"Alice! Oh, thank goodness! Are you alright?"

A wild Kylie has appeared. She plows me over, her arms wrapped tight around my neck. I grunt at her sudden weight and feel Trash-can's arms wrap around me, holding me upright. She squeezes tight, like a python, and then lets me go. Her eyes are glassy.

I grimace and scratch at the back of my neck. Trash-Can eases me back upright and then releases me. "I'm alright," I say.

She folds her arms across her chest and shakes her head. "I didn't mean for you to get so upset. I'm so sorry."

I shake my head. "It's alright, really. I promise."

My mother appears, her expression twisted with worry. "Alice, baby, are you alright?" she gasps as she nears. Her hands find my shoulders and begin to shake. "You gave me a heart attack!"

I wince. "I'm sorry."

She throws her arms around my shoulders and hugs tight. Her lips press a chaste kiss to the side of my head. "Don't do that again, okay?"

"Sorry," I repeat. Guilt floods through me and I duck my head. A hand lifts to wipe at my eyes. I'm so glad I didn't bother to put on makeup.

Trash-Can squeezes my other hand. It kind of startles me; I hadn't realized he had grasped a hold of it. He smiles a wide, reassuring smile at me when I glance at him. It kind of makes me feel better. I can't help but smile back.

"Hi," he says, releasing my hand and holding it out toward my mother. "I'm Eric, a friend of Alice's from school. It's very nice to meet you, ma'am."

My mother blinks and takes him in. Surprise flickers across her features. She takes his hand and shakes. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Alice's mother."

Eric's smile shifts toward Kylie. "Hey Kylie. How are you?" Then his eyebrows wrinkle with confusion. He looks around. "Where's Amanda? I would have thought she would have been here with you."

Kylie laughs a little. "She's searching the other side of the store. I need to go find her and tell her that we found Alice."

Eric nods. His gaze flickers back toward me, and his smile widens. "Do you trust me?"

"Not really," I admit.

His laughter is contagious. "Alright. Go back to the dressing room and change back into your regular clothes. Kylie and I will go find a dress."

I try to smile. The idea of trying on another dress is not a fond one.

Trash-Can squeezes my hand for reassurance. I lock eyes with him and then sigh heavily. My gaze scans over the racks until I find the entrance to the dressing room. Grumbling, I start toward it. My mom follows.

"He seems nice," she comments as we enter the stall I had abandoned. My clothes lay folded on a small chair in the corner. The other dresses that I was supposed to try on remained hanging on a hook attached to the wall.

I grumble louder, the sound still incoherent.

She shoots me a side-eyed look. Her next question is hesitant. "He's not another Seth, is he?"

I almost chock on my spit.

"Eric is nothing like Seth," I snap, my gaze narrowing. "He's ten times sweeter." I frown and struggle to unzip the prom dress on my body. "I don't even think Seth would be doing this right now. If I broke down in the middle of the mall, he'd probably get embarrassed and try to shut me up or something."

My frown deepens as the truth settles in.

Blue-Eyes wouldn't have tried to make me feel better. He never really had, throughout our somewhat short relationship. He had never been there for me when I really needed him.

But Eric was.

Butterflies flutter inside my stomach. My mom wrenches my hands away from the dress zipper, shaking her head. A small smile plays on her lips. "Just don't rush into anything, okay?"

"I wasn't planning to," I mutter.

She unzips the dress and helps me out of it. I change into the old t-shirt I'd worn to the mall and plop down wearily on the chair. I shove my legs into my yoga pants and sigh.

"I don't want to get up," I whine, holding the pants around my knees.

My mom gives me a look. I grumble under my breath some more and stand, a dull shard of pain spreading through my body. I'm somewhat used to it. I wiggle into my pants and then sit back down with a huff. I close my eyes and lean my head back against the wall behind me.

A knock sounds, and my mom opens the door to the stall. Kylie steps in, a soft pink dress in her hands. "Eric is waiting outside. He seemed to really like this one," she says, holding it out where I can see. "It's not bad."

I stare at the dress. It's strapless. The bust is a mixture of darker pink fabric and large, metallic rhinestones. It ends just under the breasts, and flowed out with loose, pleated fabric from there.

"I like it," I murmur and reach out, brushing my fingers across the soft fabric.

"Eric wants you to show him when you put it on."

I nod. My mom helps me stand and I wiggle out of my clothes again. It was kind of pointless putting them back on, I realize. I had expected them to take longer. I hold my hands up and Kylie pulls the dress over my head. She zips the back and then lets me turn around to face the mirror.

"I like it," I repeat, a little louder.

The bust is a little small; my swollen breasts are falling out a bit. The skirt brushes the tops of my feet. I turn a bit, and examine the dress from the side. The baby-bump isn't as pronounced, thanks to the fabric that covers it. From the front, however, it's almost impossible to tell that I'm pregnant.

My mom presses her hand against her mouth again. Tears make her eyes glassy. Her voice cracks. "Alice, that looks gorgeous on you."

I turn again, and examine the dress closer. My bra straps are sticking out, which annoys me. Without removing the dress, I unhook my bra and pull it free. Thanks to the lack of padding, my breasts now rest comfortably within the dress. "It's perfect fit too," I say, tossing my bra onto my pile of discarded clothes.

