Boy this story sure is kicking off. Here's the next chapter! Again, thank you for all of your reviews and support!

TDHS EP: 7

Zoey and Mike had left the movie theater around 2 hours ago. It only took a half an hour to get from Mike's house to the movie theater, but the two were too busy focused on each other, that they wandered off, almost completely oblivious to their surroundings. Soon they arrived at a local park; somewhat near Mike's house (thankfully he knew where he was). They walked together in the park; passing large trees whose green leaves were beginning to turn yellow. One could even say they were in love, but of course, they were only friends.

Could they really call themselves that anymore? Mike really questioned whether he really should take the next step in their relationship. He knew that she liked him back, that was for sure, but he still wasn't sure if she'd think he was rushing things. If there was anything he didn't want to do, it was to seem clingy. Somewhat like that Sierra person Zoey had described to him…nevertheless, he'd rather be safe than sorry. Mike's friendship with Zoey was the most important thing in the world to him (besides his family) and there was no way he was going to gamble his chances with it.

And then there was the rotten thing inside him. Mike didn't know what it was, what it wanted, and who it was after, but he wanted to keep Zoey safe. But how? The only way he could keep her safe from himself was to…separate themselves. He definitely didn't want that. But what if it was for the better. He also didn't want to hurt Zoey. If he did, he would never forgive himself.

Mike had had enough of these questions. He shook his head violently as if to shake them off. They were giving him a headache.

"Mike are you ok?" Zoey asked from his side, sounding pretty concerned. Mike put on a smile and turned to her,

"I'm just fine. Thank you. I've been having a rough weekend and being here with you has really improved things." Mike said a little nervous on how she would take his comment. Weird. It seemed now every time he talked to her, he had to be cautious on how he talked with her. What was happening to him? Had he gone insane?

"I'm glad I could help. It's what friends do right?" Zoey said and elbowed him playfully in the arm. Mike grinned.

"Definitely." He said.

"Besides, we'll get back at Scott for what he did. I didn't forget what he did and I won't forget it until he gives a proper apology." Zoey said determined. Mike's grin turned into a frown. He couldn't tell her how he had beaten up Scott and Duncan when they were kids! She would think he was a bully! But then again, it would be wrong to let her scold Scott and Duncan for something he had started. Why was his life getting more complicated by the second!

"Um, yeah I don't know Zoey. Maybe we should just leave them alone. Maybe they'll leave us alone if we just stay away from them." Mike said weakly. Zoey's smile turned more into a disappointed frown.

"Are you serious Mike? They broke your arm! They beat you up and left you for dead behind that shed! I don't know what the limit for a scolding is for you, but that's enough for me! How could you not want to get back at them? They ruin your life every single day, and you don't stand up to them. Why Mike?" Zoey asked. Apparently she was very concerned for his wellbeing, and Mike wou ld've been very grateful if it hadn't been about this.

"I…I…I don't know…it's just…I don't think they deserve it. You know…you're supposed to turn the other cheek…" Mike said weakly. Even he knew that was a weak response and wouldn't be enough for him to sneak his way out of this one.

"Mike you can't be serious." Zoey said in disbelief. Mike frowned and stared at the ground. "C'mon Mike these guys are nothing but thugs, and you're just letting them get away with it! You need to fight back and they'll leave you alone for good. Kinda like that kid from Total Warriors 2, remember?" Zoey said hopefully, attempting to rally Mike's courage so he would finally stand up for himself. She was somewhat let down when he turned away from her.

"I remember Zoey. But I can't do it. I just can't. I'm sorry." He said. That was it. That was all that he said. One plain old sentence. Zoey couldn't believe it. She had never taken Mike to be a coward and she had always believed that he would stand up to Scott when he got the chance. He certainly acted like it. But, now…she didn't know what to think. For a few seconds the two stood in silence under the setting sun that shone a lime green upon them through the tree's leaves. Zoey sighed and turned from Mike,

"I'm…I'm sorry you feel that way. I was only trying to help you out I guess…but if you don't want my help…then it's none of my business to meddle. I…I'll see you tomorrow in school Mike." Zoey then began walking away, leaving Mike practically heartbroken. What had he just done! He'd ruined it! RUINED IT! The one thing he wanted to avoid and he managed to run right smack into it. How could he have been so foolish! Once Zoey was out of eyesight, Mike took a seat on a nearby bench and stared at the sunset alone. What was the beginning of a beautiful day, had just turned into one of the worst days of his life. It was all over. He was all alone.

