Zoey's P.O.V.

Ever since Leshawna's fingers broke, Mal's been hovering around me. Not directly, but in the corner of the room, the main hallway at night, and everywhere I am. Something's not right. Well, that's obvious, but I mean something's not right with me. Why am I not freaking out that he's right there, or at least telling him to bug off? Cameron's been hovering too, but more in my company than hiding in a corner.

Cameron doesn't ask questions anymore, but he's constantly watching me, I can feel his stare when I turn away. Everyone's been looking at me differently too. I'm acting different. I can't tell what it is exactly. Is it because I ditched my flower? Well, that's because I didn't really like it anymore. Everyone needs something different in their style. Maybe it really is because of Mal. Of course Lindsay doesn't notice anything different about me and continues to act stupid as always.

"Zoey?" Cameron's squeaky voice jolted me away from my thoughts. "Are you OK? You're clenching your fists."

I looked down, my fingers were white. "Yeah, I'm fine." I smiled at him and opened my hand again, letting it fall to my side.

"Do you want to go to the nurse again?" He asked. He constantly wanted me to check up at the clinic. I had to explain what happened and Cameron's been freaking out ever since, even though I didn't specify what exactly I had been seeing. The nurse couldn't see anything wrong with me and told me to get some rest, that it was probably just stress.

Even now, I was sitting on my bed, sitting up against the wall. Cameron was sitting on the ground playing sudoku. Despite everything that happened, I was able to laugh at how his concentrated face involved his sticking his tongue out ever so slightly.

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine." Cameron continued to stare. "I promise." I smiled again and laid down, resting my hands on my stomach.

"Zanna! Camera!" Lindsay burst inside.

"It's Cameron..." He trailed off.

"Blair said it was time to watch the next episode. Apparently, she stars in it! I want to star in an episode!" Lindsay whined.

The three of us walked over to the stage to watch, Lindsay blabbered on about some clothes I guess, but I honestly don't know what she was talking about because Cameron joined the conversation at some point too.

My mind was elsewhere. It started off as always, my missing boyfriend and how's he doing. I can't help but imagine what would would happen once he saw me. But my mind changes everything, one moment his spiky hair is up in the air, the next it's covering her eye. I try to get it back and then he starts frowning, under his eyes it starts to get dark, and his smile turns darker.

I already suspected I liked Mal, could I be liking him more now that he told me he liked me too? I proceeded to mind-slap myself.

"Speak of the devil." I muttered as soon as a hand fell on my shoulder.

"The devil? Where?" Owen screamed, his hand left my shoulder and went to his head as he ducked.

"Oh, Owen!" I looked over at him, a smile no where to be seen.

He looked up and glanced around before standing up and laughing. "Haha, good one, Zo."

"Izzy!" The girl cried, jumping on Owen's back.

"Hey, Iz." He looked over at her head, which was resting on his neck. The two had become a couple again, if they ever stopped. I think they had a fight and broke up or something, it's all kind of hazy. But anyway, they were better than ever, if they had ever stopped dating.

I walked ahead of everyone, sighing.

"What's the matter?" This time it was Mal. "Are they all too annoying to you?" He could hear the smile through his words.

"Leave me alone, Mal." I didn't look at him, I couldn't. I might freeze, I might have one of my scenes again. People thought me weird enough already.

He didn't reply, but continued to walk by me.

I woke up on something warm. I moved just a bit to find myself on something familiar from a long time ago. Well, not that long, but it felt like a long time ago. I opened one eye to see a familiar turquoise. Mike and I normally fell asleep to movies like this.

Having just woken up, not everything connected in my mind. But after actually seeing where I was, I opened my eyes quickly. "Mike?" I held up my head to look at him.

"Where is she?" He said rather fiercely.

I jumped off of him and onto the carpet. I looked over him to see that his eyes were closed, but at the moment he was Mike.

His hair flopped down. "With me. She's laying beside us. She had one of her episodes again and I took her out of the room before pipsqueak realized what was happening."

Mike came back. "Episodes? What happened? What do you mean?"

Then, Mal. "I don't know, but she's been randomly going out of it, seeing stuff and screaming."

I frowned, he wasn't telling the whole truth. Then again, he didn't know the whole truth.

