Chapter Fourteen:
"You might be crazy, but baby, I'm falling for you."
It's the morning of the beach contest, and it's also been five days since Ally and I have spoken. She and Dallas are officially back together now. Dez is still on his side, and my life is officially terrible. Trish is still on my side though, and I guess that's all that matters now. Who needs a bunch of friends if you have one good one?
Ally and I have crossed paths plenty of times; at Mel's, at the beach, even at Sonic Boom when Trish insisted we went in there for a new strap for my guitar. Ally casually cashed us out like we were just another customer; Trish glared at her the entire time, Ally avoided eye contact.
I strum a few chords on my guitar and sigh loudly. Trish is seated at my desk, looking over my song, "You guys were in a taxi cab?" she asks curiously.
I shake my head, "No, I just needed something to start it." I say.
She nods her head and sets it down, "So are you ready for tonight?" She asks.
"No not at all." I say.
She sighs, "Why not?"
"Well I'm singing a song about a girl that has no interest in me and has a boyfriend." I say.
"You don't know that!" She says.
"Trish, she has avoided me all week." I tell her.
"Yes, because she knows she is wrong. She can't even look at you because she feels so guilty, and confused." She says.
"I really doubt that, but thanks for being so positive." I say.
She rolls her eyes, "Whatever Austin, so meet me at the beach at six, alright?" She asks, standing up.
"I will." I say.
"Try not to psyche yourself out before the show." She says.
"No promises." I say, shrugging.
After she leaves, I go downstairs, where my father is seated at the bar and my mother is flipping pancakes over the stove. My stomach does its own flip when I notice. I turn around to leave the room but my father stops me, "What are you up to Austin?" he asks.
I take a deep breath and walk back in the room. I go onto the other side of my father and lean against the counter, "Nothing much."
"Don't you want some pancakes?" She asks, setting down a plate full of them onto the counter. I haven't touched a pancake since Ally and I ate at Mel's. I can't seem to stomach them now. I don't know what I thought was so great about them anyways.
"No thanks." I say. I walk over to the refrigerator and take out a small jug of apple juice.
"Did Austin Moon just decline pancakes?" My father asks, eyeing me over his paper.
I shrug, "I'm just not really hungry." I say.
"You haven't been hungry these past couple of days… Is everything okay?" my mother asks.
I try my hardest to smile, "Everything's fine mom." Her frown makes me think that I failed epically at smiling a convincing smile. I then leave the room as fast as I can to avoid more questions that I didn't want to answer.
I go back up to my room and set down my juice. I pick up my paper and look over the song I entitled 'I Want You Bad'. This is such a terrible idea, I know it is. But Trish seems to think it is her most brilliant plan ever. I feel like I have to trust her on this one. All that is going through my head is what Ally said to me that day at my house, about taking risks. Was that some sort of hint, or am I over thinking it; probably the second one. I mean, if she liked me like Trish seems to think she does, why would she have taken Dallas back? Maybe I really just don't understand relationships.
Later that night…
It's almost time for me to meet Trish at the beach. I put on my tan long shorts, my white tee shirt and my blue short-sleeved dress shirt over it, unbuttoned. I run my hands through my messy hair and sigh in front of my mirror. This is such a mistake, such a mistake.
I grab my guitar, sling it over my shoulder and head over to the beach. As I walk through the boardwalk, I notice the huge line forming outside of the giant stage that has been set up and I get even more freaked out. I didn't realize it was such a huge event. Everyone is going to watch me make a fool out of myself.
I go back stage and finally find Trish. She is all dressed up and grinning when she walks up to me, "You look good! Are you ready?" She asks.
I shake my head furiously, "I've only been nervous to go on stage once. I was five and it was a talent contest for my school, and I refused to go out, and then I think I threw up back stage. I feel like throwing up, Trish." I tell her.
"Oh god, please don't throw up." She says.
"I've never been this nervous in my entire life. This could go so bad." I say, running my hands through my hair once again.
"Or it could go really good." She says, smiling. She puts her hand on my shoulder, "You'll do great." She says.
"What if it doesn't go good, Trish? This could start a lot of bad things." I say.
"You don't even know if Ally will realize it's about her." She says.
I raise an eyebrow at her and she sighs, "Okay, she will. But don't worry. Just go out there and be yourself and own it!" She says.
"This is a huge risk." I say.
"I know." She says.
[][][][]
"And now, I present to you, Austin Moon, singing an original song!" The announcer says.
I turn to Trish with panic on my face and she gives me thumbs up. The crowd goes crazy with applause and I can barely hear anything. The lights are shining on me and I can't see. I feel like I'm going deaf and blind all at once. I wipe the sweat off of my forehead and walk over to the microphone in the middle of the stage. I bring my guitar forward and strum the first chord; the band behind me starts too. This is it Austin. You have to take a risk. I think to myself.
"In the back of a taxi cab one, quick turn you were on my lap we, touched hands and we pulled them back, yeah, I want you bad." I sing out loud. The crowd is still cheering for me, and I start to slightly get un-nervous. I also can't find Ally in the crowd, or Dallas. That makes me feel slightly better. It's better for them not to hear it all, even though it would defeat the purpose of me singing it right now.
"And even though it should be so wrong I, can't help but feel this strong cause, the way you turn me on like a light switch, I might just, go crazy." I sing, setting down my guitar and feeling the music. I start to dance along.
"Cause you're my best friends baby, but you've got me thinking maybe, just maybe, I don't know what to do." And that's when I see her; Ally, alone in the front row, staring right up at me.
