Sorry it took so long guys. Exams, work, wedding, stuff... I know, I have excuses for everything. But I'm really sorry. I also appreciate all the reviews from you guys. I've made some pretty cool friends. Well, here it is...

Gabriella sat next to her mother's bed. She looked up from her book as Gina stirred.

"Mama?"

Gina turned to her daughter and gave her a weak smile.

"Hi, honey. How long have you been here?"

Gabriella smiled back.

"Not long. Dad just looked like he needed a break. He went to get some coffee."

Gina nodded.

"Okay. How is Troy?"

Gabriella blushed at the mention of her boyfriend.

"He's fine. He came earlier and brought you some flowers."

Gina looked over to the table that her daughter pointed at and saw the beautiful bouquet of daisies and sunflowers.

"That's very kind of him. I'll have to remember to thank him next time he comes over."

Gina looked at her daughter's smiling face.

"You love him, don't you?"

Gabriella blushed, causing her mother to smile.

"I love him so much."

Gina nodded, understandingly.

"He's the one?"

Gabriella smiled and looked at her mother.

"Mama, I really believe he is."

"Well then, don't you think he deserves to know?"

Gabriella gasped. She looked at her mother, the smile from a few seconds ago, vanished.

"Mama! I can't do that to him! And what if he decides he can't deal with it? What if he leaves me?"

Gina shook her head, slightly.

"If he left you, he wouldn't be the 'one' for you."

Gabriella didn't say anything. Instead, she looked down at her hands, fidgeting with them.

"Gabriella, he deserves to know. He needs to make the decision whether or not he wants to stay with you. From what I see, he loves you dearly. You need to have a little faith in him."

Gabriella sighed.

"I know, Mama. But I can't help but think that he'll leave me once he finds out. I was never upset about being sick until I met Troy. He makes me want to live, Mom. I don't want to tell him. If he leaves me..."

"Gabriella, have faith in Troy. He is a good guy. Don't give up on him. I think you should tell him, and soon. But it is not up to me to tell you what to do. You have to make this decision yourself."

Gabriella looked back up to her mother, tears glistening in her eyes.

"I know, Mama. But it's so hard. I want to tell him, because I feel guilty hiding it from him. But at the same time, I can't."

"Honey, do what you think is best. You are a very smart girl. I know you will make the right choice."

Gabriella stood up and hugged her mother.

"Thank you, Mama."

Gina wrapped her arms around her daughter's petite form.

"I love you, Gabriella. And no matter what you decide to do, I will still love you."

Gabriella continued to hug her mother as a couple tears rolled down her cheek, falling onto her mother's back.

"I love you, too, Mama."

"You should go home and sleep. It's nearly morning. Take the car and go home. Sleep for a while and call Troy after school. You're going to rest, not go to school, okay?"

Gabriella nodded and took the keys from her father when he came back in.

♪

Gabriella woke up and looked at her clock, groaning when it read 2:17. She rolled out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom, taking a shower to wake herself up. She had had a long night. She had stayed at the hospital until nearly four in the morning. Gabriella walked out of her bathroom twenty minutes later, wrapped in a towel. After getting dressed, Gabriella went downstairs and made herself a turkey sandwich. She sat in front of the TV, eating and waiting for three o'clock to roll around.

Gabriella polished off her sandwich, surprised at how hungry she was, and put her dishes in the sink. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was a few minutes after three. She went back into the living room and grabbed the phone, sitting on the couch. She quickly dialed Troy's cell phone number and waited. He picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Troy. It's Gabi."

"Good afternoon, gorgeous."

Gabriella giggled.

"Thank you."

"I called around noon and no one picked up. I figured you'd still be at the hospital so I called your dad's phone. He said you were at home in bed. Did you just get up?"

"About an hour ago. I had a shower and a late lunch."

"Good. You must have been exhausted. How long did you stay at the hospital?"

