The following morning Gabriella woke to a warm hand on her back shaking her out of her slumber

The following morning Gabriella woke to a warm hand on her back shaking her out of her slumber. Her shoulders felt cold, and her feet felt paralyzed where they were. She opened her eyes to small slits and saw that her comforter had been pushed to the end of her bed, and that her sheets were tangled around her feet. She turned around and opened her eyes a little more to see her mother sitting on the side of her bed with a plate of warm cinnamon rolls in one hand.

"Mija, wake up. I brought you some breakfast," her mother said quietly.

"Thanks, but I don't really feel like getting up just yet. I'm just going to lay in bed for a bit longer," Gabriella replied.

"Don't stay there too long, it's already 10:30," Mrs. Montez advised.

She put the now cool plate of cinnamon rolls on the bedside table for Gabriella to eat. Gabriella rolled over in her bed and got comfortable as she heard her mothers footsteps getting quieter as she left her room. Gabriella reached down to straighten the sheets that were still tangled around her feet and pull the covers up to warm her petite body. She knew that she would not get back to sleep, but she wasn't ready to get up and face the world just yet. It was like while she was still in her bed she was safe. She wasn't risking feeling anymore pain if she wasn't even getting up. This was the only place she could really feel safe now. As she thought about it more, she realized that maybe there was one other place that could replace this feeling of being safe. It was her protection from the world; her shield from all the evils that could possibly come her way. It was in Troy's arms. Troy was her savior from the world, without him Gabriella would have nothing now. That thought brought back the feelings from the previous day and even the day before that. Suddenly she felt as thought staying in bed for the rest of the day would be the only thing she could do.

"I can't face the world without you Tay," she whispered to herself.

She felt salty tears scratch down her face once again. She closed her eyes hoping to stop the tears and drift off to another world where she no longer felt pain, or any emotion for that matter.

What felt like only minutes later she heard a faint buzzing noise on her bedside table. She rolled over to see who was calling her. Picking up the phone she saw the name "Troy" displayed across the screen. She sighed as she put the phone back down and rolled over once again, losing herself in her safe place. She wasn't in the mood to hear Troy tell her that she needed to get up, that this wasn't good for her, blah, blah, blah. She was going to do whatever she felt like it. No one understood what she was going through, therefore no one could tell her what she should and should not be doing at a time like this.

A short while later Gabriella heard her mothers soft knocking on her door.

"Ella? Can I come in?" her mother wondered aloud.

Gabriella shoved her head under her pillow in response. She still heard her mothers footsteps as they got closer to her bed. Then she felt the bed sink down, as she realized her mother was now sitting on her bed.

"I called Taylor's parents."

Gabriella felt her breath get caught in her throat at the mention of Taylor's name.

"They're on their way home now, and should be here by dinner. I'm going to head over there to talk to them when they arrive, I just wasn't sure if you wanted to come with me or not," Mrs. Montez explained.

"No. I'm not living through that again. I can't replay it all over anymore, it just hurts way too much," Gabriella replied.

"Okay mija, I understand completely. I just thought I would ask."

Gabriella's mother reached over and stroked her daughter's hair. She was about to comment on the fact that Gabriella was still in bed, but decided against it. No matter what she told her daughter she knew that Gabriella would more than likely ignore her and continue to stay in bed. She stood up from the bed and started walking out of Gabriella's room. When she reached the door she stopped herself.

"Would you like something to eat? I can make you some macaroni if you like," her mother inquired.

"I don't care," Gabriella stated.

Her mother sighed, "Okay," she said after a moment and walked down to the kitchen. She began to pull out a pot to cook the macaroni in when the phone rang. Mrs. Montez walked over and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mrs. Montez. It's Troy. Is Gabriella there?"

"She is, but she won't get up. She's still in bed. No matter what I do or say she just lies there looking so lost."

"Well, would you mind if I came over? I mean, I can try to get her up and moving at least," Troy said.

"That would be great Troy. I don't think she'll get up any other way," Mrs. Montez stated.

"Okay I'll be over in a few minutes. Bye Mrs. Montez."

"Bye Troy."

