….well, this is awkward.
Hey guys. Long time no see!...heh.
.bye.

Her eyelids.
They.
Were.
Just.
So.
Heavy.

She was trying to stay awake, she really was. But with every passing minute, it was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open. Her head was just so light, the lights were just so bright….it wouldn't hurt to close her eyes for a few moments would it? Gabriella let her shoulders relax, slowly letting her eyelids drop as her body swayed back and forth…..back and forth…back and…..

"Troy….I think you should go visit the nurse."

Troy looked up at his teacher, blinking rapidly against the harsh classroom lights. "Hmm?"

Mrs. Ardley sighed. "Troy, this is third time you've passed out this period. I think you need to go see the nurse. You're really not getting anything done here," she motioned to his unopened textbook. He nodded blankly, getting up and staggering out the classroom without another word. Trudging down the hallway, barely conscious, Troy let his sleep-deprived mind wander to Gabriella. He hoped she was coping better than him, although he knew that she probably wasn't. Letting his mind linger on his girlfriend, it suddenly hit him how much he wanted to be with her at that moment.

The thought of cuddling up to her warm body under the soft blankets on his bed threatened to overwhelm him. Looking around the cold, empty hallways, Troy suddenly felt hopelessly helpless. It was probably the exhaustion overtaking him, but he suddenly felt like crying with the knowledge that he was trapped in school, so very far from his big, warm bed.

"Troy."

Troy felt a pull at his heart as he looked up, searching for the owner of the voice which he loved so much.

Oh.

There she was, right in front of him.

He grinned as much as his tired jaw allowed, holding his arms out to her. She sighed in relief as she stepped into his welcoming embrace, burying her face in his neck and inhaling deeply. "Nurse?" she mumbled into his skin, the simple comfort of his embrace lulling her to sleep. He nodded against her hair, kissing the top of her head before taking her hand and leading her down the hall.

Ten minutes later, the two were heading towards their lockers, having been ordered by the nurse to go home and get some rest, since they were in "no state to do anything useful here."

After tossing their backpacks carelessly in the backseat of Troy's car, they clumsily settled themselves in their seats. "Mine or yours?" Troy garbled out.

"Mine," she responded with a yawn.

Nodding, Troy started the engine and they were off to Gabriella's house.

When they pulled into the long driveway, both teenagers breathed a sigh of relief.

Home.

Troy took Gabriella's hand and they stumbled onto the front porch. Her heart was beating in anticipation of what she knew was coming in the next few minutes.

Bed. Bed. Bed. Bed. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep. Sleep.

Troy searched his key ring for the key to Gabby's house – which he'd had for a few months now – and opened to door.

The two raced inside, as fast as their tired legs could carry them, both eager to dive into the comfort of a warm bed. Gabriella's parents were both at work, and the empty house echoed with a comforting silence.

They kicked off their shoes as they entered her room and peeled back the covers on her bed. Lying down, the two breathed a heavy sigh of contentment. Troy pulled Gabriella closer, wrapping his arms around her and she snuggled into his warm embrace.

This was their heaven.

Troy closed his eyes in pure bliss and allowed a tired, content smile to grace his lips. "Thank god," he murmured into her soft hair, feeling every aching bone in his body relax against the mattress. She placed a tiny kiss to the warm skin of his neck before closing her eyes and drifting off.

Two hours later, Troy awoke in the same position he fell asleep in. Gabriella was still curled up in his arms, and his heart surged with warmth and love as he watched her sleep.

He loved this girl so much.
He wanted her for the rest of his life.
And he would have her forever, he was certain of it.

They had talked about once or twice before – their marriage.
It was inevitable.

Because there was no possible way this love between them could ever vanish or weaken, Troy knew it. He had never felt anything so powerful in his entire life.

Both knew how rare this was, to find their soul mate in high school.
Both knew how precious it was.

The fact that Gabriella would always be his, and he would always be hers, gave Troy immense comfort.

Whatever happened, whatever changed, she would always be there.
She always had been.

He hadn't told anyone but Gabriella, since he was aware of the teasing that would ensue, but he looked forward to their wedding.

Of course, he wasn't as excited as Gabby, since he didn't particularly care about the color scheme or flower arrangements.

Gabriella stirred in his arms, breaking him out of his musings.

He looked down into her eyes and noticed that they had finally regained their brilliant sparkle. He smiled and bent his head to press his lips chastely against hers, little sparks running through his veins at the contact. "Hey," he murmured.

She smiled softly, raising a hand to cup his cheek. "Hey."

"So I've been thinking," he started, "it's been a while since we went out on a proper date."

She grinned that girly, excited grin he had expected and he continued, "Think you can schedule me in for a little bit this weekend?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, though she could barely contain her explosive beam, "I'll see what I can do."

She couldn't recall the last time she had felt so content (though, she thought to herself, it probably involved Troy). She was still slightly lethargic after their two-hour doze, her body felt sluggish and content, and she was so cozy surrounded by the blankets and Troy's warm body that she was considering staying in bed for the next, oh, two years or so.

What the fuck.

They had left school.
Together.
'Sick.'

Ashley was really getting sick of this.

Of pretending to be happy for the sickly happy couple, when she really just wanted Troy.
Of pretending to be Gabriella's friend when she really just wanted to snap the unworthy bitch's neck.
Of pretending she was okay without the pure perfection that fucking Gabriella seemed to possess.

She was done. She deserved Troy. She deserved to see Gabriella fall.

And she was done pretending. She was going to tear down the walls of perfection that surrounded the perfect little couple.

She was going for Troy.