This and the last chapter were conjoined but it got really long so I split them. I have no idea what time period this is set in. lol but no cell phones so I guess early-mid 70s. If you're reading, I love ya.

~Shawn

THE MALL

~Bobby~

I had never met Jenna or Vicki's parents but Vicki's mom was smokin'.

"Hey boys." Vicki's mother greets us. We both say hello and hop inside the Vista Cruiser. Jenna and I had the third row, while Nicki and Vicki stayed in the second.

"How are you?" I ask Jenna.

"I'm fine. You and Nicholas sure took a long time." She says pretty curtly.

"I had a really nice shirt picked out but it had a stain on it. He was helping me find another one."

She made this hmph sound. "Sure." She says then looks out the window. I try to put my arm over her but she shoves it off. "Chill out. My aunt's in the front seat for Christ's sake."

This was new.

~Nicholas~

Vicki grabbed my hand as soon as I got into the car. We held hands the whole ride. It was weird but comfortable. I've had my share of fantasies about Bobby and me, but none of them involved holding hands or doing cutesy stuff like that.

"We're gonna go to some stores then we'll catch a flick." Vicki said.

"Sounds good." I say.

Is this really how dating works? I go to some party where I don't know anyone, some tipsy girl kisses me and now she thinks I'm her boyfriend? People are really strange. On the ride I fought the urge to look back at Bobby and Jenna but Vicki brought up this show I like and actually kept my attention.

Vicki's blonde bombshell mom dropped us off in front of the mall. Vicki quickly stuck to my arm and Jenna seemed to be giving Bobby the silent treatment.

I swear we walked to every store and my feet were killing me. The girls got some earrings and asked us to carry the tiny bags. We all sit by the fountain now after grabbing some food. Vicki tries feeding me a fry but not sure what was going on, it sort of digs into my cheek.

She giggles. "Nice job." She wipes my cheek with a napkin. "Try again." She says and I actually bite the fry this time.

"Greasy." I smile and look over at Bobby and Jenna. He's eating a burger and Jenna's sort of glaring at him.

"Do you want something?" I hear him say.

"No I don't." She stares into the fountain.

"Whatever." He says. Jenna scoffs and stands up.

"Vicki. Bathroom."

"I'm fine." She looks at her cousin then back at me. Jenna touches her shoulder. "Come on. I don't want to go by myself."

Vicki sighs a little. "Be right back." She strolls off with Jenna. Bobby slides all the way over to me.

"You're acting very normal with Vicki." He smirks.

"Yeah. She um, really likes me." I was surprised myself.

"Do you like her Nicholas?"

"I don't know." I said. Vicki had really been keeping my attention. Also she's a lot cooler when she isn't glued to Jenna.

"You like her more than me?" Bobby's blue eyes went up and down scanning me. He put his arm on my shoulder.

"Shut up." I brush him off casually. "It's different. What about you and Jenna?"

"I don't like her." He says briskly. "I like you." I turned into a ripe tomato when he said that.

"Well she looks like she's mad at you."

"Who cares Nicki? She dumps me or something there are tons of other girls."

"But Vicki might stop talking to me." I say. Bobby looks at me.

He grins. "You really like her."

My faced tenses up and I start to think. "Come on, I said shut up. I just, think she's okay."

Bobby nods. "All right. I'll try to make things right with Jenna."

"Do you know why she's angry with you?"

"No. Probably because I don't want to touch her and stuff."

I nodded. "Do you like girls Bobby?"

He looks at me. His mouth opens, but he stops and ponders for a moment. "Yeah I mean, I've never met a guy I was attracted to."

"Oh."

"Other than you that is." He pushes me gently and I had this urge to tackle him again. I'm sitting here blushing and for the first time I really wanted to hold his hand.

"Sheesh. What are those chicks doing?"

"Talking shit." I say.

Bobby looked at me with this smile. "That's all girls do." Bobby sips some of his soft drink. "What. What do you think they're talking about?"

"Well if Jenna's mad at you, you're who she's talking about."

"Probably." Bobby runs his hands through his dark hair then holds his head down.

"She likes you Bobby. Just be nicer."

"Easier said than done. She's so touchy. But hey, she has a color television."

I'm not sure why but I laugh at his materialism. We finally see the girls coming back.

"We're gonna catch the next flick." Vicki tells us.

"Is it scary?" Bobby asks.

"Romantic comedy." Jenna says.

"Anything. Long as it makes me laugh." Bobby smiles. "Come on babe. Let's get some snacks."

"I'm your babe now?" Jenna pouts.

"You always have been." He hugs her and presses his forehead to her. "I don't know what I did, but I want to fix it okay?"

"Okay Bobby." They kiss now and walk off. Bobby looks back at me and gives me a thumb up.

"What was that?" Vicki asks.

"I guess he didn't want Jenna mad at him anymore."

"Well good. She was going nuts in there." She plays with her pigtails then looks around. "Shall we go?"

"Yes." She holds out her hand and I take it.

