Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my own characters.

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews!! And, sorry in advance for the horrible cliffhanger at the end of this chapter… you all know how much I love to leave my readers hanging… :P

Several days later, Lizzy left the city behind for the last time until she came back in June. The goodbyes hadn't been nearly as difficult as they had been for the previous departures. Everyone was well aware of Lizzy's return after graduation, so tears were not necessary. Lizzy herself knew that she would see her parents sooner than the rest of her family, because they were coming the week after she got back for prom.

Lizzy fell back into the monotonous school routine again, all the while trying to spend as much time with Paul as she could. They only had but a few weeks left together, and still neither of them had decided what exactly they were going to do about their relationship. It didn't help that the two of them avoided talking about the subject altogether; pushing it away until the last minute. Lizzy feared that it would be too late by then, that they wouldn't make a decision and she would have to leave without knowing where they stood.

The weekend after Lizzy returned to Florida, Mr. Henderson hosted the student art showcase at the local museum--an event where Lizzy's most recent painting was placed on display. That involved standing near her artwork for a couple of hours, telling random people about it, even though they wouldn't really understand the symbolism hidden there. Fortunately for Lizzy, Paul stood beside her the entire time to keep up conversation in between the groups of people. Maggie and Charlie Harrison stopped by for a bit, and had the chance to talk to Mr. Henderson about Lizzy's art and her achievements during the course of the years where she had been his student.

Once Mr. Henderson came to tell Lizzy that she was free to go, she and Paul went to look at the other displays. Lizzy, the humble artist she was, thought the other drawings, sculptures, and paintings were remarkable in comparison to her own work. She was simply amazed at the amount of students in the area with such artistic talent.

In the week leading up to prom, the senior class immersed themselves in their studies as their classes came to a close and exam review began. For some, it was a last attempt to raise their grades. Lizzy was an average student, so she didn't have to worry too much over her grades. However, reviewing in each class became very tedious to her after awhile; she only managed to keep plugging along because she knew prom was steadily approaching, which meant that she would see her parents extremely soon.

Lizzy was scrutinizing her makeup and hair for any last minute touch-ups before she and Paul took pictures in front of the house. Her dress was floor-length, and quite poofy for her slender frame, but it looked beautiful on her. It was a halter top; a very light yellow with polka dots in the same shade that were slightly glossier looking than the background. There was also a thick, satin ribbon around the waist that was a shade darker than the yellow that was the rest of the dress. Lucy had compared it to the dresses that she and her friends once wore in the sixties to their high school dances.

She moved over to her bed, where her small purse was laid out, its contents strewn all over the blankets. Sitting carefully down on the edge of the bed, Lizzy heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Paul," said the voice from the other side, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah." Lizzy replied, stuffing the items into her purse.

Paul entered, pushing the door closed behind him. He was dressed in the traditional black tuxedo with a white dress shirt underneath, a black bow tie and black dress shoes. His mop of dark blond hair wasn't as unkempt as it usually was. Lizzy wasn't used to seeing him anything outside of baggy jeans and band T-shirts, so she was quite surprised to see that he actually cleaned up very well.

"You look beautiful, Miss Lizzy." he complimented.

"Thank you," she blushed. "You look very handsome yourself, Paul."

"Thanks." Paul took a seat beside her, his green eyes scanning her bedroom. He hadn't hung out up here in awhile, so the drastic change was unexpected. It was extremely empty. A little too empty, in his opinion. The artwork and pictures that once cluttered her walls were gone, and most of her stuff was packed or in the process of being packed into boxes. The almost bare room was a haunting image; suddenly bringing to the forefront the problem weighing on Lizzy's and Paul's minds. Lizzy was leaving in a few weeks, and there wasn't much he could do to stop that.

Paul pushed the thought into the back of his mind where it belonged--for now--and tried to focus on making the most out of their prom. Once Lizzy had successfully stuffed everything into her purse, Paul held out his arm for her to link her own arm into. The two of them walked down the staircase and out the front door, where Paul's mother, the Harrisons, and Lucy and Jude were waiting to take pictures of the elegantly dressed couple.

