Hours later, Casey entered her apartment to find Aaron laying on the couch. He looked up at her with a look of anger and concern.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"Out." Aaron got up and began pacing around the room, keeping his eyes locked on Casey.
"Where exactly is out?"
"Out." He slammed his hands down on the couch back.
"That's not good enough! I need to know where you were, if you were safe, if anyone did anything-"
"Like what you did to me," Casey commented, making her way to the kitchen. "Well, let me enlighten you. I was away from home, I was safe, and no one did what you've done to me. In fact, I think I'm less happy being home with you." She was irritated, having to come home to Aaron after a perfectly good date with Henry. Aaron came into the kitchen only a few steps behind her.
"Who were you with?"
"Not anyone you'd associate with."
"Aha! So you weren't with Danni!" Casey let out a sigh.
"And you sure as heck weren't with Jack tonight if that's what you want me to tell your dad." Aaron's jaw dropped.
"You wouldn't."
"What? Wouldn't tell him that you were out raping some girl? Oh, you bet I would."
"But you wouldn't tell them that you were raped?"
"What good would it do?" Casey inquired, taking out the knife. Aaron took a few more steps back. She smirked, taking a head of lettuce out of the fridge. "What's done is done, not like they can arrest you upon my word. However, they probably have enough cases stacked up against you to send you to jail for life."
"You were the only one I…"
"Raped."
"The other girls did it willingly." Casey smirked. "They wanted it, honestly. You seemed to be the only girl who I couldn't get." Aaron knew that this would be the perfect time to make a move, had Casey not been holding a knife.
"And you'll never get me," Casey assured her, slamming the knife into the cutting board. "Not you." Another slam. "Not Derek." Slam. "Not Max!" She slammed the knife down so hard that there was a large indent into the wood.
"What?" Aaron asked, unsure of what Casey meant.
"I'm not going to let Max run my life anymore. I'm tired of it. I've cried for way too long about it. I'm done."
"Better not check your email then." Casey's eyes widened.
"She-She didn't, did she?" She dropped the knife.
"What, Max's mother? I don't know, it could've been-"
"Shut up!" Casey shouted. "This is not one of your stupid schemes! This is my flippin' life! If you want to rip someone apart, don't make it me!" Aaron looked at the tears rolling down her face and couldn't help himself. He made his way to Casey, held her in his arms, then licked the tears away (Ew, right?).
Casey shoved him away, madly shouted. "Never again! I will not fall for you ever again!" She dashed into her room, slamming and locking the door.
Within her room the email seemed to call out to her. She tried to drown it out with music, screaming, anything; but nothing worked. She could feel Max's mother calling out to her. Finally, Casey gave in and opened the email.
Casey,
It's been a while since we've talked, so I thought that I'd ask if you would come to the football dinner that's going to be happening around Christmas time. Since I suppose you're coming home for Christmas, I thought that it'd be nice if you'd come on Max's behalf.
-Pam