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Sweet Sixteen

I can't believe my eyes, you're just a teenage dream

Happy birthday sweet sixteen

- Neil Sedaka

Today was finally the day she had been waiting for. Today Gabriella Rosalie Montez would turn sixteen - sweet sixteen. She had counted the months, weeks, days and hours and finally the sweet brunette was sixteen.

She supposed it was nothing special in reality – I mean it's not like anything changed. She still couldn't vote or gamble and most things were still illegal but something about being sixteen was liberating, it felt good. The only thing that was remotely different was that she had been alive for another year but this didn't matter as today Gabriella was finally sixteen and if nothing else, she would have a kick ass party tonight. Nothing would ruin today, nothing.

Climbing out of her queen size bed and wandering to the bathroom, Gabriella smiled widely as she thought of all the gifts she would receive at her party tonight. The mystery of what gifts people would get her sent a giddy feeling coursing through her petite body. Of course, she already knew what her parents had got for her – a car.

It was a rather extravagant gift for such a young girl and you'd assume that she was a spoilt princess but this wasn't the case. Sure, both of her parents had good jobs but they didn't quite earn enough to be considered rich like the Evans family but nor were they poor. The car had many practical uses and was not simply a trophy for a spoilt kid. Far from it. Of course the fact that she was an only child and her father adored his 'little girl' almost granted her a car either way but Gabriella knew she was a responsible young adult and would never take anything her parents did for her, for granted.


Walking downstairs, Gabriella was greeted with banners and balloons all labelled with 'sixteen' or 'sweet sixteen' stuck to walls and doors and placed in windows for all to see. She giggled at her parent's gesture before making her way to the kitchen to greet them.

Taking a seat at the cherry wood, black marble topped counter she grinned. "Hey Mom, Hey Dad"

Robert Montez, who had neglected to hear his daughters' entrance from behind his newspaper, was startled for a second before placing his newspaper on the table, getting up and kissing the top of his daughters head. "Good morning princess and happy birthday. I can't believe my little baby is already sixteen!"

"Dad" Gabriella whined in response. "Don't go all soppy on me. I'm grown up now"

Robert Montez merely laughed at his daughter while Anna Montez placed a plate of waffles with syrup in front of her daughter "Yes, Robert, don't go all soppy, that's the mothers job" The middle aged woman winked at her husband as she took a seat opposite her daughter.

Gabriella groaned and placed her head in her hands "Not you either Mom. No soppy behaviour, not day. You best not even plan on embarrassing me tonight!"

Before a reply could be given, a horn honking could be heard outside and Robert Montez stood to his feet "That will be your present my dear, let's go"

Gabriella jumped to her feet excitedly before following her father out to the front of the house. Stepping out the front door Gabriella was greeted with one Troy Bolton leaning against the latest Black Audi. Squealing in excitement, the Latina raced to the car and examined every inch before stopping to smile back at her parents. "Thank you so much Mami and Papi. This is the best present and best car I could ever ask for"

"Well dear, you're more than welcome but I think you should give some credit to Troy. After all he found out what car you would prefer and drove it here for you today" Robert winked at Troy as a thanks before he and his wife retreated inside to finish their breakfast.

Gabriella approached the blue eyed boy she called her best friend and hugged him tight. "Thank you Troy"

"Hey, no problem, anything to make your birthday special" He squeezed her before lifting her up, spinning her around and planting a kiss on the top of her brown locks. "Happy Birthday Brie"

The birthday girl smiled goofily before jumping up and down like a small child "Can we go for a ride? Please? Please?"

Troy just shook chuckled before shaking his head at her "Whatever the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl wants. For one day only, I will do whatever you want without complaining"

Gabriella smirked mischievously "Anything?"

Troy groaned and knew what was coming. "Anything at all Brie, anything"

"Yay. Well we can take the car to the mall when I get my stuff together so I can spend the money my Grandparents gave me when they visited the other day" Gabriella knew this would kill Troy, he hated shopping with her but he had said anything and she really needed new clothes.

"Fine, I'll meet you out here in ten minutes, I need to get a quick shower and change because some of us had to roll out of bed at some ungodly hour and pick up your car" His tongue found its way out of his mouth and pointed at Gabriela before he laughed and ran off to get changed.


