Hello from the dark side.
Before you proceed to this chapter, I'd just like to clear a few things up. First, the pretend relationship that Austin requested from Ally was merely for his cousin's wedding. Second, have you been paying attention?
Enjoy this chapter! I don't own anything.
Ally licked her lips.
Trish already had to tell her to wake up twice.
She wasn't asleep, no. Ally was... thinking. She was angry and confused and was up all night. She sat now, in her proper attire, on a plastic chair in the auditorium at the debating place. She was nervous and couldn't focus her thoughts on anything at all.
Well, anything except Austin.
Ally was mad at Austin. She was so mad at Austin. She was mad, confused and a little hurt because of Austin actually.
She didn't know why.
Ally sighed, fidgeting with her fingers and the hem of her blazer. She was so nervous. Her mind was racing. She was up next for debate, about to talk about a topic she had no clue about and only have five minutes alone with her thoughts to process her ideas.
Trish was sitting next to her, reading a news article on her phone. She kept frowning and scrolling with her finger. Ally glanced at the Latina. "What's that?"
"Just some fashion crisis in Japan," Trish said, her eyebrows furrowed. Ally rolled her eyes. Of course it was a fashion crisis. Ally sighed, wiping the sweat on her palms off and onto her skirt.
She never felt giddy and skittish about debating before, why was this time any different?
Ally tried listening to the debate on the central stage, but her mind kept wandering back to last night, no matter how hard she didn't want it to. She willed herself to think about something else. Ally craned her neck to check the time, when she spotted a certain brown-haired, broad-shouldered guy.
Elliot.
Ally blinked. She didn't feel nervous when she looked at him at all. She almost seemed to feel nothing at all. It was as if the butterflies in her stomach dropped dead when they saw Elliot.
It was weird.
She didn't like dead butterflies.
What was even weirder was that he was at the debate complex on her day. He usually didn't show his face other than to do his own debate. If Ally wasn't nervous before, she was now. Now Elliot was watching her in the crowd. She had to do good.
And they had their date later.
However, the butterflies were still dead.
Ally sighed, her head still swimming. She barely got any sleep the night before, her thoughts not letting her get a sliver of sleep until she saw daylight stream through her curtains at seven in the morning. She was dead inside; physically and mentally drained.
She blamed the wine she had yesterday.
Ally wanted someone to talk to. But she had no one. She couldn't even talk to Trish because all Trish yapped about was Jace and fashion.
Ally almost didn't hear her name, which they called twice. Ally abruptly stood up and awkwardly made her way to the stage where her competition was already waiting.
The guy was short. Four feet eleven, probably. He wore his dark brown hair in a close crop near his scalp, his suit was pressed flat, his tie was tied evenly. There wasn't even a wrinkle on his suit pants. His shoes reflected her face, which Ally probably hissed at.
The guy gave her a quick glance before looking away almost in disgust.
Ally felt nervous when she looked at the guy. He was strange. Strange made Ally feel anxious. She didn't usually judge people on a first glance, but he was her competition this round, and she was sizing him up.
Which was hard. She wasn't used to being the taller one.
"You're topic is should animal testing be banned? Mr. Ethan Wicker will be for and Ms. Ally Dawson will be against."
Ally blinked. Against?
What a funny word. Against. Aye-gencest. Or is it uh-genst? Aye-gencest. Uh-genst. Aye-gencest. Uh-genst.
Against. That was like. A bike against a fence. A magnet against the fridge. Someone against the door. Shoes against the floor.
Against the floor.
Like when Austin had her pinned to the floor of the party hall of his cousin's wedding after shoving a plate of cake in her face and he...he...
Ally shook her head. No. She would not, could not think about that. She needed to focus. This was a debate she was at. Her final debate. There were probably college scouts lurking in some of the chairs. She needed to do the best job she can do.
Ally frowned. Her school probably wasn't going to win the debates, but there were individual standings for individuals who have done well in the debates.
Too bad Austin isn't here he's actually pretty good at debate, I wonder what kind of scholarship he'd like to get. Of course if it wasn't debate it'd be something stupid like basketball or something else, maybe like—
"Ms. Dawson? You have five seconds left to present your rebuttal."
Ally blinked. Five seconds?
She hadn't even thought of her points or her flow of speech. Her mind scrambled for answers. Why shouldn't animal testing be banned?
