Damn! Five more minutes! I sat in the library, staring at the clock above the door. Move, damnit, move! I wanna get out of here! The second that bell rings, I'm out the door. I'm not gonna bump into Dave. Ah, Dave. Stupid, stupid Dave. If ever a best friend let down his best friends, it was Dave. Viv and I desperately needed help studying for our Bio test, and Dave ditched our study night last night. Why, you ask? What could possibly have come up in his life - other than a life or death situation - that would have caused him to ditch us in our time of need?

A party. A stupid effin' party. Allison doesn't even like Dave - she hates the three of us - so why invite Dave to her stupid little party?

I barely got sleep last night after my 2 AM fight with him.

I let out a sigh of frustration as I re-read the same sentence three times. DAMNIT, DAVE!

Again I looked at the merciless clock. Two minutes. As I put my books back into my black messenger bag, I tried to formulate a plan to make it to my biology class as fast as possible. Luckily, I was sitting at the closest possible table to the door. I sat on the edge of my chair as I watched the second hand move. 15...12...9... Come on! 3...2...

RING. RING. RING.

And there I was, out the door before the second ring even had a chance. I rushed down the stairs and weaved my way through the crowd before sharply turning and entering the Biology lab. I made my way to my usual seat, second row, third seat back, and waited for Viv to make her appearance.

Finally! She walked in and sat down in the seat to my right.

"Hey there, Day." she said, a little out of breath as she pulled a pencil out of her bag before putting it down beside her seat.

"Hey, Viv." Seeing her pencil, I pulled one out of my bag.

"I see you made it here without a Dave encounter."

"As did you."

"Of course! If I'd had one I'd be sitting in Principal Davis' office right now being suspended."

I tapped my pencil on my desk nervously. I really need to pass this test.

"We'll be fine, we've been cramming since last night." Did Vivian become a mind reader all of a sudden and forget to tell me?

All I could do was nod. When Mr. Peters entered the classroom, my pencil tapping had stopped. My eyes were on the fresh copies of what I'd been calling the "Test of Doom".

"Good afternoon, everyone." Mr. Peters said in his deep voice. "Wonderful day for a test, isn't it?" We all groaned as he placed a few copies on each of the desks in the front row and passed them back. I shot Vivian a nervous look, much like the one she gave me in return. At least I won't be going down alone...

I wrote my name at the top of the paper and so began my forty-five minutes of hell...

FINALLY! I sighed as I walked out of the Biology lab, Viv at my side. She looked just as relieved as I did that that test was over and done with.

"What did you put down for problem 6?" She asked once we got to our lockers out by the courtyard.

"Um... wasn't that 'Survival of the fittest'?" There were at least forty questions on that damned thing, and the first ones were multiple choice. That wasn't my biggest problem. The pest walking our way down the hall, was. "Dave alert." I put the books I wouldn't need today away, and closed my locker.

"Lets go, then." Viv said, and with a nod from me, she grabbed my arm and we began walking back inside.

I looked back for a second, long enough to see him following us.

"DAYNA!! VIVIAN!!" He called as he tried to weave through the crowd.

We reached our last class of the day, and I made sure to slam the door in his face after we walked in. I'll give him this much, hes persistent. He walked into the room and sat down in the empty seat in front of us.

"Will you please just talk to me?" he asked.

"Don't you have some ass to kiss or something?" Viv asked.

"Don't be like that, Viv..."

"How am I supposed to-" She lowered her voice, noticing that people were staring at us. "How am I supposed to be??"

"Dave, just leave us alone." I interjected. I glanced at Viv, and she was gripping her desk so tight her knuckles were white. "We get it, we're not as important as you being popular. Now go find someone to brown-nose."

I didn't even feel bad that he looked hurt. He should have thought about that last night.

"Mr. Owen, would you be so kind as to find your class?" Ms. Waters said, standing by the desk Dave was sitting in, her amrs crossed.

He took one last look at us before grabbing his stuff and leaving. I sighed as I opened my notebook glancing at Viv, who rolled her eyes.

RING. RING. RING.

Viv and I put our stuff away and walked out to the parking lot, discussing our plans for later.

"So I'll call you later?" I asked her as she got into her car.

