Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorryos, sorry, sorry, sorry!!!!! I meant to update soonerm I really did, but then I forgot what I was going to make happen, so you're left with this stuffed up piece of... you gte what I mean. And yes, it is short, but that's cause I wanted to get it back on track. Two more chapters to go. And I promise not to dump this story. That would be mean. Meaner than I've already been by writing something so pathetic.

Troy lay on Gabriella's bed, a puffy lip the only remaining evidence of his fight with Josh. His eyes were closed as he slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of the chaos that should've been running through his mind.

Gabriella had no such peace.

She stared at the boy before her, his dark brown hair tousled in a way that was so attractive that it couldn't have been casual. He looked so relaxed, so comfortable, that it was hard to imagine that this had been the same boy who'd kissed her so eagerly and desperately all that time ago. When everything had been so much simpler. How could so much change in so little time?

Troy mumbled in his sleep and rolled over onto his side, the bottom of his shirt pulling up a little to expose a small section of perfectly tanned skin. Gabriella swallowed and tried to look away, finding it much more difficult than it should've been. Why had she never felt like this before about Troy? Why had she only noticed now how… enthralled she was by him?

Her gaze slid to the photos on her bedside table. One of her and her parents when she was two, one of her mum smiling up at the camera, one of her and Troy, and one of Josh. With a building sense of guilt she reached over for the one of Josh, slipping the picture out of the frame. Placing the empty frame back onto the table, she stared at the photo, tears swimming in her eyes.

It wasn't that she was upset that Josh had, in effect, dumped her. But of course knowing that made her even more upset. It was the idea of being alone.

Josh was always there, he was a good person for that, just for being there, always present even when she didn't want him to be. He never really left. Except now. Gabriella didn't like people leaving, because past experience had told her that when they left the never returned. Her father was proof of that. And now Josh too.

The first few tears escaped from her eyes.

A pair of blue eyes flicked open beside her, but Gabriella was too caught up in her thoughts to notice. The eyes darkened as Troy scrutinised her, was she crying? If so, why?

Slowly, so as not to scare her, Troy sat up and touched her arm. She barely noticed. Trying to ignore the pounding pain in his head, Troy pulled her closer to him from her seat on the edge of the bed, until she was cradled in his arms. All Gabriella did was sob harder and clutch Troy's shirt. He stayed silent and let her cry.

\It's chapter 13, it's unlucky!!! So it's allowed to be bad, right?

I can't even write a witty disclaimer anymore!!!! not that i ever could, but still!