A/N: My first Recess post of 2006! This is just another songfic, but I really love this song and after an incident that happened, which I may or may not explain at the end of this story, I now have an emotional attachment to this song. So, enjoy and lemme know what you think.

disclaimer: I do not own Recess, this song, or Green Day

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She couldn't believe it when she'd heard. Nobody wanted to. But now, her red hair blew as she walked up the path of the funeral home back in her home town. She'd gotten the call from one of her old friends one day while studying for an upcoming exam. She was now in her third year at Harvard Law School in Boston, Massachusetts. Growing up she'd wanted to be a scientist, but somehow ended up in law school. Gretchen Grundler pulled open the heavy wooden door to the funeral home and found the room where the casket lay, not wanting to believe what had just happened and how quickly the time had passed her by.

Another turning point

A fork stuck in the road.

Time grabs you by the wrist

Directs you where to go.

So make the best of this test and don't ask why.

It's not a question but a lesson learned in time.

Gretchen could see the outline of the face perfectly that lay in the white satin bed. Slowly, she began walking across the carpet to the casket. All the while, memories of her past with this person flooded her head. There was, of course, the time when she and the rest of her childhood gang worked together to bust TJ Dettweiler out of detention. There was that time when she and everyone else cheered on Mikey's kindergarten friend in the Kindergarten Derby. And who could forget all those kickball games?

It's something unpredictable

But in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

As Gretchen stared down at the closed eyes of her childhood friend, she could feel salty tears streaming from her own. How could this happen? She was still so young and had so much left to accomplish in life. She had goals. Gretchen knew it for a fact. Her friend wasn't the type of person who would have let life pass her by. So why was it taken away from her? Why was such an innocent person forced to leave the world at such a young age? Gretchen closed her eyes as she realized all the times she was remembering were times she would never be able to reminisce with her best friend.

"Why did this have to happen?" Gretchen whispered, placing her hand on that of her lifeless friend. "Why you?"

So take the photographs and still frames in your mind.

Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time.

Tattoos and memories and dead skin on trial.

For what it's worth, it was worth all the while.

It's something unpredictable

But in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

Gretchen took a deep breath, squeezed her friend's hand, took one last look at the smooth, flawless Italian complexion of the young girl who lay before her, and remembered all the times her friend had been there for her. Now she would never have the chance to repay her for anything. Gretchen ran her hand through her friend's hair and felt the gash on her head where the window had busted in on her that night when her car was hit by a drunk driver on her way to her apartment from the university she had been taking night classes at. She hadn't deserved to die. She had a future. But it was torn away by a careless person who had decided to drink and drive. Gretchen wiped away the tears that were beginning to form again and turned to walk away, but turned back suddenly to whisper one last message. "I'll never forget you, Ashley Spinelli."

It's something unpredictable

But in the end it's right.

I hope you had the time of your life.

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A/N: I hope you liked it. I can't believe I made it into a sad story though. The reason I'm now attached to this song is because the boy I have extremely strong feelings for, and have had for the past 8 years of my life, danced with me to this song at our school dance. It was the last song of the night. Yeah, I know, teen drama. Anyway, lemme know what you thought of it.