"To counteract your point," Ally addressed the guy and the audience. The guy looked bored, shifting his weight from one foot to the other behind the stand. Ally swallowed. "I believe animal testing shouldn't be banned because..." Ally dragged out her answer, wracking her brain for a reason.
It shouldn't be banned because then how would they test gum for allergies?
You idiot, they don't test gum on animals.
What do they test on animals then?
I don't know.
Thanks a lot.
Ally gripped the podium so hard her knuckles turned white. She said the first thing that came to mind. It was a weak response. "Then it would have to be tested on humans which would be even worse."
Ally swore she heard the opposition snort.
It was going to be a long morning.
austin isn't into you
Thanks, Piper.
Ally stormed into her suite, flinging off her coat jacket and shoes. Her shoes hit the wall beside the door, her jacket hit the floor with a thud of fabric.
Ally groaned, running her hands through her hair and just messing up the bun she had only perfected a few hours earlier. Ally took off the elastic, flinging it across the room somewhere, hoping she wouldn't find it later.
Ally looked at herself in the vanity mirror set for two seconds before rubbing her eyes, letting her hands run down her cheeks. She groaned out loud.
Debate was fucking horrible.
Not only did she lose that round— which she never ever does— Ally also didn't rack up enough points to be ranked for the best debaters of the competition. The ten slots were already filled. You'd have to get a higher score than someone else if you wanted to knock them off the list.
Ally groaned, flopping down onto her bed, face-first. Her head swarmed with thoughts that she did not want. If she could sell her soul to banish exactly what she was thinking, she would.
This was all Austin's fault.
Every single, itty-bitty piece of it was Austin's fault.
What'd he do, Dawson?
He's ruining my life.
What else is new?
Ally frowned at her covers. What else is new? It's not like Austin hadn't tormented her since the beginning of her social life at high school before. It was all the same. She still hated his guts. He still somehow wormed his way into her life and topped the reason she hated him before with a new reason.
But if that was the case, why did she feel so, different?
He didn't do anything recently that made her want to put poison into his drink, so why oh why could she not get him out of her mind?
She had an answer for that, of course— she had an answer for everything. But she really, really didn't want to admit to the nagging voice at the back of her head. It was constantly chanting three words that she really, really couldn't believe would be present in a sentence like that.
Ally's phone buzzed.
She lifted her head from the duvet, finding her phone on the nightstand. Ally wiped the screen with her thumb as she checked the only text she got.
hey i'm just hanging out in the lobby come down when you're ready for our date!
Wow, someone sure is enthusiastic. And early. Way too early. Their date was supposed to be at 4:30pm.
i'll be down in a few
Just as she texted that, Ally felt the butterflies resurface. They began to flutter in her stomach, making her feel giddy and excited. Fuck yeah, she was going on a second date with her crush. It was going to be great.
If the first date was all proper and nice, the second must be fun and light.
Ally was suddenly hyped. Yes, this is going to be fun!
It'll get your mind off of things.
Shut up.
Ally quickly threw on the outfit she had prepared since their last date. A cute blue shirt with frills on the shoulders and the hem and a patch of missing fabric that showed just a little of her middle back. She topped that off with a pair of black pants with zippers on the side to indicate the pockets. Her choice of footwear was her black flats.
As Ally threw her hair into a ponytail, she felt a tingle start from the bottom of her toes to the top of her head. She was so excited!
Ally grabbed her brown book bag and shoved her necessities in there; phone, map of the city, extra lip gloss, room key.
She slammed the door to her suite and hopped in the elevator just as it was closing. Ally sighed, breathing in and out, trying to calm her rapid heartbeat. It wasn't rapid because of Elliot, no. It was trying to compensate for all the tasks she just completed.
The lobby was packed with people. Ally shoved her way to the buffet, looking for Elliot and deciding to grab a bite of brunch before heading out, too.
Ally made her way to her favourite corner table, only to found it already taken by a couple of old women knitting. She smiled politely at them before looking for an unoccupied seat. She struck gold when she found one wedged between a window seat that was not vacant and another one that was empty.
Ally sat down, pulling out her water bottle and chugging a big gulp. She took such a big gulp that she finished the bottle. Ally tossed it into the bottle recycling.
She decided to wait until the brunch line died down before grabbing a bite. She was hoping to snatch something before Elliot came and found her in the dense crowd.
Ally stared out the window, looking past the occupied window seat when suddenly a shadow loomed over her. Ally craned her head back.
