A/N: Wow, I'm really glad ya'll like it. It's really nice to hear such great review from you guys.

Reviews:

xocourtneyxo: I'd NEVER rush into things with Seth. I just don't really see him as a very…rushing guy, you know? But something will happen in the next chapter, I'm just not going to give it away, just yet.

DeuCe628: Summer is actually going to be in this chapter – Marissa too, so don't worry.

SparkiMonkey: Wow, thank you so much! And trust me, Summer ISN'T happy.

Venice Ringirl: Aw, thanks! I'll continue to update frequently, as long as I'm not horrifically busy. ;D

wishinonastar: Thanks a bunch for the great review. :)

Chapter Four

8:29 AM.

I glared sleepily at my alarm clock, being very suddenly woken up by some kind of music playing. It took me a few seconds to realize that the music – being my favorite song, of course – was actually my cell phone ringing, and that it was sitting neatly on my night table, since I'd forgotten to move it the night before. I grabbed my cellphone, and flipped it open, answering quickly. "Hello?"

"Hey Princess."

"Cohen! It's like, 8:30! Why are you calling me so early? And more importantly, why are you calling me on my cell phone?" I asked, frowning inwardly.

"Well, uh…I can't remember your home phone number, but I know your cell number." Seth answered blankly. "And I'm bored, that's why I'm calling so early. But when you think about it, it really isn't that early…"

"Seth, you are so weird."

He laughed softly. "Thanks, sugar."

"You have no idea how tempted I am to hang up on you right now." I answered sternly, practically rolling out of bed, walking towards the massive window, pulling back the sheer white curtains, opening the door, and stepping outside onto the balcony.

"No, Rach, don't!" He gasped, before continuing. "I called just to ask if you wanted to come to the mall with Ryan, Marissa, Summer and I…?"

"Like, today?" I asked, raising both eyebrows.

"Yeah, like, today."

"Oh. Uh, sure. I've got to get some more make-up, and come-get-me underwear at Victoria Secret, too."

Seth snickered.

"What?" I whined, pressing a perfect pout to my lips.

"Nevermind…" He replied, trailing off mysteriously.

"It's the Victoria Secret thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah." He answered simply, and I could just tell he was grinning one of those devilish, Cohen-y grins. The kind of grin that makes you just want to smack him across the face.

"Cohen, you are so immature."

"If I had a nickel for every single time someone said that to me, I'd be a billionaire." He commented thoughtfully.

"That's pretty pathetic, no offense or anything." I answered, faking a sympathetic tone. "So anyways, do you want me to meet you there?"

"Uh, sure. By the front doors, maybe?" He suggested, somewhat casually.

"Sounds good, so what time, exactly?" I asked, turning around, and heading back inside, closing the glass door behind me, and sitting down on my bed.

"How does 12:30 sound?"

"Great. I'll see you then, I guess?" I replied, glancing down at the floor.

"Yeah, see you soon."

"Bye Cohen." I said finally, smiling very faintly to myself.

"Bye Princess."

I hung up.

It took me about two hours to get my butt downstairs for breakfast, and then to take a shower. Afterwards, I applied all of my make-up, and fixed my hair, keeping it fairly straight, with a middle part as I always did. I pulled on my favorite denim mini skirt, the one that looked like it had been cut at the bottom in order to make it shorter. I decided to wear my yellow, fake-vintage Rolling Stones t-shirt. I studied myself in the mirror for a second, making sure every aspect of my attire was positively perfect, before heading for my closet, and pulled out a pair of black Converse high-tops. My outfit probably would've looked better with heels, but I wasn't about to walk around the mall in stilettos for the next 4 hours.

I did a final, supermodel spin in the mirror, and grabbed my purse, heading out of my bedroom, and downstairs.

As soon as I entered the mall, I was waved over towards the group by Seth, of course. I walked over towards them, smiling with as much friendliness as I could. "Hi!" I greeted cheerfully, glancing from Ryan, to Seth, then to Marissa. I'd met Marissa previously, but I hadn't yet met Summer, even though Seth talked about her almost 24/7.

"Rachel, this is Summer. Summer, this is Rachel." Seth gladly introduced us, and we shook hands.

"Hi, Summer." I said simply, smiling softly.

"Uh, hi Rachel." Summer answered, looking as if she had forced a smile to her face.

"You've met Ryan and Marissa before, right?" Seth asked, both eyebrows raised.

I nodded, turning to the couple. "Hey guys."

The both waved back, and smiled. "Hey Rachel." Marissa replied casually.

There was an awkward silence for a minute or two, no one really sure of what to say. "So, where to first?" Seth piped up, carefully looking from Ryan, to Marissa, then Summer, finally his eyes stopping on me, and he smiled weakly. I wasn't sure, but I think he could tell, somehow, that I was in an unbelievably awkward position.

I shrugged, Ryan shrugged, and Summer gave a pouty frown, clearly showing that she didn't care even the slightest bit, as long as she wasn't going to be dragged to Wal-Mart. "Abercrombie is having a sale this week," Marissa suggested, shrugging as well. "And they've got some really nice sweats there."

