*sees JAC has over 300 reviews* *screams and dances* Yup, that was me when I saw how many reviews this story has achieved! Thank you guys SO FREAKING MUCH, I know I say it all the time, but it's only because I truly mean every word. Thank. You. For taking the time to read this story and leave a comment, a thought, an opinion, a compliment, whatever you guys leave always puts a smile on my face! Sorry I haven't updated in awhile, I've had LINK training at my school, which are upperclassmen (I'm FINALLY a senior) who get to guide certain groups of freshman around the campus and play games with them during their orientation and stuff like that. Who watched the Teen Choice Awards? Lea Michele's speech was beautiful and it really reminded me that tomorrow is never promised. Hold onto your loved ones tightly and enjoy every moment with them. And if you haven't heard it yet, listen to "Pass Me By" by R5, I literally stayed up till 1 in the morning listening to it as soon as it released and lay on my kitchen floor screaming. Alright! Here is Chapter 13...
"I'm nervous," I whispered. My hands felt clammy as I clutched onto my smooth pink eraser, No. 2 pencils, and calculator. Not only that, but my stomach was churning as well, and not with butterflies.
"Did you eat breakfast?" Austin asked. I nodded. "Did you get a good night's sleep?" Again, I nodded. "Is this your first time taking the SAT?"
I gulped, nodding. He sighed, suddenly taking both of my hands in his. I stopped breathing.
"Ally, you are the most intelligent person I know," he said. "You are going to pass this with flying colors. Trust me."
I managed a small smile, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder for the remainder of the time we waited outside the classroom door. I tried yawning and shifting around to remove it, but he wouldn't budge. I looked up at him with curious eyes, but he seemed tired himself, his eyes holding heavy bags.
"How about you, mister, did you get any sleep?" I asked, poking him in the ribs. He chuckled, finally withdrawing his grasp.
"Somewhat," he sighed. I folded my arms, waiting for him to continue. "What?"
I rolled my eyes. "Somewhat," I mimicked, lowering my voice. He laughed. "What's keeping you up at night, Austin Moon?"
He gulped, gripping the hem of his shirt nervously. "Nothing," he quickly replied. "Just this."
"This is your third time taking the SAT," I deadpanned.
"I'm trying to perfect my score," he reasoned, but I could catch his anxious tone as he tried to cover up whatever lie he was unsuccessfully mastering.
"Fine, don't tell me," I teased. A frazzled woman carrying pamphlets and booklets arrived, a coffee held unsteadily in one hand. Austin briskly stepped forward and took the beverage out of her hand, and she shot him a grateful smile. He returned it with his signature grin. I stifled a giggle at how easily he had already managed to get on the teacher's good side. As soon as she opened the classroom door, I stood awkwardly outside, feeling hesitant about entering.
What if I didn't get a good score? Schools like Berkeley and Stanford expected top notch scores, higher than a 1700- maybe even an 1800.
What if I ran out of time? Filling in bubbles were always a dreadful task, I much preferred circling or even check marking.
What if we had to use No. 3 pencils?
"Ally," Austin said softly. I slowly looked up at him, chewing restlessly on my lip. He held out a hand. "Come on."
I thankfully took it.
"We're done!" Austin sighed in success. I nodded, stretching my arms and shifting from side to side to stretch my back as well. The test had been fairly moderate, with the occasional difficult math question here and there, but my trusty calculator had come in hand and rescued me during moments of possible panic. I even had the pleasure of finishing early every couple of sections, and I'd use this time to take peeks at Austin.
A lot had happened these past couple of weeks. The butterflies were slowly beginning to drain away, what with Austin being an amazing friend and filling in the void that had encased my heart. In some weird reverse psychology sort of way...
I think I was actually getting over the guy.
It was hard to believe, and I tried searching for traces of left behind feelings as I observed his face while taking the exam. I noticed that he scrunched his eyebrows and frowned a lot when he came across a hard question, and how relieved his face appeared when he finally solved it. His hair hung just above those eyes that usually were the cause of my butterflies, but lately they were just eyes, nothing too special.
"We're going to celebrate, right?" I asked, grinning as we walked towards the parking lot, stopping at Shelby. He opened my door for me, a gesture that caught me by surprise.
"Of course," he said softly. I shook my head and rolled my eyes.
"Alright, Mr. Nice Guy," I teased, getting into the vehicle. He shot me a mischievous look as he took his place behind the wheel, rolling our windows down and letting the warm breeze flow through. "Where exactly are you taking me?"
He started mindlessly humming a tune that I'd heard from a commercial on TV, and I folded my arms, pouting a bit.
