Chapter 4: How He Helped Me.
The diner around them was buzzing with life. Ally's eyes were still bloodshot from her tears, but Ally didn't care right now. In front of her was a burger, and fries. She didn't even hesitate before tucking in, and she bet she looked like a savage, but she was so hungry.
Austin looked out of place here. It was a downtown diner, and he was dressed like a model out of an expensive catalogue. Wearing his suit, and black coat. His Emporio Armani watch, and his hair fixed perfectly. Whereas the other people in here were with their kids, half dressed, living on the bare minimum. There was even a woman in her pajamas.
Austin was sat opposite her, sipping his cup of coffee. Ally could feel his eyes burning into her, but she didn't look at him. She just ate. She grabbed her drink of coke, and slurped it through the straw.
"When was the last time you ate?" Austin spoke up from across the table.
"Three days ago," She spoke with a mouthful of food, not caring. It was bad enough that he had seen her in such a state in front of her dad's grave.
"Why?" He asked, and Ally swallowed the food in her mouth.
"I'm not privileged," She replied, dipping her fries in ketchup, then put them in her mouth.
"I'd say your jealous of me," He retorted with a smirk, satisfied with himself, and Ally rolled her eyes.
"Of course I am. After this you get to go home to your million dollar apartment, or house, whatever the hell you fancy, because I'm pretty sure you have about ten properties. Wheres, I have to go home to a crappy apartment, where the ceiling is falling apart, where my heating's broken, so I have to sleep under a thick blanket, but that isn't enough to keep me warm, because it's not actually that thick, and I can't afford a new one. My mattress is ripped to pieces, and the springs dig into my back, I might as well just sleep outside on the concrete. My hot water doesn't work, but I still have to go home and have a freezing cold shower, which feels like there are knives being constantly stabbed into me...so, yeah I'm jealous of you."
"Wow," He laughed. "You don't know me as well as you think you do."
"Huh?"
"I own twenty properties," He grinned, and Ally lifted up her hand and stuck up her middle finger. She picked up her burger, and took a bite out of it.
"I'll pay you back when I get the money," Ally said, and his smile fell.
"You don't have to pay me back, it's just a burger and fries," He responded, and Ally sighed.
"It may just be that to you, but it isn't to me...I can't even afford the food here, so I'll pay you back," She explained, then took another bite of her burger.
"I don't want you to pay me," He replied, and she groaned.
"I'm paying you back-Oh crap!" Ally glanced over at the entrance to the diner. Her eyes were wide, and Austin looked over his shoulder to see what she was looking at.
"Who's that?" Austin asked, looking back at her.
"L-Loan shark," She stammered, staring down at her food.
"You didn't just say what I thought you just said," He growled, and Ally felt fear flood her veins.
"M-My mom owes money, but she told him that I was her daughter, and that I'll pay off her debts, b-but my mom's gone away, and I didn't know she owed him $500,000."
The man walked over to their booth, and Ally looked up at him. "Ally Dawson, right?"
"Yeah," Ally sighed, and she looked at Austin's scowling face.
"I need you to come with me-"
"Can I talk to you," Austin got to his feet, and Ally stared at him in confusion.
"I'm busy," The man grunted back.
"Just come with me," Austin growled, and he left the diner and the man followed him. Ally sunk back into her seat. She finished off her burger, and chewed on the straw in her coke. She was nervous, pissed, and tired.
She was upset about her mom, but she was pissed that Austin had seen her crying like that at her dad's grave. I wonder why he was at the graveyard? He better not be stalking me! Ally yawned, and looked outside. Austin, and the man had disappeared from sight, and she felt herself growing worried. What if something happened to him?
Ally was slightly relieved though. That loan shark that came into the diner wasn't the main one she was worrying about. She knew her dad had, had a serious gambling problem, and he always thought he could win the money back, but he never did. She knew their was a loan shark, which her dad owed around $900,000 too. Every time someone knocked on her front door, she was terrified it was going to be him, and he was terrifying.
