A/N: Thanks for the reads and reviews on the last chapter! :) Enjoy this one, it's a long one and probably one of my favorites :)

Disclaimer: don't own A&A but own other characters not associated with it.

Ally POV

On my way home from the dance, I underestimated the walking distance from the school to the house; I had a long way to walk.

I stopped to take off my shoes when I started feeling blisters on my heels, but walking barefoot on the road wasn't exactly comfortable, either.

Did you forget I was covered in expired milk? Yeah, there was that, too.

I was trying to think of who could have set up that trap for me, and who could have possibly rigged the ballots to make sure I won, when I wasn't even nominated in the first place. I knew it wasn't Claudia; she was pissed when she didn't win. I knew it wasn't Austin; he looked just as confused.

I figured it wasn't anyone I knew and just some stupid jocks, but whoever they were, I wanted them suspended.

"Being a teenager sucks," I mumbled angrily to myself, wiping the tears from my eyes.

It was dark and I was alone, limping down the streets of Tampa Bay due to my sore feet. As if moving there wasn't bad enough, now I was just asking to get kidnapped. Maybe I should have let one of my friends drive me home...I was just too pissed off to accept a ride.

After a few more minutes, I heard a vehicle driving behind me, and I turned around. It took me a minute to focus on the driver since the headlights made such a glare, but I noticed it was Austin in his truck. He was the last person I expected to see.

I didn't even think; I just went over to the passenger side as he leaned over and popped the door open for me, and climbed in. He didn't say anything to me; he just quietly drove off while I put my head in my hands and cried like I hadn't cried in a long time.

"Ally?"

I jumped a little at the sudden noise and opened my eyes. "Hmm?"

"We're here," Austin said.

I looked outside. "This isn't my house."

"I know," he said, climbing out. "I figured you could get cleaned up before you went home."

I stayed sitting in my seat, and he opened my door. "Come on."

"I look like crap, my makeup is probably running down my face, and I smell horrible. I'm not going in your house like this," I told him.

"Ally, I've seen girls cry before. Let's go. It's okay," Austin told me. "No one is even home."

"That's so much better," I snapped.

He glared at me. "I'm not going to attack you; I'm trying to help you. If you're going to be like that, then fine. Stay here for all I care."

With that, he closed my door and started towards his house.

I hesitated before groaning and getting out. "Wait."

Austin stopped and turned around.

I sighed. "I'm coming."

I followed him into his house. It wasn't nearly as big as Mike's place, but it was still a decently sized home. It was nice inside, too. Very cozy and homely.

"Nice place," I said.

"Thanks," he replied. "It's not anything special, but it's home."

I looked around for a minute.

"Um, the bathroom is down the hall, last door on the left," Austin continued. "You can shower. Towels are in the closet in the bathroom. Use whatever you want."

I nodded before pausing. "I don't have anything to wear after."

"You can use my sister's clothes," he replied.

I stared at him. "She's four."

"I have another sister." He laughed lightly at my look of confusion. "Sorry, I should have clarified on that."

"Another sister? Jeez, how many siblings do you have?"

"Just my two sisters," he said.

"Oh." I shifted on my feet in the following silence. "I, uh...I guess I'll go clean up."

"Sure."

I started down the hall but turned around. "Austin?"

"Hmm?"

"Um...Thanks," I told him quietly. "I appreciate it."

He smiled lightly. "No problem."

I let out a yelp when I saw myself in the bathroom mirror. I looked like hell.

"Ally?" Austin asked. I could hear his footsteps coming closer. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" I said quickly. "Just caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror."

He started laughing. "Uh, okay. Just making sure you didn't wipe out in the shower."

Now that would have been embarrassing needing his help. I felt myself turn red just thinking about it.

As soon as I stepped into the shower, I never wanted to leave. The shower head was releasing the most amazing pressure of hot water, and my god, did the shampoo smell amazing. It was like smelling diamonds (it was that good).

