No copyright infringement intended.
Copyright 2012 from-sabrina
Don't Look Down
Ally woke up at 9 on a Saturday morning (because sleeping early and waking early is good for you), made her bed, brushed her teeth for two minutes, got dressed, washed her face with Neutrogena (her slightly-OCD mind remembered all these little things), and sat down at the kitchen island with a cup of tea (because coffee made her jittery), prepared to have a nice day in with a book.
Of course, she had these people in her life called "friends" that interfered with that plan.
Right as she sat down with her biscuits and tea (her English accent may not have been very good, but that didn't mean her English food couldn't be good), the doorbell rang. Sighing, she set down her tea and made her way down the hallway to the door, letting out an, "I'm coming!" when the person on the other side of the door got a little too frantic with the pace they were ringing the doorbell.
She opened the door and wasn't given even a moment to think before Austin burst in, eyes wide and pulse jumping. "Ally, you love me, right?" he asked.
She blinked twice in his direction, taken aback. "Uh, yeah... why?"
He turned his grin up to a thousand volts and looked at her with puppy-dog eyes. "So, since you love me, you wouldn't just leave me hanging when I come asking for a favor, would you?"
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. She knew that look and she knew that tactic— The Guilt Trip, as she had dubbed it, all pleading eyes and charming smiles. "What kind of favor?" she asked.
"Oh, just an itty bitty teensy weensy little one," he said slowly, keeping the voltage on his grin up.
She crossed her arms, raising her eyebrow. "Austin..." she warned.
"Yes?" He smiled angelically at her.
"What are you not telling me?" she asked flatly.
His arms dropped back to his sides. "Fine, you got me. Remember my parents and their mattress store?"
At that, she broke into a wide smile. "How could I ever forget? Your parents are awesome, if not a little weird," she admitted.
He rolled his eyes. "More than a little weird, if you ask me. Anyways, they're introducing bed frames and bedroom accessories to the business, and we're filming a commercial for it..." Stopping, he asked, "Will you promise to say yes to what I'm about to ask you?"
"No! I need to know what you're thrusting me into!"
"Please? This is really important; my parents spent a lot of money on this commercial," he pleaded.
She stared at him for a second, then sighed. Those stupid eyes of his... honestly, they were going to be the death of her; he was going to be the death of her. "Fine," she relented. "But you owe me," she added, when he broke into a giant grin.
"Mmhm, okay, I can deal with that!" He hugged her happily. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
Smiling bemusedly, she agreed. "Yeah, no, I really don't. What exactly am I doing for you?"
"Well..." He stretched the word out guiltily.
"Austin!"
"Weneedyoutoactinthecommercia l," he said quickly, too quickly for her to understand.
"What?" She furrowed her brow, trying to decipher his words.
"We need you to act in the commercial," he repeated, at a normal pace this time.
"What?" she squawked, eyes wide.
He winced at the look on her face. "Yeah, look, I know you have stage fright and I'm really sorry for dragging you into this, but I didn't have a choice! Besides, your stage fright had gotten a lot better, right?"
"Yeah, but playing music for large crowds is different than being on TV in a commercial!" protested Ally.
"But you performed on the Ellen Show with me and that was on TV!" argued Austin.
"That was live. This commercial is going to be broadcast all the time, not just at one half-hour slot!" she exclaimed.
"I know, and like I said before, I'm sorry. We tried to find other people to play your part, but none of them worked out and we were down to desperate times call for desperate measures. So, I thought of you. If it makes you feel any better, my parents think you're perfect for the role," he offered, smiling nervously.
There was a beat of silence, then she heaved a huge sigh. "Well, I already agreed to do it. What do I have to do?" she asked resignedly as Austin whooped and pulled her in for another hug. "You owe me big time, buddy."
"Ally! Darling, I'm so glad you agreed to do the commercial!" exclaimed Mimi Moon, wrapping the tiny brunette girl into a hug.
