Chapter 3: How He Made Me Smile.
Ally collapsed onto her couch. The rain continued to pour down outside her window, and it was adding pain to her throbbing headache. I can't believe it. Her mom was getting remarried, to some man who lived all the way in England, and she was moving there tonight to be there with him.
She didn't get it. Her dad had passed away a few months ago, and she's moved on too quick. Her mom was the only family she had left, and now what? She was going to be alone, whilst her mom moved to England, and married some man, who already had five other children. It was like she was ashamed of only having her as a daughter. She didn't even ask Ally if she wanted to come with her, heck she wasn't even invited to the wedding.
I don't get it!?
Ally sobbed, loudly. Does she not love me anymore, does she not care that dad only passed away a few months ago!? It was still a raw subject to think about in her own mind, but apparently her mom could just brush her dad off, like they hadn't spent twenty-six years of their lives together.
After her mom had broken the news to her. Ally had left in her drunken state, and ended up at a park bench, sitting in the pouring rain, then before she knew it, she was meant to be at work, so she ran.
She was glad Austin had sent her home. She couldn't deal with his cruel, and arrogant ways, not today. She needed to clear her head, maybe she was overreacting, but right now, Ally was pissed at her mom, and she had every right to be.
Ally got to her feet, and she glanced around her apartment. The room was open-planned. The kitchen was in the top left corner of the room, and in the top right corner of the room was a round table with old, worn-out chairs that didn't match, and her piano rested on the wall nearby. Her dad had gotten it for her when she had turned ten. Overlooking the table and piano was a large window, and there were pillows in the sill. It was where Ally would always sit and right in her journal, and songbook.
Her makeshift lounge was where she was standing right now. It was in the bottom left of the room. She had an old, brown couch that she had gotten from a yard sale, and a ripped arm chair. There was a coffee table in the middle, and her small TV was resting upon a wooden, boxed crate. Then in the bottom right of the room was her desk, with her ancient computer, and it was piled with boxes, and books.
Along the left side was a corridor, which had her bathroom on the left, and inside, the white bathroom facilities were all chipped, and faulty. There was mold in the corners, and the painted ceiling was damp, and falling apart. Then on the right side of the corridor was the door, which led to her bedroom. Her double mattress had springs sticking out of them, and it was very uncomfortable to sleep on, and it led to her having a lot of restless nights. Her bed-frame was wooden, and broken. It creaked whenever she moved about on it. There was a discolored bedside table, with an orange lamp she had picked up from a charity shop, resting on top. She had an old dresser, and a wardrobe, then a small mirror hung on her wall. The rest of her room was pretty empty.
It sucked.
But, it didn't matter. Not to Ally. She was never going to have enough money to improve her living conditions, but she had always lived like this. Any extra money she had would go into her savings jar, and it was only to be used for emergency's. The rest of her money was to pay her bills, and to pay off her debts, as she had, had to borrow money from people. She was also left to pay debts that her dad hadn't paid off, and no longer couldn't. Her mom had also borrowed money from people, and she wasn't paying it back, so Ally had to pay them back with her money, and Ally was never going to pay off any of those debts, anytime soon. She was pretty sure she'd be paying them back for the rest of her life.
Because Ally had to pay her bills and pay off debts. She didn't save money for necessities. She barely ate. The last time she had eaten was two days ago, but she had learnt to deal with those conditions. It was just a sacrifice that had to be made.
She got to her feet and wandered into her bathroom. She slipped off her clothes and stepped into the shower. She turned the knob, hoping for a hot shower, but of course the water wasn't hot it was freezing cold. Ally sighed, and rested her forehead against the white tiling.
"Great," She whispered.
...
Ally sat down at her desk, and she stared at her the black computer screen. It was early, but Ally couldn't get to sleep, because her stupid neighbours were having a house party, blasting their music full blast. I can still hear the music!
She grabbed her bag, and pulled out her glasses. She put them on, and then turned on the computer screen. It came to life, and she began to note down the appointments Austin had today. Her eyes felt heavy in their sockets and right now she could use a coffee-
"Miss Dawson?" Ally looked away from the computer, and stared at Austin. "What are you doing here...at 5 o'clock in the morning."
"I just thought I'd start things early, sir," She replied, and she ripped the page she was writing on, from her notebook. "Here."
Austin walked over and took it from her hands. "Thanks," He walked towards his office, but stopped, looking back at her. "I want some coffee, now."
He stalked into his office, and Ally narrowed her eyes at his office door, jerk!
Ally got to her feet, and she felt her ankles throb in pain. She sat back down and pulled off her heels. No one else was around, so there was no harm in walking around in her bare feet. She walked out of the waiting room, and through the work room.
The kitchen floor was cold against the bottom of her feet. I'm tired of the cold! She survived the cold shower, but it had given her the permanent chills. Her heating had broken, and she didn't have a thick blanket to cover herself with. She was wearing some tight black trouser, and a white blouse and black blazer, but there were still goosebumps crawling over her skin.
She began to make his coffee, and she yawned, deciding to make one for herself. She kept it the same as she made him last time, because he didn't throw it back at her, so she was guessing he didn't hate it.
She grabbed both coffee mugs, and walked into the waiting room. She placed her mug of coffee on her desk, then she opened his office door, and walked inside. He was sat at his desk, his black coat on the back of his leather chair. He looked up from his computer, and sat back in his chair. She placed his coffee down on the wooden desk top, and he leaned over his desk, staring down at her feet.
"Where are your shoes?" He asked, a wicked smirk on his face.
"My ankles were aching, so I took them off," She explained.
"Hm, I guess that's what that weird smell is," He leaned back in his chair, and Ally's mouth fell open, jackass!
