It's currently 10 AM, I woke up at 9 to finish this chapter before I'll be gone for a whole day. I had written it for a big part and just couldn't leave you hanging for another week while I was so close to finishing it. But I did it! It's an emotional one, I'll tell ya.
One more important thing before I leave you with the chapter. A few days ago, I was lying in my bed (that's where I get most ideas and inspiration) and this KILLER idea for the epilogue came to me (yes, I said epilogue). Like, I love it soooo much. I don't wanna hype you up now, but it's something I didn't even know I wanted to happen, until I thought of it. It was just a matter of putting little ideas together and BAM there it was. You won't have to wait for it for a long time, the story is coming to an end.
A BIG SHOUT OUT TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED IDEAS THAT OTHER TIME. This chapter goes out to you
Oh hey, btw, I almost forgot, but I reached a 100 reviews last chapter! Shout out to Auslly0731 for being the 100th!
I'd like to add that, if you haven't read Work Things Out yet, this might be the best way to do it. There will be some references you'll recognize
It was the first day after the finals, the first day of complete freedom she had known in a long time. Actually doing the tests hadn't been such a difficult task, figuring she had studied more than enough. She was the kind of person who wasn't completely satisfied until she could recite the material in her sleep. This was something she couldn't check, but she took it for granted and believed in herself.
The girls had decided to celebrate the first day of complete nothingness with an extensive brunch in one of their favourite restaurants. For a change, Hannah had suggested to invite Sarah, too, just because she thought we didn't see her enough. The rest had all agreed and it was up to Ally to pick her up from her work. It was a tad too late when she realized where that was again.
The place brought back tons of memories, most good ones which also brought back the person she hadn't been able to forget in her mind. She takes a look at the few people on the exercise bikes in front of the window and luckily doesn't spot that one boy. When she enters the gym, the bubbly brunette greets her immediately, her sporty pony tail bouncing up and down.
"I have to get my stuff in the dressing room, it'll be just a minute!" Sarah tells her hurriedly after catching up. They hadn't seen or spoken each other in almost a month, which caused Sarah to miss why Ally seemed slightly anxious in this specific place. After Ally tells her to take her time, Sarah enters the same dressing room Ally had used to change her clothes before meeting the boy who she thought could be the one.
Leaning her back against Sarah's desk, she scans the gym out of boredom. And that's the moment she believes the whole universe is against her. She didn't know what the odds of her 'ex' being in the gym on this exact day, on this exact moment were, but she was here. And he was, too.
"C'mon, two more! I once had someone who could do eleven, this is nothing!" he was encouraging the girl that looked an awful lot like her. The similarities were crazy and slightly painful, the way he was pushing her to go over her limit like he did with her, even using her as example without thinking twice about it. The girl was small, just like she is, the somewhat darker and straighter hair hanging over her back and an exhausted frown on her face. Ally can't help the sting of jealousy that starts to show itself.
"That's not physically possible," letting herself fall on the ground, she gives up trying to push herself up a final time and looks at Austin with a giggle which he answers as he pulls her up. Ally hadn't noticed she had been seriously staring at the two until she meets his eyes in a flash. Quickly turning around to face the desk, she hopes the short moment wasn't enough for him to recognize her or he decides to ignore her, but she's quickly proven otherwise.
"Ally!" he calls her, but she still refuses to turn back around until he appears next to her. After wiping the sweat off his forehead with the sweatband around his wrist, he looks at her with the most hopeful eyes she had seen in a while. She has to keep herself from checking him out from top to bottom, always liking the way he looked after he had worked out. "Good to see you again," he tells her genuinely happily.
"You too," she responds, not knowing what else to say. Before she can say anything else to fill the awkward situation, the girl that was supposedly Austin's client, appears next to Austin. When had he picked up the job as personal trainer, the job he despised? "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything."
"You didn't," Austin hastily assures her, seeming to want nothing more than keep her from walking away. The unnamed girl reminds the two of her presence by subtly clearing her throat, making Ally roll her eyes unnoticeably.
