AUSTIN
"Where are we going, Brit?" Austin asked in a bored whisper. He wanted to be with Teri not with Britney the attention seeker!
"It's a surprise for the guy who won us the game!" Britney giggled highly.
She had pulled Austin through the restaurant and back outside. She pushed him up against the window and braced her hand on either side of him.
What the heck?!
"Brit? What the hell are you doing?!" Austin asked hesitantly.
"Giving you your surprise," Britney purred seductively.
Austin turned his head slightly to look into the restaurant. His friends were watching him amusement on their faces. His eyes then focused on Teri staring at him in disbelief. Dave was sitting next to her, his arm draped over the back of her chair.
Austin gently pushed Britney away and sidestepped her. "I'm really hungry...I, umm, am going to go eat now," he stammered turning tail and jogging back into the restaurant.
Austin took the chair opposite Teri and smiled at her before tucking in to the burger in front of him.
"Could I start the interview? It's getting quite late-" Teri murmured but was cut off by Adrian.
"Fine! You are so pushy! But fine! Go ahead. What do you want to know?"
"Wait! Before that! Aust, I need a ride home, care to oblige?" Joseph asked from across the table. Austin nodded automatically shoving a fry into his mouth.
"Me too!" Britney declared.
Teri could have sworn she saw Austin shudder slightly, but he nodded his head anyway.
"How about you, Teri? Need a ride home?" Austin asked suddenly.
TERI
Teri was torn.
She really wanted to go with Austin and keep an eye on Britney, but she wasn't really that thrilled at the thought of being stuck in the back of his car again.
Her breath caught at the mere thought of it.
She must have hesitated too long, for Austin's shoulders drooped and he looked slightly disappointed.
"Yes I'd like a ride please," she said with a small smile.
"Oh gag me," Britney said, rolling her eyes. "Don't give him the cute act you little twerp he won't fall for it."
Teri gave her sweetest smile, and she was glad to see it enraged Britney even more.
"Then it's settled then," Austin said with his smile back in place. Teri felt butterflies in her tummy when she saw that smile again.
"What about me?" Dave asked, with his mouth stiffed half full with burger. "I need a ride home too!"
"You could ride with me," Adrian offered, thumping Dave on the back. Dave looked rather nervous to be in a car with 4 older guys, but Adrian whispered something in his ear which and he nodded in agreement.
Teri had a suspicion it had something to do with herself and Austin, and sure enough, Dave and Adrian both glanced as one towards her.
"Well don't just sit around yapping," Bruce said, "don't you guys have an interview?"
Teri mentally slapped herself as she suddenly remembered why they were there in the first place. Taking out her pen and notepad, she faced the large group of boys before her and began her interview.
AUSTIN
By the time the guys had finished eating and the interview was wrapped up it was nearly midnight.
Teri was supposed to be home 2 hours ago! And worse than that was that she had forgotten her hand phone. She left it in her dad's car when he had dropped her off.
Austin stretched and yawned slightly, his eyes glazed. "Can we call it a night guys? School starts in eight hours. And by the time I send everyone home it'll be 1 easily," he murmured, his voice slightly slurred.
The others nodded, all looking pretty much as tired as Austin did.
Austin jogged ahead and held the door open for everyone, the gang trailed out, all yawning and dragging their feet.
Austin walked close beside Teri and whispered, "call shotgun," in her ear.
It took Teri a couple of seconds to get over the feeling of Austin's hot breath on her neck but she regained her sense.
"Shotgun!" Teri yelled loud enough for Britney to hear. Britney turned around to glower at her.
Austin couldn't hide his smirk as he held the door open for the petite little reporter. She climbed in tiredly and he closed the door for her before jogging over to the driver's seat.
Britney, Joseph and Bruce got into the back seat. Britney and Bruce lived nearby, so Austin dropped them off first. Britney gave Austin a surprise hug from the backseat, kissing his cheek. His cheeks burnt red and he dropped his gaze. The moment the door was closed he gunned the engine. Next he dropped Bruce off.
Finally it was only Austin and Teri in the car. You know how sometimes when you're in the car with someone in the middle of the night, it feels like you are the only people in the world? Austin felt that way.
"So...Dave, huh?" Austin finally murmured, keeping his gaze locked on the road in front of him.
