Ok I just want to say I stayed up until 5 am doing the rough draft of this! So you should be really thankful lol. And I'm pretty sure this is my longest chapter yet. But thank you so much for all the reviews! I seriously wasn't expecting to get over twenty of them! You guys are so awesome and I love you all! I might update twice today, but I'm not sure yet so don't hold me to it. These chapters are like the climax of this story though that's why, and you guys deserve double updates! But be prepared to hate this chapter too because there is another fight to come … Don't hate me though because next chapter should finally have what you've all been waiting for!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this story, all rights reserved. Also be prepared to have your heart ripped out. I'm sorry in advance for any pain this chapter might cause you, read with caution.
"So tell me the plan one more time." Bea said to Megan.
"Ally is supposed to leave tomorrow, so tonight Austin is going to change her mind." Megan started.
"How are we going to do that? They won't talk to each other." Bea questioned with worry.
"Sure, he won't talk to Ally but he can talk to us. All we have to do is tell him what's going on with her. He may be mad at her, but he definitely doesn't hate her. They're so in love they can't possible ever hate on one another. So when we tell him to go fix this mess before she's gone for good there is no way he will be able to say no. He'll feel guilty and thinks it's his fault. Which it partly is, but this will result in him coming to the rescue as per usual. We just have to make sure Cassidy doesn't get in the way while this goes down. He's the only one who can convince her to stay." Megan told her.
"Got it." Bea nodded to show she understood.
"And if she is going to be stubborn and not want to forgive him, which she probably will be, then we bring on plan B." Megan added.
"What's plan B?" Bea asked a little nervous.
"Don't tell Ally this because she'll be so mad at me if she ever found this out." Megan warned.
"I won't." Bea reassured.
"Ever since Cassidy started threatening Ally I've been keeping a close eye on her. I've managed to collect a lot of dirt on Cassidy, it's unbelievable! I've got tons of photos and video footage of Cassidy in the midst of a lot of the stuff she's been doing to Ally." Megan told her with a proud smile on her face.
"Why haven't you used this stuff sooner?!" Bea asked with wide eyes.
"Trust me I would have used these a long time ago, but Ally isn't one to stoop to her level and I respect that. So if plan A doesn't work and he can't discover the real Cassidy on his own, then we have no other choice than to show Austin all of this. He won't be able to deny real proof." Megan stated.
"How is this going to get her to change her already made up mind though?" Bea asked.
"I can't say it will. I just hope that it'll finally make him see that Cassidy is no good, and that Ally is the one for him." Megan sighed and shrugged her shoulders at the situation.
"This is seriously our last hope. We really need this to work or nothing good is to come." Bea replied nervously.
"I know. But it's not going to work if we don't get to Austin soon." Megan reminded me, hinting it was probably time to go.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Bea cheered with a small laugh.
It was raining today. In fact it had been pouring nonstop. Rain wasn't very common here, so the fact that it was pouring was extremely odd. It really set the mood though. Austin and Ally and everyone else are just so down, and the rain only makes it worse.
The girls made their way to his cabin, walking fast and with purpose. Their best friend's life was on the line here. There is no time for messing up anything at this point. And there was also the fact that they didn't want to get drenched but no one really needed to know that. Their plan is full proof, so it's all up to Austin and Ally now.
The two girls arrived at his door in no time and did a series of knocks. Austin opened the door and immediately rolled his eyes. What a little punk.
"What do you guys want?" he asked a little too harsh for their liking.
"First off, you are the worst friend on this planet! You definitely don't deserve to call Ally your best friend!" Megan started.
"And second, you are the biggest jerk and idiot we've ever met! It's a miracle you know how to tie your own shoe laces!" Bea added in.
"You hurt our best friend and you don't even care!" Megan exclaimed.
"How can you be so insensitive?!" Bea yelled.
The anger and fury was just pouring out of the two all at once.
"Hey, Ally isn't the only innocent one here." He defended.
"That may be true but that doesn't make you any less of an ass." Bea argued back.
