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Austin hardly waited for a response as he grabbed me by my arm and gently led me outside. I felt a blush grow on my cheeks as I felt shivers run down my body. Great, I thought, silently scolding myself. Calm yourself Ally.
Pushing the doors open, we stepped outside. Despite my nerves at the moment, I let out a small puff of content as I felt the cool breeze hit my face.
Austin barely gave me enough time to enjoy the weather. He gave me a sideways glance. "So…Princess Ally, huh?" I should have known. Austin always knew how to lighten the mood, no matter how awkward it was.
I rolled my eyes at him. "I wouldn't be talking Prince Austin," I said, looking at his white tux up and down, getting a sudden image of a prince in one of Beth's storybooks that I've read to her countless of times.
He laughed, but it seemed kind of forced. His attempts to make this solution un-awkward failed as the tensions visibly grew. I hopped from foot to foot, looking at the people exiting the building to the gravestones that were glooming in the shadows. Anywhere but Austin.
"Look," he sighed finally. "We can't really hide from this forever."
Yes, but it would sure be nice to. I refused to respond as I adjusted my eyes to the ground. I felt his gaze on me as he asked the question I dreaded. I always knew that it was going to come up. I just didn't want to think about it. "Why did you kiss me?" he asked hoarsely.
"You guys are both blind," Linda snorted.
I rolled my eyes. "Linda!"
"Sorry!" she raised her hands in surrender. "But really? 'Why did you kiss me'?" she mocked a horrible impression of Austin. "If you ever see that boy again, you should get it into his thick head that when people kiss you, they like you!"
I laughed, trying to hide the sinking feeling in my stomach. If I ever see him again… I didn't even try to tell Linda that I may never see Austin again. I choked down a sob and gave her a forced smile.
"Well, Austin was…" I struggled for a word. "…obtuse towards feelings."
Why I kissed him? Because I love you! I don't think so. Words jumbled in my mouth. There was so much I wanted to say to him right there. To confess how I was crushing on him ever since I could remember. To say right out that I was so in love with him. That he completed me.
Seeing that I was struggling for my words, Austin shuffled his feet. He swallowed hard. "Look…" he began. "Can we just…forget about the kiss?"
It was amazing how just one sentence could crush my heart, tearing it into a million pieces. Forget about the kiss? Forget about the day that was possibly the best day of my life? Forget about the sparks I felt that day for my best friend? It was almost killing me inside. But when I looked up, he looked at me pleadingly, like he just wanted anything but to get everything back to normal.
Blinking back tears, I nodded. "Yeah," I choked out, hoping that I was sounding more confident than I sounded. "I-It was just…" I swallowed hard, getting the lie out of my throat, "…in the moment."
Was it just me, or did disappointment flash in Austin's eyes?
Or was that just wishful thinking?
Despite what I saw, Austin still looked relieved that we were talking again. He looked like he wanted to say something else when the doors flew open, almost hitting us both in the face. Cassidy ran out.
"Ally! Austin!" she said, her eyes full of sympathy, not seeming to notice the shocked expression on our faces. "I've been looking all over for you guys!"
Austin recovered first. "Hi Cassidy!" he smiled.
I felt my legs tremble. "Hi," I had to put every bit of effort in my body to force a smile. I ducked my head. "Excuse me," I muttered, slipping past my two friends. "I-I have to find my dad for…something."
Cue in the mental face palm for how weak my excuse was.
Austin looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Wait, Ally-"
"I'll see you in school!" I said quickly, giving a small wave before rushing into the building again. As soon as the doors closed me off from both Austin and Cassidy, I broke out into a run, pushing past the numerous of people.
My dad stopped me. "Ally?" he asked in concern. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah," I squeaked out, quickening past him. Ignoring his worry, I ran out of the room and into the endless amount of space that covered the whole building. Room after room. Door after door. I burst through each of them until I was sure that no one could find me.
As soon as I found that room, I slammed the door shut and pressed my back to the stupid piece of wood, sliding down towards the ground. Then, right there, I let out all the tears that I was holding.
The truth had to be faced. Even though I may love Austin Moon, the feeling was one-sided. Even when I thought that there may be a chance for…us, it was wishful thinking. Because Austin never thought of me like that.
Ding dong…ding…ding…ding…ding…ding…ding…ding…ding…DING DONG!
I groaned as I got out of my bed, my mind thinking of the endless list of people who that could be. Only one person would ring the door bell like that…at six o'clock in the morning. Any guess who it was? Yep, Austin.
Stumbling down the stairs, I threw the front door open, wincing at the bright morning light. "What do you want?" I grumbled, my eyes slowly closing.
Austin laughed, ruffling my hair, only making me scowl more. He knew better than anyone that I wasn't exactly a 'morning' person. "Good morning to Alls."
