A young girl sat at an empty table in the mall. It was about 5:30 PM on a friday and she was waiting on her friend's to meet her at the food court. She sighed boredly twisting the end of her low tied light blonde pigtail around her index finger. She was wearing a dark green short sleeve wrap tee with a with tanktop under it, light blue faded jeans with a silver hoop chain belt hooked lightly around her waist and black high heeled boots that went under her pants legs. Her usually loose bangs were clipped back with a three color hairclip so her bright green eyes were visible. Large silver hoop earrings caught any light giving them a shining look. She was a very pretty young girl."Aaa-maaan-daaaa!" The blonde girl looked up at the sound of her name and saw her friend's walking toward the food court. "Sara! Mimi! Finally!" She waved her hand standing to great her friend's. She huged them both and smiled. The brown haired girl that called her name was wearing her hair in a loose side ponytail with a pink bow in it as most of her hair hung loosely around her shoulders. She had on a light pink turtle neck sweater with a white cloth belt tied around her waist and a nice white denim skirt with pink nikeys and white anckle socks. Her pearl earrings matching the crystal blue of her eyes. Amanda looked to her other friend. She was wearing a faded black long sleeved off the shoulder shirt with a faded brown skull and cross bones. With short, dark blue, jean shorts with fishnest stockings and knee high boots. Her black hair hung loose around her shoulders, it was wavey which means she got her hair done after school and her hot pink and black earrings added a touch of color to her outfit and her light brown eyes seemed to shine as she smiled at her. "Oh my god, Mimi! You HAVE to let me borrow that shirt!" Amanda grinned pointing at the shirt. Mimi smiled and nodded. "Oh of course!" The girls laughed together, "where are we going to first?" Sara asked in her usual cute way. "I say hot topic!" Amanda pitched with a wide grin. "I say the Beauty Supply." Mimi pitched in her usual cool girl way. "I say Build a Bear!" The girls glared at each other before laughing out loud. "Build a Bear it is!" Mimi and Amanda laughed wrapping their arm's around Sara's shoulders as they walked threw the mall.

After Sara's mishap with a toy ribbit and the stuffing machine they dicided that the beauty supply would be next on their list along with a stop to the candy shop where each girl got their disired treat. Sara got a large rainbow lollipop, Mimi got one of those huge jaw breakers and Amanda got a bunch of packs of bubblegum. They entered the beauty shop, looking over different beauty items. Mimi's was hairdye and Sara's was hair ties, though Amanda was sure Sara wouldn't replace the hair ties she made her for her birthday. Amanda didn't really like all this stuff though. She was a natural blonde and the only real makeup she wore was heavy eyeliner. So that's what she was looking at, though she didn't need any. Amanda didn't need much. Clothes, a bed, a roof, her friends, and meal or two and she would be fine. She walked with her friend's, their elbows interlocked so they walked side by side. As they walked into hot topic Amanda went right over to the gloves, she had her eye's on a set of elbow length fingerless gloves she was dieing to have. "I wish I could afford them..." She sighed to herself quietly stuffing her hands into her pockets. "See something you like?" Amanda turned her head to the unknown voice, it was a boy. He looked a few year's older than her, his black bangs hung in his face hiding his eyes. He was wearing a plain blood red leather jacket, a black shirt under it and faded blue jeans. "Yeah, kinda." She said turning back to the gloves and sighed. "The gloves." He stated standing next to her his head low from looking down at the gloves. She sighed and shrugs her shoulders. "Yup." She took a side step to put some distance between them, he was waaaaay to close for her liking. "Why not buy them?" He asked tilting his head to the right, making her sigh. "I haven't the money and I don't really need them." She said the last part with a huff and slump of her shoulders. "But you want them." He stated making her groan in the back of her throat. "That doesn't mean I'll get them." He opened his mouth to say something but was silenced but her friend Sara calling for her. "Amanda! Come here look at this!" She practically yelled even though Amanda was well within hearing distance. "I hear you, stop yelling!" She yelled herself leaving the boy there to go to her friends.

..ooOoo..

"Who was that guy you were talking to?" Mimi asked as they walked out of hot topic and stood infront of it. Amanda shrugs with a humming, 'dunno' under her breath. "He was kinda cute!" Sara yipped giggling. Amanda sighed. "You think a lot of guy's are cute." Sara still giggled and smiled at her. "He might like you!" Amanda snorted and crossed her arms. "As if!" They gathered them selfs as they started to leave. "Hey wait! Miss!" The girls turned to the store worker as he grabbed Amandas arm. "Hey!" She yanked her arm from him and glared as he put his hands up. "Sorry! Here this is yours." He said giving her a bag and she looked into it, in it were the goves she wanted! "Wait, I didn't buy these." She said trying to hand him back the bag but he wouldn't take it. "The guy told me to give them to you." Amanda's glare softened to shock. "A guy in a red jacket?" The store worker nodded and headed back into the store waving his hand in the air. "He said it was for a girl who probably doesn't get what she wants." He disappeared into the store leaving the girls behind. "Oooo! Amanda's got a boyfriend! Amanda's got a boyfriend!" Sara chanted happily jumping up and down. "More like a stalker probably." She sighed walking away from the store.