I'm going to end up getting killed.
Ally's phone began to vibrate in her back pocket. She pulled it out, and looked at the caller id, and saw it was Elliot.
"Hey, Elliot," She greeted, biting on her bottom lip.
"Hi, I was just calling to see how you are. I didn't see you today," He said, and Ally smiled.
"Yeah, Austin had me working really hard," She explained, and he laughed.
"Where are you now I was thinking I could bring you some food, and we could relax for a bit," He suggested, and Ally smiled at his kind gesture, but then sighed.
"I'm sorry, but I'm out at a diner right now," She replied.
"Oh-"
"But, how about we do it tomorrow night. You can come back to my apartment after work," Ally could sense him smiling down the phone, and she giggled.
"Sure, that sounds great. I'll see you tomorrow at work."
"Bye," Ally hung up, and she couldn't wipe the smile from her face. She slipped her phone back into her back pocket.
But, her smile soon faded, when Austin walked back in without the loan shark. He slid back into the booth, and took a sip of his coffee.
"Well?" She asked.
"Well, what?"
"What the hell did you say to him!" She snapped, frustrated.
"Don't worry about it. He won't be bothering you anymore," He replied, a smile on his face.
"What do you mean?" She spoke through gritted teeth, already having an idea of what he meant.
"I paid your debt off. It's fine, I'm just helping you out-"
"Helping me out!?" Ally shouted, and she got to her feet. "I just got angry at you, because you didn't want me to pay you back for the burger and fries...I can't believe you did this! I'M NOT A CHARITY CASE!" Ally took the plastic lid off her coke, and she threw the liquid at him. She stomped her foot on the ground, then stormed out of the diner.
...
Ally leaned back in her chair. There was a pretty woman sat on the leather couch in the waiting room, flipping through one of the magazine. She had an appointment to see Mr Moon. Ally knew she was rich. She had her designer bag and heels. A coat the looked like it cost a million dollars. Her hair was in perfect waves, and her skin was flawless.
Ally looked to her right where there was a mirror hanging on the wall. Her hair was down and curly, but they were messy curls. She had, had a cold shower and left her hair to dry naturally. She was wearing another blouse, which had an ink stain on, and she was wearing a pair of black trousers, which had loose pieces of thread sticking out of it. She sighed, and stared at the rucksack underneath her desk.
"Is he almost free," The lady spoke up, and Ally looked over at her.
"I'll just check-" The buzzer on her phone went and she pressed the button.
"Send her in," He grunted, and Ally smiled at the woman.
"He's ready for you," The woman got to her feet, and tottered off in her heels.
Ally frowned at the phone. Austin had been giving her a hard time all morning. Five times she has made him a cup of coffee, and five times he sent her back to make a new one. She gave up, and ignored his continuous calls for her to make him a coffee.
She understood that she might have been in the wrong last night, but the last thing she was, was a charity case. To him $500,000, may not be a lot, but to her it was, and she couldn't repay him that money.
The door that led to the workroom opened and Trish walked in. "Hi, Ally."
"Hi, how are you?" Ally asked.
"I'm fine. I thought you could use a coffee," She placed the mug down in front of her, and Ally smiled, taking a sip of it. "I hear Austin's been giving you a hard time."
"That's an understatement. He's acting like a child," Ally said. "It's ridiculous. He's ridiculous."
"His last personal assistant didn't last a week. You've got three days to go," Trish giggled, and Ally rolled her eyes.
"I need this job. I'm just going to have to put up with his childish manner," Ally blew her coffee, and the steam evaporated into the air.
"I hear you've got a date tonight," Trish raised an eyebrow at her, and Ally froze.
"I do?"
"You and Elliot?" Trish elaborated.
"Oh, right. Yeah, that's not a date," Ally said. "He's just coming around my apartment for pizza, and to relax."
"I think he likes you."
"I think your wrong," Ally retorted, and Trish laughed.
