Brian reached over to put his arm around Annie and was surprised when it landed on the cold sheet. He sat up and turned on the light, to see Annie's side of the bed empty. "Hmmm, where'd she go?" he said out loud and heard typing coming from downstairs. Brian was getting a little mad now, he knew what she was doing. Studying. And when? At four in the morning. 'She's going to make herself sick with all this,' he sighed, getting out of bed and walked downstairs. He saw Annie sitting on the couch, with sure enough her laptop and folder. He walked over and put his hands on the back of her. He immediately felt her tense up and she turned around.
Brian reached over to put his arm around Annie and was surprised when it landed on the cold sheet. He sat up and turned on the light, to see Annie's side of the bed empty. "Hmmm, where'd she go?" he said out loud and heard typing coming from downstairs. Brian was getting a little mad now, he knew what she was doing. Studying. And when? At four in the morning. 'She's going to make herself sick with all this,' he sighed, getting out of bed and walked downstairs. He saw Annie sitting on the couch, with sure enough her laptop and folder. He walked over and put his hands on the back of her. He immediately felt her tense up and she turned around.
"Hi baby," she said looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "Hun, do you know what time it is?" he asked.
"Brian, come on! I'm sorry, but I had to study. You of all people should now how important this is to me."
"I do. I know you want to get into college by yourself, but if your health is the price then it's not going to be worth it."
"I'm fine, but I really need to study."

"You can study all day tomorrow and I won't bother you, but get some sleep."
"Why don't you go up, and I'll study...just for a few minutes!"
"I won't rest peacefully until I have you next to me."
Annie rolled her eyes, but looked down so Brian couldn't see, "Oh, alright! Take away my dream why don't you?"
"You're over reacting, sweetie. It's not that bad. By me making you get a few hours of sleep is not going to affect your getting into college," he laughed.
She smiled, "I guess not, OK," she said then stood up, completely forgetting about what she had in her lap. The bottle of pills fell from her lap and rolled on the floor to right in the middle of where her and Brian were standing. She just stared at Brian, waiting for his reaction, she saw none, he was just staring at the bottle in disbelief. Finally he made a move, he bent down and picked it up. He read the label and then looked up at Annie.
"What's this?" he asked calmly.
"Um...it's...uh..you see...um..," she stuttered, trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. "OK then since you don't remember let me help you out. Could it be drugs?"
Her mouth dropped open, "NO! It's not drugs! They're just caffeine pills to help me stay awake!"
"To study?"
"Well, yes."
"This doesn't say caffeine pills, it says amphetamines AKA speed!"
"It's not speed!! Lord! I got it from the hospital!"
"So, you're getting prescription drugs, when you don't need them?"
"NO! I do need them, I need to study and I need to stay awake!"
"Do you see what this is doing to you?! You're so hung up on this "dream" that you don't realize ANY kind of drugs are bad! This is going to make you sick! Staying up at all hours of the night to study! And for a test that's 3 months away! You're out of your mind!"
"I'm not out of my mind! You're out of you're mind if YOU don't realize that those pills are harmless! HARMLESS! I've been taking them since I got the letter you know! And I've been fine!"
"Since you got the letter? That was 2 months ago, so you've been taking these for the past two months?"
"Maybe I have!"
There was a few minutes of silence until Brian, who was still holding the pills, spoke up, "Don't take them anymore."
"WHAT?! You can't just tell me what to do, I can take those pills if I want and when I want and you can't stop me!"
"I said...DO NOT take these pills anymore," It took him every ounce of strength in his body to keep his cool.
"You're not my father! SO LAY OFF IT!" "I will not! I don't want my girlfriend, who I love with all my heart and soul, to throw away her life for some stupid test! Like I told you before, if you're health is the price then it's gonna be worth it!"
"Well, that's for me to decide! Now isn't it?" she scowled then stalked upstairs, leaving Brian standing there. She returned still in her PJ's just with her duffle bag.
"I'm leaving," she announced.
"What?! You live a half a mile from here!"
"I don't care, I'll walk."
"Atleast let me drive you, if you have to leave. I would die if anything happened to you!"
"What ever."
Brian grabbed his keys and didn't bother changing. Once they were in the car and her pulled off he finally got enough courage to ask, "Is this the end?"
Annie looked at him, "Of what?"
"Us."
"Oh that...no, I just think we should take a break, only for a two weeks though. I need time to study...without people telling me what to do. Nobody's told me what to do before and nobody's going to start now."
They pulled up to the house a few minutes later and she kissed him and got out of the car.
After she disappeared through the door, Brian sat in his car wondering, 'What did she mean, 'Nobody's told me what to do before and nobody's going to start now'?'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Annie walked in the house expecting no one to be up so she was surprised to see A.J. sitting in her kitchen.
"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly and A.J. nearly fell off his chair.
"GEEZ! What are trying to do? Give me a friggin heart attack?" he asked, holding on to his chest.
She laughed lightly (Yes, that's supposed to be lightly), "Sorry about that," she walked al the in and sat across form him at the table, "So why are you here?"
"Eh, I wanted to talk to Lina, but she didn't want to talk to me, so she just left me here," he said a matter of factly.
"She let you here?"
"Long story....so tell me why you're back from Brian's," A.J. asked trying to change the subject.
"Long story."

"Seems there's alot of that going around tonight," he laughed.
She smiled, "Yeah."
'Would Brian care if I asked A.J.? I mean it's really no big deal. It's not going behind his back, if he doesn't ask. I just won't say anything unless he asks. This just might work!' she thought to herself then looked up at A.J.
"OK this may seem like a strange question, since I'm seeing Brian and all, but...."