Ally smiled, returning the blonde woman's hug. "Anything for Austin," she joked. Really, though. The things I do for that boy, she huffed in her head. "So, Austin told me that you needed me to act in the commercial, but he didn't tell me what I'd be doing specifically." She asked this question apprehensively; as soon as they got on the set of the commercial, Austin had disappeared with the excuse of I have to get to Wardrobe and Hair & Makeup, sorry? 'Kaythanksbye! That response from him had her worried about what crazy things she would be forced to do in this commercial.
"Well, as you know, Moon's Mattress Kingdom is a monarchy, so we have our kings and queens and princes and princesses and such. Since our commercial is introducing bed frames and bedroom accessories to the kingdom, Mike and I thought we could introduce the Bedroom Kindgom by marrying off Prince Austin to the princess of Bedroom Accessories, which is now you," explained Mimi. "That way, it'll make sense to put bedroom things in our store! So, what do you think?" she asked brightly.
Ally stood there, flabbergasted. "Um," she finally let out intelligently. "You want me to go and engage myself to Austin?"
"Not for real, obviously, but I can think of multitudes of people who would like to see that happen," she winked.
Ally blushed, not sure what to say. "Actually, Austin and I are just—"
"Well, you'd better go off to Wardrobe and Hair & Makeup!" Mimi all but shoved her out, ignoring her protests of but I wasn't finished!
Fifteen minutes later, Ally was through with Hair & Makeup and was cringing in preparation of what glittery ballgown she'd be forced into in Wardrobe. Self-consiously, she went to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, only to remember that her hair was swept up into a glossy updo, a few tendrils escaping out and framing her face. A sparkling tiara transformed the look from homecoming to princess, and light, dewy makeup finished off the whole look.
"Where's Princess Ally? Princess Ally, we need you in Wardrobe!" a voice boomed, making Ally jump slightly and start towards the door marked Wardrobe.
"I'm here, I'm here!" she said, quickly entering the room.
"Okay, great. Here, put this on." Someone shoved a pink dress at her and she braced herself to look at it. For a second, she was stunned. It was a beautiful sweetheart dress, all tulle and chiffon and gorgeous fabrics; nothing at all like the sparkly monstrosity she was expecting.
Now feeling excited (as humans of the female persuasion do when they see pretty clothes), she slipped the dress over her head and zipped it with the help of a wardrobe assistant. Someone threw a pair of shoes at her feet and she slipped them on, then was pushed out the door.
Dazedly, she looked around. How they dressed her so quick, she had no idea. All she knew now was that she was standing tall in nude Jimmy Choos, with a stunning dress to boot.
"Ally? Where are you— oh, wow." Austin stopped in the middle of his sentence, then, quietly, "You look beautiful."
She smiled shyly and started towards him, "Thank you—" However, the heels (six inches; goodness gracious!) were just a little too tall for her, and as soon as she took a step forward, she tottered and fell into his arms. "Oops, sorry!" she exclaimed embarrassedly, moving to push herself out of his arms.
Austin was in no mood to let her go, so he held her tight in a hug, swaying a little with her on the spot. "Thanks again for doing this," he said, pulling back and beaming at her.
"No problem." Ally smiled. "What are best friends for, right? Plus, I get a pretty dress and shoes out of it, so why the heck not?"
He laughed, trying to resist booping her nose. "You look very princess-like," he told her faux-seriously, booping her nose (he never had great impulse control).
"Don't boop my nose," she warned him, swatting at his hands then smoothing down her dress. "Why didn't they put me into a ballgown or something?" she asked.
"They wanted a modern-day Prince and a modern-day Princess," replied Austin, shrugging. "I mean, that's why I'm in a blazer and jeans, not a full-out Price Charming costume." Furrowing his brow, he added on, "Why ask, though? You'd look beautiful either way." His smile was sincere and bashful, and her heart warmed. Man, this guy was too cute.
"Well, you don't look too bad yourself," she joked. "Ready to pick up some girls?"
His face fell for a second, then he flashed her a smile. "Definitely," he said, winking obnoxiously.
"Austin? Austin, honey, we're ready to start shooting!" Mimi entered the little green room they were in, heels clacking on the concrete floor. "Oh, Ally!" she exclaimed, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. "You look gorgeous! Doesn't she look absolutely fantastic, Austin?" She turned to her son pointedly, who just nodded obediently.
