A/N: OMG, you guys. You guys. If you thought chapter 7 was an emotional train wreck, it was nothing compared to what your reviews did to me. Thank you all so much. You're really too kind.

I didn't actually intend to make the last chapter so melodramatic, but, well, Ally's been sitting on her feelings for so long that she had to snap at some point. It was originally just going to be a missed opportunity sort of thing, where Ally would plan to ask Austin, but then she'd get to him too late.

But I re-read it and wanted to curse it to the pits of hell because it was so hackneyed and predictable, so then it turned into "when you're out of ideas, better to make some of your audience cry than to make all of them roll their eyes." I'm sorry. This fic was supposed to help people cope after seeing "Hunks & Homecoming" and "Fashion Shows & First Impressions," but it probably hasn't been doing a very good job of that lately.

Also, *coughs awkwardly* I suck at updating on time. But the site was being wonky yesterday…? (As I post this, it's already Wednesday where I am.)

There will be some parts (e.g. the prom court and the very last part of this chapter, to name two) borrowed straight out of "Proms & Promises" or "Last Dances & Last Chances." Other parts may or may not be spoilers. I might just be a really good guesser. We'll see when those episodes come out. Also, there's a pretty important plot point from "LD&LC" that I've decided not to include because I don't want my story to be a replica of the show. I won't tell you which part, but it'll be pretty obvious if you've seen the footage and go, "WTF? Where's the part where…?" when you finish this chapter. It's a bit underwhelming.

In other news, I finally got around to seeing "Fashion Shows & First Impressions." The ending just about killed me. Dez and Carrie are the cutest.

Warning: Language

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin & Ally.


Recap of Ch7 (for those who didn't want to die of heartbreak and are just now rejoining us): Prom's coming up. Jace has broken his ankle and won't be able to be in Miami for prom; Gavin still hasn't asked Ally. Eventually, he reveals that he won't be able to go to prom after all and starts ignoring her phone calls and avoiding her. Ally's confused by his sudden change in behavior, but she really hasn't been feeling it for a while now and plans to break up with him. She has two dreams in which she thinks Austin asks her to prom, only to wake up disappointed. Austin, meanwhile, seems oblivious as ever to the fact that Ally wants to go with him, and the two get in a fight because Ally snaps. They make up soon after, but Austin has already asked Piper to prom instead.

And now for the actual chapter…


Status:

Dez and Carrie: ticket purchased, all set
Austin and Piper: ticket purchased, all set
Trish: dateless and ticketless
Ally: dateless and ticketless
Ticket deadline: today
Prospects: bleak
Countdown to prom: 8 days

On Friday, Ally arrived at the lunch table to find Trish considering not going to prom at all while Austin tried to wheedle her into changing her mind.

"What's the point? Jace can't go, and probably every eligible guy in the grade is already taken by now, so I won't have a date anyway."

"Aw, come on, please? It's the last big event of high school besides graduation, and I want to celebrate it with all my best friends."

"Yeah," Ally chimed in, "you've dreamt of this for four years of high school. You even have your dress picked out already. You can't stay home and not have fun just because you won't have someone on your arm when you walk in!"

"Wasn't that what you were thinking about doing?" Trish countered.

"Well—yes—but that's different." Ally blushed as Austin whipped around and fixed her with a strange stare.

It had scarcely been an hour since Trish had informed her that Austin was taking Piper to their prom, and just a little over three hours since Austin had forgiven her for slapping him last night. Ostensibly, he had put the incident behind him—they both had—but Ally could tell, from the look in his eyes right now, that they were both putting in a lot of effort to act normal around each other.

And, boy, was the struggle real.

After all, she had told him that she'd been waiting for him to ask her to prom for weeks now. And he had basically told her that he wanted to ask her, that she hadn't been his second choice or "old reliable" safe choice, after all. His parting words the previous evening had played in her mind all night like a record stuck on repeat, clawing at her like some kind of parasite hell-bent on tearing her apart from the inside out. "I would've asked you, but I was afraid that the way I asked would never be creative or special enough to be what you deserve."

It must mean he had still felt something for her.

Had still felt something.

He asked Piper to prom instead. Ally had probably destroyed any chance she'd had with him when she slapped him. She was lucky enough that he didn't hate her now. Why she didn't run after him when he walked way or call him later that night, she would never know.

Just one more missed opportunity to add to the myriad chances she'd never get back…

But then why was he looking at her like that right now? His expression was mostly confused, maybe a little guilty, but there was something else underlying all of that. Had Ally been feeling more optimistic, she would have dared to believe that it was the same way he looked at her in her dreams. At any rate, she found herself unable to look away or even blink, for fear that it would turn out to be just her imagination.

It was as if, after the hurricane that was the events of the previous night, this was the eerie calm that settled over everything the next morning, the one that could mean either that the storm was over or that this was just the eye. And somehow, the calm was even more nerve-wracking than the storm had been because the tempest could very likely resume without warning.

