Trish comes in about an hour later. I cease my cleaning of the cash register and look up.
"What did you do to Nelson?" she asks me. I look down and sigh.
"He thinks I don't love him anymore. I told him that I loved Austin with all my heart when he asked and now he thinks I don't have any more room left for him," I explain in a monotonous tone. She stares at me long and hard then her expression softens.
"Are we allowed to talk about this now?" she asks. I let out a quiet giggle at the way she worded the question.
"Yeah," I say.
"Everything you thought yesterday, tell me all of it," she commands. This shouldn't be too hard. It's all etched into the side of my head so I won't be forgetting it too soon. I remember it all and tell her. She writes down all of her comments since I didn't really stop talking. When I finally stop, she looks down at her comments and says them.
"Yeah. Austin is thoughtful. That's why he said no. He could've said yes but he wants you to forgive him on your own time obviously," she tells me.
"But, Trish—"
"No, Ally, it's my turn to talk," she snaps. I close my mouth. "And he probably wasn't embarrassed to be with you. He might have known that people would go crazy over you two. He knew that I would kill him if he stepped out of line. And he knew that crazy fans would be attacking you 24/7." Wow. That's actually... possible. Why is Trish so smart right now? "He didn't date you because he wanted to see what it was like. He dated you because he loves you. Besides, you aren't a dork." I roll my eyes at that statement. She looks down at the next thing she had to say.
"Some people change their answers. You know what I always do in school, right? If I get a bad grade, I change my answer and I tell the teacher they marked it wrong so my grade gets higher. Maybe that's what Austin did. He saw the bad grade which was a result of his thoughtfulness and wanted to change his grade. And he'd never be able to forget about you. You're Ally Marie Dawson for goodness' sake! You are his songwriter. He can't go anywhere without you!" she exclaims. I say my next sentence quickly so she won't cut me off again.
"Hannah was talking about getting him a professional songwriter," I blurt out. She frowns as her last few sentences become incorrect. She sighs.
"Anyway, you two do have a serious connection. And if he didn't care about you and your feelings getting hurt, he wouldn't have stopped. He would have waited until you left. Heck, he might even have actually fucked Hannah," she tells me. Trish, stop making everything I say wrong! I already feel bad as it is!
"But didn't he already lose his virginity to Hannah anyway?" I ask quickly. "Remember that time I walked in on them?"
"Didn't you say that was just a blow job?" she asks. I look down. She's right. It was just a blow job... at the time.
"Don't the usually lead to... other things though?" I ask.
"Not always," she answers. "And no. You're not that crazy ex-girlfriend. It's not like you stalk him, begging for him to take you back."
"I hate it when you're right," I mutter. And that was the end of that conversation. I had nothing else to say and Trish had no more comments. I continue cleaning the cash register and Trish starts going off about her new job. I hear nothing of it though. There's this really dirty spot on the register and I can't seem to get it off no matter how hard I scrub it. I let out an angry sigh.
"What's wrong?" Trish asks me.
"There's... this... stupid... little... spot... and... I... can't... get it... clean!" I exclaim between scrubs.
"Uh..." Trish says.
"What?" I ask, still scrubbing.
"Ally," she says.
"What?" I ask, the annoyance obvious in my tone. I'm getting frustrated with this little spot and the fact that Trish isn't really giving me answers.
"Ally..." she repeats.
"What, Trish?" I ask. She doesn't say anything. "What?!" I look up at her and she's looking behind me. I really don't feel like looking to see what it is though so I just keep scrubbing.
"I've got it," someone tells me from right behind me. That must be what Trish was looking at. Except it wasn't a "what," it was a "who." A hand takes the cloth from me and scrubs the dirty spot off in two quick swipes.
"Uh, thanks," I say, turning around. Austin. He gives me a small smile.
"Hey," he says.
"Um... hi," I say back. "What... what are you doing here?"
"Hannah's mad at me so I took it as an opportunity to come and talk to you," he explains.