"Yes, Mom, now when can we leave?" he asked cheekily, laughing when his mother shot him an are you serious? look.
But Mimi couldn't be unhappy for long, as she led the pair towards the set. It was the typical green screen, with a giant king-sized bed and respective nightstands, bureaus, etc. pushed off to the side, out of view of the camera. Later, the tech department (namely Dez) would edit it so that the green screen showed the customary puffy-white-clouds-in-the-clear-blue-sky background the Mattress Kingdom commercials were associated with.
"Okay, for the first scene, it's going to be a quick proposal, mm'kay?" Mimi turned to them, waiting for an answer. "Hello? Ally? Austin?" She waved a hand in front of the two teens staring wide-eyed at each other.
Austin snapped out of it first. "Mom... Do we have a script or...?"
She shook her head brightly. "Nope! Just wing it!" And she pushed them onto the green screen. Flabbergasted, Austin could only gape at the camera. "Go on, sweetie!" called Mimi.
Uncomfortably, Austin cleared his throat and took Ally's hand. Bending down on one knee, he turned a nervous smile on her. "Um... Princess Ally," he began, in his fake English accent, "Would you ever do me the honor of taking my hand in marriage? You are wonderful and beautiful and everything good; kind and of a sharp mind, you're very musically talented, too! Now that I've recited this poem, will you marry me in our home?"
Ally's eyes shined with tears from contained laughter at his ridiculous rhyming proposal. However, to the camera, it just looked like tears of joy. "Oh, Prince Austin!" she exclaimed, hands fluttering to her chest. "I would be honored to!"
"And... cut!" yelled Mimi. Immediately, the two teens on the green screen burst into laughter.
"Austin, we can definitely make that poem into a song and put it on your album," joked Ally, a giggle bubbling out of her throat.
Austin shrugged faux-modestly. "I thought it was pretty good myself." Grinning, he took her by the hands and spun her around, "How about you, though? Look at you, Miss I-Have-Stage-Fright!"
"What stage fright?" she asked innocently, beaming.
"Before you know it, it'll be the Austin Moon and Ally Dawson album," declared Austin.
"Oh, I wish..." Ally trailed off wistfully. "There's something about you, Austin Moon," she said quietly, staring up into his eyes, all signs of mirth gone. "Something about being with you makes it so easy for me to just let loose and break free; makes getting over my stage fright seem plausible; makes singing in front of thousands of people less scary. So, I guess what I'm trying to say is... I'm really glad I met you, Austin. I don't even know where all this sappiness is coming from, but I just wanted to say that I really do love you, even if you just made me do a mattress commercial." She finished with a soft smile, tucking a piece of hair behind her ears.
He positively beamed at her. "And you? Let's just say I'm convinced that I would've met you sooner or later. After all, you can't stop an amazing person from colliding with an equally as amazing person." He smirked and she laughed, that same little tinkle that warmed his heart.
Uh oh. What was this? Warmed his heart? Oh lord, who did he think he was? He was Austin Moon, her best friend. His heart did not warm for her. Absolutely not.
"Austin?" His mother's voice interrupted his (admittedly un-manly) thoughts. "I thought that speech was really great, but could you shorten it a bit, hon? We only have two minutes of TV time, y'know."
Austin shot her a reproachful look. "Really, Mom? After I came up with that fantastic," he winked at Ally, "poem on the spot, you want me to shorten it?"
Mimi nodded, then let out an uncustomary smirk. "But you know, if you ever decide to actually propose to Ally... just remember this moment."
She winked and he groaned in embarrassment, covering his face with his hands. Slowly, he peeked over his fingers to look at Ally, and was pleasantly surprised to see that she was laughing, and not getting flustered by his mother.
"Look at that, Ally's not even fazed by my craziness! This girl's a keeper, Austin," said Mimi, almost echoing his thoughts.
Sometimes he wondered if he was adopted.
The rest of the commerical filming time was spent well, between bursts of bright laughter and multitudes of mess-ups. At the end of the day, Ally felt like she had burned at least 300 calories from all the time she spent laughing, and Austin really didn't know what he felt like— at the moment, feelings were his enemies.
