Hello, readers of TCLS. Although I promised to update every Friday, that will have to change to every Saturday or every second Saturday due to my schedule. I hope you can bear with me and still continue reading, even if I can't update as regularly.

Anyway, this chapter is kind of an in-depth look at Ally's life and focuses a lot on what's going on around her. It isn't in-depth in a way that we get really deep in there, but this is probably as deep as we'll go for any of the characters in TCLS. And hey! Towards the end of the chapter, we get to finally meet a certain character who plays an important role in this story, so wait for it!

And trigger warning for those who were victims of bullying or of panic attacks, as mentions of both are included in this chapter.

That Cliché Love Story

Chapter Three

Previously on That Cliché Love Story:

"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 look, trying 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.

For a good hour, Ally remained buried under her blankets, screaming into her pillow as her mind attacked her with memories of touches and sounds and feelings. She was embarrassed, but not because of Austin; she was embarrassed because she'd actually enjoyed that kiss. Way more than she thought she would.

Okay, she'll admit, she has imagined kissing Austin before.

Once, when they were freshmen at Marino and he'd come back from a holiday with his parents in Bali, tanned and glowing. Of course, that was also when Austin was only friends with Dez, Elliot and Dallas, and when he was actually a decent guy to hang out with at the park down the street while their parents had a picnic together. At that time, Ally was surprised by having a crush on him, but she wasn't ashamed. Then, a few weeks in, and he'd began hanging out with Trent and his posse, turning into a jerk and making fun of kids because they weren't as rich as him or as good-looking. That was when she became ashamed of herself for wanting to kiss someone like him.

To make it worse, after sophomore year, when Austin Moon disappeared for eight months during the junior year, he'd returned, donning a leather jacket, slicked back platinum hair and ripped blue jeans.

That was the second time she'd imagined kissing him, and she had wondered what the hell was wrong with her. Austin wasn't a nice guy, and all the other guys' Ally had ever liked were decent people, so why the hell was she imagining running her hand through Austin Moon's blonde locks? She'd immediately tried to leave the cafeteria with her food tray in hand, but that meant walking past Gabrielle Haydon's table, and guess what happened? (To be honest, Ally should have seen it coming, but she was too distracted about wanting to get the hell out of the room, that she hadn't bothered to pay attention.) She was tripped by a mini-skirt wearing Barbie doll lookalike. Right in front of the entire student body. And right in front of Austin Moon, who was apparently heading towards his new girlfriend.

Ally had flushed when she heard people laughing, but to make matters worse, Austin had loudly announced that she'd spilled mashed potatoes all over his new Air Jordan's, disregarding the fact that her shirt was also covered in mashed potatoes too, and told her to give him the money to buy another one. She was humiliated then, because Gabrielle had to step in and remind everyone that Ally "isn't rich, remember? I saw her mum working at the dry cleaners a few days ago; it seems the Dawson family isn't doing very well financially." God, Ally had never wanted to bitch slap someone before, but refrained herself from making it worse than it already was.

She'd immediately ran out of the cafeteria, ignoring the taunts made by her peers, and headed toward the bathroom to clean herself up.

She'd hated herself so much for wanting to kiss him at all. Austin Moon wasn't a good person; he wasn't the same boy she'd known in elementary school and he wouldn't ever be the same boy again. He was some other person entirely. Most of all, he was a horrible person for hanging out with people like Trent and Gabrielle.

Thinking about all of this made Ally's head hurt, as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She threw the blanket over her head, finding difficulty breathing under it, and stared up at David Bowie, trying to calm herself down from having a panic attack.

It was rare for her to have panic attacks, but when she did, it was the most terrifying thing for her. She couldn't breathe, she felt numb and dizzy all at once and, most of all, she couldn't calm her rapidly beating heart that felt like it was going to burst any minute. She'd be lucky if she could pass out, but she'd read online that there was only a slim chance of passing out during a panic attack, and even then, it was only because it was a truly severe attack.