The two hung up their phones. Mrs. Montez went back to making the macaroni for her grieving daughter. After putting the water on to boil, she sat down at the kitchen table and started to go through some of the pictures she knew that she had of Taylor. She figured that they might be useful at the funeral and anything she could do to help out the McKessie's she would. She put the pasta in the water to begin cooking when she heard a knock at the door. She headed over to open it and reveal a sad looking blue-eyed boy.

"Hi Troy. How're you doing?" Mrs. Montez asked as Troy stepping in the house.

"I'm alright. I mean I wasn't as close to Taylor as Gabi was, but she was still part of this whole "family" we had. It's been hard for all of us, so I can only imagine what Gabi can be going through right now."

"I know. And I have to tell Taylor's parents tonight. They were out of town for the weekend. They weren't supposed to come home until tomorrow, but I managed to track down the number of where they were and they're on their way now. This is going to be the hardest day of my life, and probably theirs too," Mrs. Montez replied.

Troy just nodded unsure of what to say to that. He looked up towards the stairs that led to Gabriella's room.

"Go on. She needs someone right now, whether she admits it or not. I hope you can help her," Mrs. Montez stated quietly.

"I hope so too," Troy whispered as he began to ascend the stairs.

He walked down the hallway to the last door on his left. He knocked quietly. Nothing. He thought that maybe she had fallen asleep, but then realized there was very little chance that Gabriella would be asleep. He pushed open her door a little bit to see a lump covered in blankets on the bed. He walked closer to her bed and saw her wavy dark brown hair sprawled out across the pillows.

"Gabi? Are you awake?" Troy said, completely aware of the answer but unsure of what else to ask.

"Would it make a difference if I wasn't?" she said quietly.

"I don't know," Troy admitted. "Why are you still in bed?"

"Because I want to be. There's no point in getting up."

"Brie, please get up. Let's go watch a movie or something," Troy tried.

"No, it's better to stay in bed," Gabriella said.

"Why?" Troy wondered aloud.

"Because. Because then nothing can hurt me. My bed is safe. It keeps me safe; it keeps me away from the world cause I'm just lying here by myself away from the rest of the world. And if I'm away from the world then it can't break me down even more than it has."

"Gabi… you're bed can only keep you safe for so long. After a while you start losing more because you're simply staying in bed. You aren't living you're life. You need to get out and live. You need to feel good while you can. Don't waste your life away because you were afraid to get out into the world. That's just not living at all. Pretty soon you'll realize that by staying in bed to "keep yourself safe" all you're really doing is running away from everything and hiding.

"Well until I realize those things, I think I'll just stay here."

"Okay fine," Troy stated.

Gabriella couldn't figure out why she was so cold to Troy. She had never really said anything like that to him. He really was only trying to help her. But nothing could help her now. Nothing was going to bring Taylor back. Gabriella suddenly felt the other side of her bed sink down. She rolled over to her back and turned her head to see that Troy was lying down next to her with his head facing her.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked.

"Lying down. If you aren't going to get up, then I'm just going to stay here with you," Troy explained.

"Troy…"

Suddenly Troy reached forward and pulled her small body closer to his as he draped his arm across her stomach. Gabriella subconsciously nuzzled her head into the crook of Troy's neck and closed her eyes. The two teenagers lay on Gabriella's bed without saying a word. After a few moments Mrs. Montez walked upstairs with the macaroni all made. She looked into Gabriella's room to see the two teens resting quietly together. A small smile graced her lips as she turned around and walked downstairs leaving the two together. They could come get food when they were hungry.

Gabriella felt different. She knew that she really should get up, especially now that Troy was here for her. And yet she still didn't have the will power to do anything more then rest here in Troy's arms. She felt almost like things would actually end up okay when she was in Troy's arms. He made everything feel better. It was like he could erase all the pain that she had been feeling. He could make her forget about what happened with Taylor. Taylor. In an instant all the emotions Gabriella had been feeling since she was sitting in the hospital with the young doctors hand on hers all surfaced. She felt like crying but couldn't get any tears anymore.

"Do you want something to eat? You must be hungry," Troy asked her.

