A/N

Sorry for the wait pookies!

This ended up being WAY longer than I planned. Enjoy!

The heat of the summer was unwavering, and the temperature was at a rise every passing hour. Outside the concrete shimmered reflecting the sunlight, and to its touch it was a burning stove. Not a gust of wind broke the humid air, leaving the palm trees standing still as sentinels. The sky stretched beyond the horizon painted in a radiant blue, dissolving any cloud that formed in its reign. It was a quiet and tranquil scene in the suburban neighbourhoods.

Dissimilar it was on the inside though, as the ceiling fan competed with the stand fan to configure as much cool air as they could in their maximum settings. But from the constant groans and complaints from Brittany, it seemed they were both failing against the California heatwave.

She sat, focused on filing her nails on her pretty pink bed. She let out a groan every so often as she felt like she was sitting in a sauna. Sitting in front of her, just out of Brittany's focus, her laptop opened to her first assignment. Currently the screen just displays a blank document. A plain page that should have had an essay in the works, but has instead been idly lacking any words for hours now. Business management wasn't so much management as it was writing and maths. If her assignment was to file her nails to the perfect almond shape, then she would have aced it. Perhaps she should have considered a career in being a beautician. So why didn't she pursue this?

Brittany's love for cosmetics and fashion had always been evident since she was a little girl. Ever since her eyes had first been caught by the cover page of 'Seventeen Magazine', she was hooked. Eyes wide and mesmerized, she looked through every page at beautiful models dressed up in the latest fashion, or showing their best makeup looks. She had no idea such style and class could exist. This truly was her first moment of consciousness; A peek at her future, because right then she decided this was what she wanted to be.

So it was a surprise to many when she had applied for a degree in business for university. Sure, business could link to salons, brands and shops… but she was never the third party when it came to these things. She was always in the centre of it, always first person when it came to salons, brands and shops. She lived in these, her heart beat for these and her soul was attached to these things. She wasn't herself without them. Anyone could see from a mile away that her future would enlist into the entertainment, beauty or the fashion industry, or even all three. When she didn't it felt as if the world flipped in a pan. Right was now left and up was down. Was she thinking straight?

Even Miss Miller, who didn't always think straight, knew there was something askew. But Brittany assured her and everyone else who gaped at her that she had not lost her mind. She had made a calculated choice; a choice not influenced by money, definitely not due to peer pressure, and totally not because of the open seat availability of the program. She simply matured enough to realise the most beneficial route to a successful future for herself was through a degree in business. Childhood dreams never make it to the adult stage, they slowly wear out like your favourite top until you eventually outgrow it and replace it with something new, something more adult.

Polishing the last of her nails she looked over at her laptop, now sitting with a black screen. And through it she saw her reflection, her auburn hair wisping around from the breeze of the fans, glossy lips sparkling in sunlight and pretty eyes filled with the look of regret. She exhaled through her nose at the sight of her panged conscience and inwardly grumbled. There's no way she was going to back out now. Eleanor's words had yet to be shoved back into her mouth. And Brittany was going to do it herself, no help and no giving in.

She turned her screen back to the blank document and pulled it into her lap. This was going to get done before–

Ring Ring Ring

Her phone went off just before she made contact with the keyboard. On her phone screen came up a picture of one of her highschool friends. And without wasting a second she shut her laptop and answered the call.

"Hey Court."

"Hey Brittany!"

"Hi, are you guys on your way?"

Beep Beep

Brittany directed her attention to the window where she heard the car honk and smiled with suddenly lively eyes.

"We're here babes, come outside."

As soon as she heard her beckoning, she was on her feet. Miss Miller had left the house earlier so she wrote down a quick note for when she gets back. Hopefully she won't be upset at her for leaving to the mall without telling. Not that she's never done this, it's just she hasn't done it recently since she's been living across the country. Surely Miss Miller has fallen back into their usual dynamic, won't mind her absence and will appreciate the note.

–

The hot air was chased away as she stepped into the giant refrigerator called the Westfield Topanga Mall. She was welcomed by the coolness of air conditioning and the noise of busy chatter. It was a wave of refreshment and an envelope of comforting air. This was her home away from home. The aromas of baking pretzels and sizzling burgers waved by her nose, a smell she wasn't usually fond of but made her feel much more present in the moment. It was a delightful sense of norm.