"If you guys are only here to yell at and insult me, just go because I don't appreciate it." He said to us, his words were cold like ice.
"Ugh, not everything is about you!" Megan retorted back.
"So what? Is Ally sending you two to do her dirty work now or something?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly getting annoyed.
"Actually no. We're here because we are actually good friends who want to help fix the mess between two childish people." Bea explained.
"Some more childish than others." Megan added quickly.
Austin rolled his eyes in response.
"Would you stop with the insults and just tell me why you're here because my patience is wearing very thin." Austin said to them.
"Ally is leaving tomorrow and she's not coming back." Megan announced to him. Her voice was suddenly a lot softer.
The girls watched his face go from totally annoyed to really shocked, maybe even upset.
"What?" Austin asked with a puzzled expression.
He looked like a sad puppy as the realization of the statement hit him. We'd probably feel bad for him if he hadn't been so rude, just saying.
"Why is she doing this?" he continued to ask.
"There's only one way for you to find out but I have a good suspicion it' because you decided to be an asshole and now she thinks it'll be better for everyone if she just leaves." Bea told him as if it wasn't already obvious enough.
"We've tried to talk her out of it but she won't listen to us. You have to look past this dumb fight and get her to stay. You can go back to hating each other right after if you want but don't let her leave! You're the only one who can convince her otherwise." Megan told him.
The girls watched as he processed every word they had just said to him. He looked confused and hurt and a lot of other things all mixed into one.
"I didn't mean for any of this happen." He admitted to his feet.
He really needed to get it together, like now!
"Well don't tell us, tell her! Go be a man and fix this!" Megan yelled at him. It was supposed to come out encouragingly but it just ended up sounding like she was really annoyed with him, which was slightly true.
"Don't let your best friend walk away over something so stupid." Bea gently reminded him.
"You guys are right. I need to find Ally before it's too late!" he exclaimed with a worried look.
The two girls watched him run out into the rain in the direction of her cabin.
"You're welcome!" Megan shouted at him as he ran off, completely offended that he didn't even thank them.
"That went surprisingly well." Bea stated.
Megan nodded her head in agreement. "Now we just hope the rest works." She sighed nervously.
"Let's go distract Cassidy." Bea groaned with sarcastic enthusiasm.
*Back with Ally*
Today I had an actual reason to be cooped up inside my cabin. It had been pouring rain all day and it was kind of a good thing because I really didn't want to go out and face the world. A lot of people hate the rain but honestly I don't mind it. Most of the time I actually love it. Rain is such a rare sight here in Miami, so I appreciate it so much more when it does happen. Right now I was finishing up my last bit of packing. My mom is coming to get me tomorrow morning. I really hate that I'm leaving, especially when Austin and I are still on bad terms, but I don't see how me staying will make me feel any better. He has no idea that I'm leaving and I'm sure he won't even notice I'm gone when I do leave. It's all for the better anyways.
I was folding away the last of my clothes when a loud knock came from the door. I groaned at the sound, not really wanting to see anyone right now. For one, I looked like a mess with my messy ponytail and lounge clothes on, and I'm just really not in the mood. I had no idea who it could be but I intended on finding out.
I opened the door to find the last person I wanted to see right now. I felt my heart sink deep down into my stomach, a sudden awful feeling taking over.
"What are you doing here?" I asked a little shocked.
Be angrier! You are still mad at him! And he doesn't deserve any act of kindness from you anyways after what he's said to you. My thoughts consumed me, trying to tell me what to do and ignore any signs from my broken heart right now.
Austin was completely drenched from head to toe, his hair a wet mess and his shirt stuck to his skin. If I wasn't so upset with him I'd be melting over him right now.
"Why are you leaving?" he asked so bluntly, getting straight to the point I guess.
I sighed and shut the door behind me, stepping out to join him. This was going to be longer than I thought.
"I didn't think you were going to find out." I admitted.
He stood there waiting for me to answer, not daring to break our eye contact right now. His staring me down makes me feel so small and powerless.
