A/N Longest chapter so far! 2,000! Yay! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter, because it has a lot of things in it to really kick off some new things. You'll want to keep reading until the end of the series, I plan on it being very good. :) Enjoy, xoxo
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Austin&Ally nor am I associated with it in any way. All characters belong to Disney, however, I created Ian. All I did was twist the story line. I also don't own the song "Never Say Never" by The Fray, nor am I associated with The Fray. I also do not own the song "Little Things" by One Direction, nor am I associated with One Direction.
I drop my phone, just as Trish did, and screech at the top of my lungs in excitement. I do a little happy dance, go and hug random customer, pick my phone back up, and run out of the store to go find Trish. I return a few seconds later, realizing dad isn't here to run the store.
I huff and sit back down behind the counter, tapping my feet in excitement. Ian had been found not guilty! NOT guilty! He wouldn't be going to jail! A big grin crosses my face, despite the fact that the customer I hugged is giving me strange looks.
I realize I forgot to text Austin back, so I unlock my phone once more. I reply:
YAY! OMG. Yay! Yayayay! Okay, come by Sonic Boom ASAP!
To my complete surprise, he walks through the door about a minute later and announces with a grin, "Already here!"
I run and hug him, and he spins me around. We both laugh.
"Ally, this is amazing! I don't know what it was, the jury... They just... They loved him or something! I really wasn't sure if he'd be let off the hook, but he is! Stacy's parents are soooo mad... But that's beside the point! Ah!" He's talking in that high-pitched tone he uses when he gets really excited. I'm all smiles. "I want to go see him," I say, "after I find Trish... When she found out, she ran out in excitement. Probably go to find Dez."
Austin nodded, and called Dez to find out where they were. Apparently they were at his house, where Trish had arrived just moments earlier. He summons them to meet him and I at Sonic Boom so that we can all celebrate together, then go see Ian later tonight, when he gets home and settled and the craziness dies down a little bit.
They arrive about thirty minutes later- they stopped at the store to get a four-pack of mini cupcakes. We clank them together in a cheer before eating them up in the practice room. Austin looks at me excitedly. "Ally, we can finally start writing again! Well, technically, I've already finished our next song, but-"
"Wait." I say, holding up a hand to stop him, "You finished the song? How did you manage that?"
He shrugs. "Being away from you for so long gives me ideas because I miss you so much." He blushes, and Dez makes a long, drawn out "Awwww!"
I blush, too. "Well, what are you waiting for? I want to hear it."
He jumps up and reaches for the acoustic guitar I have in the room before leaning against the wall and beginning to strum.
Your hand fits in mine
Like it's made just for me
But bear this in mind
It was meant to be
And I'm joining up the dots
With the freckles on your cheeks
And it all makes sense to me
I know you've never loved
The crinkles by your eyes when you smile
You've never loved
Your stomach or your thighs
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine
But I'll love them endlessly
I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if I do, it's you,
Oh it's you,
They add up to
I'm in love with you,
And all these little things
You can't go to bed,
Without a cup of tea,
And maybe that's the reason
That you talk, in your sleep
And all those conversations
Are the secrets that I keep
Though it makes no sense to me
I know you've never loved the sound of your voice on tape
You never want to know how much you weigh
You still have to squeeze into your jeans
But,
You're perfect to me
I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if it's true,
It's you,
It's you,
They add up to
I'm in love with you,
And all these little things
You'll never love yourself
Half as much as I love you
You'll never treat yourself right, darlin'
But I want you to,
If I let you know, I'm here for you,
Maybe you'll love yourself,
Like I love you
Oh
And I've just let these little things
Slip, out of my mouth,
'Cause it's you, oh it's you,
It's you,
They add up to
And I'm in love with you,
And all these little things,
I won't let these little things
Slip, out of my mouth,
But if it's true,
It's you, it's you,
They add up to,
I'm in love with you,
And all your little things
I grin when he finishes it. "What's it called?" I ask. He says, "Little Things." As he puts away his guitar.
"It's really cute." Giggles Trish, "Not as good as your first song, but cute! Ally, I think he should be the only one who sings this song for the album, and for your next show."
Austin puts his head down. "Yeah... About my gig..."
