OH MY GOD I'M BACK. THAT WAS TORTURE. NOW READ BEFORE I DIE \/

Zoey's P.O.V.

I woke up in my own bed, thank goodness. I had told my dad I had taken an early run and he must have missed me when I came back to change. I had to sneak in through the back door so I could change and then sneak back out so I could come through the front door.

"Where have you been, young lady?" My dad confronted me as soon as I walked though the door. "Have you been with that Mike character?"

"No, Dad. I've been at school." I told him, walking past him.

"This morning when I went up to wake you, you weren't there." My dad followed me to the living room.

"I took an early run." I smiled at him. "I hope I didn't worry you. I knew I should have said hi before I left."

My dad narrowed his eyes, but nodded. "Alright. It's just, I do worry about you, Zoey."

"It's alright, Dad." I hugged him. "Thank you."

I then ran upstairs feeling extremely guilty. I've been up here ever since. When my dad called me for dinner, I told him I wasn't hungry. Of course, then he thought I had obtained some kind of disease and started freaking out.

I sighed and got dressed for the day. I'd have to go down and eat something or my dad would call an ambulance. I walked down the hall rubbing my arm.

Dad was sitting at the table reading the newspaper, even though no one does that anymore. I grabbed a bowl and some Fruit Loops.

"Are you OK?" Dad asked me when I sat down at the table with my food.

"Yeah, I just wasn't too hungry last night. I'm all better now." I smiled at him. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." Dad nodded.

I finished up my cereal and went into the living room to watch some TV. I noticed my phone charging on the table by me and I looked to see if I had any new messages.

I got one from only a few minutes ago. It was from Scott

To: Zoey

From: Scott

Dawn wants to know if you and Mike want to come to the mall with us. ~Scott

I thought about it for a second. I didn't know if Mal was in control right now or not. It couldn't hurt to ask if he wanted to go. If it was Mal, he'd probably say no. Otherwise I could just go with Scott and Dawn.

To: Mike

From: Zoey

Hey, Dawn wants to know if we want to go to the mall with her and Scott. ~Zoey

I watched whatever was on the screen right now. I had never heard of it before, and I really didn't feel like seeing what it was on the guide. A commercial would probably announce anyway.

My phone buzzed.

To: Zoey

From: Mike

Sure, what time? ~Mike

I texted Scott asking what time we should go and he said in about an hour.

To: Mike

From: Zoey

Scott says an hour. Does that work for you? ~Zoey

Mike replied with a "Yup." after a few minutes.

"Hey, Dad." I smiled at him when I walked into the kitchen again. "Can I go to the mall with Scott and Dawn and Mike?

He glanced up at me and stared at me for a moment. "I guess. But be careful OK?"

"Alright." I smiled at him.

"Scott's that funky country boy right?" My dad asked. He knew who Dawn was, I hang out with her sometimes here.

I giggled a little bit. "Yeah, that's him."

Dad nodded and waved me away. I walked back out and glanced up at the clock. Forty five minutes until I had to be there, 30 minutes until I had to leave because I would have to walk there.

Scott's P.O.V.

Of course, Dawn had to invite Multiple Mike and the Indie Chick. For once, I wish she would let just us go on a date. I waited outside her house in my truck. She was never in her house, she was always in the tree house in the forest behind her house. Her mom had to run out to get her.

Dawn walked around her house. I couldn't help but smile at the way she walked. Making it look almost like she was floating. She was the only girl who I wouldn't fumble around when I liked them. She smiled at me and walked around the automobile to get inside the passenger seat.

"Let's go, Scott."

I smiled at her and started driving.

Zoey's P.O.V.

I picked up my purse and told my dad goodbye and left.

Soon, I got to the mall and I saw Scott and Dawn standing in front of the entrance, holding hands? I mean everyone knew they would get together at some point, but it didn't seem much like something Scott would do, or handle. Like with what happened to Courtney.

"Hey, Zoey!" I heard Mike say behind me. I felt relieved that it was him and not Mal.

