Thank you for your reviews! Hello, is anyone there? I AM SO SORRY for the wait of this chapter. I can list a thousand reasons why that it is late, but none of them matter. I truly just appreciate everyone waiting so patiently, and I promise to update on a better schedule now. :) This chapter is a bit slow, but it sets up what happens in the next couple, so I hope you all are excited. And finally, for the review about Ally being naïve, it's more than that. When you're faced with a situation that is scary, sometimes your mind doesn't go for the most logical answer. So, no, she's not naïve. Well, she is, but she's also not thinking clearly (no sleep, having been up with Theo, etc.) and she's worried for her father, and her own livelihood, which in my eyes, is understandable. ANYWAY, here's the new chapter. :)
Let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Ally sat outside of Dallas's million dollar home for almost a half an hour before she had the nerve to exit and say what she'd been thinking of over the time that passed. She was terrified, partly because of her encounter and deal with Noah, and mainly because of what she saw last night. Every part of her being hated Dallas and she feared seeing him would counter anything she'd worked toward in the last twenty four hours, but when she let herself in, she knew she had to be strong. Dissolving into tears or punching him in the face would help no one. She had to channel her inner Trish, and stand tall. Well, metaphorically, of course. Trish was far from tall.
She was getting off track.
Her entire life revolved around him still wanting to be with her, even if she didn't want to be with him. She knew her father would understand if she went to him and told him what happened, but that wasn't what concerned her. Of course he'd understand, but the shop and customers wouldn't. The few customers that were loyal to their shop because of her boyfriend would soon be gone, and there was no money coming in otherwise. She couldn't do that to him. The shop was his life. It was the only thing, sans herself, that he still had. She couldn't take that from him. Maybe they'd build up a stronger cliental over the next few weeks and when the competition was over, she'd be able to tell him the truth. Until then, she was stuck with scum as her boyfriend.
Much to her surprise the house was silent, even as she made her way up the stairs. She feared knocking on his door when she got to it, afraid that she'd find him naked under the sheets with that blonde girl from her nightmares. What would she do then? Who was to say that Dallas didn't already think they were broken up, and would be happy to stay that way? She tried to find purpose in that he wasn't that kind of guy; a part of her secretly knew that if he could string along two girls at once, and keep doing it, that he would gladly.
When she did knock on his door she was surprised to find him alone, sitting at his desk with his head over his notes. She needed those she remembered and waited for him to turn around to see who he'd just allowed to enter.
It's not too late to turn around, she reminded herself.
"Who is it?" came his voice, frazzled and stressed. Of course. She glanced at the calendar on the wall. The competition started in two days. He was officially in panic mode.
"It's Ally," she stated softly, carefully gauging his reaction. "Can we talk?"
He whirled around like she offered him money, and was surprised to see guilt in his features, if only for a few seconds. Then, he relaxed a bit and nodded. "I was going to call you."
You should've called me the second I ran off, she thought bitterly. "It's okay."
"No, it's not. Ally, I promised you something less than a day before that and I only added to the insult that I already started."
She made a face. That was his apology? "I thought I make you happy. I thought I was the only one you wanted by your side," she decided to say next, knowing if she laid it on thick, he'd be more likely to bend, and hopefully more off his guard. The notes behind him sat alone, and she needed those regardless if this ended disastrously. "Why would you do that to me?"
"I…" he trailed off. "Nevermind. You told me not to say that."
"Say what?" she demanded, curious. "What did I say not to say?"
"That I was stressed," he admitted. "That I did it out of stress, and I should have never put my hands on her."
Stress, she thought, what a load of shit. Austin appeared in her head, his surprise when she kissed him. Maybe saying stress couldn't do crazy things was wrong, after all. Maybe even anger. Had she made Dallas angry? Maybe this was all her fault after all. What would she tell Dallas if he asked about him? She had no idea. Her strong front started to crumble, but she forced out, "That's just not good enough."
He nodded, "I know that. God, Ally. I don't know what to do. I just know I don't want to lose you, and I'm scared. I'm truly scared and I don't … get scared. Please tell me you're not here to break up with me." She relaxed finally, hearing those words. You should be thanking a disgusting piece of crap named Noah, she thought, trying to bite back what she wanted to really say. Scream at him about how if he was scared and afraid to lose her, he should've never slept with someone else! That he should've appreciated what he had, but none of that mattered. She had to pretend this was all something worthwhile.
Ally tilted her head to the side, letting her eyes well up with real tears, though he didn't know the reason behind them. "How can you say you love me and then do that?" It scared her how well of an actress she was even as her will was crumbling. She was never able to do this before. "How can you do that to me? Tell me why I shouldn't break up with you!"
He got up, rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her body. He gripped her into the weirdest feeling hug she could ever remember. The first thing that came to mind was to push him off, but she pretended she needed him and clung to his body, "I'm so sorry, Ally. I'm so sorry. What can I do? How do I make it right?"