"Hey, Ally!" Elliot said, giving her that dazzling smile that made her heart melt on the spot. Ally blushed, though she probably didn't mean to.
"Hi!" She said, equally cheerful.
"I saw you at debate this morning," they both said at the exact same time. Ally waited for Elliot's explanation.
"I couldn't wait to see you," he explained. "So I just decided to catch a glimpse of your debate before our date."
"Aww," Ally said. She heard a muffled noise that was suddenly overpowering their conversation. Ally blamed the buffet line. The noise soon died down. Ally cleared her throat, suddenly remembering how awful her debate was.
Apparently, Elliot didn't care. "Ready to go?"
Ally prepared to nod her head vigorously when suddenly a flash of fabric blinded her vision. She felt a weight knock the wind out of her from the side. Ally let out an oomph.
"Woah, hey buddy."
Austin Moon.
Ally froze. She turned her head to her left. Somehow, Austin had wedged himself between her and the person sitting by the window seat without waking them up. His arm was around her shoulder, which almost felt familiar after yesterday.
Ally flung his arm off quickly, stealing a glance at Elliot. Her heart fluttered. Austin frowned. He turned his mischievous brown eyes on her. Her heartbeat increased. "Whatcha up to?"
Luckily, Elliot stepped in. "Actually, Ally and I were about to head out on a—"
"An adventure? What fun!" Austin said, enthusiastically. He leaned back against the chair and spread his arms out. Ally wanted to smack him in the head. It's a date, you idiot. "Mind if I tag along?"
Now, Ally really wanted to smack him in the head. She blew some steam, leaving this to Elliot. It was totally your call, she said with her eyes to the brown-haired boy, but I'd rather not.
Elliot seemed hesitant. God bless.
"Ah, it's not problem if I can't," Austin said nonchalantly, breaking the silence. He fidgeted with his fingers. He looked at Elliot, right in the eye. Tension seemed to crackle in the air and Ally wondered if Elliot and Austin knew each other better than they let on. "I mean, I'm Ally's assigned buddy and all and where one buddy goes, both go, but it's fine. You can take her off my hands for the afternoon. Yeah, Ms. Krum won't get too ma—"
Something crossed on Elliot's face. "Oh, no. No. No. Yeah, yeah. It's fine if you tag along man. We were going to the aquarium downtown and staring at fish anyway. Yeah, totally. You can come along," Elliot said, totally cool. "Best get going though, the rush starts at three."
"Wonderful," Austin said, almost smugly.
Ally groaned audibly as she helped herself up from her seat. Austin stood up behind her. Ally swallowed, suddenly a little nervous.
"Can't you take a hint?" Ally hissed at him. She just really wanted to clear things up and go on her date with Elliot. She didn't need Austin hanging around her. Especially not now.
Elliot walked a few steps in front of the two, whistling and twirling his keys around his fingers.
"A hint at what, know-it-all?" Austin asked. His face was blank, showing no signs of knowing at all. He blew a piece of hair out of his face. Ally grumbled because she found that distracting.
"This isn't an adventure, you idiot. It's a date," she said exasperatedly. Austin frowned at, tipping his head to the side innocently. His lower lip came out in a pout.
"Gee, I had no idea," he said pretend-sheepishly. "I just wanted to hang out with my best buddy and Ell-id— I mean Elliot," Austin said, smiling. Ally balled her hands up into fists. Austin's smile showed his two boyish dimples. Ally just shook her head.
"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Ally asked. Although that wasn't the question that was burning a hole in the back of her mind. She willed her tongue to keep quiet.
Austin shook his head. "But who'll supervise your date? Wouldn't want things getting out of hand now, would you?" He grinned at her. The cocky, lazy look was back on his face. Ally rolled her eyes.
Ugh.
"Supervision won't be necessary, thanks bud," she said. "Although, I couldn't say the same for you," she added sarcastically. Austin shook his head, she could hear his dog tag necklace slap against his chest with every movement.
"Aw, come on, don't be like that," Austin said. Then, he took his phone out of his pocket and stared at it while walking. Ally clenched her fist.
Why was he acting like such a dick? The sun wasn't even up yet.
The three walked to Elliot's car parked around the block this time, as the front of the hotel was occupied by other cars. Ally trailed behind Elliot a bit, who was in front. She almost matched Austin's stride, who was tailing behind her by a few steps. She grumbled.
