Zoey's POV

7. That's how many beer bottles were on the floor when I got home from school. Even before I entered the house, I could smell the alcohol. Even before I entered the kitchen, I knew he was passed out at the table.

I tried to creep past him without making any noise, but his awakening was inevitable from the start.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked behind me. I cringed as the voice met me.

"Uh… hi daddy… I'm just going upstairs…" I said nervously. Wham! I fell to the ground as his fist connected with the side of my face. I looked up at him with disgust, massaging my cheek.

"Get out of this house…" dad said, his alcohol breath swirling around the room. I glared at him and retreated out. I hated him with every fiber in my body. Every time he was drunk or hung over, he would kick me out. I suppose I was lucky that he wasn't able to beat me nearly as much when I wasn't in the house, but I never had anywhere to go when he told me to leave.

I decided to walk around the neighborhood for a bit before attempting to go back home. The day had been crazy and this was the perfect time to review the events of the day.

I wasn't sure if I was too delighted that Mike lived in this area. What's more terrible was that he didn't even seem to remember me! I'm not sure if it was a character I spoke to or what, but he seemed really confused.

"Zoey?" a voice asked behind me. Mike was standing there with two 13 year olds. One was a boy and one was a girl.

"Mike…" I breathed.

"Awkward!" the boy declared. His twin sister slapped the back of his head with disgust.

"How's it going?" Mike asked. I shrugged.

"I was kicked out of the house for the evening so I'm just walking around for the moment," I admitted. Mike cracked a smile.

"You should come with us to the park," he said. I stepped back a little at this offer.

"Oh…no, that's okay…"

"C'mon, Matt and Mallory are gonna be running around with their little friends the whole time!" Mike coaxed. This is how I found myself sitting on a bench with Mike, watching Mallory kicking Matt's ass for hitting on one of her friends, sharing a box of M and M's.

"Mallory sure is cool!" I exclaimed.

"A perfect description of her!" Mike laughed.

"So… what happened to you?!" I blurted out. I felt my face grow hot as he hung his head.

"Look, I really don't know about the whole 'Total Drama' thing," he said.

"You don't remember anything?" I asked in disbelief. He shook his head.

"But… sometimes I have these weird dreams," he said, staring into space. "I had a crush on you, didn't I?"

My cheeks felt hot again. "Yeah…"

"But you didn't want to date me because of my personalities… so I got surgery…" Mike mumbled, still staring into space.

"You… what?" I squeaked.

Mike snapped his head up. "What did I say this time?!"

"I…I don't understand…"

"Sometimes I say weird things…" Mike said, scratching the back of his neck. I decided not to question anything else.

Mike cursed as he dropped the box of candy on the ground. As he bent down to pick up the box, a shiny half-necklace swung forward off his chest. I got a stroke of inspiration at that moment. I dug out the other half from under my shirt.

I remembered getting it way too much. When I rejected him, he sort of hung his head in a really sad way.

"I get it…" he had said. I had watched as he dug a medallion necklace out of his pocket. His head still down, he snapped it in half and threw the broken bit on the ground. He walked away at that point, but I still remember picking up the other half and hanging it on a chain afterwards.

"I don't think we can still eat these…" Mike said, frowning at the box of candy. As soon as he looked up at me, I saw his eyes capture my necklace.

"How did you…" Mike said as his hand flew up to grab the half around his own neck. "Where did you get that?"

I silently matched up the halves as he watched in shock.

"How do you have the other-" Mike stopped suddenly.

Mike's POV

"Zoey listen, my 'characters' they're not just for show… I-I have Multiple Personality Disorder…" I said, looking at my shoes. Zoey took a step back.

"Why did you hide this from me?" she asked, sounding hurt.

"I didn't want you to think I was a freak…"

"Mike… If you had just told me, this wouldn't be a problem… but you had me thinking that you didn't like me after all and…well, now I'm over it…"

"You… don't want to date me…?" I said quietly.

"I….no Mike…not now…."

"When?"

"I dunno…maybe never…"

All of this ran through my head in a split second.

"You said you didn't want to be my girlfriend…so why do you have this necklace…?"

"I regretted my decision…and part of me really wanted to go back in time to change my answer… so after everyone else had gone to sleep, I went back to Mt. Chrismore and found the other half…"

"But why didn't you tell me?"

"Why did you lie in the first place?!" Zoey exclaimed.

"So you kept this all these years?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah… I wish I hadn't rejected you Mike, believe me!" Zoey confessed. "I never really gave up on you…"

I don't know what made me do it, but I kissed her. Right there on that park bench. I don't know if I did it to test her, or prove something, or what, but that's the fact.

"Ahem…" the twins said in that creepy synchronizing way.

I pulled away from Zoey awkwardly, standing up from the bench. We were too embarrassed to say anything to each other on the way back, even when I walked her home. As I collapsed on my bed that night, I realized that I was more confused as ever.