Full Summary:
Serena Manen never wanted Prince Charming, but Darien Shields, a self-proclaimed Prince Charming, didn't care. He wanted her, and with the help of their friends, convinced her to marry him. It fell apart as she expected. The marriage was a failure - he was unfaithful and she was discontent.
Deciding to rid herself of the baggage that was her husband, she redid everything. She restarted her life beginning from the time before she had even met Darien. It was easy really. A new job, a new man, a new life, she was optimistic everything would turn out right. After all, she couldn't remember the pain of heartbreak. And Darien? Who was he anyway?
Story Notes:
I wanted to write a cliché which wouldn't turn out so clichéd. This was inspired by all the "Cheating Darien" stories out there, and the forever recurring "amnesia" plot device. Both, though slightly nauseating with their redundancy, are old favourites of mine. I also wanted to make a story that could be flexible enough to give Serena different personalities, because it's really fun writing different kinds of dialogue. Hopefully, while scratching my itch, I get to satisfy yours too.
The title is from Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines by Pablo Neruda, a Nobel Prize winning poet. I have two stories which, I think, inspired me to write more than all the others. They are Bury Your Dead by Winter-White-Angel and Forget to Remember by SilverSerenity; both can be found here under the Sailor Moon archives.
I think I've said all I can about this story, so this would be it.
Disclaimer: Creative rights to the magical world of Sailormoon belong to Naoko Takeuchi. No infringement is intended with the use of her characters. No money has been made with the writing of this story.
Part I: To Know - Chapter 1: The Meeting
Mina was going to kill her. Serena was so late. No matter how legitimate her excuse was Mina would no doubt throw a diva fit, but really, the situation couldn't be helped. The dry cleaning people almost ruined the embroidery around the neckline of the dress she was giving Mina. She had to check every little detail and repair the damage, however miniscule it was. This was going to be the first time Mina would be appearing in a big event wearing a Serena Manen creation. Everything had to be perfect.
"Sometimes, the glory isn't really worth the stress of being a celebrity stylist," Serena sighed, "Then again, when a famous actress is going to be wearing your dress to a Vanity Fair party isn't one of those times."
Serena was an aspiring designer studying at the UCLA School of Fashion. She was just a sophomore and not yet in her twenties, but she was talented enough to catch the eye of Mina Lovelane, Hollywood's newest sweetheart. It was funny how her employment happened. Mina was sick of her red carpet gowns getting a "TRASHY" review every single time that she began to seriously scour the city for the most promising new stylists. But, not being just anyone, Mina insisted on getting a total unknown who would dress her and only her. That was how she ended up in one of UCLA's student fashion shows. She saw Serena's work and was impressed; however, what set Serena apart was her own way of dressing herself. While the other student designers dressed to be noticed, Serena opted to blend in the background. She still of course looked chic, but at the same time she wasn't someone who would have stood out in a room full of fabulously clothed models. It was how Mina knew she was the right one. After all, only an idiot would want a stylist who looked just as good as her egotistic spotlight-hoarding clients.
Serena knew she was lucky to have Mina as her first boss. She was sweet if not slightly ditzy and superficial; with her being a movie star, she certainly couldn't be blamed for that though. She was used to getting what she wanted no matter how ridiculous it was. At first Serena thought it was a glaring self-entitlement which made Mina act that way, then eventually she realized that Mina did deserve the treatment she received. She was almost always tired from filming and the appearances she had to keep up were draining. There was the constant trail of paparazzi behind her too. Getting what she wanted was just a small favour she asked from her life. Yet, no matter how busy she was, Mina was the kind of person who made it a mission to meddle in other people's lives. She was happy and she wanted the world to be happy with her. It was endearing if not honestly irritating as well. She would be the first person with a bowl of chicken soup at your doorstep once you had become ill, and she would also be the first person to help you with your relationship problems regardless of how messy they were. It was the reason she was fast becoming one of Serena's best friends. It was only too easy to like her.
She was impatient and whiny too though. No doubt that would be the Mina whom Serena would be encountering this afternoon. As she entered Mina's trailer, Serena found herself wondering how best to dissuade Mina from firing her. Mina threatened to fire her at least once a day. Well, every day except Sunday, which was after all a rest day.
In her distraction, she failed to notice the "Do Not Disturb" sign posted on the trailer door.
