Remember when I said I'd start up a sequel? Well, I may or may not continue this, depending on what you readers think about it. It'll possibly be more serious and angsty in tone than its predecessor. Some more focus on Trish and Dez's relationship, too. Nothing is certain right now, just let me know what you all think!

"Trish – what is this?" the chestnut-haired girl looks to her friend as her hand holds out a piece of paper that she had procured from the waste bin. The crumpled paper, still legible, had opened up to reveal formal, typed letter – with a letterhead bearing the logo of the University of California: Los Angeles.

The shorter girl looks up from her freshly-painted nails, her smile diminishing as she realizes what her best friend had just discovered in her bin. "Ally, why are you looking through my trash?"

"I accidentally dropped my earring in and – hey, don't change the subject!" She makes her way over to Trish, hopping up beside her on her bed. "Trish, you applied to UCLA?"

"Well, yeah, but –" the dark-haired girl starts.

"–You got accepted! And by the looks of this…" Ally continues, re-reading the letter, once again. "You got a full ride for the music industry program. Why would you throw this away?"

"Well, I was planning on recycling it, Ally, don't worry," Trish replies, trying to brush away the conversation as quickly as possible. This is clearly not something she wants to discuss.

"You know that isn't what I meant, Trish," Ally rests her hand gently on her friend's shoulder. "Why would you throw away an opportunity like this? Please don't tell me this is about the team breaking up…You know that won't happen, no matter what."

"Ally, you gave up MUNY for us, remember? You said you were living the dream already, and I happen to be part of that, too…" Trish explains, blowing at her damp fingernails.

"Well, then why did you even send in an application? I didn't send one to MUNY, you guys did that for me, remember? This…You sent this application, Trish. You want to go to UCLA," Ally states, in an almost accusatory tone.

"I just wanted to see if I was good enough, Ally, that's all. I just wanted to know that I could if I wanted to," Trish continues to explain, unable to hold any sort of eye contact with her best friend at this point.

"Trish, you're my best friend," Ally takes Trish by the chin, turning her head around so that they could be face-to-face. "Don't lie to me. You want to go."

"I-I…I can't," Trish chokes out, suddenly sounding broken. She had done a pretty good job of appearing nonchalant up until this point. The truth had fought its way out, however. "I can't just leave you guys…I'm part of Team Austin and Ally. And even Dez needs me to help him out with his films and-"

"Trish, I never thought the day would come that I'd have to say this, but…You need to be more selfish," Ally states, her words coming off as more of a command than a request. Trish bites her lip.

"Four years, Ally…I'll be at the other side of the country, away from you guys, for four years," Trish pulls her head away from Ally's grasp on her chin, continuing to stare down at her hands. Her nail polish had dried at this point.

"Who said we can't keep in touch? We can face-chat everyday via MyTab – it'll be like you never left. Things don't have to change entirely, Trish…Only if you let it happen," Ally adds, her tone softening up, seeing how distraught her friend had become.

"Maybe I should talk to Austin and Dez before I decide any –"

"–No, Trish. This is your decision to make," Ally stops her. "You've helped me make tough decisions for my future in the past. Now I'm helping you. Go for it, if that's what you truly want. You have to think about your future here, Trish…"

All is silent for a few minutes, Trish continuing to state down at her nails, as Ally watches her, in concern. Trish had always been there for her and Austin's careers. She had even taken Dez on as a third client, helping him out with his film career path. Ally knows how overwhelmed Trish had become recently, even having to quit her job at Shredder's beach club, due to stress. She had never seen Trish work so hard in the past. It was as if she had spent a good amount of her younger years just relaxing and letting herself be happy, in preparation for all that she will have to struggle through for rest of her life.

They never had the time to hang out anymore, this one occasion being one of the few times they were even able to hang out casually for a little while. Trish places their needs before her own, something that certainly made her grow up in a way, but also worries Ally greatly. She is at a point where she is over-doing it. Ally has known for a while that Trish desires formal training, as it is very difficult learning the trade on your own.

So why would she give up such an opportunity? Ally wonders.

"Let's go meet the guys and get something to eat," Trish offers, breaking the intense silence. Ally simply nods, and grabs her bag.

"And then, Austin just walked right into a pole – hah!" Dez laughs out, finishing up his little anecdote. Austin shoves his best friend, playfully. Ally and Trish join Dez in laughter. The group had gathered at Mini's to hang out, like old times.

"Dude! It wasn't my fault, light got reflected into my eye somehow," Austin tries explaining himself.

"Yeah, yeah, keeping telling yourself that, buddy," Dez pats his blonde friend on the back, giving him a condescending smile.

"So…Guys, Trish has some big news," Ally says, changing the subject. The boys turn to Trish, awaiting the news.

"Uhm…Well," Trish eyes Ally, glaring a little. "N-Nothing's official yet, but…"

"You're getting a pet ostrich?!" Dez cries out. "That is so cool, Trish! Y'know I had a pet ostrich once –"

"–No, you doof! That's not what I was gonna sa–" Trish cuts him off, only to have herself be stopped by Austin.

"–You booked me to play for the Queen of England?!" he exclaims. He reaches over to hug Trish. "You're the best manager ever!" he releases her, then high-fives Dez. "Woo! Does this mean I have to sing in a British accent or…?" Ally shakes her head at her boyfriend's silliness.