"I'm Sydney," she tells Ally after the duo finally acknowledge her, maybe not seeing, but presumably ignoring Ally's held out hand to politely greet her. Incidentally, she bumps against Austin's side while shaking her shiny hair over her shoulder. "Austin's new client."
"Ally," she lowers her hand eventually before shooting Austin a significant look, noticing how uncomfortable he looks. Deciding to keep her faked politeness up for a bit more, until this girl succeeds to get on her nerves even more, she explains the ultra-short version of how they know each other. "I go to Brown, just like Austin. I'm one of his classmates."
"Yes, he told me. He didn't mention you," Sydney giggles innocently while cocking her head thoughtfully and Ally has to stop herself from bitch slapping her. "He was just telling me this story about a girl he used to know who got hit on by a waitress," she continues to use the voice that Ally was permanently saving as one of the worst sounds she had ever heard.
"Yeah, I know that one, too," Ally didn't care to reveal the little detail that she was the girl in that story, since Austin also hadn't bothered to tell that he was dating her at that time. Not hiding the sour look in her eyes, she glances at Austin. "He has told me that one before," Austin dodges her stare guiltily, fuelling Ally's anger. "Anyway, I have to go. You two have fun."
The fact that Sarah still hadn't returned, couldn't bother her less. She would wait for her outside. She just had to get out of here. Without looking at either of them, she walks out the door, hearing Sydney's soft snicker just before the door closes behind her.
"Ally, wait!" Austin follows her out the door and blocks her way with his body. He didn't have the gut to speak up in front of Sydney, but he couldn't let her go after this incredibly painful meeting. "Shouldn't we at least talk?"
"Do you really think this is the right place for this?" she ignores his presence and walks around him, speeding up her pace. Not wanting to push her to stay, he stops following her.
"My dad called," he calls after her and, at first, he thinks she doesn't hear him, but when realizing what he said, she stops. Ally, more than anyone else, knew how touchy that subject was. He hadn't spoken to him since he left his mother after getting caught cheating on her, so she immediately realized how important this was to him. "A few weeks ago. I didn't want to tell you."
"Why are you telling me this now, then?" turning around, she asks him sharply. Even though this was probably hard for him to tell, she couldn't just push away the anger inside her. Besides, something inside her reminded her that this might be a cliché way of making her listen.
"Because it's the reason why I've been a dick to you," he admits, sighing deeply like he's glad to finally get is off his chest. Silently, Ally debates what's the best move for her to make. Eventually, her pride takes over, mainly affected by a certain girl who was waiting for him to come back inside.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," avoiding his eyes that most definitely had the ability to make her stay, she walks away from him.
"Ally," he pleads, but she shuts him out, making sure his voice doesn't change her decision.
"Save it, Austin," turning around one more time, she shows no sign of guilt or doubt. "Go back to your client, she seems very eager to train with you."
Eventually, Sarah had come to meet her at the bus stop after Ally texted her. Running up to her, she had pretty much tackled Ally, repeating apologies over and over again.
"I'm so sorry, Ally. If I knew you two were broken up, I never would've asked you to come. I'm such an idiot, I'm so so sorry!" Ally calmed her down and thanked for understanding before they made their way towards the restaurant. She didn't encounter many pleasant surprises recently, but there was one waiting for her there.
"Trish! I've missed you so much!" she attacks her best friend in a hug, which Trish answers for a short second before stepping away from her.
"Alright, cut the crap and start talking," the Latina's kind eyes turn serious in the matter of a second, making Ally's mouth fall open. "You and Austin. I liked this one, why did you have to let him go?" she whines childishly.
"I didn't let him go, I left," Ally crosses her arms, feeling betrayed that their friends presumably only arranged this lunch for the reason to let Trish lecture her.
"For illogical reasons, continue," Trish keeps her eyes pointed at Ally, determined to break the façade of faked carelessness she's been hiding behind for days.
"How much do you know?" she narrows her eyes, glancing at the group of friends who had been suspiciously quiet during the interrogation.
"Let's see. Austin was struggling with his exams, you had the absurd idea you were the cause, so you left him to fight this battle on his own, something you wanted to prevent from the start," Trish adds up on her fingers, a knowing look in her eyes, as she manages to cramp the situation, as well as Ally's mistake in one long sentence. Not being able to look her best friend in they eyes, Ally sits down on one of the unoccupied sofa's. Trish takes place on the one on opposite as she studies her intensively. "How close am I?"