"Go show Eric!" Kylie says excitedly. She opens the stall door and steps outside, prepared to help me walk if I need it.

I don't. I walk past her, the skirt swishing around me softly, and back into the main part of the store. Eric waits outside with Amanda, leaning against a wall several feet away. Prom dresses surround them like curtains. Amanda spies me first, and her jaw drops.

"You look amazing!"

I brush past her and throw my arms around Eric's neck. My stomach gets in the way a bit, and he has to lean down some to hug me back. His arms wind around my torso tight. "I don't know how you found it, but thank you," I whisper.

"It's on sale, too," he murmurs back.

I laugh and step backward, brushing at my eyes. A fresh batch of tears have appeared, brimming at the corners of my eyes. "Even better."

He grins at me, his gaze skirting over my form, taking the dress in. I notice his eyes widen a bit and his cheeks turn bright red. "Wow, Alice. You look so beautiful," he says and absently rubs at his cheeks.

I feel my cheeks warm. "Thanks."

Amanda punches my arm. "If you don't get that, I'll hurt you. Pregnant with my future god-child or not."

I laugh and nod. "I'm going to get it. Let me go change back into my regular clothes. Then we can get something to eat. I'm hungry."

Eric beams. "You don't mind if I tag along, right?"

"Of course not. I may even convince my mom to buy you food, since you helped me regain my since of dignity." I glance down at the dress again. My smile grows wider and I shake my head. "I'll be back, guys."

I walk back into the dressing room. Again, I change back into my clothes with the help of my mother. Kylie ventures out to wait with Amanda and Eric. When I'm dressed and ready, my mother collects the chosen dress and we all walk toward the register. She pays and then we start toward the food court.

"I'm so excited," my mom squeals. She holds the dress in her hands. Kylie holds her own; a slim red dress with gold-leaf trimming trailing up and down the sides. It looks lovely on her, though she refused to let Amanda see it.

I ignore my mom as she prattles on about her 'plans' for my hair and nails. We enter the section of the mall designated for food, and I immediately sniff out Subway. I point to it and give my mom a tortured look.

She sighs and passes the dress to me. "Go sit down. I'll order for you." She glances at the others and asks, "What do y'all want?"

Eric and Amanda relay their orders. Kylie assures my mother that she'll come with her, and passes her dress to Amanda with strict orders. "Don't let it touch the ground!"

I gather my dress in my arms as much as I can and start toward the mass of tables. Eric and Amanda trail behind me. There's a section of partial booths situated within the center. They are attached to a wall that separates a large plant-like structure from the rest of the tables. I choose one of those. I set my dress down on the booth beside me, letting it kind of crumple up on the bench. Amanda sets Kylie's down beside it and then plops down into the chair across from me. Eric sits beside me on the booth.

I look around once I'm seated, at the other patrons around me.

Then I freeze.

"Holy cheese," I whisper, and lean forward a bit.

Amanda's eyebrows wrinkle and she turns around in her seat, struggling to follow my gaze. "What is it?"

"Look," I say, and try not to point. "It's Seth...and is that Miley?"

Eric's nose crinkles. "She's turned into a real slut."

I nod absently and observe them. They sit beside each other, at a table just in front of the Subway restaurant. Their food sits untouched in front of them. It's almost hard to make them out; they look like they are eating each other's faces. Her hands are under the table, just hardly hidden behind the chairs in front of them.

I gag. "That's so gross."

"Seriously though," Eric grumbles. "This is a public place. There are children here."

I glance at him from the corners of my eyes. His gaze flickers toward me, and he seems to search my face. "Are you alright?" he asks.

Blinking with surprise, I nod. "I'm fine. I think I'm going to be a little sick though."

He smiles sadly, nodding with understanding. "Is there anything I can get you real quick? A cookie? A soda? A barf-bag, maybe?"

I crack a grin.

"Oh my gosh, it got worse," Amanda gags.

I look over and grimace. Miley's hand is obviously caressing a place that it should not be. His hand is entangled within her hair, the other cupping her breast. My lip curls back. "Is that even legal?"

"No," Amanda snorts. "Apparently not."

I follow her gaze and press my lips together. My hand flies to my mouth to suppress a giggle. A burly looking man stalks toward them, his navy blue uniform standing out like a beacon among the crowd. His police badge glints against the lights above. He stops in front of them and bangs his baton against the table, startling the disgusting couple. Miley and Seth jerk apart, cheeks flushed, expressions sheepish.

We watch them get thrown out of the mall. I share another amused glance with Eric, and shake my head. "They totally deserved that."

For those of you who don't know/remember, Eric = Trash-Can. Trash-Can is one of Amanda's friends that Alice met earlier on in the story; he was sitting on a trash-can, hence the nickname. He was also the lifeguard at the beach.  

Only a few more chapters, guys! My goal is 65. It's crazy. I started this story when I started this account (over two years ago). I never expected it to blossom the way that it has. Thank you for your support <3 

Also! I'm considering making some t-shirts saying "I cereal you". Would any of y'all be interested in buying some? I can't give you an exact price (this is just an idea; I haven't done any research yet). I know that most 'fan' type t-shirts generally range from $15-$22. 

Let me know in the comments below if y'all would be interested :)