"Who told you?" I asked curiously. He had his questions, but so did I.
"Don't change the subject. Why are you leaving?" he asked again, being more persistent this time.
I felt the cold consume me. I was dressed in a tee shirt and sweats so my arms were pretty exposed to the chilled air. I felt myself shiver when droplets started to hit me too. His stares only intensified on me as he grew impatient for an answer. I let out a few deep breaths, trying to build up some courage to tell him the things I've been keeping from him.
"Because everyone will better off if I'm gone." I told him with a shaky voice.
Keep it together, Ally. You can do this.
"Is this because of our fight the other day because if it is I'm sorry." He said.
God he still didn't get it. I felt a lump forming in my throat and like a lot of things I just wished it would go away because it only made me feel worse.
"It's about a lot more than just that." I replied a little agitated.
He wore the same expression as before, clearly still confused.
"What?" he shook his trying to understand but failing miserable.
Typical Austin. Did he always have to be such a guy?!
"Camp is supposed to make me happy and I should be having the best time of my life right now but I'm not. I'm not happy here anymore." I admitted, biting my lip after I spoke to hold back the sobs I felt growing inside me.
"What do you mean you aren't happy? Ally you're the happiest person I know! I don't understand." He exclaimed with a puzzled expression across his face.
"Of course you don't understand." I shook my head as I muttered to myself.
"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked defensively, taking aback by my statement.
"You wouldn't understand because you've been too busy with your new girlfriend to see how hurt I've been!" I explained with a lot of annoyance bursting out of my seams as I did so.
"So this is still about Cassidy?" he asked annoyed.
I rolled my eyes, not even caring that he saw. God he sure knows how to get on my nerves!
"I come to camp to see you. I come here to be with my best friend and so far you haven't been here for me like you should be." I told him. I could feel the resentment in my own words.
His face twisted into a look I hardly ever saw him wear. That look was hurt and I hated it. It made me feel things in the pit of my chest. At first I felt sorry for him, but then I realized that I shouldn't show an ounce of sympathy towards him right now. I'm the one who's hurt! I'm the one who he should feel sorry for. He doesn't just get to walk in here and make me feel bad when that's all he's done to me since we've gotten here.
"Ally I haven't forgotten about you! Why are you getting so upset?" he asked me with hurt and confused eyes.
I felt the anger boiling inside me. My blood felt hot despite the cold weather we were out in. Why can't he just see that he's hurt me!
"It sure feels like you have. I don't care that you have a girlfriend, I care that you so quickly forgot about me and ignored me and treated me like I didn't even exist as soon as she came around!" I shouted angrily and defended myself.
There, I said it! Out went the truth. It felt so good to finally say it. He didn't say anything for a moment. He was still processing everything I had just said so I decided to just keep going. I still have a lot more anger where that came from.
"The worst part is that you never ever really asked if I was ok or anything! I'm upset because you didn't even care. I've put up with this for too long. I'm just done wasting my time on something so useless." I confessed to him with hurt eyes.
I studied his face as my word registered through his mind. He was inwardly struggling to find the right words to say to me. I could tell because his eyebrows were furrowed together in so much confusion although majority of them were hidden behind his hair. His eyes were back to their chocolate brown color but they still weren't comforting me like they should of. By now I'm just as drenched as he is and every drop of rain felt like ice as I waited for him to say something. The tension between us had gotten so thick and it hurt for me to just look at him.
"I never meant or tried to do any of that to you, Ally." He whispered softly.
"I'm so sorry. Please don't go." He begged.
He had put on his puppy dog face. Usually he does it to get something he wants from me but this time he was actually upset. I know because he does this thing where his eyes reach to some weird place inside of me and make me feel so sad for him when he's not pretending. And it always works on me, but this time I fought against it. You don't know how hard it was but I did it. I'm stronger than he or Cassidy or anyone thinks, and I'm not letting him get away with all of this so easily. The way he just spoke to me really hurt my insides but he's still responsible for a lot of my pain and misery and he needs to know.
"Give me one good reason to stay." I fought back.
