I can't believe it's the middle of July already! How time flies...

Anywho. I had a really long chapter at first, but decided it would sit better as two, so another update may be in the near future! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nope. Still nothing. Not even my education.

Casey's office was quiet. The florescent light hummed and her desk fan made a pleasant white noise as it whirred. It was peaceful. People usually didn't start trickling in until around eight thirty, so Casey had her desk pod to herself for an hour. She kept her laptop awake and propped her chin up on her hand.

She could tell that she was going to have to search for motivation today. Financial statements and economic projections were not going to be easy. She spun a little in her chair before shaking her head and adjusting her second and third screen monitors to the precise place she wanted them. She remembered why she came to the office early. Some of the reasons had still been unconscious when she'd locked the front door behind her.

Friendship was something that came naturally to some people. Her husband, for one, could find something in common with just about anyone and could strike up a conversation that would last for years. Casey was not blessed with this ability. She cared about people; their thoughts, their opinions. She wanted to be liked. Derek said this was her biggest problem. Which is exactly what she wanted to hear whenever he mentioned it. Ass.

The reappearance of Emily in her life was a godsend. An unexpected little moment where it felt like a higher power was cheering for her team for once. A friendship forming all over again. With all that she'd gone through —no. Casey shook her head again. No. That didn't belong here.

By four thirty, Casey had been at her desk for over nine hours, including a working lunch where she got to learn the new software that automatically calculated the interest for both the accounting and tax basis of an asset with the simple click of a button. It was really very exciting. It would cut down on time spent in different software and would allow her to produce projects much more efficiently. Derek pretended to snore when he phoned to check in on her. He was just jealous that she got to play with computers and he didn't. Casey stuffed her laptop and a folder of things to do at home into her purse and made her way to the elevator. She hoped she had left with enough time to get lost.

Emily stood outside of her office next to a giant, rolling suitcase. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet and waved excitedly when she saw Casey.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for being able to do this!" Emily gushed, shoving her bag in to the trunk. "I don't really know many people here, apart from Steven, so I am soooooo glad that you could take me." Casey smiled as Emily climbed into the passenger seat next to her.

"Of course! I'm always willing to help out," she adjusted the route on her GPS and pulled away from the building. "So where are you going again?"

"My mom and my grandma want to help me find my dress! They both promised to be there to help me decide on the perfect one, once it was clear that both of their dressed were not going to work. And since grandma's got seniority, we're flying to her. I'm really excited, but have no idea what I want." Emily was happily distracted for a while, and the two women discussed trains and veils and shoes. It was happy, lighthearted conversation in which Casey was enthralled to participate.

Closer to the airport Emily sobered. Casey really should have seen it coming.

"Okay, so, Derek and Kelsey?" Emily was in desperate need of a hobby. Or a television.

"Em, you're about to go wedding dress shopping and you want me to be the one talking now?"

"Yes. Puh-leeeaase, Casey, I'm spending two days alone with my mother and her mother. One little anecdote?" She pouted. "Please? What's next?" Casey's resolve cracked. Emily grinned, hugely.

"Let's see, what's next? Well, I started an internship that summer, which was part of the reason we'd moved. And Derek went back to London."

Casey pushed the straps of her purse back into place and hit the elevator button again. It was difficult to juggle the file she needed and scan her badge for access to her floor, but she managed without dropping a thing. Because she was a professional. She got to wear high-heels and everything.

When the right floor dinged, she shifted the file and went to drop her load at her desk. She had a desk! A real, proper, grown-up desk! That file was the last thing she needed before she went to lunch. She locked it in her drawer (because her desk had drawers that locked!) and went out to the break room, enjoying the sound her shoes made against the linoleum.

Kelsey had made her lunch like it was a child's first day at school. She's missed Casey's first few weeks at the office when she was home and on vacation with her parents, but had been very sweet to leave a brown paper lunch for Casey to take to work. Kelsey had even written her a little note. It was a hastily written poem about being an adult and crying or something to that extent. It was lovely. Her phone had several messages as well. Her mother had wished her a happy Wednesday and Kelsey had asked if she could get a few items on the way back from work. And Derek.