"Austin, you'd better drive Ally home," advised Mimi. "We're pretty far from home, and you always want to take care of the things you love." She winked at Ally, who just flapped a hand at her breezily.
"Oh, Mrs. Moon, I love Austin," assured Ally, grinning at the aforementioned blonde singer.
"Yup, she loves me," joked Austin, starting to lead Ally out. "And I love you, Mom, so are you making pancake pie tonight?" he cajoled, pausing in the middle of the doorway.
She swatted a hand in his direction fondly. "Alright, alright, I guess I can make pancake pie tonight. Now get going, you two!"
Laughing, the pair left. The car ride home was quiet, and Ally fell asleep halfway through.
Eyeing her critically at a stop light, Austin frowned, replaying the "I love you" scenes again and again. It bothered him to hear how easily they tossed "I love you"s around each other, and it bothered him even more how much he wished she would say it in a different way.
What bothered him the most, however, was the fact that he was even thinking about this, and with that, he turned his attention back to the road ahead. It was going to be a long ride home, just him alone with his thoughts.
The next morning, Ally woke up at an unusually late hour (for her, that hour was about 10:30), magically in her bed. She furrowed her brow; how did I get here? The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Austin's car.
Slower than normal, she got ready and headed downstairs. Her dad was humming along to his music, earplugs in and jogging gear on, a sight that Ally tried not to wince at.
"Oh, hi honey!" greeted Lester loudly, waving cheerfully. "How are you feeling? When Austin dropped you off yesterday, you were dead asleep! He had to carry you up to your room!"
Ally's eyes widened and her hands went up to cover her face, mortified. "Oh my god, Dad, that's so embarrassing! He must think I'm a five-year-old now, having to be taken up to my room by someone else."
"What?" bleated Lester, cupping a hand around his ear.
Shaking her head, Ally just motioned towards the door. "Why don't you go for your run now?" she suggested loudly.
Beaming, Lester nodded and power-walked his way out. "Have a good day, honey!" he shouted over his shoulder. Then the door slammed shut and Ally was finally left alone to her peace.
Sighing, she picked up the tea pot and started brewing a fresh pot. Humming along to some nonexistent music, she floated around the kitchen, engrossed in making yet another English breakfast.
Suddenly, the bell rang, and startled, Ally almost dropped the tea pot. As it was, she let out a little squeak of "Oops!" and set the pot back on the counter.
"Allyyyyyy!" someone yelled through the door.
Ally's eyes rolled to the heavens. Only one person in the world would call her like that. Opening the door, she offered a long-suffering smile. "Hi, Austin. Hey, Dez, Trish."
A barrage of "Hey, girl!"s and "Hey, Ally"s and "Yo"s greeted her, and bewildered, she could only watch as they made themselves at home.
Closing the door slowly, she narrowed her eyes at them. "Any particular reason why you're here? 'Cause I was just going to sit down and have a nice day in with my super cool book..." she trailed off awkwardly.
Sighing dramatically, Dez launched himself out of the couch he had been sprawled on, and replied dismissively, "Yeah, well, your super lame book is going to have to wait, Ally. I signed us all up for volunteering at the carnival!" he announced, smiling brightly at his friends, who all wore similar expressions of disbelief and unwillingness.
"Dez... I don't even work at my paid job, and now you're expecting me to work for free?" Trish's expression contorted to one of horror. "Who do you think I am?!"
He shrugged. "Volunteers get free tickets to go on rides and free food."
At that, Austin's eyes lit up. "Free food and rides? I'm in. What UP?" he exclaimed, exchanging the customary handshake with Dez.
Trish sighed and agreed as well. "Free stuff, I'm there! Plus, what if I meet a hot guy?"
Dez's expression went flat and disgruntled for a second, then he turned to Ally. "So, what do you say, Ally?"
"Yeah, how about it, Ally?" asked Austin hopefuly.
"I'm not going if you're not going," declared Trish.
All three of them leveled pressuring gazes at Ally. She fidgeted for a couple seconds, then burst. "Okay, okay, fine! Just— just stop giving me that look where I feel like I just kicked a puppy!"
"What look?" Austin blinked innocently at her.
