Star Riddled Skies

"Sorry about last night," I mumble into a toned chest, the owner of which is currently wrapped around me, and I feel him smile against the top of my head.

"Why?" His soft voice entwines round every cell in my body and fills them with happiness.

"Because I fell asleep on you...?" I lift the question at the end, as if it's the obvious thing to say.

"Nah," His lips softly meet the top of my head through the backcombed, volumized, scene kid hair, and it makes me smile so much, "I could listen to you sleep... And that sounded so much better in my head," He laughs and his lips stretch into this gorgeous smile.

The bell rings for third period, signalling the end of break, and a collective groan rises from the group. I bury my head in Zach's chest, clutching him closer, "Nrrgh. Don't want to move."

Zach smiles and lifts my head from his chest with his fingertips on my cheeks. He runs them down my jaw and a smile blossoms on my lips, "No matter doll," He murmurs, "You got some clothes for tonight?"

I nod, "Shorts and a vest under my uniform, no extra bags," I smile and wrap my arms further round his waist.

"What've you got now doll?" Zach says, spinning me round so I'm stuck to his left side, his hand glued in mine like it's our own lifeline, "I'll walk you."

I think for a second, then I grin, wider than the Cheshire cat, "Double performing arts!" I start tugging on his hand, a sudden burst of energy because of my favourite lessons.

"Jesus, slow down a bit doll," Zach runs a little to catch me up, "I'm tired too."

"Perhaps we shouldn't talk for five hours every night," I wonder, slowing down a little and tightening my grip on his hand.

"No way," He says firmly, pulling me closer, wrapping his arm round my shoulders and giving them a squeeze for a few seconds, before grabbing my hand again, "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

I chew my lip then grin, "Me neither."

We walk through the throngs of people, dodging out of the slipstream as I spot Ra on the way to some lesson with Justin, and hug her tightly, before grabbing Zach's hand and heading back through the crowds to the studio.

My class are waiting outside the large room with polished wood floors and art covered walls. Our school is big on performing arts, and so this studio is just for its pupils, ballet bars and mirrors down one side, a built in sound system, and a huge cupboard full of props and costumes.

I loved the place.

I greet a few people in the queue with a smile. My class are the most exuberant, outrageous and dramatic people in the school, drama and performing running through their veins along with their blood.

I survey the crowd and smile, fully aware Zach hasn’t met my class yet, and sure as hell they were scaring him a little. There's Kaity, the girl who jumped straight from a comic, thick bunches, coloured bright blue and huge dark eyes. There's Adam, the boy whose almost 7ft tall and nearly as wide, who you wouldn't think could act, but really could, conversing with Aaron, the boy half his height with bright blonde hair.

The bell rings, and Zach swears under his breath, "My Business Studies teacher hates me, and the class is the other side of school! I gotta run doll, I'll meet you here at lunch, yeah?"

I smile and nod, "Sure, can't wait."

Zach's grin widens so I can see all his perfect white teeth, and leans down, pulling my ribcage closer to his, his breath touching my lips before he veers to the side and kisses my cheek, his lips pressing against my skin. A breath shudders through my lungs and I hug him tightly before watching him move away through the doors towards his class.

I heave another shuddering breath and turn to Bleach, the only person I really know in this class. She's smiling at me madly, her hands clasped in front of her, turning her engagement ring from Carter like always.

"You and Zach are actually the cutest thing ever you know," She says, greeting me with a hug and a smile.

"Yeah, I know," I say, feeling my cheeks flush ruby and I avert my eyes to the floor for a second. We all file in and I smile at the teacher, the only one I like and who likes me, a small woman with long blonde hair, always elegantly pinned up, her neck always smothered in a over dramatic scarf.

We all grab a chair and sit in a circle, me between Bleach and a dark haired boy I'm kind of friends with called Jack. We're working on a social studies unit in Performing Arts, and today, Miss Vaughnan tells us, we're going to work on a piece about peer pressure. I'm put in a group with Bleach, Jack, and Kaity, and we drag our chairs into a corner and start devising.

