(A/N - WOW, 20 reviews on the first chapter? you guys are absolutely the best. (: Here's the next chapter, please enjoy!)
"Okay, Lizzie," Ally said, clapping her hands together. "What do you want to do tonight?" My parents just left for dinner, and we would be babysitting Lizzie for the next few hours, until she crashes. By that time, Ally will probably end up spending the night, as she often does.
"Let's make cookies, Ally," Lizzie said excitedly, running towards the kitchen. Ally smiled over at me and motioned for me to follow.
"Eh, that's woman's work," I teased, earning me a playful glare from Ally. I threw my hands up in defense. "Kidding! But I do need to go take a shower, so I will be down in a few minutes, okay?"
Ally plugged her nose. "Oh, so that's what that smell is?" she asked, feigning disgust. I laughed sarcastically, since she was teasing me now. "Okay, go take a shower, I can handle babysitting by myself for a few minutes." I thanked her and bolted up the stairs to my room.
I stripped off my pajamas, which I wore over to Ally's earlier. That's how excited I was to open our letters, that I didn't even change first. I hopped into the shower, and stepped out a few minutes later, feeling and smelling a lot better. My new outfit consisted of a pair of jeans and a Hollister t-shirt. Normally, I dress to impress, but I'm only in my house for the night, so it doesn't really matter.
After messing my hair up a bit, I ran back downstairs, stopping in the entryway to the kitchen. I smiled at the sight before me, Ally and Lizzie making chocolate chip cookies, rolling them into balls of dough and placing them in the oven. They both looked like they were having a good time.
I walked over to the counter and leaned over Ally's shoulder, swiping a bit of raw cookie dough. "Yum," I said, grinning as I stuck the dough in my mouth. Ally turned around and swatted my hand with the wooden spoon she used to mix the dough.
"Uh uh," she said, waving the spoon in my direction. "You don't get any more until they are baked." I smirked and wrapped one of my arms around her, pulling her close to me and restricting any movement. I used my free hand to snatch some more dough from the bowl, while Ally protested beside me. "Austin," she sighed, putting her hands on her hips.
"Okay, I'm done," I said, smiling and putting my hands up in surrender. She smiled back and continued baking the cookies, but not before rolling up a dish towel and snapping me with it. "Ouch," I mumbled, rubbing my arm, where the towel hit me. Ally and Lizzie both tried to stifle giggles, and eventually finished baking the cookies.
I reached for one, and tried to eat it. "They're hot," Ally warned, as I dropped the burning cookie, fanning my mouth. Ally shook her head in mock disappointment. "You never listen, do you?"
I shook my head and smiled. "After sixteen years, you'd think you would understand that," I said, sticking my tongue out at her.
"And after sixteen years, you'd think you would understand that I'm always right," Ally said, flicking my ear and placing the cookies on a plate. "Here, Lizzie," she said, handing her a cooled cookie, then pouring a glass of milk.
"Thanks, Ally," she said, giggling. I love the way that Lizzie sounds when she speaks, because she is missing two of her front teeth. She has a lisp, and it reminds me of the lisp that Ally had when we were younger. It was too adorable.
"Come on, Austin," Ally called over her shoulder, carring a plate of cookies into the living room. I had gotten lost in my thoughts and spaced out. I grabbed the two glasses of milk that Ally left on the counter, and followed her to the couch. Lizzie was sprawled out in a small princess chair, and was currently watching the movie Up.
I set the milk down next to the cookies and then placed myself next to Ally on the couch. "Hello, my name is Doug," I said, mocking the voice of the cartoon dog. Ally laughed so hard that she spit out the piece of cookie that was currently in her mouth. That only made me laugh, and soon we were leaning into each other's sides, cracking up.
By the end of the movie, many of the cookies and all of the milk was gone. My stomach hurt from laughing so hard, and Lizzie looked like she was about to fall asleep. "Come on, Lizzie," I whispered, scooping her up in my arms and carrying her up the stairs to her bedroom. Ally followed me, and we tucked her in together.
"How about you tell the bed time story tonight, Lizzie?" I suggested, hoping to wear her out to the point where she would fall asleep easily.
