Hello and welcome to another chapter of That Cliché Love Story, today we are here to witness a long chapter filled with interactions between Austin and Ally, and a small something towards the end of this chapter. Can't wait? Well, neither can I, so please go ahead and read the second chapter of the rewritten version of TCLS. Don't forget to enjoy!

That Cliché Love Story

Chapter Two

Previously on That Cliché Love Story:

If her heart raced when he said that, she didn't notice, as her attention was on the fact that he had pulled her closer. Voluntarily. Almost instinctively. With absolutely no hesitation. She could feel her neck and face starting to heat up at the realisation.

She tightened her grip around him as he started the engine, dreading the long ride waiting for them.

(And she was not talking about the motorcycle.)

The entire day had been so strange. Austin had spent most of the day talking to Ally or flirting with her, or carrying her stuff like it was the most normal thing to do. He'd seen the stares he'd gotten from everyone, especially his circle of friends. Dez, his best friend since childhood and the only person aside from Austin and Ally to know about their situation, always smirked whenever Austin said he was going to hang out with Ally.

And, strangely enough, she was an okay person to talk to. Sure, she read and studied too much, even forgetting her lunch except for an apple and water bottle, but she knew how to keep him interested in the conversation. They found things in common too; like their love for playing music, learning instruments, etc. It was weird how much they shared a love for music, if he's being honest, but he doubted there was anyone who was as in love with music and singing as much as him besides Ally.

By the time the bell rang for the end of the day, he hadn't seen his recent ex-girlfriend once. Austin was disappointed, but he knew Gabrielle wouldn't be at school on the first day back anyway; she'd told him a few weeks ago that she would be in L.A and wouldn't get back until that day. She was probably at her house by now, texting her new boyfriend as she unpacked her stuff.

Austin briefly wondered if her friends would have texted her about him and Ally. He smirked, imagining the outrage she probably felt at hearing the news.

"Austin Moon? Hellooo?" Austin blinked back into reality, seeing Ally waving a hand in his face. She frowned at him, "are you okay? You were kind of spacing out just then."

"Fine," he assured her before glancing around. Students were still hanging around the lockers, some watching them interact. He turned back to her, an easy smile tugging on his lips. "I just got bored waiting for my girlfriend," he said, loud enough so that a few people around them could hear him. He stepped forward, watching Ally eye him in wariness, and slipped his hands around her waist, taking note of how small she was.

Ally tensed up, eyes widening as she stared up at him. "Sorry..?" She murmured before stepping back, out of his arms, and opened her locker. "Were you waiting for long?"

"Not long."

She nodded, not saying anything else. Austin wanted to curse at how awkward it was between them, but people were still watching, and he knew he couldn't risk word getting out to Gabrielle. He stepped forward, leaning down so that his lips brushed against Ally's ears. Wow, he'd never realised how short she was until now.

Immediately, Ally tensed up, holding her breath. "You really need to stop tensing up whenever I touch you. You were the one who said we needed to be convincing when touching casually; no one will believe we're dating if you tense up every time I touch you." He whispered quietly, smirking when Ally shivered, before pulling back. "Okay?"

Ally peered up at him through her eyelashes, closing her locker after grabbing her books. "Okay," she said, hands shoved into the pocket of her denim jacket.

Austin pursed his lips together, reaching his hand into one of her pockets and pulling her hand out to intertwine it with his own. "Come on, I'll give you a lift to your house."

"You mean the house that's only, like, two houses down from yours?" Ally teased, a smug smile on her lips. Austin smirked, nodding as they walked down the hall, where everyone could see them. He could feel Ally beginning to get nervous about being the centre of attention, so he tugged on her hand to get her attention. She glanced up at him, her dark brown eyes wide and uneasy. When he squeezed her hand in reassurance (of what, he wasn't exactly sure), Ally sent him a small but grateful smile, softly returning the squeeze.

By the time they were outside and standing in front of his motorcycle, they'd forgotten that they were even holding hands. As soon as they'd realised though, they'd let go subtly as Austin handed Ally the helmet again.

