HOLLY'S POV:

'Oh, baby look what you started, the temperature is rising in here,' I scream my lungs out, flipping my hair around like a psychopath.

'I don't know about Ariana Grande, but you would surely put the dry cleaner's washing machine to shame,' the stranger, who was yet to tell me his name, raises his voice trying to drown mine out, while he places his hands on his ears attempting to block my inhumanly loud vocals out.

Ignoring him, I continue with a smirk, showing off my non existent skills in the art of singing, 'Is this gonna happen?
Been waiting and waiting for you
To make a move.'

His defeated expression transforms to that of amusement as he mirrors my smirk.

'WOOOO OOOOH OOOOH,' we both shout-sing together like the world depends on it. At this point, I was honestly expecting something dramatic to take place, like the glass windows to crack into a billion pieces or the objects from the shelf to come to life. Hey, you never know.

Before I could stop myself, I burst into fits of giggles. A minute later, deep chuckles follow my insanely loud laughter reverberating through the isolated mall.

A loud rumble sounds through the area. I look around in search of the source of the interruption only to realize it was the bottomless pit mortals call my stomach.

I look up sheepishly at the stranger with the traces of a grin still visible on my face.

'Want to get something to eat?' He asks, raising his eyebrows. I comprehend that he has a British accent with a slight southern touch.

'From where exactly? You notice we are trapped in a mall with no way to escape,' I comment, shaking my head disappointedly.

'Exactly, the room is full of food? You know food, the substance consumed to provide nutritional support for an organism by satisfying their hunger?,' he looks at me like I'm the stupidest person alive. I mean, maybe I am.

'Oh right,' I scratch my head and continue, 'well, for all I know you might be a serial killer,' I attempt to excuse my poverty of intellect.

'Well, since we will be robbing the mall, might as well call ourselves thieves,' he replies wittily, wordlessly boasting his dimpled smirk, causing my face to light up with a smile of my own.

Before I could come up with a come back, the light flickering from my phone catches my attention.

KnUckLeHeADs🤪

Butterscotch_is_the_best, 11:50pm
Holly, you okay?

Johnny_ornaldo_is_mine, 11:51pm
HOLLY
ARE YOU THERE? HOLLLLLYYYYY

Katy_cat, 11:55pm
HOLLLYYY WINTERSSSSS

Conner_from_the_corner_store, 11:56pm
WE SUMMON YOU, OH GREAT HOLLY WINTERS

Garfield_is_bae, 11:57pm
COME FORTH

butterscotch_is_the_best, 12:01am
REVEAL YOURSELF

Katy_cat, 12:03am
Guys, I think I'm experiencing deja vu

Johnny_ornaldo_is_mine, 12:04am
Probably because we had the exact same convo a few minutes ago?

Katy_cat, 12:04am
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh
Oh

Conner_from_the_corner_store, 12:05am
Yeahhhhhhhhh
Yeah
Anyway WHERE THE HELL IS HOLLY?

Its_a_holly_jolly_day, 12:10am
Hey, sorry
Mainly, remember that guy I accused for stealing Katy's sock? He's stuck here with me.

Katy_cat, 12:11am
Omg he's stalking you!

Johnny_ornaldo_is_mine, 12:11am 
RUN HOLLY RUN

butterscotch_is_the_best, 12:12am
HOLLY RUNNNN. HE MIGHT BE A SERIAL KILLER. HE MIGHT BE PLANNING YOUR MURDER RIGHT THIS SECOND

Garfield_is_bae, 12:12am
I knew it was going to be a great day

Its_a_holly_jolly_day, 12:13am
He seems too stupid to be a serial killer. He seems more of those, you know, cupcake advertisement guys?

Katy_cat, 12:14am
Oh

butterscotch_is_the_best, 12:14am
Oh

Garfield_is_bae, 12:15am
Oh

Conner_from_the_corner_store, 12:15am
Oh

Johnny_ornaldo_is_mine, 12:15am
Oh

Its_a_holly_jolly_day, 12:16am
...yeah. Anyway I need someone to call my parents and ask them to pick me up or something.

Katy_cat, 12:17am
Wait, why don't you just call them?

Its_a_holly_jolly_day, 12:17am
Uhh, they might've blocked me?

Garfield_is_bae, 12:18am
What did you do this time?

Its_a_holly_jolly_day, 12:18am
Uhh, I might've spammed my mum with pancake pictures?
You know what's unfair? My dad blocked me too! My mum went on and on about some supportive husband thing and he finally agreed on blocking me! Like excuse me? Supportive dad?

