Dez had been Austin's best friend for as long as Austin could remember, and for as long as Austin could remember he and Dez had been doing crazy fun things together. But this, this was just crazy.
"I'm not sure about this," Austin said as he handed Dez yet another packet of chocolate pudding.
"Why not?" Dez asked as he tore the packet open with his teeth having long since given up on attempting to open them with his hands.
"Because although I totally agree with you about why we're doing this. I think there might be a better way to do it. You know, a way where Ally and Trish won't kill us!"
Dez shook his head. "Since Trish brought this on herself it would be unreasonable for her to kill us."
"And you really think Trish is going to listen to reason?"
"Okay. Maybe not. Which is why you're going to lie about our reasons for it."
"Why am I the on who's lying?" Austin asked clearly unhappy with Dez's plan so far.
"Because I can't lie. You know that. Remember that one time when –"
Austin held up his hand to silence the redhead. He did not need to relieve yet another one of their embarrassing childhood memories. "I guess you're right, and you're sure this will stop Ally going on her date with that Elliot guy?"
"Positive. And you're sure it will stop Trish going on her date with Trent?"
"Dez, it's your plan, how am I supposed to know?"
Dez shrugged and gestured to Austin to hand him another packet of pudding.
"I hope this works," Austin mumbled, more to himself than to Dez.
"It wasn't that bad," Trish argued as she left Pretty Little Things her arm locked with Ally's and her hands filled with colourful shopping bags.
"No. It was AWFUL!" Ally giggled. "I don't think we'll be able to go back in there for a while."
Trish shrugged. "Who needs 'em. Besides I'm thinking of trying Bandana Republic for my next job anyway."
Ally nodded. "I heard they give a huge discount to their employees."
"Why do you think I want to work there?" Trish laughed.
Ally smiled, it was times like these she enjoyed hanging out just with Trish. The Latina was a lot less violent when she was alone, and thinking about it, it had been forever since Ally and Trish had hung out without the guys. "Actually Trish, there was something I needed to talk to you about."
"Ally, I'm no letting you bail on your date with Elliot. I think you're really going to like him."
"Whys that?"
"He likes music, he writes songs, he loves reading and he's shy. He's perfect for you!"
Ally giggled. "He does sound perfect… But that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about. I wanted to talk to you about Dez."
Trish let out a grunt of distaste which Ally knew was only a façade. Trish just wasn't ready to accept that she actually considered the tall redhead her friend now.
"What about him?"
"You need to cut back on the name calling, just a little."
Trish frowned. "Is this about that Indian burn I gave him at the restaurant? Ally, it's not the first time I've ever done that and Dez doesn't care."
"No Trish, this isn't about the Indian burn, this is about what you said afterwards, when you called him a 'Freckle Face Freak' and then said you hated him and that no one would ever want to date him and –"
"Okay, I get your point. Maybe I was a little harsh, but that doesn't mean I'm apologising. I'll just… okay, I'll leave the doof alone for a while and if I get the 'urge' to say anything that you consider 'name calling' or 'hurtful', then I'll walk away."
Ally grinned. "Good job Trish, I'm proud. If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all."
"Right…" Trish slipped her phone out of her pocket and glanced at the time. "We should hurry. We've only got a couple more hours to get ready."
Ally rolled her eyes but followed Trish nonetheless; she wasn't going to lie, now that I was almost time for the date she was perhaps the smallest bit excited for it, but only slightly. For the majority part Ally still didn't want to go, but she was intrigued to meet this guy Trent to see exactly who was making her best friend so happy. Oh, and she wanted to see Elliot too.
"Wait!" Trish stuck her hand out in front of Ally. Her reflexes lightning fast. "Something doesn't feel right…"
"What?" Ally asked confused. From what she could see everything was exactly the same as when they left Sonic Boom mere hours ago. "Trish you're just being paranoid. This is what happens when you scheme too often."
Trish seemed to consider this for a moment before slowly lowering her arm and allowing Ally to pass.
Patricia De La Rosa had good instincts. Great instincts in fact. She could always sense a change in the air when something was amiss, which is why when she was stood in the entrance of Sonic Boom her clothes dripping with chocolate pudding, she was struggling to resist the urge to say, "I told you so."
Trish grimaced as she rubbed pudding out of her eye. She could hardly imagine how hard it was going to be to get the pudding stains out of her clothes, let alone the pudding that had clumped together in her corkscrew curls. Ally was stood beside her, visibly trying not to cry or burst a blood vessel in anger.
The girls knew exactly who the culprits were of course. They were the two idiots stood beside a tuba looking like two deer who had been caught in the headlights. The boys' mouths were slightly ajar and their eyes were wide like they couldn't quite believe what had just happened.
Ally, unlike Trish, was more likely to believe their sob story about how the tuba wasn't meant to fire on them. Trish however was not so naïve, and was, unlike Ally, immune to Austin's sad puppy dog eyes.
"What did you do?" Ally seethed, her tone low and dangerous.
Austin and Dez glanced at each other. Dez merely shrugged as he mouth opened and closed manically like a goldfish, whereas Austin let out a tiny squeak of a reply.
"Well?!" Trish snapped. Her arms flailed and sent pudding flying away from her clothes.
"Um…" Dez started. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A crease formed between his eyebrows and his nose scrunched up in concentration. "Weheardarumourthatyouroldbos swasgoingtobeheresowethought we'dprankhimforyouwhileyouwereo ut." He babbled, his words running together as though he were drunk.
"What?" Not even Ally could comprehend what he was saying.
Austin sighed. "We heard a rumor that Trish's ex-boss was on his way over here to buy a guitar for his son, so we figured we'd get him back for you whilst you were out, that way you couldn't get in any more trouble."
Trish didn't even need to consider her response. "LIARS!"
"Trish!" Ally hissed. "That seems like a perfectly honest, valid –"
"No, it's not!"
"Yes it is!" Dez argued though he didn't look her in the eye.
"No it's not! My ex-boss doesn't have a son. He has a daughter!"
"Austin, Dez, did you just lie to us?" Ally said her voice quiet now. "How many times have I been through this with you guys." She made to move forward but stopped when she remembered her current pudding problem. "It's not okay to lie. Unless there's a really good reason like a crazy axe murder was coming in here looking for one of us and then you lie and say we're not here and –"
"Ally!"
"Right, sorry. My point is that you shouldn't lie to me, or Trish. Dez I expected better of you. You too Austin."
Trish shuddered as she listened to Ally tell the two boys off. The tone and pitch of Ally's voice reminded her of their fourth grade teacher Mrs Mahoney. It was like she was ten and being told off for neglecting her chalk monitor duties again.
"Why did you feel you had to lie to Trish and I? You can tell us anything," Ally smiled.
Poor naïve Ally, Trish hummed. It was brilliant trait to have, to be able to think the best of people regardless of the situation but how could Ally not see it? How could she not see that this was Dez getting his revenge on her for what she had done during lunch? No she wasn't going to give either boy the satisfaction of thinking she was bothered.
"Ally, it doesn't matter. If the guys want to be idiots let them. We have a date to get ready for," Trish said holding her head up high despite the uncomfortable feeling of the pudding rubbing against her skin as she moved. "Dez, Austin get out. Ally let's lock up and then we'll had back to your house to get ready."
Any other day Austin and Dez would have stayed to argue their case or at least apologise for their behaviour, but today they were just thankful to have not been caught.
Ally opened her mouth to question Trish's actions, knowing that Trish, more than anyone loved a good screaming match, but the brunette quickly decided against this. Some things were just better left unsaid.