*In Mike's mind*

Mal gasped. He felt a sudden surge of energy surging through the veins in his body. Mike was weak. Very weak. It must have been something to do with that wretched girl, but Mal couldn't dwell on this. This was the perfect time to get begin. Mal walked over to a trap he had set for Mike once he had taken over. If he wanted to keep Mike in his place, so he wouldn't meddle around, he would need to be kept away from the other personalities. With all his might, Mal focused on taking over the body that they all shared.

*Outside Mike's mind*

Mike was watching the sunset fall when he suddenly gasped. His vision turned black when he fell into total darkness.

Mal closed his eyes as he felt himself gain control over his body. Mike was gone. For now anyway. He opened his eyes. He was sitting on a bench in what appeared to be a park. Also, it looked like Mike was staring at the sunset when he had taken over. Mal pretended to puke. There was nothing he hated more than a lovey-dovey sunset. It made him sick. Mal looked around him. The park was nearly abandoned except for some people with their dogs.

Mal assessed the situation. From what he had seen (or heard) from his sources, Mike had just gotten in a fight with Zoey, which led to his rise in power and control over his body. Also, his parents were cautious of his actions after Mike's outburst at dinner last night. If Mal wanted to make sure he didn't look suspicious, he needed to act like Mike, look like Mike, and talk like Mike. This, no doubt would prove to be difficult. However, he was sure he could handle it. Mal flipped his hair back up (it fell down when he took over), and pretended to act like Mike,

"Hi Zoey! I've missed you so much, and I'm madly in love with you! I'm too shy to share any of my feelings and I love hanging out with losers!" He said in an obviously fake happy voice. He snickered, 'This might be easier than I thought.' Mal began making his way home. He would need to plan out his next moves very carefully, especially around Zoey. She brought out the best in Mike, and he needed to figure out a way to get her to hate him, so Mike would feel rejected and completely alone. If he didn't feel that already. He needed to make Zoey hate him.

*In Mike's mind*

Mike kept falling. Falling into oblivion. Into a never ending darkness, whose cold enveloped him. He couldn't even manage to scream, he was so shocked at what was happening to him. Such events were so bizarre; he couldn't even describe them to anyone. Not even a fully licensed Doctor or Psychiatrist.

Before he knew it, he landed on something soft, pink, squishy and sort of slimy. He lay down for a few seconds before setting himself up into a sitting position. 'Where am I? Why is my arm not in a caste?' he wondered. He raised his arm in front of his chest so he could get a better look at the substance on his other hand. 'What is this weird stuff?!' he said, disgusted; he shook the white goo off his hand. Then, Mike stood up and decided to take a look at his surroundings. For miles, he could see nothing but a sort of barren wasteland. That was, except for 4 other buildings in the distance. Each one had a similar look to a lemonade stand or something. Mike was about to investigate these buildings when he tripped over an unknown substance holding him down.

Mike looked at his feet and, to his horror, saw that he was chained to a golden stake in the ground. Somewhat like a dog leashed to a peg in the ground. 'What is this? Is this a dream! Please tell me this is a dream!' he thought desperately. He clawed and scratched and pulled at the metal chain bounding him, but it was no good. The metal chinks were as strong as they looked, and weren't going to budge anytime soon.

After a series of fruitless tugs, Mike sank back down to the ground defeated. Maybe this was the rotten force in him that beat up Scott and Duncan. Maybe that force had taken over his body, and was roaming around causing chaos. Maybe it was talking to Zoey. Mike felt like crying. It couldn't end like this could it? Given a chance of hope to live a happy life, only for it to be squashed like a bug. His life was literally falling apart before his eyes, and worst of all, he could do nothing to stop whoever was controlling his body from harming Zoey. It was all over.

