"Uh, hello?" I answer.
"Hey, baby! I, um… You haven't called, is everything okay?"
… How do I tell her I'm on a train going to New York City to confess my love for another girl and bring her home?
How do I break up with her over the phone?"
Apply blunt force.
"Well, you see, I'm on a train. I'm going to New York because I'm head over heels in love with my best friend, and I have to tell her that."
"But… I'm your girlfriend," Sally replies.
"Not anymore."
I can almost hear her mouth open in shock.
Then my senses kick in. I was just the biggest dick in the whole world. "Sally?" I say.
"What?" she replies, her voice full of tears.
"I'm sorry, I… I've never had to break up with anyone over the phone, and… it doesn't seem real because I can't see your face. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to be so rude. I'm sorry it didn't work out, I know you were really happy, but you're beautiful. It won't take long to find your Prince Charming."
Sally just sighed, and hung up. I put my phone down on the table. God, I'm such an asshole…
"That's romantic," Rebecca murmurs in her sleep. Well, maybe not in her sleep, but it's obvious that she's half-asleep.
"What is?"
"Going to New York to confess your love for your best friend," she says.
"Yeah… What are you going for?" I ask her.
"My brother's in New York," she tells me. "I'm going to congratulate him for doing so well at MUNY."
"MUNY?" I ask. "My best friend goes there."
"Cool," she replies, "maybe we can all get together and have some sort of party."
No, thanks. "Yeah, sounds good," I say, then add, "maybe."
"So what's your friend's name?" Rebecca asks me. "Maybe my brother knows her."
"Ally," I reply. "Ally Dawson."
"That's his girlfriend's name…"
"Please tell me you're joking," I say.
"I am, sort of. He told me they broke up and he's dating some other girl named Amanda now," she says. "Has Ally ever talked about anyone named Chad?"
"She… She's dating Chad now…" I murmur, sounding horrified.
"Impossible, they broke up three months ago," Rebecca tells me.
"No, I just spoke to both of them a few days ago and it was their six-month anniversary, Rebecca," I say.
"My brother… No, Chad isn't a cheater…" she says, refusing to believe it. She's fully awake now and sitting up.
"He's a cheater and a beater," I reply to her. Ugh, that sounded better in my head. "He hits Ally, physically and emotionally. That's most of the reason I'm going up there, to save her from your asshole brother."
"Austin, you're a liar! My brother wouldn't hit any woman! Or cheat on anyone! He's better than that!"
"I saw the bruises and the black eyes!" I shout. Everyone in our car looks over at us and I lower my voice. "Rebecca, it's true. I know I'm just a stranger, but you have to believe me. I'm telling the truth. Ally would never lie, especially not to me."
She just rolls her eyes. "Yeah, whatever, I'll believe it when I see it." She turns away from me in her seat and closes her eyes. I start writing again.
Hey there, Allyson
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh
It's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me
Oh
It's what you do to me
What you do to me
A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they've got planes and trains and cars
I'd walk to you if I had no other way
Our friends would all make fun of us
And we'll just laugh along because
We know that none of them have felt this way
Allyson, I can promise you
That by the time that we get through,
The world will never ever be the same
And you're to blame...
I stand outside of Ally's apartment. I left Rebecca at the station. We exchanged numbers, however, and she promised to call after she spoke to Chad. I look up, wondering if I should do this. Her window is open, as it always is. I suddenly have another wonder: if Chad is here.
"Ally!" I whisper-yell. Ally's little brunette head pops out of the window. She's wearing a white T-shirt (probably Chad's, as it's too big for her tiny body) with nothing underneath, I believe.
"Austin?" she says, her eyes widening in disbelief as she sees me. "No way… Austin, what the hell are you doing here‽"
"You wouldn't answer my calls!" I call back.
"You didn't have to come all the way to New York!" she exclaims, but quietly. "It must have cost you a fortune to drive all the way here!"
"Drive?" I ask. "Ally, I took a train."
"A train?" Her face softens for a second. "I've never been on a train. Was it nice?"
"Yeah… It was cool, I guess," I reply. "I didn't come here to talk about trains, Als."
"You shouldn't've come here at all!" she says. She throws a glance over her shoulder. "Look, Austin, you need to leave."
"Not before I do this," I say. I put down my suitcase and pull my guitar strap over my head and onto my shoulder.
"Oh, God, Austin, no, really, you should go," Ally says to me.
But I ignore her and start playing.
Hey there, Allyson
What's it like in New York City?
I'm a thousand miles away
But, girl, tonight you look so pretty
Yes, you do…
Times Square can't shine as bright as you
I swear it's true…
Hey there, Allyson
Don't you worry about the distance
I'm right there if you get lonely
Give this song another listen
Close your eyes…
Listen to my voice, it's my disguise
I'm by your side…
Oh, it's what you do to me…
Oh
It's what you do to me…
Oh, it's what you do to me…
Oh
It's what you do to me
What you do to me…
Hey there, Allyson
I know times are getting hard
But just believe me, girl
Someday, I'll pay the bills with this guitar
We'll have it good…
We'll have the life we knew we would
My word is good…
Hey there, Allyson
I've got so much left to say
If every simple song I wrote to you
Would take your breath away
I'd write it all…
Even more in love with me you'd fall
We'd have it all…
Oh, it's what you do to me…
Oh
It's what you do to me
Oh, it's what you do to me…
Oh
It's what you do to me…
What you do to me…
A thousand miles seems pretty far
But they've got planes and trains and cars
I'd walk to you if I had no other way…
Our friends would all make fun of us
And we'll just laugh along because
We know that none of them have felt this way…
Allyson, I can promise you
That by the time that we get through
The world will never ever be the same
And you're to blame…
Oh, it's what you do to me…
Oh
It's what you do to me…
Oh, it's what you do to me…
Oh
It's what you do to me…
What you do to me…
Ally smiles, looking as if she's about to cry. "Austin, that was… beautiful…" Her face falls, looking behind me. "Austin, look out!" she shouts. I spin around, slipping my guitar back over my neck. I quickly set it down on the ground as Chad lunges at me. I quickly step to the side, caught off-guard, my eyes wide.
