I woke vaguely after what seemed like a few seconds. I could hear howling sirens, distraught cries and the heavy panting of those running to be alive. I was being carried from the scene by a person with strong arms who was too focused on running to realise I was awake. I didn't see his face but I saw the limp bodies scattered on the floor and the river of blood streaming between them before I blacked out.

'Hey, baby. Are you okay? Thank God, you're alive!' I heard a man's relieved voice as my eyes fluttered open. Gabe. 'Hi,' I croaked. Gabe handed me a glass of water and tilted it to my dry parted lips when I failed to sit up and take it. I accepted the liquid, graciously.

'What happened to everyone else after I went down?' Talking of that, why did I go down? My shoulder's kind of stiff,' I said.

'Well, you got hit by a bullet in that area where your collar bone goes to the shoulder joint. Quite a few people managed to get out but Dana got shot in her knee. I got you both out as quick as I could,' Gabe said.

'Is Dana okay?' I asked, panicking.

'Yeah. She's had an operation and she's going to need crutches for a while but no permanent damage really,' he explained.

'Good. I remember loads of people getting shot like Dixon and Cas and those false blond girls from Post 16 - Rachael, Ericka and Arabella. Are they all okay?' I enquired.

'Well, overall 79 people died out of the hundreds that were there. Unfortunately Cas, Rachael, Ericka, Arabella and Dixon are five of them,' he replied, looking at the floor and closing his eyes. My own eyes were welling with tears and I couldn't imagine how it must have been to regain your best friend and lose them in such a tragic situation.

'Gabe... I'm so sorry.'

'Me too, baby girl. Me too.' There was a horrid silence.

'Why did you save me and Dana when you could have saved him?' I asked, gently.

'You're my girlfriend! Look, I love you and I even went back in to try and get him but he was gone as soon as I got there,' Gabe explained, holding my hands. 'You know, you're beautiful even after you've been shot in the shoulder.'

I blushed.

'You only love me for my looks,' I joked, laughing.

'No. That's where you're 100% wrong. I love you because of who you are. You're a lovely, honest, caring person and I don't see why anyone would hurt you or lie to you. You don't lie, so why should they,' Gabe said, shaking my hands softly and stroking his thumb over my knuckles.

Oh. Well that's shocking. Little does he know I've been lying all along. I remembered what Dixon said to me. He was right, I had to tell him. Anyway, I had promised him that I'd tell him today. It was practically his death wish. Come on, Arianne, say it.

'Look, you don't need to say that. It's not like I've never lied. Sometimes I tell lies. Big lies. Massive ones, even!' I said, hinting towards the lie I was telling right then.

'Doesn't everyone? Even so, I'm sure it's not that bad. You aren't capable of carrying on with a lie for longer than a day, I've learnt,' Gabe said.

How wrong is he?!

'I have, you know! I've kept one going for months in previous. Maybe I'm the same as everyone else,' I replied.

'Nope! You're different.'

'Gabe, just stop. Have you ever thought that I'm exactly the same? Ever thought that I'm a liar and a cheat? What if it's all a lie?' I hinted, losing my temper. Normally I'd bathe in compliments for all I was worth but he was just making it so hard for me.

'What you on about?'

'Just think about it! What if I'm a lie?' I screamed.

'Spit it out then. Go on!' Gabe screamed back.

'I'm not Kaelie! She doesn't exist! I made her up so I could find out if you were cheating on me! I'm Arianne! The girl you said you loved once upon a blue moon, when half the time you were cheating on me whether it be with Bella or Kaelie! The guilt was eating me alive!' I raged, bursting into hot, furious tears.

Gabe rocked his chair back and forth silently, pushing onto the wall then pushing off it to tilt him upright. He did this for what seemed like hours.

'Say something!'

'Fine. You want me to say something? I'll say something. I can't believe you! I trusted you with my secrets and my deepest feelings, when all along you knew it all and never said a word! I broke up with... you for... you! You made me break up with a gorgeous girl for the same girl acting as a different girl! This is too complicated! I just can't speak to you now!' Gabe shouted. He stood up so quickly his chair slammed onto the floor and stormed out, striking the door shut with one loud swipe of his hand. The silence rung out into my ears. I buried my head in my hands. I then.tucked my knees into a tight ball to comfortably wallow in my own self-inflicted sadness.