"Yeah," she nodded as she stood up in the doorway of her Scion xA to see me in my black Saturn VUE. "See ya, Day."

"See ya, Viv." I watched her drive away for a moment before getting in my car and making my way home.

As I drove home, I couldn't help but think about what had happened with Dave. I kinda felt bad freezing him out like this. He deserves it, he let me down and I can't let him get away with that.

Get away from me
And leave me alone
You're driving me crazy
And I want you to know
You better leave me alone

I rolled my eyes as I answered my phone, waiting until after a few lines of "Miss Vicious" by Fefe Dobson had played.

"Hello?"

"Day!" Dave said. "Please don't hang up!" He pleaded, ironically as I was about to close the lid of my phone. I sighed and put it back up to my ear.

"You have one minute, Dave, I'm driving."

"I'm sorry about last night."

"Thats what you said last night. Any new tricks?"

"Day, I didn't mean to ditch you!" I heard a deep breath on the other end of the line. "It was a last minute thing, and I wouldn't have done it if I'd known things would have played out like this."

"IF you'd known?!?" I exclaimed, trying to stay calm while driving. "Dave, how could you not know that this would piss us off??"

"I wasn't thinking-"

"Damn right you weren't thinking!" I took a deep breath as I made my right turn. I was getting more annoyed with Dave by the second. "Not to mention you totally sold out."

"I did NOT sell out!"

"Yes you did! You're always talking about how fake Allison and her friends are, how much you can't stand them, how obnoxious they are... Then you throw Viv and I under the bus to go to some party of theirs??"

"But Day-"

"No! No 'but Day'!" I almost swerved into oncoming traffic, I was so mad at him. "I don't care! We needed you, and you let us down. If you'd really meant to do what you say you did, Viv and I wouldn't have been sitting through forty-five minutes of HELL during sixth period! If neither of us had had study hall you'd be dead right now!"

"What more do you want me to say, Dayna?!?"

"NOTHING!! Theres nothing you can say!! We've been there for you when you needed us and now all of a sudden you've forgotten how to do the same?" I sighed. "Dave, you've been my best friend for almost four years, and you've never been like this before. I don't know if its Senioritis or whatever they call it, but I can't stand it." I looked at the clock on the dashboard: his time was up. "Minute's way past over, I'll talk to you whenever." I closed the lid of my phone and tossed it on the passenger's seat. "The NERVE of that- Oh sh-"

BOOM.

I was pushed forward in my seat and thrust back.What the hell was that?

I peered over as I shut off my car and saw the front of my car was in the back of the person's in front of me. Not too far, but far enough. My front end didn't look much better than his tail end. I undid my seat belt and got out of the car slowly.

"Oh my G-d, I am beyond sorry!" I said as I saw the person whose car I'd introduced mine to getting out of their car. And there he was: blond hair, brown eyes. Ho-ly shit.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"I am," I said as we both looked at the damage. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I've been in worse accidents." He ran a hand through his hair as he continued to look at the back of his silver pick-up.

"I wish I could say the same..." Sure, I've had my share of accidents, but none were this bad. But I guess if you're gonna rear-end someone... at least let it be someone cute like this guy...

"I'm Aaron, by the way." he stuck out his hand.

"Dayna." I shook his hand, and suddenly felt a huge smile come across my face as I touched his hand. I guess he felt the same way, 'cause I can't imagine two people who just got in a car wreck smiling this much. All I could think of was how much Hell I looked like...

"Well, Dayna," he moved closer to me, apparently to get a better look at the damage. Sure, a better look at the damage. Look all you want, I know I will. "I wish we'd met under better circumstances."

"Me too..." I sighed. "I'm really sorry about this, it was all my fault, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and-"

"Its alright, no harm done. Well, bodily harm - to us, at least..."

"Yeah, I mean, cars can be fixed more easily than people, right?"

"Yeah." he walked back to his car and came back with a piece of paper after a few moments. "Heres my insurance info."

I scanned the paper for a few moments, then went back to my car to do the same. "Here's mine."

"I'll call us some tow trucks, I know a good body shop." I'm sure you know a lot about good bodies...