"Austin," I tried again, but he wouldn't reply. The same mysterious glisten in his eyes never left as we silently drove down the road. I looked out the window, watching cars whiz by and skims of blue in the sky. My brain was racing with different theories on where he could possibly be taking me.
Pancake Central.
His house.
The beach.
We stopped in the middle of absolutely nowhere, an area that I was not expecting at all. I felt slight panic shoot through my veins. He must have noticed because he took one look at my face and burst out laughing.
"What's so funny?" I demanded.
"You don't remember this place?" he asked, gasping for air as the laughter died down. I shook my head, and he rose his eye brows playfully. "Well get out of the car and you'll see." He stepped out and when he realized I hadn't budged, he rolled his eyes and carried me out, hauling me over one shoulder so that I was practically dangling off of him.
"Austin!" I yelled furiously. "Put me down!"
"Chill, we're almost there," he reasoned. I sighed, blowing the pieces of hair that were landing in my face as he continued to walk to God knows where.
"Just hurry up," I mumbled. "I don't like being draped on your shoulder." What surprised me when I said this was that I actually meant it. The Old Ally would have gotten major butterflies over being carried by Austin, but New Ally held a different opinion. We walked for a few more minutes until he stopped, carefully placing me back down onto the ground. I straightened my shirt, brushing the hair out of my eyes and looked up. Time froze, and Austin looked at me, eagerly smiling.
"Do you remember now?" he asked.
"Is this...?" I mumbled.
"Yup," he said. I walked towards the small fort of now loose wooden boards and a curtain for a make shift door. My hands ran along the surface of the fort as my mind flashed back a simpler time.
"Austin, I don't want to do this," I pouted, wiggling my loose tooth with an index finger.
"Do you want the tooth fairy to come?" he questioned. I nodded hopefully. "Then you have to take it out already!"
"But... but what if it bleeds?" I stammered, my eyes filling with tears. He shook his head.
"It won't," he insisted, handing me the apple. "C'mon. Eat it."
I took it carefully, then handed it back to him quickly. "I can't!" I exclaimed. He sighed, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"But Ally," he whispered. "We're in the fort." Our eyes looked around at the shelves filled with miscellaneous magical items, ranging from snow globes to mismatching puzzle pieces. "Everything is better in the fort, remember?"
My tongue wiggled the tooth as I nodded, fiddling with my dress. "I guess," I murmured. He handed me the apple, and I gulped, slowly moving it towards my mouth and taking a blissful crunch. I waited for ruthless pain but merely felt a small pinch, and as I pulled the apple away, I gasped. My tooth had stuck onto the apple, and I felt my tongue now pushing against an empty space. "It worked!"
He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "I told you so," he said. "Everything is better in the fort."
I giggled. "Everything is better in the fort," I repeated, looking at the apple in awe.
"We found this place when we were six," I said, fondly remembering our adventures in the tiny hiding spot away from the world. "How did you find it again?"
He sent me a sheepish smile. "I asked my mom if she still remembered where it was, and she said she did since she always had to pick us up from here."
We slowly went inside, having to hunch over to actually enter. I suddenly felt too big, too old for a silly little fort, but when I locked eyes with the familiar snow globes I couldn't help but feel young again. The snow globes were dusty now, and I blew them off, peering through the glass.
"They're like little worlds-"
"Trapped inside a mirror," we ended up saying simultaneously. I cocked my head to one side.
"Did I say that a lot whenever we were in here?" I asked.
"Almost every time," he chuckled, taking a seat on the ground as I sat down next to him. Stillness surrounded us as bits of my childhood came back to me in quick flashes. I was dying to ask him, but I hoped he would bring it up first.
"Do you know why I brought you here?"
There it is, I thought. I bit my lip, shaking my head.
"Because this is where I realized that you were my best friend," he simply stated. I shot him a confused look.
"I don't understand..." I said.
He sighed. "Whenever we were in here, it's like nothing else mattered. Like all I needed was this," he sighed, pointing to the both of us. He gulped, opening his mouth and then closing it. I blinked.
"You know you can tell me anything," I said softly, sending him a warm smile. I couldn't read his face, there were too many emotions scattered on it, flitting fleetingly across his eyes and dancing along his cheeks. He almost looked...
nervous.
"I think..." he gulped, but then the sound of a ukulele playing made me jump in my seat. He sighed frustratingly, reaching inside his pocket to answer the call. "Hello?"
I heard a girl's voice on the other end, obviously Kira, but for once the green monster was not present.
"Tomorrow?" Austin asked into the speaker, a smile spreading onto his face. "That's awesome! Yeah. Yeah, that's fine. Tell him I'm super psyched! Alright, bye."