"You know, you really should wear a helmet too." She commented as she placed the black helmet on. "Can't have my boyfriend breaking his skull open, can I?"

Austin ignored the flutter in his stomach when she said 'boyfriend', choosing to roll his eyes instead. "Oh, please, you're just in it for the money." Although he said it jokingly, he knew there was some truth in his words, too. Ally laughed nervously, putting the face shield down and punching his shoulder. Hard.

Damn, how did she hold so much strength in such a small body? Austin wondered, rubbing his throbbing shoulder in a sad attempt at soothing it. Note to self, don't mention the bet, or money, in public or else she'll punch you really fucking hard.

Ally dragged her feet across the carpet of her bedroom, dropping her body on the bed sluggishly. She rolled over, facing the ceiling and staring up at the bright David Bowie poster, thoughts racing as she tried to remember everything that happened that day.

Her neck and face flushed, remembering the way Austin naturally leaned down and whispered in her ear, as if he had done it multiple times before. He'd even grabbed her hand multiple times that day! And the reassurance he gave her when she began to panic at being the centre of attention was touching, if a little out of character for him.

But could you blame her for being so awkward and nervous around him? She didn't like him romantically; that wasn't the reason why her heart raced and she began to sweat, no. Ally was just so… used to being an object of mockery by Austin and Gabrielle's group of friends. Sure, it hadn't been an everyday occurrence, but almost every day, she'd get her books shoved to the ground, she'd get pushed or 'bumped' into lockers or other people or tables, she'd get called names and made fun of because she didn't have friends and sat alone. It was just strange for her and Austin to be acting so friendly, let alone touchy.

Maybe she should stop being so tense around him. After all, he'd never physically hurt her before, or at least not intentionally, unlike Gabrielle and her group of friends. But then again, she did have a right to be cautious around him. He'd teased her before, and had once 'accidentally' dropped his yoghurt all over her homework. But then again- Ally shook her head, beginning to get a headache from going back and forth.

No, you should try to ease up more and stop being so tense. Ally thought to herself, sitting up to slip off her shoes. You're supposed to be a fake-girlfriend; you can't fool anyone by being so awkward whenever Austin touches you.

Just as she finished taking her shoes off, her phone's notification went off. Curiously, Ally pulled her phone out and checked the notification, seeing that it was a text from someone.

From: Unknown
Sent at 3:00 PM

Hey, Als.

To: Unknown
Sent at 3:00 PM

Who is this?

From: Unknown
Sent at 3:01 PM

Austin?

Ur boyfriend?

Ally frowned, trying to recall if she ever gave Austin her number and coming up blank.

To: Unknown
Sent at 3:02 PM

How did you get my number?

She watched as the text bubbled rose. Then disappeared. And then appeared again, before she received another text.

From: Unknown
Sent at 3:02 PM

Seriously? That's the first thing you text me? I feel loved :(

To: Unknown
Sent at 3:03 PM

If we're being technical, the first thing I sent was actually 'Who is this?'.

From: Unknown
Sent at 3:03 PM

Still not feeling the love

Ally rolled her eyes, changing the ID from Unknown to…. Shit, what should she change it to? 'Austin'? 'My boyfriend'? 'Baby'? She cringed at that last one, deciding to change it to 'Blondie' for the sake of her recognising who he is.

From: Blondie
Sent at 3:03 PM

Hello?

Are you dead?

It's been one day, Als.

To: Blondie
Sent at 3:04 PM

So impatient

I was changing your name

From: Blondie
Sent at 3:04 PM

To what?

To: Blondie
Sent at 3:04 PM

;)

How did you get my number, blondie?

From: Blondie
Sent at 3:05 PM

Oh god don't tell me that's my name

Pls no

And I asked someone named Kevin, I think

To: Blondie
Sent at 3:06 PM

Wait, Kevin?

How'd he get my number!?