"I like her," Lib nods her head approvingly, recognizing the similarities between her and the Latina.
"Why does no one understand that he would have failed if I hadn't left?" Ally exclaims all of a sudden, not being able to keep her cool with the feeling of everyone turning against her. "He passed his exams without me around, so I made the right decision. End of discussion."
"So why don't you two get back together, now that the finals are over?" Sarah's soft voice rises, feeling shy and slightly out of place in this group. Ally's head turns in her direction sharply, eyes piercing into hers, before she runs out of strength to keep up the wall. Her eyebrows turn into a sad frown as she covers her face with her hands in defeat while leaning her elbows on her knees.
"Because he already moved on," her weak voice trembles as she refuses to see the pity shown on everyone's faces. "Surprise, surprise, it's a girl from the gym. And the funny thing is, everything he did to make me fall in love with him, he does with her. The jokes, the laughs, even the encouragement was identical. I recognize it, I recognize myself in her," she breaks down to let everything that has been tearing her apart out, tears hidden behind her hands. Soft sobs fill the silence as the other girls watch her with sad eyes. "Turns out I'm that easily replaceable."
"Excuse me," Trish speaks softly after a few seconds, standing up to walk outside. Reaching into her bag, she grabs her cell phone and dials a number she has memorized. "Dez, babe, I need you to have a serious talk with Austin."
"Dez?" Austin opens the door to see his redheaded best friend, looking more angry than he had probably ever seen. Without a word, the boy pushes the door further open before walking past Austin, leaving him stunned for a second.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Dez yells at him once he has followed him into the living room. Austin's mouth falls open as he sees the genuinely pissed off way he's looking at him.
"Come again?" he chuckles, not knowing whether to find the situation hilarious or worrying.
"And at the gym, as well. The same place you met Ally! That's just low," pacing around the room, Dez shakes his head in disbelief as he's still trying to wrap his head around what Trish had told him merely a few minutes ago. "And calling her a girl you 'used to know'! When did you pick up the job as personal trainer again, anyway? You hate it!"
"Stop it!" Austin shouts at him, finally understanding, at least a bit, of what was going on and who assumingly sent him. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"How can you go to the gym and pick up girls like Ally never existed?" Dez asks him, making wild arm gestures as he defends the girl he had only met a few times.
"What are you talking about, I love Ally!" he responds without thinking and falls silent once he realizes what confession just escaped his mouth. Breathing heavily, he only now notices that saying it out loud feels better than anything he's felt before.
"What?" his friend is shut down completely as this conversation was going in a different direction than he was expecting.
"I love her, alright?" he falls down on the couch, powerlessly repeating the revelation to the wrong person. "I love her and I never got the chance to tell her and I hate myself for it."
"You're not dating that girl from the gym," Dez speaks in which Austin quickly shakes his head. He lowers himself to sit next him as he puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Of course not, I was only training her once," and that's when Austin starts telling the story, the whole story, for the first time. Different emotions appear on Dez' face during it, but, in the end, his eyes are filled with nothing but sympathy. After ten minutes, Austin falls back in the couch, releasing a deep sigh as an empty feeling overtakes him.
"Don't worry, buddy, we will fix this. All of us," Dez makes the promise as he excuses himself to call his girlfriend back, leaving the boy who had already lost all hope while making the plan to bring it all back.
I hope you guys are content with this chapter, I think I am. The end is approaching, as you may notice. I just can't wait for the epilogue, I'm more excited for that than the actual end, wow.