Four hours later and a handful of bags later and Troy was well and truly exhausted as he flopped back onto his comfy bed. Gabriella sure knew how to shop and she might be his best friend and he loved her but she was evil for taking advantage of his kind offer and making him go shopping.

"Time for a fashion show" Gabriella announced as she picked up her bags and headed toward the bathroom.

Troy groaned and sat up "You have got to be kidding me. Can't we just sleep?"

Gabriella shot him a look that told him he had promised and he groaned once more before sitting up. Maybe after this he would finally get to sleep.

"Okay first outfit" Gabriela walked out of the bathroom wearing short jean shorts along with a purple lacy tank top and sandals.

Troy, who was busy playing with his orange basketball, agreed that it was nice and it looked great. He knew as long as he agreed to whatever a woman said, all would be good.

Gabriella took a look in the long mirror and noticed that her best friend wasn't even paying attention. "Troy, you're supposed to be paying attention"

"Huh? I was...Okay I wasn't. Seriously that outfit looks..." As his cerulean eyes moved up her tanned body his mouth formed an 'O' shape and the words he was about to say had been lost as his brain ceased to function. He never really paid much attention to what Gabriella wore because well she was his best friend and he could care less what she wore but now, he took in her long tanned legs and he gulped. He wanted to end his sentence with many words that were very inappropriate for friendship.

"Troy!" The beautiful girl was frustrated.

Troy, sensing her annoyance, snapped back to reality. "It looks great, Brie. Honestly"

Gabriella rolled her eyes "Never mind. I'll ask the girls. You're a guy, you're no use"

With that she entered the bathroom to change again while Troy groaned and slapped himself. Those thoughts he'd just had were impure and wrong. He shouldn't be thinking like that about his Brie.

The bathroom door unlocked and opened and Gabriella made her way over to the bed and lay beside Troy. "Hmm, I think I could use a nap too. Need to be refreshed for tonight"

"I can't believe it's your party tonight, it seems like we've been planning it forever" Troy pulled the girl next to him even closer.

"I know. It's going to be so much fun though"

Troy murmured in agreement before both teens felt their eyelids starting to become heavy and they drifted off into a peaceful slumber.


The Montez household was already starting to bustle with teens by the time 8pm had arrived and Gabriella was having the time of her life. She was making her way around the guests to make sure they were all okay and she had already been dragged to dance with her best friends, Sharpay and Taylor. Opening everyone's presents was proving too much of a challenge and very time consuming as more people arrived and so for now, gifts had been placed carefully in an upstairs room by her parents. She supposed she could wait until tomorrow to open them.

One person still hadn't arrived and was being highly anticipated by Gabriella. Her best friend of all had not arrived yet despite living next door. She knew he wouldn't be early after helping to set up but not having him here didn't feel right and she twisted her mouth to the side as looked out the window to try and see him.

"Looking for me?" The brown haired boy placed his hands over her eyes.

Gabriella jumped but knew exactly who it was. She would recognise those hands and that voice anywhere. "Troy, you ass, I've been waiting for you and you shouldn't scare the birthday girl"

Troy laughed before pulling his best friend into a hug "Happy sweet 16 Brie" he whispered in her ear before burying his head in her brown curls. "Now, let me see how the birthday girl looks tonight, give me a twirl"

The request was simple but Gabriella blushed as she felt him scrutinise her appearance and somehow it mattered what he thought more than anyone else. "Well?" was her simple response as she looked down at her own appearance. Tonight she was wearing an elegant purple coloured dress that was tight around her bust and dipped just slightly before flowing loosely a few inches above her knees. Her hair was down in its natural curls with her face covered in a minimal amount of makeup.

Troy breathed in deeply as his eyes travelled from her sweet brown curls that he adored to her slender legs and finally the black heels that adorned her feet. This was no longer his little brie anymore; she had turned into a woman. She was no longer the child he'd always known and saw, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and a mix of feelings flooded through him at this realisation. "Gabriella, Brie, you look amazing. Incredible"

"Thanks" The young girl blushed as brown met blue.

The muscular boy cleared his throat and averted his gaze "I have your presents. Here, open them"

"I'm not really supposed to be opening presents because its taking up so much time and it'll be easier to do it tomorrow..."

"Please? For me?" Troy pouted and put his best puppy dog look on his face in order to sway his beautiful best friend. He needed to know now if she liked them.