"That's not the news either, Austin," Ally explains. Austin pouts, shoulders drooping.

"Aw, man," he mutters. He suddenly perks up again, "So…What is the big news, Trish?"

"I'll tell you when you two doofs stop trying to guess," Trish glares at the two childlike boys. They smile back at her, innocently.

"I…" Trish looks to Ally, for support. Ally smiles, gesturing with her hands, telling Trish to go on. "Well, I…Got accepted into UCLA." The boys' smiles drop into awestruck countenances, mouth agape.

"Wow…Trish, that's awesome!" Austin cheers, after gathering his thoughts. He reaches over to give his manager, and friend, yet another hug. "Congratulations!" He pulls away, and Ally smiles at him, glad his response had been a positive one. Dez, on the other hand, doesn't speak up.

"Yeah, I got a letter of acceptance…" she holds up the crinkled paper. "A full ride into the music industry program. But…I wasn't sure if I wanted to go. I wouldn't abandon you guys…" Austin shakes his head, then puts his hand down on hers, resting on the table.

"Trish, you should go for it. You've always been there, helping us all with our dreams. It's time you go achieve yours," Austin adds, gripping her hands. Trish smiles, feeling much better about the whole ordeal. "And you won't lose us either, right Ally?" He turns to the chestnut-haired girl.

"Of course not, we'll talk to you every day over face-chat, like I said," Ally nods. Austin releases Trish's hand, then turns to Dez, who had been silent the whole time. Trish raises a brow at the red-head.

"Well?" she asks him, wanting it to come across as more of an order, but ending up being much softer in tone. "What? Not happy for me, Freckles?" she asks, her tone of voice, again, sounding weaker than what she had wanted. Dez looks away for a moment, then shifts his gaze straight at her.

He opens his mouth to say something, but his words get caught in his throat. Instead, he lets out a steady breath and decides that a look would get his message across well enough. He stares at her for a few moments, with tightened lips and slightly glazed-over eyes. You know why I'm upset, Trish, he cries out in his mind, hoping that somehow she could hear his thoughts. He gets up from the table, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"I'll see you guys later," he says, looking between Austin and Ally. He gives one last glare to Trish, then takes his leave. Trish watches him go, until he disappears into the crowd.

"I knew he was gonna be like this," Trish shouts out, shaking her head. "Why does he have to be so…Ugh!" She buries her face into her hands. "He keeps trying to make me feel guilty. He needs to stop!" Austin puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. Trish looks up from her hands at her blonde friend.

"I'll go talk to him, Trish," he comforts her, then hops up from his seat. He leans down to give Ally a quick kiss goodbye. "I'll see you guys later," he says as a starts walking away, to track down his freckled friend.

"Trish…" Ally tilts her head at her best friend. "Does Dez have anything to do with you wanting to stay?"

"Ally, I just don't want him to hate me. He's been making me feel guilty, y'know? With all that 'friendzone' crap," Trish growls. "I swear, I should smack him more than I usually do, but I've been trying to control myself."

"He actually said you friend-zoned him?" Ally raises a brow. "Trish, you know you shouldn't take that. He can't try to guilt you into–"

"–No, no…He didn't actually say that. I just…I think he got the wrong vibe from me," Trish shakes her head. Ally shrugs, looking down at the table.

"Well, you did kiss him a couple months ago," she adds.

"Ally, that wasn't–" Trish starts.

"–I know, I know. It was for revenge, or whatever you want to call it. You should have thought that through, though. Kissing him as revenge for kissing you would likely make a person think that you have feelings for them," Ally explains, smirking a little. "Do you?"

"Ally, I just…I've been so busy lately. I don't have time for a boyfriend right now…And this is Dez we're talking about here. You know how we are. I'm positive that this'll bring about a whole lotta arguments and drama that I just can't deal with right now." Trish takes a deep breath, then continues, "Plus, I don't know if I really feel that way about him. The idea's still really strange to me."

"So…You think four years away at college may give you both time to think?" Ally asks, pondering over Trish's words. Certainly, in the past, she figured that if Trish and Dez ever started actually dating, it would be quite strange. She figured they'd be happy, all the same. Perhaps not, though? They do argue over the smallest things, at times. However, there is not a single doubt in her mind that they care for each other.

"I don't know…Maybe? I feel kind of trapped being here with him, Ally. It's like I can't even look at another guy without feeling guilty, y'know? And we're not even together. Why do I feel like I'm his girlfriend when I'm not?" she exhales sharply. "He doesn't even say anything to me about it. He just gives me that dejected look, then walks away. And I end up feeling bad."

"You shouldn't, Trish. Don't let his feelings control what you want," Ally reaches over and hugs her friend. "But I do think you might have feelings for him," she says into Trish's hair. The two girls part in their hug. Trish stands up from her seat, looking down at Ally.

"I honestly don't know, Ally. And if he really cared about me, then he'd be happy for me, right?" Ally frowns, as her friend had made a very good point. Trish lets out a heavy sigh. "Anyway...I need to get going. Gotta talk to my parents about this UCLA thing. I'll see you later, Als." With that, Trish turns around and heads homeward.

Well, that was the first chapter! Let me know what y'all think! Should I continue this?

–AJ