"Kira?" I asked. His smile faltered a bit and I sighed. "Austin, it's fine. Stop doing that."
"Doing what?" he asked. My eyes narrowed at him.
"You know what," I bluntly said, which for some strange reason made him squirm in his seat. "Why did she call?"
"Jimmy wants to bring me into the studio tomorrow," he said. "Maybe start recording some tracks."
The air instantly lightened. "Austin, that's great!" I squealed, then stopped. "Why do you seem not excited?"
He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stand up in different directions. "I don't know... I guess I'm just nervous, that's all."
"But this is your dream," I reminded him, leaning in to smooth down his hair into its proper position. "It's finally happening. Don't you want that?"
He looked up at me, and there was that same fear in his eyes that I'd seen before. "Can you come with me?"
I gaped at him. "Seriously?" I asked, grinning. He nodded. "Does balsa wood make a good bird feeder?"
"What?" he asked, confused, but I was too busy clapping my hands in excitement.
"It does!" I exclaimed, wrapping him into a giant bear hug. He chuckled before answering.
"I need you to be there with me," he mumbled and I waited again for the butterflies to appear.
They didn't.
I scanned through my script during lunch for the play when a figure settled itself onto my shoulder. I sighed.
"Austin, come on, I'm reviewing," I groaned before turning around and feeling my face heat up. "Elliot."
He smiled. "No, my name is Austin apparently," he teased, taking a seat next to me.
I hung my head guiltily. "Sorry," I mumbled.
He shrugged his shoulders. "It's cool. You're in love with the guy so I can't blame you."
"Actually," I declared, sitting up taller. "I think I'm getting over him."
His face lit up at this sudden statement. "Really?" he asked, leaning into me. I giggled.
"Woah there, lover boy, that doesn't mean you can do that again!" I exclaimed, but a small flutter in my heart soared. He sighed, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.
"Someday," he muttered, and I rolled at my eyes. He nodded his head towards my script. "Practicing?"
"Practice makes perfect," I reasoned, and he chuckled, his eyes twinkling.
"Okay. Let's practice then... without the script," he said, taking the packet out of my hands and placing it behind his back.
"Elliot-"
"Scene Seven, go!" he yelled, and I bit my lip, then opened my mouth.
"I tried to tell you," I said.
"You should have tried harder. I could have helped you," he replied smoothly.
"They were blackmailing my father. I couldn't tell anyone!" I exclaimed, concentrating carefully.
"It doesn't matter anymore," he said, and I felt my heart skip a beat at the way his voice softened for that line. "Even when you were mute, nothing else mattered."
The words made me think about what Austin had said the other day inside the fort. I shook my head, racking my brain for the next line.
"The only thing that matters to me is us," I murmured, then cleared my throat, breaking character. "And then we're supposed to... you know..."
He smirked, slowly inching his way towards me as his eyes flickered down to my lips. "Kiss?" he offered, finishing my sentence. I felt myself falling into his eyes, and I wondered for a moment what would happen if I actually let him kiss me. He'd done it once before, but it had been forcefully. How would it feel if my second kiss actually felt like my first? I found myself leaning in as well, the people around us in the cafeteria, fading away.
"Ally!" a voice shouted. I quickly pulled back and looked up in surprise at Austin, who was not resembling a happy camper at the moment.
"Austin," I replied. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he muttered, his eyes becoming steel as he turned to face Elliot. "You."
"And you," Elliot snapped. "We were rehearsing for the play."
"It didn't look like rehearsing," Austin replied. Elliot sent him a smug smile and opened his mouth to throw back a rude retort, but I kicked his foot underneath the table. He wearily looked at me but thankfully kept his mouth clamped shut.
"Did you need anything, Austin?" I asked, trying to decipher the strange emotion itching underneath my skin. A couple seconds ticked by until I surprisingly realized it was annoyance. Was I annoyed at Austin for interrupting the possible kiss? If I was, what did that even mean?
"Just wanted to remind you that we're heading to the studio after school," Austin said, still sending daggers at Elliot. I got up from my seat and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, squeezing it. His eyes locked with mine as he immediately relaxed under my grip. I softly smiled.
"I remembered," I chuckled. "But thanks for the reminder."
"Studio? You going to record a song or something?" Elliot joked.
"Actually," Austin hissed. "Yes, I am. Starr Records, as a matter of fact."
Elliot's eyes astonishingly filled with interest. "I've gotta admit, Moon, I'm impressed," Elliot admitted. "Mind if I come with?"
"Yes," Austin said, turning to look at me with wide eyes.