Ally ended up in the shotgun seat of Elliot's car with her buddy Austin in the backseat. Ally wasn't happy. Not in the slightest.
She glanced at the side view mirror outside of Elliot's car. It reflected Austin in the backseat, his legs crossed, his nose buried in his phone. She surveyed his appearance as best as she could in the mirror. Dark blue plaid shirt, black jeans, a black baseball cap.
Ally's heart thumped in her chest as she looked at him a while longer. She couldn't sleep the night before. And it was all Austin's doing.
All night she squirmed in bed. She did manage to get some shut-eye, but even then Austin followed her into her dreams. It was a restless night full of things she probably would have to confess at church sooner or later.
She woke up that morning extremely bothered and angry.
Elliot pulled into the parking lot of the aquarium. The entire twenty-five minute car ride was a silent as a cemetery at night.
Ally watched as Elliot got out of the car at the exact same time Austin did. Austin brushed off his jeans as Elliot walked to the side of her car door. Both laid their hands on the handle of her door at the exact same time.
Ally slunk down in her seat.
Austin grunted and cleared his throat, moving his hand away from the door and shoved it in his jean pocket. He turned away, an easy-to-miss scowl on his face. Elliot, still smiling, opened the door and helped her out of his car.
The three waited in line, the weather cool and mild over her exposed skin. Ally watched as Elliot had paid the entry fee for her and himself, but not Austin. But as Ally suspected, Austin paid for his own entry.
Everyone kind of knew all along how it was gonna be.
The first exhibit Ally spotted was of jellyfish. She wasn't going to lie, thinking too hard about jellyfish made her squeamish. Just, their tentacles bobbing around in the water and they look so flimsy and slimy. Ally shuddered, looking a little distressed at her reflection in the glass.
"Jellyfish are so cool," Elliot said, coming to stand beside her. Ally tipped her head to the side, nodding even though she disagreed completely. She just smiled at him, gritting her teeth.
"Totally," she said. Something caught her eye. The next tank beside it was full of manatee and stingray.
As Ally approached it, she saw Austin already standing there, glancing at the aquatic animals. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, his eyes capturing every slight movement of the big stingray. Ally cleared her throat as she approached.
She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to... ask him a few quick questions.
Just a few.
Austin? Yeah. Hey. What's up? Yeah. Haha. Great weather, right? Um. So. About yesterday. What was that? What the fuck was that? Why-why'd you.. why'd you kiss me? Why'd you kiss me and make me feel like I was going to melt on the spot in front of your cousins and—oh wait. Right, right! Because I was supposed to act as your girlfriend. Then can you explain what happened right after you dropped me off at my suite and leaned in and-and—yeah. And now you're acting like nothing even happened and making me feel like I want to explode and punch a few people in the face starting with—
"Ally?" It was Elliot, waving his hand in front of her face. She blinked, snapping her heading quickly to look at him. She blinked the haze out of her eyes and looked at him. Austin was nowhere in sight.
"Sorry! Just... manatees!" She said, trying to cover up her little slip. Elliot laughed and suddenly dropped his hand and linked it with hers. It was so spontaneous that Ally nearly squealed. Her heartbeat increased rapidly.
They were holding hands. HoldinghandsholdinghandsholdinghandsHOLDINGHANDS! She could run and scream and cry at the same time right now. Ally seized the opportunity to run her arm up and down Elliot's bicep.
Fuck yeah.
Elliot led her to another tank. It displayed a variety of fish, all different shapes, sizes and colours. It was fascinating. Ally grinned at Elliot as he went on to explain why the clownfish was his favourite.
"And no, it's not because of Nemo," Elliot said. Ally laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.
"And then—"
"Hey guys, you gotta check this ou—" Austin appeared around the corner of the tank, grinning while he looked at a tank of dolphins. The tank was connected to the inside and revealed an opening at the top where the dolphins did regular shows.
However, Austin stopped dead when he saw that their hands were linked. Ally felt the urge to yank her hand back, but Elliot's grip was tight on hers. She felt a little guilty, but just smiled at Elliot instead.
Austin never finished his sentence. He just turned back around the corner and disappeared.
"Let's go check out the activities!" Elliot said, walking in the opposite direction from Austin. Ally wrinkled her nose, though she looked over Elliot's shoulder for Austin. He was, after all, her responsibility still.