Brittany breathed it all in: the oily foods, bakery treats and all the new clothes she was going to purchase.

"This is what I needed!" Brittany breathed out doing a cheerful twirl.

"You're acting like you've never seen a mall!" Muffy laughed along with Courtney at Brittany's childlike wonder of the mall. A place she knew like the inside out of her closet.

Her two friends followed her pace as Brittany immediately navigated herself through a crowd and towards a shoe store.

"I haven't even seen a mall since–" Brittany cut her gleeful sentence before she finished it. She almost revealed her breakup, something she didn't want to talk about right now.

"Since when?" Courtney asked, her brow raised at Brittany's sudden silence.

"Since I came here!" She shouted with as much merriness as she could muster, forcing her mouth to create a wide smile.

It sold for now as her two friends laughed at her remark. She had forgotten about the whole thing with Bart for a short period, but she won't be able to really let go until she starts being honest. Honesty later, shopping now. She dismissed her thoughts before her glooming became apparent and redirected her attention to some pink stilettos.

"Hey Britt, Louboutins or Jimmy Choos?" Courtney asked, holding up two black coloured heels.

Brittany observed them both for fashionability and functionality, "Depends on the occasion."

"Dinner date with my boyfriend."

"Louboutins," Brittany answered in an instant, "They're perfect for date night. Classy and sexy. Those Jimmy Choos are more for cute cafe dates or wedding parties. "

Courtney nodded and put down the Jimmy Choos. Brittany's fashion advice was favoured among her friends, so there needn't be any more debate. Brittany's word was final. And they continued asking for her opinion for the rest of their shopping spree.

Store after store it was beginning to feel like a shopping marathon with Brittany. On their own Muffy and Courtney only frequented their favourite shops, so they were becoming drained of their energy pretty fast. But Brittany hadn't let out a single huff, she was running at the sight of cute tops and frilly skirts. She hasn't felt so happily stimulated in a while, and she didn't want it to end anytime soon.

–

Currently the trio of girls sat on barstools with lemonades in hand. It was getting late and the mall was becoming more spacious as fewer and fewer bodies walked through the building. Muffy and Courtney were able to persuade Brittany into taking a break by the food court, which she reluctantly agreed in the main part due to her arms beginning to wane at the weight of her purchases. Her purchases now sat at her feet in paper bags as she sipped on her sugar-free lemonade, while she was being filled in on gossip.

"Did you hear about Missy's breakup?" Brittany's ears perked up to Courtney's news on a familiar name.

"It was tragic, but not surprising." Muffy shrugged.

"Missy Snootson?" Brittany spoke confused but also intrigued on the topic at hand.

"Yeah, it was like so embarrassing how it went down." Courtney eagerly spoke on in a hushed manner "What I heard from Julia, who heard from Lilly, who heard from Heather, who spoke to Missy said she got dumped over text messages."

"Not only that but Michael got with her sister right after!" Muffy added, "They were having an affair right behind her back the whole time!"

"And apparently she's so heartbroken over it she hasn't left her house since."

Brittany sat processing this new information, unsure of what she should be feeling right now. She was never close with Missy, in fact she was never on good terms with Missy. The girl was never nice to anyone, and more stuck up than even Brittany. They never got along from when they first met. It was spite at first sight. The two always competed for popularity, best style and boys. It was also no surprise when she got into a troubling relationship with Michael, one of the school's better athletes but also known for his reputation as a juvenile inmate during his earlier years in highschool. They were destined for failure from the start, and Brittany even prayed upon it. But hearing about it now, after she's felt her fair share of heartbreak, she doesn't feel that satisfaction she had always thought she would feel in her enemy's misery. She actually feels…pity for her.

"The whole thing is just embarrassing!" One of the girl's laughed, and the two began giggling.

Brittany wanted to join in, but she couldn't. A girl she had once antagonized no longer felt deserving of hate. And as much as she wanted to soak in this light of long last justice, it just didn't sit right with her heart. A cruel fate it was for Missy, a broken heart is never an easy recovery and an even worse pain to deal with, especially alone without the aid of those who care for her. At the very least Brittany had her sisters to console her –Missy's sister? That is no sister.