The girl's sat in the food court sipping soda and sharing some fries. "I swear, the gym teacher must have turned blue!" Mimi laughed, reliving a prank they played of their most disliked teacher. They had replaced the water in his water bottle with tuna juice, and watched him take a huge gulp of it only to spit it back out and start yelling at everyone to know who did it. They still haven't been caught. The girl's shared a laugh. Amanda enjoied spending as much time with her friend's as possible. It was hell at her house, with her verbally abusive mother, lack of food and sheer lonliness. Time with her friend's was her only peace of mind. Her happiness started to fade, however; when Mimi's cell phone went off, she knew she would have to leave. Most of the time with Sara because they would ride together. "Hey... Yeah... With friend's... Amanda and Sara... No... No I-... Fine. Fine! Geez." Mimi hung up her phone and stuffed it in her pocket. "We have to go..." She said sadly looking up at Amanda apologetically. She smiled her best fake smile, she was sad but wouldn't let it show. "It's okay, I understand." They got up and hugged before Mimi and Sara left her in the food court. Amanda sighed as she emptied the food tray and left the food court, walking slowly out of the mall she looked into the bag with the gloves in it. Why had he bought them for her? That was truely one of the weirdest things a stranger has done for her. As she walked she took the gloves out and slipped them on her arm's flexing her fingers and bending and unbending her elbows to test them. They felt just like she thought they would! She loved them even more now.

..oo00oo..

Amanda sighed, slowly swinging on a swing she sat on at the park avoiding going home for as long as she can. The sun had long since set and the chilly air hit her bare skin like a whip. "Guess I should go home..." She sighed looking up at the sound of steps to notice a very familiar black haired male in a red jacket. "Why are you out here in the dead of night, Amanda?" She blinked almost forgetting Sara pretty much screamed her name across the store she met him in. Almost. "Are you stalking me or somthing?" Amanda spat clenching her fist's around the chain's of the swing, ready to strike if she has too. A deep, rough laugh was her anwser. "No, no. I pass this park every night when I go home." Amanda tilted her head but didn't press the matter. "Whatever.." She got up from the swing, looking up at him and side steped him and started to leave. Just before she was out of hearing range she heard him speak again. "I see you like the gloves." Amanda stoped and looked at her arm but she didn't turn around. "Yeah... Yeah, I do.." Amanda paused gritting her teeth slightly not used to saying thank you too strangers. "Th.. Thank you.. That was... Nice of you..." Amanda dared a look behind her to see him facing her and smiling. "It's no problem. They look good on you." Amanda felt her face flush and turned back around. "Thanks... I.. It's late, I have to go!" Amanda started to run down the sidewalk hearing him yelled after her, "Maybe we'll see each other again! My names ADAM!" He rised his voice, probably to make sure she heard him before she was out of site.

Amanda ran all the way home, three blocks from the park. And nearly slamed into the front door of her apartment, with all the will in her little under fed body she opened the door calmly and closed it behind her quietly. "Where've you been?" Her obviously drunk mother slurred. "Out with friends." She half lied and made for her room. "This late?" Amanda closed her door and locked it, ignoring the "whatever" her mother said under her breath. Amanda flopped onto her bed and sighed at her spazzing leg muscles. Her too thin body wasn't used to running like that. "Never doing that again..." Amanda remembered that tomorrow was saturday and her Mother wouldn't want her in the house, so she forced her self up off the bed and grabbed her spare backpack and started filling it with things she would need for that day. Sighing she placed the bag by the window and went back to the bed and ploped herself onto it and pulled her body in to curl up tightly. "What was with that guy?" She thought to herself and grabbed her teddy bear with the missing eye and held him to her chest. "Mr. Teddy what am I going to do?" She asked the old bear and snuzzled her Mr. Teddy and slowly fell asleep.

..oo00oo..

Amanda slowly opened her eyes to the sound of her hung over Mother. "Hey! Get you're lazy ass up out of that bed! I don't care if it's Saturday, I have work and I don't want you in this house while I'm gone!" After a minute of hearing that annoying banging Amanda pounded her fist into her pillow and yelled back. "I UP! STOP POUNDING ON MY DOOR YOU OLD HAG!" The loud knocking stoped and was replaced with yelling as well. "FIRST OF ALL, IT'S MY DOOR YOU LITTLE BRAT! SECOND OF ALL, DON'T YOU YELL AT ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Amanda growled, "YOU'RE YELLED AT ME FIRST!" Without waiting for a reply Amanda quickly hopped out of bed and changed her clothes and hid her teddy bear. "I DON'T CARE! I'M YOUR MOTHER AND YOU WILL NOT SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT!" Amanda slipped her boots on and went to her window, opened it, and stepped onto the roof. Before leaving out of the window she decided to give one last quip. "OH YEAH! BECAUSE YOU'RE THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WORLD! FOR A DOUNUT MAYBE! Hahaha!" With that Amanda quickly grabbed her backpack and slid her way down the roof. Hanging off the side she dropped carefully off the roof and took off down the road. Looking behind her she caught her mother looking out of her window toward her and waving her fist and shouting. Amanda grinned and took a sharp turn into an ally to take the back way toward the mall. "Ha, ha, that old hag will never find me this way!" Amanda laughed as she raced passed trash cans and bums. "I might not even go back tonight! Haha!" Amanda skidded to a hault and leaned her hands on her knees and panted. Once she gained her breath she dusted off her jeans and jogged the rest of the way to the mall. "I hope you guys are there."

