I've had this whole chapter written since a week before Halloween of 2015. Bare that in mind.

Austin POV

Later on (after we found a ton of books), I told Ally about the little conversation I had with Cassidy. Her response was the opposite of pretty. And very bossy. "Be respectful to your peers, even if they're your exes!" this, "You've already hurt her enough!" that. I repeatedly reminded her that what Cassidy had done LED me to do the things I did (in one case, an uncontrollable urge to turn her skin raw); she had just cheated on me with Dallas the week previous. The fuck happened to him? (I'm permitted to swear once a day, mind you)

Anyway, trying to explain that to Ally was like talking to a brick wall. Layered with concrete. Covered by soundproof glass. While wearing really good earmuffs. She insisted that I apologize, but the damage had already been done. Morally and physically.

Every time Cassidy caught me or Ally's eye in the hallway, we nearly felt a hole burn through us. Not literally, of course, as it's more probable that I'd be the one to burn a hole through her. No matter, Cassidy was easily replaceable. I mean, I don't currently have a replacement, but.. I'll work on it.

Because Halloween was nearing, Dez was growing more and more obnoxious with bringing his turtle over to my house to try on little outfits, and then ask for my opinion. He could easily send me pictures but Dez always used the complicated route whenever he could. I grew used to it but, if he wasn't my best friend, I can't even begin to describe the things I would do to have him and his turtle spring off my porch and into Disneyworld. They would fit in most there.

"So, Austin," said Dez, who was trying to keep some cowboy hat on his turtle's head, "You know that new Dawson girl? Ally?" I grunted once in reply. How couldn't I know her?

"Yeah, why?" I said in a bored tone. I was messaging some girl from Marino High who obviously wanted more than just to chat. I truly wasn't interested though, which is strange for me. I was too busy with plans to train Ally-

"-then Trish was really upset. It was the first time she's ever called me first." I had completely zoned out. "Uh.. is Trish the curly-haired chick?" He nodded as he fitted a vest over the turtle's shell.

"That Ally girl seemed really nice at first, but the things she said to Trish, though.. can't dare to repeat 'em." He checked his turtle over. "How does this look? Cowboy professor." I merely glanced at the turtle before back at Dez, then set my phone beside me. "Ally is nice. She just.. got angry. Like I do." I didn't want to make it black and white for Dez that Ally was just like me. He needed to get better at figuring shit out by himself. Oh, dammit, I swore. Fuck, I did it again!

… Three tallies.

"Austin, I hate to be the one to break it to you buddy, but the reason that girls get angry may not be how-" I tore one of my converse off my foot and threw it at him; he easily dodged it. I felt a familiar hot sizzling sensation go down my spine. "No you dipshit!" Tally. "She… I… We both.." I searched my brain for a way to put it. "Get heated." That answer was obvious enough.

Dez stared at me for the longest time, cradling the damp turtle in his arms. "Austin, I've told you this before, I don't wanna know about your personal sex life." It was my turn to stare at him for a long time until I took my other shoe off and chucked it at him. This time, it hit him square in the shoulder. "Oww, what was that for!?" he complained, setting the turtle in his lap as he sat on the floor. "I mean that we both have embers." I tried calming myself by thinking of a Yiruma melody. It cooled me a bit. I grabbed my water bottle from behind me and unscrewed it.

Dez, however, was gaping at me. "Really? Is she the empress?" The water had just entered my mouth before I spit it back out at his question. I spluttered and coughed, giving him a wide-eyed look. "No way. I'm the only royal member in this part of Miami, Dez." It felt as if I were trying to prove it to myself. "Ally just moved here, right? She was probably a royal member in another part of Miami." I shot him a glare because he made a fair point. I put the lid back onto the bottle irritably.

"It's not impossible.. but I don't like Ally like that." Was I telling the truth? I didn't know. "Well, Moon, don't hurt her feelings. She'll be your wife eventually." I had no shoes to throw at him, so I settled for my mother's expensive table lamp before I heard a knock on my front door.

