SO sorry about the wait, guys! I've just been so busy lately with school and stuff, and I haven't had any time. Sorry!

I hope you like this chapter. Only a few left after, i think it's gonna be about 21/22 chapters, so theres still a fair way to go :D

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot line :'(

Chapter 17

We were laughing as we left the school building, but Austin soon froze. I looked at him, worried, and followed his gaze to a group of people stood just outside the gates. They seemed vaguely familiar, and after a few seconds I identified them as the group of people Austin had been with that time when he had said I'd be a 40-year-old virgin. They all looked just as scary as they had then, most of them smoking and all of them glaring at the pair of us. Austin took my hand and pulled me closer to him, and I could feel he was shaking a little.

"Hey guys. What's up?" he asked as we approached them, his voice calm and flat.

"We haven't seen you for a while, Moon. We wondered if something has happened to you." A tall, dark haired guy said. I got the feeling that he was the leader. Not just from the way he stood slightly separate from the rest of the group, but from the way they all looked at him when he spoke, and just the way he looked. He looked bulletproof, as though nothing could harm him. And he gave me the heebie-jeebies.

"Nothing's happened to me. I guess I just haven't had time to hang with you." Austin shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, maybe you should start making time." One of the girls said, openly hostile.

"Charlene." The leader-guy said warningly. The girl, Charlene, rolled her eyes but kept her mouth shut, stepping backwards a little.

"Look, nothing against you guys, but I don't…I don't think it's going to work, you know? Things have changed a little, and…"

"We get it, Moon. You've gotten yourself a little girly-friend and now you think you're too good for us. Makes sense. But the thing is, you borrowed a little money from us, remember? And now we want it back." He said. Austin sighed, rubbing his neck. I had come to realise that this was a sign of nervousness with Austin.

"Well, you see, there may be a slight problem with that…" he muttered.

"What kind of problem?"

"I don't have the money right now. But I can get it, if you're willing to wait…"

"And what if we're not willing to wait?"

"Well, erm…"

"That's what I thought. I want the money by Friday, Moon. If not…there are other ways to repay your debt…" he said, eyeing me pointedly. I shivered and Austin gripped me tighter, face suddenly furious.

"You aren't going to touch her. Do whatever you want to me, but if you lay a finger on her, you're dead." He said, and they all looked taken aback. Some of them even looked a little…scared. But after a moment, the leader smirked.

"Well this is…surprising. It looks like little Moon has actually fallen in love." He scoffed, and the way he said it made it sound so dirty and vile that I just wanted to throw up.

"Yeah, he has. And he's not going to let you touch his girl. So you can forget that. I'll have your money by Friday." He said, before pulling me past the group and over to his car. He was still shaking as he started the engine, but I knew it was from anger rather than fear.

"Austin…are you okay?" I asked him. I knew it was a stupid thing to ask, but I had no idea what else to say.

"You have to stay away from them, Ally. They're bad people. Really bad people. I have no doubt that he meant it what he said. If I don't pay up…I can't let them touch you." He muttered. I lay a comforting hand on his arm, and he turned to look at me. I could see the apology in his eyes and I smiled.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine. So how much money are we talking?" I asked him, not sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Two." He admitted.

"Hundred?"

"Thousand."

"Oh."

"Yeah." He said as we turned the corner. We spent the rest of the drive in silence, only speaking when he pulled into the driveway of my house. I had been thinking hard, and I finally got up the courage to make a suggestion.

"Austin, I know you're going to hate this, but just hear me out, okay?" I asked, waiting for him to nod before continuing.

"Okay, so, I have about ten thousand in a savings account for college. I could loan you the two thousand and then-"

"Nope. No way. I am not borrowing money from you, Ally. Never." He said adamantly. I glared at him.

"You said you would hear me out, remember? So shut up. Anyway, it would just be a loan since I know you won't be able to have the money ready by Friday and then-"

"What makes you so sure?" he asked, a little offended.

"Because you're scared. And I know you, if you knew you would have the money, you wouldn't be scared." I shrugged.

"Oh, okay. Fair enough." he conceded. I was a little surprised that he hadn't denied being scared, but he probably knew it was obvious. Besides, he would never be ashamed to be afraid for me. For himself, maybe, but not for me.

"Well, I could give it to you so you have the money for Friday, and then you could pay it back. That way you're still paying what you owe, but I'll be safe." I said. It was a perfectly reasonable plan, but I wasn't surprised when he shook his head.

"Thank you Ally, I mean it, but I'll figure this out. I don't want to borrow money from you." I glared at him.

"Okay, seriously? You aren't seriously pulling this crap, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, first off, this is me in danger here. Which means you should be willing to do anything to keep me safe. Even if it means sacrificing a little pride. And secondly, if our roles were reversed, what would you do?"

"I'd make you take the money." He sighed, looking a little defeated.

