My reaction to see that Wingman: Austin's POV got 300+ reviews:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Guys, you are seriously AMAZING! I can't believe we made it to over 300 reviews when we're only on the 10th chapter. You all just simply made my day :D Thank you all so much! No words can describe how happy and thankful I am to have readers that are so supportive and 100% incredible :D Most of you have even went through the first Wingman with me. And the thought of that makes me soo unbelievably happy :D
I love you all!
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A vampire. That pretty much described my condition the following day. I spent that time curled under my blanket. Except for my mom, who only came in to bring me breakfast, I closed myself off from the rest of the world.
Even Ally. Especially Ally. We haven't seen or talked to each other since that time in the hospital yesterday. But I knew that she wanted it like that. We both had to go through our grieving alone. In our own ways.
My heart gave another clench as I rolled tighter into my covers.
Don't think about it, I told myself. I refused to think about life without Beth Dawson. How it would be like not to come over at night to sing her a lullaby. Or read her the countless amounts of fairytale books at night.
So much for not thinking about it.
My thoughts got cut off as I heard someone enter my room, the door closing firmly behind her. I didn't even have to look to know who it was. Instinctively, I rolled around so that my body was facing the wall.
"Goodness Austin," I heard my mom say. "It's like a cave in here."
Before my mouth could open in protest, the blinds to my windows opened up, producing a horrible stream of light throughout the room. I let out a hiss, ducking under my blanket as it nearly burned my eyes out.
I heard my mom scoff as with one swift motion, she swept the covers off the bed. It tumbled to the floor. "Leave me alone," I mumbled, my arms rising in a protective motion across my face. I refused to open my eyes.
"Austin, this can't be healthy," my mom said. I felt my bed shift in weight as she sat down at the foot of the bed. "I'm starting to get worried for you."
A strange sense of anger rose in my stomach. "I'm fine," I couldn't help but spit out. It wasn't her fault, and I knew that. But I felt my pain at Beth's death dangerously start to grow in my stomach. And I hated it.
"No you're not," her next words came out firmly.
I scowled, turning away from her only to snap straight back. "Look at me Austin," my mom demanded, almost forcing me to look at her in the eyes.
"Mom-"
"Now." Her tone left no room for argument.
A small groan escaped from my mouth as I finally turned to face her. My mom was obviously worried. I could see it just by looking at her eyes.
"I'm really sorry about Beth," she said slowly, after taking a short pause. "But, Honey, hiding under your bed isn't going to help with anything."
No it wasn't. We both knew that plain and simple. But that didn't mean that I had to like it. I didn't want to embrace the pain. Face it. It's cowardly, I know. But I couldn't- wouldn't- come out into the open.
At least, not yet.
Seeing my lack of reply, my mom continued softly. "I'm not in here to drag you out of your room," she told me. "But I was talking to Mr. Dawson. He was really concerned for both you and Ally. The doctors wouldn't let him out of the hospital just yet and so he was wondering if you can do him a favor."
I didn't have to ask to know what that 'favor' was. I felt my stomach sink. "Mom," I managed to get out. "Ally and I aren't ready to see each other yet. I would be willing to check up on her but I don't think that it's the best-"
"That's not what he wanted," my mom politely cut me off. "Mr. Dawson realized that Beth still needs a funeral, which he is unable to provide while stuck in the hospital. So he was wondering if maybe…"
I almost felt as if I was going to throw up. The mere thought of attending Beth's own funeral made my stomach twist. A horrible image appeared in my head of her grave stone- I blinked hard, swallowing down the lump in my throat.
"A f-funeral," I stammered out. "He wants me to plan Beth's-" I had to cut myself off, given that my voice was starting to make a horrible cracking noise.
My mom's expression almost looked sympathetic. "You're hurting," she said, as if she was stating the obvious, "and I know that. But just because Beth passed away means that her memory's gone as well."
It almost didn't feel right. Picturing a bunch of people dressed in black. Be happy, I almost heard Beth say. And that would be the moment where she would forcefully push my frown 'upside down'. Into a smile.
Beth was the type of person who would cry when she would see someone else crying, even before she knew the reason why. She hated seeing anyone, even complete strangers, being sad.
She would always find a way to turn that frown into a smile.