Gabriella shook her head in response.

"Do you want a drink? Water, juice, anything?" Troy tried again.

Gabriella again shook her head. This time she rolled over on her stomach and turned her head away from Troy.

"Come on Gabi, you need to do something more than just lie here."

Still Gabriella said nothing. Troy was confused with this sudden change in her mood. She was starting to act like the Gabriella he knew while she was in his arms. Now she just seemed to be withdrawing even more. Troy was at a complete loss as to what to do. Still, he lay next to her. He wanted to be there for her if she needed anything. He wanted her to know that he was there for her, and wanted to help her get over this.

Shortly after, Mrs. Montez stuck her head into Gabriella's room.

"I have to go to the McKessie's now. Troy you're welcome to stay with Gabriella. I'll be home when I can."

"Okay, thanks Mrs. Montez," Troy responded.

Troy heard her travel down the stairs then exit through the front door.

"Do you want me to make some food?" Troy asked.

"I don't care."

"Okay, come on. You need to get something into you."

"Sure, but I'm going to stay here. I don't want to get up," Gabriella mumbled into her pillow.

Troy got up off the bed and walked over to Gabriella's walk in closet. He pulled out a pair of track pants, and one of his sweatshirts. He made his way back to Gabriella's bed and put them on the end of the bed.

"Come on Brie, it's time to get up."

"No"

Troy walked around to the other side of Gabriella's bed. He bent down to where Gabriella's head was and reached out to brush a piece of hair from her forehead.

"Gabi, please get up," Troy pleaded.

"I don't want to Troy."

Troy wouldn't take no for an answer so he stood up once again and leaned over Gabriella. He slipped one arm under her legs and one arm under her back and swiftly lifted her out of bed.

"Troy put me back in bed now please," Gabriella stated quietly. She knew that Troy wouldn't do something he didn't want to once his mind was made up. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder as he began to walk around the other side of the bed. He set her down in front of her clothes.

"Change into these and meet me downstairs. And don't even think about getting back into that bed," Troy told her.

He placed a kiss on her forehead and walked out of the room so that Gabriella could change. As he began to walk downstairs he tried to think of something he could cook for the two of them.

Gabriella just stared at the clothes for a few minutes. It would be the perfect chance to get back in bed. Troy wasn't here to stop her, and she could just climb back in and keep herself from the rest of the world. She began to step over to the bed and get in when she stopped herself. This wasn't right. She sighed again as she picked up the track pants Troy left for her. She changed into the pants followed by Troy's sweatshirt. She stepped into her blue fuzzy slippers and started to walk out of her room. She walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to see that Troy was leaning up against the counters with something in the microwave.

"Hey there you are beautiful," he said as he began walking towards her.

"Hi," Gabriella replied quietly as though she was shy to be with him.

Troy made his way over and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She lifted her arms and loosely draped them around his waste as well. They stayed like that until a faint beeping interrupted them. Troy turned around and walked back to the microwave.

"Macaroni?" Troy asked with a smile.

Gabriella nodded and sat down at one of the stools at the bar on the island. The two of them sat together and ate the macaroni that Gabriella's mom made earlier that afternoon.

"Do you want to head over to Chad's later on?" Troy asked her.

Gabriella shrugged in response.

"Okay well I'll give him a call to see if he wants to hang out."

"Okay," Gabriella replied quietly.

Troy walked over to Gabriella's phone and began dialing Chad's number. Gabriella took a bite of her macaroni and realized how hungry she really was. By the time Troy came back she had already finished most of her plate of macaroni.

"Kay, well Chad said that we can head over to his place anytime now," Troy told her.

"Okay. I'm just going to finish this," she said pointing to her plate.

"No problem."

Gabriella finished her meal and put her dishes in the sink. She wrote her mother a quick note letting her know where she would be in case her mom got home before she did. Troy and Gabriella began walking over to Chad's house since it was only a few streets away. When they entered Chad's house, the three headed downstairs. Gabriella stayed quite as the two boys decided to watch a movie.

"What do you feel like watching Gabs?" Chad turned to her.