I absentmindedly started humming to myself while I scrubbed at my skin with body wash, trying to get rid of the rancid smell.

When I was clean and makeup free, I wrapped myself in a towel and stepped out of the shower. And since I was such a genius, I apparently forgot to grab clothes. So now I had to go out in a towel and face Austin.

Great, I thought.

"Austin?" I called into the hallway.

"I'm in the living room!" He called back.

"Uh...well, could you come here for a minute?" I reluctantly asked.

I heard his footsteps and a moment later, he appeared at the end of the hallway. "What's- Oh, I see."

"This is awkward enough," I snapped. "So don't stare."

"It's kind of hard not to," he replied.

"Where can I get the clothes?" I shrieked. "Tell me before I murder you!"

"Okay, okay," he said, holding his hands up. His red face was somewhat turning back to its normal color. "Go upstairs, my sister's room is the first room on the left. Grab whatever, she won't care."

I pushed past him, my long wet hair dripping down my back as I went. When I reached the room, I opened the door.

And found a girl sitting at a desk, typing away on her laptop.

"Oh, Jesus," I yelped.

She whipped around, and I came face to face with the prettiest girl I had ever seen. "Oh god, tell me you aren't another one of my brother's hookups." She took in my wet hair and towel. "And you better not have used my shampoo."

"Hookup? God no," I said quickly. Wait, hookup? Another? "There was a little incident at the Homecoming dance, so I had a shower."

"So then are you his girlfriend?"

"No!" I yelled. "No way. He just gave me a ride here so I could get cleaned up. I got sour milk dumped all over me."

She softened a bit. "Oh. Then it's okay if you used my shampoo."

Austin suddenly appeared at the doorway. "Kelly? What are you doing home? I thought you were out."

"I was, but I have homework to finish; I got back an hour ago. And apparently, you came back with some company," the girl replied.

"It's not what it looks like," Austin and I both said.

The girl sighed. "Do I want to believe you?" She paused in thought. "Well, I will, just because I'm a good person."

Austin looked at me. "I honestly thought she wasn't here. Ally, this is my sister Kelsey. Kelsey, this is Ally."

"Nice to meet you," Kelsey said. "I'm just glad you aren't another bimbo of my brother's."

Okay, I was hearing alot of things I didn't want or need to hear.

"Now was that necessary?" Austin asked.

"Very." Kelsey stood up and she was only slightly taller than me, so Austin was substantially taller than her, too. "You can leave now."

"I'm going," he said. "Quit pushing me. Ally, if she harasses you, feel free to deck her."

"I'll deck you first if you don't leave," Kelsey threatened. "You know I wouldn't harass her."

"I know that, but-"

"Goodbye, little brother!" Kelsey exclaimed before closing the door. She turned to me. "Sorry, he's annoying. Let's find you some clothes."

Little brother? I glanced around the room and saw that there was a University of Tampa Bay banner on the wall.

"Yeah, I'm the oldest," Kelsey said, reading my mind. "I know I don't look like it because of my height and all, but that's not saying much; Austin is a giant."

Kelsey had big emerald eyes, perfectly tanned skin, and she didn't have a single damn zit on her makeup free face. Her shoulder length blonde hair was loose. Black rimmed glasses sat on her nose. Even in a baggy sweatshirt, she was a blonde bombshell. She looked like Julianne Hough.

"Here," she said, handing me a pile of clothes. "See if these fit. Your dress is going to have to be dry cleaned, but I can go wash it off as much as I can."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

"I'll be outside the door. Yell when you're decent." She grabbed my dress and left.

She had picked black wind pants and a pink long sleeved shirt for me. Kelsey was clearly athletic, and although pink was not my first choice of color, I was grateful she even let me wear her clothes in the first place; she didn't even know me.

I quickly changed and pulled my wet hair up into a bun. "Decent!" I called.

Kelsey opened the door and strode in. "Those look nice on you," she commented. She flopped down on her bed. "I'm sorry about kind of snapping at you earlier. I swear I'm not a bitch."