He'd sent a picture of George's attempt at a Crockpot dinner; something grey and lumpy. The picture was captioned 'He learned something new. We might not last the night.' Casey laughed and sent back, 'First Aid kit is in the utility closet.'

His response was immediate. 'How do band-aids help me if i'm poisoned?'

'Anti-nausea medication?'

'So at least i'll die peacefully.'

'I doubt you can do anything peacefully.'

'Arent you supposed to be working?'

'I'm eating lunch.'

'God i'm starving.'

'Go eat lunch.'

'Nah, then i'd have to move. I'm supposed to be watching simon eat something.'

'What are you actually doing?'

'Watching simon hide parts of his lunch around the house.'

'Who's cleaning that up?'

'You?'

Casey rolled her eyes. He was easier to get along with over the phone. It required less energy to type words at him than it did to pull a civil conversation out of him. If she didn't dislike him so much, she might have enjoyed their correspondence.

It turned out to be the longest work day of her life, to date. She'd had the opportunity to attend a couple of training seminars and had still needed to finish correcting the financial statements she'd prepared earlier. When she finally made it back to her little basement apartment, she was ready to pass out.

Kelsey sat at the table near the little kitchen in sweatpants. She looked as rumpled as Casey felt. She pushed her glasses into place as Casey flopped onto the sofa.

"Long day?" she asked. Casey muttered something into the cushions and groaned. "Come again?" Kelsey clearly didn't speak couch.

"I think I'll just stay a student forever; work is hard." Casey rolled over and contemplated changing out of her pencil skirt and blouse before she wrinkled them too much more.

"I hear that," Kelsey agreed, thumping her book closed. "I think law school should keep m e from the real world for a little longer." Casey nodded and heaved herself off of her seat in the direction of her bedroom as Kelsey pulled open the freezer to look at dinners. "My mom sent me with lasagna." Casey sent her a thumbs up and shut her door.

She kicked off her heels and pulled skinny jeans on under her skirt. She stood and looked around her room for a second, as if confused on what to do next. Her phone buzzed. Derek sent her a picture of the grey pudding that had been decorated with parsley. 'he "fixed" it.' Fixed was a delicate word. She sent back that Kelsey was heating up Italian food and he told her he was moving in.

"Derek says he's moving in," Casey informed her roommate, reemerging to eat dinner.

"Really? You've heard from him?" Casey nodded, her mouth full. "I texed him a couple times, but never heard anything."

"He's really horrible at communicating like a regular human being. It's usually grunts and hand gestures which can be difficult to text." Kelsey shrugged.

So, they hadn't been talking. That was strange. When Kelsey got up to throw away their plates, Casey sent him a message. 'Kelsey thinks you're dead."

'why?'

'Because you were hanging out before you left and now you're ignoring her.'

'I just dont have anything good to say?'

'Since when does that stop you?'

'why is this a big deal? I though me seeing your friends freaked you out.'

Casey shrugged. She had yelled at him about Emily. And had threatened him about Kelsey. But ignoring her was rather rude.

'I didn't mean you should throw her out.'

'make up your mind princess. I dont know what you want.'

Casey paused. Neither did she. It was too weird when he was dating her friends, but his manners when handling the situation left something to be desired. And why was it her choice, anyway?

'Just play nice, Derek.'

She could practically feel his smirk oozing through his next message. 'I always play nice princess.' It worried her a little.

Kelsey popped her head into Casey's room before either went to sleep to tell Casey that Derek was taking her to dinner next week. Casey did not understand that boy.

"So, they were still dating?" Emily interrupted. They pulled up to the curb at Emily's terminal. "What did you tell me that part for?"

"Because it's important."

"Why? Was Kelsey his first wife or something?" Casey snorted. Emily locked her door. "I am not leaving this car until you tell me something good."

"But you have a flight."

"Years of lies to make up for here, lady! Get talking!"

It was eight thirty. Casey contemplated going to bed. She didn't want it to seem like she was waiting up for Kelsey to get back. Because she wasn't. She was just bored. And alone. And, frankly, weirded out by the whole situation.

But sleep didn't come and diffuse the situation. She lay in bed staring up at her ceiling. It wasn't nearly as interesting as she wanted it to be. It wasn't long after that she heard Kelsey's sandals clicking on the steps down to their apartment. She closed her eyes and rolled to her side at the light knock on her door.

