I'm just going to go straight into the chapter so...

Love ya,

-BD


What we see depends on what we look for.

-John Lubbock

Beauty catches the attention, but character catches the heart.

-Unknown


Ryland's POV:

"Could you let me go?" I ask the guard nicely, forcing a smile.

"No!" He barks, taking a glance at me.

"Could you please let me go?" I beam, spicing it up.

He rolls his eyes at me. "No kid!"

I clap my hands, or at least attempt to since my left arm is cuffed to the table and since I'm sitting on a revolving chair.

"That's the thing! I'm just a kid. I just wanted to have a little fun." I explain to him.

The guard rolls his eyes again, "You are a bratty kid with quick lips, a slow run, and an even slower conscious!" He barks rudely.

I frown. Okay enough of this 'I'm-really-a-good-kid-bullshit'. "You wanna know what my 'conscious' thinks about you grandpa?!"

He scoffs, "There it is. There is that little spoilt, licentious kid I know you are."

I pull at my cuffs, hoping to get out. "Oh really you wanna talk stereotypes. Then how many jelly rolls did you eat this morning grandpa?" I hiss, nodding toward his massive gut and police badge.

"Shut your mouth and learn some manners kid." He commands.

"I'll add that on my to-do list right after you let me the fuck out of here!" I shout trying to get loose. After I crashed into the guard earlier I was body tackled and brought in some office all the way over here with this creep.

"Not going to happen, you think you can just ram police, and skip out all daisy. Not in reality kid. I am fear, and it's your job to fear me, like it is my job to keep kids like you locked up." He hisses.

You see this is why I have so many therapists, I'm not crazy... I'm completely sane. Everybody just loves to piss me off.

I yank so hard at my cuffs I can feel them crack, or maybe it's the table. "You think I'm scared of hitting the police?!" I shout so loud that grandpa himself flinches back nervously.

That shuts him up.

I give a devil smirk and laugh looking down. "Oh... you think that I never hit the police before?" I snicker.

Grandpa finally grows a pair and walks back up to me. "Coming from the fourteen year old handcuffed..." He smirks.

I give a harder yank on my cuffs and I hear more cracking. Yep, it's the table that's breaking which is fine by me. The table starts to shift unevenly.

Grandpa doesn't look so smirky anymore.

"How do your parents live with you?" He stutters out.

I laugh again, probably looking like a maniac. "My parents wouldn't have to live with me if you'd let me out!" I shout.

Behind Grandpa, outside the door I see two familiar faces of whom I've never been so happy to see in my life.

"What do you mean?" Grandpa asks curiously. I don't respond at first.

Austin and Rocky slowly creep up behind him, signally me to shush.

"Very soon Grandpa a lot of stuff is going to happen, a lot of families are going to be torn apart. And Mr. Dawson and Mr. Moon will certainly not win Man of the Year." I tell him.

Grandpa eyes widen and he reaches toward his walkie-talkie to tell the other guards. But it's to late by the time he even touched it my brothers have him down.

Rocky slams him in the back of the head, Grandpa yelps and falls out cold.

I start to tug happily on my cuffs to be released then Rocky comes up and hugs me...?

"Awww my beautiful baby brother is alright. Thank God!" He exclaims way to happily.

WTH!

When did my siblings start acknowledging our relation, when has Rocky ever called me beautiful?

"He might be a bit tipsy, more on the verge of drunk." Austin states seeming annoyed.

"He sure doesn't hit like he's drunk," I mutter, gesturing to Grandpa unconscious on the ground.

Austin scans over the body then shrugs, "Coming from the kid who rammed an officer... why did you do that anyways?"

I stand up and take a step back from Rocky and his overemotional drunken state. Red circles wrap around my wrist from yanking on the chain.

"I had to there were way too many guards and we needed a way, plus it's not I haven't dealt with law enforcement before." I shrug like it's nothing because to me it is nothing.

Austin gives me a look and I almost see sympathy... or maybe he was drinking too. He nods, giving me a pat on the back.

"Just don't do it again." Austin begs, "But for now let's get out of here." He adds.

Austin whistles for Rocky (who was staring and cooing at unconscious Grandpa), Rocky turns and hurries out the door.

We follow behind him through the hallway till we hear a loud CRACCCKKK! CRAAASSSH! THUMPPPP! coming from the room.

We all turn to see the table that I cracked on the floor broken.

"Wow I must be stronger than I thought," I gasp, looking at my flushed hands.

Austin and Rocky turn to me shocked. "THAT WAS YOU!?" They both query.

I put a hand on my hip, "Don't be so surprised." I sass.

Rocky starts to clap. "Wowzer, my lil brother and me strongest in the world." He cheers, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"Austin wishes he could touch this..." Rocky chirps, laughing with himself. Austin gives him a playful shove, which makes drunk Rocky fly into a wall. He backs away laughing.

"Excuse me but you are looking at the Florida state wrestling champion." Rocky boasts, flexing his muscles.

I shake my head, rolling my eyes. "What I am looking at is my berserk, buzzed brother." I snap.

Rocky waves it off with a laugh, like he barely understood what I said. Rocky earns another shove from Austin making him crash right into a door...


Ally's POV:

"How much time do we have again?" I catechize.

"Roughly 15 minutes." Trish answers, glancing at her watch.

"Is the clip ready?" I ask.

"Yes, all I need to do is push play." Dez nods.

"Are the Moons' here?" I query.

"Yes, Ally." Trish repeats.

"My parent?" I question.

I don't get an answer.

"Where is my father?" I repeat, standing up from the black chair in the dressing room backstage. I turn around to my friends who are looking nervous.

"We haven't heard a report back from Rydel, Janalle, or your sister about that since we came inside. But our outside eyes say they haven't reported them leaving." Trish answers.