"Oh" is all I say. "What did you want to talk about?" He takes a deep breath.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for every single thing that I never apologized for. I regret ever hurting you. And there's something that I want to clear up," he tells me. He sighs. "I do want you to forgive me. I just don't know if you should. I know some of the things I've done... aren't very good but I'm willing to put all of it behind me if you are," he says, extending his hand to me. "Friends?" I shake my head and he becomes a little nervous. "B-best friends?" he asks hopefully. I smile a little and shake his hand.
"Best friends," I confirm. A best friend may not be what I want to be to him but it's better than nothing, right?
"Yes!" he shouts as he jumps up in the air. He wraps his arm around me in a quick hug. I turn around and Trish is already gone.
"Where'd Trish go?" I ask.
"Probably back to her job," Austin answers. I nod in agreement and look around at the sparkling, clean instruments in the store. Austin notices them too. "Have you been cleaning all day?" he asks me.
"Maybe..." I say.
"Are you alright? You only clean when you're... stressed," he says as he slowly understands. "I'm sorry... for stressing you out." He hugs me again but this one lasts longer. I bury my head in his chest and he rests his chin on top of my head, his grip getting tighter as if he didn't want to let me go. "I could stay like this forever," he whispers, caressing my hair.
"We'd better not... Hannah could come in any second," I say, trying to pull away. Austin doesn't let me go though.
"Don't ruin this perfect moment," he says. I sink back into him and smile. We stay like that for a few minutes then something occurs to me.
"Why is Hannah mad at you?" I ask, pulling my head away so that he can hear but still hugging him.
"She's mad that I stopped yesterday. She said that I shouldn't feel bad for you," he tells me.
"That... brings on another question," I say. "It's kind of a personal question..."
"Go ahead and ask it," Austin says, "fire away." He finally releases me and I shift uncomfortably.
"Austin, are you a virgin?" I finally blurt out. He immediately pushes his eyebrows together in confusion. He lets out a small chuckle.
"Of course I am, Als," he tells me.
"Oh, I just thought that the time I walked in on you and Hannah..." I trail off.
"You thought that was gonna lead to... No," he says with another laugh. His laughter dies out quickly. "Would it really bother you that bad if I weren't?"
"I don't know," I mumble. "Maybe." He smirks.
"Well, when I'm not anymore, you'll be the second to know," he says.
"Who'll be first?" I ask.
"Me," he tells me, pointing to himself. A customer walks in.
"Wouldn't the other girl be the second to know though? Before me?" I ask, confused. He just winks at me and walks out of the store. "What is that supposed to mean?" I ask myself under my breath. I push it out of my mind and serve the customer. "Here's your change, ma'am. Have a nice day," I say as she leaves the store.
"So how'd your talk with Austin go?" Trish asks, walking in.
"Where'd you go?" I ask, resting my elbows on the counter. She walks over to the other side of the store and sits on the piano bench.
"Oh, I went back to my job... and I got fired. Now answer my question," she commands. Another customer who looks around Trish and I's age walks in. I talk to Trish as I serve him.
"When did you leave?" I ask as I show the customer the new shipment of violins. "What color would you like?"
"I left after he reached out to shake your hand," she answers.
"Uh, blue," the customer says. I take a blue violin off of the rack.
"Is there anything else you would like?" I ask him. He takes out a list almost as long as Dez's tab. My eyes widen at it and I turn a little towards Trish. "And Trish, we're best friends again," I say with a small sigh.
"You still want to be something more, don't you?" she asks.
"Kind of," I answer. The customer finally just hands me the list. "Would you like to give me a number to call when I get all of this together or would you like to stay here until then?" I ask the customer. He writes down a number on the end of the list. "Then we hugged for a long time and I asked him why Hannah was mad at him. She's mad because he stopped what happened yesterday. You know what I'm talking about," I tell Trish. She nods.
"Call me when you get it all together please," he says. "Oh, but I need the violin now." I lead him over to the counter and tell him the price.
"Then I asked him another question. I'll tell you when I finish serving this customer," I say. He gives me the money and I smile. "Have a nice day," I tell him as he turns to walk out. He gets to the door and turns around.