Fortunately, the Love Whisperer himself showed up then to snap them out of it.

"Hey, Trish, I think I might have found a replacement prom date for you. I checked with my sister, and Didi actually is going to be out of town next weekend, so Chuck needs someone to go with, too."

Trish made a face. "Wait, you mean to say he's not pulling a Romeo and killing himself because he can't spend his senior prom with her?"

"Trish. Come on. Ticket sales end today, and you need a date."

Trish gave in when Austin brought out the puppy eyes. "Oh, all right, fine! But if he asks, I'm only doing this because splitting a couple's ticket is cheaper than getting a single's."

As she left to go find Chuck, Dez turned to Ally. "As for you…" He winced and patted her shoulder. "Sorry, it looks like you're going to be the awkward unicycle in this bike parade."


The plan was for their group—Austin, Piper, Dez, Carrie, Trish, Chuck, and Ally—to meet up at the beach for pictures and then take a limo to Marino.

Unfortunately, by the time the others had convinced poor dateless Ally to "just buy a single's ticket already," all the limo companies in Miami had been booked to the max weeks ago. The crisis was eventually averted when Austin talked to Jimmy Starr, and the guy had been nice enough to let them borrow his personal limo for the night, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

This was it. They were going to take zillions of pictures and then arrive at prom feeling like movie stars and then eat rubbery chicken and dance to bad music and have a "bitching good time" (Trish got a little excited there) and then throw up said rubbery chicken later in the parking lot before watching Zaliens movies to their hearts' content.


In the week leading up to prom, Ally's convictions that she'd blown any chance she'd had with Austin wavered just a little more with each lingering look and glance he sent her way. The storm was well and truly over, and with her rising hopes came the resurfacing of those "OMG I LOVE HIM SO MUCH" feelings. They spent every afternoon after school that week together, fooling around with melodies on the practice room piano or walking arm-in-arm around the mall.

And they talked about anything and everything, except for their love lives.

Which was fine by Ally, even if she was kind of dying to know if Austin was growing bored of his girlfriend the way Ally had grown bored of Gavin. She wasn't about to voluntarily jump into those shark-infested waters to ask, though.

Besides, not talking about their love lives didn't necessarily mean that those spontaneous jam sessions didn't tend to transform into impromptu "eye-fucking" sessions (Trish's words, not Ally's), or that arm-in-arm walks around the mall didn't turn into hand-in-hand strolls through the park.

By some unspoken agreement, they avoided the beach, but that didn't prevent the sense of déjà vu Ally felt one particular afternoon after school when she and Austin were lying side-by-side on a picnic blanket spread across the floor of the practice room.

Neither of them had spoken in a while, but Austin was running his hands through her hair absently, somehow managing not to tangle it all up or pull it out by the roots the way Gavin always did. Feeling bold, Ally had wriggled a little closer to him, turning her head sideways to face him just as he turned to face her at the same time.

Their gazes locked.

Almost indiscernibly, Austin's eyes flickered down to her lips before meeting hers again and thereby resuming his assault on her emotions. At some point, her hands had found his free hand, and she realized that the hand that had been playing with her hair had gone to cradle her head as Austin leaned closer and closer…

Their faces were once again this close, and Austin once again got as far as "Ally, I—" before they once again jerked apart. This time, it was a text from Piper that interrupted.

(Not that it made any difference whether or not Piper had texted, because seconds later, Ally got a text from Gavin telling her—not even asking—that they were going out to dinner at Olive Garden on Sunday. She declined, feeling the opposite of guilty.)

Meanwhile, Austin sighed and regrettably informed her that he had to go meet Piper to shop for their corsage and boutonniere.

Another prolonged friendly goodbye hug inadequately substituting for the kind of hug she really wanted from him.

It was like trying to sate her pickle cravings with a bale of hay.

She had to physically pinch herself out of her daydream world to remind herself that Austin belonged to someone else. Better to tamp down those expectations before she soared so high with them that she could hit terminal velocity when they inevitably let her go splat.

What was that saying? Something like…

Start low so you don't have as far to fall.

Yeah, that was it.

Thus her hopes oscillated up and down all week like one of those sinusoidal waves in Austin's physics book that she so often saw whenever she was helping him study for the upcoming final.


On Friday, Ally found herself slumped in her seat at Shredder's, poking listlessly at the fruity drink Trish had set before her out of pity.

She always did hate the beach.

A little ways off, Austin and Piper were taking a break from surfing, seated side-by-side on beach towels on the sand.

They were happily chatting away.

A stab of jealousy. Ally could count on exactly zero hands the number of comfortable, effortless conversations she and Austin had been able to have when they were on a date together.

Austin and Piper even looked good together: tall, blonde, and athletic.