*Zoey*

How could he? What was the matter with him? How could Mike not want to retaliate to the people who had been bugging him for who knows how long. She had seen it in his eyes! He wanted to and she knew it! But why would he tell her not to talk to them? Did he want to approach them himself? Did he have a surprise for them? Zoey could only guess. To capture her feelings in a nutshell; she was disappointed. Disappointed in Mike. Of course they weren't in a relationship and shouldn't try to moderate what he did and didn't do (much like Courtney and Duncan), but she couldn't help but feel sad and confused.

They had had such a fun time at the movies. They laughed, they ate together, she even got to hold on to his arm for a moment, but it all went downhill from there. For a while he seemed happy, but she knew there was something wrong. She could see it in his eyes. He was hiding something. But what?! She HAD to know.

"I'm going to get my answer out of Cameron, Noah, Sierra, or any of the others one way or another. They will tell me. They have to…" Zoey said.

Zoey arrived at her house soon after and trudged upstairs to her room. As she opened the door to her room, her hamster (Mrs. Puffycheeks) began scurrying around its cage, excited by her presence. Zoey walked over to it and opened the cage. She placed the hamster in her hands and held it ever so carefully. "What am I going to do Mrs. Puffycheeks? I've never been the one to interrogate someone, but if I don't, I can't help Mike. Even if he doesn't want my help, I have to find out what he's hiding." She looked down at the hamster which was looking back at her with its small, black, beady eyes. "I know it's none of my business, but I have to know! It's for his own good." Zoey said. It almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself that it was for Mike's own good.

Zoey sighed and stood back up. "I guess I'll just have to wing it." She said to the hamster before putting it back in its cage (where it happily ran around again). Zoey then turned back to her bed and lay down. She was about to go to sleep when she noticed her phone next to her bed on the countertop. She felt the urge to pick it up and text Mike, but she knew when someone wanted their personal space. Sadly, she closed her eyes and went to sleep; hoping that tomorrow would be a better day than today.

*The next day (Mike's house)*

Rain slammed against Mike's house the next morning, as if setting the mood according to the day prior. The temperature fell a little below 50 degrees, unusually cold for this time of year, even if fall was right around the corner. Mal woke up to the beeping of Mike's alarm clock, just as Mike would any other day. Instead of clicking the off button, he merely ripped the plug right out of the wall. Mal stood up and rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes, preparing himself for an entire day of pretending to be someone he hated.

Mal walked into the bathroom, where he used all of Mike's daily hygiene items to prepare himself for the day. Unfortunately, his hair fell down to its usual look. Quickly, before any of Mike's parents came by and noticed, he grabbed a bottle of Mike's hair gel, and rubbed it over his hair. Quick as a flash, he flipped it up, just like Mike did. 'Perfect' he smiled as he looked at himself in the mirror. The only thing different from him and Mike were the small bags under his eyes, but who would call him out on that?

"Mike! Quick come downstairs! The bus is almost here and you haven't had your breakfast!" Mike's mother called from downstairs. Mal rolled his eyes and called back to her,

"Just a minute mom I'm doing something!" He wanted anything else than to get into a conversation with Mike's goody two shoes parents.

"Well hurry up dear! The bus will be here soon and I'll take a guess, but I'll bet you don't want to walk." She continued. 'Of course he didn't want to walk!' what did she take him for a naturalist? Mal picked up Mike's phone and flipped through some apps, spending his time away to avoid from going downstairs. When he saw the clock was 10 minutes from his bus's arrival, he packed up Mike's backpack and prepared to run down at the last minute. Time seemed to slow down as he waited for the 9 minutes to pass. One by one, they ticked away till it was only 2 minutes away. Mal decided to take one last look at Mike's phone. When he opened it, he read that there was one new message from Zoey. He snickered, 'Let me guess, she's sorry?' he thought as he opened the text. It only said one thing:

"I hope we are still friends. Just know I support you and will always be there for you."