"Aren't those for the little kids?" Ally asked as Elliot walked her over there. Elliot was about to reply when the answer just came to her.
Apparently yes, as Austin was sitting and colouring a picture of a whale with half a blue crayon. Another little kid was trying to grab the crayon from him but he told the kid to hold on. "I'm almost done," Austin said to the little boy who rolled his eyes and coloured his fish red instead.
Elliot plopped down next to Austin on the kiddy stool. Ally sat across from them.
"You're colouring a whale blue?" Elliot asked incredulously. Austin frowned, looking up from his piece of work.
"The only gray crayon around here has been up that kid's nose," Austin said, pointing at a little girl with lopsided pigtails and two missing front teeth. He continued colouring.
Elliot looked at Austin's whale for a second before standing up. "I'm going to the washroom," he announced. Ally watched him go, retreating around the corner and through the door.
Why did the male washroom usually not have a line up while women washroom did? It was something she would never get.
And then she was alone with Austin.
He was still colouring his whale and creating a background for it. She watched his big hand expert an indigo crayon. Her dreams last night revealed that wasn't the only thing his hands were good at doing.
Ally looked away. Luckily, her phone buzzed at that exact moment.
Ah, good ol' Dan.
hi
heyyyyyyyyyyy
that's a lot of y's for an a
Ally blushed. He called her an A. Who does that? Ally grinned as she typed in her response.
geez dan, you're flattering me
just part of my job
stop i'm turning into a tomato
a cute one i bet
stop it
A nudge on her shoulder was what snapped Ally out of her texting daze. "You wanna get some water?" Austin asked. He was hovering over her, holding his hand out to help her up.
Ally dismissed his hand but stood up and let him lead her to the concession stand. Water was pretty expensive. Ally mentally beat herself over finishing her water bottle back at the hotel buffet.
Austin handed her a bottle of water and uncapped the one he got for himself. He chugged half of it before she could even get hers open. "Woah, slow down," she said. He was two thirds done.
He was still gulping down his water at a rapid pace. Ally sighed. She placed a hand on his arm.
Austin stopped chugging. He recapped the bottle. "Sorry. Was just getting real thirsty looking at all this water," he said, gesturing around at the aquarium. His bicep flexed under her hand. Ally nodded her head. Valid point.
"You should drink something," Austin said, reaching for her water bottle that was in her hand. He slipped it out of her grasp, uncapping it for her. Austin stared right into her eyes. "Stay hydrated, know-it-all," he said softly.
Ally felt her heart flutter, only to remember why he was even here in the first place. To cockblock her date with Elliot. She clenched her fist, suddenly wanting to get far away from Austin as possible.
"Why do you do this to me?" Ally asked suddenly, throwing her hands up in the air. "Why?"
Austin blinked. "Why what?"
Ally pointed a finger at him pointedly. "You-you make my life a living hell one moment, then act like you care about me the next!" Ally almost wailed. He was so confusing, yet so clear of his intentions at the same time.
Damn, I thought girls were supposed to be the confusing one.
"I'm not acting," Austin said in a low voice. He walked over to her slowly, stopping right in front of her. The intensity in his eyes made Ally's inside explode. He cupped her chin gently, tipping her head up. Ally blinked slowly. She could see the outline of his descending head under her eyelids. She could feel his breath on her lips. They were oh so clos—
But then Ally remembered Piper's text. And Austin being a dick and telling her Elliot was a douche. And Elliot, god, Elliot. She was on a date with him.
Ally stepped back so fast she bumped into a pregnant woman pushing a stroller with twins in it. She almost fell over the stroller if it weren't for Austin's hand that shot out and grabbed her waist, pulling her to him.
The woman gave her a dirty look before continuing on with her hobble.
Ally blinked, then shoved herself away from Austin. "I-I don't. I don't think that's a good idea," she mumbled. She turned away from him, twisting her hair in her hands.
His eyes darkened. "It's not..." Austin said, although his sentence sounded more of a question than a statement.
Ally quickly took her opened water bottle from his hand before anything else that was going to make her throw up and scream at the same time happen.
Ally took a sip of her own water before she caught Austin's eye. He was staring at her with such intensity that she nearly choked on her water. Because shit.
Ally recapped her water bottle and stared back at him, unflinchingly. She didn't really know what would happen next if she did, so she dared herself to do it. The risk gave her a thrill deep in her stomach.
