I DO NOT OWN ANYONE OR ANYTHING IN THIS STORY BESIDES THE OC'S.

Melanie's Point of View-

Corey went opening the door for me letting me climb into his car and he shut it after I had fully gotten into his car. I watched as he did this little speed walk slow jog around the car where he finally climbed into the drivers seat and he shut the door behind him.

"You have a nice car, how new is it?" I asked curiously.

"It's the current year make so it is the newest of the new." Corey said as I let out a chuckle at the way he put it. "What type of music you like?" Corey asked as I shrugged.

"I listen to anything, I like rock like the screaming rock but the alternative rock too or old school rock."

"You sound like my type of girl, that is exactly what I got stored in my radio stations...you listen to A Day To Remember?" Corey asked as a fake shock look came over my face.

"Of course, I adore them. I wish I could have went to the concert they just had out here but couldn't make it."

"Man, I went and if I had known I could have gave you the spare ticket."

"What?! You had a spare ticket? How did you even have a spare ticket?!" I asked in an anger excitement.

"I just did, next time I'll make sure to grab two tickets...I got their new CD, you want a hear?" Corey asked.

"Absolutely." I said with a smile as Corey pushed a button causing the music to begin playing off the CD. I began to slightly bobbed my head to the music as I looked out the window as Corey pulled off driving towards the mall that we would be exploring together today. Corey had parked his car as close as he could but he made sure it wasn't between two cars so no one would hit his car, men and their cars. I climbed out and walked around the body of the car to meet him on the other side as he locked it from his key chain as he walked beside me.

"So, what store do you always hit first when going to the mall? Is it the shoe store? The arcade? The lingerie store?" Corey asked as I gasped hearing him say the last option, "What? Like I don't know you are wearing some kind of undergarments, nothing to be embarrassed about...maybe you just won't shop there with me today...scratch that off the list..." Corey said with his geeky but adorable smile and his eyes barely being able to be seen underneath his dark brown sunglasses.

"I haven't been to the mall shopping in what seems like months, I only come when it is time to take Jack school clothes shopping or if Anita needs to buy something." I said shrugging my shoulders.

"But there still has to be a favorite store, Hot Topic? That tends to be where people like us tend to end up..." Corey said as I smiled.

"I do like that store but haven't really gone in there since Jack is kind of too young and such."

"Well..." Corey said as he spun around pretending to look around us, "Little Jack isn't here now is he? Only grown ups have come out to play today." He said as I chuckled as he smiled before he reached out pulling the door to the mall open for me. I stepped inside to the air conditioned mall as he stepped in beside me to let the door open behind us. "We will hit stores along the way, why doesn't a girl like yourself like shopping?" Corey asked.

"I never said I didn't like it, I just said I don't go often..." I corrected him as he nodded.

"You're right, so explain...why not go often?"

"Money, as you couldn't figure, I am at rock bottom right now slowly trying to crawl my way back to the top and with that I can't really go to the mall and splurge my money on buying a pair of shoes like that." I said nodding towards a pair of shoes that were on display in the window front.

"What caused you to hit rock bottom? I mean, I know you probably tried your hardest not to let it get to this point because I don't think anyone wants to hit the absolute bottom but just wondering." Corey asked as I shrugged.

"Everything...my life was a joke before this honestly and fortunately Kevin was smarter than I was and was there to rescue me at my lowest and to help me get to where I am now so I am forever in debt to him for getting me this far." I answered in the most vague as I could as Corey nodded as I had hoped that would be accepted as a reasonable answer. We slowly walked and talked along the store fronts in the mall, we only stopped to observe the displays and discuss the different items in the store front we liked and didn't like to kind of learn more about the others personality and style. That was until we had gotten to Hot Topic where we had willingly entered, I swear we had spent over an hour in that store just spending time looking at each individual item, especially the clearance rack where Corey found us a matching ADTR t-shirts that he purchased for us to wear. "Thanks for the shirt..." I said as I stepped out of the store holding the bag that contained my shirt.

"You're welcome." He said, "You should cut it ou and make it more rockish..." Corey stated as I smirked trying to picture a way to cut it.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin on how or where to start on doing it." I said truthfully as I shrugged as he smirked.

"I am sure Anita would know a few things on that."

"What? You serious? She knows how?" I asked with a chuckle as he let out a chuckle too as he nodded. "Her and I need to have a talk then because she is holding out on me."

"You should...you want to play a few games?" He asked nodding towards the arcade that we happened to be finally standing in front of.

