Friends or More?

Mal ran down the path and stopped when he no longer heard her footsteps through the silence. He took a moment to think, placing a finger to his chin and looking around, listening for any sound other than the sound of his own labored breathing -- he was really out of shape -- and the rain. Finally, he began to look around, peeking behind trees until he found the right one. Standing on the opposite side of the trunk from her, he peered around it. "Behind a tree? That was the best hiding spot you could think of?" he teased, sticking his tongue out at her.

'Okay...Maybe I'm not the best." She laughed and leaned against the tree. She moved her hair away from her face and tried to wipe away the water in her eyes. "Mal, you're pretty fun. You actually want to have fun." She sat on the ground and looked up at him.

"Hey, it's okay, not everyone can have my superior hiding skills," he joked, running a hand through his newly soaked hair. He took a few seconds to catch his breath and wrap his arms around himself as a chill began to set in. "What? Are there actually people out there who don't want to have fun?" A look of confusion crossed his face as he furrowed his brow, his expression very childlike. "What's the point in that?"

"You want your jacket back?" She asked softly and stood back. She unzipped it and handed it to him. "Here, it's your turn with the jacket." Preslea smiled playfully and nodded. "Yes...People want to go and do whatever adults do. Honestly, growing up doesn't sound appealing.."

Mal pouted. "But I don't want it," he whined, though he didn't put up much of a fight when she handed it back. He'd make sure that she'd take it back as soon as she looked even a little cold. With his expression still confused, he shook his head. "That's stupid. Why would you want to do that? It's off to Wonderland for me! Or Neverland." He frowned, trying to remember what the place was called in those stories his sister would read for him as a kid, then, realizing Preslea probably got the idea anyway, shrugged it off.

"It's Neverland, love." She laughed and leaned against the tree. "Don't be afraid to die because to die would be an awfully big adventure." She whispered and started to walk back to her sheltered spot. "I don't want to grow up to early because I've had to see many times and it end with hurt."

"I was close enough!" He crossed his arms and pretended to pout, then dropped the act and shrugged. "Dying might be an adventure, but there's so many other adventures you want to experience before you die. Or maybe that's just me. Wait, was that a quote?" It had sounded familiar, and it only occurred to him that that might have been what it was until after he started rambling. He stuffed his hands in his jean pockets and began to follow her back to the sheltered spot, shrugging again. "Yeah, people like to grow up to fast, but then they don't realize what they're missing out on until it's way too late. And other times people don't have a choice, and that's sad too."

Preslea turned around and nodded. "Yes, that was a quote." She bit her lip and sat under the sheltered area. "It just reminds me everyday that decisions really make an impact on your life. Big or small, they're going to change you and your life forever."

"I knew it!" he said proudly, then realizing that the conversation was getting serious, forced himself to sober. He sat down beside her and shrugged. "Hey, but sometimes they change you for the better. And sometimes it's not your own decisions that change you but someone else's. But you can't always focus on that before doing anything. Sometimes, you just have to do it, consequences be damned."

Preslea stuck her hands in her pocket and frowned. "Yeah..I-I guess.." She shrugged and rubbed her arms. After watching her sister leave and grow up, she never thought she would recover from all of than. Having Mal around helped but, she hurt a lot of the time. "I'm not ready for all of that though."

Mal shrugged, not knowing what to say right away. He didn't think he was good at this whole serious thing, but he tried his best anyways. "Neither am I," he admitted. The youngest of three kids, with his youngest sister still ten years older than him, he'd always been treated like the baby of the family, and so growing up, making his own decisions, it was a terrifying concept. "The thing is, life doesn't always wait until you're ready, and it doesn't like to follow the plan you set out for it. But, you can always find a way to make the most of it."

Preslea turned back at him with tears in her eyes. "That's the problem...Think about it. We lose all we have to growing up. We give up on dreams and work a nine to five. When we try to go back, we get pushed back to the life of a grown up. My s-sister didn't get pushed back, she died instead." She backed away and hid a tree. Her mind was already spinning and the hit didn't add to it. "I'm sorry Mal.."

Not realizing what a sensitive topic this was for her, Mal was surprised to see tears in her eyes. He let her speak, hoping that allowing her to get all of her thoughts out might help her in someway. When she hid, he finally spoke up. "Hey, it's okay." He got up and moved behind the tree where she sat, and pulled her into a hug. "You don't need to apologize. It's okay."

Preslea held onto him like a small child would. Tightly and like this was the last hug ever. "No, It's no okay! Nothing is anymore...Mal, she was murdered by her fiance in my house. The room next door...I could have done something. She could be here." She whimpered, her wet face pressed against his chest.

He held onto her, and didn't say anything for a few minutes, just letting her talk and cry without interruption. He stroked her hair and waited for her to calm down even a little bit before he finally spoke. "Pres, you can't blame yourself for that," he said softly, trying to make his voice sound as comforting as he could. "It's not your fault, there's nothing you could have done, you would have just gotten hurt too. There's no one to blame except for the monster who killed her."

"If I got hurt, she'd be f-fine...Life would be fine." She said in a somber tone. Her hair covered her eyes and she pulled away. She looked away from him and wiped her face. "I bet people are worrying.."

"I don't care about anyone else right now," Mal said. His expression was, at best, concerned, his eyebrows knit together, his eyes wide as they met her's. "Right now I'm worried about you." He pushed her hair out of her eyes. "Pres, you can't blame yourself for this, you couldn't have known."

Preslea shook her head and rubbed the back of her neck. "Don't be worried about me...It's fine. It's over. I don't want to talk about it anymore." She whimpered and swallowed hard.

He held her gave for a second, then took a deep breath. "Okay," he said, though his expression was still concerned. "But if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here, okay?" He lightly touched her arm, an action that he hoped told her that he was there for her whenever she needed him. He wouldn't force her to talk, he could wait, and when she wanted to, he'd be there. He hoped she knew that.

Preslea smiled softly and nodded. "Okay, I'll come to you next time.." She hugged him softly and lingered there in his arms. She liked it there, it was like a sanctuary to her. Safe and was away from her problems...She liked it there.

He wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her tightly and resting his chin on the top of her head. "I'll be there, I promise," he said, and that was a promise he intended to keep, because in the short time they'd been there together, he found himself caring for her as friends did. "I'll listen whenever you need me to."

Preslea smiled softly and held him as the rain let up. "Thank you Mal." She whispered and looked up at him with soggy pieces of hair all across her face. "Thank you..That's all I want." She said, rubbing his back gently.

He gave her a smile that he hoped was both reassuring and comforting, and tucked her hair behind her ear. "You're welcome. I just want you to know that I'm here for you. I'll be here as long as you need me. Or want me. If you want me to go away that's cool too." His smile turned to more joking, hoping to restore a little bit of light-heartedness, if she was okay with it.

Preslea blushed and smiled softly. "Thank you Mal,that's really sweet. I-I'm really glad we're friends." She poked him in the side and shook her head. Mal was a friend. A really amazing one for that matter. He made her happy and made her feel less lonely at Mystal. "Do you think maybe we could hang out sometime?" She asked with her hopes high.

"Nope, absolutely not. No hanging out for Preslea whatsoever," he joked, giving her a teasing grin and hoping she knew he was joking. He then bumped her shoulder playfully and shook his head. "Of course we can hang out! That's what we're doing right now, isn't it?" He liked hanging out with her. She was his first real friend here at Mystal and he enjoyed her company.