Another stab of jealousy. The only thing people thought of when they saw Ally with Austin was probably how much she resembled a cute little kid he was babysitting.

She glowered as Austin threw back his head and laughed at something Piper said.

All the stabs of jealousy.

She always did hate the beach.

The worst part was that they didn't even do PDA. Piper wasn't leaning on Austin's shoulder, and Austin wasn't holding Piper's hand or running his thumb over her knuckles. At a glance, Ally could almost dare to believe they didn't even appear to be a couple, just a pair of friends hanging out at the beach. (Of course, her brain had to then remind her heart that Austin and Piper were, in fact, a couple because "Ausper" was still trending on Tweeter, and Austin himself had only said so on TV, and—oh yeah—they were going to prom together.)

She couldn't even imagine how Austin had possibly felt, back in the pre-Piper days when he'd still liked her, having to watch her and Gavin fawning all over each other. "We're going to the pickle factory!" she'd prattled to Austin. "Isn't Gavin the sweetest?"

She deserved to get punched in the face.

After all, Austin and Piper were just sitting there, not even acting all lovey-dovey, and Ally was already dying inside.

She always did hate the beach.


So by the time the big weekend finally rolled around, Ally had changed her mind entirely about going to prom—even if just to have fun and hang out with her friends, even if she had been dreaming about this occasion since she was a lowly, invisible freshman.

Why would any girl bother going if she was going to be the seventh wheel, and the only person she wanted to go with was unavailable? It was just prom. Missing it wouldn't be entirely life-altering or something she'd still regret at age eighty. She'd rather not go at all than go without Austin anyway. At least then she wouldn't have to watch him having a good time with Piper. She didn't need another dagger in the heart reminding her of what she'd let slip through her fingers.

Besides, she hadn't bothered to go dress shopping. And they weren't even paying for the limo, so it wasn't like she was needed to help split the cost. The only money she'd be wasting would be the forty dollars she spent on her ticket, which was partially refundable anyway.

And her dad wasn't due back from his business trip until the following morning, so she had the house to herself once she got off from her shift at Sonic Boom. Yes, staying home would be for the best. Maybe she could write a bajillion more love songs and drown her sorrows in fruity mint swirl and indulge in chick flicks for the rest of the weekend…

To: Ally
From: Trish
5:14 p.m.
Want me to drop by at Sonic Boom so we can walk over together to meet up with the others?

Even Trish had someone to go with despite the fact that her boyfriend couldn't make it. So when Ally got her best friend's text, she simply replied that she was bailing and that she hoped they'd have a good time and takes lots of pictures.

She expected at most an "Aw, why?" or a "Suit yourself, but you're gonna miss out!" or maybe even an "Okay, but we'll stay a little longer for pictures in case you change your mind."

What she hadn't been expecting was for the entire gang—all decked out in formalwear—to turn up at the doors of Sonic Boom forty-five minutes later when they were supposed to be rendezvousing at the beach.

"Whoa!" Trish exclaimed. "Tank top and colored jeans? Girl, you look like Cinderella…before the bibbity bobbity boo."

("Why didn't we all dress like her?" Dez wondered to Chuck, without a hint of irony in his voice. "We look like idiots!")

And then there he was: Austin, looking achingly handsome in his suit and tie as he approached the counter. "Ally, don't listen to them. You look great," he assured her, folding her hands into his. "You always look great."

Hopes skyrocketing, just like her heart rate.

The way he was smiling at her was almost enough convince her to change her mind and go to prom as she was, if only he could keep looking at her like that…but then she noticed Piper standing in the background.

Blonde hair curled to perfection. Long, flow-y pink dress. Matching wrist corsage. Flawless.

Hopes plunging into the Grand Canyon.

She yanked her hands out of Austin's and pretended to busy herself with clearing the counter of clutter. "I'm not going, and you guys are going to miss prom if you keep loitering in here. Have a good night!" She all but threw the whole lot of them out of the store before flipping the sign on the door to "CLOSED."

It was going to be a long night.


Ten minutes later, she was sitting in the practice room, wrapped in Austin's jacket again, and attempting to find inspiration from random lyrics she'd jotted into her songbook over the years, when there was the sound of a key turning in the lock downstairs. Then…

"What's my daughter doing staying in all by herself on the biggest night of her senior year?"

She almost fell out of the couch. "Dad!" she gasped, running down the stairs and throwing her arms around her father. "What are you doing here? I thought you were coming back tomorrow!"

"I could ask you the same thing, Ally. What are you doing at the store when you should be at prom?" Lester paused, pulling away. "Wait, it is Saturday, right? I didn't come back on the wrong day to surprise you?"

"No." Ally managed a laugh. "No, prom's tonight. I just decided at the last minute not to go."

"…I figured as much. You look like Cinderella before the bibbity bobbity boo."