Don't cry, Beth had told me once one day. She would have wrapped her small arms around my neck, acting like my own mom. And right there, she would have cried her eyes out, almost as if she was in more pain then I was.
Because that was just the person she was like.
And thinking about how I was reacting to this whole mess… there was no way Beth would have a smile on her face right now. It doesn't mean that her memory is gone as well. No, I decided. And people deserved to remember Beth Dawson.
She deserved to be remembered. Cared about.
And that's exactly what I was going to do.
In exactly three days, everything was complete. The funeral home. Flowers. Invitations. Ceremony. Everything to the slightest detail was complete for the next day, when the funeral was scheduled to take place.
And I was ready to drop to my feet in exhaustion. But there was something almost… freeing about it all. As if planning Beth's funeral eased the pain that was firing up in my stomach. Like I was slowing facing the fact that I had to let it go.
Slowly, it didn't hurt to think about Beth.
…And I was slowly readying to see Ally again.
Taking a deep breath, I straightened my clothes for the hundredth time. In front of me, the doorbell stood there, almost mockingly. Why was it so nerve-wracking just to press a stupid button?
Before I could chicken out of this, my hand slammed against the doorbell. Even from outside, I could hear someone tramping down the steps. Calm down, I ordered myself, feeling my hand start to twitch nervously.
It was just Ally. My best friend. There was nothing to worry about.
The door suddenly swung open, revealing the familiar brunette. "Hi," was the tired greeting. "I really appreciate your sympathy, but I really need-" her voice cut off, as if she just realized that it was me standing right in front of her.
I almost didn't recognize her. Putting this in the nicest way possible, she looked horrible. Her eyes had dark, sagging circles surrounding them, losing all its sparkle. It's only three days, but she looked as if she lost half her body weight.
And suddenly, I feared for my best friend's health.
Gathering up my confidence, I shuffled my feet. "Hey Alls," I said quietly.
"What are you doing here?" I flinched at how harsh Ally's response was. I deserve it, I tried not to hate myself at that moment. I left her for days, letting her to handle her sister's death by herself. What kind of friend was I?
"I wanted to make sure you're okay," I told her with every drop of sincerity I had in my body. Almost as soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized how stupid that must have sounded. Of course she wasn't okay.
Ally grew quiet. An awkward silence filed through the room, making an uncomfortable sensation crawl up my back. After a moment passed, it was starting to grow obvious that Ally wasn't going to talk anytime soon.
I sighed. "Look," I told her quietly, my mouth forming the speech that I had worked on for hours, practicing and re-writing. "I know that you're angry and sad and think that this is all so unfair. I felt the same way."
A knot grew in my stomach. "But…" I paused hesitantly. How was Ally going to take this? I had no idea. "B-Beth is in a better place now and…" my voice started to crack and against my will, I found my voice unable to function.
"And?" just as I expected, Ally's tone was almost challenging.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to cooperate and met Ally in the eyes. "And I let her go," I told her truthfully. As soon as I said it, I realized how true it was. Stay happy, Beth reminded me. And for her, I would.
I promise, I thought. For the first time in days, I felt myself smile. I promise.
Ally's vision snapped towards me. I almost knew what she was thinking. And it was something that I had thought myself a thousand times before.
"I know it's hard," I told her, resisting the urge to wrap the brunette in a hug. "But over the three days…I realized that Beth would never liked seeing this-" I pushed the tips of my mouth down with my fingers, forming a frown.
Something that Beth had done so many times in the past.
Ally let out a small laugh. It was short and hardly noticeable, but it was there. And it was as if jolting me with an electric shocker. I felt something stir under my stomach, creating a warm sensation through my body.
I grinned in triumph. I felt Ally open up slightly as she bit her lip to conceal the smile on her face. Now, I smirked. Just have to get her out of the house….
Amusement parks. Probably the best thing ever invented.
The adrenaline rush that you get when you go on the crazy thrill-rides? They were completely what I lived for. Combine that with the funnel cake and cotton candy? It was a good thing that Miami Beach had one right at its boardwalk.
As much as I loved amusement parks, Ally wasn't as fond of it.
"That was awesome!" I whooped, doing a small victory dance as both Ally and I exited the best ride we've ridden all day. The brunette next to me looked as if she was going to be sick as she let out a groan.