"Argh— I already said yes, Austin!" exclaimed Ally helplessly. She grumbled and sulked a bit while her friends cheered, but in the end, a helpless smile spread across her face. "You know you're making me miss out on my book, right? And I was just getting to the romantic part!"
Fifteen minutes later, Ally was stomping her heeled boots-clad feet, trying to get warm. "Why is it so cold?" she wailed. "We live in Miami!"
"Yeah, dude, why'd you pick this carnival?" complained Austin, rubbing his hoodie-covered arms.
"Way to pick the coldest spot in Miami, Dez," grumbled Trish, tugging at her short-sleeved shirt. The rest of her friends were dressed in similarly made-for-warm-weather clothing, with Ally in a floral, fluttery high-low dress that did nothing to offset the 60-degree weather.
"Okay, okay," sighed Dez, pulling his sweater over his head and handing it to Trish, who quickly put it on. "Happy now?" he said, managing to only sound a little bit annoyed.
Before Trish could reply, a pretty brunette in her 20s bounded up to them. "Hi, I'm Ingrid!" she said, her tone exuding cheerfulness. "Are you four the additional volunteers?" At their nods, she beamed and handed them purple lanyards. "These lanyards will show that you're volunteers, so keep them on the entire time," she explained. Turning to Austin, her eyes widened. "Hey! You're Austin Moon, aren't you?"
Austin nodded, happy that someone recognized him. "Yeah, and this is Ally Dawson," he added, gesturing to Ally, who smiled and waved shyly. "She writes—"
"— all of your songs," finished Ingrid. "I know; I'm a huge fan!" Grabbing Ally's hand, she shook it enthusiasticly. "I think your songs are amazing!" she gushed. "The lyrics and the melodies match so well together, and oh, I watched you on The Helen Show and you have a beautiful voice; you should perform and record more!"
"That's what we keep telling her," Dez, Trish, and Austin chorused in unison.
"Your friends are really supportive; you should listen to them." Ingrid winked. "Especially your boyfriend over here." She nudged Austin, smirking.
"Oh, we're not together—" started Austin and Ally.
"Well, I need to assign you to your stations," said Ingrid brightly, interrupting and disregarding Austin and Ally's protests. "Dez, you'll be working the pie booth."
"What's that?" asked Dez, pushing to the front of the group to talk to Ingrid.
"Basically, you get pie thrown at your face," explained Ingrid. "It's nice and straightforward, but I wouldn't advise you to eat the pie on your face, okay?"
Dez nodded obediently. "Do not eat face pie," he repeated robotically.
"Okay, now Trish, you will be operating a dunk tank, and I assume that you know how to do that?" Ingrid turned to Trish expectantly.
Trish's eyes glittered with anticipation. "Oh, yes. Definitely."
Ingrid drew back warily a little bit. "I don't need to have life support on hand, do I?" she questioned, only half-joking.
"No... probably not. Unless, of course, Dez decides to come on by." Trish smiled sweetly at the ginger, who only coughed and shuffled his feet a little bit. His response was pretty out of character, and that worried her. She resolved to speak to Austin about it later, but for now, she tried to zone back in on Ingrid's instructions.
"... will be teaching kids how to play piano for half-hour intervals, and Austin, you'll be behind the ticket booth, with Leslie, mm'kay?" Ingrid pointed to a blonde girl with pretty gray eyes near them, and Austin nodded.
"Definitely okay, by the look on his face," laughed Ally. "Go on, loverboy," she urged, shoving him gently in the direction of Leslie.
Almost unwillingly, he went, introducing himself to Leslie with a half-smile. "Hey, I'm Austin Moon," he greeted.
"Nice to meet you, Austin Moon. I've listened to your music and I really like it," replied Leslie, taking his hand and shaking it. "I'm Leslie Mann, and you know what?"
"What?" asked Austin.
"I was forced to come here and volunteer, but now I'm thinking it could turn out to be worth it." She smiled shyly, then turned around embarrassedly and started to lead him towards the ticket booth.
