Casey's POV

"Oh my god, I'm a delinquent. I'm a delinquent. Wonder if I can use that in my college application? Straight-A student who breaks into bowling alleys just for amusement," I ranted nervously, wringing my hands.

"Would you stop it? This does not make you a delinquent. You need years of practice for that title, thank you very much," Ryder replied with mock offense and I threw him a glare.

"Do you know what will happen if we get caught? Hmm? Do you?" I hissed, my eyes darting around in search of any police men who'd decided that sitting in their patrol car scarfing down donuts wasn't enough for the night. "I don't see myself doing very well in prison. Do you know what they do to people like me in prison? They take away our soap! Our soap! I can't live my life without soap. I just can't!"

"Would you stop making such a big deal?" Rolling his eyes, he walked further into the quiet and desolate bowling alley, turning the overhead lights on.

I didn't know why I let him put me in these types of scenarios. I guess it was because I'd convinced myself that this was what I wanted. I wanted to become the girl Drake could love. A girl he'd want to get back with. Ryder was the mother of all daredevils. The guy did things on a whim and didn't even hesitate to think about the consequences. That was what a spontaneous person did, and if I wanted to be that person for Drake, I had to go with the flow.

"It's against the law!" This didn't mean that I couldn't hesitate. After all, I had spent all of my life over-analyzing everything in my life.

"Who is this law you speak of? I don't like him; he sounds pretentious," he replied, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

"I'm serious, Ryder, this is a serious offense," I stated, the panic visible on my face. With a sigh, he walked over towards me and let his hands drop on my shoulders.

"Relax. No one knows we're here. Besides, I know the owner," he reassured me and I felt myself relax. "He hates my guts, but that's besides the point."

And now I'm back to panicking. "What?!"

"Yeah. Can't stand the sight of me. Curses my name and my unborn children. Wishes death upon me. Anyways, shall we?" He grinned and I shot him an exasperated look. He sighed again, his shoulders slumping. "Will you stop with the looks? This is gonna be fun, I promise."

"If we get tossed in jail, I'm kicking your ass," I stated as a last attempt of protest. He dismissed my quip with a flick of a wrist.

"You've been bowling before, right?" he replied as he hoisted himself over the counter on the far end of the building, grabbed two pair of shoes, then pulled himself over the counter once more. He walked over towards me and handed me a pair of shoes.

"Uh, not really," I replied and he gave me a dubious look. I avoided his eyes and focused on the lined up pins instead.

"What do you mean?" he asked, moving towards me and I turned around and sat in one of the chairs.

"I mean exactly what it sounds like. I've never bowled before," I mumbled, nibbling on my bottom lip nervously. I didn't like admitting that I didn't know something. My mother believed in perfection and she made sure to instill that in me before I even knew what it meant. He walked over and sat in the opposite chair, bending over to pull off his boots.

"How come?" he inquired curiously from his crouched position. The guy really didn't like not knowing something, that was for sure.

"I just haven't," I muttered.

"Okay, then I'll show you," he replied with a grin. He jumped up and offered a hand. Slipping my hand into his much larger one, I let him pull me up and drag me back to the lane, where he grabbed a ball and turned towards me. He nodded at the ball and I reached out and grabbed it. I, of course, didn't anticipate the weight of the ball and stumbled. His laugh echoed around the empty building as he helped me steady myself. "So the goal is to basically knock all the pins down."

Grasping a ball, he positioned himself before he let the ball roll down the lane, knocking every single pin down. "Nice," I complimented and he grinned, bowing, which made me laugh.

"Your turn," he stated and swept his hand in front of him, moving aside to let me pass. I walked past him and positioned myself the way I'd watched him do. I felt big, strong hands grasp my waist and I jumped, the ball slipping from my fingers and rolling down the lane. "Sweetheart, you have to find a stance that's comfortable for you. You can't use mine, since I'm a lot taller than you are." I felt my breath hitch at his closeness, so I kept completely still and focused on watching the balls as it swerved to the side.

