Semi-Edited 

Song above is....Lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid (I freaking love this song) 

Happy Reading! :) 

"Liv just pick one!" Lexi groaned leaning against the wall beside me.

"But I can't decide!" Olivia moaned through the stall door. Lexi groaned again and closed her eyes.

This was our tenth store and its been a good two hours since we got to the mall. The first little bit wasn't bad. It was actually kind of fun going shopping with friends, even though I wasn't quite sure I'd count Lexi as a friend. But even she lightened up a bit the more we shopped and she even talked to me without glaring!

Although it soon became apparent that shopping with Olivia wasn't for the weak. The moment Olivia stepped into a store she went into shopping mode, a mode I've never seen on anyone before. The thing about her was she wasn't just someone who grabbed a shirt she liked and paid for it.

No, she was a bargain shopper. She'd find the sale rack and go through it so thoroughly, finding clothes I don't think the workers even knew they had. It was pretty amazing seeing her find an entire outfit for more than half the original price.

But along with being a bargain shopper she was very indecisive. She could never pick which top or pants she liked better. Or if she did find something she'd go on about how it didn't look just right and so on.

She said at the beginning she only needed a new pair of shoes and a jacket. Well...five bags and ten stores later we still didn't have shoes or a jacket.

I was okay with it all until half an hour ago. Then my feet started to hurt and I was beyond thirsty, so I was just as ready to go as Lexi was.

With Olivia still in the dressing room trying things on and deciding on stuff it left me alone with Lexi. Now that it was just the two of us I could feel the awkwardness kick in. I found since the start of our shopping trip that Lexi wasn't as bad as she seemed.

With her short black hair with dyed purple strips in it she had that 'goth, badass' vibe about her. The aura she gave off was one that you didn't really want to mess with. But through out the day I've seen different sides of her pop up.

I could tell she really did care for Olivia despite the little comments she made. The comments were definitely not serious and Olivia seemed to know that to. I wasn't sure what made her so stand-offish and untrustworthy but I did know if you were her friend she would defend you until the world ended.

With the awkwardness rising I cleared my throat.

"Lexi." I spoke her name softly. I watched as she glanced over at me and for the first time she didn't have a hard look on her face. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier." It surprised me just as much as them when I snapped but with everything that's happened and what happened today with Mitch I couldn't help it.

"I understand." She spoke, which actually surprised me. "We've both had shitty boyfriends." She shrugged. My hand subconsciously moved down to gently grasp my wrist.

"Yeah boyfriend." I mumbled looking away.

"What happened to your wrist?" I looked up and found her glancing from my wrist to my face.

"N-Nothing." I muttered. I watched as her face softened as something changed in her eyes. The look she gave me let me know she didn't believe a word I said and really knew what happened. There was a look of understanding on her face that made me want to ask her something but I knew I shouldn't. So instead I stored the information up for later.

I found myself smiling softly at her. I saw the corner of her lip tilt up before she turned away. I recovered from my shock as Olivia stepped out of the dressing room.

When Lexi walked out of the dressing room I stared after her feeling like we made it past enemies and could maybe be friends one day. It also seemed we had a lot more in common than I thought.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Thank god." Lexi muttered half an hour later. Olivia was finally done shopping and we were now heading over to Starbucks. Inwardly I agreed with Lexi. I swear Olivia could shop all day and never get bored or tired. The only reason she agreed to that was enough for today was when Lexi, yes Lexi, started to beg. She clearly never begged for anything so that was enough to get Olivia to stop. I could have kissed Lexi in that moment.

After each of us ordered our drinks we found an empty table to sit. My feet instantly thanked me the moment my butt hit the seat. Setting the one item I bought, a really cute oversized sweater, on the ground I eagerly drank my Green Tea Frap. I instantly felt better at having something to drink and to be off my feet for a moment.

"Did you want to get anything else?" Olivia asked a minute later. My eyes went wide and I instantly shook my head.

"I'm good!" There was no way I was going to go back shopping. Nope. Across from me Lexi responded with the same look. "I've had fun though." I quickly added.

"I'm glad you decided to come along." She grinned at me. Despite being iffy at first I was having a good time. It was nice being out and about without other girls. Even though I felt people staring at us every so often I was able to ignore it with Olivia and Lexi by my side.

"By the way Riley thank you for the math homework! You literally saved me from Mr. Cannon's death glare."

"No problem. I've been subject to his glare and it isn't fun." Across from me Lexi snorted.

"You'll never have to experience his glare Lexi and be glad." Olivia shuddered.

"It's just a glare guys."

"Oh but it isn't." I shook my head. "It's a mix between 'I'll-skin-you-alive' and 'I-am-very-disappointed-in-you' type of look that would put a mothers to shame." I've only received the stare once and it was enough to make me not miss a single assignment again. It's probably why his math classes always do so well.

"Sorry to interrupt but Riley you up for one more stop?"

"Uh..." If it was another store I was out.

"Derek needs us to come by Noah's for some reason." I silently let out a breath I was holding. That I can do.

"Yeah that's okay with me."

