excuses! I'm sure you have plenty rehearsed, Moon. The point is–"
"Is that you just ruined my very first interview! My very first real shot, Dawson! And I would never do that to you!"
"Try to have some empathy! You would, trust me. You just don't know what it is like, to even truly write a song, let alone have someone else plagiarize it!"
"You know, Ally, I really thought you were different! And if you wanted to confront me, you could've just called, or came over to my house, instead of embarrassing me on live television!"
"Ooh, look at you, using a big word like television. Congrats, you actually do have a brain!"
"Wow. Thanks, Ally, thanks a lot." He starts to walk away, but she rips his shoulder back.
"I'm not done yet! I still deserve an apology!"
"For what! It was Dez who made the mix up in the credits! I had nothing to do with it!"
"But—but—but no, you didn't correct Helen when she was talking about it, you didn't make it right!"
"I was about to, before you and your friends little stunt!"
Ally looks like she is about to cry. She is muttering "No, no no no, this isn't right." She was wrong all along. Austin was going to make it right, but she went and screwed it up. She knows he isn't lying.
"Cut!" The director yells. The teenagers spin around, to find cameras pointed at them. The show was only on commercials for the time Austin ran backstage; as soon as someone reported that a girl was back there, they were live again. The curtains were pulled back, giving a nice clear shot of the argument.
Austin just stomps out of the stage room, without making eye contact with anyone. Ally stands there, not bothering to move out of the cameras view, because that factor hasn't set in yet. She just stands, silently crying.
"Trish, when do you think she'll be better?" Mr. Dawson asks; they are whispering right outside Ally's bedroom. Ally has been laying in her bed for the past 36 hours, blowing snot into tissues and crying.
"I don't know. All I know is she feels really bad about the whole Austin situation. He's been getting tons of hate mail and stuff."
"I just don't know what to do. If her mother was here, then-"
"Stop, Mr. Dawson. You couldn't have prevented that. And if she hears you, she'll cry even more."
He sighs and puts his face in his hands. "I think you should talk to her. Or get that Austin kid to talk to her."
"Mr. Dawson, that gives me a great idea!" Trish races down the stairs and out the door. All she has to do now is figure out where crazy red heads spend their Thursday afternoons.
She spots his ginger hair in the sea of people; it figures that they would be going into the corn dog store.
"Hey! Hey you! The freaky ginger!" Dez doesn't turn around, and Trish feels like punching him for not being responsive. She shoves her way up to him, and drags him by the ear away from Austin.
"What do you want from me!" Dez asks in a horrified and over dramatic voice.
"Look, doofus, Ally is really broken up over the whole situation. And I know that dreamy boy will never come and listen to her apologize. So I'm thinking that you could set up hidden cameras in her room, and after one day, you can show the footage to Austin."
"Hmmm, I like it. I can see it now; the dreary landscape, the black and white tuxedo."
"What are you talking about?"
"Yes! You understand!"
"What is wrong with you?"
He leans down to her ear and not so quietly whispers "How do you know about my rash?"
She jerks back from him and says, "Just give me your number so I can text you when to sneak the cameras in."
"I already did." Dez gives his hair a flips, and mimics blowing steam off his hand shaped gun.
"How could you have already put cameras in Ally's room?"
"Duh; when I installed the ones in the practice room at Sonic Boom, I figured her bedroom would need them too!"
"You were the one who put up the security cameras? No wonder Ally didn't recognize them! But I still have to get her out of her room, so you can get the footage from her camera."
"Lure her out with pancakes! Everyone loves pancakes!"
"No, I'll use pickles! Wow, you actually helped! Thanks, ginger."
"All in the days work of-" He strikes a super hero like pose "-Rash man!" And then he runs in the other direction.
The next day, Trish convinces Ally its time for a shower, and quickly takes the memory cards out of the hidden cameras. Before even saying goodbye to Ally, she rushes to the food court, where herself and Dez agreed to meet.
"Did you bring the stuff?" He asks when she gets there. He is dressed in a black shirt and trench coat, with bright neon yellow skinny jeans.
"Did you bring the laptop?"
"Hey, I asked you first!" He whines.
"Oh my god, I did! Now edit the video through!"
"Why would I edit it?" Trish is seriously considering taking a fork and stabbing this annoying boy in front of her.
"Because you said you needed too!"