"Case? Are you awake?"

"Yes?" Kelsey came in, sat on Casey's bed and tucked her feet up under her. Casey sat up, too. "How'd it go?"

Kelsey shrugged and picked at Casey's quilt. "It was fine. We went and got glorified sandwiches at that coffee place."

"You seem less than enthused."

"Well, it was just kinda weird, you know?" Casey was puzzled. "Like, I felt like he thought of me as a guy. Does that make sense? Like I was a seat filler; someone he'd be able to eat with or something." She shrugged again. "He kinda felt that, too." Casey's eyebrows were halfway up her forehead. Derek telling a girl how he felt made this conversation seem scripted and surreal.

"Did he just drop you off?"

"Yeah, well, Marti called him, so he was on the phone when I left." Kelsey heaved a sigh. "Whatever, he was really nice about it."She clambered off of Casey's bed. "See you in the morning."

Casey sat there still puzzled. Then she threw off her comforter and grabbed a hooded sweatshirt before padding up the steps.

She peeked out the front door. His car was still parked. The ground was wet under her bare feet, it must have rained. He was still on the phone when she slid into the car.

"Because I'm an adult, Smarti, and am allowed to drive up to Casey's by myself. I'll bring you next time. I didn't know you would be so upset that I missed movie night." He paused. "What if we go out to see a movie one night I'm not working? Yes, you can pick the movie. Okay, Smarts, a wild, rabid beaver has found its way into my car, ow!" Casey punched him, "so we'll talk when I get home. You, too. Bye." He hung up and looked at Casey. "Can I help you?"

"You broke up?"

"No, Marti still loves me." Casey glared at him. "What? Kelsey?" She nodded. "We…we weren't dating."

"Well, what was tonight?"

"Eating?"

"Don't play stupid, Derek."

"It's a gift." He sounded bitter.

"Why did you dump her?"

"I didn't. We've had to have been dating." Casey glared at him. "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Why does it matter?" he threw his arms up. He was frustrated. " I thought you'd've been off my back about this."

"So, this is my fault?"

"Yeah, kinda," he shrugged.

"What kind of crap logic is that?"

"I don't do logic, Princess. I have to leave now; else a very angry Marti will also be your fault."

"That's stupid."

"Yeah, well, that happens." They sat there in a crowded silence for a minute. He eventually made a shooing motion with his hand. Casey groaned and pulled the handle to the door a little too hard. "If you're done yelling at me for doing something you told me to do, do you want to help me go photograph a vegetable market on Friday?"

"What? Why?"

"I'm building a portfolio for that summer class I need."

"I meant why me?"

"Well, you keep cutting me off from my other friends so…" he trailed off.

"But you have a lot of friends."

"Are you calling me popular?"

"Uh, if you want to take it like that."

"You just said it like that."

"So, I'm your rebound friend?"

"Are you up for it or not?"

Casey thought for a minute. He'd extended an olive branch of friendship. Willingly. She could ignore it and they could carry on, business as usual. Or she could be the bigger person and accept. "Sure. I'll be your substitute friend." He rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for that great sacrifice, Princess."

"Drive safe." He waved at her as she shut the door. She ran back to the porch and wiped her wet feet on the mat. This was going to be an interesting experiment. She tiptoed back down the stairs. They'd never had an amicable relationship before. She pulled on a pair of warm socks. This was unfamiliar territory.

Emily's entire bottom lip had disappeared between her teeth. Her eyes were wide.

"Oh, my god!" she finally burst. "This is going to be the longest trip of my whole life!" She pushed the door open and stomped around to get her bag. Casey was slightly amused as she unbuckled her seatbelt to help. "Oh, yeah, you can smirk, missy, because you know what happens after!" Casey shook her head and pushed the trunk hatch back into place.

"It was one for the road, in case you decide you don't want to be friends after your trip."

"Oh, I'm getting the rest of this story whether you like it or not!"

"Okay, but promise me that you'll wait to hear it from me?" Casey swallowed hard. "Please don't go ask your mom about anything." Emily saluted, not taking Casey's request as seriously as it had been given.

"I promise."

Whatcha think? Any opinions? Leave me a little note and let me know!

P.S. What d'you think of the new format? It's crazy awesome!