A/N: Welcome back to 2005. I'll be your tour guide through this beautiful mess. As you can see below, we have some great memories of pretending to hate school but being resigned to the fact that it's something you have to deal with. Also, running into that GODDAMN CHEERFUL PERSON that everyone loves and you just. Don't. Want. To Deal. With Them.

And as we ran from the cops we laughed so hard it would sting

Three cinnamon buns, two dollars, and one satisfied Phasma later, the trio was finally walking the main floor of the mall. Ben kept his typical scowl plastered to his face, not wanting to look like he was having too much fun. After all, they weren't typical teenagers. They were badasses. When they went to the mall, it was completely different than when stereotypical teens did.

Phasma munched on her last cinnamon bun, licking the excess frosting off before starting on the actual bun. Hux's attention kept flickering between her and where he was walking, which just made Ben's smirk widen. If he played his cards right, he could get the ginger to walk right into a pole.

"So what classes are you two thinking about taking next year?" Phasma asked between bites. "Thinking about any AP courses?"

Hux shook his head passionately, though the hand rubbing on the back of his neck didn't quite match the affect he was projecting. "Nah, no way," he grumbled. "I don't want to waste all my free time doing homework."

Ben scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. I don't care what my stupid mom says, there's no way I'm going to suffer through AP English," he added.

"You two dorks do know that they let you skip gen eds in college, right?" Phasma asked. She crumpled up the Cinnabon wrapper and chucked it at the closest trash can. "Point, Phas!" she cheered when it bounced on the edge directly in. "The score is ten thousand, Phasma, and none for Ben or Hux."

The two boys looked at each other and exchanged eye rolls. It didn't phase her at all and Hux skirted around the pole he had been about to walk into. Disappointing. Ben clicked his tongue before going back to the class discussion. "Who says we're even going to go to college, Phas? It's ridiculous that we're supposed to pick a major and all that bullshit to decide what we're going to do with the rest of our lives, but god forbid we get a tattoo," he remarked sarcastically.

Hux nodded sagely and chimed in, "It's a double standard, it is."

"Double standard or not, you probably should still think about it," Phasma replied, though her tone was bored rather than intent on telling the pair what to do. It was probably a good thing. She might be more mature than either of them, but dammit they didn't need to be reminded every day.

"Well, regardless we don't get to pick until closer to the end of the quarter, so I'm not worried," Hux said with a shrug. "And you'll let us use your old notebooks, right Phas?"

She hummed to herself, stopping to look in the accessory store window. "Mmm, maybe if you ever give me the twenty bucks for letting you use my exams this year," Phasma retorted. The display apparently didn't capture her interests, and they started back on their path to Hot Topic.

Ben stuffed his hands in his pockets, not meeting Phasma's eyes. She was right, of course. They had both said they were going to repay her for letting them study from her midterms and neither had scraped up the money since January. Ben had thought about snatching the money from his mom's wallet, but the threat of getting grounded until summer kept him from actually doing it. She might not be around as much as Han, but that didn't stop his mother from somehow making sure her punishments got enforced.

"You sure it was twenty?" Hux asked, deceptively cool. "I'm pretty sure it was ten altogether." They stepped across the black tile threshold into their sanctuary from the public. Ben actually closed his eyes and savored the sudden change from bubbly pop music to the metal that filled the air in the store. Hot Topic.

Phasma actually considered Hux's suggestion, tilting her head in recollection. "Maybe you're right," she admitted, "but I know you both owed me. So it might have been ten each." She wandered to the women's clothes, allowing for Ben to throw double thumbs-up at his best friend. That was ten dollars more he didn't have to pay back to her.

Hux mouthed the words 'can I borrow ten bucks?' to him. Ben changed his gesture to something a bit more explicative before sidling over to where the hair dye was. Hux had just gotten out of paying twenty bucks back. One would think that the idiot would find a way to get ten from his old man, Ben thought snarkily.

Twirling the display until he found the right shade of black - the darkest shade of black that Manic Panic made - Ben scowled at the pricetag. Almost thirteen bucks. That plus tax would push him past the remaining cash in his pocket. "Phasma," he growled under his breath.

The platinum blonde appeared behind him, clutching something dark and lacey that was sure to give any adult a heart attack. "You summoned me, dork lord?" she mock whispered, an eyebrow cocked.

"Christ!" Ben gasped, jumping from her sudden appearance. "Why do you always have to do that?" His tone was incredulous, though he should have anticipated her answer.

"You make it far, far too easy my dear Benjamin," she chuckled. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the display and the bottle of dye in his hands.