"Gee, thanks, Dad," she said dryly. "That's exactly what Trish said about my outfit earlier."

"What? Oh no, I was talking about the look on your face."

"Huh?"

"You look like the evil stepmother just locked you in the tower, and now the evil stepsisters are about to steal the prince away, too."

"Um…that happened after the ball, Dad."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Details, details. The point is, you look really, really sad. Don't you want to go to prom?"

"Well, yes—but I don't have a date or a dress or a ride or anything. And Aus—the prince already has someone else to dance with, and she's not even an evil stepsister because she's really, really nice, and he's going with her because I messed up really badly, and—"

"Honey, prom doesn't have to be a romantic thing. It's about being in the company of friends and enjoying one last school-sponsored event together before graduation. Are you actually going to let some boy control whether or not you have fun on the biggest night of your high school experience?"

"I...I guess not… But what if Cinderella's not even invited because the prince is mad at her for liking an imposter?"

He raised an eyebrow. "As you used to remind me every day when you were little, Cinderella didn't want to go to the ball because of the prince. She wanted to go to the ball because she wanted a night off. You remember that, right?"

"Right, but—"

"Good. Then you'll be interested to know that I found this note slid under the door on my way in. And I trust you won't be too disappointed if—if—it turns out not to be what I suspect it is." He held up a folded and stapled slip of paper with her name scrawled across the front in very familiar handwriting.

Ally gasped and snatched it away, almost tearing the paper in her eagerness to open the message.

Seconds later, Lester Dawson chuckled as a mix of shock and delight spread across his daughter's face. He fished his credit card out of his wallet. "So I was right. Come on, let's go get you a dress."


Meanwhile, Austin, Piper, Carrie, Dez, Chuck, and Trish were posing for pictures at the beach.

Mike and Mimi Moon were getting teary-eyed. Austin was pretty sure he was, too, but only because Mrs. De la Rosa's camera flashes rivaled those of Megan Simms.

Trish seemed to only want her picture taken alone, stubbornly refusing to get into the group and couple photos. Either she really couldn't stand Chuck, or she really didn't want Jace to see the pictures on MyFace and find out she'd gone to prom with someone else. Chuck was just about as reluctant to be in the group and couple photos. Maybe it was a height thing. Or maybe he didn't want to hurt Didi's feelings either.

Either way, Austin was feeling a little bummed out. Not that he minded posing with Dez in nearly all the photos, seeing as the guy was his best friend of over a decade. And their dates were sisters, so the pictures were doubly cute. But it would have been nice if one of his best friends would actually get into the group photos they were supposed to be saving for posterity and all that jazz.

And if one of his other best friends had actually shown up.

Not that he would pose with her in a couple photo or anything. He already had a date, so he was kind of required to spend the evening with Piper. And she was a great girl.

But it still would have been nice to have Ally with them.

Eventually, the limo arrived in the beach parking lot, and after only a few more photos (he was a superstar, so everyone had kind of gotten used to the glitz and glam), they were on their way.

A large crowd had already gathered in front of Marino High when they arrived, and a collective sigh of relief was breathed when there were no reporters in sight. The cafeteria had been decorated in pastel streamers and balloons. The usual sauce-splattered lunch tables were nowhere to be found, replaced by round ones with white tablecloths and (electric) candle centerpieces. The decorating committee must have intended for the effect to be romantic, but Austin couldn't help but feel that Ally would have been able to appreciate it more.

They located their table to set their things down and dispersed to mingle with their classmates and use the restroom.

Austin found Trish pacing and wringing her hands. "Uh…are you okay?"

"Austin, I've made a horrible mistake! How can I be okay? Do you know how it feels to be here with one person, when there's another person you'd much rather be with?"

He was about to point out that this was just prom, not her wedding. Instead, he turned to the door, and…

It was like a moment straight out of a movie: The most wonderful things in the world (and possibly above it) were walking into the room. No—gliding. The most wonderful things in the world were gliding into the room, and he could not possibly fathom why she was here at a high school prom, with all its cheap decorations and bad music in a too echo-y school cafeteria, when she clearly belonged to a higher realm of existence.

A pantheon of deities might as well have swooped down and held a neon "SOULMATE" sign over her head.

Dez's voice ("Oh, hey, look! Ally made it after all!") brought Austin back down to earth.

He seized Trish by the shoulders. "Trish! I've made a horrible mistake, too! I'm not supposed to be here with Piper—I'm supposed to be here with Ally!" Then he cringed. Was that too loud?

Apparently yes. Chuck cut in just then, having stopped by to join them. "Yeah, well, ye shoulda thought o' that b'fore ye asked yer date. She's comin' back from the ladies' room righ' now, and ye are kinda obligated t' spend a m'jority o' the evenin' with 'er, seein' as she's yer date and yer girlfriend, so suck it up, Blondie. Besides, ma Didi ain't here, but ye don' see me ditchin' Trisha here."

