"Hey Dez," Ally said offering a small wave accompanied by a smile. "How are you?"

Dez raised his eyebrows in an amused fashion. Ally could understand his amusement, for two people who had been close friends for over a year 'how are you' did seem kinda formal.

"I'm good, you?" The red head inquired as he bit into a cookie.

"Good, I guess," Ally shrugged.

They were both lying, and they both knew it too. Ally knew that Dez was not 'good', she'd been there when his father had dropped him and she had seen how heartbroken he had been afterwards, she knew he was not 'good'. Dez knew that Ally was not 'good' like she was pretending to be, he knew the young girl would be upset the moment he read Trish's text earlier that morning.

Ally sighed. "Dez, can I talk to you?"

"Ally, we're kinda already doing that," Dez replied in a tone that told her he thought that was the most obvious thing in the world. Regardless he shuffled up from he's seat on the porch steps as if to make room for her, and offered her a cookie from the packet in his hand.

Ally smiled gratefully and happily took a cookie from her friend. "Trish told me she text you."

Dez nodded in confirmation. He wasn't looking at her, his eyes were staring off across the street though he wasn't looking at anything in particular. Ally found his behaviour to be odd, though she accepted it because despite not being able to understand the inner turmoil Dez must have been feeling she could appreciate that he was hurting and so was not acting like his usual energetic self.

"So she told you what happened yesterday? After you left."

"Yeah, I'm surprised she managed to write it all out. You know, since Trish is so lazy," Dez glanced over at the girl beside him a small humorous smile playing on his lips. Ally knew he was trying to inject some normality into the conversation, the usual jokes that could usually be found in a conversation with the redhead, but it wasn't the same, and Ally was scared it never would be.

"Yeah," Ally chuckled slightly.

"That isn't all you came to talk to me about, is it?" Dez said. Although it was a question it came out as more of a statement.

Ally dared not look at him and instead chose to stare at her hands in her lap. When she had woken up that morning Ally had not known why she wanted to go see Dez, she just knew she had to. It was weird and difficult to explain. Her friendship with Dez was not like her friendship with Trish, nor was it like her friendship with Austin.

Trish was her best friend, she could tell her anything and she knew that Trish would never judge her severely for anything she did. Ally had known Trish for as long as she could remember. Over the years they'd had their fair share of arguments and disagreements but that was to be expected. Deep in her heart, Ally knew that Trish would do anything for her, just as she would for Trish. What she had to discuss today however was not something that could be discussed with Trish, not yet anyway.

Then there was Austin. Her partner. Much like her friendship with Trish, Ally knew she could trust Austin with anything and that she could always count on him to be there when she needed him. Or at least, she thought she did.

The previous days events had played over and over again in her head like a broken record. No matter what she did to distract herself she couldn't take away the hurt that had plagued her since Austin had said those awful words back in the Starr Records lobby. It was those events that had led her to where she was now. Sat on Dez's front porch sharing chocolate chip-cookies.

Ally smiled as she thought of her friendship with Dez. It was unlike her friendships with either Trish or Austin. Ally could trust Dez with anything, no matter how silly and she knew he would not tell. Yes, he had taken a peak into her book on more than one occasion but he had never, ever spoken a word of what he had read within it. There were no expectations with Dez, at least not when it was just the two of them. With Trish she was expected to be her friend's moral compass or to help her with work when her friend couldn't be bothered. With Austin she was expected to have the 'best' songs written and ready for him to perform when he needed them, and then of course there was the expectation that she was not supposed to have feelings for him other than friendship, yet she did. Stronger feelings than she cared to admit, especially after yesterday. With Dez she could just be.

"I got a letter from MUNY, again."

Dez nodded, hinting for her to continue.

"I accepted."

For the first time all morning Dez turned to look at her. To really look at her. His grey-blue eyes piercing her skin and taking in every inch of her. He gaze left her feeling naked almost. It was like he could see everything. Her thoughts, her dreams, her wishes, even her darkest secrets. In that moment it was like he knew it all. Though she knew that this was impossible. The seriousness in his eyes stunned her, it stunned her more than any of his behaviour in the past week. Though this time she did not mind, this time she was thankful.

It seemed like an eternity before he spoke. "Is that what you want?"

Ally shrugged and turned her gaze to the sky. "I thought so, but now..."

"You think you've changed your mind?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Dez, do you remember that time when we went to the amusement park and there was that new ride -"

"The Vortex! Man, I loved that ride!" Dez grinned, pumping his fist slightly.

Ally giggled at her friend's sudden burst of normality, normality for Dez anyway. "Yeah, and you were gonna go on it but -"

Dez seemed to blush at this point. His usually pale, freckled skin became tinged with pink across his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand in the way he always did when he was embarrassed or uncomfortable. "I changed my mind because you, Trish and Austin didn't want to go on it."