"Thanks." I went back to my car and picked up my phone from the floor of the car. Must have fallen when I hit him. I looked up and saw Aaron pacing back and forth, his phone to his ear, once again running his hand through his hair and letting it rest on the back of his neck. I went back to the spot where we stood before and waited for him to walk back.

"They might be a while." He leaned on the back of his car. I sighed and leaned back a bit on mine.

"Long day?" he smiled. And what a smile it is.

"You could say that..." I trailed off. That started it. We ended up talking, and we were having a really good conversation. I couldn't help but feel like I knew him. Or at least, knew him from somewhere... "Aaron?" I finally asked. If I'm gonna blow it, I'm gonna blow it.

"Hmm?" He asked, looking up from his watch, which now that I look at it, looked pretty expensive. Not that I care.

"Is there any reason why I might think I've seen you somewhere before, other than that I'm crazy?"

He frowned. "No, you're not crazy." A heavy sigh later and he confirmed my suspicions.

"Wow... Now I feel worse."

"'Cause you rear-ended a celebrity?"

"No, 'cause I loved your music."

"Loved?" he pouted. "Gee, thanks."

"I grew up!" I defended. "And apparently so did you." Theres that smile of his. "Maybe you could fill me in on what you've been up to all these years?"

"The tow truck won't take that much longer." he laughed.

"I didn't say it had to be now." I smiled, hoping he got the hint, which he did.

"When, then?"

"Tomorrow night?" I asked. "I'd offer tonight, but I might have plans."

"I think I'm free tomorrow night..."

"Good. Its a date, then." We stood there as the police officer I'd called for directed traffic around our cars. Moments later, two tow trucks pulled up.

Aaron pulled out his cellphone and handed it to me. "I'm gonna need your phone number."

I dialed my cell number into his phone and handed it back to him. "Really? 'Cause I just figured we'd bump into each other again tomorrow." I handed him mine, and he did the same.

"I think this'll be safer." he joked as he handed my phone back to me. We moved out of the way as the tow trucks hitched up our cars. "See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." we shook hands again, and he pulled me into a light hug before walking over to the tow truck carrying his car. I stared at him as he walked away and was brought back to reality by the driver of the tow truck carrying my car honking his loud horn.

Once I was in the truck and we were on our way to the body shop, I pulled out my phone, Aaron's number safely saved in my address book, and called myself a ride.

"Day! Is everything alright?" Viv asked.

"Where do you want me to start?" I sighed. A lot of sighing today.

"The beginning would be nice."

"Can we start with 'I need a ride'?"

"A ride?? What happened to the VUE?"

"I'll tell you when you pick me up at the body shop."

"BODY SHOP??" Viv exclaimed. I glanced over at the tow truck driver, who let out a laugh. I guess he heard her scream.

"Just come get me." I gave her the address.

"I'm on my way. See ya." Click.

As we sat at our usual booth in the pizza reataurant, Viv's mouth was gaping open.

"So let me get this straight." She put her hands on the table, one on each side of her pizza slice occupied plate. "Not only did you rear-end a cute guy, he turned out to be Aaron Carter??"

"Yep." I answered simply, about to take a bite of my pizza before it was yanked out of my mouth by Viv. How RUDE! Okay, Stephanie Tanner moment over.

"And you're going out with him tomorrow night??"

"Yes!" I went to take another bite of pizza, looking up a Viv to make sure it was okay. She waved her hand and I took a bite.

"And you asked him out." She sounded amazed at this fact.

"Yes." I took a sip of soda. "But he asked me for my number."

She squealed, something I hadn't seen her do since sophomore year. "You, are the luckiest bitch I know. You know that?"

"I'm lucky?? I wrecked my car!"

"But you got a date out of it!! With a hot guy!!"

"So??" I argued. Not my best argument. "What will my parents say?"

She frowned. "I forgot about them."

"You forgot I have parents?? How do you think I got here?? I fell from the sky?"

"No! I mean," she took a bite of her slice, not bothering to finish chewing it before continuing, "I forgot you haven't told them yet." She took a sip of her soda. "You should call them right now."

"Oh, I can hear it now: 'Mom? Dad? I wrecked my car. But the good news is I got a date!' Yeah Viv, good idea. I hope you have a spare room at your house 'cause I won't go home after that conversation!"