Gabriella shrugged in response, not saying anything.

The two boys looked at each other skeptically and went back to choosing a movie hoping to find one that everyone would enjoy. They began reading titles out loud. One by one, hoping Gabriella would find something that she would like. After a few minutes of going through movies Chad found another row.

"A Walk to Remember?" he questioned.

"No," they heard a firm but quiet voice reply. Both boys turned to look over at Gabriella in confusion. "It was Tay's favorite," she explained with sad eyes.

The boys immediately looked down then nodded. After a few more minutes they finally decided on Transformers. About halfway into the movie Gabriella got up to go to the bathroom and Chad turned to Troy.

"Dude, has she been like this all day?"

"She's been worse. I have no idea how I managed to get her out of the house. She wouldn't even get out of bed for hours after I got there," Troy explained.

"What are we going to do? There has to be something we can do to help her," Chad thought desperately.

"I think the only thing we can do right now is be there for her. She just lost her best friend. Worse yet, she was there when it happened. I know that everyone else is hurting too but no one can really understand what she's going through other than her."

"Yeah. I had a dream about Tay last night. I don't really remember what happened though, just that she was there. I wish she was still here."

"We all do man. I'm really impressed with how you're handling the whole thing though. But you know that I'm always here if you need someone to talk to. Not to get all mushy on you or anything, I just mean… well… if you feel like… you know what I'm saying," Troy said.

"Thanks man. I guess it still hasn't really hit me. But I know that I've got you guys, we all got each other's back in this. If we stick together then we'll end up okay. I know that she didn't do this to hurt any of us. And I know that if we stay strong together through all the pain that we feel from this, then Gabs will see that she can be strong too. I guess I'm trying to get through this and figure out how to deal with this all while trying to help her too," Chad explained.

"You were always a good guy that way," Gabriella whispered from the doorway.

"Thanks Gabs," Chad said with a crooked smile.

Gabriella returned to her seat and the three continued to watch the movie. When the movie ended Troy and Gabriella got up to leave, and Troy walked Gabriella home. When they were approaching Gabriella's house, Troy turned to her.

"You gonna be okay?" Troy asked concerned.

"I guess eventually I will be. Everything ends up okay. If it's not okay, it's not the end. And it's like Chad says, we got each others' back."

"Yep. You know that if you need me, all you have to do is call right. I mean even if it's three in the morning, I'll come. I'll always come."

"Thanks Troy," Gabriella said as she walked up her front steps.

"Well goodnight. Have a good sleep baby, I love you," Troy said kissing Gabriella on the forehead.

Gabriella nodded. "Love you too," she added. She opened the door and stepped inside. Turning around, she waved at Troy one last time before he began his own journey home.

"Ella, is that you?" she heard her mothers voice call from upstairs.

"Yeah," Gabriella replied just loud enough to be heard.

She began the climb up the stairs to find her mother. When she got to the top of the stairs she was suddenly wrapped in her mothers comforting arms. They stayed in that position for a few minutes before her mother backed up again. Gabriella could see that her mother's eyes were a faint pinkish- red colour. The way they looked after she cried.

"You've been crying," Gabriella stated.

"Well yes. It was very hard not to while I was at the McKessie's tonight."

Gabriella nodded. "I don't really want to hear the detail, if that's okay."

"I understand mija. But they did want me to let you know that when you're ready they would like you to go over there and help them with some things in her room. I'm not really sure what they meant though."

"They probably just want me to get Taylor's school books to return when I go back after Spring Break is done," Gabriella thought out loud.

"I guess that makes sense. Well then you have a full week since you don't have to go back tomorrow."

"Yeah. I'm going to head to bed now mom. See you in the morning."

"Okay goodnight, sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too mom," Gabriella replied. The past few days had reminded her just how important it was to tell those around you how much you cared about them.

Gabriella headed to her room for the night. She walked over to her bed and pulled off the sweatshirt she was wearing as she was walking. She climbed into bed too tired to change out of the t-shirt or track pants she was in. She closed her eyes welcoming the sleep that she could feel coming. Tomorrow was a new day. Another new day without her best friend by her side.