"I've got to get back to work. See you later," Ally mumbled a 'goodbye', and she took another sip of her coffee.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN!?" The woman's voice shrieked from Austin's office, then it was followed by something being smashed. Ally jumped, then placed her mug down on her desk. She slipped her heels back on, and walked over to the office door. She opened it up, only to be barged into by the woman.
"Watch it!" She shouted in her face, then stormed past her.
Ally looked over to see a glass was smashed on the floor. Austin was sat in his chair, rubbing his temple. Ally walked over to his desk, and crouched down where the glass had smashed. She began to place some of the shards into her hand, but someone's hand grabbed her wrist. She looked up to see Austin was crouched down in front of her.
"I'll do it," He mumbled, letting go of her wrist.
"No, it's fine," She replied, picking up another glass shard. "It's my job."
"No, cleaning isn't your job," Austin said, and Ally hissed as one of the glass shards cut her palm. Austin grabbed her wrist again, and tipped the glass shards into his hand. He walked over to the trash can by his desk, and dumped them in there. Ally got to her feet, and went to leave, but Austin walked over, and grabbed her wrist again. He pulled her closer to his desk, and pulled out a small first aid kit from one of his desk drawers.
"I'm fine," She whispered.
"I told you I'd do it," He muttered, and he tore open an antiseptic wipe with his teeth, then dabbed it on her hand. Ally flinched, and Austin rolled his eyes.
"Last night...I'm sorry for throwing my drink at you..."
"I probably deserved it," He said.
"Probably?"
"You were being kind of selfish."
"Selfish! Are you kidding me!" She snapped, pulling her wrist from his hand. "I wish I never saw you last night. I mean what were you doing there last night at the graveyard, were you following me!?"
"No," He growled.
"I just wanted to be left alone!" She shouted at him.
"Well, I'm sorry for being a nice person, and seeing if you were okay," He replied.
"A nice person!" She spat. "You are such a child! I hate this job, but there's not a lot I can do, because I need the money!"
"All you ever do is complain about money, and your life!" He snapped, and Ally crossed her arms across her chest.
"Hm," She grunted. "I'd love to see you live my life for a week. You wouldn't be able to do it."
"Are you challenging me?" He stepped closer to her, and Ally had to look up at him.
"Nope, because what I have to go through everyday, and what I have to deal with. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, not even someone like you," She growled, and a sickening smirk appeared on his face. They were both so close to each other. Ally could feel his breath on her face, but she didn't let it faze her.
"Someone like me?" His hissed deeply, and Ally narrowed her eyes at him.
"Yeah, someone like you," She whispered, never breaking eye contact with him.
"You think I don't go through crap everyday?" He questioned. "You don't know a single thing about me."
"Your right I don't," She replied, shrugging her shoulders. "What were you doing at the graveyard?"
His facial features tightened.
"I don't see how it's fair...you caught me in a private moment with my dad, then you find out about my debt problems-"
"Did you just say problems, as in plural. You owe other people more money!" He snapped at her, and Ally's eyes widened slightly as his face got closer to hers.
"That's none of your business," She growled, swallowing the lump in the back of her throat.
"Do you have some crack habit that I need to know about?"
"NO!" She shouted. "You wouldn't understand..."
"Try me."
"Sir, if your not going to tell me why you were at the graveyard, then I'm not telling you about my debt problems," She whispered, and took a step away from him. "I've got some files I need to sort out," Ally turned on her heel, and walked towards the door, but Austin cleared his throat.
"I was visiting my little sister."
"Oh."
"Mr Moon," The door opened, and in walked a man in a suit. "Oh, you must be Mr Moon's knew personal assistant, I'm Dallas," He held out his hand for her to shake, and Ally quickly shook it. She glanced at Austin, then quickly left the room.
He had a little sister...
...
He had a little sister.
He had a little sister...