"Chad, I―" I start, but he cuts me off with a punch that catches my jaw. I bend over slightly, rubbing it.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, singing to my girlfriend?!" he asks me.
Carefully moving out of the way each time he throws another punch, I begin to speak again, "Ally's your girlfriend? Hm, that's not what Rebecca said last night."
"You fucked my little sister?" he asks, shouting now.
My eyes grow wide and I throw a glance up to Ally, who looks hurt and horrified all at once. I look back at Chad just in time to see his fist connect with the side of my eye. Pain explodes behind it. I quickly scan my last sentence to see where he got me having sex with his sister from.
Oh, he must've thought I was making a "That's not what *insert female pronoun here* said last night" joke, a sexual joke. I shake my head hard and fast, making it spin because of the pain. "No! No! You've got it all wrong! We didn't have sex! She sat next to me on the train!" I glance up at Ally. "I didn't have sex with anyone, Ally, I've―"
"Austin, watch out!" she shouts, as Chad hooks a leg under one of my own and knocks me off my feet. He quickly drops down on top of me and draws back, his fist hovering in the air, waiting to punch me.
"Seriously, I didn't have sex with Rebecca! She said you were dating some girl named Aman―"
"You shut your fucking mouth," Chad says, fear flashing through his eyes before quickly replacing it with anger again, and brings his fist down. I think he just broke my nose.
"Amanda?" Ally calls down, her voice smaller than a flea. "You're cheating on me with the only girl who bothered to be my friend?"
The sadness in Ally's voice―and no doubt in her eyes and heart―makes me want to kill this guy (more than I already wanted to), gives me the strength to do so.
I grab Chad's knee and force it upward, flipping him over onto his back. I straddle him, throwing and landing punch after punch. His face is soon bloody and bruised.
"Stop!" someone shrieks. Our gazes, Chad's and mine and probably also Ally's, snap up and we see Rebecca standing about ten feet from us.
"Becca?" Chad says. "What are you doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" she repeats, glaring down at him. "What are you doing here? Was Austin right? Are you cheating on Amanda with this girl? Ally?"
Chad shoves me off of him, standing up and walking toward Rebecca. I stand up as well. "Rebecca…" He glances back and up at Ally. "Ally…" He looks back down at Rebecca. "You know I would never―"
She recoils and backs away with a look of horror on her face. "If Austin was right about that… have you been beating Ally too?"
"Beating?" Chad sounds genuinely shocked. "I would never hurt any girl ever, not in any way. Come on, Becca, you know me better than that." He holds his hand out to her, reaching for her hand.
"Don't touch me," she says, looking disgusted with her brother. "Don't touch me, and don't touch Ally. I'm calling Dad so he can come down here and kick your ass. If there was one thing Dad taught us, one thing Dad drilled into our heads, it was to never, ever lay your hands on a woman." Rebecca turns on her heel and stalks off in the other direction. Chad runs after her, spluttering and begging for her not to call their dad.
I hear Ally sigh and I look up at her. "Second floor, fourth door on the left" is all she says before moving away from the window, shutting it. I pick up my suitcase and my guitar case and make my way to my Ally. I push the door open and step into the dark room. Ally is standing a few feet from the door, her head down.
I set my things down quietly just inside the door, kicking it closed behind me. "Als…" I step forward and she sniffles. "I'm so sorry." I turn her around and she thrusts herself into my arms. My shirt is soaked within seconds. "He―"
"I don't want to talk about him," she says into my chest. "I just… want to sleep."
"Okay… um… Can I sleep on your couch?" I ask, nodding my head toward the corner even though she can't see me. "I saw a hotel on my way over here, but it said no vacancies."
Ally just shakes her head, then looks up at me. "Can I… Can I trust you to sleep in my bed?" she asks.
"Trust me?" I ask, then I realize what she means. She's afraid I'll… take advantage of her. I smooth her hair down. "Of course you can trust me," I whisper. "But this is bothering me…" I push her away from me slightly. I turn around and reach into my suitcase, pulling out a gray T-shirt. "Here, can you put this on?"
She takes it from me and nods. Without going to the bathroom or even turning around, she starts to pull the T-shirt off.
"Uh…" escapes me and I look away from her. A few moments later, she starts pulling me to her bed. She turns and grabs the bottom of my shirt, pulling it up and over my head. "Um, Ally… I… I don't…" But she doesn't stop. She drops her hands and unbuckles my belt, pulling it out of its loops. "Als…" I whisper. She unbuttons and unzips my pants, pulling them down. She stops awkwardly with my pants around my ankles, and looks up at me.
"I… I thought you'd be more comfortable like this…" she says, and turns around, climbing into her bed. She holds the blanket up, waiting for me to crawl under. When I do, she pulls it up around both of us, then snuggles into my chest. I reflexively wrap my arms around her, smiling to myself. "You didn't look at me while I changed," she murmurs.
"That would've been disrespectful…" I reply. "Listen, Ally, you don't have to stay at MUNY, not with Chad. I loved… love you just the way you are… were… shyness and all… Do you want to come home?"
"I'm already home," Ally whispers.
Sorry it's been forever since I updated. I had a lot of crap going on, still have a lot of crap going on. Plus, I kind of had writer's block with this crappy story. I'm going to try to make it better, I promise. Anyway, I missed you, my lovelies! Review if you missed me too!
LoVe, KeNzIe