We go and see a very cheesy film. I mean I giggled a few times, but it was sort of a mess. Some guy was trying to impress this waitress but did it in the most ridiculous ways. He left a note on the table but another guy ended up sitting there so the waitress assumed it was from him. Then the main guy went out in disguise to catch the waitress on a date with the other dude. Then he confessed his love.

It was incredibly stupid in my opinion.

We walked around now. It was about 5:00 now and Vicki's mom would come soon.

Vicki points toward the exit. "Let's go sit outside. The couches in the patio here are amazing."

We just nod and follow her to the sitting area outside the second floor of the mall. There weren't a lot of people around so we all sort of clumped together on the couch.

"This couch is mighty decent." Bobby slouched on the far left side while I was on the far right while the girls are in-between.

"Totally." Jenna rests her head on his shoulder. He looks at me then at her and they start to make out.

Vicki laughs awkwardly then turns to me. "How'd you like the movie?"

"It was okay. I'm not much of a movie watcher."

She giggles. "Me either. Everyone will be talking about it at school though. I really like the actress too."

The actress was terrible. She was quite pretty though. "I know what you mean." I lie.

"Yeah." She looks around then touches her pigtails. "You wanna-"

"Um, if you want." I say. She giggles again then comes toward my mouth. I pucker my lips and she pecks them. She keeps on giggling then gets real close to me. I'm not huge on kissing girls or anyone. It was weird and wet and stuff but I sort of just rolled with it for a few minutes. Vicki eventually pulls back then sort of just rests on my shoulder. We stare off at the sky.

"Let's head to the front. Your mom will be here soon." Jenna stands.

"All right. Ready Nicholas?"

Jenna grabs Bobby's hand after they had sucked face for twenty minutes and I politely put out my hand for Vicki.

"You kids have fun?" Vicki's mom said as we neared the car.

"Yes mom." Vicki says.

More hand holding on me and Vicki's end while Bobby and Jenna get touchy in the back. So much for her Aunt driving.

"Hey Mrs. Matlin, could you drop me of at Nicholas'?" Bobby said from the back.

"Sure honey."

"Why don't you come to my place for a little while?" Jenna tries to convince him.

"Cause it's a longer walk." Bobby says. Jenna pouts again but Bobby whispers something into her ear. "Okay? Tomorrow." She smirks and they kiss some more.

Vicki's hot mom bid us farewell and the girls blew us kisses. Bobby is now at my house. He hasn't been to my house since last year for my birthday. Before I moved in seventh grade, he'd be over all the time.

"Damn. Is this only my second time here?" He says as we stand on the front porch.

"Yeah I think so."

He laughs. "Your mom home?"

"Yeah. Her and her loser boyfriend."

"Ah, that guy? She's still with him?"

"Yup." I sigh.

"Well you still have your fort?" He asks.

"Oh man. I haven't called it that in forever. The shed here sucks."

"Well take me to it." He says. We go out back past my mom's wilting garden to the ugly little shed.

Bobby laughs a little. "Sheesh. This fort does suck." He studies it. "Your mom cleaned out the old one huh?"

"Yeah. She said the bugs creeped her out. She doesn't care much for this one apparently." I shrug. I take a seat in the wooden chair by the desk. "See this? All metal. Super loud."

"Can't do anything on this." Bobby hops onto the wobbly metallic surface. He laughs again then rocks back and forward.

"Stop! It might fall!" I hold my hands out as if it'll stop him.

Bobby is amused by his own antics then calms himself. "How cheap is this stuff?"

"Well Roy paid for it. So I wouldn't trust it."

Bobby hops off and pulls up another chair from a corner.

"Why'd you come over anyway?" I ask him. "Your house is off the yellow road."

"Hey if you can walk it, I sure can." He said all confidently.

"I guess you can stay for supper."

"I'd like that." Bobby ginned all cute. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Woah." Bobby scoots his chair back.

"What?" I say and he points near the window. A big crow was staring right at us.

I wanted to say it was only a bird but suddenly the image of that man in the field the other night came back to me. A cold sweat went down the nape of my neck.

"Let's go inside." I say.

"Haha. I know the bird spooked you, but I think this would be a good time to fool around." Bobby scoots his chair near me. I was okay before there was this loud thud on the roof and the crow outside began pecking the window.

"…Maybe your room then?"

"Yeah. My room." I stood and went toward the exit but gasped like a chick in a horror movie. About five crows sat on the fort's roof and the one from the window flew up beside them. The six of them now stared at me.

"Nicki?" Bobby touched my back. I couldn't take my eyes of the black birds though. They just looked at me with piercing dark eyes. I was panting. Panting out of worry and the inability to understand. My brain kept trying to parse the birds being here but also their connection to that man. That ugly, ugly man who knew the truth about Bobby and me.

"Nicki!" Bobby smacked my shoulder now.

It stung but it brought me back to reality. I punched Bobby back in his arm, but gently. "Ow."

Bobby laughed. "Come on." We turned away from the birds and walked into my house together. Before reaching the inside, I looked back at the shed and every single bird remained perched there on the roof. Sort of glaring at it.