Best Friends (Prequel)

A New Year

(A couple weeks later)

"So you excited for tonight?" Evie asked. 

"Yeah, but not as excited as you must be." Mal smirked at Evie.

"What do you mean by that?" Evie questioned. 

"Well it's New Year's Eve and you have a boyfriend. So you'll have someone to kiss when the ball drops." Mal explained.

"Right, right." Evie nodded. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Mal responded.

"Are you finally gonna kiss Ben tonight? Because you didn't want to on Christmas, but you could tonight." Evie reminded her.

"I don't think so." Mal answered. "I want our first kiss to be real. Not part of some tradition." 

"I get that." Evie agreed nodding. "I want your first kiss with Ben to be real too."

"Alright now we gotta go to the store to get the food and drinks for the party." Mal said getting off her bed.

(At Ben's house)

"Gotta say I'm kind of surprised you asked to hang out." Ben spoke.

"How come? I mean I'm dating Evie and you and Mal are good friends with her. So why can't we hang out?" Derek responded.

"I mean I guess you're right." Ben said.

(A couple hours later)

"So we got different kinds of pizzas and drinks." Mal was telling everyone as they came in. 

"So where are your parents?" Derek asked as he walked into the kitchen with his arm around Evie.

"They always go to their friends and let Mal have people over." Ben answered for her.

Mal looked over at Ben and smiled, then looked back at Derek and Evie. 

As it started getting closer to midnight everyone was sitting in the living room. 

"Hey should we play a game?" Evie suggested.

"What game?" Jay questioned.

"How about Would You Rather?" Derek suggested.

"I like that." Evie grinned and kissed Derek's cheek. "So who wants to go first?" 

"Ben." Derek said and looked right over at him. 

"Yeah?" Ben replied.

"Would you rather forget everything every five minutes or every time someone asked you a question you can't answer because you can't remember anything?" Derek asked.

"Uh..." Ben was thinking.

(An hour later)

It was a few minutes till midnight and everyone was counting down. Evie was sitting on Derek's lap and they were counting together.

Once it reached midnight everyone was celebrating. Mal looked over and saw Evie and Derek kissing. She looked over at them kiss.

Then Jay tapped on Mal's shoulder. Mal turned around to him and he kissed her. Ben noticed and looked at Jay not too happy.

"Excuse me." Mal got up and walked out of the living room and went upstairs.

"Mal!" Ben called and was about to go after her.

"It's okay. I'll talk to her." Evie assured him, then went after her. "Hey Mal, you okay?"

"What was that?! Why did Jay kiss me? I thought he was over me?" Mal was asking. "I should've just kissed Ben." 

"Mal it was a meaningless New Year's kiss." Evie told her. "It'd be the same if Carlos kissed you. And you know he doesn't like you. So you don't need to kiss Ben." 

"Yeah, yeah I guess you're right." Mal nodded. "We can go back down." 

"Ben! Ben! Calm down it's not that big of a deal." Derek was trying to tell him as Ben ran out of the house.

"Why? Why did he do that?" Ben was asking Derek.

"Because it's a New Year's tradition." Derek answered. "And why are you so mad anyways? Do you like Mal?"

"Well yeah of course I do. She's my best friend." Ben replied.

"No, I meant do you like-like her?" Derek wondered.

"Oh no, no. It's just Jay used to have a big crush on her. So I guess it made me mad that he did that." Ben explained.

"I get it man. You're a protective best friend." Derek said. "Are you good? You want to go back in?" 

"Yeah, yeah." Ben nodded, then him and Derek headed back to the door.

Right as they opened the door Evie and Mal were coming back downstairs. 

"You good?" Ben checked.

"Yeah, are you?" Mal replied looking at him confused. 

"Yeah." Ben said and smiled. 

He put his arm around Mal and they walked back to the living. Jay looked at Mal and Ben nervously. Mal smiled at him as she sat back down beside him.

"So you guys want to play a different game?" Evie suggested.

(Later)

"I guess Evie will be sleeping over here tonight." Derek said coming back downstairs. 

"I'll let her parents know." Mal assured him. 

"Thanks." Derek smiled, then walked out.

"I'm gonna head back home too. I'll talk to you in the morning." Ben told her, then was about to leave.

"Wait Ben." Mal said stopping him.

"Yeah?" Ben turned back to her.

"What were you and Derek talking about last night?" Mal wondered.

"When?" Ben pretended not to know.

"After Jay kissed me." Mal reminded him. "I came back downstairs and saw you and Derek come back in." 

"Right, right." Ben nodded. "Well I was just a little upset with Jay kissing you. Because I know you don't like him like that." 

"Aww Ben, you were worried about me?" Mal teased.

"Alright, alright. I know Ben has a heart." Ben said. "I'm gonna go though." 

"Okay night. Happy New Year." Mal responded. 

"Yeah happy New Year." Ben replied, then walked back to his house.

Mal closed the door and leaned against and sighed. Then she walked back upstairs. Evie was laying on her bed sleeping. Mal smiled and put a blanket over Evie.