Gabriella eyed him and thought how cute he looked before she groaned "Fine. I guess there's no one in here anyway right now so it's okay. Everyone is outside at the moment"

His eyes lit up like it was Christmas and he dragged her to sit down on the ledge of the window where they had been standing. "Well, go on then"

Gabriella laughed at his eagerness before ripping the pink and silver sparkly paper off the present "Oh my God. No way! Troy, are you serious? This is like a rare edition of Pride and Prejudice. How did you find this?"

"I have my ways Miss Montez. I told you I'm the most awesome guy ever! But seriously I'm glad you like it, I've had it for a while now"

The newly sixteen year old grinned widely and hugged the book close to her chest before hugging her best friend tightly and in a brief moment of giddiness she pecked him on the cheek.

The atmosphere turned slightly awkward before Troy spoke "Hey, you need to open the other one too"

Gabriella knitted her eyebrows in confusion before realising there was another package for her to open. "Troy, you shouldn't have, you're spoiling me" She spoke as she tore the paper of the next package.

"Hey, I'm allowed to spoil you. You're my Brie" Realising how possessive and couple like that sounded he attempted to backtrack "I mean, you know, you're my best friend"

It seemed the girl was barely paying attention as she gasped "Troy! This is gorgeous but seriously you have spoiled me far too much"

Troy rolled his eyes "Gabriella Montez, shut up and stop telling me that. I will spoil you if I want too now give me your hand and let me put it on for you"

Placing her hand on his knee, she handed him the bracelet with the other and admired it closely. The bracelet was for charms and there were already a few on it. One was a basketball, obviously signifying Troy, the other was a book, obviously for her and the third was a 16. It was silver and absolutely beautiful.

As he finished putting the bracelet on her wrist he gave her his best smile before she practically jumped on him and hugged him tight. "Thank you so much Troy, you are the best guy ever and you always will be." As the pair started to pull back, Gabriella whispered in Troy's ear "Oh and I am your Brie. Always and forever"

Troy's cheeks tinted a light red before he cleared his throat, stood up and offered his hand to his best friend. "Let's get this party started"


The party was in full swing and everyone appeared to be having an amazing time as they ate, danced and talked under the moonlight outside. Troy was currently watching Gabriella from a distance as she talked to a group of girls animatedly. He figured they were talking about girly things because they all seemed overly excited and happy and he knew it was nothing to do with alcohol as there was none of that around for the minors. He'd watched her for a while and he still couldn't fathom how and when she had turned into a beautiful young woman. She's always been Gabriella to him, his best friend and partner in crime since they were three years old and she had moved in next door. Now though, he was seeing her in a totally new light and he was feeling things that he suspected he had done for a while.

"Yo man, are you okay? You're like in your own world" A bushy haired guy asked as he stuffed a hotdog in his mouth.

Troy snapped back to reality and pulled a face at his friend "Ew, gross man. Yeah, I'm fine just thinking is all"

"Uh oh, that's never a good thing. Everything okay with you and Gabs?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" Troy queried, hoping his friend had not suddenly turned psychic and could hear his thoughts.

Chad held his hands up in a defence pose "Hey, I was just asking"

With that the boy left and headed toward the food table where he had probably spent a good majority of the night considering that he loved food and he particularly loved food cook by Anna Montez or Lucy Bolton.

Troy groaned and held his head in his hands. This was all too much to realise in one night and he needed to snap out of it before Gabriella came over to him to ask what was wrong. Speaking of Gabriella he looked over at her and groaned once more when he saw that the petite Latina was bending over to retrieve the plastic cup she had just dropped. Her dress had risen to just below her butt and more of her slender tanned legs were on show than ever and it was driving him crazy. He needed to splash some water on his face to liven up and snap out of these thoughts and quickly.

"Troy...Troy" Gabriella shouted as she looked for her best friend outside. She wanted to dance with him and he had disappeared. "Ah there you are!"

"Huh? What?" Troy was confused as his best friend approached him as he re-entered the backyard.