From: Blondie
Sent at 3:06 PM

Don't know, don't care

Btw, my friends are over right now and they want to meet you

Can you come over soon? Or nah

Ally froze, her thumb hovering over the keyboard. 'Friends'? As in…. Trent, Dallas, and all that? Oh, god, no. She did not want to go over at all. Before she could type in a response, Austin had texted her again

From: Blondie
Sent at 3:07 PM

It's not really a request

They want you to hang out with us

We need to prove that we're dating

Pls

I'll give you money

With a snort at his last text, Ally typed a response.

To: Blondie
Sent at 3:07 PM

Fine

What do I wear?

From: Blondie
Sent at 3:07 PM

Who cares

Something hot maybe

But not sexy cause they're my friends and you're my girlfriend

Ally frowned, still weirded out about the fact that she was now Austin's (fake) girlfriend. After sending a quick 'see you in five' text, Ally jumped off her bed and opened her closet, trying to find something that was 'hot' but still comfortable for her to be in.

When she found a simple low V-neck top in white and a pair of black shorts, she slipped off her clothes quickly and put those on, racing downstairs with her phone as fast as she could. By the time she stood in front of the door, two houses down from hers, she'd realised too late that she'd forgotten to wear shoes. She slapped a hand to her forehead, cursing herself inwardly at how idiotic she was, and barely managed to pull herself together before the door swung open.

Austin stood on the other side, dressed in a pair of black jeans and a white V-neck. His eyes trailed down her body slowly as he leaned his shoulder against the doorframe, until his lips twitched into a smirk. "Were you that eager to see me that you forgot your shoes, babe?"

Ally rolled her eyes at the pet name, pushing him to enter the house and pausing when she realised that all of Austin's friends were gathered in his living room. Some type of video game was playing on the TV a few feet to her left as two of the boys remained busy trying to kill each other, but the others were staring at her from across the room, sitting comfortably on the couches in the sunken living room.

"Guys," Ally jumped at the sound of Austin's voice, barely registering the fact that his arm was now slung around her shoulders. He continued, pulling her closer to his side, "you already know who she is, but let me formally introduce her as my girlfriend. This is Ally Dawson."

When the boys waved at her awkwardly, besides the redhead and the brunette who was distracted, she waved back.

"Ally," Austin said, causing her to turn to look up at him. He smirked, obviously amused by how uneasy she felt. "These are my friends. The two guys playing the video game is Dez Wade-" he gestured to the redhead, "-and Jace Jackson. The others, well, I'm sure you know them.."

And indeed she did.

Trent Andreas, quarterback of the football team and well-known to be a very competitive sports person, was one of the guys who had regularly bullied her. This wasn't just in high school; in secondary school, he'd put gum in her hair and then proceeded to 'help her' by cutting her hair off. He'd gotten into a lot of trouble that day because she told on him, and ever since, he'd made it his life's mission to harass her. Then there was Dallas Salvatore; she'd had a big crush on him in secondary school but when he'd received a love letter from a secret admirer, he'd told everyone that it was hers and made fun of her for it. It wasn't actually Ally's though, but nobody believed her words against Dallas'. And of course, there was Gavin Young and Elliot Barker, who were the nicer ones of the group. They didn't initiate in things like making fun of others or tripping over people, but they'd laugh at jokes or join in on the teasing if whoever they were bullying responded back.

"Hey, nice to see you again, Ally," Gavin said, his southern drawl evident, as he walked up the few steps out of the sunken living room. He reached his hand out in a handshake, and although Ally didn't want to, she couldn't afford to be rude to Austin's friends, so she shook his hand quickly. "Listen, I'm sorry about the things that me and my friends have done to you in the past… I, uh, hope we can move past these things and that you'll allow us to make up for our mistakes." He'd glanced at Austin in the last bit, sounding unsure of the words he was speaking.

Ally looked at Austin, too, seeing him give a quick nod to his friend before turning back to her. "Um," she spoke, stumbling over her words as she tried to form a sentence. How was she supposed to respond to that anyway? "I-I guess so..?"

