Hey guys thanks heaps for all the reviews and sorry this took so long to post ive been visiting unis n stuff. Sorry it's so short and crap as well I tried my best I promise next one will be better! I used a part from forest gump at the end, just so you all know. To the person whose name is ( ) the lyrics here is your answer to where I got my 'hurt' lyrics from: The Johnny Cash cover was used by World Wrestling Entertainment for a video tribute to the late Eddie Guerrero. The video tribute was broadcast on the November 14, 2005 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw a day after Guerrero passed away. When Johnny Cash covered this, he changed the line "I wear this crown of s--t" to "I wear this crown of thorns." "I wear this crown of shit" is the original version, I mean no insult to the Cash.

Gabriella sat in her chemistry class trying to concentrate, but she was failing miserably at that. Chemistry had always seemed important to her, but right now she couldn't give a rat's arse about it: all she could think about was Troy. His music was in her pocket, the feel of it reminding her she had not dreamt that there was something wrong with Troy: it wasn't a nightmare, it was real. She wanted to leave chemistry and run to wherever he was just to hold him and tell him she cared, tell him she saw him pain and was always be there for him and love him. Wait… love him? That can't be right she can't have thought that… right? Yet she did, and as she had she had felt like everything was going to be ok: he would hold her and tell him he loved her and would stop doing drugs and get better. 'In a perfect world' Gabriella thought.

Gabriella sighed and looked out the window. The grounds were drenched in the afternoon sun, and it all looked so beautiful, but somehow so wrong. How could the world continue how it always has when Troy is hurting?

Something strange then caught Gabriella's eye. There was a random, seedy-looking man standing against one of the trees near the edge of the school grounds. He had sickly pale skin and huge, sunken, dark circles around his eyes. As he stood there smoking, he was kind of nervous and twitchy, and he seemed to be looking for someone. She continued to watch him absent-mindedly until something very odd caught her eye. Troy was jogging across the field towards the guy, like he knew him or something… but that couldn't be right: Troy wouldn't associate with someone like that would he? Mind you, he wasn't hanging with her n the gang lately so she had no idea who he may be hanging out with. They talked for about a minute and then Troy got out his wallet n gave the guy money. She couldn't tell how much it was, but it was a lot. Gabi could not think why, that was of course until the guy slipped a few small packages into Troy's hands n pockets. Drugs maybe? She hoped not. But the guy did look like the type to deal drugs: even though she was against judging people by appearances. The guy quickly left and Troy jogged back into the school building.

Gabi saw Troy in the hallway after school near his locker. He seemed normal on the outside, well as normal as he had seemed lately. It was strange to think that there may be hard drugs in his pockets, unknown to all around him. Gabi began to walk home, all the while thinking about Troy, wondering how he was going, what he was up to, and whether he was thinking about her.

Earlier at the Tree.

"Hey Jake, what's up? Sorry I'm late."

"S'all good my friend. I got the shit, u got the dough?"

"How much?"

"$350"

"$350? Holy shit!"

"U short? Cuz I got other buyer: u take it or leave it, right now."

"No, I got it. It'll hurt but I got it.." Troy let out a resigned sigh, it was all the money he had in the world, but he needed this one. "I'll take it."

"That's ma boy, u keep me fed and watered."

"Yeh no sweat dude you're a lifesaver. Thanks for comin' through for me."

"Yeh sweet. Hey if you're free tonight there's a strip club on Eric Avenue called 'Twin Peeks' n me n my mates are gonna go for a chuf and hook up with the strippers after the show. U up for it?"

"I'm only 17."

"It's sweet I'll hook u up with a fakie, just bring like $20 for it n $30 for the chuf."

"Awesome man I owe u. Cya later then."

The bell rang n school was out finally. Troy had basketball training, which he was not looking forward to. N he was right to think he wouldn't exactly enjoy it. Troy played terribly the whole time: he was sloppy, and hard on his feet. It didn't help that none of his teammates would pass him the ball anyway because they were pissed at him. Which, of course, just pissed off his father more. Troy knew he would pay for it later. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of being able to chill out tonight, drowning his sorrows in nature's gift of marijuana. What a beautiful and terrible thing. Troy counted as the last few minutes of practise very slowly slithered by, heaving a sigh of sweet relief as his father finally blew his whistle signalling the end of practise.