Ally hurled herself off her bed, heading towards her window in order to get fresh air. She stood, lifting her head up toward the sunlight and took deep, slow breaths. The soft chirps of birds nearby caught her attention, allowing her to focus on that sound and breath slowly. Eventually, her heart felt like it wouldn't burst and she'd stopped feeling so suffocated, but she remained standing at her window for a few more moments, the cool air of late summer refreshing.

When her phone began vibrating on her phone, Ally walked over and picked it up, realising that her father was calling her.

"Hello?" She'd asked, walking back to her window to close it.

"Ally, sweetheart!" Her father's voice sounded chirpy, which was odd since he'd been feeling down since Sonic Boom had gotten fewer customers for the past few months and was threatened to be shut down soon. "Guess what happened?"

She resisted groaning aloud, "what?"

"Someone offered to buy Sonic Boom."

Ally's gut dropped, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh… but why do you sound so happy?" Sonic Boom was her father's life for so long. He'd been interested in music for a long time when he was younger, but he'd given up his dreams of pursuing a music career in favour of allowing people of all ages access to music by opening up a music store. Sonic Boom had been Ally's life for almost 15 years until the lack of customers began to threaten the shutting down of the music store.

"Because he wants me to run it and co-own it, but sell his artists' music!" Her father replied, and she almost gasped at the good news. Because finally! It meant the store could open again and her father could do what he loves and make money at the same time.

"Is he a music label owner or something?" Ally asked, catching the last part about selling music.

"No, but he works at a music label," he said. "I can't tell you his name due to privacy reasons and because I signed a confidentiality contract just a few hours ago."

Ally almost rolled her eyes, "please tell me you didn't sign the contract then and there. What if it was a scammer or something? Dad, you could've been scammed!"

"It was not a scammer, because I've visited his record label before. His artists' make good music, so he wanted me to advertise it and sell it at the store, along with products from the label." Her father told her. "Really, if anyone's the scammer, I am. Because the record label the man works for is…. Ramone Records." He whispered the last part quietly, laughing straight afterwards and giving Ally another headache. "God, aren't we lucky, Ally?"

She doubted it. Because, sure, it was a good thing that Sonic Boom was being co-owned by Ramone Records, but what about the customers who weren't fans of the artists from the music label? Wouldn't they get sick of advertisements and merchandises for Ramone Records artists?

"I guess so." Ally said, trying to sound cheerful. She loved her dad, and if this was the only way to get Sonic Boom active again, she could handle it. Once she began feeling tired, she and her father exchanged goodbyes and then she ended the call, falling backwards onto her bed.

She was asleep in a matter of seconds.

When Ally woke up, it wasn't because she stopped feeling tired, but rather because there was an insistent knocking on her window. Which, now that Ally was thinking about it, couldn't be possible since her bedroom was on the second floor.

Quickly blinking herself awake and stretching, she made her way to the window. Just as she pulled it open, something small flew over her shoulder and landed on the carpet, barely making a sound. Ally rolled her eyes at the sight of Austin Moon standing below her window, under the tree separating her house and her neighbour's, with what seemed to be pebbles in his hands

"Can you not throw rocks at my window?" She asked, resting her hands over the window sill. "Unlike you, I don't have the money to pay for the repairs."

Austin smirked up at her, his blonde hair a big contrast compared to the darkness. "What took you so long to answer? Don't tell me you were sleeping?" Ally diverted her eyes away from him as warmth spread over her neck and cheeks. Austin snorted, sounding genuinely amuse, "you were, weren't you?"

"No!" Ally argued, "who said I was sleeping? I wasn't sleeping, I was studying."

"Right…." Austin teased, before pointing at her. "Is that why your hair looks like a rat's nest?"

She frowned, her hand immediately reaching up to pat down her hair. Almost immediately, her fingers caught the knots of her hair, tangling up with the strands like a fly in a spider's web. Once again, Austin smirked, obviously proud of himself for making Ally embarrassed. Having enough, Ally ripped her hand away from her hair and slammed her window shut, barely registering the sharp pains on her head because she was pissed and embarrassed.