She nodded her head, and began the story. "Once upon a time," she said happily. "In a far away land, there was a beautiful princess named Ally. She was so beautiful, that every boy in the land loved her, even a prince named Derek." Ally shot me a questioning glance, but I just shrugged my shoulders, since he is probably a character that Lizzie made up.
"But Princess Ally didn't love Prince Derek," Lizzie continued. "She really liked a peasant, a boy named Austin." I stiffened, knowing where this was going. It was the same type of story Lizzie always told - a romance between Ally and I. But she is only five years old, she doesn't know any better. "Anyway, Austin tried all he could to get Princess Ally to notice him, because he didn't know that she liked him as much as he liked her. One day, Austin finally asked Ally on a date, and they fell in love. He became Prince Austin, and one day they got married. The end."
I smiled down at Lizzie, and looked over to Ally to see her doing the same. "That was a good story, Lizzie," Ally said, tucking the comforter closer around her.
"Thank you," Lizzie giggled quietly. "Will you guys sing me a song before bed?" I looked over to Ally and she nodded, shrugging her shoulders. Ally and I switched off singing every verse, both of singing quietly so Lizzie would fall asleep.
Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer
In the hills and highlands
I fall asleep in hospital parking lots
And awake in your mouth
Hello Seattle, I am a mantaray
Deep beneath the blue waves
I'll crawl the sandy bottom of Puget Sound
And construct a summer home
Hello Seattle, I am the crescent moon
Shining down on your face
I will disguise myself as a sleeping pill
And descend inside of you
Hello Seattle, I am a cold seahorse
Feeling warm in your sand
I sing about the tide and the ocean surf
Rolling in the evening breeze
Hello Seattle, I am an albatross
On the docks and your boats
I sail above your inlets and interstates
Through the rain and open wind
Hello Seattle, I am an old lighthouse
Throwing beams of bright lights
Red in the morning, blue in the evening sun
Taking heed from everyone
Hello Seattle, I am a mountaineer
In the hills and highlands
I fall asleep in hospital parking lots
Take me above your light
Carry me through the night
Hold me secure in flight
Sing me to sleep tonight
Take me above your light
Carry me through the night
Hold me secure in flight
Sing me to sleep tonight (1)
Although we were singing quietly, it still sounded really good. About halfway through the song, Lizzie fell asleep and was now gently snoring. "Come on, Princess Ally," I whispered, pulling her towards the door. When we were away from Lizzie's room, I turned to smile at her. "So, are you heading home?"
"It's too far," she mumbled sleepily.
I chuckled quietly. "It's three doors down, Als," I reminded her. She shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I don't mind you spending the night. Do you want to go watch another movie?"
She grinned and nodded her head, tugging me towards the living room. When I asked what movie she wanted to watch, she plopped down onto the couch, laying across the whole thing. "Surprise me," she said. I slipped her favorite movie, Finding Nemo, into the DVD player, but I am pretty sure she is too tired to pay attention.
"Scooch over," I said, walking over to the couch. She shook her head and made no attempt to move. "Fine," I sighed, lifting her head up and sitting down carefully, replacing her head in my lap. "Comfy?" She nodded her head, smiling, and I pressed Play.
Not even ten minutes later, I heard her snoring quietly. I didn't want to wake her, so I lifted her small frame up in my arms and carried her up the stairs to my bedroom. I layed her on one side of my king-sized bed, tucking the covers around her. Then I changed into pajamas and layed on the other side, a respectable distance from Ally, as we have done many times over the years.
My bed is big enough that it isn't awkward when we both sleep in it. "What am I going to do with you, Als?" I asked, looking over at her. She looked so angelic while asleep, many years younger than she really is. "Goodnight," I whispered, settling into a heavy sleep.
I woke up and felt a warm body curled up against mine. I looked down to see that not only were my arms wrapped around Ally, but she had hers wrapped around mine as well. The only time we ever sleep like this is when I am comforting her, so this is going to be hard to explain when she wakes up.
