Here is chapter two! After about a million years sorry about that. Okay I just want to say sorry if any of you have lost someone special to you and any of this story offends you in any way. I know it's a touchy subject. And if so I am so, so sorry for your loss. 3

Again I don't own any of the characters or actors as much as I'd like to own Laura Marano

Austin's POV

I lay on my bedroom floor, just thinking. Thinking about what was going to happen at school tomorrow. Was Ally going to turn up? Neither Lester nor I had managed to get a word out of her yet. Yet. He sent me home at midnight, saying she needed some sleep because she had stayed up the whole night before, so I tucked her up and told her not to worry and her mom was and always will be looking down on her from heaven. I watched her sleep for a few minutes. God she was so beautiful, I wanted to kiss her right there. But what if she didn't feel the same way? I'm being so selfish, complaining about my problems.

Seeing Ally silent is just so bizarre, she usually talks until every topic in the entire world has been covered. Of course I understand but I just wonder how long it'll take before she starts to get a little bit happier, I kept telling her to remember the memories she shared with her mom, not the traumatic feeling that she's gone. I wonder if Trish will be able to get a peep out of her. But then again, she didn't call Trish eight times, she called me.

A tear rolls down my face as I imagine my mom passing away. My whole life would just crumble down on top of me, and I know how important Penny was to Ally. I would understand if she...never got over it. But does that mean I- I've lost Ally?

Please God, no. I can't lose her. I can't ever lose her.

Monday

I took a deep breath and sighed. It was the start of lunch and I hadn't seen Ally all day. She isn't in any of my morning lessons so I hoped I'd catch her at her locker, if she did turn up that is. I knew her locker code so I hid all her favourite things in there; pickles, gold stars, a necklace in the shape of a piano and even a little mallet because I know how much she loves gavelling. I hoped it might make her feel at least a tiny bit better.

I knew she would turn up; this is Ally we're talking about. My eyes lit up as I saw her walking down the hall and I ran to her and welcomed her in a tight hug. She didn't return it. I knew she was thinking about it so I started conversation and babbled about whatever came to mind as we walked down the hall. I knew she wasn't listening but I just tried everything I could to distract her. Throughout the whole of lunch she didn't make a sound, even with Dez, Trish and I cracking jokes to make her laugh, asking questions all about stuff she was crazy about but I knew inside there was only one thing she could possibly think about and I didn't blame her. I finally realised what she wanted so I signalled to Dez and Trish and we became quiet. We heard Ally release a small, almost relieved sigh. She still didn't say a word.

I sat through Maths and Science watching Ally just sit there staring into space yet her hand was still moving like a robot, copying down all the examples and doing all the equations like it was second nature to her, just like she always does. Except this time the smile that usually spreads over her face while at school was nowhere to be seen, like it had been cleaned off her face like a stain, and once in a while a tear would roll down the side of her face and drop onto her work. She just wiped it off immediately, determined not to cry.

As we were walking home I decided to stay quiet but I thought of ways I could possibly comfort her, and came up with nothing. I contemplated grabbing her hand but she didn't return my hug earlier, what if she pulled away from my hand? Instead my mind wandered to just 4 days ago, on Thursday...

Thursday

A giggle filled the cafeteria.

"Trish! Seriously stop, you're going to make me drop my tray!" Ally squealed through her laughter while Trish was trying to trip up Dez by stepping on his typically untied shoelaces. Knowing how clumsy Ally can be I stepped in.

"Need some help Alls?" I offered, while laughing at her. She looked up at me, her twinkling eyes melting my insides, as cheesy as that sounds. Because she was focusing on me, her pasta started sliding off her tray so without breaking her eye contact I threw my hands underneath it and caught it for her, giving her a cocky, smug grin.

"Good one, Dawson." I stated, winking at her. She gave me her classic eye roll and laughed. I loved her laugh, her beautiful, amazing laugh. Carrying both our trays, I walked to our usual table and sat down, placing them on the table. Ally grabbed back her tray.

"Thank you ever so much for your amazing and heroic actions, Mr. Moon, but I think I can take it from here." she reassured me sarcastically giving me her shining smile.

"So...Ally, have you told them about your mom yet?" Trish asked her with an excited look on her face. I tilted my head in confusion and waited for her to proceed. Ally's mom had been in Africa writing a book about animal behaviour.

"Oh yeah, she's coming home! Tomorrow!" She exclaimed eagerly as the grin on her face grew into the biggest smile I've seen her wear in a while. "I can't wait! I haven't seen her in so long; I miss her way too much."

"Oh Ally, that's great! How long is she staying?" I questioned.

"Okay...I didn't believe it either but, forever, like she's done in Africa so she's coming to help dad run the store! Ahhh!" she said excitedly, her eyelids fluttering like a little puppy dog.

"Aw Alls, I'm so happy for you! You finally get your mom back." I smiled warmly at her.

"I know, she's always tried to be there for me, like through video chat but it's going to be so amazing to know she's really there for me, whenever I need to talk to her, and that I can hug her and she can comfort me when I'm sad, dad was never good at the hugging stuff..." she babbled on and on. I knew how over the moon she must've been and I was so happy for her.

"Well, Ally, as well as your mom you'll always have me, don't you forget that..." I said shyly, and I was never shy, seriously. Her cheeks went pink and her big doe eyes looked at me straight.

"Austin..." she started.

"Hey, what about me?" Dez cut in. "I'll always be there too!"

"Yeah and me Ally, don't you ever worry" Trish added, smiling at her. Ally looked around the table grinning widely.

"Thanks guys." she said softly. She reached underneath the table and grabbed my hand, squeezing it. Knowing she'd taken me by surprise, she looked me straight in the eye, smiled gently and whispered.

"Thanks." my breathing stopped for a second.

Monday

As we came up to her house, Ally stopped walking, and just stared at it. We stood there for a few seconds before I turned her around to look at me. Her head dropped to stare at the ground but I raised it by her chin and held her there gently, so she had to look at me. I knew she wouldn't talk, and I respected that, but I couldn't just let her go home and let her world crumble around her.

"Look, Ally, I know exactly what you've been thinking about all day, of course I do. But you have to understand that this is real life and this has happened. Even though it is completely and utterly tragic and, obviously, I have no idea how I would feel if I were in your position. But just think about her. How amazing and unbelievably caring and wonderful she was. Nothing can change what has already happened now but do you know what you can do? Just think about what your mom would want for you right now." I pointed up to the sky. "She's up there. Looking down on you, watching what you're doing, and the choices you're making, just like she would have done down here. She wants you to be happy. She wants for you to get everything you possibly can from life and pursue your dreams. She wants you to have as much fun as you can, but succeed everything you've ever wanted. You know that's what she wants. What do you want? To make her proud, by staying strong and never giving up, right? You need to remember all the good memories you shared with her, and everything you ever did with her because all she ever wanted was to make you happy. She cared so much for you, Ally, you have to remember that. Please."

Ally stood there, staring at me, with a completely unreadable expression covering her face. My heart sank to the bottom of my chest. I knew she wouldn't say or do anything but I had this tiny string of hope in my heart that maybe, just maybe, she would.

As I was about to turn around, all of a sudden her eyes somehow grew back to the doe size they had always been and she looked at me, melting my insides. Her hand reached down to gently hold mine and our fingers intertwined.

"Thanks." she whispered.

The first word she had spoken in days.

My breathing stopped for a second.