She questioned his motives behind this. What did he really have to lose in losing her? The shop's sponsorship? Or his pride? Maybe covers of magazines not wanting to flaunt someone who was a cheater on their papers? None of them seemed worth keeping someone around. Did it really come back to his own want and hopes for as many girls as possible? It had to be some kind of thrill for him to keep two around.
Then, a little voice came into her head. Maybe he really did mean this. Maybe her hurt that night scared him enough to change him. Deep down, she didn't think that Dallas was completely evil, maybe just seriously flawed, but not incapable of change. He would have to want to, something would have to push him. Was she the push he needed? Could it all be that simple? As he gripped onto her, squeezing her tighter and tighter, telling her she was beautiful and he was sorry over and over again, she tried to remember how it felt seeing the girl standing in the doorway, seeing him in those damn boxers. Her naïve side was trying to win out, but the angry vixen on the other was saying she should kick him where it hurt and run while she still could.
Instead, she pulled him closer, whispering that she understood, that they would work things out.
He pushed away gently, looking at her with welled eyes, "Really? You're going to give me another chance?"
She nodded, giving him a weak smile. "Against my better judgment, I am. I love you, Dallas. For some reason, I can't get over that. Maybe I shouldn't, but I do."
He smiled, grin spreading ear to ear, like he was just told that everyone else had bowed out of the competition and they were awarding him the prize. Her stomach dropped. The prize.
"I love you so much, Ally! So, so much! I'm going to make this up to you." He glanced around him. "Wait here. I'm going to get something from downstairs. I'll be right back." He paused, running forward to kiss her cheek. He just laughed, "God, I love you!"
Ally watched him go, waited until she heard him barreling down the stairs, and then looked through his notes, trying to decide what Noah might want. She couldn't exactly rip out a few pages and hope he wouldn't notice. And she couldn't take a picture and hope that he would believe they truly were his notes. Noah wasn't an idiot, and he'd want the real deal. She just prayed that her boyfriend was so enthralled in what just happened that she wouldn't notice his notebook being gone as she slipped it into her bag. Seconds later, he came back into the room, holding a small box.
Jewelry, she realized. "It's for you," he said, looking small suddenly. "I was hoping you would come by, so I could give you it. Consider it the first part of a very long list of me apologizing and proving to you that I love you."
He grinned again and she took it out of his hands, opening it slowly because she knew that money was no object to him and it was probably expensive. Just as she thought, a tiny chain held onto a beautiful glimmering heart, one that when she flipped it over said her name. She glanced up at him, not lying when she stated, "It's beautiful."
He took a deep breath and then exhaled, "You like it?"
"I love it, thank you." She looked around. "Do you have maybe a slightly bigger box or something I can put it in. I don't want to lose it."
"You're not going to put it on now?" he asked feebly. "I hoped you would."
She didn't want to accept such a beautiful gift, especially when she knew it was bought out of something so terrible. But how could she pretend she still cared for him if she didn't? Dallas put his hand up. "Wait! Let me grab that little mirror from the other room."
He rushed out of the room again, and she was hit another time with how sincere he seemed to be acting. A part of he knew better, but the little voice in her head which told her to trust people kept saying that sometimes it took such a hard event to change someone. She was almost believing it when she heard his phone vibrate beside her, and curiosity took over. The idiot wasn't even smart enough to conceal his messages from someone.
On the top of the phone messages, she saw a name.
Ashby (imessage)
We still on for tonight? :* I can't wait to show you how you really treat a man.
Her hands curled in a fist over the necklace box, wanting to snap it into pieces. Dallas came back into the room as the phone went dark, still grinning like he'd won the lottery. He held up the mirror as she swallowed the bile in her throat, trying to keep herself from snapping. He grabbed his phone, saying something about taking a picture. First, she noticed him read the message though, and the smile changed momentarily from one of excitement to one of lust. It was brief, and if she didn't know him, she wouldn't have noticed it. In those seconds, she realized he truly did not change and this was all a game to him. A game she was stuck in, whether she liked it or not.
"You have to promise not to tell the boys. Actually, not to tell anyone," Ally begged Trish over coffee an hour later, pleading with the raven-haired girl who hadn't stopped raising her eyebrows since they sat down moments ago. "Please. If you tell Theo or Dez, they'll go after him. They won't be able to stop themselves. Please, keep it to yourself. It's easier that way."
She spun the stirrer in her drink, observing Ally with suspicious eyes. "I don't understand, Ally. You're better than this."
"I need this for my family." She took a sip of her latte and shook her head. The chatter of the other patrons around them drowned out the voice in her head, if only momentarily. It all made sense for now. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, Trish."
She angrily shook her head, curls flying in every direction. Studying her annoyed friend, she wondered how the girl looked so put together considering she was at the party the night before. Sure, it was practically evening but Ally had not even been home yet. She felt like this was the never ending day. Her friends sharp tone reminded her she was still there, "Don't give me that crap, Ally. You know more than anyone that we went through a rough patch at my house too, after my dad got out of the service. I know what it means to struggle." She took a deep breath. "I just don't understand why you think doing things this way is the only way. You could figure something else out."