Mal winced and grabbed his sides. 'ARRGH! Dammit Zoey!' Somehow her message still managed to bring a little of Mike back. For a quick moment, Mal's eyes changed from an agitated angry look to a sad and confused look. Only for a moment, however, for they returned to 'normal' just as quick as they changed. Mal straightened his back and glared at the phone before closing his eyes, 'Patience Mal. One step at a time. The time will come when you can get back at Zoey.' Mal told himself. 'First, I must gain her trust, so she knows I'm still Mike.'

"Mike! Quick the bus should be here soon!" Mike's mother called.

Mal grabbed Mike's backpack and ran downstairs. His mother gave him a kiss on the cheek (he tried desperately not to look disgusted) and said goodbye to his parents before exiting the house. As soon as he was out the door, he wiped his cheek with his sleeve, and spit into a nearby flower pot. 'Eugh! What is Mike, like a four year old at his grandma's house?' Mal ran to the bus stop where Lindsay was talking to Beth about some gossip that she had heard.

The bus seemed to slow down to a snail's speed as Lindsay talked. Her stupidity nearly made Mal lose his act and punch her lights out, but he kept his cool, and decided to take his mind off their conversation by thinking of his plans for Zoey. 'Once I 'apologize' for the incident we had in the park, I'll warm up to her, and when she has my trust I'll-'

"And then I was like OMG, and then he was like IKR! And I'm just so surprised that Courtney dumped him! Everyone seemed to like them as a couple, and I heard that he was being really-"

"Can you please shut up? I'm trying to think here!" Mal snapped at her. Both girls stared at him, shocked that the friendly boy that waited for the bus with them would act in such a way. Mal had let loose a little anger, and it felt good. Really good. Especially to yell at someone as ignorant as Lindsay. If he had to guess her I.Q., it would probably be around 40.

Finally, the bus arrived, and Mal practically leapt onto it to avoid another conversation about Duncan and Courtney. The bus was unusually crowded today, so he was forced to sit next to an odd boy with a green hat. The bus took motion after the other girls were on, and Mal looked past the boy and out the window, scheming (as usual). To his malcontent, the boy turned around to face him,

"Hey Mike. Ready for that Chem test today eh?" Ezekiel asked putting his thumbs up in the air, showing that he was ready. Mal chuckled. He knew that this boy was an idiot as well, and would most likely fail the Chemistry test. But he decided to have a little fun while he was waiting to get to the school,

"Oh my god no! I forgot to study!" Ezekiel looked proud, as if telling Mike that he had studied and was prepared. "Hey Zeke, tell me. What is the difference between Ionic and Covalent bonds? I forgot the answer." The question baffled Ezekiel as he was not expecting a question from Mal. He put his finger on his chin and thought for a moment,

"One has an I and one has a C?" Mal's entertainment in his stupidity just hit rock bottom, as he realized that this boy was no smarter than a sack of potatoes.

"Never mind." Mal said, now annoyed. He couldn't get to the school sooner.

*At Stanford High*

Zoey put her books in her locker and pulled out a Chemistry textbook. She had to do a quick study if she wanted to get a good grade on this test. She was about to quiz herself when she noticed Harold and Noah nearby, chatting away (no doubt about something nerdy). Zoey ran over to them,

"Hey guys, I was wondering if you could quiz me on the Chemistry test today, I want to get a good grade." Zoey asked nicely.

"Would you like a side of French fries with that?" Noah said as if he could care less. Zoey rolled her eyes, and Harold smiled.

"Today's your lucky day malady. For I have wicked awesome Chemistry skills. I can quiz you. Here, I'll take the textbook." Harold took the textbook from Zoey's hands and began quizzing her on the subjects that were likely to be on the Chemistry test. Meanwhile, Noah read his usual book, that he seemed to always have on him.

