Cassidy slumped down on a stool at the counter. Ally glanced over at her. Cassidy's hair was a tangled mess, her eyes were illuminated by dark circles. "Ally, mind if I take a coffee?"
Ally slowly nodded. "Yeah, sure. What's wrong? You look like you just woke from the dead." Ally cracked a smile at her but it faded when Cassidy only sighed.
"It's Austin." Cassidy said.
"Why am I not surprised?" Ally muttered to herself. "What'd he do now?"
"Actually nothing, for once." Cassidy replied. "Trish can't find anyone to write for him. We've interviewed tons of people who seemed applicable, but they just don't have what Jeremy did. Jeremy was one of a kind, and now that he's gone, we might as well all kiss our career's goodbye."
Ally looked at Cassidy sympathetically. "I'm sure somebody will show up and be exactly what he's looking for. Besides, Can't Austin whip up his own song?" Ally questioned.
Cassidy snorted. "Yeah, right. If there's one thing Austin can't do, it's definitely songwriting."
Ally frowned. "Really?"
Cassidy nodded, "Mhm."
Ally slowly scooted Cassidy's coffee across the counter. Cassidy sighed contently, even the smell of the beverage was enough to keep her awake. "You shouldn't lose sleep over this. I know somebody will show up. If somebody wants their career bad enough, they'll show themselves."
Ally halted her movements as she her own ears caught what she'd just said.
Ally is a songwriter. Ally wants her career bad enough.
She shakes her head and goes to grab another coffee mug. If there was anything to know about Ally, it's the fact that she would never give her music to somebody else. Her music was her own, nobody else's, and she means it in the most modest way possible.
"They better hurry it up, the rest of us are suffering her." Cassidy grumbled. "Thanks for the coffee, Ally."
Ally watched her walk away. She bit her lip and wondered if anybody really would show up to write for Austin. She started to wonder if it was selfish to keep her lyrics to herself, but Austin wouldn't want to sing her songs anyway, would he? Of course not. He'd call her an amateur, maybe even tell her how much her lyrics sucked. He was that kind of guy.
Ally grabbed the coffee and headed off.
x
"I'm thinking that you're Ally."
Ally looked over and saw a tall, lanky boy with a goofy grin. Ally slowly nodded and shook his extended hand. "I am."
"It's great to meet you, Ally. Dez Wade: Austin's best friend, music video director and writer." Dez introduced himself rather proudly. Ally smiled in return. "I will be directing Austin's video and would appreciate a nice cup of tea."
Ally nodded her head. "Oh, yes. On it."
"Thanks, Ally." Dez replied.
Austin never thanked her. She turned and looked at Dez graciously, "At least you have humility." Ally muttered.
Catching her words, Dez said, "He's not so bad. He just...He just needs time to warm up to you, that's all"
"Well, he's taking longer than I'd hoped." Ally rolled her eyes. "I'll be back with your tea."
. . .
Ally was waiting at the counter, tapping her fingers as she waited for the water to boil inside the kettle. She hummed a soft melody and softly sang to herself, "Bang bang into the room (I know you want it) / Bang bang all over you (I'll let you have it) / Wait a minute let me take you there."
Ally jumped as she noticed a body standing in the door way. Ally held a palm to her chest. "Trish." she laughed, "You scared me."
Trish gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I just needed to let you know that Austin's requesting another coffee." Trish turned to leave but stopped herself. She slowly turned around and looked at Ally again. "Was that you singing?" Trish questioned.
Ally looked at her and cracked a pretty smile. "Yeah, it was. Just...Just a hobby, I guess."
"Wow, Ally. You're good. Like, really good. You have a great voice." Trish said, sincerely.
Ally smiled. "Thanks, Trish."
Thoughts started spiraling around Ally's brain. This could be her moment. She could tell Trish about her music, about her songwriting, Trish could be the open door to her biggest dreams. But Trish could also take it the wrong way and try to convince Ally to write for Austin. Ally bit her tongue, forcing herself not to say more. Even if she was willing enough to give away her songs, she'd never give it to someone as ungrateful and sly as Austin Moon.