"So Brittany, how's it going with you and Bart?"

Both girls had moved on from their laugh about Missy's situation and now had eyes on the oddly quiet Brittany. She felt like two snipers had just been pointed to her head, and a question that answered would either trigger them or lower them. So she decided on the safest answer, even if it wasn't the real one.

"We're great!" She quickly put to the side her personal feelings to bring back her previous gleeful smile, "Doing great."

"Ugh, you and Bart are like the IT couple." Courtney was first to give her compliment in her own playful way.

"Yeah, you guys are meant to be. Like Kim and Kanye but before the breakup." Muffy agreed.

More like after the breakup.

"You guys! That's so sweet, thanks." She sugared her words and played along.

Even if the two were Brittany's closest friends from school, whom she would always tell everything to, she just couldn't bring herself to talk about the breakup. Especially not after hearing about the way they spoke about Missy. Courtney and Muffy have always been closer with each other than with Brittany, so she kept up an invisible wall at all times. Even now. It wasn't hard to detect the mistrust between them. The two girls were chatterboxes, the source of all gossip. To tell them anything would mean to tell every person you ever came to know, and Brittany was smarter than to trust their oath of secrecy. But she kept their friendship for her own gain, as they have for their own reasons. Over the years they have grown closer with their matters, but she knows what is meant to be shared and what is meant to be kept to herself.

"You know I kinda always thought it was going to be you and Alvin." Muffy pondered aloud.

Muffy and Courtney's eyes fixated back on Brittany, waiting for any reaction. They know very well the subject of her relationship with Alvin Seville is a forbidden conversation. Yet they aimed to strike a nerve, see a reaction, an outburst. A calculated move, right after asking about her current relationship. But she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction of her uncertainty and a new rumour to spread.

Without a flinch she answered, "You thought wrong, Muffy."

"So you've really moved on? Good for you Britt." Muffy returned with slight scepticism.

Brittany caught the pinch of doubt that was stirred in Muffy's reply. And she wanted to counteract, disprove any doubt, but in truth it would be just as bad a lie as her public relationship status. She wasn't even sure herself if she had moved on from Bart or Alvin for that matter.

"Of course I have, I'm in a better relationship with a better man."

"Okay, and where is your better man?"

The question nearly choked Brittany. The delivery of it was a real punch too. Was Muffy on to her? There's no way she knows…It's just Muffy being nosy.

"He couldn't come, he had a last minute family emergency." She said the line as she had rehearsed for the millionth time since she made it up.

"Aw, that's too bad. Woulda loved to meet him." She pouted with a tilt of her head.

Brittany found this action to be not cute at all. Muffy was definitely nudging a little too hard on this.

"Yeah, maybe some other time."

"Well I hope this 'family emergency' doesn't put a strain on your relationship, you two are good together."

Brittany couldn't help her eyebrows from furrowing contorting a face mixed with confusion and disgust. She sounded sincere in her tone but she said 'family emergency' as if it were a cover up for a lie.

"What was the emergency?" Courtney asked, coming into the conversation after finishing her lemonade.

"His grandma died." She said it as if she felt it. And she definitely felt something after Muffy's attempt at comfort.

The two girls too gave their sympathies over the news. And it was becoming too much to bear, with her lie and Muffy's concealed words, she needed a change of topic asap. Lying may be easy but the guilt that comes with it is a gnawing pain.

"Oh my Gosh!" Suddenly Courtney shouted before Brittany could even think of a distraction.

She was loud enough to get them some looks from people sitting nearby. She whipped back her curly hair and gave them a stare back before continuing.

Please say something not Bart or Alvin related.

"Totally forgot to tell you but we're planning a bonfire party at the beach!" She squealed, "And we're inviting all our friends. Plus other cool people from some other high schools."

"It'll be like a reunion, minus the losers." Muffy joined.

"Sounds fun, I'll be there." She nodded. This was a great change of topic actually, she could use a night out to party.

As the two girls explained the plans Brittany was feeling more relieved they let go of the earlier matter. Muffy seemed less suspicious as well as she went over a list of names. It was strange how Muffy got to her without really saying anything wrong. But then again, Muffy is always like that, and Brittany may just have been a little overly tense about the whole lie, anything could feel more prying than it actually is when you're hiding something.