I nod, at least they are here. They are probably backstage also getting ready. Thank God we got here so fast and found an empty changing room to wait.

I adjust my gown and rake a hand through my hair.

"Hey it's okay to be nervous," Trish soothes me walking up giving me friendly pat. We link hands and she gives me a smile and encouraging squeeze.

"Everything's going to be okay besides the fact Austin isn't going to be there and you could potentially freeze up and ruin the time. Which could ruin the whole plan." Trish and I frown at Dez, who is oblivious to the fact that he's not helping.

Trish glares at Dez and he mutters, "Oops."

Just as quickly as it becomes silent our group of friends burst through the dressing room door.

"DALLAS!"

"RYDEL!"

"ALANNA!"

"TILLY THOMPSON!"

We scream as the five come crashing through the door. They scramble to stand up.

"Oh my God, Ally." Alanna exclaims embracing me in a hug.

I hug her tightly, thank God she's here... thank God she never saw Rocky.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Trish shouts. Dallas shuts the door.

"And why is Asher here?" Dez asks.

I almost forgot he was here.

Asher. He was in my chemistry class last year, and let's just say he was known for having a bit of 'chemistry' with half of the girls at school. Now I love chemicals but I would never deal with anything that toxic.

"I needed a ride." Alanna sighs.

I raise an eyebrow. "I would've walked..." I tell her, looking over to Asher.

Asher smirk, "You have an awful big mouth when Elliot isn't around."

Oh right, he was friends with my ex. I choose to ignore him which lowers his cocky attitude.

I look from Dallas to Alanna, they are roughly on opposite sides of the room which I'd assume is best for the both of them. Rydel, surprisingly is right at his side with all her attention on him, but he doesn't seem to even notice her.

"Ally, so nice to see you here. To bad your daddy will be to busy with the cops..." I turn Tilly's blabbering mouth.

"Cops?" Trish, Dez, and I gasp.

"Tell them," Alanna commands Asher and Tilly.

Asher sways up to Alanna, snaking an arm around her waist. "Right after I dropped this beauty off, I noticed my little blonde sneaking around..." Asher explains, making Alanna scoff and pointing to a gushing Tilly.

"Oh Asher stop it." She gasps.

"Both of you please stop!" Trish exclaims. "We don't have time for this Ally, you need to be on stage in five minutes."

"Agreed." Alanna and Dallas say in unison.

I turn away from them and gather up my stuff. Tilly is no problem if she wants to go around threatening and terrorizing people we can deal with her later. *BUBBLES*

Alanna, Dallas, Trish, Dez, Rydel, and I start to move toward the door.

"Wait not so fast," Tilly calls out, making us all turn around.

"Tilly get a life and stop being so consumed with ours," Dez snaps. Tilly's mouth drop and she frowns... burn.

"Please. You threaten to tell their parents which you didn't do, and now you have nothing so adios." Alanna starts moving out the door.

That makes Tilly smile. Something isn't right here, why would she find Alanna and Dallas if she wanted to tell our parents? Why did she partner with Asher?

"That's not what Rocky said earlier..." She whispers loud enough for everyone to here. I gasp, she better not. I turn to Trish, Alanna cannot know this will hurt her. Rocky knows how much Alanna hates her.

Alanna stops right in front of the door and turns around. Tilly grins and says, "He's a lost cause. Broken. You can't fix him. He doesn't date, he screws and he let's go. You were just a faze, but can you really blame him."

"He what?" Alanna hisses in anger, balling up her fists.


Austin's POV:

"How much time do we have again?" I ask Ryland. He turns to me looking up from his phone.

Rocky pulls me over to the side, a good earshot away from a confused looking Ryland.

We are behind the curtain to the stage area. We ran as fast as we could earlier and got here on time so I can help Ally... whenever she gets here. The anxiety without her is eating me alive.

Rocky, still slightly tipsy, leads me over to the opposite side.

"We have a big problem" Rocky states, "Ally's dad got arres..."

I interrupt him, "Really what could be more bigger than Thompson possibly snitching to our parents..." Why is everything happening now? Problem after problem after problem after...

... "Maybe Rocky's girlfriend knowing that he's buzzed and apparently BFF's with Tilly fucking Thompson." A girl's voice shouts from behind me. I see the guilty face of Rocky and already know who it is.

I turn and see Trish, Dez, Dallas, Rydel, Ally, and Alanna. If it wasn't for the obvious tension with Alanna and Rocky separating us I would've ran straight over to Ally for an embrace.

Ryland comes up from behind us and smiles, which quickly disappears once he notes the scene.

"Alanna I..."

"Save it!" Alanna yells walking up to him. "We have two minutes before they go on. We don't have time for this. I don't have time for you." She says, poking a finger into his chest. The pain is clear on her face, she loves Rocky.

At the thought of love, my attention refocuses on Ally. Right across from me she is covering her mouth and nervous for her heartbroken friend.

My eyes meet hers and I melt in her beauty. I'm so whooped and we just started dating. I want to hold her.

But I can't because we have to go on stage and ruin the Moon and Dawson name forever.

Just at that thought, Alanna and Rocky stop talking, Ally and I stop staring, and a voice on the microphone comes on.

"To start the Man of the Year presentation off will Mr. Moon and Mr. Dawson please come to the stage..."

Through the curtains to area with light I see my father and Ally's father make their way up the stairs to the stage. Without a glance in the darkness to see their children.

I turn back to Ally, she has worry etched on her face like a tattoo. The crowd roars and it is show time.

Alanna turns to us, "Lights. Camera. Action." She reads and shows us the text on her phone from Amber-Kie letting us now that it's time.


It's show time.

Review.

Love ya,

-BD