"Um…it's okay." Trish visibly edged away. "You don't need to feel obligated to spend time with me."

"Suit yerself." Chuck wandered off to mingle some more, while the others scattered.

Piper joined him then. She didn't look particularly upset. Maybe she didn't hear him frantically yelling that he didn't want to be at prom with her.

"Hi, Austin. You okay?"

"Uh, yeah! Why?"

"Well, I noticed Ally walking in just now. This is what you wanted, right? You're going to be spending senior prom with all your best friends, but you don't look too happy about it." (Shoot. She was observant.)

Well, I just realized that you were right, and I should have asked Ally to prom instead of you. Would it make me a bad person to ask you to go home now?

Yeah, it would.

He fumbled for an excuse. "Oh, uh, I just…feel really bad for Ally because Gavin wasn't able to come. It must really suck not being here with the person you want to be here with."

"Mm-hm. Are you sure we're talking about Ally and Gavin, though?"

"Whaaaaat? Of course! Who else would Ally want to be here with? Why wouldn't it be Gavin?"

"Because I could have sworn that Ally was looking around for you. That was why you left her the note, wasn't it? To tell her that we—"

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't expecting her to see it now. I wasn't expecting her to show up at all, and now I don't know what to do!"

Piper rolled her eyes. "Relax. Just go up to her to say hi. And then ask her to dance after they serve dinner. It's not that hard."

"What? No, no, trust me. There's no way Ally's here because of me. She's been here about as long as we have, and she hasn't even said hi to me yet."

"Um, duh. That's because you're still standing here talking to me, instead of seeking her out."

He spotted the girl in question on the other side of the cafeteria, standing amidst a group of guys he didn't recognize. Probably from Calculus Club. Ally was giggling at something one of them said.

"What's she laughing at?" he sulked. "They shouldn't be allowed to make her laugh!"

Just then, the guy who'd made the joke turned away to talk to someone else, and Ally immediately stopped giggling (she must have been working on her fake laugh), her huge eyes darting around the room as if she were seeking out only one person in particular. And then she was looking straight in Austin's and Piper's direction.

Piper just raised an eyebrow meaningfully.

He sighed. "Okay, you have point. But I asked you to be my prom date, so I can't just—"

"Hold that thought." Piper fished her phone out of her purse. "Hello? …Carrie? Why are you calling me? Did you get lost? …Oh… In the second pocket? Okay, I'll try. Hang in there!"

She hung up and headed for their group's table. "Sorry, Austin, I gotta go. Carrie's stuck in a bathroom stall with a broken lock, and I need to go rescue her. Do you know where Dez left his backpack? She says she's pretty sure there's a screwdriver in there somewhere…"

Moments later, Austin was the one getting a phone call from Piper.

"So…this is really awkward, but I think one of the water fountains in the hall is overflowing, and we're all trapped in the bathroom…?"

We? Austin could hear screams of terror in the background.

Wow. First the broken stall door, and now a flood. He'd never been in a girls' bathroom before, but it sure sounded dangerous.

Pocketing his phone, Austin headed for the bathrooms to investigate…

Oh, gross.

The catering company hadn't even started to serve rubbery chicken for dinner yet, and someone had evidently already managed to throw up in the water fountain. The combination of vomit and wet paper towel clogging the drain, plus the fact that the button on the water fountain was stuck in the "on" position, would definitely explain the giant puddle spreading down the hall and into the girls' bathroom.

Luckily, one of the custodians arrived on the scene just then to take care of the situation, and the girls in the bathroom stopped wailing about getting their dresses and shoes wet, although, from his vantage point in the hall, Austin could see them all still trying to stand on the toilet seats to avoid the flood.

Piper, ever the levelheaded one, finally cleared a path to the door with paper towels. The flooding in the hallway was less severe than in the restroom, but he figured it was better not to risk having Piper slip and ruin her dress, so he gave her a piggyback ride back to the cafeteria.

Just as they neared the doors to the cafeteria, Piper muttered, "Drat."

…And that was how Ally found them, probably on her way to the bathroom. Austin and Piper shared a grimace. Play it cool, play it cool, play it cool…

He faked happy surprise. "Ally! You decided to come after all!"

"Wow, you look great!" Piper added.

Ally just mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "But you always look better" and excused herself.

"That went well," Austin commented wryly once she was out of earshot.

"She'll come around," Piper assured him. "That was just bad timing. But, um, I think it'd be best if you put me down now."

"Oh, right."


Dinner seemed to end once a majority of the prom-goers decided they were bored of making small talk and wandered over to the dance floor.

Chuck had immediately wandered off on his own, having taken it upon himself to start a conga line with Sunhee, so Austin, Piper, Dez, and Carrie made a beeline for the dance floor to avoid being recruited.