"So by the fourth of July everyone will be back in LA and then we can have the hottest bonfire party ever!" Courtney exclaimed again.

"I wish it were sooner, the only thing other than the mall that makes me happy is partying." Brittany, now back to normal, was smiling again.

"Well…me and Muffy did get invited to a house party tomorrow night. Wanna join?"

"Um? Do you even have to ask?" Brittany answered with enthusiasm slipping back into her voice.

Another reason to get out of the house was all she needed to regain that pep in her step. She was already putting together the perfect outfit for the party, ready to turn heads. But before she could do that, she was missing some accessories.

Noticing the three had all finished their refreshments Brittany was ready to step into a new shop already. And she had her eyes on a specific designer bag shop.

"Come on, I saw this cute mini purse a couple shops down. I have to get my hands on it!" She stood up with her bags ready for another round.

Ring Ring Ring

"Oh shit, it's my mom. I promised her I'd be back in time for my little sister's cake cutting." Courtney said before answering her phone.

"Don't tell me we have to leave right now?" Brittany frowned.

"We do, we have to pick up the cake and some other things as well." Muffy sighed, exhausted thinking of the oncoming errands.

"Sorry Britt, but we're gonna have to leave now." Courtney cut the call to face the two.

Conflicted between going over to buy potentially the cutest purse she's ever seen or leaving without spending more money she bit her lip. The purse was to die for, and there were still other things she wanted to see, she wasn't quite ready to leave home again. Worst case she would have to Uber home. She released her bottom lip from her nibbling and came to a decision.

"You guys go. I'll Uber."

"Are you sure?" Courtney looked at the time, the mall was going to close within an hour anyway. But she supposed Brittany would spend every second she could get here so there was no point in convincing her to leave with them.

"I'm sure."

–

Two additional purchases later Brittany was at last satisfied. It didn't really take her so long, she could have persuaded Courtney to stay for another half an hour and not have to waste any more money on an Uber. It is what it is now.

She was now breezing her way to the main entrance swaying her bags in her arms. On her way she passes by a couple new stores she hasn't visited yet. A new jewellery store, perfume boutique and an old vintage looking skate shop. That last one she had no particular interest in as began to saunter by it. Then just as she was midway past it, a flash of red charmed her eyes inside. As soon as she flagged on to the red that caught her eyes, her relaxed composure stiffed and she paused her stride.

Just in view behind a wooden counter was that trademark red cap resting backwards atop a head of unruly brown hair. Even with him facing away Brittany knew it was Alvin. No one else she knew had that cap, and no one else she knew could pull it off the way he did. She stood staring into the shop, and directly at the back of his head. People walking by probably presumed she just discovered skateboards for the first time in her life. She wouldn't blame them either because she might as well have discovered a new colour the way she stood there dumbstruck.

He was beginning to turn his head signalling her fight or flight. To her luck a man had just parked a trolley next to her stacked with boxes just high enough to cover her to her torso. She promptly side-stepped behind the boxes and covered her face with one of her shopping bags just in time to see Alvin turn his attention towards some kids in the shop.

So he does have a job? Brittany was surprised. Alvin Seville, the self-proclaimed 'Awesomest one', the fame and fortune chasing boy who doesn't have a shred of humility in his body –working at a humble skate shop in the mall? Now this was news to Brittany. She had to blink a couple times to make sure she wasn't imagining it.

Her pale blue eyes studied him as he spoke to the two kids, showing them skateboards with various designs. Pointing, guiding and showing. Who would have thought Alvin was capable of such responsibility. From her angle he actually looked mature. He was looking a little too attractive for her liking. Her heart was practically fawning over this leader initiative he was taking. And as if her heart could take any more, she saw him tousling one of the kids' hair, her heart melted straight away. Alvin showing such compassion and nurturing was unbelievably hot. In that moment she didn't know why she hated him at all.

