Hey! Hope you all enjoy this chapter! Sorry it took so long! I've been having a bit of writer's block. I was also busy with finals, and just really really lazy. I made this chapter longer to make up for it. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Austin and Ally or anything you may recognize. I only own the plot.

"So now what?" Austin asks as we enter his house.

I shrug, "I don't know, I should probably call my mom."

He nods and heads toward the kitchen as I pull out my phone. My mom picks up on the third ring.

"Hey mom."

"Hi, I was just about to call you."

"Oh, cool I guess?"

"Anyways, I just got a call from your school," She says rather casually.

I sigh into the phone, "Is that why you're calling me?"

"Yes, honey you got into a fight!"

"I was just defending myself! Cassidy started it first, she brought up what happened in 9th grade," I say getting quieter with each word. I look down.

"I see. But you didn't need to punch her."

"I know but, just a lot of things were going on."

"I'm sorry, sweetie. Are you done working yet? I would like you home soon. I haven't been around for you lately and Matt and I want to spend some quality time with you. You two haven't bonded since the marriage and everything that happened a couple years ago. So will you be home soon?"

I really don't want to spend 'quality time' with Matt but her voice sounded so desperate and despite really not wanting to I find myself agreeing, "I'll be home in about an hour."

"See you soon, honey."

"See you," I sigh and hang up my phone, then head towards the kitchen. I enter and see Austin pulling some pancakes out to the microwave. He breathes in deeply and exhales with a smile on his face.

I smile at the look of sheer excitement on his face. "My mom wants me home in an hour."

His smile falters a bit. He takes a deep breathe, "Well, we still have an hour." We spend the hour eating pancakes, and watching Austin's favorite kid's movie about a hedgehog who wants to be a professional basketball player.

I sigh as the credits roll on the screen. "I don't want to leave."

"I don't want you to leave either, this house is way to big to be alone in." I stand up and so does he, "I'll go get your bags." With that Austin runs up the stairs. I start walking towards the front door.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Austin says as he thumps back down.

"You really don't-"

"But I want to." Austin interrupts me. I glance up at him and see him looking down at me with a soft smile.

"Okay," I whisper, still looking at him, and without breaking eye contact he opens the door and holds it open for me. I look down and walk out. Austin locks the door and readjusts the bags on his shoulder and we head down the street.

"So how'd you like the movie?"

"Ehh, if I was six I might've liked it better than if I was sixteen," I say.

"Aw, come on, you loved it."

"Whatever." It's silent for a minute and I feel slightly awkward. My left hand moves to my right arm, right above my elbow, and I mindlessly start rubbing my arm up and down. I don't know why I suddenly feel so weird around Austin. Granted, I've only known him for like two days, but never once in those two days has it felt like this. What the hell is wrong with me?

"Ally?"

"Yeah?" I look up at Austin, and my hand drops from my arm.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I guess."

He takes a deep breath and stares forward, "What happened in 9th grade?" I freeze and stop walking. "I'm sorry, you don't have to answer, I just, I don't know why I asked. I can tell it's hard for you to talk about, I just want to help you."

"It's okay. You're going to find out from someone, and I'd rather that be me than someone at school," I stop and sit down on the edge of the sidewalk and Austin follows suit, "Freshmen year was the year that my parents told me they were getting a divorce. That was hard for me, as it would be for anyone. My parents sold their house and both moved into cheaper ones. Because of that I had to change schools, starting in high school. So I go in freshmen year, my parents separated, but still legally married, and not knowing anyone. Eventually a girl named Georgia befriended me. We became inseparable. She was my support through all this. She was pretty much my only friend at school. At the end of the year there was this huge party at some senior's house. Georgia's older brother was this guy's friend so we got invited. I didn't really want to go, but she talked me into it, saying there will be cute boys there, blah blah blah. So while at the party some really drunk guy starts talking to me and trying to get me to go upstairs with him. He's was touching me and it was bad, but I was to passive to do anything about. Was gone getting some food and when she came back she got really pissed at the guy. She grabbed my hand and pulled me away. I was having an anxiety attack so we went upstairs so I could calm down. After I was calm, she um, she….she kissed me. And told me that she was in love with me. I didn't know what to do, she was my best friend, I loved her, but I wasn't in love her. I told her she knew that, and that I was straight. She got really upset. She started yelling at me. She told me she was the only one that loved me. That my parents didn't even love me. She said I had so many reasons to love her. I told her I did love her, that she was my best friend. She said that's not good enough. By then I noticed she was really drunk. She walked away from me and knocked a lamp off the dresser in the bedroom, then said she'd rather...she'd rather die than have me not love her like she thought I was supposed to. She climbed out the window and onto the roof of the house. I followed her, terrified. She got everyone's attention and yelled out to everyone what had just happened. I tried so hard to try to get her to stop. I was about to grab her, but she jumped. Rumors started as they would, that I had pushed her or that I was lesbian and she had rejected me, and just horrible, horrible stuff. Her brother blamed me, and in a month or so her family moved." I was sobbing the entire time, I'm not even sure if Austin understood a word I said. As soon as I finished, I felt two arms wrap around my shaking body and press me against a hard chest.