Austin's eyes studied her. Her face, her body, her water bottle. Though it looked as if he could read her, she couldn't see any emotion on his face. It was blank, showing walls and walls, blocking her from reading him.
Luckily, Elliot decided to make an appearance at that exact moment. "Dang, I had a hard time finding you guys. Could've told me where you went!" He said, lightly panting. He must've ran.
Ally breathed a sigh of relief. She laughed, looping her arm around Elliot's, grateful for an excuse to break eye contact with Austin.
"So, where to next?" Ally asked, feeling a buzz in her purse. She quickly silenced it by digging her hand into her purse to fetch her phone. Elliot frowned.
"Let's watch the dolphin show! It starts in ten minutes. Come on. We ought to get good seats if we go now," Elliot said, leading her towards a glass door. It opened to the outside, where a bunch of cement stairs were located. "You coming, Aus?" Elliot asked.
Austin clenched his fist. "First of all, it's Austin," the blond snapped. "And second, stop wasting daylight," he said. He brushed past Elliot but made contact with her with his shoulder roughly. Ally stumbled a bit, huffing in annoyance and a little hurt.
Austin made it to the door first, holding it open with his hand for her and Elliot. "After you, Ellie," Austin said, almost a snarl in his tone. Ally felt like she was missing a huge piece of the picture.
Her phone buzzed.
it's true
your cute brown eyes haunt my dreams every night
Ally felt like melting. Cute brown eyes. How adorable. She felt like squealing, but kept herself composed.
stop you're making me blush
and smile so hard my face hurts
looks like i'm doing my job right then
The dolphin show was showed in a little area with bleachers around a pool. Most of the front seats or the "Splash Zone" was already filled up. So Ally, Elliot and Austin had to sit a few seats behind that. At least she could see above the heads of some other people as the father back the bleachers, the higher they were.
"This is so exciting!" She heard Austin say under his breath. Despite the fact that he was colouring a whale earlier, dolphins seem to be his favourite aquatic animal. His eyes lit up as the show began.
Ally felt an ache in her chest as she watched him. Subtly though.
She was sandwiched between Elliot and Austin. Elliot looked a little bored of the dolphins, while Austin was the complete opposite. He looked like he could squeal whenever one of the dolphins did a trick.
right
so what are you doing right now?
i'm actually at the aquarium
with a bunch of friends
oh man you should've invited me
"Hang on. Save my seat. I'm going to go get some water. All this water's making me thirsty," Elliot said. Ally held his spot for him, but couldn't help but notice those were the exact words Austin had said earlier.
maybe next time
aw come on
what do i have to do to meet up with you
"Why are you always on your phone when Elliot's out of sight?" Austin asked her. She gave him a quick glance. Which Austin was she going to see? The dark, mysterious Austin. Or the Austin that teased her and threw his arm around her shoulder?
"I'm not always on my phone when he's out of sight," she retorted. Although, when she thought about it, it was nearly true.
"Right, and pigs fly!" Austin said sarcastically.
Ally tipped her head to the side.
The Austin that teases me but in a dick-ish way.
Just like the regular Austin.
What even is the regular Austin?
"What about you? Why are you always on your phone?" Ally counteracted. Austin just shook his head.
"I asked you first, Know-It-Ally," Austin said, rolling his eyes. Ally bit her lip at her nickname. "Unless you aren't actually texting anyone and just pretending like you have a life." He's back to making her life a living hell. Whoop-dee-doo.
Ally rolled her eyes. "God, no. I'm texting Dan. He keeps tex—"
"You're on a date with Elliot but you're texting Dan?" Austin asked, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He began to laugh. Hard. He doubled over, kicking his feet like a child throwing a tantrum on the metal bleachers. Ally frowned.
Austin wiped a tear from his eye. He clutched his stomach. "That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while."
"You thought this was an adventure," Ally said, feeling frustrated.
"Clearly not," Austin said, still trying to compose himself. He cleared his throat once a few angry parents and kids began to stare at him. He wiped his palms on his jeans.
"If you knew this was a date, why'd you even tag along?" Ally asked, exasperated. She pointed a finger at his chest. "You-you asshole. I just wanted to go out with Elliot on this fine day, but no. You just had to appear and butt into our business. This is my life. This is my date."
"Your date, huh?" Austin asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. He leaned in close, tipping his head to the side. She was suddenly nervous. "If you're on a date with Elliot, then why're you texting Dan?"