"AUSTIN WILL GET IT!" Dez hollered on the top of his lungs. I scoffed and lazily lifted myself off the chair, walking to the door. I had stopped just next to my fishtank and peered into it, watching the fish. It was told that watching fish in a fish tank relieved stress, so naturally; I got a fish tank to calm me down when I wanted to use my flames. This was Dez's idea, though.

Another few knocks, this time they were angrier. I frowned at the door before proceeding to open it to reveal someone. Ally. She looked, well..

Pissed.

She clutched her bag in her hand angrily and shoved passed me, throwing the bag down and sitting in my chair. She didn't bother to acknowledge Dez, who stared at her with big, frightened eyes.

"You will not fucking believe what my dad said this morning." She spat, crossing both her arms and legs. Dez gave me an apologetic look, like 'wow, sorry you're marryin' this chick!'.

I gave her a stern look; this is a habit that I developed from her. "Isn't it you who makes me mark down whenever I swear and attempt to prevent me from swearing?" I picked her bag off the floor and set it on the small coffee table. Her embers must've been heating up again, what with all this uncharacteristic behavior.

We obviously weren't working hard enough on mood control.

"Ugh, shut up. Anyway, the old bastard went away for an accordion convention—a fucking convention for accordions of all things—and locked the doors of Sonic Boom, our music store, without fucking notifying me. My songbook is in there, dammit! Plus my piano and all of my songwriting instrum-" I interjected. "Is your songbook that brown journal thing with an A on it?" She nodded impatiently, giving me a 'duh' look.

"It's.. right there. In your bag." I murmured. Thus it was. It stuck out of the corner of the bag, nearly falling out onto the table. She looked down at it with her eyes, and her face softened. Her body unstiffened itself, and she stood up from the chair gently. "Oh.." Her voice's softness returned. "Would ya look at that..?" She whispered awkwardly, reaching forward to get it.

As she got up, Dez did as well, with his bag of turtle clothes and his bag of camera equipment on one shoulder, and his turtle rested unsafely upon his other. "Gotta go now, bye." He said quickly, not looking back as he, like the wuss he was, practically ran out of the house.

Ally and I stood there in silence. I could pretty much hear her blood boil. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me Dez was here!? He could have let my secret out! Or at least spread rumors about me being a bitch!" She began to pace, and all I did was frown.

"Ally, it's not just your secret, it's mine as well. Besides, Dez has been my friend for years. He already knows about the whole thing. Embers and the Ember Empire and all that. Hell, he was there through all of my moodswings growing up." She seemed to understand, and she plopped back into the chair, rubbing her temples. She was frustrated with herself.

I heard her sniffle. "A-austin, what if this never stops?" she weeped quietly. "I flipped out so badly on my dad over the phone.. and I threw it at the Sonic Boom doors, which are glass. I broke my phone and there's a gaping hole in the door… oh, god.." She buried her head in her hands.

Not saying a word, I crouched down by the chair and wrapped my arms around her, in which she leaned into me. Our heat collided, and a soothing warmth enclosed around us. Her head rested upon my shoulder as she cried into my [brand new, by the way] shirt. "It'll get better, Ally.. I promise.." I whispered into her hair.

We could only hope so.

Gottagonowbye. Okay, so.. there's a lil' contradiction in this chapter that I'll address later. (YES THIS WAS PLANNED) Can ya spot it? *Wink* Cause I don't remember Austin telling Ally about the Ember Empire. OHOOOHOHOHOHOHOO SPOILERS.

Credits:

[1]: I DO NOT OWN AUSTIN AND ALLY!

[2]: The Yiruma song Austin was thinking of is called 'Kiss the Rain'. Listen to it, it's lovely. ; u ;

[3]: I'm writing this in my Algebra class and this kid next to me keeps staring at the screen and giving me weird looks. I ain't happy.

Hugs and Auslly;

Valerie x