Once dance later, Piper had wandered off to hang out with Carrie and Dez, reasoning that, after the misunderstanding and debacle that was Ally finding her clinging to Austin's shoulders, it was probably best if she didn't see the two of them dancing together. He'd tried to protest, but Piper had disappeared into the crowd with a "Well, here's your opportunity, so you can either go for it or leave it."

He was currently weaving aimlessly through the tables, distractedly mumbling hellos to whichever classmates acknowledged him. Every once in a while, he found his eyes drawn, not unlike moths to a flame, to a certain someone in a red dress on the dance floor.

The Marino High Student Council Dance Committee had evidently run a list of songs by the sixty-year-old principal for approval because the music was awful. No lyrics, just weird beeps and boops that sounded suspiciously like the "music" from his Tune-Pro dream. (Fortunately, no one was dancing like they had water in their ears yet.) Why couldn't they play one of his dance pop songs?

So, yeah, Austin wasn't particularly in the mood to dance.

Brooke had stopped by to ask him earlier, having spotted him standing alone by the refreshments table, but he informed her that he was "waiting for his date." For once, she took a hint and flounced away, leaving him to continue…observing Ally as she danced amongst some other singles

Shortly after signing her to his label, Ronnie Ramone had recommended that Ally take some dance lessons, and Austin was proud that she was improving thanks to him. She had "learned from the best," after all. But evidently, there would always be something in her moves that just screamed Ally. Her dancing was still slightly reminiscent of her "The Ally Way" days, and it was just so stinking cute…

Suddenly, his view of Ally was blocked by a rather annoyed-looking Trish. "Austin, you're staring again. And the person you're staring at is not your date."

"Yeah, buddy," Dez chimed in. (When did he get there?) "And don't think Piper hasn't noticed. She's watching you stare at Ally right now. Actually, here she comes!"

His friends fled as Piper arrived on the scene. "Nice knowing you!"

She got right to the point. "Look, I've been watching you staring at Ally all night. Are you going to make a move, or are you just going to keep sending her mixed signals?"

"Huh?" (Ally just did a little twirl that made her dress fan out around her.)

"Mixed signals, Austin. You gave her the note, right? But you barely said a word to her during dinner. Even though she was sitting right across from you."

"I'm not sending Ally mixed signals," he defended. "I was counting on her seeing the note after tonight. Besides, I asked you to be my date, so the least I can do is the socially acceptable thing and honor that. Ally seems to be having fun just fine without me."

Ally chose that moment to run over, exclaiming, "Austin! They're playing your song! We have to dance to this one!"

Did he want to dance with Ally? Of course. Would he rather dance with Ally than with Piper? As long as she didn't trip over his feet and send them both into the punch bowl. Was he going to abandon Piper to make that happen? It was tempting, but…

Dang it. Someone must have complained about the awful music because the song that had just started playing was "Timeless," which couldn't have been less appropriate.

So he stammered, "Uh, no. That's okay. Maybe later."

Piper just sighed as Ally walked away. "Again, what I said earlier about the mixed signals. Seriously, Austin, it's okay. I don't want to get in the way. And you don't need to feel bad about ditching me. I've got Carrie and Dez. You should at least try to enjoy tonight with someone you actually want to be here with."

"Wait, what? No, no, it's not that I don't—did you hear—how did—?"

"I heard what you said to Trish earlier."

The deejay chose then to turn up the volume, and Piper raised an eyebrow knowingly at "My heart will never ever change."

"I wrote that song last year," he protested weakly.

The look on her face wasn't the least bit upset or surprised. Just pitying.


After a lot of wandering around and a little bit of busting out a move or two because "T-Lame" just had to come to Marino High's prom as someone's date and needed to be reminded who was boss, Austin took a seat at the table, where he found Trish moping, and sighed.

Trish sighed in reply.

"From the looks of it, they're just going to be playing songs and dancing for the rest of the night. Prom is just an overdecorated version of yet another lame school dance."

"Wait. I thought you went to the winter dance with Roger last year. You said it was fun."

"Only because someone sneaked in a bunch of marshmallow guns, and even some of the chaperones joined in. And Chuck wasn't there to start a conga line."

So, heads propped up in their hands, they sighed again.

Then Trish checked the time. "If we can gather everyone up, we can leave now and still have enough time to watch four Zaliens movies before midnight—"

"Aw, but I just got here," a familiar voice mock-pouted from behind.

They whirled around, and there he was. Leaning on a pair of crutches but present nonetheless.

"! ! !"

Austin made a mental note to apologize on Trish's behalf to the poor souls who happened to be sitting close by and who were now probably making mental notes to go see an ear doctor.

Chuckling at their shocked expressions, Jace said, "What? I just thought I'd come down and surprise you."

