Hey guys! The next chapter is here! :) Hope you like!

Disclaimer: I don not own Austin & Ally, Keep Your Eyes Wide Open by AnnaSophia Robb, or anything else you recognize.

Chapter 8

Ally's POV

Ally looked at her reflection in the full length mirror in her room. She was, of course, wearing the dress Austin had picked out for her earlier. She still couldn't believe how pretty and comfortable it was, or the fact that it hadn't taken Austin long before he'd grabbed the dress. Next time, she thought to herself, I'm so taking Austin with me to shop for clothes. She hadn't know that her boyfriend—she loved saying that word—had such a good eye for fashion.

Taking the necklace Austin had given her for her birthday, Ally hung it around her neck. It was the one with the silver music note charm—her absolute favorite necklace that she owned. She was also wearing a little bit of mascara to make her eyes look slightly bigger. Her usually curly hair was straightened—yes, she had taken the time to straightened it, and yes, it had taken her almost an hour to do it. But the effect was worth it. She slipped on her black ballet flats. Ally was officially ready for her very first dance.

Downstairs, the doorbell rang. Ally smiled to herself. Right on time. Fixing her dress, Ally took a deep breath and walked downstairs. She checked her hair and make-up one last time in the mirror and opened the door.

There stood Austin, looking as handsome and cute as ever. He was wearing a midnight blue shirt that matched her dress, a black blazer, black slacks, and his usual black high tops to match his own outfit. He was also, of course, wearing his lucky whistle necklace—the one he wore all the time. His blonde hair was messy as usual, and Ally was glad he hadn't bothered to change it. She loved that blonde mop of his. Austin's right hand held a single red rose, which was now extended toward her.

"Hi, Ally," Austin greeted her. "You look…beautiful. This is for you." As he handed the rose to her, it slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. "Wow, I'm really bad at this," he remarked, face red with embarrassment. He bent to pick up the flower and presented it to her again. "Here you go."

Ally laughed and took the rose. "Thanks, Austin. And yes, you're horrible at this, but I love you anyways." She sniffed the rose. "Mmm. It smells so good!" She grabbed Austin's hand, led him inside, and closed the door. "Come on, let's put this in a vase."

Together, Austin and Ally found a vase meant to hold one single rose (why she had one, Ally had no idea) and filled it with water. Ally put the flower in the vase and put the vase on her desk. "There. Now every time I look at that vase, flower or no flower, I'll think of you," she commented.

Austin didn't say anything. He merely kissed her cheek and said, "Ready to go?"

Ally took a deep breath. "Not really. This is the first dance I've been to. What if I mess up? What if I do it wrong? What if I—"

"Ally, it's just a dance," Austin cut in. "Relax. At a dance, people just do what they want, dance if they want, and just have fun! Plus, you'll have me there. And Trish, and Dez. Remember Trish's quinceanera? It'll be just like that. Just have fun and stop thinking about the rules, Ally."

Ally thought about Austin's words. Yeah, the dance would be just like the quinceanera. She'd just have to have fun. She could do this. Ally nodded. "Ok, I'm ready. Let's go before I change my mind."

Austin and Ally drove to school in Austin's car. They chattered about their songs, their careers, crazy fan moments, and anything and everything else Austin and Ally talked about. They laughed so hard that Austin had to pull over because he couldn't see straight. Finally, they reached the school. As they approached the building, Ally got quiet. Austin, sensing her nervousness, parked the car and took her hand,

"Ally," he said, "You're Ally Dawson. You're the one who conquered your stage fright and showed your dad, who said that you had a million to one chance of making it in the music business, that he was wrong. You're THE Ally Dawson, the one who writes songs for Austin Moon, the one who has written songs that have been on the radio and has been sung in Times Square on New Year's Eve. You're Ally Dawson. You did all these accomplishments, and you can surely go to one measly dance."

Ally smiled at Austin's pep talk. "Thanks, Austin, you're the best."

"I know," he replied cockily. "That's why you love me."