"You okay?" I heard him ask and I pulled myself away from him, my cheeks growing hot.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine." I hated that my voice was so squeaky. What had even happened anyways? Why had I reacted that way? It was only Ryder. Annoying, full of himself, cocky Ryder. Yeah. I was just startled and surprised. That's all it was. Clearing my throat, I grabbed another ball and turned to him. "Is it okay if I go again?"

He smiled. "Sure, but not with that ball. It's not the right size," he laughed. "Oh that sounded so wrong." He laughed again and I shook my head, trying to hide a smile. He walked over towards me and grabbed a blue ball and handed to me. "Here use this blue ball...blue ball..." He laughed again.

"You have a dirty mind, Cavanaugh," I told him with a laugh as I moved past him and towards the lane.

"And you're just noticing that?" he smirked and waggled his eyebrows, making me roll my eyes.

"Okay, any tips I can use?" I asked him, lifting an eyebrow.

"I can think of one," he mused and I felt my jaw unhinge. He grabbed his stomach, his laugh bouncing of the walls.

"You are disgusting." I shook my head and his laughter died down to a chuckle. Straightening, he walked over towards me and wrapped a hand around the hand that was holding the ball. He turned it over as he made sure that I had a good grip on the ball, before letting his hand drop to his side, seeming satisfied.

"This is what you're gonna do: since you're right-handed, you aim at the right arrow. Don't let the ball go if it's still behind you, make sure to let it go once it's in front of you. When throwing the ball, make sure you're looking at the arrow you're aiming for and not the pins." I nodded and he stepped back. "Throw when you're ready."

I positioned myself as best as I could and breathed in. Swinging the ball behind me, I let out the breath, swung my hand back and released the ball. I watched the ball roll down the lane in a perfect line, before swerving to the side and landing in the gutter. I felt the disappointment creep in.

"Casey?" I turned to face him, "Hey, you're not supposed to get it right the first time, sweetheart. You're here to have fun. Just, relax. You can't be good at everything." He walked over and handed me another ball, nodding towards the lane with an encouraging smile.

I let out a breath and tried to relax. Giving him a small smile, I turned to the pins. I tried to remember that this wasn't something that I needed to be perfect at. I could have fun. No one was expecting me to be perfect. No one was on the sidelines waiting for me to mess up. It was just me and Ryder. And he didn't care if I sucked. For the first time in my life, someone didn't care if I was perfect or not.

I released the ball with a smile and watched as it glided down the lane, striking one of the pins, which knocked another one down. Jumping on the spot, I clapped and laughed.

"Did you see that? I knocked two down! Two!" I gushed excitedly and he chuckled.

"Nicely done, Dick Weber, " I lifted an eyebrow. "Third best PBA in history?" I shook my head and he sighed. "I thought you knew everything."

"Shut up, even Einstein didn't know everything," I grumbled and he laughed. He opened his mouth to reply when the door to the building opened with a loud squeak that echoed in the large empty space. I turned wide eyed to Ryder.

"Run!" he instructed, pulling off the shoes while hopping towards his and my discarded shoes. I pulled the shoes off frantically and rushed after him. I didn't bother grabbing my shoes since Ryder had picked them up along with his.

My bare feet pounded on the ground as I chased after Ryder. He lead us through the back and out the door, never stopping until we were a block away from the building. He slowed down as we turned a corner onto the street that led to my house. He handed me my shoes and bent down to pull on his black boots.

"Who was that?" I asked, trying to catch my breath. I wasn't out of breath from running; I ran everyday. The thought of being caught and being tossed in jail, had left me breathless.

"Probably the owner." I couldn't believe he was so calm about almost being caught by the owner of the bowling alley, who happened to hate Ryder's very existence.

"You're crazy," I remarked while lacing my boots up. He shrugged nonchalantly. Once I was done, I pulled myself up and we began our walk back to my house. "How many times have you done this before, anyways?"

"Don't have a clue," he replied with a laugh and I shook my head.