"Just call them! Get it over with! And at least if you tell them over the phone they can't kill you!"

"Yet! They can't kill me yet!"

"They won't kill you. Please, just call. You don't have to tell them about Aaron yet."

Again, yet. I still have to tell them. "Fine..." I reached into my pocket and called my parents at home.

Ring. Ring. "Hello?" A voice answered.

"Mom? Hey."

"Hey, honey."

"I just wanted to let you guys know I'm eating dinner out with Vivian."

"Okay. See you when you get home."

"Theres something else..."

"What? Is everything alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, its the VUE..." I sighed. "I got into an accident."

"An accident?"

"But I'll get it fixed! I have the money. It was my fault, so I'll get it fixed." Silence. "Please tell me you're not mad."

"I'm not mad, honey," she finally answered. "I'm just glad you're okay. As long as you take care of it yourself, I have no reason to be mad."

Phew! "Do you think Dad'll be mad?"

"At first, but I'll talk to him about it. I'm proud of you for being responsible, Dayna."

"Thanks, Mom. I'll be home later."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Click.

"Now, was that so horrible?" Viv asked in her "Ha Ha I Told You So" voice.

"It would have been if Dad answered the phone."

~The Next Day~

I sat in the courtyard today just after lunch(during the free period I usually had this time every week), and I could barely concentrate. On my books, or the conversation I was having with Viv. Was it because I was mad at Dave? Probably not. Was it because my car was probably gonna be in the shop for about a week? Don't remind me. Maybe it was because I have a hot date tonight with a hot guy. Probably, but who knows.

"Dayna!" Viv exclaimed. I sat up straight, coming out of my inner monologue. She laughed and pointed at my silver RAZR, which was vibrating ontop of my AP Algebra book and singing to us:

If you would get to know me
Maybe you would love me
I’m so ordinary
And if you would let me know you
Maybe I would show you
Wouldn’t we be something?

As much as I love Saving Jane - one of my favorite bands - and in particular the song "Ordinary", I was waiting for this call all day.

"Hey!" I exclaimed while looking at Vivian, who was suddenly as hyper as a puppy on caffiene pills.

"Hey Dayna..." Aaron trailed off. "You won't get in trouble for being on the phone with me right now, will you?"

"Nah, I have a free period."

"Good." He seemed relieved. "So, about tonight..."

"Yeah..." I urged.

"Any ideas for what to do?" Good question.

"Not really... Dinner, maybe?" I gave Viv a desperate look, and her response was a thumbs up. Thanks. Loads of help there, Viv.

He laughed. "Why didn't I think of that? Sounds great, and I know this really good place."

"I have my moments..." I joked.

"I'm sure you have more than moments." I could feel my cheeks blushing slightly, and Viv looked at me like I had just turned into a little pink teddy bear or something. "Should I pick you up around 7:30?"

"Sure..." I trailed off. I told him my address.

"Alright, see you tonight."

"Bye, Aaron."

"Bye, Dayna."

"Call me Day."

"Okay, Day." He laughed. "Wow, I should write songs!"

I giggled. Wait, me? Dayna Terrance? Giggling? Whoa. This is big. Okay, maybe giggling doesn't seem like a big deal, but a giggle like that one? Big deal. "I'm glad I could inspire you."

"Me too. Bye. Again."

"Bye again." Click. I sighed as I closed the lid of my phone.

"Damn," Viv said, "You haven't even gone on one date with the guy and you're already lovesick."

~Around 6 P.M. That Night~

I walked into my closet and pulled out a black tank top with silver rose graphics on it. I held it up to myself and walked out to look in the full-length mirror I had by the door. Viv walked up behind me and scanned me up and down.

"I think it looks good." She stated.

"Not trashy or anything?" I asked, still looking at the shirt, making sure it looked alright with the jeans I was wearing.

"Nope. Not at all." She plopped down on my bed. "Wheres he taking you, anyway?"

"I don't know," I sat down on my bed across from her and pulled the shirt over my head, "He didn't say. I don't wanna get too dressed up, but I don't wanna look like a moron."