Her hand reached over his shoulder to spin the display again, this time stopping on the temporary colors. "Oh, this is a nice blue," Phasma cooed, shoving Ben to the side to look at it. "And it's on sale, too. Buy one get one half off."

Ben was already huffing, thinking just how lucky it was for her and her apparently infinite wallet. He was interrupted from his scoffing by Phasma tugging his bottle of dye from his hands and walking up to the checkout counter. She called over her shoulders, "Are you going to give me the seven bucks you owe me, or should I just let you pay full price instead?"

His feet slipped slightly on the floor as he scrambled to go up to the counter. Gratitude was right on the tip of his tongue before she cut him off with a wave of her hand. The clerk looked at them with a confused stare, but otherwise continued to ring up Phasma's purchases. Hux wandered back over to them at this point, scowling with his hands shoved into his jean pockets.

The scowl twitched slightly as he noticed the black and blue corset the clerk was bagging. "Please tell me that's for the concert. Or a party. Or just to wear on a casual Friday afternoon," he said quickly.

Phasma smirked, turning to lean on the checkout counter. "Hux, you're going to be the same color as your hair if you keep that up. Just chill," she teased. The ginger flushed a deeper shade of red, looking pointedly at the floor.

"But you are actually going to wear that, right?" Ben added. He had to stick up for his idiot friend sometimes. "Because you said you were going to wear those Tripp pants you bought last month and we've yet to see that."

She sighed heavily and admitted, "It's for my outfit for the concert at the end of the quarter. But if you two dweebs keep pestering me I'm just going to return it." The thought was almost too much to bear. Phasma was so conservative compared to them with how she dressed, especially at school. The only time they could get her to dress in something more hardcore than a torn band t-shirt or skinny jeans was when their band - the First Order - played.

Hux and Ben fervently promised not to bring the corset up again, dropping the topic to instead about potential set lists for said concert. They walked out of the store bickering about the merits of doing covers of a single artist versus a variety of bands. Their next destination was a boutique that sold some of the more outlandish makeup and jewelry that were Phasma's only indulgences outfit-wise.

Normally neither Hux nor Ben would be caught dead in a "boutique," but after the first time they had been dragged inside they had begrudgingly admitted it was pretty sick. The eyeliner section alone convinced Ben that the place wasn't so bad - though the music left something to be desired. Hux preferred to spend his budgeted allowance in the jewelry section, carefully selecting a new leather cuff or clip-on stud earring.

Today, however he dogged Ben's steps, looking on morosely as his friend picked over the dark nail polishes. "Not even going to browse?" Ben asked. He pretty much guessed the answer he was going to get at this and every other store they went to today.

The ginger shrugged and glared at his feet. "Not feeling it today. Everything's too expensive," he muttered. The pink tinge on his ears told a slightly different story.

Ben thought of his own fairly empty wallet and grunted in agreement. His eyes flicked over to the display where Phasma was currently browsing. Her back was to them as she scoured some new fragrance display.

Nudging Hux with his foot, Ben twitched his head back at the nail polish in his hand. Quickly, he slipped it into his sleeve and smirked at Hux.

He looked dumbfounded, but that quickly passed. "What are you doing?" he hissed between clenched teeth. Hux's neck cracked from how fast he turned to look around them.

"Relax," Ben hissed back. "Just be cool. It's fine."

The ginger only got more irritated, bouncing on his heels nervously. "What if we get caught?" Hux insisted, shuffling away from the offending display. Ben followed smoothly, sliding his hand into his messenger bag to drop the tiny bottle inside.

"Come on, live a little," Ben insisted, smiling roguishly.

Chewing his lip, Hux seemed like he was going to crack. However he surprised Ben by nodding tightly and resuming his usual "too cool for this shit" demeanor. He lead the way to the next display, sighing a little too loudly but otherwise maintaining his cool.

Ben wound his way over to the other side of the bracelet display, eyeing a black cuff studded with inch-long spikes. The thing was wicked and Hux had stared longingly at the thing practically every time they went in the store. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Hux whispered after smoothly checking for any eagle eyed employees.

"Try it on," Ben replied, giving him a look. Hux picked up the bracelet and another similar cuff, turning them over in his hands. His fingers twitched but he still managed to tuck the spiked one into his jacket pocket without dropping it.

"Too tight," Hux said simply, dropping the other bracelet back onto the table. Ben choked back a snicker and they both stepped away from the table.

They repeated the same pattern at a few of the other displays, snatching cheap eyeliner and clip on piercings in between genuine casual browsing. When Ben made a grab for a black lipstick their luck ran out. They had made it to the doorway, and he had made the mistake of twirling the tube between his fingers instead of tucking it away.

"You have to pay for that before leaving," the clerk called out, scowling. Ben dropped the offending merchandise like it had burned him.