I move my eyes away from her and force the chorus out of my mouth, "I'm in love with someone else's girl, you rock my world. But you're the one that I can't have, girl, I want you bad. In my crazy mind, I'm with you all the time, cause you're the best I've never had, oh girl I want you bad."
And when I look at her again, her face is full of shock, and I don't know what else. I dance around the stage and let lose, really feeling the song. These are the moments I know I was born to perform, "So hard to just pretend, it sucks. You're his girl and he's my friend, no, good way for this to end, yeah, I want you bad."
"I wish someone could help me, this is just so unhealthy! And everything you've got just kills me, going guilty, go crazy, cause you're my best friends baby. But you got me thinking maybe, just maybe, I don't know what to do!"
And then comes the chorus again, and a repeat of me saying 'I want you' and the song is over. The crowd goes wild when I'm done. I bow politely and run off stage. Trish is standing just off of it and she's jumping up and down clapping, "You totally rocked it!" She says, high fiving me, "How do you feel?" She asks.
"I feel awesome! That was amazing!" I tell her.
After a few more contestants perform, the announcer says he has the judge's votes. All of us get into a group back stage and listen. In third place are two sisters from another state that sang 'Call Me Maybe'. Trish squeezes my arm as they announce second place, which goes to this guy that played a song on the piano I've never even heard of.
"So I either didn't place…" I say.
"Or you got first." Trish says.
She squeezes my arm tighter as the announcer speaks again, "And now, in first place, with what the judges say was the best performance they have seen in many years of judging, goes to, Austin Moon!" He yells.
The crowd goes wild and Trish screams with excitement, hugging me quickly as I walk onto stage. I can't believe it, I won! I get the thousand bucks and I get to buy my dream guitar! I meet halfway with the announcer on stage and he hands me a trophy and a giant check, "What would you like to say to everyone and the judges Austin?" He asks.
"I'd just like to say thanks! This is so awesome!" I say.
After the crowd cheers one more time, I walk off the stage and I'm shocked to see Ally standing next to Trish. Trish is talking with her and I walk over slowly. Ally notices me and smiles, "Congrats Austin." She says; yeah no thanks to you.
"Thanks." I say, staring at the ground.
"Your song… It was really good…" She says slowly.
"Thanks…" I say, looking up at her.
Trish looks from her to me and mouths tell her. I shake my head slowly. Ally notices and looks from Trish to me, "Anyway… I just wanted to say that." She says, and then walks away.
"Why didn't you say something?" Trish whisper yells.
"If she doesn't get that it's about her, well, she isn't as bright as I thought." I say, half laughing.
"Well, she was pretty pale and speechless, I think she knows." Trish says.
I shrug, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it now." I look around, "Was Dallas here?"
"I don't know. I didn't see him." She says.
"Well that's a plus." I say.
"Ugh this is so frustrating." She says.
"You're telling me. But I have a thousand bucks!" I say happily.
"Yes, good job." She says, high fiving me again.
I walk Trish home and then walk home myself. I'm still carrying my trophy, looking it over and I notice Ally seated on my front steps. I feel my stomach do another flip and I really want to turn around and run away but that would be a little cowardly. I take a deep breath and walk over to her. She stands up, straightening up her skirt and looks up at me, "Hi." She says.
"Hello." I say causally.
"Look Austin, your song…" She says.
"What about it?" I ask.
"The words… Are they true, or was it just something you made up." She asks.
"What if they were true?" I ask.
She shrugs, "Are they?"
"Does it matter?" I ask.
She sighs, "You know, you confuse me so much! And make me so mad sometimes."
I laugh, "I confuse you? Me… That's funny." I say.
"Just forget it." She says. She brushes past me and I realize I can't let her walk away from me again, because if I do I may lose her for good.
"Stop, Ally." I say, turning around to face her. She stops and turns to me.
"Fine; the damn song I wrote is about you and Dallas. Don't you get it? Didn't you hear the words? They are all true, they are how I feel. You drive me completely crazy and I am so in love with you Ally." I say softly.
Her mouth hangs open at little. I don't think because she's too surprised, I think it's because I actually said those words out loud. She looks down at her feet, "But Dallas..."
"I know, and that's why I left you alone. But you ditched me and I needed a song for the contest and that's what I wrote." I tell her.
"Why didn't you tell me how you felt before?" She asks.
"Before you and Dallas got back together? Because I know how you feel about him and I didn't want to screw things up for anyone. Being your friend is better than being your nothing." I say.
"What if I told you I just broke up with Dallas…?" She says, keeping her eyes on the ground.
My heart starts beating fast, "Why would you do that?" I ask.
She looks up at me then, into my eyes and I think my heart might burst right out of my chest, "Because when I lie in bed at night and start thinking about everything, you're the only one that comes to my mind, no one else. The way you make me feel; Dallas couldn't ever make me feel that way after all this time. That's when I realized there's only one person I really love, and that's you." She says.
I get the electric feeling I got when I first realized my feelings for her. Hearing those words come out of her mouth, I felt like I could be dreaming this whole thing, and before I could control myself, before I possibly woke up from this beautiful dream, I pressed my lips to hers.
Author's Note:
I hope you all liked this chapter, it's an important one! It's the moment you all have been well apparently dying for! :D
Stheffie-Cullen-Malfoy said:
ALLY DID WHAT? Oh my poor Austin.. You know what... I love the Trish in your story..
She's awesome.. Ally is kind of naive... Austin need to sing that song!
Waiting the update.
*pulls her hair until She's bald*
Me: I really love Trish in this story too. (: Don't pull your hair out! I'm sure its very nice hair!
AUSTINALLY FAN said:
That was sad but amazing! I can't wait for more!
Me: Thanks!