"Its a first date, not an engagement party."

"I know..." I said, trailing off as I heard a knock at my door. "Who is it?"

"Mom!" the person on the other side of the door called.

"Come in!" She opened the door and smiled as she looked at Viv and I sitting on my bed. There were shirts scattered all over it.

"Okay," she leaned in the doorway, that "I know you're up to something" expression on her face, "Whos the boy?"

I looked at Viv, who sighed and nodded. "His name is Aaron..." I started.

"Where'd you meet him..." she asked as if she'd been through this routine several times before.

"Our cars met first." She laughed.

"You're going out with the boy you got in the accident with?"

I nodded. "Hes really cool, Mom..."

"I'm sure he is."

"And really cute!" Viv added.

"I'm sure he- wait, I thought you said you were alone when you had the accident?"

"I was." I answered.

"Then how did she-"

"His last name is Carter." I interrupted. The sudden change in expression - confusion to a smirk - told me she figured out who he was. "I didn't even know it was him at first."

She just stood there and smiled for a moment before standing up in the doorway. "Well, you look great, honey." She walked over and put her arm around me. "I hope you have a great time, and be home by curfew." She walked back to the door. "See ya, girls..." Mom walked out of the room, and Viv and I smiled at each other for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"So... What are you gonna do with your makeup?" Viv asked, picking up the mirror off the bed.

~Around 8 P.M.~

Aaron and I laughed together as we sat in Koi restaurant eating our meal at a small, private table. We'd been having a good time, and we really did have a lot in common.

"What?" I asked, noticing he was staring at me and smiling. "Do I have something on my face?" He laughed as he shook his head.

"No... I was just looking at your eyes." I didn't realize my blue-green eyes were really that fascinating.

"So anyway..." I said, trying not to blush, "Did you have anything planned for after dinner?"

"No, why do you ask?"

"I just don't want this to end. I'm having a lot of fun with you." What happened next left me totally floored.

Aaron leaned in slowly and pressed his lips to mine. As he pulled away, I put my hand up to my lip: Did that really just happen??

"Sorry," he smiled, "You had some soy sauce on your lip."

"I thought I didn't have anything on my face?" I asked, trying not to look as shocked as I really was.

He smirked as he kissed me once again, and I kissed him back. "I lied." He leaned back in his seat, holding my hand in his. "I couldn't help myself..."

I was still a bit in shock. "D-Did you get it all that time?" I felt like kicking myself for stuttering like that.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure..." he joked. "Should I triple-check?"

"Maybe later..." I trailed off as I took a sip of water. "So, what were we talking about?"

"Are you mad?" Aaron asked, confused. "I didn't mean to throw you off or anyth-"

"No..." I smiled. "I'm not mad, just... Surprised." Surprised didn't even begin to describe it.

"Is surprised a good thing?"

"Am I slapping you across the face and storming out of the restaurant to call a cab?" I asked with a laugh.

"No, but theres still time..."

I leaned in and put my left hand up to my mouth, "You're doing good so far, don't blow it..." I whispered.

He mirrored my action. "I'll try my best..." he whispered in reply. We burst out laughing as we sat back up in our chairs.


~An Hour Later~

We were bombarded by paparazzi as we left the restaurant. They walked with us as we made our way to the black BMW - Aaron's brother Nick's car, which he'd borrowed for the night - shouting to us as we walked along.

"AARON!" one of them called, stopping to take a picture, "WHATS HER NAME?" he asked. Aaron gave me a glance, and I nodded.

"DAYNA!" I called to him before Aaron answered. "My name is Dayna. D-A-Y-N-A." Hey, they're only gonna bug us til we tell them who I am, anyway, or they'll just try to find out elsewhere. Might as well save everyone some time and make sure they spell my name right while I'm at it.

Then it was a chorus of "Aaron!"s and "Dayna!"s. I'd never wished I could instantly change my name before in my entire life. Now I knew how Aaron must have felt all the time. When we finally got in the car, I rolled down my window and waved goodbye to the photogs as we drove off.

~Ten Minutes Later~

"So, where are we going, again?" I asked. We'd been driving around since we pulled out of the parking lot, and I still had no idea where Aaron was taking me.

