I awoke to find myself lying on Troy's bed, a damp cloth on my forehead and Troy and my mom sitting beside me, Troy's hand clutching mine. "What happened?" I moaned, slowly lifting my head.

"You fainted," Troy answered, placing a kiss onto my nose. "But you're alright now."

I sat up and crawled into Troy's lap, wrapping my arms loosely around his neck and placing my cheek on his shoulder. "You dropped me, didn't you?"

"Yes, and I'm very sorry. I should have thought before I tried to carry you down the ladder."

"Are you okay, Gabby?" My mom questioned.

I nodded, then continued speaking to Troy. "It hurts."

"Your head?"

"M-hm."

"Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?"

"Yes, please," I answered, sounding more like a five-year-old than a high school junior.

Troy touched his lips to the top of my head as he gently stroked my hair.

"You know, Gabriella, I remember when that used to be my job," my mom told me. "But I guess now you have a boyfriend to do it instead." She sighed. "And you don't need me anymore."

"I still need you, Mom. But it's just that Troy has a certain way of doing things that calms me down and makes me feel better."

"Well, should I leave then?"

"Could you please? Troy and I want to talk alone."

My mom exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"Gabby, I'm so sorry I let you fall," Troy apologized, hugging me tightly and kissing my forehead. "I don't think I'm ever gonna forgive myself."

"It was an accident. And I'm alright now," I assured my worried boyfriend while gently playing with the hair that was falling into his handsome eyes.

"But I feel awful." Troy nuzzled my cheek with his nose. "I hate hurting you-even by accident-because I love you."

"I love you, too."

Troy leaned in to softly kiss my lips. I eagerly returned his symbol of affection.

"Gabby, sweetheart, do you want to come downstairs and get some water?" Troy inquired.

I nodded.

Troy placed me on the ground. However as I put weight on my left foot, I winced in pain and sank down onto the carpet.

"What's the matter?" Troy wanted to know.

"My ankle. It hurts."

"Let me see." Troy removed the ballet flat that I was wearing from my small foot and examined the swollen area on it. "Let me get you some ice," he decided after a moment. "And also tell your mom. I'm not sure what you did. I'm guessing you either twisted it or sprained it, but I don't know which." He kissed my forehead as he helped me back onto the bed and disappeared downstairs. When he returned, my mom was right behind him, and he held an ice pack in one of his hands.

"Thanks," I smiled when Troy handed me the ice.

"Gabriella, let look at your foot," my mom said, sitting down at the end of the bed. She had been a nurse before the tornado destroyed our house, so I was positive she would be able to tell what had happened. And sure enough, she could. After examining my injured ankle for a couple minutes, she announced that it was sprained.

Troy wrapped an arm around my shoulders and kissed my forehead. "I'll take care of you. Don't worry." He took the ice pack from me and, wrapping it in a washcloth, placed it on my ankle.

"Keep your foot elevated," my mom instructed as she exited the room. "And don't stand on it at all."

"Okay, Mom," I responded.

"You have pretty cute feet," Troy complimented.

"Thanks."

"So, I guess we'll be sleeping in here tonight. I don't want to try to get you up in the tree house. Let me go tell my parents. I'll be back in a minute." Troy quickly touched his lips to my cheek, then left the room. He came back in about five minutes.

"What did they say?"

"They agreed to us sleeping in here since you're hurt. My mom said that my aunt, uncle, and Becky will sleep on air mattresses in the living room."

"Okay. So you're allowed to share a room with me, I guess?"

"My mom said you would either have to stay in here with your mom or with me because you need someone to help you with things. I said I thought you would want to be with me."

"Yeah. I do."

Troy smiled. "Well, dinner's downstairs. Do you want me to bring you something?"

"Sure."

"Oh, and we have some old crutches in the garage if you want to use them."

"That would be great!"

"Okay. Well, I'll get you the crutches and something to eat, then."

...

The next morning, my mom decided that I should stay home from school just to give my ankle a little time to heal. I was thrilled with that idea, since I really didn't feel like being taunted by William again. And the best part was that Troy- after begging his parents to do so-was permitted to stay with me.