"Hey, Mal!" I heard myself say. I surprised myself when I said that.

"Mal?" Mike's face turned confused and then his hair fell on his left eye and a malicious grin replaced his frown. "Wow, Zoey. You must be dieing to see me if you call me out instead of saying hi to Mike."

"What? No! I didn't mean to!" I felt my face grow hot.

"Then what was it?" He smirked when I didn't reply. "That's what I thought." He chuckled to himself.

I sped up, leaving Mal behind me. He started whistling his theme tune. I couldn't help but wince at it. Mal made a contented sound and resumed whistling.

"Hey Dawn, Scott!" I smiled at them when I got closer. "Sorry, Mike couldn't come. Unfortunately, Mal invited himself along."

"Oh no, I remember you calling me out to come along." Mal said appearing by my side.

Dawn frowned at Mal. Dawn then nodded and dragged Scott inside, I followed suit with Mal trailing behind me. I caught up with Dawn, feeling uncomfortable by Mal, even though I was stuck in his room for a whole day.

"So Dawn, what did you want to come to the mall for?" I asked her, gazing at the store signs, taking in the good smells. It had been a whole since I had been here.

"I really just wanted to hang out." Dawn smiled at me, letting go of Scott's hand. "I also wanted to find a bow for Rubella." Rubella is a squirrel.

I looked behind me to see Mal glaring at everything with hands in his pockets. Scott kept shifting farther away from Mal, obviously terrified of Mal. "What kind of bow?" I asked Dawn, turning back to her.

Dawn thought about it for a second. "I'm not sure exactly, maybe you can help me. Oh, but I mean the kind you can clip in your hair." She smiled looking at another shop, but I could see a troubled look behind it.

Dawn's P.O.V.

Zoey was confused and angry, not right now, but it was swirling around in the back of her aura. Right now her aura was it's normal bright pink, except I could swear it seemed a little bit darker, not like in a bad mood, but more of dark like whenever Mal was happy. Speaking of Mal, he was who was troubling me. His part of the body's aura was bigger than the other's, obviously bigger than last time I saw Mike, which worried me because I just saw him two days ago. His aura was also brighter, almost unnoticeable. Why was both Zoey and Mal changing? Did they have anything to do with changing each other? I hope not, it would break my heart if my best friend turned evil like Mal, and it would just be disturbing if Mal was as happy as Scott if when he whacks one of those poor defenseless rats.

Mal was coming up behind me, I could sense he was there, and Scott became alert. Mal placed his hand on my shoulder, I closed my eyes to calm myself down. Mal wasn't as dangerous as he was a few years ago, but anyone could be worried once you looked at his record.

"So, Dawn," Mal started. "You're dating Farm Boy now?"

"Yes." I replied, looking forward.

"Have you still not realized he's a worthless little lying pig and he's the reason you're not a millionaire?" Mal asked. He obviously has unresolved issues with Scott.

"I said I was sorry for that!" Scott panicked, as though whatever Mal said would change my mind about him.

"Yes, but there's more to him."I smiled again, pretending I was talking to Zoey, not an evil maniac. "He's more in touch with animals then anyone I know. Except, he continues to beat rats." I shot a playful glare at him, which made him crease his brow. "And sharks don't like him at all. But still he's terrific." Scott smiled a little nervously.

Mal seemed disgusted. "You're not mad at him at all?"

I shook my head, no. "He's helping me raise money for my animal sanctuary, even though those mutated animals have seemed to disappear."

"That's actually why I entered All Stars again actually." Scott admitted, his cheeks turning red.

"That has to be one of the sweetest thing I've ever heard a real life person do!" Zoey squealed. She sent a disapproving face at Mal, who was gagging.

"Oh, there's the pet shop, maybe we can find something there!" Zoey pointed and bounced away, obviously giddy.

Mal's P.O.V.