Vito then came. "Ey, yo. I'm pretty sure that ain't supposed to happen." He was silent. "What?"

"You're lying, aren't you? Trying to get me worked up again?" Mike asked.

"Surprisingly enough, I'm not." Mal grinned. "It's been going on ever since she tried to see me, oops I mean you, that one night. I'm pretty sure that's what happened, she was out of it pretty quickly and probably fell asleep afterwards. Svetlana!" He said her name abruptly. "Get outta my way!"

"But Mike needs to see Zoey!" Her face appeared.

"Don't worry, Mike. We've got him!" Manitoba said. I could imagine him hooking his rope around Mal. But would that really keep him there?

"Thank guys!" Mike smiled.

"Oh, just get going! You're never gonna get there if you keep blabbering on!" Chester yelled at him.

I widened my eyes. Mike was coming back? I needed to get out of there. No! It's been forever since I've seen him.

"You're all idiots is what you are." Mal suddenly came back and my heart rose and fell at the same time. "You can't keep me back from a rope. This is mental not physical. Durr." And with that Mal woke up.

My arms wrapped around his neck before I could comprehend what happened.

"Get off of me." Mal shoved me off gently. He got up and stretched, raising his arms in the air. "It's getting harder..."

He said that so quietly, I wasn't sure if I was supposed to hear it. "What is?" I heard myself asking anyway.

Mal turned to me, but only his head. "Nothing you need to worry about, Pet." He smiled when I frowned.

"I think I told you not to call me that." I crossed my arms, scolding him like a parent does.

"Not to call you by your name? I don't understand." He turned around all the way. He narrowed his eyes at me, smiling all the while.

I rolled my eyes at him, actually smiling now. "My name is Zoey Petrarch though. Not 'Pet.'"

"I'm pretty sure it's just an abbreviation and that's the same thing, right?" He stepped closer to me.

"No, I don't think so." I had to tilt my head up to look at him, now that he was closer.

Mal seemed nervous now, which was very unlike him. "Have you.. thought about what I-" He cut himself off and turned around. "You should go find Cameron."

I realized what he was going to say and my eyes widened. "Mal... I don't know what to do about that. I have so many things on my mind, I don't know if I like you or Mike."

He froze. "You mean, there is a chance then?" He turned around swiftly. "I haven't been crazy thinking that you obviously did like me back?"

"Mal, I said I don't know." I frowned when he stepped right in front of me.

"No, you do know. Don't you?" His hand touched my waist. I flinched and I felt that familiar feeling. No, I couldn't do this now. I had to stay in this conversation. But my thoughts absorbed me into them. I did know who I liked didn't I? My first thought was to leave when Mike came, staying came after. My heart did rise when Mal was coming back. And it broke when he got hit by that car.

I snapped out of whatever I was in when I felt Mal kiss me. It wasn't a 'trying to make you mad' kiss and it didn't surprise me. I pushed him away.

"Mal." I looked up at his dark chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that had seen the things he did, that weren't as innocent, that could see the world for what it really was. I had a sudden change of heart. I wasn't going to push him away, but I was going to worry. "What if they knew I was here with you? Everything would be different."

He frowned at me. "When I'm with you, you won't have to worry about them. They won't think you're weird because I'll scare them off. The ones that will accept us are your real friends, right?"

I didn't hear much of what he said, but I knew whatever it was, that it made sense. I could tell that much. So I stood on my tiptoes and closed my eyes, waiting for him to come back.

He did. He wrapped his arms my waist and we fell into each other. We both knew what we wanted. We could do what we wanted and we shouldn't worry about what other people think.

I didn't hear the door open.

SONG RECOMMENDATION: Here with You by Allstar Weekend

SOOOOO. Even though I'm supposed to be working on my other story (Which I am working on by the way) I took today to write this chapter since these take a lot less time to write. Also, someone kept telling me to update. Don't worry, I'm always going to update. My other story just takes a little longer to write. I don't have much to say, but Cliffhanger! Yay! This is FAR from the ending by the way.

Please review! What's good, what's bad? I really do appreciate criticism! I'm kind of tired, so I didn't exactly write that chapter as well as I wanted to, so please tell me what you think of it. Is Mal's character alright? I mean, it IS kind of hard to portray the evil guy in love. Alright bye! Review! Thank You!