It was silent for a moment as he searched for something in my eyes. I'm not sure what though.
"Isn't our friendship enough to make you want to stay?" he asked quietly.
That one hurt, and I could tell he was hurt too.
"I thought it was! I really did and a part of me still wants it to be. I kept quiet about this for so long for the sake of our friendship but it's gotten to a point where I can't look at you without my heart breaking." I choked up. There was no more anger left in my words, just hurt and heartache and so much pain.
"What are you saying?" he asked with hurt in his eyes and voice.
Why does he never make these things easy for me? Oh that's right, because he's Austin Moon.
"I'm not asking you to break up with Cassidy. I wouldn't be a good friend if I was. I want you to be happy but know that I need to be happy too." I tried to explain but was failing to make any sense to him.
"What gives with all this not being happy stuff?! You're making absolutely no sense!" he shouted out in frustration.
He wasn't the only one who was frustrated right now. He'd never get what I was saying. I took in a sharp yet shaky breath before speaking.
"You being with her hurts me so much more than you will ever know or understand." My voice was a mere whisper when I said it.
"Ally, would you please stop with all these indirect answers already?! Just say what you mean!" he shouted again, only louder than before.
Seriously? I don't know how much more obvious I can be with him right now.
"You still don't get it, do you?!" I shouted back, sliding my hand down my face to show my own frustration towards him.
"Ugh, you are such a guy!" I groaned.
"Ally!" he said with a lot of agitation behind it.
"I guess I've got to spell this out for you too, well fine!" I yelled at him.
I swallowed nervously, realizing where this conversation had gotten too. He studied me intently, waiting for me to just tell him already but right now I'm wishing I hadn't opened my big mouth. I don't want to admit this to him. If it were up to me I'd keep this to myself for as long as I can.
But what choice do I have? I don't have any choice really. I've already said too much and my heart is completely exposed anyways. It's all or nothing, now or never.
"Here it is." I started nervously.
"I-I like you, Austin. I like you a lot. I've liked you ever since the start of camp but you're too blind to see." I said softly.
He looked shocked. I'm not sure if it was a good shocked or a bad shocked. I mean who wouldn't be though? His best friend just admitted she's has a lot of undeniable feelings for him. He looked like he wanted to say something, and I kind of wanted him to say something too but he struggled to find the right words.
I felt like I was both floating and drowning at the same time in this exact moment. Each feeling tugged at me from inside, trying to decide on one for me. I can't believe I just told him my biggest secret and I could just picture my worst night mare coming to life too. It's him telling me he hates me and doesn't like me at all. My mouth felt really dry all of sudden. I found it really hard to look at him, and the butterflies in my stomach fluttered about. My hands were shaking, but it could be passed off from the cold weather we were enveloped in. I think my heart raced was racing faster than the speed of light right now despite how impossible I know that idea is. All these things were the panic consuming me.
"Ally-" he started.
"Please just don't say anything. This is already hard enough for me, you don't need to make it worse." I interrupted him mid-sentence. The panic was evident in my voice.
He gave me a questioning look but nodded in agreement anyways. Most girls want the guy to say something when they confess these things, but not me. Weird, I know. I think it's because I won't be able to hold it together if he cuts in and tells me he doesn't feel the same way, I just know it. Hearing that would be so much worse than anything Cassidy has ever done to me. I wouldn't be able to bear it so I'd rather not know anything at all. It's just a lot easier this way for me.
I waited a moment before building up enough courage to continue.
"I've been humiliated so much these past couple of days that admitting all this to you will seem like nothing, so here it goes. I know we are just friends, and I've accepted that just friends is all we will ever be. But none of that changes how I feel about you." I said softly.
"You being with Cassidy kills me so much inside. Seeing you with her every single day breaks me so badly! It causes my whole body to ache in this awful pain and it drives me absolutely insane. And I can't help but wish it was me you're always touching and kissing instead of her. But because we're friends I said and did nothing about how I felt. " I told him.
