Dinners & Concerts

Austin's POV:

All it took was that last bell at 2:30 and all the students at Marino High School were running and pushing their way out for winter break. For once, I was in one of the classes closest to the doors. I was just about to push my way through the football team to get outside, when I saw Ally struggling with her books.

I weaved through all the excited teenagers, and ended up being pushed and heavily elbowed, but it didn't matter. I leaned down and picked up Ally's books for her and put them on the bench while I collected all of her scattered pencils and pens that fell out of her pencil case.

She had just finished zipping the front pocket of her backpack before looking up at me and smiling. That sweet, perfect smile that would always cheer me up no matter what.

She took her pencil case and her songbook and put them in her backpack, put both straps over her shoulders, and held out her hands for the books I had been holding for her.

"I'll hold them for you." I offered.

"Thanks, Austin." She says sweetly to me. I smile at her, and we walk out the front doors together.

"You're going to Sonic Boom, right?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Even when everyone else is on break, I still have to work at the store." She says with a heavy sigh.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. I'll work with you at the store. I'd be bored out of my mind if you left." I tell her.

Even though she's looking down at her feet, I can see a slight smile form across her face. We walk the rest of the way in silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was just….comfortable. We were on vacation, after all.

When we get to the store, I balance her books on one hand and open the door for her on the other. She blushes a little while she gives me a quiet "Thank you" and I set her books down on the counter. I take out my phone and shut off all of my alarms. I watch Ally set up the store and put her metal name tag on the top of her pink and blue tank top. I look at my contacts and begin to text my mom.

"Who are you texting?" Ally asks.

"Just my mom." I say, showing her my phone so she wouldn't think I was texting a girl. I haven't texted any girls besides Ally, Trish, and family in a long time. I'm not really sure why. My mom responded to my text, and I grinned.

"Hey Ally, are you and your dad going anywhere on Christmas?" I asked. Ally shook her head.

"Nope. Just me and my dad this year, my family is taking a trip to like Colorado or something this year, and my dad is too cheap to pay for the airplane tickets. Why?" she says.

"Well, I was wondering if you guys would maybe want to have dinner with me and my family on Christmas? It's okay with my mom." I tell her.

I can see her eyes light up at the idea.

"Austin, that would be great!" she exclaims in her high-pitched excited voice. She runs around the counter and hugs me, and I hug back happily.

"Let me go check with my dad." She says and runs upstairs. I can see their shadows, and I see Ally throw her arms up in the air, hug her dad, and then run downstairs.

"We can come!" she says excitedly.

"Awesome! I can't wait!" I exclaim.

Ally's attention goes to the cash register, straightening out all the bills and coins, while I just wait to do something. I look towards the entrance of Sonic Boom once I hear heavy footsteps coming in the store.

A man in all black enters Sonic Boom, and I can't help but automatically be suspicious. He was hiding his face under sunglasses, after all. I grab Ally's arm and gently push her behind me, so that she's hidden from the man.

"Welcome to Sonic Boom, sir. May I help you?" I ask him in a fake deep voice. My head was down, and my hair flopped in front of my face so that the man wouldn't be able to see me.

I had a tight grasp on Ally's arm so she wouldn't move and so she would stay hidden behind me. I could feel her racing heartbeat through my fingers, and I knew she had no idea what was going on. Two big men in black suits, sunglasses, and earpieces walked in behind him.

"Yes, word on the street is that Austin Moon hangs out here." One of the men in the suits say. I freeze, and start getting nervous, and I nearly choke on my words.

"O-okay, and what do you want with Austin?" I asked, my voice cracking. The man that came in first took off his hood and sunglasses, revealing his face.

"Sorry if I scared you, little man. In case you don't know who I am, I'm Jay Tredger, international pop and hip hop star. I have a concert coming up in New York City that I won't be able to make. It's on December 29th, and I need someone to perform there for me. My son is a huge fan of Austin's, so, I wanted to ask him to fill in for me." Jay explains.

My grip on Ally loosens, and I look down at her, and all she's doing is smiling.

"Go for it." She says. I come around the counter and shake hands with Jay.

"It's nice to meet you, Jay. And this offer is absolutely amazing…. I can't believe you're giving this to me. Not that I'm complaining or anything. I'd be happy to go, but would I be allowed to bring family with me?" I ask. Jay nods.

"Of course. It's the holidays after all." He says. He hands me a packet of paper. "This is all the information you need for the concert. Everything from directions, to phone numbers, to general information, etc. I'll see you later, Austin." Jay says, and then leaves with the men, who I figured were his body guards.

I'm still standing there in shock, I had just landed my first big gig, one that could get my name out all over the country, and I could gain thousands of new fans.

I turn around, hoping to see Ally smiling, but she's playing with the cash register instead, clearly upset.

"Hey, are you okay?" I ask her, coming around the counter to stand next to her.

She shrugs. "I'm fine. I'm just going to be lonely when you leave." She says.

"What do you mean?"

"You asked to only bring family…. So that means I'm going to be here, at the store…" she says, fiddling with the pocket of her white skinny jeans.

I look at her and don't say a word until she looks up at me and our eyes meet, but hers are filled with hurt of the idea that I wasn't bringing her.

"I meant what I said, Ally. I will only be bringing family. But that means you're coming, if it's okay with your dad. Ally, you're the best friend I've ever had. In my eyes, you are part of my family. And I never leave family behind for anything." I tell her, searching her eyes for some sort of emotion that wasn't sadness. She blushes and grins and hugs me.

"That's amazing Austin. I feel the same way." She says while her face is against my chest. I wrap my arms around her and put my face into her soft hair. Our hug was a little bit longer than usual, and I pulled her in closer towards the end. We eventually pulled away when we heard footsteps from someone about to come into Sonic Boom. It was Dez and Trish.

"Guess who doesn't have a job because it's vacation?" Trish said. I smiled.

"Hey Austin, did you hear that Jay Tredger isn't going to make it to his concert in New York?" Dez asked.

"Yeah, I did. But, you guys will all be going to that concert. I'm filling in for him!" I tell them, the excitement bubbling up inside of me again.

"Austin, that's amazing! This could get you thousands of new fans!" Trish exclaims.

"I know! The concert is on December 29th, and we'll all be able to go." I tell them. "I'll text everyone the details later. And just to warn you two, Jay always dresses in sunglasses and a black hoodie and has two body guards, so don't be scared if you see them walking around." Dez and Trish nod and wander around the store.

I help Ally with all of the customers in a rush to get their family and friends last minute gifts. At Ally's break, we all go up to the practice room while Mr. Dawson watches the store.

"So Ally, is your mom celebrating Christmas in Africa again this year?" Trish asks.

Ally nods. "Yeah, she's volunteering to help get all of the families' food for Christmas." She explains. My phone vibrates, and I read my mom's text: 'Come home now, I need to tell you something.' I put the phone back in my pocket.

"I have to go, my mom wants me home right now, I'm not really sure why. I'll see you guys later, it should only take a second." I tell everyone and walk out the door, leaving my 3 confused friends behind.

Authors Note: Well, there's the first chapter of my new fanfic! Sorry if this chapter is all over the place, but it'll make sense in the near future ;) I've actually already written a rough draft of most of the story, but I'm still changing it a lot as I go, so feel free to review, and I'm always open to suggestions! This fanfic is actually my mash up of two ideas I've had for a very long time, so I'm just hoping it doesn't suck. However, let's all keep in mind that this is my first fanfic, shall we? Alright guys, I'll see you at the next chapter!