"Is that a statement or a question?" Austin teased before pulling her forward, grabbing her hand to take her down the steps and seating her next to him on the couch. "Don't worry, my friends are actually pretty decent people, who have just done some very shitty things."

"Except Trent," Dallas said, eyes on the video game but talking to them. "He's just an asshole."

Ally couldn't help but laugh, watching Trent Andreas scowl at his friend and throw popcorn at his head. Then she became silent, realising that she had actually laughed at something the popular group had said. God, who am I anymore? She wondered, beginning to fret.

"So, Ally," a familiar smug voice caught her attention. She lifted her head up, resisting the urge to scowl at the boy across the living room. "How long have you guys been dating? It's just weird that Austin never mentioned you."

She knew Trent purposely added that last part to intentionally hurt her feelings, but what he didn't know was that she could care less about whether or not Austin had mentioned her to his friends. After all, she'd only agreed to be his fake girlfriend this morning.

"It's only been a week. But we've been talking for some time now," Austin lied confidently, throwing his arm around the back of the seat, his fingers brushing against her shoulder. Ally turned her head to look at him, wondering if he'd already planned out the lies he would tell his friends about their 'relationship' beforehand. "I didn't mention it to you guys because, well, sometimes you guys have already made up your minds about some people and I was afraid of how you'd react to me talking to her. I mean, I tried to keep it on the down low for a while, since it'd probably be really weird to imagine me talking to her, let alone date her.."

Ouch, Ally frowned, tensing up beside him. What the hell was that supposed to mean? That I'm an embarrassment? That I'm not worthy?

"Careful, Austin," Elliot teased from a foot or two away from her on the couches, watching Ally hide her face with her curtain of hair. "You're hurting her feelings."

Austin quirked an eyebrow at his friend before turning towards Ally, who was staring down at her lap. "Als?" He tested the nickname, unsure of whether he sounded like he was used to calling her this. He hoped so, because even though he was murmuring, he knew some of the boys could clearly him. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Ally snapped, sitting up and glaring at him. "Great. Just dandy. Peachy, in fact, because I just love it when people talk about me like I'm not here." She jumped up, hands curling into fists by her side, as her face became heated. "You know, Moon, if you were so embarrassed about telling your friends we were talking, let alone dating, then maybe you shouldn't have asked me to come over in the first place."

She watched Austin stare up at her in shock, mouth opening and closing as he tried to form a coherent sentence. Unfortunately for him, she didn't want to hear any of the reasons why he said those things to his friends, despite knowing how it would sound to her and especially since what he had said was offensive on so many levels. Without another word, Ally spun around and stormed up the small steps out of the sunken living room and headed towards the door.

She could hear Austin scrambling off the couch, muttering 'Shit, shit, shit' under his breath as he followed after her. By the time he'd gotten to the door, she was already heading down the path that led towards the sidewalk. Ally gasped loudly, feeling herself being yanked around so that she was facing a red-faced Austin.

Shit, he was mad. She could tell from the flush of his cheeks, and the look in his eyes, and how he was holding onto her shoulders, preventing her from escaping.

Times like these, Ally wished she'd just kept her mouth shut. "What?" Ally said angrily, resisting the urge to break eye-contact with him. She could stand her ground, she decided. She'd spent the school break building confidence in herself and learning how to stick up for herself, and she was not going to let Austin Moon, of all people, bring all her hard work down.

"You really shouldn't have said that," Austin scolded, his panting beginning to slow down. "Now the boys are gonna think you're a fragile girl who gets hurt easily by a few words."

"And if I am?"

Austin sighed, closing his eyes. "You're not." He said, sounding so sure of what kind of person she was. Then, he said, "You can't be if you're going to fight against Gabrielle."

Ally rolled her eyes, attempting to step back and regain her own personal space, but Austin refused to let go. "Seriously? That's what you're worried about right now?"