Ally took a bite out of the slice of pizza, and stared blankly at the show playing on her small television. Elliot was sat next to her, laughing at the jokes, but Ally couldn't stop thinking about what Austin had said back in his office. Did he really want to help her with her debts so bad? To actually share with her something personal.
Ally glanced at Elliot out of the corner of her eye. When he had walked into her apartment, he hadn't even reacted to the state of the place. He had just sat down on her couch, and turned on the TV.
Ally smiled, and tried to focus on the show, but she was still struggling.
"Did you and Austin have an argument today?" Elliot asked, looking away from the TV.
"Yeah, he was just acting like a child," Ally replied.
"I'm surprised he still let's you talk to him like that. I remember some girl who used to work for him, lost her temper and screamed at him, so he fired her in front of everyone," He explained. "He must like you..."
"I doubt it."
"I'm sure he likes you."
"I don't really want to talk about work anymore, it just reminds me I have to be there tomorrow."
"Okay, sure. Tell me a bit about yourself," Elliot replied with a smirk.
"There's not a lot to say," Ally admitted.
"C'mon, I'm sure there is," He responded, and Ally shook her head, laughing. "C'mon," He poked her arm, and she laughed some more. He started to poke her side, and she giggled.
"Stop!"
"Just tell me about yourself," He leaned in closer to her, and she rolled her eyes.
"There's not a lot to say," She breathed out, and she watched Elliot's eyes glance down at her lips. Ally swallowed the lump in the back of her throat, and she looked into his eyes. Elliot began to move in towards her lips, but Ally didn't move. His mouth was just about to touch hers, when the shrill sound of her phone ringing brought them out of their trance. Ally reached out and grabbed her phone from the small table by her couch.
"Hello?" She spoke, flustered, but she was met by heavy breathing down the phone. "Hello? Who is this?" She gave up and hung up the phone. "Must be a wrong number."
"I need to get going," Elliot said, flashing her a smile. "I had fun. I'll see you tomorrow," He grabbed his coat from the back of the couch, and left her apartment.
"Shit," Ally muttered to herself.
Things are going to be so awkward now.
Ally turned off her TV, and grabbed the pizza box. She left it on the kitchen counter, and walked into her bedroom. She slipped off her work clothes, and slipped on her shorts, and oversized shirt. A yawn escaped her lips, and she stretched out her arms.
Hopefully I'll be able to get a decent night of sleep. Just as long as my stupid neighbour doesn't start-
Music started blasting from next door, and Ally screamed, thrashing around in her bed. She grabbed her pillow and threw it across her bedroom.
"Just for one night, would you KNOCK IT OFF!" She banged on the wall, but she knew he wouldn't hear it.
RING RING RING
Ally sighed, and she got off her bed, and walked out to where her phone was by the couch. She picked it up and held it to her ear.
"Hello?"
"You're gonna' die bitch," Ally's eyes widened, and she felt fear wash over her.
"Who is this?"
"Die bitch!"
"Who the hell is this!?" She screamed.
"You better lock your door!" Their voice was husky, and rough. Ally dropped her phone, and she ran over to the front door. She grabbed the key from the hook, and quickly locked the door.
Ally stared at the wooden door, then she turned around, and stared at her phone. She walked over, and picked her phone up, holding it back to her ear. She heard the person's husky laugh down the phone, and she quickly hung up.
Ally gulped. Her stomach felt like it was full of lead. Her whole body was shaking. She slowly walked over to the window, and closed her curtains. The loud music was blasting through her ear drums, and she looked around her apartment.
She needed to call someone. She was scared. The last thing she was going to be able to do now, was sleep. She grabbed her phone, and opened up her contacts page. She could call Elliot, but it was too awkward after what just happened. She saw the name 'work', and she sighed.
It's worth a try.
Ally held the phone to her ear, and she listened to it ring.
"Hello?" A squeaky voice answered. "Moon's Enterprise how may I help you."
"Is Austin Moon available?" Ally asked.