I made sure Zoey was watching me when I grabbed something near the register of the store we were in and placed it in a nearby woman's purse. Zoey gapped at me, but Dawn pulled her away to look at another rack of clothes.

"Did you just...?" Scott trailed off as the woman walked away.

"I did." I glared at him. "Do you have a problem with that?" I stood over him.

"N-no! Just wondering." He nervously laughed and ran somewhere else. I smirked, it felt terrific whenever someone ran away in fear. It almost made me feel stronger, watching their face contort to fear.

I rested against a shelf piled with jeans of different colors and sizes. What could I do to make Zoey like being mean? Even laughing was good, laughing at it or because it was fun, both were positive signs towards it. If I could do anything to break her, frustrate her enough to insult someone would make her looser, anything. As I got more frustrated trying to come up with a plan I could feel Chester coming along.

I cleared my mind and took deep breaths, as much as I didn't want to. The feeling of Chester's presence went away and I looked around the store again. My eye's met with Zoey's. She was standing right in front of me.

"How could you do that?" She exasperated. "The woman almost broke down in tears. If you're going to get anyone in trouble for stealing could you please make sure it isn't anyone who might have a nervous breakdown?"

"Sorry, but I don't bother with getting to know my victims." I smirked as she rolled her eyes. "That is, except you."

She frowned at me and stomped off.

I started regretting my decision of staying here instead of letting Chester take control in that store, and then letting Mike come back afterwards. I don't really know if fooling Mike was worth that torture. Scott looked as bored as I was, but he was also on the edge because if me. I smiled at the thought.

Dawn and Zoey were giggling about something worthless ahead of us as we walked to the exit of the mall.

We stood by the wheelchair access button that opens the doors automatically. Zoey was happier than usual, probably happy about spending more time with Dawn and learning about the Aura Reader's and Farm Boy's relationship.

Scott took Dawn's hand again, it looked almost automatic. I stood by Zoey, my hands in my pockets, just ready to leave. There wasn't a single time when I could really show Zoey how fun being mean is. Not a single time to change her and make Mike depressed.

The little bunch of idiots say good-bye while I was bored out of my shared mind. Dawn and Scott turned away, but Dawn hesitated for a moment and she whispered something to Scott. Scott creased his eyebrows but nodded.

My dark mood didn't diminish Zoey's happy mood at all. She waved a good-bye to me, even though I had to walk the same way as her for a while. I heard a car nearby and saw Zoey walking in the middle of the road. Things didn't connect in my mind, but I was already moving. I did something that I normally would have stood by and watched, and laughed at the end like it was a joke; I pushed Zoey out of the way.

I watched her stumble forward, confused as to why I was standing in her place, confused as to why I had pushed her, and then confused as to why pain was shooting from my hip and then just about everywhere else. I felt myself fall to the asphalt, watching Zoey the whole time, everything in slow motion. She turned around, her face at first surprised and then worried, then both. I realized I still hadn't fallen all the way yet, right as my head hit the ground, hard.

SONG RECOMMENDATION: Grenade by Bruno Mars

I wanted to leave with this chapter, but noooo! I had to leave when I was half finished with it. :( I think this is my longest chapter yet, and waaaay better than the draft I had to make in a journal while I was gone. GOD! I freaking missed you guys. UNEXPECTED ENDING.

So with let's think about Dawn's thoughts. Do you think Zoey will turn bad or Mal good? Only I know the answer! Or not, I tend to change things right before I write them. But right now I do! This is the only thing I want you guys to tell me, other than the good things and bad things about the story.

I'm going to do song recommendations for each chapter from now on, or at least I'll try to. I picked Grenade because Mal got hit by a car for Zoey, but she "wouldn't do the same." I think in the song it switches from Zoey and Mal's view, but I'd rather not waste your time by explaining it. So! Review, tell me good things, bad things, answer the question, come up with ideas, your thoughts on the future chapters, even discuss how the song relates with the chapter if you'd like. I don't care! I'm just happy you read it. Thank guys! I love you all!