"I've been looking for you. Come on Troy boy, it's time to dance with the birthday girl"

Troy groaned "Brie, I-"

Gabriella stopped abruptly and shushed him "I won't take no for an answer and besides you did promise you would do anything for me today"

The blue eyed boy couldn't help but smile at her. She remembered everything and she was always so determined. It was one of things he admired about her. "Okay, okay, so let's dance then"

The couple entered the temporary dance floor that had been placed outside and danced wildly together, jumping up and down with fists in the air as they sang along to the tunes filling the neighbourhood. The Black Eyed Peas had sent them crazy and they had the whole party infected with their excitement and enjoyment. However the music soon changed to songs by artists such as Nelly, Snoop Dog or Akon and the tempo wound down to people grinding and dancing slightly sexier. Gabriella got with the tempo quickly and danced with her hips shaking and moving in circles as the music infected her soul.

Troy couldn't move, he couldn't make himself dance because her dancing was sending him over the edge in more ways than one. The air suddenly seemed a lot more humid than it actually was and Troy found himself taking deep breaths in order to compose himself.

Gabriella was having a blast – she loved letting go on the dance floor and she loved dancing with Troy. They'd always go to parties together with their families and dance together but tonight was a hundred times better. There was a feeling in the air, surrounding them like the wind would and sending them high. She swung her hips as she moved closer to Troy than ever and as she realised this, she realised it wasn't as awkward or as strange as it should be. They didn't really go for the 'dirty dancing' thing, they were close but not that close yet right now she was essentially flirting with her best friend. Somehow though she convinced herself that it was just a bit of fun and it meant nothing at all. "Come on Troy, dance! You're just standing there looking stupid"

Her soft giggle left her mouth and filled Troy's ears and he knew he was in trouble if he didn't stop now. "I'm thirsty Brie, I'm going to get a drink and I'll come find you in a while"

Gabriella pouted but agreed anyway and permitted him to leave her dancing with her friends instead even if they weren't as good or as fun as Troy was.


By time late evening had arrived, most people were on the dance floor as the DJ pumped up the volume and played all the tunes to get people dancing. Gabriella, however, had danced her feet off almost and needed a brief hiatus and a cold bottle of water.

Heading to the kitchen where she knew there would be cold bottles of water in the fridge, she looked around for Troy. She hadn't seen him much since he went for a drink earlier and despite that being around an hour ago, she needed to see him.

Before she was about to step into the kitchen, Gabriella heard the familiar voice she knew as her best friend's and turned to see where it was coming from. She found him sitting in the corner talking to some blonde girl she knew from her volleyball team. They seemed to be talking animatedly and she found her facial features turning into a frown. Troy talking to other girls had never really bothered her...much. I mean, maybe now and again she felt threatened but she'd got over herself and besides that, Troy never really approached girls much these days. Now though, something inside her didn't like that he was talking to a tall, athletic blonde. Her thoughts were irrational she knew because she and Troy were just best friends and they could date whoever they pleased, it's not like they had feelings for one another or anything, did they? No of course not.

Troy felt someone staring and looked up to meet the dark eyes of his best friend. He smiled slightly and indicated for her to come over and join them. The smile she had plastered on her face as she walked over was not her usual smile and he knew it but he couldn't think of anything that could be wrong. The girl besides him greeted the brunette as she grew closer and a thought crossed Troy's mind. Could his best friend be jealous that he was talking to another girl? No, that couldn't be it, Gabriella wasn't like that and she definitely wouldn't care anyway. "Hey Brie, are you enjoying your night?"

Gabriella smiled a not so genuine smile "Yeah, it's been a great night"

"Oh I'm so glad. Your party has been so amazing Gabriella, I can only hope my sweet sixteen is half as awesome" The blonde stated as she grinned at her 'friend'.

"Well thanks for coming. I'm going to go get some water now and hit the dance floor again so if you guys want to come join, that would be great" Gabriella said as she looked to make her escape.

Troy could feel the tension and awkwardness but was powerless to do anything about it at that moment. "Okay Brie. I'll come by and dance with you again soon, I promise"

Gabriella merely nodded before heading to not only collect her water but gather her thoughts too.


Troy, having had enough time to compose himself and organise his thoughts had decided that he was ready to dance with his best friend again on her special night. He made his way through the people standing around talking and to the edge of the dance floor where he tried to scope out Gabriella amongst the mass of people. This was harder than it seemed as people moved around and blocked his view more than once as he tried to dodge their swaying bodies to search.

