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~Chapter Fifteen~

Hey y'all! Seeing as these chapters are going to be pre-written, the author's notes will be kind of weird, lol. So sorry for taking so long to update! Either way, hope you enjoy the chapter!

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It was the next morning that Oliver suddenly announced that we were all going to the mall. Did he ask any of us beforehand? Nope. Was I comfortable with this? Not at all. Did I have a choice? Not one.

As soon as everyone was dressed, we were shoved into two cars. The boys and Skylar went in one while Harper and I took the other. The drive was quiet at first before Harper muttered something that I couldn't understand.

"What was that?" Another mumble. Rolling my eyes, I retorted, "You're going to have to be louder than that." Harper groaned before speaking, "I think I may like Logan..." My eyes widened for a split second before my jaw slackened.

"You- what?" I was dumbstruck. I haven't heard Harper this nervous, like- ever. Even with her last boyfriend, the idiot, she wasn't nervous when talking about him. That's what tipped me off. "You really like him, don't you?" Harper gave a shy nod, a far-off look coming to her eyes along with a soft smile.

The look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. She truly likes him. "Fine, but if he hurts you-"

"I know, I know! You'll bring in the army. You've told me this multiple times, Liz. I'll be okay, okay? He probably doesn't even like me back." I just 'hmm' ed under my breath. I wasn't positive, but I did know that Logan was willing to give her his notes which is something.

Seeing as we had arrived at the mall, Harper and I stepped out of the car and met up with the boys. The first thing I noticed was Oliver's smug smirk as he stood extremely close to Skylar, who's cheeks were a rosy pink. Hunter and Logan made their way over as well. Once the six of us were all together, Oliver raised his first and, well, screeched, "Onward!"

All at once, the rest of us practically face palmed. Yet, although he annoyed us, we still followed him into the mall. I stuck close to Harper as we made our way through the mall, in and out of stores. Even as we weaved throughout the shops, I never bought anything. It was usually that way, with Harper stopping every few minutes to look at something new or to buy. On the other hand, I usually never bought anything for myself, preferring to save money for other necessities.

As it got later in the afternoon, we soon stopped for lunch, going straight for the food court. Oliver was still in the lead, followed closely by Skylar - whom he was practically dragging around - and the other two boys. Harper and I were in the back, although it was soon just me. Harper slowly inched forwards towards Logan, and I watched as she flexed her hand nervously.

Giving her a small nudge, I sent a small smile her way before slowing down the tiniest bit, allowing her to leave me alone to go talk to Logan. I watched as she smiled, her nervousness showing ever so slightly. When she made her way to be walking with him, Logan took notice and ever so slightly glanced over, trying to remain unnoticed. I almost laughed.

Almost. My attention soon shifted to Hunter, who had somehow managed to move to walk in step with me without me noticing. He and I walked in what could be classified as silence when you're walking through a public mall. But, our silence wasn't what you would call awkward, but it definitely wasn't peaceful. It just had this almost tension, subtle but still there.

I wondered if it was because we both didn't know what to say to even begin a conversation. However, before I could think more on the subject, we reached the food court, and Oliver - who else would it have been - took off. As he ran off, the rest of us simply shook our heads and followed along.

After we all had ordered and received our food, we ended up finding a booth in a corner to settle in for the moment. There was no chit chat at first, we were all too busy chowing down to be participating in mindless chatter. Oliver was, once again, the first one done. He sat there quietly for a moment, before beginning to fidget.

At first, it was barely noticeable as he shifted his weight side to side. Soon though, as the rest of us began finishing he began to knock knees with someone or would play footsies under the table. Rolling my eyes, I tried to hold back my smile, watching as Hunter and Logan were getting more annoyed by the second.

Sadly, before we could go anywhere else, Skylar's mom texted, asking her to come home. And seeing as she rode with Harper and I, we decided to take her home. The walk to the cars was filled with Oliver bumping into Skylar and then jumping away before she could hit him back. By the time we reached the cars, Skylar and Oliver were both slightly out of breath from chasing each other and the rest of us had smiles on our faces.

Skylar received a hug from Oliver before we left, Harper and I waving goodbye. Once everyone was seated and Harper was driving, I loosed a small sigh. It was tiring, having to keep up with the boys. There constant up and going attitudes made it more fun, but also exhausting. Though, it did add a bit of brightness to my dim life.

Once we had dropped Sky off, Harper dropped me off. I gave my best friend a hug, "Call me later?" I gave her a small nod, before stepping out and walking up my driveway. Reaching my front door, I quickly slid the key in and opened it, heading straight for my room. As I moved through the house, I noticed my mother's absence but didn't question it, figuring she was out losing her mind.

When I reached my room, I closed the door behind me before going to my window, looking out at the waves. Breathing deeply, I let a true smile grace my face. Today had been fun, tiring, but fun all the same. And honestly? I couldn't wait to do it again.

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Hope y'all enjoyed that decently long chapter, just over 1,000 words. Have a great week and stay safe!