They took pictures--way too many for the teenagers' liking, in fact--with Paul standing behind Lizzy, his arms around her waist, her hands resting on top of his, while they stood in front of the palm tree in the front yard. Lucy, Mrs. Harrison, and Paul's mother kept gushing about how adorable they looked throughout the entire "photo shoot", whereas Jude continuously thought about how old he was getting and how fast his little girl had grown up.

"I'm trusting you with this for the night," Mr. Harrison told Paul after the pictures were taken. He was dangling a set of keys to his other sports car over Paul's palm, looking the young man seriously in the eye. "Don't leave it anywhere, or let anything else of a disastrous nature happen to it. Is that clear?"

Paul nodded, swallowing hard. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Have a great time."

Poor Paul had to suffer through two overprotective-father speeches before he and Lizzy were even allowed to get into the car. Mr. Harrison continued to warn him about the car and the importance of not drinking and driving--if they were planning to get involved with that sort of partying after the dance, which they profusely agreed that they weren't. Unlike some people in their grade, they didn't need to consume any alcohol in order to have a good time.

Jude hit the other imperative points of the lecture, saying, "Try not to be out all night, mate," He looked at Paul, knowing that he was a good kid, trustworthy and responsible. Above all, he cared about Lizzy more than anything. "Keep an eye on me daughter, all right?" Paul assured Jude that they would be home at a reasonable hour--one, maybe two in the morning, tops--safe and sound.

Five minutes later, they were in the car, and twenty minutes after that, they were in the banquet hall enjoying prom among their classmates. Everyone looked amazing; the girls with their brightly colored dresses and the guys in their sleek-looking tuxes and suits. There were tables on either side of the dance floor, only some crowded with students; many of the seniors were standing in groups, talking or using the time to take pictures with their friends. The banquet hall was decorated in silver and blue decorations, which were the chosen theme colors for the prom.

The chaperones--teachers, mostly--stayed near the sidelines, very rarely venturing out to say hello to their favorite students or compliment someone on their dress. They were, however, ready to spring into action if inappropriate dancing was spotted.

Paul led Lizzy to the dance floor as soon as a slow song came on. It was a song they liked, one that they'd unofficially deemed as "their song". They danced leisurely, trying their best to watch out for the couples dancing around them, as there wasn't a whole lot of room for everyone to fit all at once on the wooden floor. The song came through the speaker system, melodic and soulful; Paul started singing it to Lizzy, his voice sounding beautiful in her ear.

"I don't like you, But I love you. See that I'm always thinking of you. Oh, oh, oh, you treat me badly, I love you madly. You really got a hold on me. You really got a hold on me, baby…"

Lizzy laughed, swaying back and forth with her boyfriend, his arms wrapped around her waist. Her own arms were encircled around his neck, the two of them as close to each other as the chaperones allowed. Paul could feel their glaring expressions beating down on them, but he didn't exactly care. Getting disapproving stares from teachers was the least of his worries. This was probably the last time he would dance with Lizzy like this before she left Florida for New York, unless he managed to squeeze in one last date to The Glass Onion in between that.

He continued to sing; Lizzy focused on his voice rather than the one floating through the speakers.

"I don't want you, but I need you. Don't want to kiss you but I need you. Oh, oh, oh you do me wrong now, my love is strong now. You really got a hold on me. You really got a hold on me, baby I love you and all I want you to do is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me…"

Lizzy leaned in further, resting her head against his shoulder. The gentle motion of the two of them swaying back and forth made her feel content, and incredibly loved.

"Having a good time?" Paul asked, smiling.

"Of course."

"Glad to hear it."

The two teenagers sang the remaining lines of the song together, their voices blending in a soulful harmony.

"I love you and all I want you to do is just hold me, hold me, hold me, hold me. You really got a hold on me. You really got a hold on me."

The teenage couple shared several slow dances together throughout the remainder of the night, Lizzy eager to tow her boyfriend out to the dance floor. They also danced to many of the faster songs, the atmosphere reminding them of their wonderful memories rocking out at various clubs. Around eleven-thirty, the crowd started dwindle, many of the students ready to leave the banquet hall to throw their own parties or sleepovers or grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant.