She stood in awestruck unaware that the trolley had moved away. She was standing outside the front of the store bare to eyes inside the shop. And as Alvin finished up with the kids, she came back to her senses. He was turning his head in her direction now and she was plainly in his line of sight. Unable to run and hide at the speed of his neck, she lifted the bag back up to her face. She may have looked like an idiot, but at least she didn't look like Brittany to him. Just some girl holding a bag to her face, no way he could recognize her just by her body, right? She quickly scooted away and back to her original path out of the mall.

She had to put her hand up to her heart, it was beating as if she just ran a marathon. Even seeing a sneak peak of the latest summer bikini collections didn't make her heart run like this. Her stomach was even churning a tide of butterflies at the encounter. Even kissing Bart, which always made her swoon, didn't cause this eruption happening inside her. Not even the dopamine rush of attention could compare to her state right now.

Swallowing a deep breath and releasing it, she calmed herself down. Her idea of mending this relationship was thrown out of the plan, it was a notion doomed to prove Eleanor and Muffy right. Just at the sight of that red-capped idiot had her jumping out of the platonic boat she built in her mind. How pathetic is that? It would just be safer to avoid Alvin at all costs. She's only here for the summer, how hard could it really be, plus he seems to be doing the same. With both their efforts of evasion the chance of successfully never having a conversation is nearly 100%, right? She wasn't great with math but it only made sense.

"Ugh!" She brought her hands to her face and clenched her fists.

Even from a distance the nuisance that came with Alvin Seville always managed to overcome her. So much so that when she came back to her senses she realized she went off course. The exit she was getting to was now a U-turn away. So she gathered herself and headed for the main doors. She would call an Uber once she parks herself close enough to the exit and could finally let down her bags.

The sun was nearing the horizon, still blazing bright enough to seem like daytime even at this later hour. The last rush of traffic was just leaving the parking lot and Brittany was about to send for an Uber.

"I saw you spying on me."

She heard the voice acquainted with an irritating smirk, round up from behind to precisely in front of her. Her mind swept blank, and the butterflies erupted. So many of them that she felt one got stuck in her throat as she stood unresponsive. So he did see her. How embarrassing.

His caramel eyes were now clear as crystals to her sapphire ones. A dimple denting the left of his cheek as his smirk remained. His arms crossed and laid back posture taunted her to speak up to his preeminent height. She could tell he's grown out his brown locks as well as ego. Certainly hasn't lost his appeal though.

He gave her a once over while she recovered her ability to speak.

"I wasn't spying." She rebutted with her cheeks flushing a faint red.

"Sorry, admiring." He narrowed his eyes.

After over a year of not speaking to each other, he doesn't even bother with a friendly 'hello' or 'how are you?', it's straight to provoking her. The nerve of this guy. Absolutely nothing changed about his personality. She was wrong to even think he could have changed. How wrong she was to put compassionate and nurturing in the same sentence as Alvin. She should have taken his absence at the dinner as a blaring red flare of his obvious lack of development.

"Neither." She spat with as much revolt as she felt at the idea of admiring him.

"Okay. So you were just stalking me from outside my store then."

"No. I just had the misfortune of looking at you."

"Either way, you said you never wanted to see me again. Yet you were the one checking me out."

Checking him out? Was he out of his mind? She did no such thing, she was simply watching him out of curiosity. Maybe taking glances at his well toned arms, and lean figure– Okay, maybe she was checking him out, Just a little. But he can't know that. And she never vowed to not see him again, she just said it in the spur of their heated argument. He took it too personally…and she sort of followed suit.

"I was not checking you out. I mean how would you react to seeing someone you know after a year?"

"I wouldn't gawk at them for starters."

He was not going to let this go. Time to redirect the flow of this catch up.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" She questioned him. Just a minute ago he was an employee and now he's a headache.

"Shift's over." He uncrossed his arms to store his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Short shift, huh? I heard you were working pretty late yesterday." She sassed back at him.

"So you were asking about me?" He simpered.

"I just heard, since your brothers and Dave came over for dinner yesterday. I'm actually glad you didn't come if this is how you would have acted." She hated that smile he wore, no matter how much it fanned the butterflies in her stomach.

"I was just trying to honour your words. And if this is how you would have acted, then I'm glad I didn't come too."

