Mall of Vetis

Nicole was currently spending her time hidden in a changing room at Forever 21. She had made a deal with Gabe, if he wouldn't tell anyone where she was hiding and she wouldn't yell at him for a week about changing in the middle of the store. There were two reasons she was currently hiding, the first was that Valentine's day was in a week which in her mind was actually Satan's day and two William Beckett would not leave her alone. Turns out William had been the one who had pointed out the pink shoe in her hair only months ago after a Toys R Us war. In Heaven's words he was smitten with Nicole, she however wanted him to go away and never come back.

Sure William was cute, cute was actually far from the truth he was gorgeous but the whole 'Kiss me and tell me you like me exactly at midnight on New Years' was a little too cliche for Nicole. For the past month William had been doing everything he could to try and get Nicole to talk to him while Nicole did everything she could hide from William. So far it had worked but she currently owed Gabe a week of not yelling at him, Heaven an endless supply of snicker doodles, Nell had been promised to have Gabe kept away from her, Parker a cookie, Tarra loved her enough just to hide her because she asked, Brian a new Fedora, and Adam a weeks worth of getting lunch. She was starting to run out of places to hide.

"Nicole" Gabe whispered through the changing room door.

"What?" she wined back wishing he would go away.

"It's time for your break and you still owe Adam a few more days of getting his lunch"

Nicole sighed and opened the changing room door to find William standing right next to Gabe smiling at her. She instantly closed the changing room door again.

"You! Gabe Saporta! You are a traitor and a lying whore! Next time I see you changing in the middle of the store I am setting your boxers on fire!"

Nicole heard Gabe let out a squeak of horror and shock.

"Nicole" it was the silk soft voice of William Beckett "will you please come out and talk to me? My break is over in ten minutes"

"Then go spend it talking to someone who actually wants to talk to you!" Nicole shot back growling.

"Why don't you want to talk to me?" his voice sounded hurt.

"Because I don't!" she opened the changing door once more and pushed past William and took off as fast as she could in search of someone who she hadn't yet asked to hide her from the tall MoFo who was no doubt following her again.

She quickly headed off to the food court and straight to the Java the Hut and jumped the counter getting funny looks from everyone who had been standing in line along with Ryan and Spencer.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ryan asked giving her a funny look.

"Hiding from the easter bunny" Nicole growled.

"She is hiding from William" Spencer laughed.

"William is the easter bunny?" Brendon asked excitedly leaving over the counter as Spencer tried to push him back.

"Just hide me please" Nicole begged looking desperate.

"She is begging" Ryan said surprised.

"Normally she threatens" Spencer added.

"Please!"

"Why would we help you?" Spencer asked "Last time I saw you, you hit me for no reason"

"Because if you don't I'll tell Tarra you remember her telling you that she is actually your boss on New Years!"

Spencer's eyes got wide but was interrupted before he could answer.

"William!" Brendon called waving his arms around like a crazed windmill.

"Brendon!" Ryan and Spencer both shushed clapping their hands over his mouth over the counter but he had already gotten William's attention and Nicole could see his tall thin frame heading towards Java the Hut.

"Have you guys seen Nicole?" William sighed.

It was silent for the longest time and William sighed once more "Is she hiding in the back room with Tarra again?"

"No" Ryan answered instantly.

"Why are you looking for her?" Spencer questioned.

"She has been avoiding me" William answered softly "I think it is because I kissed her on New Years"

"You kissed Nicole and she didn't try to kill you?" Spencer asked seeming shocked.

"Why would she try to kill me?" William asked sounding uneasy.

"She broke Brendon's wrist once when he tried that"

"Twice!" Brandon correct smiling proudly as if getting hurt by Nicole made him special in some way.

"But she is just hiding..."

Spencer shrugged "Just give her some time alone and maybe she will talk to you"

William sighed once more before Nicole heard his footprints fade away. She looked over the counter and saw that there was no Beckett. She stood up and jumped over the counter once more without so much as telling the three boys good-bye or even thanks for hiding her for that matter. It was Brendon's fault William had almost found her at the Java the Hut, this is why she had not ever tried hiding at the Disney Store.

"Hey!"

Before Nicole could react she was being pinned against a wall just outside Toys R Us where she had been hoping Adam would hide her again.

"What do you want?" she growled glaring at William.

"You keep hiding from me" William answered looking hurt.

"Did you stop to think that maybe I didn't want to talk to you?"

"Yes, but you wont tell me why!"

"Because you are a royal pain in the ass who just kissed me with my permission and in a very cliche way!"

"Brendon told me you broke his wrist twice" William smiled slightly.

"And twisted his ankle" Nicole answered smiling a little as well. "I told him not to touch me"

"How did you twist his ankle?"

"Tripped him after he smack my ass" Nicole answered shrugging "You're lucky I haven't done the same to you"

William sighed "You really don't like me do you?"

"I never said that. I just hate cliche things, plus I am grumpy because Valentine's day is in a week"

"So I am guessing if I asked you to dinner on Valentine's day you would say no" William sighed, still keeping Nicole pressed against the wall.

"You are guessing right" she nodded.

Figuring she would finally be rid of William, Nicole pushed him away lightly and attempted to walk away only to have him grab her arm and stop her. A few seconds later he had crashed his lips to hers again. It was different than the last time he has kissed her. On New Years it had been a soft sweet brief one, now he kept his lips on hers longer and this time the kiss was more desperate yet loving.

Nicole grabbed William's wrist in her hand and put pressure on it warningly and he pulled back.

"You can break my wrist but I'm still gonna kiss you" he smiled.

"Stop watching so many movies" she growled before turning and walking away, William finally not following her for once.

On her way she saw a stand of heart shaped cookies set outside Cookies Galore and quickly kicked as she passed to have Quinn laugh and Joe glare and yell after her about those actually being 'real' cookies.