Star Riddled Skies

"Mnrrrgh." I say softly, running my spare hand through my hair as Zach half drags me along the pavement, Ra and Justin watching us with laughter sparkling in their eyes.

"I'm ti-red." I moan, closing my eyes and attempting to stumble along without sight, but I fail, and if it weren't for Zach's hand so firmly in mine I would be flat on the floor.

"Coffee." Zach says, equally as sleepy beside me, and I lean in towards him.

"I don’t wanna know what you two were doing last night to make you this tired."

"Ha. Ha." I hiss, my sense of humour completely non existent, "We were on the phone 'til like five."

"Awrrr." Justin says, affectionately hitting me across the arm as I watch my flats slip on and off my feet as I drag them.

"I need coffee." Zach murmurs, stumbling along and I feel all four of our moods worsen as we see the imposing black school gates. We're about to take a slight detour into town to get much needed coffee, when the deputy head suddenly appears behind us, attempting, and succeeding, to stop people skipping school.

"Come on you four!" She trills, flapping her manicured hands at us and glaring through too much bad makeup, "The bell for form time has gone! In you go!"

I groan and glare at the teacher as she flies off to attack some poor other student, and I grip Zach's hand tighter, not willing to leave him for the short amount of time form is.

We stumble tiredly, Ra and Justin following us, until we reach Justin and Zach's form, where I feel slightly inadequate. Justin and Ra promptly launch into a goodbye make out session, where as Zach and I share the longest, tightest hug. We both glance at them, and for some reason I get a little shiver down my spine as I look back at Zach and he stares at me.

We don’t copy them, we're both too scared, hesitant, and we don’t want to ruin whatever is flooding through our veins. Instead he leans down and I feel his breath caress my cheek and just touch my neck. I shiver noticeably as his lips meet my cheek for a second or two and I wrap my arms round his neck, hugging him tight. I breathe in his smell and figure whatever it is, its on his neck, because it smells like heaven.

We pull back and I'm smiling so my cheeks hurt, watching as Zach slips into his form room behind Justin, glancing back at me as he sits down.

I realise Ra is watching me, smiling, and I tug on her arm, "Shut up..." I blush horribly as Ra pulls me towards our form and I collapse onto the desk, attempting to catch a wink or two of sleep. She leans her head on my shoulder and I feel her giggle.

"You guys are so cute," She says in my ear, and I blush again, turning my head to the side so I can see her properly.

"I still can't believe it..."

She smiles and rests her hand on my cheek for a second.

"I can see you guys being together forever and a day..."

I shake my head softly and blush, "I don’t know... We've only been together for a day, haven't even kissed yet... I've only known him for... Christ, only a week?"

"Has it only been that long?" She says softly, gathering her bags as the bell has just rung, our conversation undisturbed by the disgusting new excuse for a school bell, a loud ear piercing buzz.

"Feels like a lifetime..." I say as I swing my bag onto my shoulder and reflexively fix my hair a little.

Ra just smiles at me, and I find myself walking faster to get to first lesson, just to see Zach and hold his hand and lean against his chest and fall asleep. I do exactly that as I find him outside Biology and breathe in his smell again as I rest my head on his chest I feel his heart beat, strong and fast, through his shirts, and I rest one hand over the beating, and the other snakes round his ribs.

I feel my eyes start to droop and Zach rests his head on mine.

"Whats up with Ash?" I hear someone say, confused.

"Tired." I blurt into Zach's shirt, winding my fingers round the fabric as he clutches me closer.

I stumble into Biology and fall into my seat without being told by the teacher. Zach takes his seat next to me and I lean against him, mumbling something in my exhaustion.

Zach laughs at me and his lips are on my temple. It sends an almost electric shock through my body and I look up at him through bleary eyes. I imagine what I must look like today, lopsided hair, cat eyes I couldn't quite be bothered with and uneven foundation, but still, Zach smiles back at me.

He places a hand on my cheek and I lean against it, feeling my eyes droop again. There's a sharp bang as the teacher slams the door and we both jump back, and the electricity is gone. I'm back to being so tired again and I groan, falling forward so my forehead rests on the desk.

I feel Zach's hand on my shoulder and I smile into my desk. Our teacher says something about practical and I groan loudly, and hear Zach laugh a little.

"Cba!" I groan into my desk and even more people laugh.

Zach pulls me up, so I'm sitting, and I watch as he slips through the throngs of people battling for equipment, and emerges again holding beakers and all kinds of things. He sets them down on the table and immediately starts, placing precise amounts of chemicals and substances into beakers and furrowing his eyebrows just a little as he does.

I smile, looking up at him with tired eyes, as his own shine, pursuing his own little quest for knowledge, and no doubt, acceptance from his father.

That was the trouble having a smart boyfriend, though, because, at this point in time, I had absolutely no idea what he was doing, or why. I run my hand through my hair, and feel the last few ounces of energy drain from me.