Ally dragged her feet against the boardwalk, her eyes closed tightly. "Worst. Ride. Ever," she lashed out. I couldn't help but laugh at her reaction, grabbing her gently by the shoulders to guide her throughout the fair.
"It wasn't that bad," I said, trying to contain my laughter.
Ally stiffened under my hold. "I think I'm going to puke."
It was a clear warning: make me go on another ride, and you're going to regret it. I raised my arms in surrender. "Okay fine," I gave in before her lunch made reappearance. "What would you like to do, Miss Dawson?"
Ally visibly relaxed as she looked around the carnival, her eyes scanning the different booths. She stopped at one: a game where you got three balls to knock down a pyramid of cans. The prize? A giant stuffed monkey.
"The monkey's mine," Ally said with a small squeak. She grabbed my arm and started dragging me to the booth. I couldn't help but laugh at her childishness.
Handing the attendant a dollar bill, he smiled and handed Ally the three balls.
"Okay Ally D," I couldn't help but tease her. "Show us how it's done."
Ally flashed me a playfully glare. She grabbed one of the balls and narrowed her eyes carefully, completely concentrating on the target. I waited for her to throw it, but it never came. I felt myself shift impatiently.
I faked a yawn, trying not to laugh. "You know, we can't take all day."
"Don't rush me!" Ally snapped, not even bothering to glance at me.
I burst out laughing, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair, which I doubted she would have appreciated. Ally threw the ball. It hit the cans harmlessly, bouncing off of them so easily, it was almost pathetic.
Ally seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Really?" she huffed out, grabbing her second ball. This time, she wasted no time launching it at the pyramid, only to have the top can crash to the ground. She scowled in frustration.
Grinning, I gently shoved myself into Ally's place. "Let me try," I told her.
"The game's rigged," I heard Ally grumble, crossing her arms.
Ignoring her, I grabbed the last ball, focusing myself for a moment. Aiming carefully, I pitched the ball like a baseball. It soared straight through the pyramid of cans, crashing them to the ground.
The attendant smiled, handing the monkey to Ally, who hugged it tightly.
"Lucky shot," she protested.
I felt a strange round of affection growing in my chest, spreading throughout every part of my being. "Uh-hu," I snickered. "Right."
Rolling her eyes, Ally opened her mouth to insist when a young girl interrupted us, dragging her windblown mom up to the booth. "Mommy!" she squealed. "I want the dolly!" She was so much like Beth, it made my stomach twist.
The mom looked at the game, wincing hard. "I don't know, Gracie," she told her gently. "I'm never really good at these kind of games."
Gracie frowned in disappointment. I almost saw a perfect replica of Beth right there. I felt my heart get increasingly heavy as I stepped up towards the two.
"Here," I offered them a smile. The mom looked almost relieved as she handed the attendant the money. In return, I got the correct amount of balls.
It didn't take long for the cans to knock to the ground. The look on Gracie's face as she got her stuffed turtle made it all worth it. She let out a squeal. "What do you say?" the mom asked.
Gracie peered up at me, her head almost covered by the turtle. "Thank you," she said timidly. I felt my heart do a double take as I knelt down next to her.
"No problem," I smiled, forcing my voice to stay steady.
Next to me, I saw Ally let out a small sob. I knew immediately that she shared my same thoughts. "Hey," I told her softly, rubbing her shoulders, hoping that it would serve as some form of comfort. "We'll be okay."
Ally nodded tearfully, but it was probably more for my sake.
I hated seeing my best friend like this. My eyes wandered around the carnival, looking for something, anything that could cheer her up. My vision hit the cotton candy stand. Perfect. "I'll buy you some cotton candy, okay?" I asked her.
Ally cracked a smile. "Thanks Austin," she said softly.
Something about the tone of her voice made shivers go down my spine. The way she looked at me was the highlight of my day. And even as I waited in line for the candy, I felt her gaze bore through me, making my stomach twist.
There was something about her look that made my heart pound a mile a minute. Something different. And whatever it was…I actually liked it.
Awwww...Austin's starting to feel a little something for a certain brunette ;D I'm really looking forward to the next chapter because I think I know what all happens then :D
Before I go, WHO SAW THE MOON WEEK AND MENTORS promo last night? I'm seriously flipping out XD That episode looks like it has so much Auslly in it... AHHHHHHH!