"Can't we just drive around?" he smiled. "Its a nice night. Besides, I thought you didn't want it to end."

"I don't, but I don't exactly feel comfortable not knowing where I'm being taken."

"Would you feel any better if I said I had no idea where we were gonna go?"

"Surprisingly, no."


'We've tried so hard to understand, but we can't
We held the world out in our hands and you ran away'


I cringed as the blinking of my cellphone in my hoodie pocket brought our oddly flirtatious conversation to a halt. I sighed, looking at Aaron as I pulled my phone out of my pocket, and ignoring the Caller ID as I flipped my phone open. How fucking rude is this? In the middle of what seems to be the best date I've ever been on, and someone's calling me. This better be important. "Yes?" I answered, irritated.

"Hey Dayna." Dave answered. I hope he could sense the urge to strangle him through the phone I was holding back.

"I can't talk right now, Dave." I answered simply, giving Aaron an apologetic look. He didn't seem too offended.

"Stop blowing me off already! Haven't I suffered enough??" Dave exclaimed, a whiny tone to his voice.

"I really can't talk right now, and no, you haven't suffered enough. I think an eternity of that will suffice." I stated flatly. I could tell Aaron was holding back laughter at how casually I'd added my last comment.

"Come on, Day."

"What part of 'I can't talk right now' is so damn difficult for you to process??" I exclaimed, continuing before he had the chance to whine again. "I have nothing more to say to you than what I said yesterday. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm on a date right now."

"But- A date? D-" I flipped my phone shut before he could say another word and dig himself in deeper. This is the LAST straw.

"I am so sorry about that." I said after a few moments of silence.

"Don't worry about it." Aaron smiled. "So, was that the guy you told me about the other day?"

I nodded as he glanced at me, quickly looking back at the road. "Yep, that was the moron. I can't believe he just did that."

"Maybe I can deal with him the next time he calls you." He made a right turn, and I peered out the window, trying to see if I could figure out where he was headed.

All I could see were storefronts and other business-type buildings. At least he finally figured out where we're going. I hope... "I don't- You don't have to, I think I can handle him. Thanks anyway."

"If you're sure..."

"How would you deal with him anyway?" I asked. Its not like he knew Dave, but I could tell he was probably stronger than Dave was, I remembered how much Dave complained when he moved his stuff into his basement room at his house.

"Guess you won't get to find out..." A smirk came across his face as he made a left turn.

My phone began to vibrate and blink in my pocket as the familiar tune once again played, and I smirked back as I looked at the Caller ID. "Maybe I will..." I flipped the phone open and handed it to him.

"Hello?" Aaron answered. I laughed to myself at how tough Aaron was trying to sound.

"Who the hell is this?" I heard Dave ask.

"You should know! You called me!"

"No I didn't!"

"Then how come you're on the phone with me!" Aaron was holding back laughter as well. I got the feeling this wasn't the first time he'd messed with someone over the phone...

"I called my friend Dayna." Dave stated. "Is she there?"

"Dayna? I don't know a Dayna, kid." Aaron winked at me as the car came to a stop. I looked around, but it was pretty dark. There were a few lights around, but all I could tell was that we were in a parking lot.

"This is her number. She has to be there." I could tell Dave was totally lost right now.

"No she doesn't! How do you know I didn't steal her phone from her?"

"I JUST talked to her! Three minutes ago! She answered her phone." My self-control was about to give out: I was on the verge of a burst of hysterical laughter.

"A lot can happen in three minutes. But, you're shouting now, and I don't answer questions asked by angry people." Aaron said nonchalantly. "Especially stupid questions. Call back when you get your Brain, Scarecrow." Aaron closed the lid to my phone and handed it back to me.

The laughter we were holding back came flooding out. "I can't believe you did that." I managed to say as I shut off my phone.

"He made that way too easy." Aaron opened his door and walked around to my door, opening it and helping me out. I looked around, and still all I could see was a parking lot.

"Where are we?" I asked. We walked hand in hand to a building close by and stopped outside the lobby doors.

"Well, you wanted to know what I've been up to all these years, right?" He held the door open and motioned for me to walk in before him, which I did after silently nodding at him.