"Oh, I did? Well, I don't. The emotions will be so much more raw if it is just a ruff cut."
"Then what are you waiting for! Take it to Austin!"
"Why would I want to do that?"
"Because he is the one we have to show the videos to!" She screams way louder than she should; but she enjoys the stares she earns. The people should notice her new cheetah leggings, anyway.
"Oh, that Austin!"
"How many Austin's do you know?"
"Just the one." And she drags him by the ear again, because she likes giving him pain (but really, deep down, it's her way of flirting).
"Austin! I gots a present for you!" Dez says, smiling, as he barges into Austin's room.
"Thanks, Dez, but I'm not in a present mood. About 20 more hate comments have been posted on my video."
"But my present is a video!"
"Oooh! Is it the video of the bunny jumping on a pogo stick! I love that one!"
"Not quite! But really close! Guess again!"
"Can't I just watch them?"
"Fine, if you want to do it the complicated way."
Austin sits up in his bed, and places Dez's laptop on his thighs. He puts the head phones in, and presses play.
A girl that looks very familiar fills up the screen. She is clearly crying very hard, and making horrible wailing noises. Her eyes are bloodshot and red, and her whole face is splotchy and puffy. Tissues liter her bed. She looks like an actress for one of those anti-depressants commercials. In the before medication stage, of course.
"Is that—Is that Ally?"
"Yeah. Trish says she has been like that for four days now."
"She really feels bad, then?"
"Austin, you tell me; have you ever seen a girl cry so hard for so long?"
"No."
"Well then, the answer is yes."
"Huh?"
"Austin, Ally is becoming really depressed about this. Trish said that she is even taking sleeping pills to calm her anxiety."
He sits in silence for a few moments, trying to understand what he just heard. He already learned about a week ago that Ally had something like an anxiety disorder, and he had a hunch that it didn't help her stage fright. But knowing that he was causing her to have attacks daily, that was...hard to hear.
"But how is that my fault?" He says in defense. Really, all he can think about is if Ally is okay, but he isn't quite ready to forgive her. And he doesn't want to feel concerned for a girl that he is supposed to be mad at.
"Austin, this is Ally Dawson we are talking about. And she is the type of person that feels everything so deeply, and anything can send her over the edge."
"How can you possibly know that? We just met her!" Really Austin already knows; he knows his best friend is more observant than people give him credit for. Dez just glares at him; the type of glare that means 'you know what to do so go and do it already'.
"Fine, I'll go talk to her." He feels frustrated yet relieved at the same time; frustrated he has to go and talk to her, but released he gets to go and talk to her. It makes sense in his brain.
"Well, go then! The pickle didn't wait for the egg!" Austin doesn't even have a clue what Dez means, but but he bolts down the stairs and out of the house in record time. It only take him two short seconds to realize he doesn't have directions to Ally's house, and he goes back inside to receive them from his red headed friend.
Knock, knock
Her bedroom door is open, but she doesn't notice him standing in the frame until her brain registers the sound of knocking. Her pale, frail frame snaps in the direction the noise came from.
"Hey," he says gently, as if afraid his words could cut her. She nods to him in response, and manages a choking noise. But her eyes well up with tears and she buries her face in the comforter of her bed.
"How've you been?" He asks. He has never been in a more awkward situation then now. And his question sends her over the edge. She starts wailing and balling, and he stands still for a few seconds. His veins feel like blood isn't flowing, but ice. And the ice numbs everything until he himself feels like crying. The fact that this girl controls him is something he has to learn to adapt to, and fast.
After the seconds of coldness, he walks to the bed and just holds her in his arms; it feels like the natural thing to do. He smoothes her hair and tightens his grip as she loses it even more.
"You—shouldn't—be—here. I'm—I'm—just being—over—over dramatic," She stammers out between sniffles.
"Ally, it's fine. I'll always be here for you." She gives him a half smile, and he gets fully into the bed with her, only not under the covers. "Sleep now, Al. I won't leave."
She has somewhat of a restless sleep. Many times, he thinks she calls out his name, but he pushes away the thought. He marvels about how many years she loses in sleep. How her features soften and relax, and the plain blank expression that sweeps her face clean. It calms him down, too, seeing her at total peace. Thinking that maybe, just maybe, he has some control of her, as well. When she stirs, her eyes are stoney, and lack the liquid happiness that he became so attached to nights ago.
"Thank you, Austin."