I tried to pull away slowly, but I must have moved too much, because Ally's eyes fluttered open. "Good morning," she whispered, smiling at me sleepily. She nuzzled her head into my chest, but moments later, pulled away. "What?" she asked, wide-eyed. We both pulled our arms away, blushing.
"Sorry about that," I said, rolling out of bed and walking over to my closet, pulling on a new t-shirt. I stepped out of my pajama pants and into a pair of jeans before walking back into my room.
"Don't be," Ally said, hopping off the bed. "It was as much my fault as it was yours. Not that there was really any fault..." She trailed off, blushing. "Anyway, I'm going to head home and shower, so come over in like, an hour, alright? We can check out the information packets for the school before your parents throw our celebration tonight." I agreed, and she started to leave. "And this time, try not to walk in while I'm showering, okay?" It was now my turn to blush, and Ally walked down to her house, smirking.
I texted Trish and Dez about the celebration dinner tonight, and then got ready for the day. After sitting around almost an hour, I told my mother that everyone was going to show up for the celebration tonight.
I walked over to the Dawson's house and let myself in. "Sup, Mason," I said, nodding my head at him. He waved before turning his head back to a baseball game, stuffing chips into his mouth. I guess Ally's dad is running Sonic Boom right now. I asked him to give Ally some more time off, since for a while, she had been very overworked. He agreed, trusting my judgement of my best friend, and limited her to working four days a week. Today was one of her days off.
I climbed the stairs up to Ally's room, where she was sprawled out on her bed, flipping through a large book that I recognized as the Miami Arts informational packet. "This is going to be so awesome," I said, taking a seat next to Ally. We flipped through the booklet for a few hours, learning as much as we could about the campus, curriculum, policies, and supplies that we will need.
At some point, Mr. Dawson came home, and greeted us both, asking how the school looked. My mother texted me saying it was almost time for the dinner celebration, and Ally, Mr. Dawson, Mason, and I walked down to my house.
Dez and Trish were already there, gathered at the table with my parents and Lizzie. "Hey guys," I exclaimed, as we all took our seats.
After eating a great meal that my mother prepared, Mr. Dawson stood up, raising his glass. "A toast to Austin and Ally," he announced, raising his water in the air. "As they take their next step in the journey of life, doing what they love: making music. These two teenagers are definitely going to make it far in life, and most likely as best friends, like they have for the past sixteen years. Congrats, kids."
Everyone else congratulated us as we clicked our glasses together. "Thank you," Ally and I said in unison. She smiled over at me and I reached out and gave her knee a squeeze.
Next, my parents and Mr. Dawson presented us with gifts, in honor of our acceptances. I opened up my box to find a cherry red electric guitar. "Wow, that's awesome," Ally exclaimed. She reached for her own box, and pulled it open, revealing a brand new leather journal, and a framed vintage Beatles record, signed by all of them. "This is great," she exclaimed, flipping through the book and gazing adoringly at the record.
"And of course you have gifts for each other," my mother said, motioning for us to continue. Ally and I both nodded, grinning at each other.
Ally handed me a small box, which contained a leather bracelet. It was carved to say, 'Best friends forever, A&A. Music moves us.', with a heart at the end. "I love it, Als," I said, sliding the bracelet onto my wrist. Then I handed her my box.
She opened it and gasped when she saw the solid black music note, hanging on a nice silver chain. The back was engraved, reading, 'Never leave the friendship, never lose the music. A&A.' "It's beautiful," she said smiling. "Did you write that quote yourself?" I nodded my head, and she grinned, since she knows I am not good at putting feelings into words.
I clipped the chain carefully around her neck, letting my fingers brush against her skin lightly. She shivered, making me smile. "We made it, Ally," I whispered, pulling her into a huge embrace. "We're going to have a great time at this school." She nodded her head into my chest, and smiled. We finished the celebration with a few songs, and had a great time with the people who love and support us the most.
(A/N - well, this is the second chapter! I know it was focused a lot on Austin and Ally's friendship, but the next one will start at the school. Thanks for leaving such abundant, awesome reviews on the first chapter, and I would greatly appreciate it if you continued, since reviews keep me going! (: Thanks!)