Disclaimer: It's probably obvious, but I don't own any of the HSM characters or their related elements.
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HSM Romance Challenge
Theme: Running
Leaning on the balcony railing on the school's second floor, Gabriella let out a long sigh. Then suddenly, a familiar laugh came from her right, and she looked over to see Troy walking toward her.
"Control yourself, Montez," he said, grinning easily as he came to stand beside her. "You're way too excited for the last day of school. You'll freak out the freshmen."
She smiled at him, but her shoulders still seemed heavy. He nudged her gently. "You OK?"
"I don't know," she said, looking down. "It's all just kind of… sad."
"Why's that?" He leaned on the railing, looking at her sideways.
"Well, you know." She crossed her arms and leaned on the railing too, staring over it. "You get so used to coming here… and then it's all over. I mean, I won't get to see everyone every day. And there's no more musical, no more dances, no more studying."
He let out a laugh. "You're seriously going to miss the studying?"
"Well… kind of."
She smiled sheepishly. He rolled his eyes, grinning, then put an arm around her shoulders, kissing her on the top of the head. Unexpectedly, she felt the sadness ease.
"Look," he said. "I think you just need a change in perspective. Don't look at this as the end of school. It's the start of summer."
She looked up at him, a smile starting at the corner of her mouth. "Oh yeah? And what's so great about summer, Bolton?"
He looked at her playfully. "Well, the sun, for one. TV reruns. And you'll have lots and lots of free time, which you could spend studying, if you want." He grinned. "I'd even work you into my schedule from time to time, too."
She smiled, this time for real. "Oh, you would?"
"Well, I'll have to check with my secretary, but yeah, I think it's doable."
And she turned to him, laughing in spite of herself, the sadness completely gone. "OK, OK. So it's not all bad."
"Not at all, Montez." He smiled, pulling her close to him and kissing her quickly. "OK, so no more long faces. Let's plan to hit the ground running. Make this summer the best one ever. All right?"
She grinned, putting her arms around his neck. "Sure."
Then a mischievous look flashed across his face, and suddenly he had turned and bent low, grabbing her legs behind the knees and pulling her into a piggyback ride.
"Troy!" She laughed, hugging her arms around his chest. "Thanks for the warning, jerk."
Then she squealed as he raced down the stairs, squeezing her legs tight to him. "Take it as a hint, Montez," he said, going out the front doors to whirl her around in the warm sunshine. "This summer's going to be full of surprises."
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Author's Note: Hmmm… I thought this would be longer than the last one, but it's about the same size. OK readers, your turn to write: send me a review!