He soon spotted her and he opened his mouth to call her but closed it just as quickly when he noticed her dancing with a guy from his basketball team. His heart stopped for a second before he mentally slapped himself and reminded himself that she was allowed to dance with other people, even if they were boys. He was not the master of her and it's not like he was dating her or pursuing her at least. Yet at this thought his mind screamed 'but you'd love to be'. He groaned loudly but luckily this was masked by the loud music and he sighed in relief. How did this come to be? How on earth could he like his best friend? It was literally killing him every moment he was around her and watched her. As he turned to go and sit down, he noticed that Gabriella and the guy were dancing a lot more closely than before and he snapped.

Pushing through the people he grabbed Gabriella by the arm, threw a stern look at the guy and pulled her out of the crowd. "Troy, what are you doing? What's the matter?"

Troy ignored her questions and pulled her over toward the kitchen where it was quieter.

Gabriella yanked her arm free as they stood inside the kitchen "What the fuck was that about? You can't just drag people away like that, I was dancing!" Her hands were on her hips and her foot tapping with a mix of impatience and anger as her mocha eyes darkened. "Well?"

Troy ran his hand through his dark hair and sighed, how was he going to explain this? He groaned and let out a breath he hadn't knew he was holding "I-fuck, I don't know Brie. That dude was all over you and the look in his eyes was as though you were a piece of meat he was about to ravage and it made my blood boil"

Gabriella's stance softened slightly as the words registered with her. She mulled them over and she just couldn't figure out why it would bother him as much as it did. "Troy, you can't just do that – maybe I wanted him to ravage me!" That sounded wrong as soon as it left her mouth and she cringed. She sounded like a desperate hussy. "I just mean it's nice to know a guy likes you sometimes"

"Plenty of guys like you Gabriella but they shouldn't treat you like a piece of meat or a whore because you're nothing like girls like that and you deserve better" Troy was pissed even though he tried to hide it. How the fuck could she even suggest that she wanted a guy to feel her up? It made him shiver and feel sick at the thought.

"Troy why is this a big deal? The guy had barely even touched me and you were on him like a lion pouncing on its next meal. I just don't get why you're so bothered?" As she ran a hand through her soft curls she looked at her best friend. Really looked at him. He was angry at something, not her but more himself and he looked just as frustrated as she was sure she did. She had to admit that he looked handsome but then if she thought about it, he always did. While most guys didn't make an effort, Troy always did. Tonight he was wearing dark trousers and a blue button up shirt which made his eyes seem a million times bluer, those eyes she adored so much already. She snapped back to reality as Troy started to speak.

"I don't know Brie. I can't explain it, I just..." His words were limited to the same ones it seemed as he rubbed his hand over his face. He didn't know how to explain it and she just kept pushing and pushing. It'd be great if she could read minds right about now he thought.

"What is it Troy? What is the problem? You've been acting so weird and I want to know what is going on with you?" She paused to looked at him pointedly as he stood there trying to keep his cool. "Well?"

Troy snapped and bounded forward, grabbing the back on her neck and crashing his lips to hers. She'd pushed him too far and he couldn't take it no more. If she wanted answers well let her deduce them from this. The kiss was full of passion and rough as he let go of everything he'd been holding in.

Gabriella was shocked to feel a pair of lips on hers when she did but somehow she found herself responding by kissing back. But this wasn't right, was it? They were best friends.

Troy pulled back when the need for air came and took a step back, looking at Gabriella who was standing their shocked, before walking out. He had just created a huge mess and probably fucked up his friendship forever and he needed somewhere to think and curse his actions.


Gabriella was in shock to say the least as she sat down on a kitchen stool and tried to calm down her racing heart and stop her mind from whirring. Troy Bolton, her best friend had just kissed her. Kissed her in a way that someone would kiss the person they love. His soft lips had met hers and sent a rush coursing through her body. Fuck. She'd liked the kiss but it was wrong, right? Everything was just a mess and she needed to fix it and now so she could enjoy the rest of her night. This was supposed to be one of the best nights of her life.

She hopped off the stool and wandered around in the night air that was now turning cool, looking for her best friend. She couldn't fathom where he had got to until she stretched her neck and spotted the tree house in the Bolton garden in the near distance.