We eventually come up with a piece and start rehearsing. Bleach, Kaity and I are gang members, forcing Jack to try a cigarette. It's a much more interpretive piece than all the others, far more abstract and expressive. We're dancing, and an eerie song echoes through the silent room during our performance.

Jack played a boy called Jimmy, who we forced into smoking. Our final speech was me and Bleach stood together, Jack lying between us on a table, and Kaity striding past us, addressing the audience.

We're singing behind her speech, Bleach slowly echoing an ambulance siren, Jack repeating, "Ashes to ashes,", and I slowly rock from side to side, one foot to the other whilst singing one of my old time favourite songs.

"Jimmy died today, he spread his wings out into the rain. Jimmy died today, he spread his wings out into the rain." All eyes are on Kaity, including the audience, riveted, just how I like them.

"Jimmy was forced into smoking by the girl he had a crush on," She pushes me a little so I sway more violently, "and her friends. Two years later he died from severe lung cancer, too violent and quick spreading to be caught."

Bleach stops, her voice singing the one, long high note of the ambulance siren, and I sing my phrase one last time. There's three seconds of silence, and then the rest of the class clap.

I loved applause.

We're all in the circle again, and once we've given our feedback, Miss Vaughnan claps her hands and smiles, "Okay guys, big news!" All attention is on her, "As you well know the school production will be put on in the next three months as its nearly the end of school, and you guys are the top Performance group in the school because the Year Elevens have left, so I better see you all at the auditions."

We all cheer and smile, and I already know I'll be there.

"So!" Miss yells, raising her voice to attract out attention, "Grab an audition piece from the wallet outside and sign your name up for next Wednesday!"

We all cheer, the school production a massive part of school, and I throw myself into the flood of people fighting for an audition piece.

"Alright guys!" Miss Vaughnan says from the door, clapping her hands to get our attention, "Come on, I cant let you go 'til the bell! Get in a line and I'll let you go asap!"

We are cram into a line, squashed between Bleach and a boy I vaguely know called Ronnie, who smiles, and I smile back. We make general chatter about the production, and I'm so excited. The bell rings and miss lets us go. I push my way out into the small room outside the studio, and grab my bag, and when I look out, somehow Zach is there already.

He's waiting at the bottom of the path leading to the studio, smiling at me. I rush down and he embraces me in a strong hug. I place my hands on his chest, and he notices, smiling and pulling away so I can see his face.

He tenses his chest, and the hard muscles twitch. I squeak and smile, wondering how he gets so muscley, yet stays thin, and doesn't actually work out. I smile, whatever the case, and hug him tight.

"Can't wait for tonight," He says, with another smile, and though it could sound strange, it doesn't, because I know he means it just being Zach and Ash.

I nod to agree, because suddenly I'm tired again. Zach smiles, and kisses the top of my head, and starts walking us back to the quad, one arm round my shoulders, my body leaning in towards his.

We get to the quad, and I mumble something about not being hungry, which, for once, I am, and I want to be pretty for tonight, for Zach. I know we're making a big deal about going round his house, but we're that kind of couple who are so close we don't need to move so fast to feel happy.

I shuffle so I'm sat on his lap, one arm holding my legs against him, and one hooked around my waist.

"Sure you're not hungry?" Zach asks, his arms holding me tight. I struggle to open my eyes and force my words out for a second, until my rumbling stomach answers for me and I find myself blushing.

I shake my head softly, "No, no, I'm fine."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

He kisses the top of my head and pulls me closer, moving so I'm sat in the curve of his body, "Sleep doll," he whispers, stroking one hand up and down my back, his fingers just caressing my spine.

I think I sleep away the day, my recollection of school completely blurred until the last bell goes and I meet Zach at the gates.