Hux took charge, giving an insincere apology about Ben "forgetting" he had been holding it. Then they skittered out of the store with wide grins splayed across their faces. "Okay, that was a little bit badass," Hux admitted, leaning on a plant display as they waited for Phasma to finish up her shopping.

Ben nodded smartly. "Of course it was," he crooned. "It was my idea."

"O-o-okay then," Hux sneered. They exchanged glowering looks before simultaneously turning away. A moment later, Hux added in an undertone, "We can't tell Phasma."

"She'll kill us," Ben agreed.

"Why is your girlfriend going to kill you?" a cheerful voice rose from Ben's side. He rolled his eyes and stared pointedly at the storefront instead of addressing the newcomer.

Poe Dameron swaggered - truly it was the only description of how the guy moved - over to the duo. Hux frowned, eyes darting carefully between Ben and Poe. "She's not my girlfriend. Or Hux's," Ben insisted. "Don't you have something better to do than torment us?"

He only grinned more at this, smiling so damn genuinely that Ben almost felt bad for how he was acting. Almost. "Just checking in on my two favorite outcasts," Poe remarked. "I do have to say I'm surprised to see you here in the mall with us mere mortals."

"Funny. I was going ask the same thing about you," Ben retorted. "What have we done to earn the right, no the privilege of seeing Mr. Amazing Dameron in the flesh?" Poe was the captain of practically every varsity sport at school, utterly beloved by students and teachers alike, and the complete antithesis of everything Ben stood for.

"Don't you have a football to be kicking around?" Hux added, sneering.

Unsurprisingly, this didn't phase him. If anything, it amused Poe even more. "I'd love to, but we just wrapped up the season. It's basketball now. Didn't you guys go to the rally last week?" he asked curiously. Of course they hadn't gone to the rally. It was the perfect time to hang out in the art room and change all the fruit bowl arrangements.

Thankfully Phasma arrived at this precise moment, saving Poe from the snarky comment that Ben was coming up with. Whatever it was going to be, it was going to be amazing. Completely.

She raised an eyebrow at their new companion. "I didn't know you guys were friends," she said. There was a hint of confusion in her voice, something not common for Phasma.

Ben fervently shook his head. Naturally, Poe took this time to remind everyone that his and Ben's parents were good friends. "We spent quite a lot of afternoons together, didn't we?" he said, smiling fondly at the memories.

"And then you turned into a jock," Ben retorted, "and are a constant pest."

Poe laughed, throwing his head back with the motion. Was he physically capable of doing anything without it grating on Ben's nerves? "You crack me up, man," Poe chuckled, shaking his head back and forth.

The gangly youth ground his teeth and turned to look at Hux for some support. He cleared his throat and pushed off from the planter, gesturing down the way that Poe had come from. "We're gonna… go," Hux said dismissively. Ben nodded shortly in agreement. He ignored the cheerful farewell offered by Poe, choosing to fiddle with the strap on his messenger bag instead.

Phasma was still watching intently, but she followed Hux and Ben on their path through the mall. She did wave to Poe though, polite as ever. As soon as he was out of earshot, she chirped, "So when were you going to tell us you're friends with Backpack Cat kid?"

Ben groaned, mortified. "Literally. Never," he hissed. "And we are not friends."

Stifling a laugh, Hux quickly added, "Do you have petting privileges?" He dodged the fist that Ben sent flying towards him, breaking out into actual giggles.

"I don't even want to pet Bebe," Ben practically shouted.

It was the wrong thing to say.

"You know the cat's name?" Hux crooned, slapping away Ben's next punch.

"You're on first name basis with Backpack Cat but you're not friends with Dameron?" Phasma said at the same time.

Throwing his hands in the air, Ben stormed ahead of his friends. "Can we just drop it?" he insisted, glowering at the group of pre-teens ogling them from across the center aisle. The two assholes behind him still snickered, but they finally - finally - let it go.

"So we're going to just hang out by the South exit until the mall closes?" Hux asked after a minute of silence.

"Lurking and making the adults feel uncomfortable," Ben replied with a nod.

"Why do we do this, again?"

"Because we're different than the squares, Hux. We're better than them."

"Because we're badass?" Hux offered, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"Duh. Well, at least Phas and I are. Maybe not you."

Phasma sighed. It was going to be a long night.

A/N: As usual, comments and critiques are more than welcomed! I have loads more random 'headcanons' from this on my writing blog, feckyeswriting, on Tumblr if you're interested. Or if you just want to say Hi. I also have more serious Star Wars fics, if this level of fantastical ridiculousness is too much for you.

Cheers!

-Sarah