Trish's phone beeped. She took it out of her pocket and glanced at Ally. "I have to take this. Austin's in his trailer preparing for the video." Trish informed her, leaving the room.
Ally sighed. Another chance right there and it was gone, just like all her other dreams that had floated by and gotten the life sucked right out of then. Ally focused on making Dez's tea and Austin's coffee.
She moped as she searched for Austin's trailer. She knocked lightly and walked in. Well, of course Ally would walk in when he didn't have a shirt on. People really aren't kidding when they say timing is a funny thing. She stopped in her steps. Okay, the boy has a nice back and she won't deny that.
Austin looked over his shoulder at the sound of the door opening. He smirked when he saw his assistant standing there, staring. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."
Ally shook her head and looked at him. "No...I...I wasn't...I..." she cleared her throat, "Here's your coffee." she said, pushing a cup forward. She looked down to the mug, seeing the small string dangling over the side. Discovering that she had the wrong mug, she quickly switched mugs. "Here's your coffee." she repeated.
Austin's smirk widened. Her cheeks were turning a little bit pink. He grabbed the mug. "You're cute when you're flustered." he winked. Ally's stomach was in knots - the good kind. (Even though, maybe they should be the bad kind because he's Austin, King Dick.)
"I'm...I'm not flustered." Ally denied, "You just...You caught me off guard." She scratched her cheek nervously. "I'm going to find Dez now." she said quietly, turning around startlingly fast.
Austin's hand grabbed her wrist. "What do you want with Dez?" Austin quizzed.
Ally looked up at him. She glanced to the mug in her hand. "He asked for a tea."
"What?" he frowned, "No, Ally, you only assist me, nobody else."
She then realized he was right. She was Austin's assistant, not Dez's, not Trish's, not Cassidy. She pursed her lips. "Oh. Well, I just thought-"
He grabbed the mug from her. "You don't have to give him this. You shouldn't be doing anything for anyone but me." he spat.
"Well, he is directing your video. It's the least I could do-"
"-You don't have to do it, Ally. Stop being a goddamn pushover." he snapped at her. Ally didn't understand why he was so irritated all of a sudden.
She scowled up at him. "That sounds strange coming from you! You walk all over me all the time!" Ally took a step closer.
"You're my assistant. I don't walk all over you, I give you orders." Austin said. "You shouldn't be taking orders from anyone else, just me." His face had gotten closer to her, his words fanning over her face with his hot breaths.
Ally stared up at him. "Why? Does it bother you?" she pressed.
"What? No. No, of course not. I don't give a damn about you."
Ally smirked. "That's not what I asked."
"No. It doesn't bother me, Ally." Austin said, firmly, "I apologize for encouraging you to have a backbone."
"Admit it, Moon," Ally lilted, "You secretly admire me, don't you?"
"Admire you?" he snorted, "Sure. You can call it that."
"Admit it." she sang, "This cold facade of yours is a big joke to cover up how much I truly inspire you." Her smirk seemed to have gotten bigger.
"Careful. Your ego is inflating." Austin said, slyly. He set the tea on the counter behind her.
"Maybe I learned from watching you." she retorted.
"That could be it." he played along for a moment and when he caught her smiling, he could feel that little charmed nature she possessed, cutting right through him. He wouldn't dare let her get to him though. Quickly, he wipes away his humored tone and stares coldly at her, "Don't think this is the start to some pathetic friendship you've made up in your mind now. You're just a stupid assistant, an assistant who will bend over backwards to make everyone like you. Besides, You don't fool me. I know you're just a pathetic wide-eyed dreamer who got here and thought you'd make something of yourself but it turns out, you're just the same as everyone else. There is nothing special about you. You're just...well, you."
He stopped when he saw her eyes become glassy. She looked away, her eye lashes hiding any evidence of her tears but he knew they were there. He hadn't meant to make her cry. He just had to say something to stop her little charm from tattooing itself on his heart. The world's a cruel place, maybe she should get used to it, so really, he shouldn't feel bad...but he did. He considered apologizing but ground his teeth together, keeping it inside.
He took a couple steps back, realizing he was still invading her personal bubble. Ally turned and grabbed the mug of tea that was sitting nicely on the counter. She opened the door to leave, but before she did so, she turned to look at him.