To Serena's surprise, there was no angry Mina waiting for her at the sitting area. It was even stranger that the whole place was quiet. "Maybe she fell asleep and didn't notice the time," Serena hoped in her head. She strode towards the bedroom, and briefly weighed whether it was better to wake Mina up or just leave the dress with a note in the sitting room. Making up her mind, Serena opened the door.
"Oh. My. God."
The sight, and sounds, that confronted her were the stuff of porn films, albeit well-made and incredibly realistic porn films. She was completely stunned to catatonia that she didn't even register the two occupants of the room stilling their activities to stare at her.
"Um, Serena dear?" Mina's voice was barely a whisper in Serena's head.
"Serena?"
There was no reaction.
"Serena."
Still none.
"SERENA!"
Serena blinked to see the glistening naked bodies of Mina and a handsome man on top of her.
"Oh. My. God."
"For god's sake, can you just leave!" exclaimed the clearly irate stranger.
Serena, for the first time, acknowledged his state. She reddened at his too obvious arousal. It was big, and from where she was standing, clearly painful with soreness. She turned her back on the couple, and mumbled a hasty "sorry" while shutting the door. She immediately ran away from the trailer and the scene she had just intruded upon. She was unaware of where she was heading, but she was certain of where she wasn't going back.
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her arm and swung her around.
"Hey! Be careful, you almost ran over some props," said a male voice.
She didn't say anything, but her movements were wild and her eyes were wide with distress. "Is someone chasing you? What happened?"
"I was so stupid!" Serena wailed, "It was the most embarrassing thing ever. And I actually stared at it! Oh god!"
"You're not making any sense, you know," the concerned man replied.
Serena pointed towards Mina's trailer for her answer and he patted her arm in understanding.
"Mina's going to be so mad! If only I wasn't late... If only I paid attention... If only I wasn't so stupid... I'm never ever going to live that moment down."
"It's not that bad. Knowing my sister, I'm sure she'll just laugh it off," he gave a reassuring chuckle to emphasize his point.
"But the guy was so–"
"Don't worry about Darien. He's an exhibitionist; he likes people staring at him." He paused for an instant seemingly in thought, "No, actually they're both exhibitionists." This time he did laugh outright. Serena wanted to shrug it off like he did, but she was so scared of the man's gruff tone when he shouted at her to leave.
"I'm Andrew, by the way, if you were wondering."
Serena looked up for the first time during their whole exchange. She met friendly blue eyes and a happy smile that made her feel a bit better. Then she recognized his face.
"You're Andrew Foreman!" Serena exclaimed, shaking him, "I used to love In Sync Kids on the Backstreet, and you were my absolute favourite! I swear I almost didn't get to go to college, because I spent all my savings paying for concert tickets."
Andrew laughed at Serena's whirlwind change in mood, "Thanks, I haven't met a fan in quite a while."
"Ugh... I'm such an idiot. You must get that a lot. You probably think I'm such a loser. I'm so sorry. Mina told me famous people hated it when fans did that, but I couldn't help it. I mean, you're THE Andrew Foreman!"
"Yup, last time I checked, that was my name," he stated with a grin. "But usually people know me from my recent solo work and not my embarrassing boy band days, so that part is a fresh change."
"Hey! I was a big fan, so I don't appreciate you mocking ISKotB," Serena defended while poking him in the chest, "The only embarrassing part about that boy band was your name. That was horrible. But you were a great musical group! And anyone who says otherwise, former member or no, answers to me!"
"Alright alright, the boy band was a great leap forward towards musical progress. I give up," he said while raising his hands in surrender.
"Good," Serena nodded her head in approval, with Andrew hiding his laughing smile from her.
"So, what were you doing in Mina's trailer?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, how rude of me. I'm Serena Manen, Mina's stylist," she said while offering him her hand. Instead of shaking it though, he unexpectedly kissed it. "Pleased to meet you Miss Manen," Andrew said in a mock formal voice.
"Please, do call me Serena," she replied in her best Scarlett O'Hara accent. She let out a giggle which became a full out laugh, while Andrew followed right beside her.
When they both calmed down, Serena smiled at the picture they made, "We look like idiots."
"Ah, the price you pay to be this good-looking," Andrew stated tragically, but giving her his most I'm-a-hotshot-movie-actor pose.
"Hmm," Serena frowned and looked at his face intently.
"What's wrong?" Instead of replying, she placed her hands on his shoulders to push him down to her level. Then she grabbed his face and moved it from side to side. "Wow, you sure do look a lot like Mina," Serena said critically.