"Exactly. And one word about how 'you're a guy, its different' and I am going to punch you. This happens to be the twenty-first century, and there is no shame in borrowing money from the girl you love. Especially if you are going to pay it back, and it is to save her." I said sternly. He sighed, shoulders sagging in defeat. I knew I had got him.

"Fine. I'll borrow the money. But first thing tomorrow, I'm going to go and get a job and start paying you back." He said. I chuckled.

"I know you will." I sighed, rolling my eyes.

"So…do you want me to come inside?" he asked. I grinned.

"Of course I do." I chuckled. We got out of the car and as soon as I got to the other side of it we were kissing, his arms around my waist tightly. We stumbled towards the house without pulling apart, and when I had to unlock the door Austin proceeded to trail hot kisses down my neck. We practically fell into the house, slamming the door behind us and stopping in the entry hall for a moment to take our jackets off. It was then that we were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Actually, a few someone's. We gasped, jumping apart and whirling around to face the doorway, where my dad was stood next to…Austin's parents. And his Aunt Bella. We both blushed, embarrassed. The adults were staring at us, three of them trying not to laugh. The fourth looked disappointed and a little angry. Of course, that person had to be my dad.

"Well…looks like it's a good job I decided to take the day off, doesn't it?" my dad said sternly.

"Erm…hey, dad." I said lamely, trying to control the raging blush. He rolled his eyes.

"Mom, dad, Bella…what are you guys doing here?" Austin asked.

"Well, we figured you and Ally were pretty serious, so it's about time we meet her parents. Or parent." His mom said. Austin frowned.

"How did you know where she lives?"

"We asked someone…this is a small town, you know. If we hadn't spent most of our time wasted out of our minds, we would probably have already known where the Dawson's lived." His dad shrugged. I smiled. He was sort of right; it isn't actually a very small town, but it is one of those places where almost everyone knows almost everyone.

"Well…how long have you been here?"

"Not long. We were about to go sit down and have a talk while we wait for you to get back. I wasn't expecting you so soon…don't you usually have tutoring or something on a Monday?" my dad asked. I glanced at the clock and realised that even after the whole confrontation thing, we were still home about an hour earlier than we usually are on a Monday.

"Yeah, we cut the tutoring session short today." I shrugged. Austin's parents looked surprised.

"Tutoring? What? How has this happened?" asked Austin's mom. Austin scowled.

"I guess I just got stupid." He shrugged.

"But you used to be so clever…you were always top of your class." His dad added, just as confused as his wife.

"Well, I guess once I lost my sister and my parents, I stopped giving a shit about my education." He shrugged. His parents looked appalled, then guilty.

"I guess we really fucked up. Not just our own lives, but yours too." His mom sighed, and I could see the tears in her eyes. I felt Austin relax and I knew he felt bad for his outburst.

"I'm not gonna lie, you guys did fuck up. But if you promise to get better now…Addison would want to see you get better. I know for a fact that the way you guys have been acting has hurt her, badly. Wherever she is right now, she is hurting. Because of you. But if you get better now, I think she'll finally be at peace." He said softly. I could see his parents both openly crying, along with me, and even my dad had tears in his eyes. Austin's mom stepped forward to pull both me and Austin into a hug.

"I don't know what you did, Ally, but keep doing it. The last time I was sober enough to talk to my son, he was a completely different person. And not a boy I could honestly say I was proud of. You've changed him. And I will be forever grateful to you for it." She said, smiling at me warmly. I saw my dad looking at me, overwhelming pride in his expression. I smiled and nodded at her.

"Ally helped me the way aunt Bella is helping you, and for the same reasons. Ally loved me. She saw through the disguises I put up and helped me to see how much I was screwing up. Aunt Bella is doing the same for you." Austin said. They both nodded.

"Okay, everyone, I think there is a lot we need to discuss, and I don't want my guests to be stood here in the entryway for hours. Let's all go sit down, I'll sort us some drinks." My dad said, glancing at me and then nodding towards the lounge. I nodded, understanding what he was asking, and led them into the lounge to sit down.

Five hours later it was beginning to get dark outside, so Bella decided it was time for them all to leave.

"Thank you for the hospitality, Lester, and for the food." She said as she got to her feet. She was referring to the spaghetti and meatballs he had cooked for us all an hour earlier. I was surprised; dad hadn't cooked anything since before he told me about mom. All that drama seemed so far behind us now, it was scary. We had talked about everything, from Addison's death to my mother's, and it honestly felt like my dad and Austin's parents had been friends for years. Austin and I mostly stayed quiet, him playing with my fingers absentmindedly while the adults chatted. Bella only spoke a little, but she seemed perfectly comfortable and, surprisingly, it wasn't awkward at all. I kissed Austin goodbye once we were left alone in the lounge, and he told me he loved me again. I grinned.

"I love you too, Austin Moon." I replied. He grinned and kissed me again.

"I will never, ever get tired of hearing you say that." He murmured against my lips.

"I will never, ever get tired of hearing you say that either." I smiled.

