The rest of the summer passed without incident – Gabriella spent most of her time working, attending her college class, or talking to Troy and Taylor. Her mother had gotten her a new laptop with a decent webcam for her birthday, so she and Troy Skyped often.

"Ready for sophomore year, Wildcat?" she asked him during the last days of summer. She was grateful when September rolled around, ready to dive headfirst into her schoolwork, desperate for something to do. He shrugged, his hair falling in his face.

"I guess so."

"That doesn't sound too enthusiastic."

"It's not," he laughed. "I don't know. I guess I just always feel this pressure during the school year. I feel like when I'm walking down the hallway, everyone's eyes are on me, and I have to act a certain way and hang out with certain people because I'm captain of the team…I don't know, it's stupid. You're the only person I can really be myself around."

God, why does he have to say things like this to me?

She paused for a moment, thinking carefully before she responded.

"They don't know what they're missing, then," she said firmly.

"I wish you were here," he said, just like he always did.

"Me too," she said.

Just like she always did.

/

"They're having a homecoming dance at school," Troy sighed. It was nearing mid-October, the leaves beginning to change colors.

"You don't sound very excited about that," Gabriella replied, flopping down onto her bed and sinking into the pillows. She held her phone to her ear, shifting to lay on her side.

"Well, all my friends are bringing dates."

"Wait, did Chad ask Taylor?"

"Yeah! And she actually said yes!"

"No way," Gabriella gasped. "She told me she dumped a carton of milk on him last time he asked her out!"

"Yep. I can't believe it. All of my friends have dates except for me."

"I'm sure girls at your school are tripping over themselves trying to get you to ask them," Gabriella laughed, despite the twinge in her heart. She couldn't deny – she hated the thought of Troy going to a dance with a date.

I'm ridiculous. He literally lives halfway across the country. And he doesn't even like me.

"And Chad keeps bugging me about this girl…"

"Girl?"

"Yeah, a cheerleader for the team…she likes me, apparently, and everyone is expecting me to ask her out or something," he sighed. She frowned, biting her lip. Her heart was sinking in her chest.

"Do you like her?"

"No. Not at all. She's annoying."

Gabriella breathed a quick sigh of relief, laughing.

"What, does she have cooties?" she teased. He mock-glared at her, which sent her into hysterics.

"I don't want to go out with her at all," Troy said. "Any of those girls. They just see me as a celebrity or something – honestly. It's just high school basketball." She detected the hint of amusement in his voice, biting her lip as she pictured his grin.

"Well, if you had to ask someone, anyone in the world, who would it be?" she asked softly. There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"I would ask you," he said finally, his voice thick. Gabriella felt like her heart stopped, did a flip, and started pounding in double time.

"I would say yes," she responded quietly.

/

Gabriella shuffled her way through the school halls. It was a gloomy sort of day. Rain was coming down in sheets, thunder heard through the walls of the building and lightning seen through the windows. Everyone she came across was in a bad mood, teacher or student, and she was miserable. She loved Seattle, but she could do without the rain every once in a while.

Won't have to deal with that much longer, she thought to herself, wanting to cry. Her mother had told her two days ago – they were moving again. Back toward the east again, to Ohio. It was two months into the school year, nearing November. She was glad that she hadn't bothered making any friends in Seattle. Her physics partner, Amanda, was a lovely girl, the closest thing Gabriella could consider a friend, but they didn't have much in common.

All of the people Gabriella wanted to be spending her time with lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico – and she was about to move even farther away from them all.

She snapped out of her thoughts as her history teacher began to write their assignment on the board – a seven paragraph essay on a battle of the American Revolution. She wanted to slam her head on the desk, but she bit back her groan and took out a pen, writing her name and date on the paper. Then she froze.

October 29.

Her hand began to shake and she wanted to throw up.

Dad died ten years ago today.