Zach looks up at me, from the beaker bubbling, threatening to spill out, and he smiles. Energy floods back into me, I sit up a little straighter, my eyes are a little brighter, and my smile is certainly wider as I smile back.

"I guess I'll do all this then doll?" He asks, chewing his lip a little and flicking his fringe.

"You know I cant do biology Zachary." I smile at his full name and see him scowl just a little.

"Okay, just because its you, and I'll forgive that full name use, just because its you," He leans over the desk and places his hand on my cheek again, the other finding my own hand and linking them together, "And because you're perfect."

He leans and kisses my cheek again, nothing more, yet for just a split second it feels like I'll never need sleep again. The blinding feeling rushes through my veins, so much so that I actually stand up, and Zach grins, before mock fainting and holding his hand out to me, pulling me past the desk to stand next to him.

Our teacher barks something about wearing goggles, and someone throws me a pair, which I shove on my face, and as I watch the reaction taking place on the desk, I try, and fail, to look interested.

I'm far more preoccupied with Zach's arm finding its way round my waist, caressing the skin through my shirt, somehow still sending the shivers run violently up and down my spine as I smile.

Zach pulls me close as I watch the digital timer click away, second after second, and he mutters in my ear, "Five minutes. Then we put it back in the ethanol and add the iodine."

I frown and turn to him, so our noses are only a few centimetres apart, "You're confusing." I whine and pout my lips, staring up at him and craning my neck so we're almost the same height, but not quite, "And don’t you mean 'then you put it back in the ethanol'? Whatever it is?"

Zach smiles down at me and his hands fix themselves in the small of back, almost lifting me up so I can look at him without craning my neck, "It's a leaf, we're testing for starch, simple experiment doll. Not remember it from last year?"

"I think," I say as I break away reluctantly, and sit next to the timer on the desk, my tired eyes following Zach as he stands in front of me, "I went to about five Biology lessons the whole of last year, and skipped the test."

"You're going to fail, you rebel." Zach says, hitting me on the arm before sliding his hand down to connect with mine and the other does the same. I hop down from the desk, falling a way thanks to the science desks being abnormally high. Zach turns us round so he's against the desk, laughing, smiling, and he hops up himself.

One hand drops mine and the other raises above my head, and I realise it's almost like we're dancing. I spin round and round, my hand holding his as if it's my only lifeline, until I lose my balance, falling into the desk and Zach's legs, his arms wrapping round me to catch my form as I fall. I smile up at him, and place my legs so they hold myenormous weight and I stand properly, my hands still linked with Zach's, both resting on his thighs.

I use both our hands, unwilling to unlink them, and extend a finger to fix Zach's fringe, both of us smiling.

The silence we're submerged in, cut off from the rest of my chaotically perfect world, is a comfortable one, like it always is, and I breathe a contenting sigh, feeling the energy drain out of me along with my breath, and I rest my head on Zachs chest. One hand leaves mine and my fingers feel oddly placed and cold without his. His free hand snakes to the back of my head, where he holds me against him as if he never wants to let me.

I hope he never does.

-x-

"Are you still awake doll?" I hear a voice soft and sounding glide through my body, and I open my eyes, wide awake yet still asleep.

"Yeah..." I murmur, breathe, and I smile at the mere sound of his voice.

"Oh," He sounds sad, and I listen a little closer, "I want to listen to you sleep."

I smile and blush, tracing the bright red circle of Pikachu's cheek, emblazoned on my pillow, along with the rest of the Pokemon gang, thanks to my childish side. I wriggle further under my said Pokemon sheets and curl up a little more.

"I can sleep if you like?" I say, almost laughing, giggles threatening to spill up out of my lips.

"Nah." He states simply, and I hear the rumpling of fabric through the phone, and I let my eyes close for a second, "I'd miss the sound of your voice too much."

I make the effort to giggle, but it doesn’t come out quite right, and just a few letters escape my mouth and lodge into my pillow.

Silence.

I hear Zachs even breathing on the other end of the phone, and its rhythm and calm almost sends me to sleep again. I hear him breathe in sharply and my eyes fly open. I stare across my room and try to define the shapes through the dark, not really seeing, more listening. I know Zach's going to say something, building himself up to say something to me and I want to know what.

"Zach?" I ask, almost whisper to him, and I can almost hear him jump.

"Doll?" He says, his voice strangely resolute, yet almost nervous still.

"Yeah?" I ask back, feeling breath catch itself in my throat, trying to block my airway.

"Do you want to come my house after school tomorrow?"

I smile, I grin, and I nod vigorously. I find my voice again and force it into the quiet air, "Of course."

"For the record," Zach says softly, "I have the hugest grin in the world on my face at the moment."

"Good." I say simply, feeling too content and happy to string a proper sentence together. I almost fall further into my bed and my head hits the pillow still with the phone to my ear, still connected, and the last thing I hear before sleep pulls me into the dark warm abyss is Zachs voice.

I wouldn't have it any other way.