"But how did you get here?"

"Well, people on crutches can still ride buses, you know."

"I meant, how did you get in?"

"The lady in charge of the door has a daughter who's an Austin Moon fan."

Austin groaned. "Oh great. What do I have to do? Besides an autograph, I mean. Perform at her birthday party and dance with both grandmas?"

"Nah, she already has an autograph. She just wants you to break up with Piper and date Ally again. I told her I'd try my best."

The cafeteria had grown a little too stuffy and warm for Austin's liking, so he excused himself and wandered outside to get some fresh air, leaving the happy reunited couple to catch up.

A slow song was playing now.

Was it considered proper etiquette to save at least a slow dance for one's prom date?

Oops.

Oh well. It wasn't like Piper wanted to dance with him anyway. She just kept throwing him significant Looks from across the room and not too subtly mouthing, "Dance with Ally!" every time he caught her eye.

But he'd also lost track of Ally after he'd turned down her offer to dance.

Oh, dear god, I hope she didn't go hide under a table…

Why did he turn her down anyway? It wasn't like dancing to a love song with Ally was going to hurt Piper's feelings. Especially since his date had seemingly made it her mission to play matchmaker until "Auslly" somehow magically poofed back into existence!

Perhaps he should go back inside and check to make sure Ally was okay. Maybe ever so subtly ask if she got his note. And then even more subtly ask if she wanted to slow dance with him…?

Shit, who was he kidding? Ally technically still had a boyfriend. She'd probably only come to prom because Gavin had encouraged her to at least try to have fun without him. While most people would consider dancing together to a fast number like "Timeless" to be within the range of Socially Acceptable Things People Can Do As Friends, Austin was fairly certain that slow dancing with a friend to whom he was crazily attracted was probably pushing it. Even if she weren't bitter about him inexplicably turning her down earlier, Ally would still most likely refuse Austin's offer to slow dance because she wouldn't cheat on Gavin.

Why was love so risky?

"Because if it weren't, then it wouldn't feel so special when the risk pays off?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin. "Piper? You scared the living daylights out of me! What are you doing out here?"

"Wondering where you went. What are you doing out here anyway?" She wrinkled her nose. "You realize you're standing right next to a cloud of gnats, right?"

"What?" He flailed his arms around. Sure enough, he felt something ticklish brush against his hand. "Ew!"

"Yeah. You should probably come back inside. Ally's looking for you. If you hurry, you can still get to slow dance with her before this song's over."

Immediate cessation of arm flailing.

"What? No, no, no, I can't do that!"

"Why not? No, wait. Let me guess—because you 'don't want to ditch me'? Even though I've been encouraging you all night to go make your move? Please. If you were avoiding Ally because you 'didn't want to ditch me,' then I wouldn't have had to look all over the place for you. And I definitely wouldn't have found you out here talking to a cloud of gnats, of all things."

"I just…" He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. "I messed up really badly."

"Well, the longer you wait to patch things up with Ally, the more pissed she's going to be with you. If you ask me, I think this entire evening has just been one disappointment after another for her."

"Then what should I do?"

"For starters, don't ask me because I don't have all the answers. I don't know—go back in there and just tell her how you feel? Just do something."

"Easier said than done," he muttered.

"Well, what's scarier? Telling Ally how you feel and maybe risking rejection? Or just sitting on your feelings and letting the next guy come along and snatch her up when she gets tired of waiting for you again? Because I didn't break up with you just to watch that happen."

She had a point. Piper always had a point.

After all, she'd only agreed to be his prom date because she felt sorry for him.

"Jesus freaking Christ, Austin, it's midnight! What are you doing here so late?" Piper peered past him, squinting at the darkness beyond her porch light. "You didn't drive here? My god, did you just walk ten miles all the way out here in the dead of night?"

"…I guess I did. Piper, will you go to prom with me?"

"Um…where did this come from? Wait, what's that mark on your f—have you been crying?"

"I'm fine. Ally just got a little…upset."

"Well, I don't think I've ever seen her mad enough to slap someone. If she actually slapped you, then 'upset' would be putting it mildly," Piper snorted. "Come on in, I'll get you some ice for that."

She seated him at the kitchen table with an ice pack and listened patiently as he recounted the events of the evening up to the point where he'd tucked his jacket under his arm and walked and walked and didn't stop walking until he found himself in her driveway.

"So…you're asking me to prom because Ally wanted you to ask her instead, and you wanted to ask her anyway? Austin, what sense does that make?"

"Ally hates my guts, Piper. She'd never agree to go with me."

"Right. She hates you so much that she really, really wants to go to prom with you. Austin, it doesn't matter if Ally's mad at you. If you want to go with her, then you should at least put yourself out there and ask her!"

"Ally has a boyfriend. She only slapped me because she's been really upset that he can't make it to prom, and now he's ignoring her. Besides, I should have asked you a long time ago. Please, Piper?"

