Denial

"You know what guys?" I asked as we were all walking through the mall one day. Yes, all of us, including Gena.

"What's that?" Jimmy was the first to hype up.

"I know the absolutely, positively perfect theme song for us right here." Val shot me a look that said, I know you're not including Gena on this, and I winked at her. "Care if I break out in song and dance?" They started laughing.

"Sure go ahead." Matt offered.

"As long as you don't start singing like you did the last time you were at my house!" Jimmy shouted.

"Woah, woah, woah, wait a minute. She's really going to start singing and dancing right here in the middle of the mall?" Gena asked, her eyes bugging. They all just looked at her, nodding and shrugging. They new this was an ordinary thing for me. And Val, she'd gotten used to me doing it when it was just me and her. Psh, she had no problem with it at all.

"Okay!" I shouted clapping my hands together. "So here it is..." I looked right at Gena when I said the first words and started dancing, much like I would if the song were actually on.

"So bitsy, bisty flossy, bossy baby. Bet I do it right." She caught on real fast to what I was trying to say to her as did all the rest of the group except Zacky, who wasn't in on our little plan to get rid of Gena. Fire flames appeared in her eyes. She knows I'm so much better than her. After singing that part right in her face, I turned and went back to the rest of the group pointing at all of them and continuing to dance as I continued to sing.

"Got my whole crew with me, ladies, top down, not a cloud in the sky. Steppin' up my spark and my shades lookin' way to stunna." I was now in front of Zacky. Imagine the look on Gena's face after the next lyrics.

"Steppin' up my spark. Feel up from head to toe, in the spot or at the show." I grinned at the look on Zacky's face before wrapping an arm around Val and finishing out the lyrics I wanted to sing.

"Feelin' like a million when we step into the building, stunned out!"

I broke away from Val laughing so hard. Everyone was clapping, except for Gena. I'd even gathered a few audience members from by passers.

"Oh God, that was good." Val laughed.

"You were amazing My Little Senorita!" Jimmy said, picking me up and spinning me around. I cried out before laughing at the sudden movements. Everyone else was laughing except Gena who was still standing there boring wholes through my body with her eyes.

"Zacky, can we go home now?" I heard her pout.

"What? Why? We just got here like, not an hour ago."

"I know, but I'm tired and my feet hurt."

"Come on Gena," Matt interrupted. "Zack never gets to hang with us anymore because he's too busy doing what you say." Her jaw dropped at Matt's words. I stood by Matt's side as did Val and nodded in a agreement.

"I say, if Gena wants to go home, call a cab. But Zacky's hangin' with us today!" I grabbed Zacky's hand and Brian's before running off down an isle of the mall with them laughing.

"Leny!" Zacky shouted trying to run to stay caught up with me. Brian was just laughing along.

"HELENA YOU BETTER GET BACK HERE WITH MY ZACKY!!" We heard Gena's high pitched scream from clear back where we'd left her. I laughed shaking my head.

"Well at least you can hang with us now." I shrugged. He just shook his head and laughed.

"Leny, as awful as that was, and as much as I'm usually against that sorta thing. Thank you." I smiled at him.

"No problem."

"Um, guys, incase you haven't noticed, she's gonna be on a major hunt for Zack, I say we walk." Brian spoke. We nodded in agreement and I pointed to which direction we should go. After about thirty minutes of our escape walk, and fifty billion missed calls from Gena on Zacky's cell, we stopped at the food court by the carousel.

I was about ready to open my mouth to speak when Zacky and I's phone's went off and nearly the same sync. I laughed and pulled mine from my back pocket and saw that it was Jimmy. His said Gena of course.

"Hello?"

"Hey My Little Senorita!"

I laughed.

"Hey Slim Jim!"

I could almost hear him roll his eyes with that sigh.

"Where are you little girl?"

"Little girl eh?"

"That's right."

"Well right now I'm at the food court with the boys, but if you've got Gena with you, you can forget about coming to find me."

"Matt wanted to know. We've been searching for you for the past half hour. No luck obviously."

We both laughed at that.

"Sorry. We're playing dodge the psycho."

I saw Zacky give me a look from the corner of my eye, but I brushed it off.

Jimmy was laughing.

"He hasn't answered any of her calls has he?"

"Not one, she just called again a minute ago."

"Wow. Go Zack!"

"Jimmy says go Zack! For not answering her calls."

He just laughed and shook his head giving a thumbs up.

"He gave a thumbs up Jimbo."

He laughed.

"Alright. Well, ya know what? You three have fun for the day. Just come by Matt's house later before Gena knows you guys are done at the mall so we have time to hang out."

"Alright, sounds cool."

"Alright, I'll alert Matt."

"Dido."

"Later chic."

"Peace."

I closed my phone and looked over at Zacky, then back over at Brian who was leaning over face down on the table. I laughed. "Tired Bri?"

"Yes, didn't get much sleep last night."

"Oh is that so?" He nodded.

"We didn't go partying, what could have kept you up?"