Paul and Lizzy ended up leaving at midnight, when the actual dance was supposed to end. Paul had promised Jude that they would be home sometime between one and two in the morning, so they had a couple of hours to kill before they had to go back to the Harrisons'. At first, they couldn't make up their minds about where they wanted to go, having not too many choices because a lot of places were closed. Paul suggested a coffee shop or a restaurant, but Lizzy turned it down, saying she was still full from their extensive dinner at the banquet hall. Finally, she decided that what she really wanted to do was go to the beach and just hang out for awhile.

The sky was glistening with stars when they sat out on the soft, dry sand. Paul was sitting with his legs out, Lizzy laying back comfortably against him, his arms wrapped around her. It reminded Lizzy of the night they spent on Paul's apartment building roof last year--the night before the Harrisons broke the news that had completely changed her life.

They sat in silence for a bit, gazing upwards at the stars twinkling against the blue-black sky, listening to the waves crashing into the beach. Paul hated to break the silence with a question he was sure Lizzy didn't want to answer, but he needed to know. They needed to talk about this.

"Lizzy?" he began, his voice sounding hesitant.

"Yeah?"

"When you move to New York…where does that…you know, leave us?"

Lizzy peered up at her boyfriend, shooting him the inevitable 'why-did-you-have-to-ask-that-and-spoil-the-moment?' kind of look.

When she didn't respond, he started, "I mean, are we going to be just friends? Or continue like this?"

Lizzy didn't know if they could continue a romantic relationship with the two of them being on opposite ends of the coast. It would be extremely hard… And Paul felt like he was being selfish by simply wishing that he and Lizzy could stay together like this. All Lizzy wanted was to be with her family, so who was he to try and take that from her? Besides, she was going to college in Manhattan--her dream school--and he didn't want to take that away from her, either.

"I don't know, Paul," Lizzy replied, shrugging. "It's a tough decision to make. I don't want to loose you as a boyfriend or a friend. You've been there for me through everything--since we were kids--and I don't want me moving to New York to ruin that."

"I know," Paul sighed, absentmindedly running his hands through Lizzy's dark hair. "Listen, if you need some time to think, that's fine. Whatever you decide, it'll be okay with me."

"Are you sure?" she asked curiously. "I want you to have some say in this, too…"

"Trust me, I'll be okay with it." Paul half-lied. He couldn't very well tell her that he hated the fact that she was moving so far away, that they wouldn't be able to hang out like this as they always had, since they were little kids. That she wouldn't be there for him when she needed her; that a phone call every other week wouldn't do any sort of justice compared seeing her. Maybe he was being selfish. He hated to think so. But the truth was, Lizzy was his only true, good friend. Like she had said, they had been through everything together. To think that she wouldn't be here when they started college was something Paul disliked greatly.

But he knew, in his heart of hearts, that New York was where Lizzy belonged. It was where she really had belonged all her life.

Paul didn't question her any further, and the two teenagers spent the next hour or so talking about memories that stuck out in their minds from their childhood and adolescence. Some of the recollections were funny, sad, or extremely humiliating. However, it was fun for them to go back and forth with the various "remember when"'s.

It was about a quarter to two in the morning when they decided to head back to the Harrisons' place, where Jude and Lucy were no doubt waiting up with them until Lizzy and Paul returned. They were probably eager to hear about their night.

Lizzy and Paul were mere blocks from the Harrisons' house when a couple of things happened all too quickly. Paul and Lizzy's car--or more precisely, Mr. Harrison's car--went at a green light, ready to go through the intersection up ahead. A car full of teenagers from the same school coming from the same prom went through their red light, failing to stop at the appropriate time. Once the driver realized his mistake, it was too late by then. Paul barely had time to react, slamming on the brakes and throwing his arm out to protect Lizzy--even though they were both wearing their seat belts--as the two cars suddenly collided…

A/N: I just know you're all going to freak out…lol. Anyway, as a side note, may I say that "You Really Got a Hold On Me" is one of my absolute favorite Beatles songs. Anyone agree?

Maybe some trivia will cheer you all up…

Question: Who took Ringo's place on drums when he temporarily quit the band during the recording of The White Album?