"Yeah, like what?" she muttered.
"I don't know," Trish countered, dropping her napkin. "But you deserve better than this. You are better than this."
"Are you going to tell them or not?"
The Latina girl sighed, "No. I'm not. Because I don't want to see Theo hurt himself, or someone else and get himself disqualified this close to the competition. But I am not for this, and I don't like it one bit. What are you going to tell Austin, anyway? Do you realize what you started there?"
Ally hadn't thought too much about Austin since leaving Dallas's house. She'd been forced to pretend with him for another half hour, pretend that all was fine, or on it's way to it, and not that she was secretly wishing she could tear the smile off his face. That took more energy than she realized, and it gave her a break from her other mishap of the night. Austin Moon. "He didn't seem all that pleased about the kiss," she remembered. "So, hopefully he'll just avoid me and it'll all be fine." Everything was all fine. It would all be fine.
Right?
"And your plans if he wants answers?"
"Tell him I was drunk and it was a mistake."
Trish shook her head another time, "That's something I'd do. Normally, I'd be proud. But I don't know."
She smiled feebly. "You always said you wanted me to be more like you, Trish."
"Yeah, well…"
"I… I… Thank you, alright? I know you don't like it, but I appreciate that you trust me."
Trish smiled. "You're my best friend, Ally."
"Yeah, I know."
Ally knew that what she was telling Trish was wrong, but she couldn't herself from doing exactly what she spoke. She ended up leaving her friend within the hour, knowing that meeting Noah at the beach for the handoff was a little more important than complaining about the things in her life that she caused. She did not trust the surfing former friend of hers, and did not want to give him any reason to change his mind and unravel all that she had just done.
She took a deep breath, observing her surroundings. This was a nice part of Miami Beach, one of the richer areas. Her former friend's store was just down the road and she was glad for the view which gave her more time to prepare.
"Early, are we?"
Or not.
Ally turned around to see Noah sauntering her way, holding a bottle of water and his cell phone. She saw his car parked in the lot a few feet away; she could only assume he just returned from the gym. Because the competition was two days away, of course. The boys were completely in competition mode now.
"Let's just do this. I have things to do."
"What's the rush, Ally?" he teased, turning his head to the side. He shoved his phone into the pocket of his workout shorts, and came up close beside her. Towering over her, he continued his raid of her space. "You look a bit nervous. Worried that your boyfriend is going to show up?"
She wanted to say not at all. He's out fucking with some blonde. But adding fuel to Noah's fire was less than needed. "I have to get home. So do you want the papers, or not?"
She revealed the notes that were in her hands to him and his eyes bulged a little. For a moment, neither of them said anything as she retrieved them into clear view, carefully inspecting the pages to make sure everything was there. Finally, he cleared his throat, and she watched his demeanor change in seconds.
"You're worse than I thought," he snorted coldly.
Ally glanced back down at the papers, and back at him. Did he think they were faked? Did he really think she'd do that when she had so much on the line? She shoved the papers his direction and then folded her arms, watching as they cascaded onto the sand before her. He just stood there shaking his head, looking more in shock than anything else.
"Do you want them or not?" she snapped.
He broke out of his trance and eyed her. "I can't believe you did this. No, I don't want them. I don't need them." He picked up the papers and tore them to shreds, laughing coldly at her when her eyes went like saucers. "You are one cold little bitch. I can't believe my nice little Ally would betray someone so easily. You really would do that to your boyfriend of all these years for me? Does loyalty mean nothing to you?"
"What do you mean?"
She didn't understand. He wanted to win, didn't he? She had all of Dallas's notes, and he'd just destroyed them.
"You broke so easily, Ally. You're easy," he repeated, grinning ear to ear. "I remember you being shy, but never a sheep. You just followed the herd like it's the only way." He smirked down at her, eyes wild. "Sweet little Ally… not anymore, am I right? Wow."
"What the fuck?" she growled, picking up the pieces and crumbling them angrily. "You told me to get the papers, and I did. Listen, if you don't want them, I'll get whatever else you need. Just stop this fucking game, and let it go."
"There is no game, Allison. There is just you, and me. The fact is that when it comes down to it, the only thing that matters here is you at the end of the day. You went and got me something just because I threatened you. I bet you didn't even think twice, did you?" He snorted, taking his keys out. "Good job, Ally. I actually thought you better than that. Good luck in the competition, though I'm sure that's the last thing on your mind."
Ally's head swam as he began to walk away, and in desperation, she called out, "What about our deal? Are you going to tell him?"
He paused, turning on his heel. "No. At least, not right now. Because one of us is a decent person." His smile returned, taunting her from the distance. "Goodnight, Ally. Sleep well."