"I left at around four this morning. I got home and went straight to bed. What'd I miss today?"

"Not much. Um... Oh! Jason and Kelsi are officially dating and Ryan Evans has a date with the new girl in his history class."

"Wow! I missed a lot in one day."

"Not really. So how's your mom?"

Gabriella sighed.

"I'm not sure. The doctors are still running tests on her. That's why I'm not there right now. Dad said I would get too bored."

"Oh, okay. So what are you gonna do today?"

Gabriella remembered what her mom had said in the morning and took a deep breath.

"Actually, Troy, I was hoping to talk to you. Can you come over?"

Troy heard the nervousness in her voice and instantly became worried.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in ten minutes. I love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

"Bye."

Gabriella ran a hand through her hair and walked up to her bedroom. She picked up her pajamas and made her bed. She walked back downstairs and sat at the kitchen counter, trying to figure out how to tell Troy the truth. She heard the doorbell ring and started to panic. She slid off the stool and walked to the front door, opening it to allow Troy in.

"Hey, Gabi. Are you okay?"
Instead of answering, Gabriella took Troy's hand and pulled him up to her bedroom. Troy followed, very confused and worried. He decided to wait until Gabriella was ready to tell him whatever she had to. She led him to her bed and sat down on the edge, pulling him down with her.

Gabriella looked everywhere but at Troy. She let go of his hand once they sat down and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. Seeing her like this also made Troy nervous. He gently took both of her hands in his and tilted his head to look her in the eye.

"What's wrong, Gabi?"

Gabriella looked into Troy's blue orbs, and melted when she saw the genuine concern he held for her. She tried to pull her hands away, but Troy gripped them a little tighter, but not enough to hurt her.

"Talk to me, Gabi."
Troy's eyes pleaded with her. She had to look away or she would lose all self control. She was on the verge of tears and didn't want to let them out, in fear that Troy would find her more pitiful.

"Troy... I haven't been completely honest with you."

Troy loosened his grip on her hands, but didn't completely pull away. His eyes slightly darkened, causing Gabriella to almost lose her nerve again.

"What is it? There's someone else, isn't there?"

Gabriella head snapped up to look Troy in the eye.

"No! How could you think that?"

Troy calmed down slightly.

"Sorry. You're just making me nervous. So, what is it, Gabi? You know you can talk to me about anything and everything."

Gabriella closed her eyes and took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. She opened her eyes and looked intently at Troy.

"Troy, you know I love you right?"

Troy slowly nodded.

"And you know I love you."

Gabriella gave him a very small smile, so small that he wouldn't even consider it a smile.

"Troy, I lied to you. That time I fainted? I forgot to take my pills. You remember that?"

Troy nodded.

"Yeah, I remember. They were for your migraines."

Gabriella felt a tear slide down her cheek and quickly brushed it away, beating Troy to it.

"They weren't for migraines. Sure, I get migraines very once in a while but... The pills were for something else entirely."

Troy's eyebrows bunched up in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Troy, that I'm sick."

Troy's grip loosened again and Gabriella felt her heart fall.

"What do you mean by 'sick'?"

Gabriella couldn't take it anymore and clutched his hands tightly, afraid to let go.

"I have leukemia, Troy."

Troy's eyes widened and he stood up abruptly, yanking his hands away from Gabriella. Gabriella stood and tried to take his hand again but he pulled away. Tears flowed freely down Gabriella's face.

"I'm sorry, Troy! I didn't know how to tell you!"

Troy looked at Gabriella and felt hurt and betrayed. He turned and left, leaving Gabriella sobbing in her room. He ran out the front door, slamming the door behind him. He quickly got behind the wheel of his truck and sat there shocked. After a few minutes, Troy started his truck and drove home. He passed Mr. Montez's car as he sped down the street.

♪

Ahh! I've hid behind everything I could think of. Garbage cans, desks, bookcases. I'm sorry, guys, but it had to be done!

Jay