"I'm sorry."

"For what? It wasn't your fault, it was mine."

"It wasn't you're fault. I'm sorry for making you tell me that. For putting you back into a dark part of your life. For making you relive that. I'm sorry."

"Thanks," I sniff, "But you had to know, and what you just said helps lift some of the pain."

"Come on," Austin says, pulling me up, "let's get you home, and in bed."

He keeps his arms around me the whole way home.

Austin takes me up to my room and I climb in bed. He sets my stuff down by my closet. Then turns to my mom, who is hovering in the doorway.

"She threw up walking over here. I don't think she should go to school tomorrow."

"Oh dear!" My mom exclaims. Austin says his goodbyes and leaves, telling me he'll come see me tomorrow. After he's gone my mom comes to sit on my bed.

"Wow, who's that? Is he your boyfriend? He's really cute!"

"Ugh," I say and pull the covers over my head, to hide my embarrassment, and the slight blush creeping it's way onto my cheeks, "No, he's not my boyfriend, he's my boss's son. He just moved here, and I have a couple classes with him."

"So do you like him?"

"Mom! I've known him for two days!"

"So?"

"I barely know him."

"And he barely knows you, but he obviously likes you," She says, the smile obvious in her voice.

"No he doesn't. And why do you think that?"

"First, he wouldn't have walked you home, or carried your bags for you, and also not to mention you two showed up and he had his arm around you."

"So that just means he's a nice guy. And it was cold outside."

"Yeah but he kept his arm around you all the way upstairs. In the house, that's heated."

"Shut up, mom, don't get my hopes up," I mumble into my pillow.

She squeals, "So do you like him! Oh, sweetie, this is fantastic!" I realized my mistake and groan.

"Mom!"

"Sorry, honey, goodnight!" She turns off the light and closes the door, and I'm out in a minute.

At three the doorbell rings. My hair is up in a messy bun, and I'm in my pj's. I also have no makeup on. I forgot Austin was coming over. My stomach ties itself in knots as I answer the door.

"Hi Ally!" He says, always cheerful, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Thanks for telling my mom I'm sick by the way, it was really nice to stay home and just have a mental health day."

"Yeah no problem, I don't know anyone in their right mind who would want to go to school after everything that happened yesterday."

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be working today?"

"Yep, but I told my parents that I was sick so I was just going to keep it closed today. They should be back soon anyways so they didn't mind."

"Really? And they bought it?"

"Yeah, my parents aren't that, how do I phrase this right? Aren't that hard to convince."

"Oh, I see."

"Yeah, oh, and I hate to be 'that guy' but I brought your makeup work, sorry."

"Don't be, that actually makes things a lot easier for me. So do you want to go upstairs?"

"Yeah sure." We hike up the staircase and enter my room, the door closing behind us.

"I thought your room would have more decor."

"It usually does, but I rarely stay here, so this one is very bland."

"So what do you have up in your other room?"

"Well, I've got a lot of posters up on my walls. It's cluttered with cd's and vinyl's, and lots of bookshelves."

"What kind of music do you listen to?"

"Um, I like punk, rock, alternative, and some pop."

"Cool, I listen to kind of the same things, but more hard rock, and I don't listen to much pop, it kinda depends. For pop the lyrics have to be really good for me to listen to it, because I'm not of huge fan of the instrumental aspect of pop."

"Really? I'm that way, but it doesn't bother me that much." I say, taking a seat on the bed, "So when do your parents get back?"

