Hey everybody! I just wanna say, thank you all for the reviews! I'm hoping that after I post this chapter I'll have more than 100 reviews, which is AWESOME considering the fact that the most reviews I've gotten with some of my other fanfics is 33. This chapter is a little shorter than my others, I think, but don't worry it still has TONS of auslly. Enjoy!
Day Ten
This stinks. It really, really stinks.
Austin sits in a wooden chair in the corner of an empty classroom. He's leaning his head against his hand, breathing slow, irritated breaths and half-heartedly drumming his fingers on his desk. He hates those teachers. Every single one of them. Who do they think they are, anyway? Taking away his free time, his Austin and Ally time, for something as stupid as that! They have no idea, no idea at all!
The day had started out just like any other. Austin had gotten up early, miraculously still healthy even after spending all yesterday taking care of the sick, and had gone to check on his best friend. Luckily, whatever sickness Ally had had was now completely out of her system. She was as fresh as an apple, talking cheerily about who-knows-what. Austin was excited, waiting eagerly for class to start just so it would be over sooner. He expected to have a great day.
It all turned upside down, however, when biology started. Austin and Ally had walked in the classroom, side-by-side, chatting lightly about how many jobs Trish must have been fired from while they were gone. Ally had gone forward to lay her books on her desk and Austin went to follow her when he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. Austin turned around only to be face-to-face with Mr. Sherman, his biology teacher. Mr. Sherman was known to be the harshest, cruelest councilor in the entire camp, and he lived up to his reputation.
"Where were you yesterday?" Mr. Sherman asked, his extravagant voice booming across the classroom, "You were absent from my class, as well as every other."
Austin silently gulped. He didn't know what to say. If he told the truth he would obviously get into trouble, and any lie would be feeble and easily seen through. He resisted the urge to glance at Ally. Mr. Sherman was very observant and would surely notice. He didn't want Ally to get linked to his crime.
When Austin stayed silent, Mr. Sherman continued. "Both you and Ally Dawson were absent from all your classes yesterday. Ally, however, called in sick and was proven to be. You did not so much as tell anybody anything. Care to explain yourself?"
His ice-cold eyes were staring at Austin, judging him with fierce seniority. Austin held himself back, trying hard to not look as guilty as he felt.
It's not like I did anything bad, thought Austin, I was just helping a sick friend. She needed me. Can't you just accept that and move on?
But clearly, Mr. Sherman could not accept that. He held his glare, drowning Austin in such thick silence that suddenly the only possible thing to do was speak up. Whatever he said, whether truth or a lie, it didn't matter. He just needed to end this glare and break this silence, before it broke him.
"I slept in!" Austin yelled suddenly. The words came out of nowhere and Austin did not expect them. But as soon as they rolled off his tongue he knew that he must stick to his story, even if it wasn't the best.
"Yeah, I slept it," Austin added quickly, "My alarm clock broke and didn't go off, so I didn't wake up until classes were already over. I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
Mr. Sherman waited in silence for a moment. Staring at Austin as if deciding whether or not to trust him. The story was believable enough, but the way he said it was as if he had something much more incriminating to hide.
As he looked at him, a thousand thoughts a second rushed through Austin's head. He was expecting, any second now, for Mr. Sherman to bring up evidence that would prove that he was lying. There were plenty of plot holes in his story, and he knew that they were not very well hidden. Why, for instance, had his roommate Bryan not woken him up? And, if he were asleep all afternoon, then why had several people witnessed him going to lunch and ordering soup? His story was flimsy and horribly crafted, and he felt in the pit of his stomach a sense of crushing dread that Mr. Sherman, or any teacher for that matter, would see right through it.
Miraculously, however, Mr. Sherman did not see anything of the sort. After a minute, he spoke up and softly, yet still harshly, said, "Very well then."
Austin had sighed a breath of relief, all the pressures and tensions releasing from his muscles. Thank god, he had thought to himself, That could have been ugly…
He was turning to go to his seat, however, when a voice spoke up from behind him.
"Where do you think your going?" Mr. Sherman asked in a cold, clinical drawl, "You missed class. I have yet to hand out your punishment. I can't just let such an act of foolishness and ignorance go without consequences, can I? For your entire free period I expect you to be here. For detention."
When he caught the look of horror and exasperation on Austin's face, he added, "You're lucky I don't detain you any more, Mr. Moon." Then he sent Austin back to his seat and went to his desk, teaching the class about some stupid species of manatees while Austin quietly despaired.
And now, here he was. Alone in a large, chilly room during his only time of day which he could devote entirely to Ally. This was the worst possible punishment he could think of. Anything would be better than this. ANYTHING! Austin groaned to himself. The chair he was sitting in wasn't even the tiniest bit comfortable, and now his back and shoulders ached with pain and stiffness. Stupid detention.
Austin grumbled to himself, remarking how it was so unfair that Mr. Sherman didn't even bother to stay here with him. He, too, had somewhere to go during free time, and didn't even bother to watch Austin endure the torture he installed on him. He just left, locking the door so that he could not escape. Not like Austin wanted him here though, he'd probably just yell at him for the simplest of things, but still, the least he could do was BE HERE for god sakes!