"It's okay," I assured her.

"Come sit," she said, patting the bed. "I wanna know how you and my brother know each other."

"Um..." I hesitated.

"I won't bite," she smiled kindly. "Come on."

I relented and went over, sitting down. "Well, long story short: I recently moved here from Miami when my mom remarried, and the first day of school, Austin tripped me on purpose because I was different. We started as enemies but are slowly starting to become friends."

"He tripped you? Remind me to beat the crap out of him later. That's not like him," Kelsey said. "Anyway, what happened at the dance? When I was in high school, that never happened."

"Someone rigged the ballots to make me win queen when I wasn't even nominated, and I got sour milk dumped all over me," I told her.

"That reminds me of that movie 'Carrie'," she said. "I'm sorry, Ally."

I shrugged. "S'okay. All I've been getting is hate since I moved."

"But why? You seem like a nice girl and I've known you for five minutes."

"Because I dress like I belong in Hades' lair."

"Oh, nonsense, that's just expressing yourself. Nothing wrong with that. And if people judge you, then they're idiots." Kelsey stood up and grabbed my hands. "Let's go watch a movie or something; get your mind off of the dance. Maybe my brother will even watch, too."

"I should probably get home," I told her, trying to get out of it. I wasn't good in social situations, hence the dance.

"Please?" she asked. "I'm tired of homework and it's nice to have a girl around my age who isn't a stupid blonde of my brother's."

"How old are you, anyway?"

"Nineteen," Kelsey replied. "But I could totally pass for fourteen," she added with a giggle. "I still order off the kids' menu at restaurants because the food is better. I mean, hello, they have fries with smiley faces on them!"

I laughed at her expression. "Okay, I'll stay for a bit."

"Yay! Come on." I followed her down the stairs to where Austin was going through the fridge in the kitchen. Apparently, he had changed out of his tuxedo while he waited for us and he was now in black sweat pants. Only sweat pants. Damn it, he had a nice stomach. Look away, Ally, look away.

"Want to watch a movie with me and Ally?" Kelsey asked him.

"What movie are you watching?" Austin asked. He narrowed his eyes at her. "If it's a chick flick, no way."

"Fine. We can watch a horror movie if you want," Kelsey said, sticking her tongue out at him. He gave her a small push in return.

"Alright, I'll make the popcorn," Austin said. He turned to me. "You good with a horror movie?"

I nodded. "Yeah." To be honest, horror movies terrified me. But I hated chick flicks more, so I would take horror over sappy romance any day.

"I'll go set up," Kelsey said before she left the room.

I took a seat at the island. "Um…do you need any help?"

"You can make the nachos if you want," Austin said. "Everything is in the fridge."

"Okay." I went over and gathered everything.

"So," Austin started as we made our separate foods. "You know you don't have to stay if you don't want to. Kelly can be pretty demanding."

"I know. I want to stay," I told him, and I was surprised to find that it was true. "I just need to get out of the house for a while."

He nodded. "Okay." He jumped down from his spot on the counter. "You suck at grating cheese."

"Really? You're criticizing my cheese grating skills?" I snapped.

"Yeah, I am, actually. Use your wrist," he said. He took hold of my wrist.

My breath hitched in my throat when we touched. His grasp was firm but gentle. I snuck a glance up at him and saw that he was looking at me, too. "And put more pressure on it," he finished quietly, still looking at me.

The microwave beeped to signal that the popcorn was ready, and I cleared my throat, looking away. "Um, thanks."

"Sure," Austin said, rubbing the back of his neck. He went over to the microwave.

"So is Kelly Kelsey's nickname?" I asked, trying to change the subject. Lame, I know, but I was desperate. I put the nachos in the microwave after Austin took the popcorn out.

He smiled lightly. "I couldn't pronounce Kelsey properly when we were little, so I called her Kelly. I guess it just stuck. Jadis just calls her Kay."