With a silent groan I got to my feet. All I wanted was to sit my butt down and get off my feet. Who knew walking all over the mall could be exhausting. I needed to build up some stamina if I wanted to keep up with Olivia.

"You coming over?" I tuned back into the conversation as Olivia asked Lexi.

"I'm going to meet up with Nico. He needs rescuing from his mom." Judging by the glint in her eye she was going to purposely take her time to get to Nico.

"Kay see you tomorrow." Olivia beamed. For a split second I thought she was going to hug Lexi but she must have thought better of it and instead waved. In turn I sent her a smile which she slightly returned. My grin grew at the progress we made in such little time. I had a feeling Lexi and I could be close friends.

We parted ways with Lexi and headed for Derek's truck. The moment it came into sight I contemplated asking if I could drive. I could already feel my nausea coming back. Before I could offer to drive Olivia was hopping into the drivers seat. Swallowing my fear of possibly dying I went around to the passengers seat.

I barely got my seatbelt on before Olivia was peeling out of the mall parking lot and headed for Noah's house.

With Olivia's driving we made it to Noah's place in under fifteen minutes and while I was glad it went by quick, I didn't enjoy the almost dying part on the way here. The second she parked I was out of the truck, gulping in fresh air.

I'm alive!

I wanted to say I was being dramatic but I wasn't. It was ironic that Olivia wanted to be a doctor when she almost killed two people driving here.

I trailed slowly after Olivia as she headed for the door. My legs were a little wobbly as I gained feeling back in them. I flexed my hands at having clenched them so hard that my nails made crescent moons in my palms.

"Hey!" Olivia called out as she walked through the open door but got no reply. What's with people just wanting right in?

Olivia made her way deeper into the house, by time we made it deeper in the house I felt less shaky and nauseous. We walked through a doorway and entered in the living room.

I raised an eyebrow at the scene in front of me. Sitting on the couch was Alex and Derek, sandwiched between them was Harper. And on the ground Noah sat there, tons of hair clips all through out his hair. And Tangled was playing on the tv.

I watched as Alex handed his sister another hair clip as he mindlessly watched the disney movie. Next to him Derek was doing the same thing. All three boys were more engrossed in the movie than Harper was.

"What are you doing?" Olivia broke the silence. All three looked away from the tv with wide eyes. Clearly not having heard us come in.

"Nothing." All three chorused.

"Riley!" Harper suddenly yelled, pushing off the couch, landing on Noah and ran towards me. She latched onto my legs before I could even squat down to hug her.

"Uh why does Riley look a bit green?" Noah asked.

"No she doesn't." Olivia waved him off, despite the fact that my face was a bit green. Feeling a tug on my pants I turned back to Harper.

"Riley I lost a tooth!" Squatting down to her height Harper beamed up at me, showing me the big gap where one of her front teeth should be.

"You did!" I playfully gasped. "Did you get a visit from the tooth fairy?"

"Yeah she left me two dollars! Ali said thats more than the tooth fairy gives everyone else." Harper boasted, sticking her chin in the air. My grin grew at the nickname for Alex, still finding it hilarious.

"Well you are very special." At my compliment she giggled before unlatching herself from my leg, moving towards Olivia to show off her missing tooth.

"Enjoy Liv's driving?" Alex asked, standing up from the couch and stretching. My eyes immediately zoomed in on the patch of skin that showed as his shirt rose up. Swallowing thickly I looked away.

"I don't know which is worse...her driving or the shopping." Noah chuckling made me look to him. My stomach clenched when I remembered that I hadn't seen Noah since that day in the diner. I silently wondered what he thought of the whole thing. When he got up closer to me I tensed waiting to see what he would say.

"I don't think you can choose between the two. They are both horrible." He shuddered playfully which made me laugh.

"You sound like you know from experience." I teased.

"Because I know." His blue eyes widened. "Liv has dragged all of us out shopping with her at one point or another. Never again!" Noah hissed the last part softly. I giggled at his expression knowing exactly how he felt.

"Good to see you again Riley." He beamed at me. Instantly my fears of him treating me different vanished. I really didn't give Alex's friends any credit.

"You too. Even with all those beautiful hair clips."

"Oh yeah. You like?" He stuck one of his hands on the side of his head and the other on his popped out hip. His lips formed into the duck face which instantly set me off. Bent over I clenched my sides as I laughed loudly.

I felt eyes on me but I could stop laughing. It was probably the first time I've laughed this hard in a very very long time. When I finally got a bit under control I looked up at Noah.

"You look stunning." I barely got it out through my giggles though.

"Thought so." Flashing me another smile he turned and left the room, probably to go take out the hair clips. Finally having calmed down I noticed Alex was standing there staring at me, an odd expression on his face.

"How's the wrist?" He asked.

With everything going on this afternoon I actually forgot about the pain in my wrist. I gingerly touched it through my sweater.

"Its good." I nodded. Alex was quiet for a moment before moving past me.

"Come with me." He gestured for me to follow him. Glancing back Derek, Olivia, and Harper didn't even notice we were leaving.

As I trailed behind Alex I found self gawking once more at the size of Noah's house. He definitely had one of the nicest houses I've ever been to.