"No, it's fine, Elliot," I replied sweetly. "Hold on just one second." I grabbed Austin's arm and pulled him to the side. "He's coming."
"But why?" Austin whined.
"Because! Because..." I looked down at my shoes. "I like him."
There was silence for a moment and I took a peek at his expression, which was completely blank.
"Oh," he finally said.
"Yup," I replied awkwardly. He scratched the back of his head, then stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"Well... I-I guess he can come then," he stammered. I smiled.
"Really?" I asked. He sighed, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.
"Anything for my best friend," he said, grinning. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't quite read, but I decided to brush it away. My heart was too busy overflowing.
"Ally!" Jimmy cried, rushing towards me and enveloping me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms tightly around him. "How have you been?"
I pulled away, grinning. "Never been better, actually!" I exclaimed, and felt relieved that I was actually telling the truth and not bottling everything up for once.
"You're so grown up now. It makes me feel old," Jimmy chuckled, adjusting his glasses.
"I'm a big fan of your work, Jimmy," Elliot piped up, offering a hand to shake. Jimmy gladly took it.
"Thank you," he replied, turning to Austin. "And Austin Moon, my new client."
"That's me," Austin teased, and we all laughed. "I'm psyched to start recording."
"Good, because that's what my business needs right now, someone who's eager to jump in head first. Do you like my studio?" he asked. My eyes traveled the room, landing on the board with its many levers and buttons, as well as the recording room itself, the mic and headphones calling my name until I reminded myself that I was here to support Austin. Platinum records lined the walls as I scanned those as well, fascinated by the many big stars Jimmy had already worked with.
"I love it," Austin and I said simultaneously. Jimmy laughed.
"Best friends, I'm assuming?" he asked, and I felt myself blush.
"Since kindergarten," I answered. Jimmy nodded his head wistfully.
"Well, Austin, you are very lucky to have a best friend like Ally. Hold onto her," Jimmy sternly said.
"I will," Austin promised, his eyes turning to look at mine. There was that unreadable expression again. I really needed to ask my Psychology teacher about that.
"Austin!" a voice cheerfully shouted, and Kira ran towards Austin at full speed, lacing their fingers together. "I see you've met my dad."
"He's awesome, just like you said," Austin replied, but his eyes were still focused on me.
"You're already my boyfriend, Austin, you don't need to suck up," Kira teased, giggling.
"Is she always this clingy to him?" Elliot whispered in my ear, and I tried to stifle my laughter.
"Are you ready to get started, Austin?" Jimmy asked. Austin nodded.
"Can I just do something first?" he asked. Kira looked at him questioningly, and Jimmy nodded. I watched him with curious eyes as he walked towards Elliot, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him to a corner. Austin's mouth began to move very fast and harshly, and Elliot's did as well. The intense aura around them was unmistakeable, and I was dying to know just what they could possibly be talking about. Then Elliot said something that made Austin's face soften, and then the two shook hands.
They shook hands.
Austin walked into the recording room and Elliot returned to my side.
"What was that all about?" I asked.
"Nothing," he whispered. As soon as Austin put on those headphones, as soon as he took a breath, as soon as the pure vocal sound escaped from his throat, the entire room was filled with his voice. I observed the way his face changed as he put his all into the song, the way his eyes would occasionally flicker down to the lyrics on the sheet stand in front of him. By the end, I found myself sniffling as well as my eyes watering. Austin looked up at me, smiling, then quickly rushed out of the room and jogged towards me. Everyone was staring at me with careful eyes.
"Ally? What's wrong?" Austin asked. A hiccup escaped my throat as I sniffled once more.
"I'm just so proud of you," I blubbered. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kira smile a bit and Austin broke into a bashful grin as he handed me a tissue. Wanting your best friend to love you?
Risky.
Being proud of your best friend?
Priceless.
IMPORTANT: School is starting very soon for me, so during that time I may not be able to update as frequently but I am still going to update whenever I get the time! I really love writing this story, so I'm definitely not going to stop! Anywho, feel free to leave me a review or tweet me about what your guys' thoughts on this chapter! I listened to "Pass Me By" by R5 and "Can We Dance" by The Vamps while writing this, so go listen to those two awesome songs! Also, for any Raura fans, did you guys see Laura's interview on what she thought about Raura? MOUNTAINS. That's all I have to say. I LOVE YOU GUYS SOOO MUCH! You all inspire me and I couldn't have made it this far without you. My last few words for this little author's note are: #RockyTwerkTeam #ThatGuyBehindZayn. If you get it, hopefully you're laughing right now. If not... well... that's okay.