For the next hour, Austin and Leslie chatted companionably, while selling tickets. However, he couldn't help his mind from wandering to what his friends were doing— more specifically, what Ally was doing. The pretty brunette singer/songwriter was popping up in his thoughts more and more now, and he couldn't figure out what to do with that. The most confusing thing, however, was why he was even thinking about one of his best friends in that way. Not that he had any specific ways to think about.
Lying is the best way to deal with infatuation, you know.
It just so happened that Austin and Dez's breaks were at the same time, and they met up at a popcorn stand.
"Hey, man," said Dez casually, walking over to where Austin was and sitting down next to him.
"Hey, Dez— whoa." Austin stopped short at the sight of Dez's pie-covered face.
Dez shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, I didn't get all of the pie off my face."
Austin's eyebrows climbed. "No kidding." Spotting Trish flirting with a guy, he smirked and nudged Dez. "Guess she's not having such a bad time, huh?"
Dez only grunted, turning away from Trish and her target. "Whatever," he muttered.
"Dez... we've been best friends since first grade. I can tell when something's up. So, what's up?" asked Austin.
The ginger sighed and dropped his head into his hands. "I don't even know. Trish has always been... Trish, y'know what I mean? She's just bossy and rude and heartless and cruel and and— I don't know. All of a sudden, it's like I'm noticing how nice and kind she can be, or how loyal, or how pretty she is when she smiles and— I. Don't. Know. Every time she mentions flirting with another guy or she actually flirts with a guy, I just want to throw myself into a toaster and ughhhhhhhhhhh," he moaned, dragging out the groan.
Austin nodded sympathetically, patting his best friend's back. "I know what you mean, bro. Ally is— I don't know what she is to me, but it's becoming more and more clear that she's an anomaly in my life— Did you hear that? I said anomaly, and it's all because of Ally, too! Do you think the Austin Moon you know would say anomaly, ever?" Distressedly, he waved his hands in the air and then ran them through his hair. "Okay, and let's talk about other girls for a second. Leslie? Did you see her? She's cute, she started flirting with me and normally I would flirt back, but now every time I see a girl, Ally pops into my head and I start comparing the two in my head. Even better, guess who always wins? Ally." His tone was helplessly frustrated. "I shouldn't even be thinking these thoughts about one of my best friends!"
Dez pulled a face. "But I'm allowed to think those thoughts about Trish, right? Because we're more like worst frenemies than best friends?"
Austin gave him a really? look. "Dez, Trish may act like she thinks you're an idiot and a weirdo and hates you, but she counts you as one of her best friends, and I know you do as well."
Dez's mouth hung wide open, agape. "Are you serious? But she's always being sarcastic and mean to me and now she's making me sound like a sixth grader and— ugh again. How come she never told me she thought of me as one of her best friends?!"
"You just gotta read between the lines, I guess," replied Austin helplessly.
"Yeah, but I can barely read the lines themselves," muttered Dez. Then, "I can tell you that whatever Ally is to you, it's not a normal friend, and that's for sure."
"And I can tell you that Trish is just bad with feelings," returned Austin.
Dez grumbled moodily, "Ugh, women."
Austin grunted back, "Agreed."
Half an hour later, Ally and Trish's breaks fell at the same time, and they met up at a cotton candy stand.
"How's the dunk tank?" asked Ally.
"Wet and miserable," admitted Trish, "But only to those who fall in!" And the look on her face is absolutely devious.
Ally laughed, shaking her head amusedly at her bushy-haired friend. "I'm just glad my station is inside, where it's nice and warm."
Trish made a face. "Yeah, how is teaching little kids how to play piano going? I can't imagine that it's fun..."
Ally turned to her with bright eyes. "Oh, no, it's awesome! The kids are so sweet and their parents are so encouraging and if they're not... Well, I've been told that I'm a pretty likeable person, if I do say so myself, and I think I've won them all over." The look on her face was smug and satisfied, but in that awkwardly unsure way of hers.
"I haven't been yelled at once in my new job at the dunk tank," preened Trish.
"Trish... you do realize that you're volunteering, and this isn't an actual job, right?" said Ally slowly.
Trish only waved a hand dismissively at her. "Details, Ally, details."
Their conversation was interrupted by Ingrid, rushing up to them with a wild look in her eyes. "Trish, Ally, there you are! I've been looking for you guys all over the place!"
