"Mom, can I please have the car?" Casey begged her mom so she could get the black leggings that would complete her outfit for tomorrow.

"Can't you get them over the weekend?" Nora asked her as she picked up random items that were on the floor, like Marti's stuffed animals. "Lizzie, you're going to be late!" Nora yelled.

"Coming!" Lizzie's voice yelled back.

"George, can't you take me?" Casey pleaded.

"You know I would, but I can't. I have to take Marti to her dance class, Edwin to Martin's house for a project and then drive to the office to pick up some papers, all in the opposite direction of the mall," George said as he slipped his coat on. "Edwin! Let's go!"

Casey huffed as plopped down onto the couch. None of them understood that she had to look good tomorrow. She was presenting her poster on Chaucer in English, and she was already nervous, this delay in her plan wasn't a good omen in Casey's book. She would have to wear something that everyone had already seen her in, and that wasn't half as exciting as getting a new outfit and being able to show it off in the form of a presentation.

"I'm sorry Casey," Marti said with her purple jacket on and dance bag in her hands. "I can get Chicken for you if you need him," Marti offered.

"I'll be alright Marti, thanks," Casey told her with a hint of a real smile at being offered Marti's stuffed alligator for comfort.

"If you want, I can take you," Derek's voice said from behind her. Casey sat up and turned around.

"Really?" Casey and Nora asked at the same time.

Derek shrugged. "I was going to go to F.Y.E. and get the new Foo Fighters' CD anyways."

"Oh. Okay," Casey accepted. "Let me go get my purse."

"Alright, I'll be out in the car," he told her. He turned around and walked out of the room. Casey quickly ran upstairs to her room. She put on her coat and grabbed her purse. She walked downstairs and out to Derek's car where he was waiting for her.

She opened up the passenger door and got in. "Are you ready?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she replied as she put her seatbelt on.

He backed out of the little driveway and then they were on their way. Derek switched the radio on, and Casey was grateful. It was loud enough that it would've been hard to talk.

In fifteen minuted they were at the mall. They both got out and walked into the mall. After the double doors closed behind them, they turned to face one another.

"What store are you going to?" Derek asked her.

"Charlotte Russe," Casey replied.

"I'm going to FYE and then I'll meet you at Charlotte Russ after I'm done."

"It's Charlotte Russe," Casey corrected him.

"Russe. Okay?"

Casey nodded. "Okay." She watched him walk away in the direction of his store. Casey walked past a few stores on the right side of the mall. She walked into the store and was immediately greeted by a salesgirl. Casey said hello back and quickly walked to the back of the store where she had seen the leggings. She searched the wall of leggings for the right size and and color. She found the ones that she wanted and then walked to the middle of the store. She browsed throughout the necklaces and earrings, all of them a little to gaudy and plastic for her taste. Casey turned her attention to the hair accessories. She rolled her eyes at a bright blue headband with ruby red plastic jewels on it. Then she saw a simple black headband. She picked it off of the metal hanger and examined it. It wasn't too skinny of a headband, nor was it extremely wide like the bright blue one. It was soft and she kind of liked it. Should I get it? I don't really need it...but it would look so good with my outfit tomorrow...

"Hey Case."

Casey looked up at the sound of his voice. "Hello Derek."

"Are you getting that too?" he asked, motioning to the headband in her hand.

"Uh...yeah I am," Casey decided. "I think I'm done here." She walked to the counter where other salesgirl was standing.

Casey put the leggings and the headband on the counter. "Did you find everything okay?" the girl asked her with an obviously fake smile. She didn't seem to be enjoying her job very much.

"I did," Casey replied.

The girl rung up Casey's items. "It's $15.50," she said as she put the headband and leggings into a little plastic bag.

Casey took her purse off of her shoulder and opened it up. Her stomach dropped as she realized that her wallet was in her other brown purse. She dug through her purse trying to look nonchalant as her mind reeled. What was she supposed to do? This was so humiliating. She closed her purse, and looked at the counter top, not daring to look the salesgirl in the eye. "I...uh..." she stumbled on her words, not quite knowing how to say she didn't have any money to pay.

Then, out of the corner of her eye she saw Derek stick his arm out. She looked up and saw him handing the girl twenty dollars. The girl took it and punched the numbers into the cash register and handed him his change, "$4.50 is your change. Thank you and have a good night," she said as she held out the bag to Casey. Casey took the bag and followed Derek out of the store.

As soon as she was sure that no one in Charlotte Russe could hear, she said, "Thanks Derek. I'll pay you back as soon as we get home."

"Don't worry about it," Derek replied casually as they walked through the doors outside.

Casey quickly bit her tongue from telling him that she would pay him back when the thought crossed her mind that it might make him angry. She had almost expected him to say something about being paid back in front of the salesgirl, but he didn't. "Thank you," she said as she opened up the passenger door.

"You're welcome."

So in chapter two, I made a mistake. Hockey does not have four quarters, it has three periods as SpencerReidFan89 pointed out to me, so I would just like to thank her and I fixed it.

Did you like this chapter? I think it'd be so cute if a boy ever did that for me. (Y'know in the off-chance that I would actually ever forget something like my wallet)

True Life Facts:

-I really do like the Foo Fighters

-I walked into Charlotte Russe about two weeks ago and was like "woah, this store is pretty cool"

-I hate those ugly rhinestone things that seem to be on everything. They are gaudy and ugly. Thank god Casey has better taste.

-I like knowing what you think about this story

Until next time dears...