"Sure, I'll forward you on," Music began to play down the phone, and Ally felt nervous. She stared at her front door, scared it was going fling open, and someone was going to run in and kill her.
"Hello?" A tired voice answered.
"Sir?"
"Ally?"
"I-I...I'm scared," She whispered.
"Ally, where are you?" He asked, seriousness flooding his tone.
"In my apartment," She whimpered. "S-Someone keeps ringing me and said I-I was going to die, and that I-I should lock my door."
"Okay," He hung up, and Ally stared at her phone blankly. She couldn't get rid of the lump in the back of her throat.
A sparking sound filled her ears, then a clicking sound. Then the lights blew out.
Ally screamed, and she stumbled backwards.
A power cut?
The music was no longer giving her a headache. Ally sighed, and she reached around in the darkness, until her fingers brushed against her table. She sat down in one of the chairs, and buried her face into her hands.
If the jackass next door blew the fuses in the whole building, again! I'm going to kill him!
Ally's leg was shaking under the table, and she felt a shiver run down her spine. She felt sick, and she squinted at the front door, through the darkness.
She waited for the lights to come back on. She waited, and she waited, for what seemed like hours.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Ally's body went ridged, and she got to her feet. Someone was at the door.
"Go away!" Ally shouted.
"Ally, open the door!" Austin snapped from the other side.
"How the hell do you know where I live!" She snapped back.
"Does that really matter right now!" Ally walked over and she unlocked the door. She opened it an inch, and looked through the gap to see Austin standing there. He pushed open the door, and she stumbled backwards. "Why's it so dark?"
"Power cut," She mumbled.
"Do you not have a torch?" He asked.
"No, I have some candles-"
The power flickered back on. Ally sighed in relief, and she looked back at Austin. He was looking around at her apartment, and she could see the disgust on his face.
"I already know this place is crap," She grumbled, and she sat down on the couch.
"I didn't say anything," He held up his hands in defense, but he continued to look around, then he joined her on the couch. "What happened?"
The music started to play loudly, again. Ally sighed massaging the side of her head.
"Why is he playing it so loud?" Austin asked, annoyed.
"He does it almost every night," Ally replied, and Austin got to his feet, then walked out the door. "Hey!" She called after him.
She heard Austin bang on her neighbour's door, and she cringed. Her neighbour wasn't a friendly person. She had stormed around to his door before, and told him to turn it down, then he'd threatened to punch her in the face.
"Turn it down!" She heard Austin shout, and her neighbour laughed in response. Then it fell silent.
CRASH!
Ally jumped to her feet, and she raced out the door. She ran to her neighbours door, and saw her neighbour knocked out cold on the floor, and Austin was using a bat to smash up his speakers.
"Austin!" She ran over, and grabbed his wrist before he could damage the speakers anymore. "What the hell are you doing?"
"You said he does it every night, and you don't get any sleep-"
"I know that, but you've just made it ten times worse!" She snapped, and snatched the bat from his hand. She tossed it on the floor, and she walked back into her apartment.
"I was helping you out," He said, shutting the door behind him.
"I don't need your help!"
"You asked me to come and help you!"
"I know..." She whispered, and her phone lit up on the table. She walked over, and looked at the message.
Tell Mr Austin Moon, that I said hi.
Ally turned to look at Austin, and she threw him the phone. He caught it, then read the message. Ally ran past him, and scrambled for her key, and locked the door.
"I'm scared," She whispered, resting her forehead against the door. She felt Austin's hand on her shoulder, and she turned around.
"Go and get some sleep. I'll stay on the couch."
AN: Hello! Thank you all so much for your reviews for the last chapter. I hope you guys review this chapter too, so what do you think? I hope you all understand the way Ally responded to Austin paying off her debt, because I know if someone did that to me I'd scream at them :) Next chapter will be more exciting as a new girl gets a job at Moon Enterprise...and we might just get to see a jealous Ally, and a very jealous Austin when he see's her with Elliot :)
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