What right did he have to tease her about taking an afternoon nap? So what if her hair was messy? She couldn't look perfect all the time. And what the hell did Austin think he was doing in the first place, coming around at -Ally checked the clock on the wall- 6:55 PM, throwing pebbles at her window like they're in some ridiculously cliché teen movie? Couldn't he have texted or called? Or, better yet, rang the doorbell like a normal person!

Thinking about the absurdity of Austin Moon's actions made Ally aggravated. And hungry.

Her stomach growled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't had anything since lunch. And even then, she only had an apple. God, what could she make for dinner that wouldn't require a lot of effort? Mac and cheese, eggs, ramen… Her eyes lit up as she remembered the ramen packet her mother had bought last weekend.

It wasn't necessarily the best food to eat for dinner, but it required the least amount of effort.

Ally made her way down the stairs, humming a tune under her breath as she made her way to the kitchen. Just as she was about to open the cupboard, the doorbell rang, making Ally throw her head back and groan loudly.

"I swear to god, Austin, if that's you-" Ally pulled the door open, eyes wide in anger and mouth open to yell at her fake-boyfriend. Except, well, it wasn't her fake-boyfriend. It was someone who she hadn't expected at all, actually. Someone she wasn't prepared to see and went out of her way to avoid. But here she was, standing at her front door, dressed in ripped denim shorts and a pink crop top. "Oh… um, hey-"

"So it's true then?" Gabrielle snarled, her arms crossed tightly around her chest. Her bright blue eyes were like lasers, staring deep into Ally's soul. If it weren't for the mascara smudged around the corners of her slightly pink eyes, Ally would've thought Gabrielle was just angry at her. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Or do you need my boyfriend around to do that?"

Ally, oddly, felt herself flare up at her cousin's choice of words. They weren't dating anymore, so what the hell was she doing calling Austin her boyfriend when clearly they broke up? When she was the one who cheated on him?

"'Boyfriend'?" A voice intruded, an exasperated scoff following the words. Both Ally and Gabrielle turned, watching Austin step up onto the porch. His face was flushed, but from what, Ally couldn't tell. It could've been the wind, his embarrassment, anger; perhaps all three and more. But that wasn't what caught her attention. No, it was the glassy look in his eyes and the confused furrow in his brows that made Ally's heart heavy with pity. "Well, that can't be right. Why would my girlfriend need your boyfriend to say something?"

It was almost amusing how fast Gabrielle dropped her angry act and became a sad puppy, her lips forming a pout and her blue eyes glazing over. "Austin…" She murmured softly, her hand reaching out to touch his arm, except he pulled away like he was just burnt.

"Don't," Austin snapped. "Don't you dare touch me."

Ally had never felt so awkward before, to witness this moment between what had been Marino High's Ultimate Couple. She felt like a huge third-wheel and badly wanted to run into her house and lock the door behind her, but god, she couldn't leave Austin out here. Not now.

"Austin, please, you have to listen to me. You gotta understand that-"

"That what? You cheated on me last year with some guy you met in Bali? And then proceeded to keep contacting him and sexting him while we were dating, and then lied about vacationing with your family when, in reality, you were visiting him in L.A and fucking your goddamn brains out?" Austin scoffed a laugh, a bitter grin on his face. "Trust me, Gabrielle, I understand all of that. You don't need to explain anything to me."

The tears welled in Gabrielle's eyes quickly, forcing Ally to think about whether she was actually genuine or not. What if she was? What if she regretted everything and was really sorry? But then again… so what? Would that change anything? Would being sorry change the fact that she had hurt Austin badly? That the trust Austin had had in her was now broken because she'd let years of love be ruined by a moment's weakness that was dragged out for so long?