Katy_cat, 12:19am
Your parents are amazing

Garfield_is_bae, 12:20am
The absolute best

Johnny_ornaldo_is_mine, 12:20am
Perfection

Conner_from_the_corner_store, 12:21am
I'll tell your parents, don't worry.

Its_a_holly_jolly_day, 12:21am
*gasps* ...is- is- IS CONNER BEING NICE? Are you okay? Did someone poison you? Have you been drugged? Are you possessed? What happened?

Conner_from_the_corner_store, 12:24am
Well, remember the time I broke your favorite purse to steal your stash of chocolates? I kind of owed you since then so...

Its_a_holly_jolly_day, 12:24am
..hmm okaaaaay

'You know you've been looking at your phone like a ninety five year old fisherman with no teeth looks at the ocean anxiously waiting to capture a fish and take its life?' The strangers voice snaps me away from my phone and causes me to focus on the situation at hand.

Only then do I realize that I had been glaring at my phone with my eyes narrowed into slits. 

'So, you were saying something about food?' I diverted the topic, switching my phone off.

———————
CONNER'S POV:

Conner_from_the_corner_store, 12:29am
Good uhhh evening? Morning?

Helen_winters, 12:30am 
Hello dear, is Holly alright? You realize it's after midnight?

Conner_from_the_corner_store, 12:31am
Yeah, she's okay. She's going to be staying over at mine for a sleepover. Hope you don't mind?

Helen_winters, 12:31am
Not at all. I was just about to go to bed. I was actually waiting for Holly to return. You kids have fun.

Conner_from_the_corner_store, 12:32am
Thank you, Mrs. winters:)

I switch my phone off smirking the widest I have in months. Holly is going to be so mad at me for this. I do a mental victory dance.

'Hey, Lydia and I are going to go home. See you guys later,' Jake waves goodbye as he walks towards the street leading to his house along with Lydia.

'I gotta go home too. See you Con, Cindy,' Katy waves with a smile, turning around and taking slow steps towards the opposite direction as Cindy and I wave back at her.

'Come on, I'll walk you home,' I say looking down at Cindy, wrapping my hands around her tiny ones.

She smiles at me, her brown eyes twinkling as the moonlight hits her delicate body.

'I'm guessing you didn't really tell Holly's mother,' she starts, looking at me with that mischievous glint in her eyes that has my internal organs bouncing around, in a good way.

'Now, now, do you think that lowly of me?' I tease her with a playful smile of my own.

'Definitely,' she replies with a shrug, faking a serious expression.

'Looks like you're not as stupid as I thought,' I nod along, earning a light punch on my shoulder.

'You've been a little distant recently. Everything alright?' she turns the conversation into a more serious one that I've been dreading.

'I'm alright Cin, don't worry about it,' I reply, no traces of my teasing persona in existence anymore.

'You're not okay. I know you're not. You can pretend all you like Conner, but I see you. I know you're not okay,' she answers with a sad smile margining her lips.

Her chocolate brown orbs lock with my dark green ones, as she wordless begs me to tell her about whatever is wrong.

I wish I could tell her, I really do, but knowing how much it would hurt her, I just can't. I want to shout and scream. I want to let it all out, but I cant do that to her. I'm not going to break her, I just can't.

'I'm sorry, Cin,' I look away, releasing her hand from my grasp.

The rest of the walk is silent besides the sound of our shoes hitting the concrete ground of the empty street.

——————————
HOLLY'S POV:

'Are you a virgin?' I ask the brown, curly-haired boy, who was currently sitting across me, stuffing an uncountable number of food items into his mouth at once.

'Not really, my friends walked in on my having an intense make-out session with my pillow last week,' he conveys, with two croissants sticking out of his mouth.

'Are you ever going to tell me your name?' I ask, shaking my head with a slight smile.

'Ah, the serial killer does not reveal,' he states, raising his eyebrows trying to compose a serious expression.

I give him one of my pout-glares to which I earn a chuckle.

A sleepy yawn escapes my lips as I rub my tired eyes with the back of my hand.

'I'll be right back after stealing a few pillows and blankets,' he says, releasing a yawn of his own into the dimly lit area.

Grabbing his phone from the floor where we were currently seated, he gets up.

'Serial killer reporting for duty,' he smirks while temporarily blinding me by directing the flashlight right on my eye.

'Get lost,' I mumble, my squinted eyes shooting daggers at him.

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A/N: Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter:) Don't forget to leave votes and comments!
I'd like to thank Cigaress4ngaa  for the beautiful cover attached above:)