"When I talked to them this morning they said they should be back Sunday."

"That's like three days, do you want them to come back? I know you said it's kinda the same as when they're gone."

"I mean, it's kinda the same, but like I still love them, and it's much better to have them around sometimes, so I'm not alone all the time."

"I get that. And when is your mom due again?"

"Ugh," He sighs, and flops down on the bed, "April. Three months until I have a little brother or sister."

"That sucks, that's such a big age gap."

"I know seventeen years, I could have kids by they time the turn ten. It's just weird. It's not that I won't love my future sibling or anything, it'll just be weird."

"At least-" I'm cut off by the door opening and Matt walking in.

"Your mom says the door has to be open if there's a boy over. I think she's being a little to protective, kids need to have fun, right?" He gives us an exaggerated wink and I cringe.

"Um, gross, and I'll leave the door okay? You can go now," I say.

"Alright, be good, oh and your mom and I are going to be doing some work so we would love to not be bothered unless it's necessary."

"Okay, you can leave now, and go do your work."

"One more thing, dinner will be at seven, Austin would you care to join us?"

"Sure thank you," Austin says politely.

"Okay, bye!" I wave with a plastered smile on my face and Matt finally leaves.

Once he's out of earshot, Austin starts laughing, "Kids need to have fun? Is he trying to be cool or a creep?"

"Definitely a creep. You know when he says my mom and him have to work, it means have to have sex."

Austin gags.

"I know, I learned the hard way. By walking in on them, because my mom's friend came by at the wrong time."

"Eww."

"So anyways, we can either blast some music, to drown them out, or we can go somewhere else."

"Um, music. I too lazy to go anywhere else," Austin says, lying down and spreading out on my bed, with his hands behind his head.

I pull out my computer and hook up some speakers to it and put on a radio station. Once music is playing I walk over and close the door.

"Oh, are we going to have some 'fun?'" Austin jokes.

"Ha ha, no but closing the door helps drown out it a little bit."

"Is the music going to bother them? Like they get mad, so they run in here like, naked, to tell us to turn it off."

"No, I do this every time they go to 'work.'"

"So do you have a favorite song?" Austin asks as he turns to his side and props himself up on his elbow.

I lay down in the same position and face him as I answer, "Yeah," I pause as I hear a new song come on the radio, "It's this one."

"Really? I don't think I know this one."

"What? Get out of my house."

"I know the band at least, it's All Time Low right?"

"Correct, I guess you can stay."

"So what's it called?"

"Remembering Sunday."

"He woke up from dreaming and put on his shoes

Started making his way past 2 in the morning

He hasn't been sober for days

Leaning now into the breeze

Remembering Sunday, he falls to his knees

They had breakfast together

But two eggs don't last

Like the feeling of what he needs"

"I'll have to learn this one on the guitar. It has really good acoustics to it."

I lay down on my back and start singing softly to the song. At the bridge I look over at Austin and see him staring at me.

"You have a really good voice."

"Thanks," I say as I feel a blush creep up my neck.

"Even though she doesn't believe in love,

He's determined to call her bluff

Who could deny these butterflies?

They're filling his gut

Waking the neighbors, unfamiliar faces

He pleads though he tries

But he's only denied

Now he's dying to get inside"

And now we're just looking at each other and I'm having trouble keeping my heart from exploding. I close my eyes in an attempt to calm my racing heart. I open my eyes and he's still looking at me.

"I'm not coming back (forgive me)

I've done something so terrible

I'm terrified to speak (I'm not calling, I'm not calling)

But you'd expect that from me"

He's moving closer. What is happening? My heart is slamming into my rib cage with such force I'm pretty sure it's going to jump out if he gets any closer.

"I'm mixed up, I'll be blunt, now the rain is just (You're driving me crazy, I'm)

Washing you out of my hair and out of my mind

Keeping an eye on the world,

From so many thousands of feet off the ground, I'm over you now

I'm at home in the clouds, and towering over your head"

His lips brush mine, timid, and light as a feather, at first, then more firm. He lingers a little longer, and then pulls away.

"Well I guess I'll go home now...

I guess I'll go home now...

I guess I'll go home now...

I guess I'll go home"

"Um, sorry. I think the song just spoke for me. I gotta go." And before I can say anything he's out the door.