"That number can be used for alternative purposes too," he tells me with a wink. I roll my eyes as he continues out the door. I hear him yelp.
"I hope he's alright..." I say. Austin walks back in soon after.
"Ally, can I get a copy of A Billion Hits?" he asks.
"What happened out there?" I ask.
"Oh, he just tripped over my foot. No biggie," he says. Something tells me that he tripped the boy on purpose though. I point up the stairs to the practice room.
"Go on up and get one," I tell him. He nods and walks up the stairs.
"So what'd you ask him?" Trish asks me. She walks over to the counter and I turn to her. I lean in closer to her in case Austin's trying to listen from upstairs.
"I asked him if he was still a virgin," I whisper. She gasps.
"And what'd he say?" she asks.
"He said he still was but you won't believe what he said after," I say, still whispering. Austin walks back down the stairs.
"Thanks, Als," he says. He starts to leave Sonic Boom but notices that Trish and I have moved closer to each other. He walks backwards back to us.
"What'cha talkin' about?" he asks. Trish and I share a quick glance.
"Nothin'," we say simultaneously. I walk back to the cash register and open it. He gives us a weird look.
"Okay... then..." he says, stretching out 'okay.' He walks out of Sonic Boom with the copy of A Billion Hits in his hands.
"So what'd he say?" Trish asks, urging me to continue the conversation. I look down at the boy's list. I walk over to the other side of the store and pick up an acoustic guitar. I set it on the counter.
"Okay, he told me I'd be the second to know when he isn't. When I asked who'd be first, he said he would. Then I said, 'Wouldn't the other girl be the second to know though? Before me?' And guess what he answered with," I tell her. Her eyes widen in anticipation.
"What'd he answer with?" she asks.
"He just winked," I tell her. She gasps again.
"He didn't," she argues.
"He did," I tell her. Then I remember something. "I don't know what he meant though..."
"Isn't it obvious?" she asks. "You'd be the second to know. You would be the girl, Ally! You!" My eyes widen.
"What?!" I ask. "No... no... That's impossible. Don't you think it'd be Hannah though?" I look down at the boy's list again.
"Did you really just ask me that?" she asks.
"You know what? Let's just... talk about something else," I say shaking my head. I walk over to the flutes and pick up a green one and an orange one. I put them on the counter and walk over to the drumsticks. I grab a pair and put them on the counter too. Trish crosses over to me and looks down at the list.
"Why does this boy need so many instruments?" Trish asks.
"Maybe he's in a band," I suggest.
"With twenty people in it?" she asks.
"Some of the members might play more than one instrument," I say, shrugging, as I pick up a bass guitar.
"Do you want me to help you?" she asks. I shake my head.
"I've got it," I tell her. I put an electric guitar on the counter. An hour later, once we have all of the instruments, I look to the bottom of the list for the boy's number. I pick up the Sonic Boom phone and call it.
"Hello?" the boy answers.
"Hey, we've got all of your instruments ready. Come on by when you're ready for them," I say.
"Alright, thanks," he says. But he doesn't hang up though. "Hey, dude, can you go get those instruments from Sonic Boom? The girl who works there says they're ready."
"You mean Ally? Okay, tell her I'm on my way," I hear another boy say.
"He's on his way. Bye," the original boy says. We hang up. How did that other boy know who I was?
"Is he on his way?" Trish asks me.
"He's sending someone over," I tell her. About ten minutes later, Austin walks through the door. "Austin, what are you doing back here?" I ask. He chuckles.
"I'm here to pick up the instruments?" he says questioningly. "Duh." Oh, that explains why he knew my name... He hands me the money when I tell him how much it all costs.
"Why do you need all of these instruments?" I ask as he picks up the smaller instruments first.
"Me, Blake, Dez, and Hannah are gonna make instrument dominoes," he explains. Blake must be the boy who came in. I grab his arm before he can walk away with a portion of the instruments.
"Are you crazy?! Some of these instruments are very fragile!" I exclaim. He pretends like he's about to drop them all and I flinch. "That's not funny!"
"Oh, it's hilarious," he tells me, walking out before I can grab him again.