"Excuse me-"
"Are you better now?" He asked, cutting her off.
"What?"
"After yesterday, you know when you looked like a drowned rat," He elaborated, and Ally gritted her teeth.
"I don't have time for this," She turned on her heel and walked towards the door.
"Miss Dawson!" He called out, and she turned to look at him, her hand resting on the door knob. "Whatever it was that had you so upset yesterday, I'm sure things will get better, things always do get better, take it from a guy whose had a lot of crap happen to him, and now look where I am."
Ally nodded her head, and walked out of his office. She shut the door behind her, and for some reason a smile grew on her face. She looked around the room, and pulled herself together. She returned to her desk, and sat down, taking a sip of her coffee. A smile still on her face.
Maybe he's right. Maybe things will get better.
...
"Mom! Please listen to me! Just come back!" Ally shouted down the phone, and she paced around her apartment.
"I'm sorry sweetie, I love him," Penny replied, and Ally gritted her teeth.
"You've known him for a month, and you met him online! THAT'S NOT LOVE!" Ally shrieked, anger pulsing through her veins.
"Honey, when you find it, you'll understand," Penny sighed, and Ally could tell she was shaking her head.
"Do you mean just like how you loved dad?" She cried. "You told me that dad was the love of your life, your soulmate, you can't be telling me that you don't love him anymore!?"
"Ally," She whispered. "Drop it."
"Do I mean nothing to you?"
"Ally-"
"I mean seriously, do I mean jack shit to you!? I'm paying off dad's debts, I'm paying off your debts, and I'm paying off mine! I've got a crap job as a personal assistant to a jackass billionaire, and the money I earn is gone in seconds, because I have to pay it to loan sharks! What kind of mom gives a loan shark their daughter's name, and then leaves for England!? If I don't give him money, he's going to kick my ass! I'm exhausted! My heating's broken, and it's like minus one degrees in here! And I haven't eaten in three days!"
The line went dead, and Ally brought the phone away from her ear, and stared at it blankly.
She wiped her tears away, and slipped her phone into her back pocket. She walked over to her kitchen counter, and took her few spare dollar bills. Ally grabbed her coat, and walked out of her house. Her neighbour was back to blasting his music through his speakers, and Ally could feel the stairwell vibrating as she walked down it.
She stepped outside into the downtown part of Miami. There were homeless people in alleyways, druggies sat on the apartment building steps. Broken and worn-down cars lined the curbs, and there was a loud buzz of noise.
Ally couldn't afford that much food, let alone a car. She had to walk everywhere, or take the bus. Ally's stomach grumbled, and she walked down the sidewalk. She dodged every person she passed, most of them drunk, even though the sun was just going down. She hated where she lived, just on the outskirts of the city. In the city there was high rise buildings, luxury apartments, the best lifestyle in the world.
I bet Austin Moon's having fun, sitting on his ass in his million dollar apartment, while his butler pours him and drink and serves him food.
Ally smirked to herself, and crossed the street. She could see the small, worn-down corner store. One of it's windows was covered in wood, as it had been smashed in by some younger kids messing around. Ally went to open the door, but she saw something bright out of the corner of her eye.
She glanced at the florist's across the street, and her dad sparked into her mind. Her dad used to own that shop, but it had been brought by someone else, and the money they had gotten for it had to be used to pay off debts, but it didn't make a lot of difference.
I want to go and see my dad...I guess I won't be eating again!
Ally crossed the street, and the lady outside was just packing the flowers up.
"Excuse me," Ally whispered, and the older woman turned around with a smile. "I know that your just packing up, but can I get these," Ally picked up the yellow flowers, her dad's favorite color, and she pulled the money from her back pocket, placing it in the woman's hands.
"Sure, have a great night," She waved Ally off, and Ally walked away. She sniffed the flowers, and a small smile came to her face. She had to walk further downtown to get to the graveyard, but it was worth the trip.
When she arrived, she navigated her way around all the headstones, until she saw the headstone, which said 'Lester Dawson. Beloved Husband and Father.' Ally sat down on the upturned ground, and placed the flowers against the engraved stone.
"Hi, daddy," Ally whispered. "I miss you," She reached out and brushed her fingers against his name. "I guess I'm all alone now...mom's gone...don't know if I'll ever see her again, I'm not sure if I want too. She clearly wants a new family, kids that are better off than me," Ally sighed. "Why does everything bad that happens to me, end up with me being alone...in a crappy apartment, with a disrespectful arsehole of a neighbour who keeps playing his stupid music really loud...I haven't slept properly in days, I haven't eaten in days...what I'd give for a burger and fries right now," Ally laughed. "Guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow."
Ally's face fell and she buried her face into her hands. A sob escaped her lips, and she began to cry into the palm of her hands.
"I hate you so much for leaving me here," She sobbed. "I don't know what to do..."
Her shoulders shook and her hands were shaking. She choked on her sobs, and she just felt her whole body going weak.
A hand landed on her shoulder.
She brought her head from her hands, and whipped her head around. Her eyes were ablaze with tears, her cheeks were tear stained, her bottom lip was red as she had been biting down on it to contain her sobs.
But the last thing Ally expected to see was Austin Moon standing there.
"Are you hungry?"
AN: Hi, can I just say a HUGE thank you to your guys response to the last chapter, and I hope this happens again for this one. For the reviewer who asked if the chapters could be longer, I'm going to say they will be varied, it's just I can get them out quicker when they aren't as long, because a lot of planning has to go into a longer chapter.
All your reviews made me smile, so I hope that you all liked this one. Most of the chapters will be from Ally's perspective, but there will be the odd one from Austin's, so you guys can get an insight on what he feels like :)
CookiesForMyTummy,x