Ally swallowed. "Because he won't stop texting me," she said, her voice small.
"Why don't you tell me him to stop?" Austin asked, leaning in even closer. Ally scooted back a little, moving into Elliot's seat.
"I-I- don't really want him to," she admitted out loud. Austin stared at her, fake shocked.
"Scandalous! Know-it-all doesn't want someone else to stop texting her while she's on a date with someone else," Austin said. "How dramatic," he said smugly. The last of Ally's nerves were getting the best of her.
"It isn't a date if you're here," she muttered, looking away from him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Austin freeze.
Slowly, very slowly, Austin returned to his seat. "Who the fuck needs a supervisor on their date? Thanks a lot, Aus," she said sarcastically. She turned to look at him. "Besides, wouldn't you rather be doing something important right now then crash my date? You're wasting daylight," she mimicked him.
Austin's eyebrows furrowed. In a second, he looked deadly. He had his fists clenched in his lap. His eyes were staring at his hands. Unclench.
"You know, if you wanted me to fuck off, you could've just said so," Austin said in a quiet voice.
"I've been trying to tell you all day," Ally snapped at him. She resisted the urge to smack him in the head.
"Can't you take a hint?" Austin snapped. The vein on his neck popped. Ally swallowed. "He's using you! Elliot's no fucking good. He's an asshole, a dirty little rat. He's using you, like he did with all those other girls. Goddamn it. I can't believe—"
"I can't believe you!" Ally groaned out loud, barely listening to what he was saying. "Can you open your eyes for a second and take a good look at Elliot? He's a gentleman, he's a genuine guy. He was supposed to take me mountain biking today but he couldn't get his sister's bike fixed."
Austin chuckled darkly. His jaw was clenched. He mumbled something under his breath that Ally couldn't catch. Austin stood up suddenly. "Alright then, Ally," he said. "Enjoy your date with Ell-idiot."
"Finally," she grumbled. Austin brushed past her, off the bleachers. But not before turning around to stare at her one last time.
"Oh, and ask him about his sister for me," Austin said, tipping his head to the side. If someone were to look at him for the first time, they might have found that innocent. "It's been a while since I've heard from her." Then he disappeared around the corner of the bleachers.
Well, that was odd.
Ally sighed, putting a hand to her forehead. She was dizzy and full of pent up emotion. She wanted to scream and cry and punch and kick and groan all at once.
"Woah, what was that all about?" Elliot asked, appearing right at her side when she turned around. Ally blinked. Where did he come from?
"Nothing, nothing."
"Hey, where's Austin?" Elliot asked, looking over her shoulder. Ally sighed, shaking her head. Then she smiled at him.
"Oh, he had something to do," she explained.
"Shame," Elliot said simply. Then he let her loop her arm around his bicep again. Ally sighed, tired.
Austin's words played in her mind. He's using you.
Ally shook her head, clearing it from thoughts. However, as she watched the dolphins twirl around in the water, clasping their jaws over fish treats the experts gave it, she couldn't help but wonder. Ask him about his sister for me. It's been a while since I've heard from her.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Did Austin have a thing for Elliot's sister? Oh my god. Maybe that's why he didn't like Elliot. Because he had a thing for his sister so they're in this complicated fighting thing.
Austin's voice nagged her at the back of her mind.
"Elliot?" Ally asked, deciding to carefully execute her words.
Elliot turned his sparkling brown eyes on her. "What's up?"
Ally licked her lips, running the words over and over in her head. She smiled right before answering him. "How's your sister?"
Elliot's face went blank for a second. He furrowed his eyebrow. "I don't have a—" Suddenly, recognition slammed into him. The easygoing smile returned to his face almost as fast as it left. "O-oh yeah, she's great. Yup. Probably baking a pie, right now."
Ally swallowed. She studied his face for a moment. Probably baking a pie, right now. "How... sweet. She must be quite the baker," Ally said. She almost stumbled while saying the word baker.
What I meant to say was faker.
"Yup, totally."
Suddenly, she didn't feel like such a know-it-all anymore.
Lots of things are happening, you see. This had to happen.
Okay, um. I really liked how I wrote this chapter. It's exactly how I imagined it to be. Eeeeeep. I'm so excited to post the next few chapters because fINALLY things are starting to get interesting. ;) :) :)
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you have nothing nice to say, please don't say it at all! Please leave a review and tell me what you think!
i need to tell her