A stray tear fell down her cheek so fast he questioned its existence. "Sometimes, you say the most awful things." she told him. She licked her lips and took a deep breath, glancing into his eyes. "By the way, you're going to want to put on a shirt." The door shut behind her.
Ally wiped away the little trail the tear had left behind. She wasn't going to be butthurt over somebody like Austin. He was wrong about her, and that's all that mattered. What he said wasn't true, but she wondered if he believed it was. Somehow, it bothered her.
Ally forced a smile at Dez, handing him the mug of tea. He looked at her concerned. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. Yes. Of course." Ally lied through her teeth. "My contact is bothering me."
Dez nodded. "Well, okay."
x
There hadn't been much interaction between Austin and Ally after the incident from a couple days ago. Nobody seemed to notice much, which is exactly how Ally liked it. Austin didn't seem to have any interests in talking to her either as he hadn't requested anything from her.
But of course she knew the tension needed to be severed. She is his assistant and couldn't remain silent from him forever, he couldn't ignore her forever. Sooner or later, the two were going to have to work something out but Ally really hoped that night wouldn't be tonight.
Cassidy's birthday had stapled itself on tonight's date and, of course, everyone was invited. The entire management, and Austin. Cassidy claimed she didn't want him there but thought he should be. After all, she was his publicist.
Ally took a deep breath, heading for the apartment. Her knee caps stuttered as she shivered. It wasn't cold tonight, maybe it was her nerves. She really didn't want to face Austin. She was afraid that when she saw him, she might dive four knuckles into his nose. She probably wouldn't regret it either.
Her fist rapped on the door. She contemplated turning around and going home, but lost her chance when the door opened and Cassidy appeared in all of her blonde-haired beauty. She pulled Ally in for a hug. Ally laughed slightly as she followed Cassidy inside.
Soon enough, Ally didn't regret her appearance to the party as she got along very well with Cassidy's other friends. Trish happened to be at the party which helped Ally settle quite well. Dez had tagged along and was keeping Ally good company. His humor wasn't too bad. He really knew how to make people laugh.
Just as Ally started to get comfortable, her eyes met a pair of brown eyes from across the room. Her smile faded, eyes turning cold as she stared at the blonde boy leaning against the wall. He smirked at her. She rolled her eyes in response, making his smirk widened. He obviously didn't feel the same tension as she did.
"Hey, Ally, can you grab me some punch?" asked Trish. Ally nodded her head and begrudgingly went to the kitchen. She passed Austin and sighed as she felt him following.
He leaned his back against the counter watching her. At least the way she looked tonight got the image of her teary eyes out of his mind. "You can't ignore me forever."
"But I can make the most of it." Ally retorted, glaring at him.
"Fine. I'm sorry about what I said. You were pissing me off." Austin replied.
"I apologize." Ally said, sarcastically. She poured some punch into a plastic cup.
"Can we just say we're passed this feud?" Austin questioned, hope in his voice. He really hated tension and he could feel it like it was the cold wind.
Ally sighed. She knew she had to move past it. Now was her chance. She glanced at him. "I guess so. But, to tell you the truth, I'm only holding onto this job for Trish and Cassidy. They've done a lot for me. You're just sort of the pudding at the corner of the plate."
Austin looked heavenward and then looked over at her again. "Ally, I said I'm sorry."
"You don't mean it." Ally retorted.
"I do." Austin assured her.
She gave him a tight smirk, "How hard was it to think up this apology?" With that, she walked back to the living room. Austin sighed and followed her.
"We need some entertainment." Somebody voiced.
"Austin! Play us a song!" cried another person with joy.
"I don't sing when I'm off work!" Austin replied, hearing their sorrowed groans. "Besides, this is Cassidy's birthday. It should be about her, not me."
"I'm kind of tired of hearing you play the same songs over and over again, anyways." Cassidy smirked. Austin rolled his eyes. He slumped down in a chair next to Dez.
Trish's eyes widened. "Oh! Oh, I know! Ally!" Trish grinned. Ally looked at her startled. "Ally sings! She's really good, too! Ally should play us a song!"