Climbing the tree house was a harder task than she'd imagined in heels and before she'd even reached halfway she had cursed several times and ended up kicking them off onto the grass below. It's not like shoes were important right now anyway she concluded sensibly.

Reaching the top, she took a deep breath and walked over to Troy and sat down beside him. They had a good view from the party from here and could see everything that was going on without any of them knowing. Now she thought of it, she was surprised their parents weren't up here watching over the party like hawks. Gabriella let out a breath before glancing at Troy. "Hey"

Troy didn't bother to look up but just kept staring out into the night "Hey" The reply was mumbled as he fiddled with the toy in his hands – roborob.

"Gosh, I remember when you got that. We were like seven and you'd wanted one for so long" Gabriella remarked as she looked at toy robot that held so many memories.

"Yeah, I was so happy you'd got me it for my birthday. It's all I played with that day and for months afterwards"

Gabriella nodded in agreement "Yeah, I know. Your face lit up when you opened it. You kissed me that day too..."

Troy inhaled a sharp breath before letting it out slowly and putting the toy beside him "Yeah, I remember"

"Troy..." Gabriella was unsure of how to continue, this was strange territory for the both of them and it was difficult to know what to say. "Troy, why did you kiss me tonight?" Her olive skinned hands toyed with the hem of her dress as she bit her lip in anticipation of his answer.

Troy met her eyes for a second before letting them fall to the happenings below. There was no way to explain this but by telling the truth but even that was complicated. "I-I just had to Brie. You kept pushing and pushing and I just snapped"

If Gabriella wasn't confused before, she sure was now. "What do you mean? Why did you have to?"

"You looked so amazing earlier today, I don't know – something inside of me just woke up. I saw you for the sixteen year old young woman that you are and not just my best friend. It made me realise a few things and then I seen you here tonight and I had this overpowering feeling. You looked and still look amazing and then we were dancing and I wanted to do things a best friend shouldn't. Then finally I seen you with that guy and it was more than I could bear"

"I-what are you saying?"

Troy sighed and turned to face her. "I'm saying I-I think I love you" The statement was half whispered like a dangerous secret but he'd actually said it. There was no taking it back and there was a huge chance this could effectively ruin their friendship forever. His darkened eyes bore into hers as he watched them register his words.

Gabriella's heart was beating rapidly for the second time that night as she took in the words the boy in front of her had just told her. "I-you, what?"

"Gabriella, I'm in love with you. I didn't plan for it to happen and I couldn't tell you when it happened but tonight I realised it and there was no way of keeping it in, even though I tried" Troy was nervous and worry etched his masculine features as he studied the beautiful girl sat right beside him. He'd poured his heart out and she held it in her hands.

Gabriella was taken aback as he confirmed what she had thought she had heard from his mouth. Yet somehow as she thought about it, she wasn't repulsed or confused. They were best friends but somehow something about this situation felt right. His revelation had her heart racing and for once in her life, her heart and her brain were agreeing on something. She knew how she felt without soul searching. "Wow. Troy, I..."

Troy stopped her mid sentence and shook his head "its okay Brie, you don't have to say anything. I needed to tell you and you asked so yeah. Don't worry about it"

She placed a hand on his arm to get his attention and to stop him rambling and their eyes connected. "Troy, it's okay. You see, I think I might possibly love you too" She bit her lip out of nervous habit and her gaze wavered as she struggled to stay focused on the intense blue eyes staring back at her.

"Brie, are you serious? I mean, are you sure?" He studied her face that looked even more beautiful bathed in moonlight and search for any insecurity.

"Troy, I wouldn't lie about something like this. It's not exactly a good moment for jokes" She laughed slightly before caressing the side of his face with her hand. "I love you Troy Bolton"

He pulled her close, so close that she could feel his warm breath on her face and he caressed her cheek. "You're so incredibly beautiful Brie; I don't know how I could be so lucky"

Gabriella blushed and tears prickled her now sparkling orbs. No more words were needed as their lips met in a slow and passion filled dance. Their lips attached firmly and the heat rose between them as he slipped his tongue into her wet mouth, savouring the taste and exploring thoroughly. They pulled back only when they were desperate for oxygen in their lungs and their foreheads rested against one another as they smiled crazily at one another.

"Happy sweet sixteen, Brie"


So, what do you guys think? This has been an idea of mine for a while and I finally got around to writing it.