When Casey finally got back to the apartment, she plopped down onto the couch, trying to focus her attention on something other than the computer. She knew that she'd eventually have to open the email, she was just avoiding it for as long as she possibly could. Deciding to do something productive, she took her clothes to the closet in her bedroom. To her surprise, there was a colorfully wrapped box sitting on the self. After hanging up her uniforms, Casey took the box off the shelf and placed it on the bed.

"Maybe it's for someone else," she thought, knowing it wasn't true. There was a nametag on the gift that clearly stated "Casey." She began to pace around the room, every few moments glancing out her bedroom door for someone who wasn't coming.

"Alright, Casey," she convinced herself. "Either open the present, or open the email." Both seemed extremely terrifying, but she decided to choose the lesser of two evils. She picked up the present and began carefully unwrapping it. She knew who it was from. Her father, trying to patch things up. He hadn't done anything extremely wrong, it had just seemed that since Casey had moved, he kept an undeterminable amount of distance between himself and her. Now that she was living with him, he was trying to glue the ties back together.

Inside the box was a picture frame was a younger version of Casey sitting on the sidewalk with her father's arms wrapped around her as she ate an ice cream cone. Their faces lit with smiles that the camera could only begin to capture. Casey nodded her head, thinking that she should've known he'd pull some sentimental crap.

"Well, one evil in my life at the moment down," Casey thought to herself, putting the picture on her nightstand. "One more to go." As she walked toward her laptop she began having second thoughts. "But let's take it one day at a time." She made her way out into the living room, taking a seat upon the coach. "Dad sure has made a living for himself." Suddenly, the phone rang. Unsure of what to do, Casey sat there stunned, as the phone continued to ring. When the answering machine picked it up, Casey was surprised to hear a female voice on the other end.

"Hey, Casey, it's Mom here!" Casey rushed to the phone.

"Mom?"

"Casey! How are you? How do you like New York?" Casey let out a deep sigh.

"I'm alright. I've only been in the apartment and my new school."

"Did you like it?"

"It's…different." Casey could see her mother freaking out.

"Different good or different bad?" Nora asked nervously.

"Different fine," Casey commented, taking a look around the kitchen. She hadn't been hungry earlier, but now she desperately wanted something to munch on before dinner.

"I mean, if you don't like your new school, just say the word and I'll fly you back home. Ok?"

"Mom, I'm fine." Casey insisted, taking an apple and looking for a knife.

"Casey, I'm just so worried about you. Especially when your dad's always at work. I'm just not sure you'll have enough social interaction." Finding a knife, Casey began cutting the apple.

"So how's everyone at home?" Casey asked, changing the subject.

"Everyone's alright. Derek's a little…" Nora took a breath, choosing her words carefully. "Worse for wears, but he'll pull through. You know, Casey, he really-"

"How's Lizzie?" No matter what Casey did, she could never seem to avoid Derek.

"She's good…" A door opened on Nora's side of the phone. "Oh! She's home now! Lizzie! Lizzie, Casey's on the phone!" Casey heard an excited squeal on the other end.

"Casey?" a familiar voice questioned.

"Hey, Lizzie, it's me."

"Oh my gosh! It's so good to talk to you! How's New York?" Casey couldn't find the right words to describe her experience.

"Uh…New Yorkyish?"

"New Yorkyish?" Lizzie asked, entirely confused. Another voice on Lizzie's end entered.

"Is that Casey?" the voice said. Casey knew the voice immediately.

"Look, Lizzie, I've gotta go. I'll email you soon! Bye!" She hung up without waiting for a response from her sister.