"I wish I had a sibling," I told him.

"You have two," he replied.

"It's not the same," I said. "They're just my step siblings. And I hate one of them." I shrugged. "I guess I just want one that's my blood. Someone that I could have watched grow up, or I could have been the younger sibling to annoy my older brother."

"Trust me, they aren't that great," Austin grinned. "Well, they are, but not all the time."

When the nachos were ready, we brought the snacks to the living room where Kelsey was clicking through the previews. "Finally," she said when she saw us. "I thought you were both dead."

"Dead? Really, sis?" Austin said with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, really, bro."

Austin rolled his eyes and set the snacks down on the table. I went to sit on the couch, and was shocked when Austin came over and sat down there, too. Kelsey was over on the chair.

"What are we watching?" Austin asked.

"The Conjuring," Kelsey said. "Your favorite."

"Awe, aren't you just the nicest?"

"Oh, save it for Jadis," Kelsey told him. "Now shut up, I'm starting it."

Ten minutes into the movie and I was already terrified. I was trying so hard to seem fine, but I really wanted to jump out of my skin.

Austin handed me the popcorn. "Want any?"

"I'm good," I whispered, curling farther into the couch.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Kelsey was too into the movie and probably didn't even hear us.

"Oh, totally," I replied.

"What, you don't like scary movies or something?"

When I didn't reply, he really looked at me. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Just a little."

"Just a little?" He whispered. "Ally, you should have said something."

"This isn't my house, so I'm not about to dictate what movie we watch," I snapped at him quietly.

"Shh!" Kelsey said to us.

Austin stuck his tongue out at her before looking at me again. "We can do something else if you want."

"No, no, I'm fine. I'll survive," I told him. I grabbed a handful of popcorn. "I'll just eat to distract me."

Austin snorted with laughter, earning another glare from his older sister.

There was one part in the movie where I jumped, and not even thinking about it, I hid my face in Austin's shoulder. "Sorry," I stammered, moving away from him.

He chuckled. "It's okay."

When the movie was over, Kelsey clicked it off. "What time is it?"

"Midnight," Austin replied.

"Damn, I work tomorrow morning. I should get to bed." She stood up and stretched before padding over to me in her slippers. She gave me a hug. "Thanks for staying; it was nice meeting you. Come over whenever, and you can bring back the clothes whenever. Don't rush. Oh, and I'll keep your dress here and do what I can with it."

"Nice meeting you too," I replied. "And thanks for everything, really."

She waved her hand. "No trouble at all. Seriously, come over whenever. This house needs more girls, and no offence to Jadis, but I can't talk about anything serious with a four year old. And my mom is just…well, she's my mom."

I smiled. "Okay."

"Austin, make sure she gets home safe. I'm out. Later, dudes." She held up the peace sign before trudging up the stairs.

"I'll give you a ride," Austin said, grabbing his car keys.

"I can walk, it's late," I told him.

"Exactly, it's late; we don't need you getting jumped by some creep when you're alone." I sighed and followed him out to his truck.

The lights were off when he pulled into my driveway a while later, but I didn't expect them to be on. It was after midnight; the dance was long over.

"Thanks again," I said as I opened the door.

"No problem," he said. He hesitated. "Hey, Ally?" I turned to look at him expectantly. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I just…" He sighed. "Look, I'm just making sure."

"Yes, I'm okay, Austin. I can handle it," I told him. "I'll see you at school on Monday."

He looked at me for a few seconds before nodding. I closed the door and headed inside. I went straight to my room and checked my phone. I had a few messages from my friends wondering if I was okay but I would wait until morning to reply. I was way too exhausted. Besides, it's not everyday you get milk dumped all over you at Homecoming.

A/N: Austin just has sisters coming from left, right, and center :p Hope you enjoyed, reviews are appreciated! Oh my gosh, there is only like 33 days until my R5 concert, I'm so excited, second time meeting them and seeing them live! AAAAH! :D

Joelle xx

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