"Whats with you an houses?" Alex asked.

"Huh?" I blinked out of my staring.

"Nothing." Alex shook his head chuckling under his breath.

When we entered the kitchen I tried not to gawk at it like I did before. What the hell did Noah's parents do for a living? I pondered silently looking at the super nice kitchen.

"Here." I looked over to find Alex standing there holding something in a towel. Before I could say anything he was reaching for my wrist. I stood there letting him gently hold my wrist and place the ice on it. I winced at the cold.

"So, still sticking that you fell down the stairs?" Alex's grey eyes baring into my face. I kept my gaze on the ice packet he was holding to my skin. He was so much taller than me that he was kind of bending down, making me feel even smaller.

"Yep."

"You do know I don't believe that right?" I knew he didn't believe me but I didn't want to make a big deal about it. Maybe if I brush it under the rug it will be like it didn't happen. And I didn't need Alex to worry about me, I wasn't worth it.

"So enjoyed shopping?"

"Yeah it was good, you know besides Olivia going all shopper mode on us." I watched Alex shift so he leaned his side against the counter, his hand still gripping my wrist. Why was he still holding onto my wrist? I silently asked.

"Us?"

"Yeah Lexi was there." I nodded, pushing aside the fact that I was perfectly capable of holding the ice pack to my wrist.

"What did Liv do to make Lexi go shopping?" I shrugged, not even sure myself.

"Not a clue but it was nice."

"The word 'nice' and Lexi don't go together."

"I mean she wasn't suddenly all happy and lively like Olivia, but I think she tolerates me now." I grinned up at him. I proud of myself for making a little progress with Lexi. We weren't going to be BFF's any time soon but I'm pretty sure she won't try and kill me now.

"Look at you making friends Freckles." Alex teased.

"Hey I have friends...had friends." I defended myself but it only made me look more pathetic.

"None as cool as us though." Derek's voice suddenly filled the kitchen.

"No one as annoying as you." Alex shot back. I grinned at the fake hurt look Derek had on his face.

"You are so mean." Derek whined, moving around the counter to the fridge. "Liv tell him to stop being mean to me."

"Who's being mean?" Noah walked into the kitchen and this time his blonde hair was back to normal.

"Alex."

"This is Alex we are talking about, he doesn't have a nice bone in his body." In front of me Alex rolled his eyes at his friends.

I leaned against the granite counter as the small group of friends started bickering back and forth. The smile on my face was stuck as I listen to everyone talk over each other. They bickered like only best friends could.

Derek stood there whining about no one loving him and why was he the only one that got picked on. Olivia sat on the counter top off to the side of him rolling her eyes, but there was a certain sparkle in her eye when she looked at Derek.

Then you had Noah who kept asking why everyone always came to his house and ate his food, all the while telling Derek he was a wimp which is why everyone picks on him. Next to him was Harper who was happily sitting on a stool eating a yogurt as she hummed to herself.

And finally you had Alex, who somehow still held onto my wrist with gentle fingers as he shot remarks towards his friends. He seemed so relaxed standing there in the kitchen casually teasing his friends. He had a soft smile on his face that instantly made him look younger. He didn't have the closed off look on his face and it definitely made him more attractive.

I found myself wondering why he was the way he was. One second he's closed off and the next open like he is now. I've noticed he is more relaxed when he's around his friends than anywhere else; almost like he doesn't want anyone close to him.

I forced myself to stop thinking some deep questions about Alex. It wasn't like he was going to go around telling me all about his life. And I needed to respect that he had his own secrets that he didn't want to talk about, just like me. He's been kind enough to not push things and I could do the same in return to him.

It wasn't just Alex I wanted to know more about though. I wanted to know how Noah and Alex came to be best friends, why Lexi said what she did at the mall, all of it. But I knew I had no right to go around asking such questions...at least not yet. I was finally working my way into their little group and the last thing I wanted was to ruin that.

"Welcome to our crazy friend group." Noah spoke to the side of me. I felt Alex's eyes on me once more as I shrugged.

"I don't mind crazy." 

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Hello lovelies!! I am finally back with an update! I know its a bit late but I've been focus on a surprise for you guys, but more on that down below. 

I know this chapter isn't that long but I felt like it was a good chapter to show you guys a little look into Lexi and Alex once again being a sweetheart towards Riley. Don't worry the more we go on the more you'll learn about each character! I'm actually the most excited to talk about Lexi and Nico as we go. 

But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! This book is almost to 20k reads!! How insane is that!?!? Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so supportive and liking this story! It means the world to me <3 <3 

Now onto some exciting news...I have a surprise planned for you guys! I am thinking tomorrow I'll post it so keep your eyes open for it! If you haven't yet make sure to follow my Twitter and Instagram for sneak peeks and news about what I'm up to and what not. I'm on those a lot so feel free to drop by and say hello! (Twitter: Kendoll350. Instagram: OutOfMyLimit17)

I also wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who commented about that guy I was talking to and how he was an ass. Thank you for your kind comments. You guys really made me feel better about the whole thing. I really don't know what I'd do without you guys!!! So thank you! <3

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-Ken