Then she was slamming her pen on the desk, the plastic splintering, throwing her bag over her shoulder and storming out of the room. She ignored the voice of the teacher calling after her, racing to the nearest bathroom and into a stall, sitting on the ground against the cold tile wall and leaning her head in her hands. She let the tears fall freely, her sobs echoing in the empty bathroom, and she pulled out her phone and dialed, not knowing what else to do.

"Gabriella?"

She shattered at the sound of his voice.

"Troy," she sobbed, struggling to say something, struggling to breathe.

"Ella, what's wrong?" he asked immediately, concerned. "Baby, I can't help you if you don't calm down and tell me what's wrong. Come on, breathe. In and out, with me."

She took a few deep breaths, listening to Troy on the other end of the line.

"I'm sorry," she said finally, the tears beginning to slow.

"What's wrong, Ella? Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"

"No, I…" she trailed off. He was silent, waiting patiently for her to finish. "I've had a really shitty day. And my dad died today. It's been ten years."

She heard his sharp intake of breath.

"God, Gabriella, I'm sorry. I can't even imagine," he said.

"I don't know why I'm freaking out like this," she said, tucking her phone between her ear and her shoulder. She used her free hands to start chipping away at her blue nail polish. "I miss him a lot, obviously, but I know he wouldn't want me to – " She stopped to collect herself.

"You have every right to be upset, Gabriella."

"I almost forgot," she admitted. "I was writing the date on my history essay and I just – I snapped. I walked out of class and now I'm sitting on the floor of the girls' bathroom, crying, and I'm a pathetic mess. And I'm talking to my best friend, who lives fifteen hundred miles away from me because the universe hates me, and we're moving in a couple of days to fucking Ohio so I'm going to be even farther-"

"What?" he interrupted. "You're moving again?"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "I hate my mom's job." Troy sighed.

"I hate your mom's job too."

"Oh, and my car is in the shop, so I have to walk home in this thunderstorm after school today."

"You're walking in the rain?"

"Will you come pick me up?" she asked miserably. He chuckled.

"If you're willing to wait two days."

"I'll be in Ohio by then," she reminded him, and they were silent again.

"I want to be there with you right now," he said. "I feel so fucking useless, like I can't help you if I can't be there. I want to hug you."

"I would really love a hug from you right now, Wildcat," she said.

"One day," he said firmly. "Promise?"

She nodded to herself.

"Promise."

"Okay," he said. "For now, go home – please take a taxi, don't walk in the rain – and change into some comfy clothes and drink a hot chocolate and hug Thomas the Turtle for me. I'll call you tonight. For now, I have to get to class. You caught me during my lunch period - the bell is gonna ring in a minute."

"What would I do without you?" she asked him, entirely seriously.

"What would I do without you?" he countered, and for the first time that day, she smiled.

/

"Oh my god, Taylor. Give the guy a break," Gabriella said, only half-joking. The Brainiac on the other end of the line was detailing her latest fight with Chad.

"Gabs, I'm telling you, he was acting like a fool. I was trying to help him, he's this close to failing chemistry, and all Chad wants to do is make out!"

"Gross," Gabriella responded, her face scrunching up. "I didn't need to know that."

"Whatever," Taylor sighed. "Anyways, how are you liking Ohio?"

"It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. But still, I wish I was closer to you guys. Close enough that I could come visit, at least."

"I would love to meet you in person. Honestly, can you just come to school here? You can live with me. I'm entirely serious."

"I wish," she sighed. "But I couldn't leave my mom like that."

"I get it," Taylor said. "Anyways, are there any guys on your radar?"

"Please," Gabriella scoffed. "Ohio isn't exactly known for its cute guys. Every teenage boy that I've met is a total idiot."

And I'm in love with Troy.

"That's awful. A guy with no brains is a guy with no chance, that's what I always say."

"Um, what about Chad?" Gabriella giggled.

"Oh, he has a brain," Taylor laughed. "He just never uses it."