"It's the reason why we're doing this in the first place, remember?" Austin retorted, softening his grip on her shoulders. He paused, turning his head the slightest bit, and Ally glanced over his shoulder, watching the curtains shift slightly. "They're watching us right now, probably waiting for us to fall apart as a couple and witness our breakup or something. We can't let that happen or else they'll mention it to Gabrielle."

She narrowed her eyes at him, unable to comprehend what he was trying to say. Would his friends really do that? "So? What do we do?"

He turned back to her, making very intimate eye-contact from only a few inches away. "We need to show them that we've made up. So… I'm going to kiss you," he murmured quietly. When Ally's eyes widened, he continued, "and then you're going to kiss back naturally. Just stop looking so angry and follow my lead, okay?" Austin pulled back, letting his hands trail down from her shoulders, down her arms and into her hands, his thumb lightly brushing her knuckles.

Ally wanted to frown but stopped herself immediately. Her money was riding on this, after all. She nodded as subtle as possible, seeing the curtains shift in her peripheral vision. "Just so you know," she murmured, her eyes quickly dropping to Austin's lips, before returning back to his eyes. "I'm still mad at you."

He smirked, looking oh-so-smug as he leaned down, tugging her forward gently by her hands. "That makes two of us," he countered, his warm breath fanning her skin lightly as he closed the gap between them suddenly.

Although the height difference between them was kind of awkward for kissing, they'd somehow managed to make it work. And hell, did it work excellently.

His lips were softer than they looked (not that she'd looked at his lips a lot or anything), and moved against hers expertly, that she'd barely refrained from letting out what was going to be a very loud moan. When he pulled her towards him by her hips, possessive in a way that made her throb with want in a certain place, his twisted his head so that his lips could catch her upper lips properly, coaxing Ally to reciprocate the kiss. Pressing their hips together, Austin let out a soft pant as Ally wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged at his hair, responding back to his kiss.

When Ally was beginning to get breathless and was in need of air, she leaned away, dropping back down on her feet without realising that she'd even gotten on her toes in the heat of the moment. Austin attempted to follow her lips, but she gently pulled at his short, blonde locks, earning herself a small embarrassed laugh from him. She would've been amused if she hadn't wanted to kiss him more too.

Slowly opening her eyes, Ally studied Austin's face; the blush on his cheeks from the lack of the air, the swollen lips from the gentle yet rough kissing, the hazy look in his eyes as he continued to stare at her lips while trying to even out his breathing.

She had to admit, she was quite proud, knowing that she did all that.

"I think," Austin stuttered, blinking as he tried to focus on getting his words out, "that should convince the boys that we've made up."

Ally bit back a grin, arms still hung loosely around Austin's shoulders, while his arms were wrapped around her lower back. "That's good." She said quietly, taking a step back gently. Austin allowed her to pull away this time, but his hands remained lazily on her waist, as if he'd done this multiple times with her before. "That means my job is done for today."

Austin nodded, gulping.

"Which means, I can go now," Ally added, before stepping forward and catching his lips in a soft, quick kiss. "Text me later and let me know their reaction." She pulled away from him this time, walking backward and flashing him a smile before turning around and walking back towards her house, still barefoot.

Austin watched her go, tucking his hands into the pocket of his jeans to try to look like this was a normal, casual thing since he could feel his friends' eyes on him. But holy hell, he didn't feel the way he normally did; not after that kiss with Ally.

That kiss was something else entirely.

Oof. What a long chapter, guys. Are you proud of me? Because I'm proud of me. And look, Austin and Ally are getting more physically intimate!

So, what differences do you guys notice from the other version to this one? Because let me tell you, there are a lot. I'd appreciate it if you took the time to write down the differences you've noticed in a review! They make me happy when I get them, so don't forget to do that . Also, guys, what countries are you guys from? Because that way, I know when to post the next chapter next week at a specific time so that you guys can read it almost immediately as soon as it's up, you know.

Don't forget to follow, favourite and review! Thank you for reading, with lots of love from FashionLovah.