"Come on, you two love birds. Break it up. Austin, we're leaving. Say goodbye to Ally's father." Bella instructed. Austin smiled, kissing me softly one last time before jogging out of the room to where the others were stood. I followed him, smiling when I saw my dad shake his hand and nod approvingly.

My dad and I waved from the patio as they drove off, Austin in his own car and his parents and Aunt Bella in her car, which they had parked a little way down the street.

"Well they seem like really nice people. It's hard to believe that they were drunks…" dad sighed wistfully as he held the door open for me and shut it behind us. I shrugged.

"I don't find it hard to believe, since I saw them like that, but I do find it hard to believe that they have recovered so fast. I mean, I'm glad they have, obviously, but I'm worried. Recovering from an addiction like this, just quitting cold turkey, can be really difficult. Mentally and physically."

"Well they have plenty of support. They have Austin, and you and me, and that Bella woman seems pretty…"

"Scary?"

"Not exactly…more like forceful. Like, she won't take no for an answer. And she seem like the kind of person who will stop at nothing to get what she wants." He said. I nodded in agreement.

"Yeah…they'll be fine. Anyway, I really need to go to bed. I'm tired as hell and we have a biology test tomorrow."

"Goodnight honey. I might not see you tomorrow, but good luck on the biology test." He smiled, kissing me on the cheek and heading into the kitchen. I ran up the stairs and into my bedroom to change into my pyjamas.

"Hey Ally! Are you okay?" Trish asked as she jogged over to me. I sighed, shutting my locker with a little more force than needed.

"No, not really. I mean, I decided not to cover the bruise today since most people already saw it yesterday, and now I have everyone staring at me, and the rumours are unbelievable. And I have already had three different teachers come over and ask me if I was okay." I huffed, hugging my books to my chest and trying to resist the urge to punch something.

"Well, you still haven't told me how you got that bruise, but class is about to start. I'll sit with you at lunch and you can explain, okay?" she asked. I nodded and smiled at her, then we hugged goodbye and went our separate ways. Austin was off school today because he was helping his parents with something, so I was going to be alone until last period, which is the only lesson I share with Trish on a Tuesday. I sighed as I walked into my French classroom just as the bell went. I looked around for a seat and felt my insides go cold when I saw there was only one spare. Next to Dallas. I frowned, panicking for a second, before deciding to play it cool. I did not want to let him get to me.

He smirked as I walked over and took the seat next to him.

"Hey ally. Long-time no see. Well, I've seen you. But I haven't spoken to you. How have you been?" he asked, stretching his arms out and casually resting one of them on the back of my seat.

"I've been good…mostly because I haven't been speaking to you. Could you please remove your arm from my seat before I throw up?" I said coolly.

"Ouch. Words like that could really damage a guy, Ally. You should think before you speak." He said, frowning condescendingly. I looked at him and pretended like I was thinking hard.

"I've thought about it, and yeah, I want to say this. I hate you, and I wish you would curl up and die in a hole. I feel physically sick right now, and trust me, if there was any other option, I would not be sitting here right now." I muttered lowly. I'm sure he winced and looked honestly hurt for a second, but he must have been faking it.

"You know, Ally, if you had asked the teacher, I'm sure he would have made someone swap seats with you…" he said, smirking. I tried to think of a good comeback, but he had a point. Instead I just scoffed and raised my hand. The teacher was about to start talking, but nodded at me.

"Would it be possible for me to switch seats with somebody? Anybody?"

"Why?" he asked.

"Because Dallas and I…we don't really get on." I muttered. Understatement of the century. The teacher frowned.

"Well, I'm sure you can survive one hour. Right class…" he continued with the lesson. I sighed and sunk back into my seat, resisting the urge to scream as I felt Dallas's arm go around the back of my chair again. I pulled forwards, completely cutting off my air supply but it was worth it to hear the grunt of annoyance as his hand dropped off the back of the chair.

About halfway through the lesson I found myself doodling absentmindedly on my page and humming softly to myself. I was lost in my own little world, daydreaming about me and Austin, when I felt someone's hot breath on my ear. I shivered, and not in a good way, and whipped my head around to find myself practically nose to nose with Dallas. For a second I was frozen, eyes wide, but then he started leaning in, as if he was going to kiss me, and I snapped out of it.

I jumped backwards, squealing as I felt the chair disappear from underneath me and groaning as my butt hit the floor, followed by my head. Everyone was staring at me and some were laughing as I sat up. I looked around dazedly, before my eyes settled on Dallas, who was smiling. I got to my feet, shoved my stuff into my bag, and stomped out.

"Miss Dawson, where do you think you're going?" asked the teacher as I walked past him.

"Bathroom. Girl emergency." I replied, not caring who else heard. Sure, people might take the piss. But I wasn't spending one more second sitting next to Dallas. Not one more second. I don't know what I ever saw in that jerk-face.

To think, at one point, I honestly thought I was in love with him.

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