A serious question...

...I'm not trying to be a dick, just wondering. You were in a mall. A very public place. Suppose you had stopped to chat with the girl? It's not unusual to see adult men talking to teen girls in a mall. You see it all the time and don't assume anything.

I understand where you're coming from with "all the time"- surely if you go to the same mall every weekend and hit up the twelve-year-olds you're probably not thinking clearly- but think about all the random men and AGs you'd seen only talking to each other at the mall that you simply pass by, thinking it must be her uncle or simply an older friend. Saying hello to the girl would've possibly made your experience far more rewarding.

If anyone gives you funny looks, fuck 'em. That's easier said than done, I know. But anyone who sees a man talking to a girl at the mall and automatically assumes that he's trying to shag her needs to get a life.