Concerned, Ally straightened up. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"Tonight's band can't make it in time to perform, and now we have no entertainment!" exclaimed Ingrid. Turning to them with pleading eyes, she asked, "Would Austin and you be willing to perform for us, instead? We can pay you, too," she offered.
Ally's eyes widened and she exchanged looks of surprise with Trish. "Uh, sure. We'd be delighted to, Ingrid," she replied, smiling as Ingrid broke into a relieved grin.
"Any chance Austin and Ally have to perform, we're taking it," Trish added on excitedly.
"Great, so you'll be at the stage at around five o'clock to get prepped, and then you'll perform at six, okay?" Ingrid quickly scribbled some things down on her clipboard as she spoke.
"That's perfect," replied Trish.
"See you at five, then!" And with that, Ingrid was gone, in a whirlwind of rapid-fire words and checklists.
"Wow..." started Ally. "That escalated quickly."
"No kidding," agreed Trish. Checking her watch, she continued, "We have about half an hour before we have to be at the stage, so we should go tell Austin about the surprise performance... but before we go, I wanna know: what's up with you and Austin?"
Ally blinked, confused. "What's up with me and Austin?"
Trish narrowed her eyes at her. "Don't give me that innocent look, Ally Dawson. Austin likes you," she said assuredly. "And you like him."
Ally laughed brightly and Trish furrowed her brow; this was not the reaction she'd been expecting. "Oh, Trish, Austin and I are just best friends," explained Ally. "Besides, you know I'm not even his type."
"Do you want to be?" asked Trish.
"No." The speed at which she answered the question made Trish a little suspicious, but for the moment, she let it slide.
"Okay, then... What about all those little nudges and those smiles and your incredibly obvious blushing?" questioned Trish. "I mean, do you guys even know what personal space is?"
"Yeah, but it's all brotherly-sisterly touches," argued Ally blindly, deep in denial. "Austin is an amazing guy, and any girl would be lucky to have him, but I don't think of him in that way... I don't," she repeated, this time with a hint of hesitance. Shaking her head abruptly, she turned to Trish. "What about you and Dez, Miss De La Rosa?" she teased.
Trish flipped her hair airily over one shoulder. "Oh, you know. Same old, same old; I still think Dez is an idiot, he still thinks I'm mean. Why do you ask?"
Ally snorted. "Lies, Trish, lies. I've seen the way he looks at you, and I know you see it, too. He likes you, and I've got proof. Every time you mention some other guy, he tenses and he gets this disgruntled look on his face. Every chance he gets, he spends time with you. And yeah, maybe he insults you, but you insult him back, and I think that's just how your relationship works. Destructive love, y'know?" Ally nodded sagely.
Trish scoffed. "Please, Ally. When Dez starts having romantic feelings for me, I'll start seriously working on my jobs."
"Don't you seriously work on your job as Austin's manager?"
"... I would like you better if you weren't so smart and logical about everything."
An hour later, Austin was bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet nervously. When he had been told about the surprise performance, he had been ecstatic, and now adrenaline pumped through his veins.
"Hold still and sit down!" snapped a makeup artist, manhandling him into a chair. "I swear to god," she muttered, fixing Austin's makeup. "You act like a rabid raccoon, all hyper and crazy."
"Imagine having to deal with him 24/7," remarked Ally dryly, coming from behind the makeshift door of the tent (the stage was outdoors, and the carnival was in a rented lot).
"Hey!" Austin let out an indignant exclamation, twisting around in his seat to mock-glare at Ally.
"For the love of all that is good and holy, stop moving around!" exclaimed the makeup artist, who was a frazzled-looking woman in her thirties. Her nametag read, Jackie.
"Sorry," grumbled Austin, turning back around, then added on huffily, "Ally, I could say the same to you."
Ally was relieved that he was bantering so easily with her; obviously he didn't have any type of romantic feelings for her... right? Regardless, she laughed and rested her hands lightly on his shoulders. "I was going to say that dealing with you 24/7 is absolutely crazy, but... I've learned to like it anyway." Whoa there. She didn't even know where that came from, but it had just slipped out.