"C'mon doll," He says, taking his hand firmly in mine. I squeeze his hand tightly for a second before letting it go and pulling off my school shirt and skirt, leaving my black shorts and a Jist patterned top. I smile at Zach and take his hand again. He links his fingers swiftly with mine as my other hand stuffs my uniform into my bag.

We take a slow walk back through town towards his house, and the crowds of school kids thin out the further away we get, and Zach smiles at me and tugs me a little closer.

We get to his house and I start wringing my hands as he slots his key into the lock, beyond nervous. Was his Mum home? Would I have to meet her? What if she didn’t like me?

I take a deep breath when the door opens, and Zach tilts his chin a little towards the staircase right in front of us, "Mum? I'm home!"

When there's no answer I breathe a small sigh of relief and Zach turns to me, smiling lightly as he takes my hand and leads us towards the stairs, "She must be out,"

We take the stairs quickly, and Zach leads me to what I instantly know is his room, posters cover the door, most prominently Bring Me The Horizon.

When he opens the door I'm greeted with dark blue walls, covered in various 'hxc' posters, a black bedspread and a desk and a lot of clutter, like a typical teenage bedroom.

I immediately spot a music magazine with Shikari on the cover and squeal, hiding my nervousness a little, and kneel beside it, quickly flicking to the article.

Zach chuckles a little from the doorway and when I glance up his smile seems to melt my insides, "Back in a minute doll, getting changed,"

I nod, absorbed in the magazine, and spot an iPod sat in some speakers. I stop reading for a second to switch on the iPod, Chelsea Smile by Bring Me The Horizon as I know Zach'll like that.

When he reappears a few minutes later he smiles and joins me on the floor, mirroring my sitting position, legs crossed Indian style, hands now resting on my knees since I replaced the magazine, done staring. His knees touch mine and he shifts into a more comfortable position.

"Nice song," He says with a soft smile, staring me right in the eyes.

I'm not aware of blinking for the next few minutes, our eyes locked in this never ended piece of bliss. Time wasn't an issue, time didn’t exist, I just stared deep into his soul and felt my own soothed by his. Our hands link, resting on our knees, and Zach squeezes my hands a little, along with a small smile.

The song switches, to Lips Like Morphine by Kill Hannah, and for some reason my heartbeats just a little faster.

"Doll?" Zach says as he squeezes my hands a little tighter. I snap away from my calm trance and look at him properly, "What do your lips taste like? ... Morphine I bet."

We breathe in simultaneously and as if in slow motion, Zach leans forward, and a second later his lips touch mine. It's simple, lips pursed, like your first ever kiss.

When he pulls away my lips seem to buzz as if an electrical current strong enough to light London for a week ran through them. I raise a shaking hand to press against them and my skin seems to quiver. I can't take my eyes from his and I let out a little disbelieving laugh, it was even more perfect than I imagined.

"Morphine," Zach smiles, rejoining our hands and flicking his hair from his eyes, his voice the same daze quality as mine, "Definitely."

I lean forward and close the tiny gap between us, joining our lips again in a simple, pursed kiss, too scared to do anything more, too scared to ruin the perfection. It's still only a second long, and yet when I pull away I'm more breathless than if I ran the marathon.

"Perfect," I breathe, squeezing our hands. Zach releases my fingers, and wraps his arms round my ribcage. Our lips join again, this time for longer, but we don’t move our lips, just extend our simple, pursed kiss, scared and unsure. I move forward, somehow curling myself into his lap. My hands fall on his neck, our kiss making my head swim as he holds me tighter and tighter.

I'm almost asleep in his gorgeous embrace, and I barely notice as he stands and carries me, bridal style to his bed, where he sets me on the duvet and I raise a heavy arm and mumble something at him. He smiles and lies down beside me, kissing the top of my head and I rest it on his toned chest, closing my eyes and falling into a dreamless, perfect sleep.