"Well, I'll admit...I had fun," I confessed with a small smile. I had had fun. I'd never done something like that. I'd never done something just for fun. It was always to excel, to be the best. But, that night, I'd done it for fun. I had let go. I'd done something for myself.

He smiled proudly. "Well, I am pretty awesome so, of course you did." I shook my head and pushed him softly, making us both laugh.

***

"Casey!" A five year old me jumped and scrambled off the chair. Hiding the cookie behind me, I stood straight, waiting for my mom to enter the dining room. "Where is your no good for nothing father?"

"I don't know, mother," I mumbled back, keeping my head down.

"Speak up, you little brat! People don't like little girls who mumble. Do you want to spend your life alone?" I shook my head no. "God, why do you and your father have to make my life such a living hell, huh?"

"Sorry, mommy," I replied in a small voice and she glared.

"What did I tell you about using that word?" I bit down on my lip, trying to stay strong. My mother didn't like me to cry. She said it made me look like a weak, pathetic brat. I didn't want to disappoint her. Straightening my posture, I ordered myself to stay strong. She walked over towards me and grasped one of my pigtails in her hand. "What are these?" she asked, the disgust visible in her tone.

"They're pigtails, mother. Nadia made them," I told her, glancing up at her and she let out a frustrated sigh.

"I keep telling that bitch to put your hair in a ponytail. I should have fired her a long time ago. Turn around." I turned around slowly, bringing the cookie in front of me, before she could spot it. But of course she did. "What's in your hand?"

"Nothing, mother," I lied, hoping that she would believe me. But my mom wasn't stupid.

"Stop lying. Let me see your hands," she commanded and I obliged. If I didn't, it would only make her angrier. Snatching the cookie out of my hand, she crumbled it and let it fall to the ground. "What did I say about eating things like this? That cookie was full of carbs, carbs that will give you baby fat. No child of mine will have baby fat. If I see you eating another cookie, you will regret it. Do you understand?" I nodded as tears pricked the back of my eyes. Quickly blinking them away, I scolded myself internally.

I felt my head jerk back as my mom pulled out the pigtails. Once she was done, she pulled my hair back into a tight ponytail. "There we go. Proper little girls are always dressed to impress." I nodded my head. "Go up to your room and practice your math." I nodded again and walked out the room, making sure not to rush. Proper girls never rushed, they glided without breaking a sweat.

"Casey!" I bolted up, almost falling off the kitchen island chair I was currently perched on. My eyes traveled to Nadia's worried face. "You okay, sweetie? You were whimpering."

I shook my head trying to clear up my fogged up brain. My mind ran back to everything that had happened that night. "Uh yeah. I'm just tired. I went out with Ryder and didn't get home until late last night. I was hungry, so I made myself a sandwich. I guess I fell asleep right here." After the bowling alley, Ryder had decided it would be fun to go to a party one of his friends was throwing. He'd dropped me off home hours later and I'd been exhausted.

"I like that kid," Nadia replied with a nod, her face stretching into a smile.

"You don't think he's a bad influence?" I asked sarcastically, sweeping a hand down my body, directing her to notice the state I was in. She laughed and shook her head.

"No. I think he's good for you," she replied and I threw her a shocked look, my eyes widening slightly.

"A boy takes me out and keeps me out all night and you think he's good for me. Yet, you thought Drake was undeserving of me. Drake. A straight-A's, student body president and honor student." I shook my head at the absurdity.

"Grades do not a good person make, Casey. Ryder may not get straight A's and he may not be the next Isaac Newton, but he's a good kid with a big heart. Something Drake doesn't seem to possess," she answered and I shook my head, disagreeing with her.

"You don't know him like I do. He's a good guy, Nadia. He's the perfect guy for me," I told her forcefully.

"Is that your mom talking or you?" she questioned and my eyes fell to the counter. "I just want you to be happy, sweetie."

"And I will be. When Drake takes me back, I will be." I stood up and walked out the room, before she could reply.

***