"Yeah. No problem." It's awkward again and neither one knows what words to say or exactly where to go from here.
"Wait a second, what day is it?" She asks frantically, sitting straight up. It's clear the blank expression has completely passed. She is back to her panic now, calm later attitude.
"Uh, I think Friday."
"I've missed all my shifts at the store this week! Uh, I have to shower!" She stands up and dives to her dresser, pulling out a random sundress. Then she bolts to the door.
"Wait, what am I suppose to do?"
"Uh, um, watch some TV downstairs, play on my iPad, leave, just something! I gotta go!" She really is in freak out mode. How could she lose her path of a functioning member of society so easily? Maybe the Austin thing was the final blow to built up stress.
Austin feels weird and awkward, just standing in Ally's room while the shower comes on. He thinks about leaving, but doesn't have anywhere better to go and doesn't exactly feel comfortable leaving Ally alone.
He browses through her room for a minute, soaking in the normalcy of it. The normal Ally Dawson feel. The simple singular light fixture in the center of it, brighting the different colored walls; one candy pink, another sea blue, another lavender, and another a spring green. The petite bed shoved up against the blue wall, windows that just about touch the floor next to it. The window shades are plain white and black, protecting the privacy of her room. The closet door neatly shut tight, the dresser drawers perfectly pushed in all the way, evenly.
The only area of the room that actually looks lived in is the foot of her bed. It's overflowing with journals and books and pens, next to a small desk with more books stacked on it. Austin wonders why she doesn't clean the area, but then it hits him; she uses everything over there way to often to keep a system of organization. He can picture he restating up late at night, scribbling out words at a time in those journals. Eagerly flipping another page in a novel, totally and completely consumed in the book.
He scans the room again and decides to head downstairs. It's 6 o'clock, so there's no way he's letting Ally go to work. And her dad still isn't home; he makes a mental note to have Ally check her phone for text messages. He looks around in the fridge for something to make for the two of them. He decides on Mac and Cheese, since it's a classic and no one can resist it. He finds TV trays in a cabinet under the kitchen sink, and sets up the food on the trays, so they can eat and watch a movie or something. He also comes across a bottle of chocolate syrup, and makes chocolate milk. He carries everything over to the living room and sets it on the coffee table. He flips on the TV and does some channel surfing, before stopping on a ghost show.
The commercials are just ending when she walks down the stairs. Her hair is sopping wet and her eyes aren't as blood shot, but still a little bit wider then normal. She doesn't even look like she is walking; more like a drifting.
"I got to get to work. Bye." She says tiredly, and distracted. He can only imagine what going on in her brain.
"Alls, your not going anywhere." This captures her attention. She snaps her head back towards him, and narrows her eyes viciously.
"When did you become the boss of me? I think I want a refund."
"Ally, calm down. It's just to late to go to work. That's all. Just come and sit down. We'll watch a movie together." He steps towards her invitingly, and she turns her back to him.
"I—I feel horrible, Austin. I keep making one mistake after another. I don't know what to do or who to be anymore."
"Well, you won't figure that out in one night. Just let go, Alls. Don't be someone you don't want to be. Just...just...don't find yourself, create yourself." By now he is half a foot away from her and she spins around, and gives him the longest bear hug in the history of he world.
"Thanks, Austin. I really did lose myself for awhile. But now I want to watch some TV and eat...what is that smell? Something cheesy."
"That'd be our dinner. What do you want to watch?"
Her answer comes flying out of her mouth, short and simple. "The Notebook."
"What's that?" She smiles half heartily and sits down on the couch, clicking on the wii remote to turn on Netflix.
"A chick flick." Austin groans and Ally's smile grows.
"Before the movie starts, have you heard anything from your dad?" He sits on the same couch as her, but the opposite end.
"Yeah. He's at my uncles house for the night. Some sort of emergency."
"Emergency? Should you be there? What happened!" Austin gets frantic; he doesn't want Mr. Dawson worried that something happened to Ally, and that's why she's not there.
"It's fine, Austin. An emergency to my Uncle Ron is a flat tire or a shortage on pepsi."
"Oh. Well, get the torture over with," he says, gesturing toward the TV.
Throughout the movie, the two move closer together. Eventually, they are both sharing a blanket, cuddled up together. Even when the movie ends, they don't move. It's Ally who breaks the silence.