"Trish, help me but these back before he comes back to get these," I say. He walks back in before I can pick up one of the instruments though. I sigh. "Why didn't you just get these while you were here earlier?" I ask.
"Because one: I knew you wouldn't let me get the instruments; and two: I didn't have any money," he tells me, picking up the two guitars and walking away with them. He's back before you could say "pickles." He smiles at me.
"You know you wanna come and watch," he says, picking up a few more instruments. I think about it while he walks out of the store. He walks back in for the last of the instruments.
"Who'd you say was gonna be there?" I ask.
"Blake, Dez, and Hannah," he tells me.
"Hannah," I mutter, rolling my eyes. "No, thanks. I'll skip this one."
"Ally, Hannah isn't going to do anything," he promises me.
"She better not of I'll sic Trish on her," I mumble.
"I don't think that'll be necessary," he says.
"Sure," I say sarcastically. I close the store up early and Austin drives us to Blake's house. Austin rings the doorbell about ten times in three seconds.
"Dude, stop! My mom will wake up!" Blake snaps when he opens the door. Austin smirks and Dez comes out to help the two carry the instruments inside. Dez brings the tuba in and doesn't come back out to help with the rest. Austin and Blake have to bring the rest by themselves.
Trish and I stay outside, out of the way, while they bring in and set up the instruments. They won't let us inside actually. They want the whole thing to be a surprise. A part of me wonders where Hannah is at and a part of me doesn't care. Maybe they let her inside. I don't know.
When Blake comes out to tell us we can come inside, a car rolls up. Austin comes out too and sees the car.
"Bye, Ashley. See you later," I hear Hannah say as she closes the door. She walks toward Austin and sees me. "What is she doing here?" she asks Austin.
"Oh! Good news! Me and Ally are friends again!" he says happily.
"Austin, that isn't good news! She's just trying to steal you away from me!" Hannah exclaims.
"I'm not trying to steal anyone," I argue. She walks over to me and looks down at me. Her eyes bore into mine, making me uncomfortable, but I stand my ground.
"Please. We all know you want him. Don't try to deny it," she spits. I know my cheeks are red but I hold her stare. Dez walks out with a goofy smile on his face.
"Maybe I do want him. What are you gonna do about it?" I ask.
"Ooh, no, she didn't!" Dez exclaims. "Girrrl, you gonna take that?!" Hannah rolls up her sleeves.
"You make one move on my boyfriend, and I will kill you," she tells me through clenched teeth.
"Ohhh, snap!" Dez says, snapping once. "Ally, what you gonna do about that?!" I put my hands on my hips.
"I dare you to," I spit.
"Uh oh! Uh oh!" Dez yells. Dez screeches like a cat. "Cat fight!"
"Dez!" Austin finally exclaims. "Don't urge them on!"
"Oh, you think I won't?" Hannah asks me. What happens next is so fast, it's a blur.
Hannah reaches forward, grabs me by my hair and slaps me across the face. Twice actually. First a regular slap, then her hand comes back for a back slap. My face jerks to the left then to the right. Austin rushes forward, grabs Hannah, throws her over her shoulder and turns around. Trish takes this as an opportunity to punch Hannah in the nose. Blood immediately trickles out of it as she screams in pain. Austin turns his head a little so that we can see his face.
"Thank you," he mouths to Trish.
Readinghottie16, aw, I'm sorry :( LittleKitten816, haha, would you rather me call you my loyal minions? Or my lovelies? Hahaha
OML, GUESS WHAT?! THIS CHAPTER IS... DRUMROLL PLEASE... *drumroll then cymbal crash* THIS CHAPTER IS 3532 WORDS LONG! WHOO! I WILL HOLD FOR THE APPLAUSE. I mean, it sucks that Ally had to get slapped twice but at least Trish punched Hannah :) And Austin thanked Trish for doing that since he couldn't do it himself :') Which means he would have done it if he weren't against hitting a girl. … I'm proud... aren't you? REVIEW, MY LOVELIES! :D
LoVe, KeNzIe