"I don't have any cash on me."

"Did I ask if you had cash? I asked if you wanted to play a few games." Corey asked sarcastically as I chuckled and blushed. "Come on." He said nodding towards the store as he began to lead me into the store that was filled with the arcade games and us two since all the children were off at school and adults were working mostly. I looked around the place looking at the different games that were filling up the place to see what kind of games that were available as I heard the coins falling from the machine after Corey fed it bill after bill. "What's first beautiful?" He asked as I blushed softly at the last word as I bit at my bottom lip.

"Air hockey." I stated, my eyes couldn't pull off of it as I led him over to the air hockey table where Corey deposited the money to turn on the machine and the puck fell out on my side.

"There isn't any crying in video games."

"I won't be the one crying." I stated seriously as he smirked as I put the puck down onto the machine and hit it hard enough for it shoot down to his side to start the game, it was a pretty intense game and Corey won by one point, it was 3-4.

"What's next loser?"

"Don't get too cocky." I said glaring at him as I looked around as I pointed at the racing ones, "You're on." I said as he began to laugh as I glared at him harder as I pulled him by the arm over to the connected machines climbing in and allowed him to deposit the money letting us to figure out the race information and I had came in 3rd and he came in 5th so I had beat him that round. Rest of the games were single players so we spent rest of the money playing and trying to earn tickets.

"We recieved 130 tickets, what can we get with that?" He asked as we looked over the small wall of prizes as I looked over it seeing a few things I liked but I wasn't picky. "May I surprise you?" He asked as I nodded, "Meet me out front and I'll be there soon." He stated as I was confused as I turned heading back out into the main mall area looking around it unsure what or why Corey had asked me to do this when I felt his hand wrap around me covering my eyes.

"What are you doing Corey?" I asked curiously with a soft laugh when he uncovered my eyes seeing a tiny gorilla stuffed animal.

"I thought you would like it." He said as he stepped around me as I smiled.

"Like it, I love it." I said with a big smile as I grabbed it from his grip as I held it smiling as I looked up at him. "What now?" I asked curiously as he chuckled.

"We still have more time together and a lot more mall to cover." He said as I nodded as he began to lead me the direction we were originally heading in before we had hit the arcade. As we continued walking, I saw the one thing I did not want to see and that was my ex boyfriend walking in our direction and I stopped as a panic attack felt like it was overcoming my body in fear that he would see me and my first thoughts were Corey because I knew that this wasn't going to go well. I quickly dived into the store we were next to trying to dodge the man and as I walked quickly throughout the store trying to find a place to hide, that being the fitting room and I curled up in the corner of the room trying to hold back tears hoping that they won't escape. I heard a knock on the door, I didn't say anything besides hold back the tears and weeping of fear that it could be Alex. "Melanie? Are you in there?" I heard Corey's voice ask from the other side.

"Is...is that you Corey?" I asked trying to not let my voice crack.

"Yeah...who else would it be?" He asked.

"Anyone with you?"

"A store associate by the name of Heather." He answered as I looked under the door looking at the pants and shoes before I slowly stood up and pulling the door open a little bit seeing Corey and the store associate. "What's wrong Melanie?" He asked instantly as he reached out grasping my free hand, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand soothingly as I nervously slid out of hte room and pulled him into a hug as my face buried into his chest.

"I want to go home." I stuttered as his arms wrapped around me, his hands rubbed at my back and he nodded.

"Thank you ma'am." Corey said towards the sales associate as he led me out of the store, I stopped at the entrance looking around making sure I didn't see Alex, and when I didn't I nervously stepped out cuddling against Corey's side hoping he could protect me. We headed back to his car where I hadn't said a thing the whole way to the car much less the whole drive to the house I was residing in. He parallel parked in front of the house turning his car off and he looked over at me. "Look, I don't know what happened today in the mall and whatever it was, just know that I will listen and understand. I won't judge you either, I'm an open book and I'm just like Kevin and whatever you can tell him you can tell me, okay? I won't let anything hurt you, nor would I want you hurting physically or emotionally. It hurt just seeing you that close to tears and I don't know you as well as I would want us to be. I really like you Melanie and wish that we can progress on to be more than friends." Corey said as I just listened, I nodded and looked over at him.

"I'm sorry...for today...sometime I will tell you but...but right now, our friendship and relationship is too fragile for this, I'm too fragile for it..." I said as he nodded.

"Okay, it will take time and I understand that...whenever you are ready, I'm here for you beautiful." He said with a smile and I nodded.