We all stare at him, confused. Finally, he sighs. "My gig got cancelled because I couldn't come two months in a row. I can't play at The Pier anymore."
We all gape at him. "Where are you planning on performing at, then?" I ask him. He shrugs. "I guess until I find somewhere else we'll just have to finish the album. This will be the fifth song on the album, and if we were aiming for twelve by Christmas break, we better step on it, because we only have about a month left, and it's taken us four months to get this far."
He was right. Christmas break had been our goal a while back, but we hadn't really thought about how much work that would require.
I just sigh and nod, upset that The Pier gig had been cancelled. It was nice playing there. Maybe every now and then Austin could perform here at Sonic Boom if we wanted to sponsor something, but for now, we could just work on the album.
"Why don't you record the new song now?" Dez suggests. "I'll record you recording it, then the recording can be uploaded to the Internet later, and maybe you'll get a record amount of view." He grins. I wonder if he realizes how many times he just said some form of the word 'record'.
Austin just nods, and we pull out all the audio equipment, and set up Dez's camera in front of where Austin would be standing. Once hooked up, we all sit on the couch as he records the song, being sure that it sounds just the way he wants it to before turning off the mic and camera.
"I'll edit this later." Dez says, then shoves the camera back in his backpack.
Austin's phone buzzes, and he pulls it out, announcing that it's from his brother. "We can go to my house and see him, now." Austin says with a smile.
We all drive there- Trish and I in her car, Dez in his, and Austin in his. The Moon house was quiet when we arrived. I see Austin's mom, who has dark bags under her eyes. "Hey, guys." She sighs, "Ian is in the basement."
We all pound down the stairs, and Ian actually smiles when he sees us. "What's up, guys?" He asks, and stands up. Austin scoffs. "You're the one who told me to invite them all over." Ian grins and says, "I know."
We all cram ourselves on to the small couch to watch some television, but I can't help but notice that Ian is scrolling through something on his phone, occupied. Austin must have noticed too, because he says "Ian, what are you looking at, man?"
"Houses." Ian says, not looking up. Austin's eyes get big. "You're still planning on moving?" He asks, and Ian just stares at him like he's crazy. "Austin, I killed someone... Not just anyone, I killed Stacy. Even if I didn't mean to, it was my own stupidity that did it, and I really cared about her. I gotta get away from here. She's everywhere... Pictures in the newspaper, on the news, even on the streets..." He shakes his head.
Austin puts his head down. "It was kind of my fault, too, you know."
Ian puts his face in his hands. "Maybe, yes, but it's not the same for you, okay? I don't blame you for anything, Austin. Neither would she, but I can't help but think that she's frowning down on me from Heaven... I just gotta leave."
Austin nods sadly. "Where are you looking at going to?" He asks, suddenly sounding curious.
Ian runs a hand through his dirty blonde hair as he says "California."
I think Austin's going to jump off the sofa. "California?! Ian, that's like, three thousand miles away! You can't!"
"I can do what I want, Austin. I'm an adult, and you don't need me here, anyway. I'll always be in touch, but dad and mom want me out of the house, and I don't want to stay here, so just don't argue with me. I actually considered going to Europe or somewhere, and I told you the night of the accident that I was going somewhere pretty far, so don't act all surprised!" Ian's voice is raised now.
Austin looks at his hands as he murmurs, "Oh, yeah. I guess you did tell me that."
I realize that Trish, Dez, and I have been sitting there, listening intently, not really knowing what to think of all this. "Well," Dez sighs, "I'm going home to edit Austin's video."
Trish ditches next... She has no excuse, though. So then, Austin takes me home, leaving Ian in the basement to look at houses in L.A. in peace.
A/N Hope you all liked it! I don't think you should be too surprised/upset since it was hinted multiple times that Ian would be departing. If he is your favorite character, I'm sorry! :( Don't worry, I'm not totally shoving him out of the story! He has a lot to do with this plot, so he will definitely make a reappearance at some point. Don't know how long it will be, but I'd say it will be a while. I'm proud of myself for getting 20 chapters in! I couldn't have done it without you all. :) Nearly 11,000 views and counting! It really makes me want to write, I look forward to it every time I get a chance to, and I greatly appreciate all the lovely reviews I'm getting! Let's make this fanfic popular. :) Thank you! Review, favorite, and follow!