"Austin.." Ally spoke softly, turning away from Gabrielle as she focused all her attention on Austin. He was her fake-boyfriend, and he was the victim here, not Gabrielle. She gently stepped forward, her fingers grazing his own softly and hoping he wouldn't pull away. When he didn't, she allowed them to intertwine, as her other hand wrapped around his wrist assuringly.

She could feel Gabrielle's eyes glaring into the back of her head, but that didn't matter, because she wasn't paying attention to her right now. No, in fact, Austin had her complete focus.

Austin turned away from glaring at his ex-girlfriend to contemplating Ally, his light brown eyes dark due to the lack of light. But still, even with the dim lighting, she could see how tired he was. How much he hated being there and talking to Gabrielle. How hurt he was about everything. Sure, she didn't know the depths of their relationship, and she couldn't even begin to know what it was like to enjoy being around Gabrielle, but she could feel how painful it was for him to be standing in front of her as she tried to make up an excuse.

Ally tightened her grip on his wrist and hand, asking with her eyes if he wanted to come inside to get away from Gabrielle. She wasn't sure if she expressed that properly, but Austin gave her a very subtle nod anyway, fluttering his eyes closed.

"I think you should go, Gabrielle," Ally told her, gently letting go of Austin's hand and wrist. She stepped in front of Austin, making sure Gabrielle couldn't try to touch him while he was collecting himself; she couldn't do much, but at least she could do this for him.

Her cousin merely scowled at her, the tears in her eyes gone. It was almost terrifying how quickly Gabrielle's demeanour changed when she wasn't trying to lure Austin into a false sense of hope and security. Ally wondered, briefly, if their relationship was always like this; with her playing the victim card and trying to guilt-trip him in one way or another.

"Stay out of this, Ally. You have nothing to do with what's going on between Austin and me." Gabrielle hissed at her, her voice low and commanding.

"Actually, Gabrielle," Austin spoke from behind Ally, sounding unconcerned and bored with the conversation. "She has every right to know what she wants because she's my girlfriend and I swore to her that I wouldn't keep any secrets from her. And anyway," he scoffed, grabbing Ally's hand with his own, "there's nothing going on between you and me."

Gabrielle's mouth dropped open and her eyes widened, reminding Ally of the fresh fishes she'd see in the supermarket. Before his ex-girlfriend could respond back or plead for him to stay and listen to her, Austin pulled Ally into her house by her hand, making sure to close the door behind them and gently put the lock in place.

Almost instantly, he dropped Ally's hand, wandering into the living room to shrug off his hoodie and sink into the couch, his hands covering his face. Outside, footsteps sounded as Gabrielle stomped down the porch steps and away from the Dawson home. Although she wanted to sigh in relief, Ally held it in, not wanting to disturb the silence that Austin was in.

Just as she was about to ask if he was okay, Austin leaned forward and tucked his head into his folded arms. His shoulders began to shake, as soft whimpers filled the quiet living room, forcing Ally to rethink what she was going to do.

Should she hug him? Comfort him from the distance? Cry with him? Tell him to toughen up and get over it? But all of the scenarios she thought of ended with them being awkward and one of them feeling embarrassed or shy. After a few more seconds of awkward silence from Ally's end and muffled crying from Austin's, she said fuck it in her mind and stepped toward Austin, telling herself she can just regret it later.

Right now, Austin needed a shoulder to cry on.

So, readers, what is your first impression of Gabrielle like? She has a lot of effect on Austin in this story, which is quite different from the original version, and she will be playing quite a role in both Austin and Ally's lives, so expect to see her more in the future.

Although this chapter lacks Auslly moments, don't worry, because there will be more to come in Chapter Four! Don't forget to leave a review about what you thought of this chapter, and if you'd like a certain moment between Austin and Ally in the future, mention that in your review too. Also, what do you think about the official cover of That Cliché Love Story? It was, for some reason, kind of difficult to make, so I'd like to hear your feedback!

Anyway, I'll see you when I see you, so until next time and with lots of love, FashionLovah.