I made the mistake of looking into his eyes and I felt all the pain inside me soften. He just stood there, really listening to me as I poured my heart and soul out to him. He was so focused that an unintentional crease in his forehead had formed and the heaving of his chest from breathing so hard was very apparent. He was the most breath taking human being I'd ever laid eyes on. He made my heart flutter and it only made what I was about to say next a million times more difficult for myself.
"I'm really sorry, but I don't think we can be friends anymore. It's not fair to you and it's really not fair to me. I'll just be torturing myself and you shouldn't have to have the burden of not wanting to hurt me on your shoulders. I wish it didn't have to be like this, but it's the best for my heart and it's the best for you and Cassidy. Trust me this hurts me a lot more right now than it hurts you." I felt a few tears start to stream down my face. I bit back the sobs that were waiting and ready to torture me.
"Ally what are yo-"
"Please don't." I whimpered, reminding him that I didn't want him to speak right now.
I wiped away my tears, feeling embarrassed for crying all of a sudden.
"I know you don't believe me about Cassidy but I know what she's said and done and that's enough for me. I've put up with all of it for far too long and I'm not going to stand here and take any more of it. She thinks I'm a threat, well I'm not anymore." I finished.
I saw a tear roll down his cheek and boy did it break my heart. How am I supposed to stay strong when he starts to cry too?! I gave him the most apologetic and sympathetic look I had in me, truly feeling awful right now. I brought my thumb up to his face and gently brushed away the escaped tear. He looked like he had a million things to say but only said one of them.
"Don't do this." he pleaded, his voice was barely a whisper.
The hurt in his voice shattered my will to stay strong. I found myself crying again, practically sobbing now. I let out a loud breath as if I had been holding it in ever since he had arrived at my door.
"I've already made up my mind, Austin. I'm leaving tomorrow and I'm not coming back." I replied forcing myself to stay strong though all I wanted was for him to hug me so tight and tell me that everything is going to be ok.
But he didn't and that's what made this all the more real.
He grabbed my arm much like I grabbed his when we had first fought, as if grabbing my arm would magically make me stay. He was a lot stronger than me but this time his grip was weaker than mine. My arm was just kind of there in his hand. It felt cold against my own, and it wasn't because we were standing in the icy rain with no jackets on. I found myself looking at our hands and where they connected. I felt a tear escape but I wasn't quick enough to wipe it away. I watched it fall on the hand he was holding me in.
"Ally just listen to me I-"
"I think you should go now." I stopped him half way through his sentence, telling him the same thing he had told me the other day. Although it was much different this time when I said it. I didn't say it out of anger or anything like that like he had. I said it with both love and hurt. I meant it in the most caring of ways because I didn't want to watch him break apart like I was.
I pulled my hand away from him just like he had too and everything suddenly felt too familiar, and not in the good way. His grip right now was barely even considered a grip. His hand just fell to his side and mine did the same. I didn't even bother trying to stop my tears any more. This is it, I thought. This is really it.
"Goodbye Austin." I said through my own tears.
And with that I forced myself to turn away from him. I gave him one last look before going back into my cabin and I really regret doing it. I can't even explain the look and feelings that had consumed him. It made everything hurt a million times more. I couldn't help but feel guilt coarse its way through me. He got this way because of me.
I shut my door so I didn't have to stand the pain of looking at him any longer. As soon as my door blocked our views of each other I slid down and fell to the floor, crying everything out. It hurt so bad that I could barely even breathe, and that made my hysterical sobs a lot more difficult and painful. I hugged my knees close to my chest and just sat there crying for the rest of the night. It was too painful to move or think or do anything. All I could do was cry and I've never felt so useless and pathetic before in my life.
Wow this literally broke my heart so bad and I'm so sorry I've put you through this! The good news is that this is the last bad thing to happen and you've all survived through it! So it's only good from here on, I promise :) But I actually enjoyed writing in Megan and Bea's POV at the beginning, it was something different. Please review if you want a second update today, and tell me which part made your heart hurt the most! I love you guys so much and thanks again for reading!