"Austin, won't your parents get worried?" She mumbles out into the darkness.
"Yeah, your right. I better go. Are you sure your okay though? I'll be at Sonic Boom first thing in the morning."
"I'm fine, thanks to you."
It's a cold swoop of silence, and after a few minutes of rustling around, the front door opens and Ally calls out one last thing.
"Austin?"
"Yeah, Ally?"
"Thank you for everything. I'm lucky to have you."
Her comment washes more silence over the room. He stands still for awhile till he faintly hears a light snore, and then whispers his departing statement into the room.
"I'm lucky to have you, Ally. I don't know what I'd do without you."
She woke up with the sunlight peaking in through the blinds, shining directly in her face. Last nights a blur, and then suddenly one thing pops into her mind:Austin. Austin waiting for her at Sonic Boom. It takes her less than ten minutes to do her normally hour and half morning routine. She's out the door, soaring towards the mall before she can even think to finally turn off the TV that was left on all night.
He's sitting inside the store, waiting for Ally to show up. Her dad let him inside, and he was standing up at a display case, perfecting the trumpets set up. Boxes of new inventory made a fortress in the store. It's a bit awkward, but Lester can see exactly how much this Austin boy cares for his little baby by just a glance in his eyes.
"Do you need any help?" Austin asks, seeing that the older man was having trouble lifting a rather large box labeled drum set on the side.
"That'd be great! Thanks!" Ad just like that, Mr. Dawson escapes up the stairs into his private office. Austin doubted how cunning the man that told some of the worst pun jokes in the history of the world could be.
She shows up after he sets up a whole row of glossy acoustic guitars on the wall. She flips the closed sign to open, saying that if the store didn't open soon then most regulars would end up abandoning their loyalty, and they would lose a lot of their monthly income. Well. More than they already had.
It takes mere minutes before the store is crowded with people. Bows are still everywhere, but there is enough instruments out for people to be able to shop. A little boy with thick glasses and crooked teeth runs in, straight to the counter, holding a flute.
"Ally, I'm here for my tuba lesson!" The boy slurs out, smiling widely.
"Nelson, why would you bring your flute to your tube lesson? And I thought we switched tuba for piano? And I thought that lesson was every other Monday."
"Aw, narks. But we can still hang out, right?"
Austin is right next to Ally, raising both eyebrows and looking a little jealous, with a hint of the look you get when you are holding your tongue. Almost like he wants to defend Ally from this strange boy.
"Uh, sorry, uh, Nelson, but I already got Ally booked for the day.. He slides an arm around her neck to add effect.
"I'll be back," Nelson says, while gesturing to his own eyes with two fingers, and to Austin's eyes with the same two fingers.
"Aw, your the jealous type," Ally says teasingly. She moves her head more into Austin's shoulder, but he pulls back.
"Am not."
"Are too! You looked like you were going to stab the poor kid!"
"I wouldn't do that!"
"He has a harmless crush, Austin!" it's more of a playful, silly fight than a real one.
"Well people can't do that!"
"Can't do what?"
"Crush on my girl!" Austin says it a little bit louder than necessary. Ally is taken aback, and after a moment of a confused and analyzing look, she drags him up into the practice room. She shuts the door behind her, and gets a good foot away from Austin's face.
"So I'm your girl now, Moon?"
It's an awkward moment of blushing and putting a hand on the back of his neck, embarrassed, before Ally breaks out laughing.
"Calm down, Austin!" She smiles a really big smile, and slides her hands into his. "Did you ever think that I might want to be your girl?"
It's just the perfect moment for them; it's the one the'll look back on years from now and be proud of. It's Austin who plays on the attraction thats swimming around them; it's he who leans in and plants the kiss on her lips. It's a second of frozen, then they both relax, and mold together. It's not a full on make out session, but it's more than a simple kiss. After seconds of lip locking, they pull apart.
"So...?"
"Wow."
"Yeah."
"Ally?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm falling really hard for you."
A/N: Hello! This was my first piece in this FanFiction archive, but I wanted to split into two chapters, cause it seemed a little too long for just one. So, I re-posted it. I'm in love with this show. Okay, to make it clear: I wrote the song lyrics included, so they are not in the public domian. Not breaking any site rules. I need reviews, so if you would please leave me one, I'll be happy to review one of your stories.
~Tessie
Disclaimer: Don't own, but maybe one day I will (not).