"I went partying, and I met this girl." He sat up looking at us smiling.

"Oh no, not you too..."

"Oh shut up. I know you'll like this girl."

"Oh?" He nodded grinning. "And how is that so?"

"Just trust me." I shrugged and turned back to Zacky who also shrugged.

"Okay guys guess what?"

"What?" They answer together.

"Jimmy said the three of us have permission to hang out together for the rest of the day, but before we take Zacky back and his presence is known to Gena, we have to go to Matt's and hang with them for awhile." They both nodded.

"Sounds good." Brian said.

"I agree." Zacky said.

"Good!" I exclaimed.

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

"Will you ride the carousel with me guys?"

"No." They both said.

"Come on please?" I looked up at Brian.

"Those big blue eyes aren't gonna work on me. There's absolutely no way you're gonna get me on that thing." I pouted and stomped my foot.

"Zacky!" He turned his attention to me.

"Hmm?"

"Will you please, please, please ride it with me?" I begged putting on my biggest, best puppy dog eyes. He sighed and grabbed my hand pulling me towards that carousel. I squealed with excitement.

"I don't see why you give into her so easily Vengeance." Brian called from his spot. Zacky just laughed as he payed the ticket man who just laughed and shook his head at us.

I climbed on a Tiger and Zacky got on the Hippo next to me. He rolled his eyes once he realized what he'd just sat on. "Trade me."

"Nope." I stuck my tongue out at him and he mocked it.

I laughed as the ride started going. We went up and down and round and round. I'd reach over every now and then and poke Zacky in the side, and he'd tried to tickle me. We did this without getting caught, otherwise we'd have been in trouble. I laughed as we stumbled off. Zacky held his head and stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Zacky! There is no way your dizzy from a little carousel ride."

"No, it's from being stuck up there with you for so long." He laughed. I whacked him across the arm and glared at him.

"Hey you know I'm playing." He wrapped me in his arms and started rocking us back and forth to the rhythm of the carousel music. I laughed into his chest and playfully smacked it pulling away from him.

"Okay you two, we need to get to Matt's." Brian announced. We looked over at him.

"Do we have to?" I asked.

"Yeah do we have to?" Zacky asked.

"Yes we do now come on."

"But we don't wanna!" I protested.

"Yes we're gonna." He said, and then he changed his tone to that of a mother talking to her child. "And then if you're really good, maybe you can come back tomorrow!" I glared at him but grabbed Zacky's hand and skipped along with him. Brian just shook his head and rolled his eyes.

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

"Next time you plan on ditching Gena, worn me, so we can all ditch her. I swear if I have to spend another half hour listening to her scream ridiculous messages into Zacky's voice mail I'm coming after you." Matt pointed at me accusingly. I laughed from my seat on Zacky's lap and waved my hand at him.

"Yeah, yeah."

"You're gonna think yeah, yeah if you pull that again."

"Did she ever go home or is she still at the mall?" Zacky asked.

"She's probably still there searching for you." Johnny spoke up.

"Are you serious?" He mumbled.

"Dead serious ZV." I just shook my head and leaned my head back on Zacky's shoulder.

"Tired?" He asked.

"A little."

"You don't have to stay here ya know."

"I want to." I looked up at him. My blue eyes meeting his sparkling green ones. He smiled at me.

"I want you to, too." I smiled back and and rested my head back on his shoulder before I felt my eyes drooping.

A Little Later...

"No what you need is a girlfriend." Matt told Johnny.

"Hey you have no room to talk, you just got one not too long ago."

"Psh, at least I got one." He wrapped Val tighter in his arms. "And you too Gates." Brian just smirked.

"I think I might have one."

"Oh really?" The room chorused. All except Zacky who already knew.

"Yes."

"Tell us about her." Val said. He shrugged.

"Nothing to tell. You guys can meet her soon." He smiled. They just shrugged and excepted it.

"I need a girlfriend!" Jimmy exclaimed. Everyone stared at him.

"Hey at least he admits it!" Zacky laughed. This drew attention towards Zacky and Matt spoke up.

"Man, did you know she's asleep on you?"

"Huh?" Zacky resituated just a little in his chair so he could look down at Leny. He smiled at her sleeping face.

"I guess she is."

"That's another problem." Jimmy spoke. Everyone looked up at him.

"Helena needs a good man in her life." They all nodded in agreement. Zacky felt his own jaw clench yet again and his grip on Leny suddenly tightened.

"Yeah, and the fact that, that Jake guy was just using her doesn't help at all." Johnny said.

Zacky looked down at Helena's face then as thoughts were running though his mind as everyone started talking about that new subject. It seemed like every guys she'd dated in the past just used her. But why? She was beautiful. Sweet. Funny. She was everything. So why did all of her relationships seem to fail? A better question would be, why did Zacky automatically not like anybody Leny chose to be with. Even before she got with them! Nobody could seem to figure it out. Not even Zacky himself, or maybe he was just denying it.