"What about Dave?" Teri asked confusedly.
"Nothing. You guys just seem pretty close. I'm glad you found a good friend," Austin continued.
Teri smiled and continued staring out her window. Austin felt light headed and joyous that Teri didn't say they were more than friends.
Just then the steering of the car got heavier. Austin cussed under his breath as he pulled the car over.
"Geez, I'm really sorry, Teri! This stupid piece of crap usually works fine! I'm going to have to get a new car," he prattled on.
Teri just gave a weak smile and tried not to say 'I knew this was a death trap!'
Austin climbed out of the car and went round to the back. "It's just a flat! I'll have it fixed in a moment!" he called back a second later.
Teri nodded but her mind was far from the little flat tire. She was alone with Austin! After almost a week!
TERI
There was no one around. They were stranded in the middle of a quaint looking neighborhood, the houses looked peaceful as the people inside snored in happy slumber.
Teri couldn't help but watch, fascinated by how Austin's muscles worked and flexed as he changed the flat tyre of his car.
A small part of her wanted him to complain that it was too hot, and take off his shirt. She blushed and looked away quickly, surprised by her daring thoughts.
But she soon found herself looking again, her thoughts racing toward the one glimpse she had seen of him earlier that night. She moaned quietly to herself, hating herself for wanting to see it again.
"Would you mind giving me a hand?" he asked suddenly, causing Teri to glance at him in surprise. She nodded when she caught on, and got out of the car to help.
"You know how this works right?" he asked her, holding up the car jack.
"Yeah... I helped my dad change his tyres before," she said, as he shoved the jack under the car.
"Good, so you can get cranking, and I'll remove the tyre when it gets high enough," he said, unnecessarily. She suspected hr just wanted to keep them talking to avoid any awkwardness.
She didn't mind though. She hated awkward silences. As she cranked the car jack, she started humming to herself.
Austin chuckled and hummed along with her, the familiar tune not lost to him. Teri giggled nervously when she heard him, and the words left her mouth before she could stop herself.
"Britney's a total bitch you shouldn't get together with her!" except she said it rather fast so it sounded more like, "Britkneesatotelbetchooshoodntgutogathrwifer!"
Austin looked a little confused, trying to understand what she had said.
After a short moment, it finally dawned on him. Was Teri jealous of Britney? He opened his mouth to tell her he felt nothing for Britney, that the only person he was interested in was her.
He stopped himself, looking like an idiot with his mouth hanging open. Teri gulped and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that... I was just... Well.. I thought..."
She started to stutter, her words making no sense as she struggled to fix the damage.
Austin watched, bemused, as Teri muttered and cursed herself every few moments, before he decided to take a big step.
"Do you like me Teri?"
Teri's stuttering ceased, and she looked as if she were about to pass out. Her face turned pale, and her eyes went wide. She looked rather like a goldfish, with her face turning red and her mouth opening and closing wordlessly.
AUSTIN
"Britkneesatotelbetchooshoodntgutogathrwifer!" Teri suddenly stuttered.
It took Austin a few moment to decipher her message. Britney's a total bitch, you shouldn't get together with her! That's what she said!
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that... I was just... Well.. I thought..." Teri continued, her face horrified.
Couldn't Teri tell he had no feelings for Britney? Wasn't it obvious? But why would Teri even care? Unless...
"Do you like me Teri?" Austin murmured, his eyes fixed on her.
Austin watched as Teri's face paled. Her pretty green eyes widened...was it with fear or repulsion? Her perfect little lips were parted.
"I'm sorry, Teri. I shouldn't have said that," Austin mumbled, ducking down to help her with the jack.
"I can do that," Teri protested meekly.
"No...it's okay. Why don't you go sit in the car?" Austin suggested, his eyes fixed on the flat tyre.
Teri conceded and quickly sat down in the car, kicking herself internally for disappointing Austin.
She could hear Austin quietly murmuring to himself, cursing quietly.
Her hands were trembling slightly, so she tucked them under her thighs.
Finally, almost what seemed like a decade later, Austin walked back into the car. His face was serious and distant. His usually friendly face looked withdrawn.
He started his engine and he drove relatively slowly back to Teri's place. They sat in an awkward silence when Austin pulled up at the curb.
A light from inside her house flicked on and a stern looking man walked purposefully towards the car.