Seth groaned. "Abercrombie? Oh, come on…"

"Seth, Abercrombie is wicked! Have you ever even been there?" I asked, looking at him with great disbelief.

"No, but still…"

I smirked. "Come on, you might even like it!"

Seth frowned, and sighed, but didn't say anything in response.

"Let's go then!" Summer exclaimed energetically, spinning on her heel and marching off in the direction of Abercrombie, Marissa very closely in tow. Ryan followed them, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. I stayed behind, grabbing Seth by the wrist, and practically dragging him towards the store.

"Rach…I really don't like that store…" He whined, but I dragged him inside anyways, over towards the men's section.

"Seth, just try these jeans on." I grabbed a pair of fashionable, stonewashed jeans, and thrust them into his arms. Marissa and Summer were off probably trying clothes on by now, and Ryan was walking around, very casually glancing over at a few t-shirts that caught his eye.

"But Raaaachellll…" He complained, sending me a heart-melting puppy dog look.

I looked away, shaking my head. "Just try the jeans on, Cohen. It seriously won't hurt you." I dragged him over to where the dressing rooms were. "Now go, or I'll lock you in there with even MORE clothes."

"If you locked me in there, you'd literally have to be in the dressing room with me – you can't lock it from outside." He replied matter of factly, grinning devilishly.

I rolled my eyes. "Seth, go!" I pushed him towards the room, and he reluctantly entered, closing and locking the door behind him.

He came out a minute later, wearing the jeans. I smiled with satisfaction. "See? Don't they look great?" I asked, and truthfully, they did look pretty nice on him. He simply didn't reply, but I could see a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Okay, now do a supermodel spin." He looked at me for a second, before spinning around slowly, with little to none enthusiasm.

"Can I change now, Rach?" He asked in a whiny tone, looking down in disgust at the jeans he was wearing.

I nodded, and waited for him to come back out before we went to the women's section, and he just carelessly walked around, visibly bored out of his mind.

"Cohen, do you like this skirt?" Summer held up a denim skirt, fairly close to the one I was wearing, asking for fashion advice from her much-loved boyfriend.

"Gorgeous, Sum." Seth answered, smiling brightly down at Summer.

"And what about this tank top?" She continued, arching an eyebrow. I looked away just then, turning my attention suddenly to a very cute, cropped denim jacket. It probably would've looked great with my skirt, but I walked past it, looking through the sweatpants that Marissa had raved about. They were comfortable, I had to admit.

A while later, we left the store, and Seth did end up by getting the jeans. Ryan got a few t-shirts that Marissa claimed made him look "completely and adorably hot", Summer practically bought out the entire store, Marissa stuck to a nice pair of low-rise jeans and a cute zip-up sweater, while I picked up the sweatpants I liked, the cropped jacket, a pair of jeans, and an lovable olive-green pullover. We headed straight for the food court, but Seth stopped along the way to look at a few video games, and Summer stopped to admire a sweet pair of Jimmy Choos. We picked out a table in the food court, and pretty much just sat down, resting our tired feet, talking pointlessly.

"So," Summer began, looking in my direction. "Do you miss New York, much?"

I shrugged slightly. "I guess a part of me misses it, but it's refreshing to be away from home, you know what I mean?"

She nodded slowly, placing a sickeningly sweet smile to her face. "I totally understand. What've you been doing lately?"

"Basically just hanging out with Seth – he pretty much lives right across the street."

"Yeah, he told me." Summer flipped her hair vainly, still smiling in a sugary fashion. She exchanged glances with Marissa, who was sitting across from her, listening vaguely to the conversation. "He's usually pretty fun."

I opened my mouth to say something in response, but Seth interrupted. "So, what next?" He asked, directing her question to the entire group.

"Home? If we don't leave soon, we'll probably end up at Wal-Mart, or something." Summer said, grimacing slightly, even at the sheer mention of Wal-Mart.

Seth shrugged, and looked at everyone else. They seemed fine with the idea, so we all got up. "All right." He gave up, yawning quietly.

"It was nice meeting you, Summer." I said, picking up my bags, and smiling warmly.

"It was great, Rachel." She answered back, grinning fakely, it seemed.

I brushed my dark hair out of my eyes, and waved. "I'll see you guys around." I said finally, adjusting the straps to my Louis Vuitton purse.

Ryan, Marissa and Summer all waved. "Bye Rach." Ryan said, smiling weakly.

Seth smiled as well. "Thanks for the fashion advice, I'll see you soon…Princess." He laughed quietly, waving humorously.

"Byyyyeeee!" I called, walking towards the exit, glancing over my shoulder and waving, before officially exiting the mall. That was probably one of the most awkward mall experiences in my entire life, but I had to admit, it was pretty fun – and forcing Seth into those fancy Abercrombie jeans and actually succeeding simply made my day. I headed for the parking lot, unlocking my car, a small smile glued to my face.

A/N: Did you like it? The next chapter is going to take a while – I'm pretty busy for the next to days. Hopefully, it'll give me time to make it REALLY good. Please review!