(A/N - Fair Warning: This chapter is sad and short. ): But it's also super important, and I promise, they'll be together soon, just as you all hope. :D This is one of my stories, after all, and they always end up together in my stories, right?)

Friday Morning

I have been getting away with not doing the chores for five days now, and it feels so liberating. Eventually, Barbara might find out, but I hope by then that Dez will have found a loophole in my father's will. I had snuck into the Wicked Witch of the East Coast's safe earlier this week, and 'borrowed' the will. Whatever.

If she does notice, then I'm going to stick to my new plan of reinventing myself. I have grown a spine, and I intend to show that if necessary, when it comes to Barbara. Jessica and Natalie have been keeping their distance the past few days, thank goodness. I think the night that I snapped at them in the kitchen was unexpected for them. Well, it had been building inside of me for quite a while.

The past few days at school have been hard - Austin keeps ignorning me, and Dez keeps insisting that he just needs time. Austin completely stopped listening to girls sing, which either means that he has given up, or, that he believes me, and is just completely pissed that I lied to him.

Each day, I walk into school, hoping to see him standing near my locker with that brilliant smile on his face. Each day, I am disappointed, for he is standing there, looking sad, and walking off before I can say anything. Trish and Dez are being really helpful through all of this, though.

This morning seems to be no different at first. I slept in, got ready, ate an apple, and told Barbara that I did the chores when she asked. Now, I'm sitting in the passenger seat of Trish's car, listening to her ramble on about a girl in her French class. "She is just such a show off," Trish growled, while I nodded my head, only partially paying attention. "And then, a zombie came in, and the apocalypse started." I kept nodding my head, barely registering what she was saying. "Ha, I knew it! You aren't even listening."

That made me snap back to attention. "Sorry, Trish," I said, offering her an apologetic smile. "I promise I was listening about Marcy, I'm just really out of it."

Trish nodded her head in understanding. "It's cool," she said, smiling. "You have a lot going on right now. But, if it were any other time, I would smack the freckles right off your face."

"I don't have freckles," I said, laughing.

"Oh, right," Trish mumbled, looking embarrassed. "I guess I'm just so used to threatening Dez."

"Yeah, because you guys have been spending a lot of time together," I teased, waggling my eyebrows. She smacked my arm and shot me a playful glare as we parked the car. I braced myself for seeing Austin's sad face once again, but was surprised to see only Dez standing near our lockers. "Hey, Dez, where is Austin?"

Dez bit his lip nervously, glancing around. He was trying hard not to meet my eyes. I heard Trish threaten him, and he finally looked at me. "Okay, Ally," he said, sighing. "I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Good news," I mumbled, curious. I could use a little good news in my life.

"Okay," Dez said happily. "Well, I searched your father's will a few times, and there is a section in there that I think you might like. It says that once you're sixteen, you can choose where you live, because he always had faith in your decisions. He knew that you would know what was best for you."

"Really?" I exclaimed, jumping up and down. "That's the best news that I have gotten all week. Thank you, Dez, thank you." I gave him a tight squeeze, even placing a kiss on his cheek before continuing my happy dance.

Trish and Dez grinned, watching me dance. "Of course, there is a ton of legal issues," Dez said quietly, making sure I know this isn't going to be that easy. "I can almost guaruntee that Barbara will make you go to court on this. It's going to be expensive."

I nodded, knowing that was true. But, also knowing that I have a chance to get away from my wicked step-family is nice, so I continued dancing, not caring about the stares I was receiving from other students. Then, I realized something that made me stop dead in my tracks. "Wait," I said. "What was the bad news?" Dez bit his lip again, trying to avoid my gaze. "Dez."

"Okay," he sighed. "So, we have all been giving Austin his space, to figure things out. This morning, I saw him packing, and asked him about it. He announced to me and his parents that he is leaving. Today."