*Mal*

Mal exited the bus, with his hands in his ears, trying to block out Ezekiel. Finally, he walked off when he realized Mal could care less about whether or not he could shoot a bow and arrow. Mal climbed the stairs, now somewhat wet because of the rain outside. When he reached the floor he and his grade were on, he walked down the hallway that led to the lockers. Mal strolled down the hallway, trying to act as normal as ever. When he turned around the corner, he was disappointed at what he saw.

Zoey was bonding with another friend of hers. Two nerds that should prove to be no problem at all, but he needed to talk to her so he could settle the disagreement Mike and Zoey had made. He walked over to his locker and tossed the unnecessary books inside. When he was done, he mimicked Mike's walk and made his way over to Zoey,

"Hey Zoey. Hello other friends. Zoey can I talk to you for a moment?" Mal asked. He was inquiring that he wanted to be alone. Harold got the message, but Noah didn't budge. "Um, do you mind?" Mal said, raising his voice a little bit.

"No, not at all. Please continue." Noah said, smiling as he continued reading. Mal rolled his eyes and took Zoey off to the side where they could be alone.

"I'm really sorry about what happened yesterday. I thought about what you said, about standing up for myself? And I realized you were right all along. I was foolish not to have seen that. Sorry for doubting you." Mal said while wearing a fake smile. Zoey smiled back.

"Really? Good. I'm glad that you said that. I was getting worried that we would drift apart, but now I know that we can still be friends."

"Of course! Why wouldn't we stay friends? Friends help each other remember?" Mal said, quoting what Zoey had said yesterday. She looked impressed,

"I do. C'mon, let's get to Chemistry so we can study before she gives us the test." Zoey said and the two ran off to Mr. Franklin's room. They both studied together like they were back to normal. The boy and girl who had only met at the beginning of the year, which seemed like only yesterday. But the boy…the boy was not the same. Mal was not Mike. But Zoey didn't know that. To her, her beloved friend had seen reason, and together they were going to get past this obstacle once and for all.

Mal had finished his test like a true student, carefully mimicking everything Mike would probably do; accidentally stub his leg against a table leg, hit his head on the table when he bent over to get something on the floor, etc. He figured he was pulling it off pretty well, the way Zoey stared at him. It was as if she had known Mal his entire life. After placing his test on the teacher's desk, he returned to his seat and waited for class to end. When it did, he met Zoey out the classroom, and he engaged in conversation with her, mostly about what answers they got for certain questions.

They walked to gym together, and Mal separated from her when he went into the boy's locker room. As soon as he walked through the doors to the boy's locker room, he sighed and flipped his hair down to its usual style. He then proceeded to carry his backpack to his locker. Harold, who was passing by him, was about to compliment on his hairdo when Mal pushed him aside and walked past him as if he was an insignificant being. When he entered the locker room, he threw his backpack into the locker and locked it up.

"Hey Mike! How's that arm of yours? Any better? Probably not huh, hehehe." Scott snickered from Mal's side. Mal decided to play around with Scott before showing his true colors. He flipped up his hair when Scott wasn't looking and stood up, looking agitated,

"Not funny Scott! You broke my arm and hurt Zoey! I'll get you back for this!" He said. Scott seemed to get amusement out of this.

"Nice try bud, but you'll never lay a finger on me, you know why? Because I know you're secret, and Zoey doesn't!" Scott laughed as he used his usual blackmail to get Mike to do whatever he wanted. Mal decided the time to act was over,

"Try me." He said flatly. Scott's laughter cut short when he heard this, and he stared at Mal curiously,

"Excuse me?" He said,

"I could care less what Zoey thinks of me. In fact, I dare you to tell her. Doesn't matter to me. I just came here to tell you that Mike said hi." Mal said jokingly. Scott started sweating and looked scared. He started backing off, and hit the white brick wall behind him. He felt cornered like a fox in a fox hunt.

"W-what do you mean Mike says hi…y-you're Mike." He said, playing dumb. Mal advanced upon him. Nobody else was in the locker room to save him now. It was just him, and Mike, or was it?

"Oh you don't remember? Allow me to introduce myself. The name's Mal and I'm done playing your little game. Starting from today, we play it my way." Mal said, grabbing Scott by the collar.