Troy and I ate a breakfast of pancakes and sausage, then Troy carried me to the bathroom so that I could brush my teeth. Even though I had the crutches, it was easier to be carried around. After I was done with my teeth, he helped me shower. My mom had said she should be the one to help me with that, but I explained to her that I would actually feel more comfortable with Troy helping. Our parents strongly disagreed with that idea at first, but after they talked to us about not doing anything we weren't supposed to, and Troy and I assuring them that Troy was just going to help me get in and out of the tub and hand me the shampoo, conditioner, and soap, they finally agreed. However, they still didn't seem too happy about it.

"You're a beautiful girl," Troy commented as he lifted me over the edge of the tub and, wrapping me in a fluffy towel, carried me into his room.

"Thanks," I acknowledged, blushing slightly.

"I'll give you your privacy to get dressed now. And while you're doing that, I'll ask our moms if we could be ungrounded for just a little while to watch a movie since you're hurt."

"Okay. Thank you." When Troy left, making sure the door was shut behind him, I dressed in a comfortable pair of sweat pants and one of Troy's t-shirts that he had let me wear to sleep in once.

"My mom already left for work, but yours said she thought it would be okay if we just watched one movie," Troy reported when he came back.

"Great!" I smiled.

Troy picked me up and took me downstairs. After putting a DVD in the DVD player, he sat me on his lap and tightly secured his arms around me.

"This is nice," I remarked, snuggling against Troy's chest.

"Yeah," Troy agreed, using his nose to lovingly nuzzle mine. "Some good came out of this injury, I guess."

I giggled. "It sure did."

...

Later that day, Troy and I were lying on his bed, our arms securely fastened around each other and my head resting on his firm chest.

"What are you doing?" sounded a voice.

Troy and I lifted our heads to see Becky entering the room, a container of Barbies in her hands. We both groaned.

"We're resting," Troy answered.

"Well, I need someone to play Barbies with me. Troy, can you? I'll give you one and you can give her a makeover. I have a lot of pretty dresses you can pick to put her in, and some of Mommy's old make-up to put on her. I also have a hairbrush and lots of hair accessories."

"No. I'm a guy. Guys don't do makeovers," Troy told her.

"Then can I give you one?"

Troy looked at me. "Gabriella, help."

"I have sparkly hair clips and make-up," Becky said.

"No. No way are you going to use those things on me. I'm your cousin, not a makeover toy."

Becky, giggling her childish giggle, pulled out a glittery pink hair clip from a bag inside the Barbie container. Running over to Troy, she used it to clip his bangs out of his face.

I giggled. "You look so silly, Wildcat."

"Wildcat...I like it," Troy smiled, kissing my forehead before removing the clip from his hair and tossing it somewhere in the room.

"Trooooy!" Becky whined. "You lost my most special, most favorite hair clip!"

"Look for it, then."

"Help me."

"No. I'm taking care of my girlfriend now."

"She can help."

"But she's hurt, remember? Yesterday she fell and sprained her ankle. Now just find your clip and leave us alone."

"No, I can't leave you alone! Because after I find the clip, it'll be time for you to get a haircut!" Becky announced happily. "I'll make you look really nice, because I'm good at cutting Barbies' hair. Look." From her container, she pulled out a Barbie with very short bangs. On one side, its hair was halfway down its back, and on the other, it was shoulder length. "See? I made her prettier."

"No. No way are you touching my hair," Troy responded firmly, getting off the bed. He then picked his cousin up, and put her in the hallway along with her Barbies. After that, he locked her out. "She's so annoying."

"Yeah, she can get sort of irritating," I agreed.

"Tell me about it."

Suddenly, I burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm picturing you playing Barbies," I giggled.

"I would never play Barbies."

I just continued laughing.

"Gabriella, settle down."

"But it's funny."

"Gabriella. Come on. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths, calm yourself. Follow my example." Troy did what he had just told me to do.

I tossed a pillow so it landed right on Troy's face, causing me to giggle.

"Gabby!"

I motioned for Troy to come over to me.

"What?" Troy sat down on the edge of his bed and wrapped his arms around me.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."