At this, Ally laughed. "You're lucky I love you. Otherwise I'd have to slap you."

"So what are you going to do?" he asked.

"This," Ally answered. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"You missed," Austin complained, pointing to his lips.

Ally laughed again. "No I didn't."

Austin pouted like a five year old kid. "So I don't get a kiss?"

"I gave you a kiss."

"You know what I mean, Ally."

"Not yet. And you're right. I can do this. Thanks, Austin." Ally was still a bit nervous, but she didn't show it. It was time she went to a dance, and to be going with Austin, well, that was the best thing of all.

Austin got out of the car and opened the door for Ally. He took her hand and led her into the school, chattering about Dez's father's latest invention mishap. Ally could feel herself relaxing. Although she didn't really care about the invention mishap, she did like the sound of Austin's voice. Something about it helped her calm down. By the time they found Trish and Dez a few minutes later, Ally was completely at ease.

"Hey guys, guess what?" Trish asked. "I was told that there would be karaoke tonight as well. You should definitely go check it out! If you don't want to dance, Ally, then sing! Have fun!"

"That sounds like a great idea! Look! Kira's up there singing now," Austin pointed out. Kira's voice echoed through the gym.

Ally smiled. "Ok, let's do it. This could be fun." The two made their way through the crowd, trying to not to trip over anyone or spill any drinks. They weaved around dancing couple and arrived at the little stage.

"Hey Kira," Ally said. "Nice song."

"Hey Austin. Hey Ally," The Starr Records recording artist greeted them. "Thank you. And I didn't get a chance to tell you this before, but I was really impressed at what you did, Austin. Singing that song in front of the whole school, confessing your feelings for Ally in front of the whole school. Now that, took guts. And Ally, great advice—the whole 'Twenty Seconds of Courage' thing. And speaking everything on your mind like that? No one could tell you used to have stage fright. I wish some guy would do all that for me. You've got a very special guy, Ally."

"Thanks, Kira," Austin blushed. "Believe me, my heart was pounding the whole time I talked. That' not something I want to go through again, so I'm hoping Ally will stay with me forever."

Ally felt a warm feeling spread through her body. "Aww, that's so sweet, Austin." She kissed his cheek and turned to Kira. "Don't worry, Kira. I'm sure somewhere out there, there's a perfect guy waiting for you. You just have to patiently wait for him."

"Thanks Ally. Believe me, I'm waiting. You always know how to make me feel better. Hey, want to sing a song with me?"

Glancing at Austin, Ally shrugged. "Sure. I was supposed to sing with Austin, but he can wait."

Austin pretended to be offended. "What? You're putting her first? I should just break up with you right now."

"Go right ahead. We all know that you'll come running right back." All three of them looked at each other and simultaneously burst out laughing. The girls mounted the stage.

"What song?" The DJ asked them.

After looking through the choices, they replied, "Number 354: Keep You Mind Wide Open." The girls grabbed the mikes and began to sing as the music blared through the speakers.

You got to keep your mind wide open,

All the possibilities.

Ally one hundred percent agreed with the lyrics of this song. If she hadn't kept her mind open about Austin when they'd met, they wouldn't be here right now. They wouldn't be partners, best friends, or a couple. Yeah, definitely keep your mind wide open. It's a life changing thing. When Kira and Ally finished the song, Kira left the stage and pushed Austin up to join Ally. Austin stumbled in surprise.

"Number 104," Kira told the DJ. She then whispered something into his ear, and he nodded.

Up on stage, Austin and Ally looked at each other, confused. What song had Kira chosen? They waited for the music to start, but it never came. Instead, the DJ handed Austin an acoustic guitar, which Austin accepted, bewildered.

And that's it! What song do you think Kira choose for Austin and Ally? Let a guess (and what you thought of this chapter) in a review! :)

Only one more chapter to go now! And I promise it will be up by Wednesday. Who knows? I might finish it by tomorrow and have it up! But it will be up on Wednesday at the latest. Thanks for sticking with me! ):

So until next time, stay AWESOME! :)

~amillipede