Cassidy's eyes widened, "Really?"
Ally smiled awkwardly, "Uh, Yeah. Yeah, I do sing."
"Do you write?" somebody else questioned.
Before Ally could even think about the 'what-if's' she blurted, "All the time."
"You write songs, too?" Trish howled with excitement. "Well, play us one!"
"Oh...Oh, Well, I shouldn't-"
"You should." Cassidy interrupted. "One second!" Cassidy bolted up and ran to another room.
The party guests cheered for Ally, apart from Austin. Austin watched her intently. He didn't understand how she charmed everyone so easily.
Cassidy returned with a guitar and pick. Ally took it and brought the guitar strap around her neck. Ally took a moment to get herself comfortable. She sat back in her seat and took a deep breath. Her heart started pounding as she looked at the eager eyes. Finally, she had a crowd to watch her. Maybe it wasn't in a concert hall, but this was good enough. She smiled.
Austin smirked as he watched her. He always found it absolutely adorable how some people thought they'd have it. Some people dreamed far too big and he guessed Ally was one of them. He'd bet a million bucks that she was an average wedding-singer type and couldn't write a good song to save her life. He'd bet it was something silly, something cliché, something that just wasn't worth the time.
She strummed the guitar very lightly and gently began to sing:
"Flashing lights and we
took a wrong turn and we
fell down a rabbit hole..."
His smirk was still in place, but falling ever so lightly. His muscles tightened at the sound of her voice. So pure, so angelic.
"You held on tight to me
'Cause nothing's as it seems
Spinning out of control..."
No. No. No, Ally couldn't be one of those really good types. But when she picks up the quiet melody into a faster paced rhythm, he straightens up and watches her intently, intrigued. Yeah, Okay, she was one of those really good types.
"Didn't they tell us don't rush into things?
Didn't you flash your green eyes at me?
Haven't you heard what becomes of curious minds?
Didn't it all seem new and exciting?
I felt your arms twisting around me
I should've slept with one eye opened at night
We found Wonderland
You and I got lost in it
and we pretended it could last forever
Hey,
We found Wonderland
You and I got lost in it
and life was never worse but never better
Hey, Hey
In wonderland
In wonderland
In wonderland
In wonderland
So we went on our way
Too in love to think straight
All alone or so it seemed...
But there were strangers watching
And whispers turned to talking
And talking turned to screams.
Didn't they tell us don't rush into things?
Didn't you flash your green eyes at me?
Didn't you calm my fears with the Cheshire cat smile?
Didn't it all seem new and exciting?
I felt your arms twisting around me
It's all fun and games 'til somebody loses their mind.
But darling, we found wonderland
You and I got lost in it
And we pretended it could last forever
Hey
We found wonderland
You and I got lost in it
And life was never worse but never better
Hey, Hey
In wonderland
In wonderland
In wonderland
In wonderland
I reached for you but you were gone
I knew I had to go back home
You search the world for something else to make you feel like what we had
And in the end in wonderland we both went mad.
Oooooh!
We found wonderland
You and I got lost in it
And we pretended it could last forever (last forever)
Hey, Hey
We found wonderland
You and I got lost in it (got lost in it)
And life was never worse but never better (never better)
Hey, Hey
We found wonderland
You and I got lost in it (wonderland)
And we pretended it could last forever (in wonderland)
We found wonderland
You and I got lost in it (wonderland)
And life was never worse but never better
In wonderland"
The room was dead silent for an interesting amount of time until finally everyone cheered, applauding her in an pleasurable way. Ally smiled. This was what she wanted. This was happiness in one moment. Playing her music for a group of people and getting positive feedback.
"What's a talent like that doing being an assistant!" somebody shrieked.
Austin stared openly at her. He obviously had lost that stupid bet he'd made up in his head. He was so lost in his thoughts, he hadn't thought to even applaud her. Ally wasn't just good, Ally had a talent. The kind that caught people's attention.
Then there was another problem:
Ally could write songs. And she was good at it. Austin needed a songwriter. And the one that was even better then Jeremy was only a few feet away from him, was his personal assistant.
He knew something in that moment: Ally had to write for him. She just had to.