Austin beamed at her, careful not to turn around. "Well in that case, right back atcha, Alls!"
It seemed like Trish's suspicions were false, with the easy, friendly way Austin was interacting with her, and she didn't know whether to feel happy or disappointed... Why disappointed, though? Why would she be disappointed if Austin didn't hold romantic feelings for her? That made absolutely no sense, and she pondered on it while Jackie dragged her into a chair to start on her makeup.
Really, Ally just wished she wasn't such a typically hormonal teenager. That way, she'd realize that whatever made her disappointed was just a mood swing...
After all, what else could it possibly be?
Five minutes before they were set to perform, Ally stood behind the curtain that separated her from the audience, eyes shut and fingers fidgeting. Performing had definitely gotten easier, but it still made her extremely nervous like nothing else could. Counting to twenty, she opened her eyes, only to find Austin staring thoughtfully at her. "What?" she asked, self-consciously brushing back a piece of hair.
"Nothing," he said softly. "It's just... Do you want to go on the Ferris wheel with me after the performance is over?" As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, he cursed himself. He was not supposed to enter into anything that would try to cement whatever he felt for Ally, and getting into a small, closed compartment with her was definitely one of the things he wasn't supposed to enter into. However, there was no way to take back his words, and now he could only wait for her answer anxiously.
"Sure, why not?" Ally smiled easily at him, and he sent a relieved grin her way.
There was one minute on the clock now, and Austin joined All at the curtain. Compulsively, he grabbed her hand and squeezed tight. "You're going to do amazing," he said.
And then they were on, before Ally could reply. Strumming his guitar softly, Austin started to sing. When they reached the chorus, Ally joined in, her voice melding with his. Second verse, Ally took over, and all Austin could do was smile goofily. Second chorus, they both sang, then the bridge came, and between the two of them, it was a beautiful blend of harmonies and slight musical improv. The last chorus was enchanting; all streamers waving in the air from the audience and voices meant to be.
At the end, they took a bow together, and they each praised themselves for not making the song awkward. They had done John Mayer and Taylor Swift's Half of My Heart, and it was definitely a love song. With the way everything had happened that day, the performance should have been stilted and uncomfortable, but their relationship, regardless whether it was platonic or not, was always easy and just right. Even while singing a love song and trying their hardest not to look at the other with real feelings in their eyes, their performance still oozed chemistry. That fact made them wonder what would happen if they really did get together... Of course, as quick as they came, those thoughts fled, because they were best friends, and best friends don't do that.
It's just too risky.
"That was awesome, Ally! I told you so," said Austin smugly, later as they waited in line for the Ferris wheel. It wasn't like the kinds you see in amusement parks— this one was quite like the London Eye, all glass and see-through, which made it all the more terrifying for someone who's afraid of heights.
"Mmhm," replied Ally, gulping at the sight of the Ferris wheel. She clutched her cup of hot chocolate (bought for her by Austin, who had seen her shivering and offered her his hoodie and a drink)
"You're not scared of heights... are you?" questioned Austin hesitantly. "'Cause we're the next ones to go on, and we've already been waiting for so long... Besides, it's good to face your fears every now and then, right?" By the time he had ended his spiel, they were in the Ferris wheel capsule and Ally was shaking slightly as they began to rise up.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," she mumbled, pressing herself firmly down against the seat.
"Hey, hey, hey." Austin took ahold of her hands, setting her hot chocolate down. Drawing them closer by bringing their joined hands down to their sides, he traced little patterns in her palms while he spoke soothingly, the capsule rising all the while. "You're gonna be okay. It's just a little bit of height... You've already overcome your stage fright, so this shouldn't be any harder. You're in here with me, too, so obviously everything is awesome," he joked lightly. "I'm here, and you're here, and nothing bad can happen, so just... don't look down, okay?"
By that time, they had reached the top, and Ally gasped at the gorgeous view. "Okay," she breathed out, meeting his gaze. "I won't look down." The view from up here is so much better, anyway.
A/N: Can't even start on how sorry I am about the lack of updates, but just keep checking my Wordpress for solid updating info!
Gotta go, bye :)
From,
Sabrina