"What are you doing here?" I groaned as Austin invited himself in.
The laughter drained out of his eyes. "I wanted to make sure you're okay."
"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked innocently, walking with him into the kitchen.
Austin looked at me in exasperation. "You know what I mean," he said simply. "Why did you run away from me like that at Beth's funeral yesterday?"
"I-I-" I stammered, realizing that I didn't have an explanation to why I reacted the way I did yesterday. Well…I did have a reason, but there was no way I was telling him the real motive. I would rather die.
A part of me was hoping that Austin would just change the subject, but he didn't budge as he stared at me intently, waiting for my response.
"I…wanted you to have more time with Cassidy?"
Austin definitely didn't look convinced. I could tell by the way he gave me a pointed look, like he was saying, do you really think I'll believe that? I felt myself start to grow increasingly nervous.
"I'm serious!" I insisted. I desperately tried to change the subject. "How is it going with her anyway?" Great, I thought to myself, great move Ally. Now you brought Cassidy up and your job as a wingman that you'll probably fail. Just-
Austin shifted. I could almost see my uneasiness reflect off of him. "Good?" he said, but it turned out more as if he was questioning it.
No matter how much I hated talking about Austin's crush on Cassidy, it still brought the attention off of me, which I was unbelievably grateful for. "Did-" I swallowed hard. "Did you ask her out yet?"
For a few seconds, Austin's expression was deer-in-a-headlights before he blinked. "Um…" he stammered. "No, not yet." A small smile appeared on his face. "You're supposed to be my wingman, right?"
I swallowed. "Yeah," I forced a smile. Seemed to be doing that a lot. "And as you're wingman, I say to just go for it. She has to say yes."
Austin raised a brow, a goofy grin forming. I could feel the tension slowly breaking around us. "And if she says no?" he asked curiously.
"Then, 'Houston, we have a problem'," I laughed, nudging him. "Any girl would be a fool to reject you Austin." I felt my heart start to pound. I would definitely not be one of those fools. I would be the first to say yes.
"You are a very interesting person Ally Dawson," Linda shook her head.
"I hope that's a compliment," I joked.
Linda smiled. "It's not. But it's not an insult either. You are…uh, were…in love with Austin. And yet, you're helping him get with another girl. Even you have to admit that's a little…interesting."
I laughed. "I confused myself too," I admitted. "I actually would lie in bed thinking about why the heck I agreed and actually help Austin get Cassidy to be his…girlfriend. And I realized that it's because I loved him."
After having a few hours to get to know Linda, I've realized that she's a genuinely sweet, understanding person. But I could tell I stumped her with what I said. "I'm sorry?" Linda asked in confusion.
I smiled softly. "I wanted anything than for Austin to be happy," I told her. "And I thought that Cassidy did make him happy. And if helping him get her made him feel like that, than I was willing to."
Linda seemed to think about what I said. "You THOUGHT that Cassidy made him happy?" she repeated.
"I may have made a mistake," I whispered hoarsely.
"Hey! Ally!"
I turned around, stopping mid-way of getting my books from my locker to see Elliot running up to me. I blinked. I almost totally forgot about him asking me out on a 'date' before. "Hi!" I waved, hopefully more confidently than I felt.
Elliot came to a stop right next to me, smiling. "Hey, I heard what happened and I really am sorry about your sister," he said sincerely.
"It was her time to go," I told him honestly. "I'll see her again someday.
Elliot grinned. "So I never did get an answer on our movie date."
My heard started pounding, and for a stupid reason, I started to blush. "Oh yeah," I stammered, my mind turning blank. The last time he asked me, I was going to say yes, right? Until Austin kept on interrupting. What would have me change my mind this time?
What happened over the past few days. I swallowed hard. That's what was stopping me. Over the events of…everything, it only just made me fall for Austin even harder, if that was physically possible.
I thought back to what happened yesterday at the funeral. After I left Austin and Cassidy, I cried harder than Niagara Falls. Why would I bring myself down like that? I couldn't stay single forever, going through his heart break. Why couldn't I just deal with the fact that Austin like Cassidy? Move on. That was my dad's favorite motto. Could I really drop Austin like that?
Elliot was waiting for me expectantly. I looked up towards him. "Okay," I nodded, forcing a smile. Every part of my body was screaming no except for one: my heart. "It sounds good."
He smiled, his face lighting up. "So tomorrow at eight?" he asked.
I nodded. "See you then," I said as enthusiastically as I could.
As I watched Elliot leave, my mind replayed what I just did. It was for the best, right? And it was just one date. If I hated it, there would never be a second one. But I should have known that someone was listening in on our conversation.
DUN DUN DUN. I think you all know who it is :D
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