"Wildcats shower up! Troy you wait behind." 'Oh great' Troy thought.

As soon as all the team were in the locker room the fight started.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR DEAL TROY? ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE US LOSE AS SOME PERSONAL VENDETTA AGAINST ME? OR ARE YOU REALLY JUST PLAYING THAT BAD BECAUSE OF YOUR FUCKING PATHETIC NIGHT OF TEENAGE REBELLION?"

"EXCUSE ME, WHAT THE FUCK, IT'S NOT MY FAULT THE TEAM WON'T PASS TO ME!"

"WELL YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE FUCKING PISSED THEM OFF. ARE YOU REALY THAT STUPID? YOUR THROWING ALL YOUR DREAMS AWAY AND EVERYTHING IVE WORKED FOR FOR YOUR WHOLE LIFE!"

"YOU WORKED FOR! WHAT ABOUT ME HUH? WHAT I HAVEN'T WORKED HARD FOR IT?"

"WELL YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT CONSIDERING YOUR RECENT BEHAVIOUR AND GAME, AND EVERYTHING YOUR THROWING AWAY!"

"WELL IM SORRY DAD, SORRY IM THE ONE THING IN YOUR LIFE THAT ISN'T PERFECT!"

With that Troy stormed out of the gym into the locker room, praying the team had long since showered and left. It took all his control to walk away and not punch his father, or let something slip that he would really regret.

Chad and Zeke were still in the locker room when they heard Troy coming. They had been talking about how bad his game was lately. I mean, sure Troy had a hard night on drugs, but both of them knew Troy's game only ever suffered this bad when something was up. They both went and hid is the two spaces between the rows of lockers and the wall, trying to avoid being seen by Troy. When Troy entered he was fuming, and something else Chad and Zeke had never seen him do, he was crying. As soon as the door shut behind him he fell on all fours sobbing hysterically but obviously at the same time trying to control himself. Chad and Zeke both stayed in their respective hiding spots, considering their recent behaviour towards Troy, they probably were the last people he wanted to see when he was breaking down. Troy stood up and walked over to his locker. He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it into his locker. Good thing the lockers were noisy so he didn't hear Chad and Zeke gasp. From their hiding spots they could see Troy standing their shirtless. His once tanned and muscular body was looking so incredibly thin and feeble. Sure some of his muscles were still their, but they just seemed to emphasise how thin he had become. Not only that, there were bruises and cuts on his body, he looked a total wreck. He shut his locker and walked to the showers. Hearing the shower turn on, Chad and Zeke quietly grabbed their things and slipped out into the hallway.

Troy's head was a mess. The second he got into the locker room n saw it was empty hr half broke down while trying to restrain himself. He wanted to badly to scream and cry, but his pain was beyond tears and yells and all things of this world. And he didn't feel like he deserved them anyway. Today had been a total disaster, worse than he could have possibly imagined. Half of him believed he deserved it. The other half was crying out for someone to help, despite knowing his yells were falling on deaf ears. Troy had never been religious, but as he stood in that shower, the hot water pouring down his back, he prayed. He wasn't sure how to, or even if anyone would hear. But he was a desperate man, and it seemed to be his most primal instinct. He needed God or somebody to stop him drowning in his pain, but at the same time as he screamed for help, he screamed in anger that God had placed upon him a weight too much for one person, to heavy for him to bear. As Troy sat down in the shower he asked God for one last thing. He asked for forgiveness. Everyone around him had turned their backs to him, and he couldn't endure it anymore. Even though he felt like his pain would withstand even death, he felt like it was the only option left to give him even the slightest comfort. He would turn his back on the world, as it had done to him. It would hurt the people around him, but he knew from their behaviour today, they would be better off without him, and life would go on. The world would continue to spin, the sun would rise and fall, but he would just fly away from it all. The stain that was him on the perfect picture of humanity at East High would simply vanish, and once again things would make sense to everyone around him, and life would be good.

"Dear God. Make me a bird. So I can fly far. Far, far away from here. Dear God. Make me a bird. So I can fly far. Far, far away from here. Dear God. Make me a bird. So I can fly far. Far, far away from here. Dear God. Make me a bird. So I can fly far. Far, far away from here. Dear God. Make me a bird. So I can fly far. Far, far away from here. Dear God. Make me a bird. So I can fly far. Far, far away from here…"