Did y'all catch the little bit of Trez there? ;)
Guest chapter 13
I'm falling to the ground like a coyote on the roadrunner cartoon with all these cliffhangers - Creative comparison, I like that. Hope I'm not leaving you hanging too much (EYYYYY nice one, Leonoor)
JelsaFanToTheMax chapter 11
Hello! It's me again! I finnaly (I've been busy) got to reading the rest and now I can't wait for the new chapters. I know how frustrating and hard writers block can be and I sure it doesn't help that every one asking for updates! Take your time though! I'm sure it will end up incredible. I don't really have any interesting ideas for the story BUT I believe that bringing in a new character for Lib could be fun. Oh and perhaps a breakup then get together between one of the characters. Always LOVE those. Anyhoo my last thoughts on this chapter in general:
I was confused by this chapter a bit, Is there some how, some way that Lib could possibly like Ian?! (That would be such a twist, although I like Sarah...but I like Lib also! *sighs*) I mean she could be bi?! I need to go know! Sorry for the LONG review, BYE! - Hey you again! Thanks for taking the time to read the whole thing! It's not a problem, firstly all of the reviewers are the sweetest guys EVER as they don't really give me the pressure to update. And, beside that, I refuse to let myself get affected by that pressure. I update when I know it's the right time :) A new character for Lib, huh? I'm planning on bringing someone back for Lib, don't worry about that. Hope you'll like that. There's gonna be a thing beside Auslly that I think many of you will appreciate, that'll probs be in the epilogue. OOOOOH you're onto something there. A you might remember, Lib hates putting herself in a box and deciding her sexuality. I don't think she has it figured out herself yet. I guess we'll find out. Thank you for the amazing review!
ROTBTDreader chapter 1
Oopsy forgot to review this when I read this (cause I get Emails when you update your story, - cause why not) anywayyyy I loved it good job! You write magesticly and I find it really sweet when I see you reply to my reviews. - Yaaay thank you for following my story! Thank you so much, I love replying to reviews, y'all are adorable
Lookin' For Treble chapter 13
XD XD XD I love how you groan at your own characters haha. This chapter put me in such a funk ohmygod I think I might actually become a professional Fictional-Character-Worrier because of you. But seriously, I'm about to cry because I read this chapter, and the next thing I see is "and daddy Austin, hello"... But I'm not sure the tears are for sadness or just because it's so freaking funny. - Hahaha, yup, sometimes I actually cringe at how they react at some situations. Not everything is that realistic.. Hahahah that's a new profession I could see rising here. Damn emotions all over the place, huh? I mean, I'm just speaking my mind, I think that's what all of you were thinking when seeing him with a kid, gosh darnit, so incredibly hot
Fishelle chapter 13
the comedy must come from within, grasshopper. it is not something a mere mortal like myself can teach.
ANYWAY
Ally's so stubborn omg xD I gotta admit, in this chapter I feel a little bit worse for Austin since he's trying to fix it but I also feel awful for her because she's insecure and ugh my poor child :(
(also confession time: i haven't read ROALT hehhehehe) - That was very wise, you should get that on a pillowcase. True, there are some ups and downs in the way these characters handle things. That's alright hahaha, everyone's got their preferences. Maybe you'll read it some day, it's from the same author, so chances are you'll love it :)
Guest chapter 13
I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD FOR YOU TO UPDATE YOUR STORY ALL WEEK, YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN ME WHEN I SAW THAT YOU DID! I JUMPED WITH EXCITEMENT AND I CHEERED. I AM JUST SO HAPPY YOU UPDATED AND THE CHAPTER WAS JUST PERFECT AND ALSO HEART BREAKING LIKE ALLY DID YOU NOT LISTEN TO AUSTIN OR? I JUST HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER WHOLE WEEK FOR YOU TO UPDATE AGAIN, WHICH WILL FEEL LIKE FIVE YEARS BUT ILL SURVIVE. I KNOW IM RAMBLING BUT YOUR WRITING IS PERFECT OKAY ITS JUST PERFECT. PLEASE NEVER LEAVE THIS STORY, BECAUSE ITS PERFECT AND YOURE PERFECT. AHHH I JUST NEED THE NEXT CHAPTER AHHH. - WOW YOU ARE THE CUTEST LITTLE CUPCAKE EVER, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL THESE INCREDIBLE COMPLIMENTS! I HOPE YOU DIDN'T DIE FROM ANTICIPATION, CAUSE HERE IS THE NEXT CHAPTER. I HOPE YOU LIKED IT! YOU'RE MORE PERFECT PRECIOUS SNOWFLAKE