"Fine," she relented. "But on one condition."

"What's that?"

"That we break up. Right now."

"…Sorry, what?"

This would make the second time he had to end a relationship because of his feelings for Ally. How many more would there be? How many more girls did he have to disappoint? And why did it have to be Piper, of all girls for this to happen to?

"Face it, Austin. You still have feelings for Ally. And Ally still has feelings for you. It's only fair that I step out of the way and let you two have another chance."

"So you're not mad? After what happened with your last ex?"

"Eh, he was just an asshole in every way imaginable. You're a really great guy, Austin, and I want you to be happy."

Austin sighed as the last notes of the slow song died out. How many more missed opportunities would there be before he could finally find the guts to do what he had to do?

"Thanks for the pep talk, Piper. And thanks for being so cool about everything. You're a really good friend."

"Yeah, well…" She shrugged modestly. "What can I say? I've been hanging out with The Love Whisperer and The Love Robot a lot lately."


When he returned to the cafeteria and joined Dez and Carrie by the refreshments table, a blonde girl in a blue dress pounced on him, exclaiming, "Austin Moon! Where have you been? You're not leaving soon, are you?"

It took a minute for him to recognize Kimmy, the crazy peppy Manatee-loving cheerleader, out of uniform for once. "Um, no, I don't think I'm leaving soon…"

"Good. People are already starting to leave, so we're going to have to announce the prom court sooner than planned."

"Um…what does this have to do with me?" Why couldn't this crazy girl leave him alone? Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Ally hesitantly taking a seat next to Piper at their table.

Kimmy was already running for the stage they'd set up next to the deejay's stand. "Trust me, you're going to want to stay for this!"

And then she announced that he'd been voted Prom King.

Austin vaguely remembered having a giant spotlight aimed obnoxiously in his face as Dez excitedly swung him around in a hug and then pushed him toward the stage.

The next thing he knew, he'd had a plastic crown shoved onto his head, and Ally, having donned the Prom Queen's tiara, was throwing her arms around his neck as the entire class of 2014 cheered them on. Then a slow song came on, and he was taking Ally's hand and leading her over to the dance floor as everyone gathered around for the King and Queen's dance.

And then finally, finally, he had Ally in his arms, and she was beaming up at him almost—dare he say?—adoringly as he drew her closer and felt her hand tighten around his.

Over her shoulder, he could see Piper giving him two thumbs up and mouthing, "Now or never!"

By now, most of the spectators had paired off and were dancing as well, which provided about as much privacy as he could ask for in this setting. So he pulled away slightly, just enough to look Ally in the eye.

"Sorry I didn't dance with you earlier," he began sheepishly. "I, uh, I'm not sure what came over me."

She smiled. "It's okay. I was interrupting you in the middle of a conversation with Piper anyway."

"Listen, Ally. About Piper and me—"

"I know, Austin. She told me herself. And I got your note."

And with that, the weight of the thousand cinderblocks of anxiety that had been crushing him down for three months, ever since he had first heard of a certain Gavin Young, dissolved into nothing.

Well, almost nothing. There was still that little detail where he still had to tell Ally exactly how he felt about her. But that could be easily taken care of.

"Ally?"

She nodded encouragingly, as if sensing the trepidation in his voice.

"There's something I need to tell you—"

A whinny interrupted.

Startled, everyone turned towards the door as a knight in shining armor riding on a real, live, actual white horse entered the cafeteria.

And then the weight of the thousand cinderblocks returned in full force. And it seemed as if they'd invited their two thousand boulder friends along. And three thousand anvils must have decided to join in for funsies, too.

Ally's expression was one of shock and utter delight.

Fuck.

Austin felt his heart sinking, as if it were actually attached to the one thousand cinderblocks and two thousand boulders and three thousand anvils, as he realized there could only be one guy on the entire planet who would be willing to do such a cheesy thing.

The horse stopped before the Prom Queen, and the knight took off his helmet.

Yep, good ol' Yee-HAW was back. [1]

"Ally Dawson, will you be my date to the prom?"


A/N: Sorry I didn't make Austin's and Piper's relationship status all that obvious until toward the end. Part of it was for dramatic effect (though I'm pretty sure that effort completely fell flat), but mostly I did it because there wasn't really any way to bring it up earlier without the chapter getting more clumsy and exposition-heavy than it already was.

[1] To the guest reviewer who goes by "kk": I know this chapter was kind of anticlimactic for those of you who've seen the spoiler. Trust me, there actually is a twist coming next chapter. I just got too tired to write it into this chapter because it works better in the next one. So hang in there...? I don't actually care much for Gavin either, and I nearly fell out of my chair laughing when you called him "Ye Haw," so I went back and edited the ending of this chapter to reflect that. Thanks for the giggles!