"What?" Trish and I exclaimed in unison. "What do you mean leaving? Where is he going? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Ally," Dez said, trying to calm me down. "He says he is going back to Hollywood - that even a life of fame is easier than this." He gave me a sad smile at this. "I asked you which news you wanted first. I'm sorry. But, his plane is leaving about an hour after school ends today. If we leave at just the right time, you might be able to catch him. But if you get there any earlier, he'll probably figure out a way to get away from you. You have to trust me on this, Ally."

I thought about it. This is Dez - Austin's best friend. "Okay, I trust you," I said, nodding my head. "But we have to leave as soon as school gets out. I'm not going to lose Austin for good. I need him."

"Believe me," Dez said, shaking his head. "He needs you too." I smiled slightly, and we all went to our classes. I could already tell that this was going to be the longest school day ever.

Friday Afternoon

As soon as the final school bell rang, I found Dez, standing with Trish at my lockers. "Come on Dez, we have to go," I exclaimed nervously, grabbing his arm. He gave Trish a quick hug, before letting me drag him away.

"I expect you to call me later with details, Ally," Trish called out. I promised her that I would as we ran out to the parking lot, hopping into Dez's car. "Okay, so we have a little less than an hour to get there, get through security, and to Austin's gate," Dez said, as he quickly drove to the airport. It was about twenty-five minutes away. "If we get there on time, this should be perfect."

"What am I supposed to say when I see him?" I asked, frantically. "I don't know what to say. I'll end up babbling like an idiot, and he'll try to get on the plane faster, thinking I'm crazy."

"Trust me, you'll know what to say," Dez insisted. "And I honestly think the second Austin sees you, he'll change his mind. No matter how confused he is, all he needs is to see that you care enough to chase after him - that this wasn't really a game to you."

I nodded my head, silently begging Dez's car to move faster, or for other cars to disappear, so that we could get to the airport quicker. By the time we got there, only twenty-five minutes remained until Austin's flight. The line wasn't too bad in security, but I wasn't taking any chances, and tried to get past as many people as I could, shouting my story over my shoulder. Most people gave me sympathetic, understanding looks, allowing me to pass them in line.

In the end, Dez and I made it through security in only ten minutes, since we had no bags. We got on the tram and raced to Austin's terminal, with ten minutes left by the time we got there. After searching the gate names, we finally spotted where Austin's flight was supposed to take off. Dez and I sprinted down the terminal, apologizing to people that we nearly ran over.

When we arrived at the gate, we saw that they were already in the process of boarding. The last passenger was just walking through the door and into the jetway - a tall head of blonde hair. "Austin," Dez and I shouted, trying to get his attention. All I need is for him to see me.

He spun around and locked eyes with me, a look of shock spreading across his face. Unfortunately, a few seconds later, the door was shut and locked behind him - a wall between he and I. It took a few seconds to register what happened, but when it did, I sunk to the ground. "That's it," I whispered, defeated.

Dez bent down next to me, trying to help me up. "Ally, he saw you," he said, shaking his head. "I knew that look - he was surprised, but happy. He would have come to you, if they hadn't shut the door. They were ahead of schedule, Ally, there was nothing we could do."

"But they did," I said, shakily climbing to my feet. "And now, it's over. He's going to Hollywood to be a rockstar again. And I'm still plain old Ally." Dez gave me a really sad look, and I tried my best to muster a smile. "Thank you, though, Dez. You have been really helpful, and I can't believe you did all this for me. You're a great friend."

At that, he smiled a bit, and we started walking through the airport, back to his car. At this point, the wonderful news of my father's will was practically a distant memory - the happiness I received from it meant nearly nothing in comparison to the void I feel without Austin.

(A/N - I know, I know, ): But, I warned you! A few hints! The next chapter is going to be Austin's POV, and the one after that is the one you've all been waiting for! I'll try to update today, so I don't keep you waiting, but reviews kind of speed up my writing process, sooo... You know the drill! (;

Confessions of a FanFiction addict #6 - when you find yourself in daily life, quoting your stories, or other stories that you have read!