..oo00oo..

Amanda's been waiting for her firends in the food court for 15 minutes and they still weren't there. She sighed and picked up her bag from the floor and started digging around for her cell phone. Mimi had given it to her after her mother chewed her out about not wanting to waste money on something she wouldn't even use. Dialing the number on her speed dial she waited for Mimi to answer. "Hello! This Marisa Anderson! Sorry I can't answer the phone, leave me a messege and I'll get back to you as soon as I can 'kay? Bye-bye!" Amanda waited waited for the beep before saying anything, "Hey, it's me... I was run out of the house by my old hag of a mother so I'm at the mall... If you and Sara have time I'd like to see you guys. And don't worry I'm fine. If you can't it's okay, I'll see you at school.. Bye." Hanging up her phone Amanda sighed and slumped over her table. 'What will I do now?' She thought and gathered her things and started walking. "I don't have much money.." She sighed again and went for hot topic. The dim lighting and loud mucis was fit for her mood at the moment so she fingured that would be for the best.

Walking in she was greeting by the cashier, giving him a nod she kept walking to the back of the store where they had most of the clothes. She looked at the stockings, shirts, hoodies, and gloves but she was too deep in thought to pay them any mind. Amanda gave a surprised yelped and whirled around after feeling a tap on her shoulder. "WHA! Y-you?" Amanda panted as she stared at the boy from yesterday, Adam. "Sorry, sorry! I thought you heard me." He half laughed holding up his hands in defense. "What, do you work here or something?" Amanda asked making Adam laugh lightly. "No, no. A friend of the family is manager here so I come to help him out sometimes is all." He laughed, placing his hands in his pockets. "Sometimes, I'm here even before the sun is up." He added and Amanda blinked. "Before...? How is that so? The mall itself isn't even open then!" Adam gave her a slight smirk and leaned toward her with his hand covering his mouth like one would do when telling a secert. "Do you really wanna know?" He asked and Amanda gulped and nodded her head lightly. "U-uh huh..." Adam smiled knowingly and leaned in more making Amanda flinch and whispered. "It's a secert." Amanda blinked as Adam leaded back and laughed lightly. "Eh.. Why you!" She barked while slaping her hands at him not that hard but enough to be noticed as he put his hands up to shield himself. "Don't make fun me like that when I don't even know you that well you idiot!" Adam laughed at her assault and grabed her wrists. She struggled to get out of his grip but he held on to her. "Then maybe you should get to know me, eh?" Amanda blinked stupidly as he smiled at her and shook her head snatching her hands away and glared. "What makes you think I'd wanna get to know you?" He placed his hands into his pockets and tilted his head. "It was just a thought." He shrugged.

A ringing sound came from Amandas backpack and she quickly pulled it off her back to dig through it for her phone. Almost dropping it when she grabbed it, flipped it open and answered the call. "H-hello?" "Amanda! I've called you twice why didn't you answer?" Came Mimi's voice."Ah-ah... Well I didn't hear my phone go off, I'm sorry!" "Haha, you're such a spazz! Anyway, me and Sara aren't free right now." Mimi trailed off earning an un-lady like snort from Amanda."You mean, Sara and I aren't free right now. Don't you?" Amanda heard Mimi huff on her side and was met with her annoyed tone. "Yeah, yeah, whatever! But we'll be free tomorrow so come over to Sara's house then okay?" "Okay, I will." "What will you do tonight?" Amanda thought about the question for a minute. "Probably stay out all night so I don't have to go home." A quiet pause. "Are you sure?" Amanda sighed softly. "Yeah I'm sure. Don't worry, I'll be fine!" "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Be safe!" "I will, see ya." Amanda hung up her phone and sighed. "Why aren't you going home?" Amanda blinked and looked up at Adam. "That's none for your concern." She turned around and pretended to take interest in the stockings and earrings that were hanging on the wall. "I see. Trouble at home then?" Amanda didn't answer hoping her ignoring him would be enough to send him away.

Sadly it wasn't enough. Adam leaned over her shoulder and grined. "So. Why don't you and I go out and get to know each other?" Amanda truned and flinched back. "Eeh?"

To be continued!