Austin moaned, louder this time. This was great; just great. He threw his face in his hands in exasperation, and for a moment, a brief moment, he missed Ally with such a burning fire that he could have cried like child, would have done anything at all just to see her face for a split second. But the moment was gone in a flash, and soon the pain of missing Ally was down to a dull, itching ache in his heart. These strange, powerful feeling he'd been having of Ally recently had now been going on long enough that he no longer questioned them. He just went with them, every second of the day.
God, I miss you Ally, Austin thought to himself as he closed his eyes in concentration. He could just see her now, smiling and laughing with a beautiful twinkle in her eyes. He could just smell her now, the sweet, delicate sent of strawberries and lavender. He could just feel her now, her soft, warm lips pressed against his cheek like he always dreamed she would do.
And now, in a memory far more realistic and powerful than the others, he could hear her. "Austin," she said sweetly, "Open your eyes. Open your eyes! I'm here!"
No, wait. This was no mere memory. No mere hallucination. Those words, those beautiful, magnificent words, were real. They had come from her mouth. Straight from her vocal cords. She was HERE!
Austin opened his eyes and, sure enough, there she was. Right in front of his eyes, smiling that smile that he just couldn't get enough of. Ally. Just the girl he wanted to see.
He was dumbstruck for a moment, unable to speak. Ally? She was here? WHY?!
Ally noticed the look of surprise on his face and giggled cutely. She looked left and right, checking to make sure that they were alone, and then walked towards him.
"I snuck in here!" she said quietly, clear excitement and exhilaration in her voice, "I missed you and so I came in through the window! I really did it! I've never done anything this bad before! Oh my gosh, I can't believe I actually did it!"
Austin was stunned for a second at what she actually said, but as soon as his mind wrapped around her words, he laughed out loud.
"You really snuck in here?" He laughed at the idea of sweet, perfect Ally climbing in through a second story window just so she could get IN to detention.
Ally nodded, a look in her eyes that was a mix of nervousness and excitement. "It was just like climbing the tree when we went to see the fireworks," she told him, "Except this time the tree was this building, and the fireworks were you."
He tried unsuccessfully not to blush at this. She really did care about him, didn't she.
Finally, after the pink in his cheeks died down, Austin spoke up. "That's really awesome of you Ally, I really appreciate it. But what are you going to do here? You'll be bored out of your mind. Just go back down and hang out with Amanda, I'll be fine."
Ally laughed. Austin was confused for a moment, but then he got it too. That was just what Ally told him yesterday when she got sick. But did Austin listen? Of course not. And Ally wasn't about to listen, either.
"Do you think I went through all that trouble to get up here just to climb back down again?" she asked him in a dangerous tone which Austin found quite alluring, "Come on, don't be ridiculous. I'm not leaving until your detention is done."
"But even with you I won't have anything to do up here," Austin argued, "Now instead of just me being bored, we'll both be bored. Its such a waste."
"Well then I guess we're gonna just have to be bored together," Ally replied mischievously, "And besides, I always come prepared to class."
At this she took off the bag hanging from her shoulders and pulled out, what else, but a board game. But not just any board game: Monopoly. Austin's favorite.
"I got it from Bryan," Ally said, answering the question he was just about to ask, "That kid has everything. Now, enough questions, lets play!"
For the next two hours the two kids played together. A silly, childish smile on each of their faces. Ally was the dog and Austin was the hamburger, the same two pieces they always used. To both of their pleasures, there was neither a clear winner nor a clear loser throughout the entire game. They were always neck-and-neck, in a stalemate. That was the best kind of game, in Austin's opinion. No one knew who was going to win and who was going to lose. It made every move ten times more exciting.
The money was really starting to pile up when Ally's phone suddenly buzzed. A text. Swiftly, she picked her phone up and read. Her eyes went wide and she jumped from her seat.
"Austin!" she yelled hurriedly, already scooping up the game board and throwing the money in the box, "Amanda just texted me. She and Bryan were staking out Mr. Sherman for me, to make sure that he stayed away, but he's coming now! I have to go!"
Austin jumped up too and immediately began helping her clean up, wiping away any trace that she had been here. Just when they were done packing up, the children heard footsteps walking down the hall, towards them.
"Go now, Ally!" Austin whispered to her. Ally began running towards the window, but then stopped and turned back. Before Austin could even ask what she was doing, Ally rushed towards him and planted a warm, soft kiss on his cheek. Then, without waiting for his response, she rushed out the window and climbed down, disappearing from view.
Austin just stood there, shocked. Did she really just do that? He couldn't believe it. It must have been his imagination. But no, she had to have done it. He could still feel the warmth on his cheek in the area she had touched, tingling slightly with giddiness. It had been so warm, so soft, so perfect. It wasn't like the kiss he had imagined, it was better.
Suddenly, he door banged open. It was Mr. Sherman. He saw Austin standing there and looked him up and down suspiciously.
"Why do you look so happy, Moon?" he said angrily.
"I'm not happy," Austin denied, "I'm not happy at all."
It was the single biggest lie he had ever told in his entire life.
Well, that was it! I really hoped you liked it, even if it was really short.
I'm going to let you guys into a little secret now... this fanfic is coming really close to being half-way done. Because of this, I'm going to have to start creating some REAL romance between Austin and Ally really, really soon. So, be aware, this "just-friends" thing between them is coming to a close. These next few chapters are just going to be PACKED with auslly ;)