Disclaimer: All characters from L&O:SVU belong to Dick Wolf and NBC. I take ownership of all original characters in this story.

AN: Hey all! So this is the very first fanfiction I have ever written. Really the very first anything I've ever written outside of papers for school. I have been wanting to try my hand at writing a fanfic for a while now and thought "what the hell, why not now?". So here you go. Please be gentle but honest. If I suck please tell me so that I will not further embarrass myself. If you like it, tell me that too and I will continue. I hope you all like what you read. Have at it!

Chapter 1

A blue Kia hybrid pulled in the pick up/drop off lane. Windows down, radio up, hair blowing in the slight autumn breeze. It was one month into her senior year and Araeyah Caston was already ready for it to be over. She had decided by the end of the first week that she was completely over high school and since she had all the credits she needed she would be graduating early and getting the hell out of dodge. Everyday at last bell, she would dart out to the parking lot (having gathered all the books she would need to take home with her and taken them to her last class), hop in her car and high tail it out of there. She hated being stuck in the traffic caused by all the cars trying to get out onto New York's streets. Sometimes she wished she lived closer and could walk to school. It would mean she could sleep in longer and that she would have more money in her pocket that she didn't have to spend on gas.

She was especially quick on Fridays, wanting to get out of there and let her weekend shannigans begin. But this Friday was different. This Friday she had a tag-a-long and a late one at that. So she had pulled in the pick up/drop off lane to wait. There was no way she was gonna go park again.

Rae never asked to be the center of attention, yet it always seemed to turn out that she was. She had a natural charm that made everyone with any kind of sense absolutely love her. Everyone that knew her either wanted to be her or wanted to be with her. And if anyone didn't like her, everyone knew it was because they were jealous of her beauty, smarts, sense of humor, and a heart as big as any one person could possibly have.

People laughed as they watched her put on a show through her car window, dancing in her seat with her hands in the air, pointing at passersby, as she sang to the tune booming from her car speakers. She turned the stereo up a little louder knowing her favorite part of the song was coming up.

"Wha-oh Wha-oh you almost stay out, too stuck together from the ATL, wha-oh wha-oh feelin' kinda sick, just a spoon full of sugar make you better real quick. I say, wha-oh wha-oh what you gonna do with that? Wha-oh wha-oh come on over here with that, sugar sticky sweet stuff, come on give me that stuff, everybody want some melodies that get stuck, up in yo head. Wha-oh wha-oh up in yo head. Wha-oh wha-oh up in yo head. Wha-oh wha-oh up in yo head. Wha-oh wha-oh, wha-oh wha-oh stuck like glue. You and me together, say it's all I wanna do. I say there you go makin' my heart beat again, heart beat Again, heart beat AGAIN!"

"Hey!" Officer Petty yelled so she could hear him over the music.

She was so into the song that she didn't notice the security guard approach her passenger side window and lean into her car.

"Ah! Ugh...what's wrong with you? Are trying to give me a heart attack? Jeez!" she said putting her hand over heart as to protect it and rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"You know you can't park here Rae. It's pick up and drop off only. You gotta keep it moving."

"It's Ms. Caston to you Officer...and I'm not parked. I'm waiting for someone" she said turning down the music so she wouldn't have to yell. In all honesty, she would've much rather ignored him. He was always staring at her and licking his lips. She was one of few students, all female of course, he called by first name, which everyone pretty much knew meant he wanted to do a little more than just keep her safe at school. Long story short, he gave her creeps.

"Oh yeah, well you've been waiting awhile and you're holding up the line. Why don't you just find a parking spot while you're waiting for this mystery person to come out, huh?"

"Ugh. If I park again it's gonna take me that much longer to get out of this hell hole. I really don't wish to be here any longer than necessary" she said her temper getting shorter by the minute.

Officer Petty leaned further into her car seemingly cateloging the details of her interior. He looked up and noticed the look on her face. It was one that said "if you lean in any further I might smack you and blame my feelings of discomfort". It was enough to make him lean back to his previous position.

"No need to get snippy Araeyah. I mean Ms. Caston" he sarcastically corrected.

Just then she saw who she was waiting for come out of the doors of the school. Blonde hair blowing in the breeze, looking like her knightess in shining armor.

She saw the blue car sitting in the pick up/drop off lane and approached, rolling her eyes at the scene in front of her. Officer Petty was at again. She heard him, as she got closer, telling Rae that she couldn't wait there any longer and needed to move her car.

"Excuse me. I'm here. We'll be leaving now."

"See. Told ya. Not parked. Waiting" Rae said with even more attitude than before. She didn't like it at all that Officer Petty annoyed her to the point of rudeness. She liked much better being her cheerful, charming self.

Officer Petty stepped back from car allowing the blonde to get into the passenger seat.

"Have a good day ladies!" he yelled as Rae stepped on the gas to pull forward into the traffic moving toward the parking lot exit. She put her hand out the window, throwing up a peace sign as she turned her radio back up.

She stopped at the exit to the parking lot. While waiting for it to be clear to pull out into traffic she looked over at her passenger with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

"Maureen Stabler you are so lucky that I love you. I'm almost mad enough to make you walk"

"Aw. Come on now Rae. We both know you don't have it in you to be that cruel" Maureen said with a light chuckle.

Rae sighed and hung her head giving a fake sniffle as she wiped away fake tears "I know. I don't know what's wrong with me. Will you go with me to the doctor to be checked out?"

Maureen laughed, shaking her head at her best friend's antics "Have I ever told you how seriously weird you are?"

"Haha. Only everyday" she said finally able to pull out into traffic and leave school behind for the next two days.