a/n: You know what I love most about Hazel? How random she is. I hope I did her justice.

Chapter 5: Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting

There were two things in the world that Hazel Aden loved most: her friends and shopping.

Ever since her first trip to the mall with her parents, she had known that there was no place greater than the big building with the fabulous clothes. Anytime she could share her love of shopping with someone, she'd take advantage of it. In fact, she could only think of one bad incident out of all her shopping experiences – and looking back on it, it wasn't even that terrible. The fact that she got in trouble with mall security over her fight with Alex was laughable considering what she had spent her entire summer trying to accomplish.

Today was going to be wonderful. She was combining two of her most loved things for one fun filled afternoon. Not only was she going to take a shopping virgin out to all the best stores in Toronto, but she was going to do her part in making destiny realize itself.

After taking Alex shopping for Paige's goodbye present (and maybe even get her to buy some new clothes for herself), they were going to take Paige to the movies. Suddenly, Hazel would remember that she had a family party to go to – it was her grandmother's birthday, they couldn't possibly expect her to not attend that (the perfect alibi). She'd have to leave them, and they'd have no choice but to see the movie together.

Alone. Again.

Romantic movie, dark theatre, thinly veiled feelings.

Can someone say brilliant?

So here she was, at Alex's grungy apartment, ready to exercise every ounce of charm she had in her to convince a sleeping Alex to spend the day with her.

She quietly opened the door to her room, sure to not make any noise, and tipped-toed over to the window. Alex, lightly snoring, was completely unaware of her presence.

"Morning!" She ruthlessly pulled open the blinds.

Alex yelled in shock, nearly falling out of her bed in surprise. She peered over her covers and Hazel smiled brightly, like it was completely normal to terrify someone into consciousness.

"For fuck's sake Hazel, what's going on?" she cried, dropping her head face-first into her pillow.

"We're going shopping!"

She mumbled that sounded a lot like, "Go away, Satan!" into her pillow.

"Usually I would be offended, but I know you think I'm great," Hazel countered, matching Alex's misery with her cheerfulness. "Now get up, we need to get Paige a going away present."

Alex lazily rolled over, squinting through the brightness at Hazel. "Why WHY do you keep saying 'we'?"

"Because we are Paige's best friends. And you said you'd buy something for her with me. I think it's safe to say we're kind of a 'we'."

"Jesus, who the fuck let you in?" she slurred, rubbing her eyes.

"Some burly guy – Chad, I presume?"

"The damn bastard."

"And I'm Hazel, not Jesus," she said, laughing at her own joke.

Alex glared and muttered random swears under her breath.

"Your colourful language is only making me happier to take you out," Hazel said, pulling on Alex's sheets. Alex pulled back, but she probably realized there was no point in fighting her, so she stopped.

"I hate you, Aden," Alex groaned as she sat up, her hair wild and tousled.

"I love you too, Alex," Hazel countered sweetly. "Besides, what sane teenager is still asleep on a beautiful Saturday afternoon?"

"The kind who was up all night and a good part of this morning watching a freakin' One Tree Hill marathon."

"I thought you hated One Tree Hill."

"It's a plague on humanity. But I had nothing better to do."

A sly grin formed on Hazel's face. "I bet."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're telling me that you sat through hours of overacting and angst out of 'boredom'?"

"People do fucked up things when there's nothing to do."

"People also do 'effed up' things for the person they love. And I know how much Paige loves One Tree Hill. You were up with her all night, weren't you?" Hazel asked, excitedly.

"So?"

Hazel could barely stop herself from squealing in delight.

"Not this again," Alex said, flopping back down on her bed.

"Come on, you love her. Admit it, it'll only make things easier on you."

"No, you tragically losing a fight with a ravenous lion would make things easier on me," she said as she threw her blanket over her head.

"You don't expect me to believe you don't have feelings for Paige. I've heard this line before. It's as convincing as Paris Hilton is human," Hazel countered. "The way she stares at you when you're not looking, the way you use your annoying squeaky voice just to make her laugh, the way you two act like the world's about to end when you spend a day without each other...

"Shut up."

"…the way you let her hold your hand when we watch those stupid scary movies, the way she talks about you like you're the greatest thing since competitive cheerleading, the way you get insanely jealous when someone so much as looks at her…"

"You can stop now," Alex grumbled, still covered.

"…the way you-"

"-I get it," she interrupted angrily. Alex poked her head out from under the covers.

"I don't think you do," Hazel said seriously. "You wouldn't need me to list these things out if you did."

"Paige is my friend, much like how you and I are friends," she said, her frustration getting the best of her.

"Gross…"

"Will you go away Hazel? I'm beat, and I don't have the energy for shopping, much less you."

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Come on, what's the worst that can happen?"

"I could collapse in the middle of the store out of exhaustion."

"Minor, sweetie, minor."

Alex laughed in disbelief.

"Will you get up? For Paige at least?" Hazel asked, her tone bordering on pleading.

Alex shook her head, as if angry at herself, than abruptly sat up. "Fine. Seriously, I hate you." She swung her legs over her bed and walked to her closet, rummaging to find something to wear.

"And seriously, I love you. As a friend, of course."

"Like I'd ever like you like that," Alex mumbled.

"It's sad how open you are about how little taste you have. Oh, after we go shopping, do you wanna meet up with Paige, take her to a movie?"

"Are you serious?" She stopped and faced Hazel, disbelief in her eyes. "As much as I love a Hazel-filled day," she said sarcastically.

"It's my treat, okay? So I already called her. Like, ten minutes before I came."

"Because along with being pure evil," she said, turning back to her closet, "you're also psychic, so you already knew I'd say yes."

"Close, but no. It's because you never turn down spending time with your destiny."

"You're a loser."

"Um, no sweetie. The only loser in this room is the one who was still in bed at 3:30 in the afternoon."

Alex ignored her as she continued to evaluate her clothing options.

"You own a lot of white tank tops," Hazel observed, looking from behind her shoulder.

And as she was violently being pushed out of the room, she made a mental note to pat herself on the back - $140 and a new shopping partner?

Genius.