"Exactly. Well that situation is kinda like my one now."

"So, you're gonna change your mind and go on it as long as Austin spots a hot girl and Trish and I get into a fight about who can go without vomiting the longest?" Dez asked, confusion laced with his words.

"What? No. Dez that makes no sense," Ally laughed at the boy next to her. He was definitely becoming more and more 'Dez-y' by the minute. "I meant that, like you and the Vortex, I'm not sure I can go without my friends. New York is a scary place, just like The Vortex was a scary ride."

Dez shrugged off her comment as his cheeks flushed pink once more. "It wasn't that scary... the fifth time."

"Whatever, my point is that I don't want to leave Miami and you guys behind, no matter how much of a jerk Austin is behaving like at the moment."

"So why did you accept in the first place?" Dez asked as he finished off the last of the cookies. "Or maybe I should say second place, since you already rejected them once."

"I don't know," Ally groaned frustrated. "I was angry at the way Austin had treated me and Trish, and I was upset because Team Austin was over. I figured that if I went to MUNY then I could rekindle my old dream and be happy that way, but the more I think about it the less I want to leave. Maybe I even considered it to be my revenge."

"Revenge?"

"You weren't there Dez, you don't get it. Austin was a total jerk yesterday. He was rude and insensitive, and besides it was his decision to end Team Austin so why should I care about him or his music career anymore, right? So I thought that if I went away to MUNY I could achieve my old dream or I could get over my stage fright and perform or something, I don't know. At the time it made sense. Dez, what am I gonna do?"

The red head shrugged. "You could go to MUNY and achieve this supposed 'dream' you keep mentioning, or you could rejected the MUNY offer, stay here and work things out with Austin."

"He made it pretty clear that he was done with us..."

"Are you sure?" Dez turned to look at her again. His eyes weren't quite so intense now, they reminded her of the ocean on a partially cloudy day. Calm,, though not without their usual sparkle of liveliness. "I've known Austin a long time, and if anything he sounds upset. Which is to be expected since he did just get dropped by a major record label and therefore has been temporarily setback on his dream."

"He's entitled to be upset, I know that but that doesn't excuse his behaviour. He hasn't even tried to apologise."

"Maybe because he had his phone taken off him?" Dez suggested. "The Moon's are pretty strict anyway, I can't imagine what kind of punishment Austin got for the whole Lake City fiasco."

"That's not the only thing Dez," Ally added before she had chance to think. At the raising of his eyebrows in curiosity Ally knew she had to explain. "Austin and I kissed."

Dez grinned. "Yes! Team Ally!"

The brunette narrowed her eyes. Whilst this had been the reaction she had expected from Dez, he was not nearly as surprised as she had anticipated. "You knew! He told you didn't he? Austin told you we kissed and you didn't say anything?"

"I kinda had some other stuff on my mind," Dez said bitterly.

Ally froze before stumbling over her words. "Dez, I'm - I'm sorry. I for-forgot and, um -"

"Ally it's fine," Dez smiled softly back at her, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"But -"

"No," He shook his head and then retracted his hand, placing it back in his lap. "Austin showed up at my house after 'it' happened. He was freaking out because he thought you'd hate him."

"Why would I hate him?"

"Because he kissed you, ruined things for you and Elliot, and told you the entire thing was a mistake," Dez rattled off Austin's worries from memory. "He paced so much I'm sure his footprints are permanently stepped into my carpet."

"I don't care that he ruined things with Elliot. I'm actually kinda... glad," Ally admitted for the first time to someone who wasn't her reflection. "What else did he say?"

"I think that's something you need to talk to Austin about," Dez said, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I can't do that. He hates me."

Dez rolled his eyes. "He doesn't hate you. He hates what happened yesterday. He lo - Look, just go to Austin's house and talk to him about it, okay? I promise everything will be fine. Forget about MUNY until you talk to Austin."

Ally nodded firmly before jumping to her feet. "You know what Dez? You're right. I need to talk to Austin. You're probably right. He's just upset because of what happened yesterday and he hasn't called because he's grounded. I'll just go over and see him. I'll explain the situation to his parents and then they'll let me see him." It was a matter of seconds before Ally was running back to the porch steps with a lock of hair jammed in her mouth. "But what if we've got this all wrong and I admit I like him and he gets all creeped out or he laughs?"

"Ally, when are you and Austin going to stop pretending that what you two have is never ending?" Dez chuckled.

"Was that from one of your romance movies?" Ally teased. "I'm pretty sure that's a reference to the Timid Heart."

"Stop deflecting - and that there was a reference to one of my mom's magazines," Dez grinned. "You and Austin, you were meant for each other. Whether that be as soul mates, best friends or music partners, you were made for each other."