Chapter 23- She Doesn't Fall
Hi! How's it going everybody? Did you guys know that my last update had the most reads out of all the chapters? Ya, so THANK YOU! You are all awesome! But, I'm not… not really. A lot of you are surprised by the ending of my last chapter so… without further ado, find out what happens next:
Ally's POV
"Ally! Ally! Wake up, please!" I hear the voice loud in my ear, and recognize it as Austin's. Memories suddenly flood back into me: Our talk, the kiss, and then, me fainting. Austin says my name again, and his tone sounds like one lanced with so much pain that my stomach lurches with guilt and I slowly become conscious, aware of a strong pair of arms holding me up.
"Think… I… passed out. Forgot… to breathe," I say as I gulp in air. My eyes are trained on anywhere but Austin as I attempt to cool my cheeks. Wow, how embarrassing to pass out because Austin's lips caused me to forget every damn thing in the world, including breathing. At least I know what to expect for next time. Next time I think, my mind already starting back up. I would not faint again. I would not be labelled the one in the relationship that cared way more than the other, but, when I finally look around and into Austin's gentle and relieved eyes, I know that that wasn't true. But, where his eyes are caring and sweet, his lips are pulled into a tiny smirk, knowing the advantage he has over me. I shoot him a half- hearted glower, but not really minding. Besides, why would I mind when I get to kiss those lips again. Speaking of which, I feel the intense atmosphere charge in the air again and I lean in… only to pout when Austin chuckles and pulls away. "Ally, we'll have plenty of time for that later, but right now, I want to treat my girlfriend…," my stomach churns at the sound of girlfriend coming from Austin's lips, and it's directed at me. How this all happened? I don't have enough time to think it over thoroughly.
Austin begins dragging me out of his bathroom and back to the kitchen. "…because, if you don't recall, you just passed out five minutes ago." I roll my eyes and Austin laughs, both of us entirely happy at this moment. Too bad, as soon as we reach the kitchen, we both hear the clicking and see flashes of bright light through the blinds, and our peaceful serenity shatters. Austin growls under his breath and we both sit down, not knowing what to do. The noise was so annoying and loud that we could barely hear each other. "Austin! How can you stand this? Isn't there anything you can do?" I ask, scooting closer to him.
Austin suddenly tenses and he glances at me briefly, not holding my gaze. "Uh… I can't do anything about this, I'd just got used to it," he says weakly. I stare at Austin for a second, comprehending his words and then, as if I got hit with a book of memories, I jerk back, and lose myself to my thoughts. The first day I met him, he was hiding behind chairs, hiding from the paparazzi. Then, at the beach and throughout the day: hiding and running from the paparazzi. They always seem to be focused solely on him. And Austin, he was the real mystery. Why was he so scared of them? What had happened? Heck, why did he even come to Miami in the first place? My thoughts and words swirl in my head, causing me to groan. Too many things to think about. I knew that I had a plug somewhere. All I had to do was pull it out and ask the questions in my head. The only problem, though, was that Austin might not answer them. Worth a try I think. Besides, I had a feeling he would tell me. We were closer now. Something about experiencing the workings of the paparazzi together bonded us. So, I grab onto the cord, and yank.
"Austin!" I blurt out, after we had both been silent for an impossibly long time. He starts and looks up at me. His eyes were tired, as if he knew what was coming. "Please, Austin. Tell me why the paparazzi bother you so much." My eyes are begging, hoping Austin trusts me enough. He sighs and finally looks at me. Without realizing it, Austin grabs my hand and plays with my fingers. Then, he starts talking.
"When I was younger, about ten years ago, I was just starting to build my fame up, doing music covers, and singing on the street. The paparazzi took an interest in me for being so young yet so talented, but they targeted my parents instead. I don't know why. Maybe it was because their Mattress Kingdom was the best in the country, but whatever the reason, my parents were in the spotlight. Early in the beginning though, none of us were aware of how good the reporters were, until one day, my parents were walking around town and saw an edition of Cheetah Beat. It was labelled "The Moon's go full circle." There was a picture of my parents in their store after closing…" Austin moves to draw circles on my hand and he laughs bitterly. "… Apparently, their mattresses were too comfy. So, the paparazzi caught them in the act and after that… well, I was a laughing stock. Everywhere I went, my former friends would make fun of me because of my parents, saying things like, "Hey, are any of those mattresses even clean?" I would try to ignore them, but even adults would look at me with distaste. It was horrible. The Mattress Kingdom went down in business and I only had my parents to talk to. They were good though, they continued to work and go on with their lives, but I was the one getting the looks and snide remarks.
"Eventually, Starr Records signed me and I quickly became famous. It was the greatest thing to happen at that time. The Moon Mattress Kingdom became popular again, I sky rocketed, and no one dared to insult me anymore. Not that I cared though. After those years of living through what I did, I learned to block people out. I didn't care what anyone thought of me and I just… went on with my life. Somewhere in there, while I was ignoring the haters and bullies, I became self- absorbed, thinking that since the haters couldn't get to me, I was pretty much unstoppable. And it never did stop. I spent years thinking I was a prize, loving how girls fell head- over- heels for me, and how I could get pretty much anything I wanted… except the paparazzi to leave me alone. After the whole incident, my parents drilled in my brain that they were never to be trusted and I believed that. I knew the damage they could implement and I tried to stay clear of them. I made a promise to myself never to be exposed to them, but they keep on following me. It gets overwhelming at times and I remember once when it got so bad that I had no more inspiration in my music. I could still sing but it wasn't fun anymore. So, I guess I could say… the paparazzi bother me so much because… well, they ruined my childhood, took away my freedom, my love for music, and they made me become a person who I wasn't, and I just don't want anything else bad to happen." Austin finishes his story and we just sit there in silence. I could feel tears prickling my eyes from the emotionality of his story. Because of the paparazzi, Austin lost so many things. He grew up with the cameras always in the background, and had built a wall to conceal his true feelings. No one should have to go through that.
Finally, my tears trail down my cheeks and onto my clothes. The sadness of Austin's past knocks into me as if I had also experienced it and I reach forward and wrap my arms around Austin. Somewhere, I feel his arms snake around and pull me closer, but I was mostly focused on our rhythmic breathing.
"Ally, don't be sad, okay?" Austin says, but his voice is thick with emotion. He pulls back and I see his eyes are rimmed red. "The paparazzi may have done all those things, but you helped me through it. Yeah, my childhood can't be replaced, but you showed me how to love music again, and helped me find my real self under my conceited wall. So thank you, so much." I smile and rest my head on Austin's shoulder. I think he's content how, finally telling someone about his fear… but, I'm not. As his words are rolling through my mind, I think about how he didn't mention his freedom. He probably thinks that it's impossible to be free since the paparazzi are stopping him. And I hate that.
As I rest on Austin's shoulder, I think of the paparazzi. They are monsters. They purposely find something humiliating and private of someone and shamelessly show the whole world.
And, as long as they are targeting Austin, I was going to do something about it.
Hiiiii! So, what'd you all think? I don't know about you, but I like how Austin's speech went. I literally typed, and deleted, and thought for hours to get the perfect words. I am pretty proud! But, what are you thinking? Review and tell me!
See you next time!