The ride over to the restaurant had been the most awkward Casey had ever had with her dad. Neither said anything other than how their day had been. Mr. McDonald had spent his time behind a desk, Casey spent hers looking at her new school.

"Well," he said as they pulled into the parking lot of the cheap-looking restaurant. "This is it. Now, I wanna remind you to be nice."

"Nice?" I questioned. "Dad, what do you think I'm gonna do? Bite this guy's head off?"

"Not his…" her father replied as they entered to find a man and a teenage boy, obviously his son, standing with him. The man was around 6 foot, well built to Casey's assumption that he was her father's age, with slightly silver hair that only made him look mature. His son, like himself, was well built, with a little bit shaggy brown hair and piercing dark green eyes. There was no mistaking it, he was hot. Casey felt her stomach lurch immediately, thinking of Max.

"Alright, Casey, just politely excuse yourself to the bathroom," she told herself as they walked up to the two. Her father and the man shook hands, as Casey and the guy smiled slightly at each other.

"Casey, you remember Aaron, right?" Casey's eyes widened, as did Aaron's. Obviously the two remembered each other, each with a different account, but hadn't suspected the other could possibly be the person who their fathers were claiming.

"Aaron?" Casey asked, trying to keep her polite composer. Aaron, however, didn't bother pretending to be polite.

"Casey?" he asked sarcastically, as though my father were joking him. Aaron had always been that way, at least, to Casey. He was the Derek of her childhood. A waitress quickly led them to a booth. After taking their seats, Casey and the two not so strangers were reacquainted.

"Remember Doug, Casey?" her father asked. Casey nodded, a slight smile.

"Nice to see you again," she greeted effortlessly, she'd been doing it since before she and Max had even broken up, it came naturally.

"And of course, there's Aaron," her father said again. Casey no longer felt the need to go to the bathroom, Aaron had lost all of his appeal the moment his name was revealed.

"How do you like New York, Casey?" Doug asked, trying to start conversation.

"It's nice." Again, another term that seemed to fly from her tongue.

"So what are you doing here?" Aaron asked bluntly. He always knew when Casey was up to something, even after years later.

"I just thought it'd be a good experience to try a new school." she assured him, hoping that he didn't know she was lying, he'd always been able to when they were younger.

"In the middle of your Junior year?" Aaron wasn't letting Casey get away with her bland answers, he could see her lies spilling out as though they were completely obvious. But they were apparently only obvious to him, as he watched his father take her answers without question.

"It just happened to work out that way," Casey insisted. He wasn't buying it, and she could tell, but she was able to let out a sigh of relief when her father entered into the mix.

"So, Aaron, how's your school year going?" he asked, actually sounding interested.

"Alright. You know, the private school's not my favorite thing, but what're ya gonna do?" Aaron shrugged his shoulders while saying this. Casey couldn't help but remember all the times they'd shared when they were younger. Their mothers were friends, which meant that they were forced to play together while their mothers talk. Usually, the two become best friends, and later get married, but not these two. They were complete opposites. Aaron always loved bending the rules, while Casey loved to follow them.

"No matter where I go, I'll have a Derek, won't I?" Casey asked herself in self pity, remembering a specific memory when they were twelve.

Aaron had come to her window that night, no it's not a romantic thing, he'd done that every night when he had something to say (including saying "I hate you!"), so the romantic part of it wore off.

"Casey!" he called in a whisper. She'd opened her window, clearly annoyed. It was one in the morning, and Aaron had managed to wake her up. He smirked as her face came into view, enjoying her spite. "Casey, come on! Let's go to the park!"

"No!" she snapped back, remembering to keep her voice down. "It's one! I'm not going out this late, and it's too cold."

"Technically early," he replied playfully. "And you've got a jacket up there, don't you?" Casey shook her head.

"We'll get in so much trouble if we get caught."

"If we get caught," he reminded her. "And with me, we won't." Casey stood there in her window frame, looking down upon Aaron, his green eyes visible in the darkness, beckoning her down.

"Fine," she finally agreed. "But I'm staying no more than half an hour." Aaron laughed quietly.

"Alright, that's fine with me." he replied, knowing that she'd stay as long as he'd ask her to. He thought that things would always be that way but, of course, he was wrong.