There was now only a small gap between them as they locked their condescending gazes, trying to mentally one up the other. He leaned in to match her height, as if demeaning her stand. She was bubbling with anger while he stood in nonchalance. He knew he was winning this dispute. The only person aside from her sisters who are able to get the better of Brittany in an argument is Alvin. All she could see was red. No words, no actions, just red.

"Well, I'm heading home now. You got a lift?"

He broke the tension sizing back to his height. He already decided he won as she was seething through her breaths. Just like that they were back to their opposing sides. You couldn't even recall that they were once a couple with the way their interaction is going.

"As if I would ride with you." She spoke sharply, stabbing him with each word.

"And I wasn't offering." He mirrored her tone, "Only two seats on my ride."

"What's your ride? A bicycle?" She scoffed.

She knows he has a car which has five seats total. She's been inside since he first got it and has lost count since. But for her own dignity, she was never getting inside it again.

"A motor-cycle." He enunciated the 'motor' with a hard jab at Brittany.

As soon as he finished, a girl frolicked into Alvin's arms. She seemingly burst their little bubble of glares and reconnected them with their surroundings. Brittany had to hold back a yelp as she backed up from the two, and composed herself. During their little staring contest she totally forgot they were still standing inside the mall which was closing any minute now.

And this girl who just popped in out of nowhere, was now glaring at her with Alvin's arm wrapped around her waist. She wore baggy jeans and oversized flannel, tattoos inked around her neck and piercings in her ears, nose and belly button. She looked the complete opposite of Brittany. Is this Alvin's girlfriend?

"Hey babe, who's this?" The girl finally spoke. She didn't sound nor look too pleased to meet Brittany, likewise.

"Someone who's leaving." Brittany spoke for herself. She was not in the mood for introductions.

It was time she left their little get-together and got home anyway. The shopping bags on her arms already made their marks onto her skin, the same way Alvin got under her skin. She couldn't believe this. First she goes all lovesick over him and the next she's infuriated. Then seeing that girl flail all over him poked at her seeping jealousy. Unsure why she's feeling jealous now though, after the butterflies all died down when he started speaking.

She walked outside and called herself an Uber. Trying her best to ignore Alvin and that girl hop onto a red motorcycle and speed away, she couldn't help but watch as they disappeared into traffic, leaving her standing all alone. So she watched as the blue of the sky blended with the orange sunset. The night sky was beginning to drift over, and she too wished to just fade away like the daylight.

She should have just left with Courtney and Muffy.

–

She glanced at the red bike on its stand parked next to the red car. He seemed to have made it home pretty fast and she wondered if he dropped the girl off or brought her home.

She unlocked the door to her own soundless house. The only lights on were in the kitchen, where Miss Miller was likely washing dishes. Brittany didn't feel like chatting with her, so she avoided that area and went straight for the stairs and to her room. Dropped her bags, not caring about their fragility she flopped onto her bed and just laid there for a minute, eyes closed.

Behind her eyelids she could see his face, his smirk and brown eyes. She hated him. How he didn't bother asking how she was, or offering her a ride. She hated the way their first greeting after a year was an argument. How he so easily riled her up, and took the advance in the argument. That he gave that girl a ride on his motorcycle. That he lives right next door. And how she's thinking about him right now. She irrefutably hates Alvin Seville.

So why does she still think about him? Still care about what he does and doesn't? And wonders whether she's on his mind too?

She opened her eyes to see her laptop shut next to her. Her assignment had yet to be done too. Another torment to her list of problems. She willed herself to sit, and finally begin on this assignment. So with what last ounce of energy she had, she opened her laptop to the blank document. Channelled whatever resentment and passion she was feeling and put it into her assignment. She wasn't going to let her conflicting feelings about Alvin stand in the way of her personal vow. This assignment is going to get done, she's going to do better for herself.

Alvin was never part of the vow to begin with, and he won't be now.

A/N

If you can't tell, I gave up near the end. I'm sorryyy, I just have a bad habit of losing motivation near the end of these chapters. I also don't want to wait, edit and post. I just want to post now. (might edit after it's been posted)

As for what direction I'm taking this story, I keep changing it up. So neither of us really know what's going to happen lol. Hopefully it all comes together though. See you in the next one!

And thank you na012 for your reviews, I really appreciate it!