Andrew laughed aloud with Serena looking at him strangely. "What? That's it? I thought there was something on my face! I told you, I'm her brother."
"You did? I don't remember reading anything about you having a sister in the ISKotB newsletters. And why don't you have the same last name?"
"Yeah, I mentioned it while you were waiting for the floor to swallow you up," Serena blushed at the forgotten memory. "As for the newsletter, my parents didn't want people hounding Mina when we were young so they told everyone I was an only child. And Mina has a different last name, because she didn't want her career to be associated with mine. Lovelane's supposed to remind people of her romantic comedies, a smart marketing move. Quite uncharacteristic of her, actually."
"Hey! Don't badmouth my boss!"
"What? I'm her older brother. I'm entitled to make fun of her." Andrew raised his eyebrow at her.
"I just think you're bitter over your boy band's really stupid name," Serena teased.
"I thought we'd left that part of my life to the past," he whined, "where it rightly belongs might I add."
"Andrew, if we're going to be hanging out more often, then you have no choice but to rekindle the love you had for ISKotB," Serena placed her right palm on her left breast and gazed toward the horizon, "For as long as I have a single breath of life in my body, I solemnly swear to uphold the values, principles, and memory of In Sync Kids on the Backstreet!" Serena finished with a grand salute.
"Really?" Andrew teased, "As far as I'm concerned you've disgraced the memory, principles, and the values of ISKotB."
Serena crossed her arms defensively, "What are you talking about, Foreman?" she nearly growled.
"Well, you know ISKotB was a very wholesome band. I'm not sure we like voyeurs very much," he smirked.
"I AM NOT A VOYEUR!"
"Whoa Serena! Aren't we a tad defensive for someone who supposedly isn't a voyeur?" said a voice from behind her. She whipped around and saw the objects of her humiliation. Now Andrew, Mina, and the stranger were all laughing at her.
Serena's cheeks immediately coloured to a deep maroon and her hands rushed to cover her face. Her legs were shaking and after a few seconds gave into her weight, making her a huddled figure covered by blonde hair on the floor.
"Oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god oh god..."
"When do you think we should stop her?" Mina asked.
The stranger touched Serena's shoulder, and Serena just shook her head violently in response. "You know it's not a big deal, right?" he said. Serena worsened. Her whole body was turning a glaring shade of red to match her face, while her chanting just became louder to drown out his voice.
"You guys aren't helping," Andrew said trying to keep a straight face, "Darien, you go ahead. She's mostly embarrassed about seeing you."
"Uh sure, I'll see you Mina, Drew, you too, Serena," her whole body froze at his last words, "or maybe not," Darien retracted and quickly left the hysterical girl.
"Mina," Andrew said in a low voice, "I want you to throw a random tantrum over Serena." Andrew held up a finger to quiet Mina's protest, "I know it sounds harsh, but it's the only way I could think of right now that would make her actually snap out of shock."
Mina wasn't happy at all judging from the grim line her mouth had become, nonetheless she conceded, "Fine, but you have to do damage control for my fragile reputation afterwards."
"No problem," Andrew smiled easily. He gave Mina a minute to prepare her act.
Mina was breathing heavily trying to look like she was suffering from suppressed anger. Beads of sweat were forming at her brow and her heavy panting could be heard throughout the cavernous studio. It was a form of acting she had perfected and which was relatively easy. She just had to do the physical part of an emotional reaction, and BAM, her brain would suddenly ooze hormones and bring her to the right mental state.
"Time's up."
"SERENAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Serena's body shot ramrod straight and she looked frightened out of her wits, "Ye- ye- ye- yes, Mina?"
"Where the hell is my dress? I only have five fucking hours to prepare! What the fuck are you standing there for! Where is it? And don't think I didn't notice how late you were! I was supposed to get that dress THREE FUCKING HOURS AGO!"
"Mina, I'm so sorry! Please, please, please don't fire me! The dry cleaners almost ruined it, so–"
"What am I going to wear then, Serena? I gave you this shot at responsibility and you so totally blew it! I can't believe I trusted a 19-year old to dress me!"
Serena was terrified with worry, "I fi- fi- fixed everything. Mina, please, I'm so sorry."
Mina looked unforgiving though, "I'm so disappointed in you. I really expected more."
Serena was stung. She was torn between begging for mercy and showing her righteous indignation. Sure the job was that rare opportunity that she shouldn't waste, but Mina was acting like she had been neglecting her work. Serena had made this job her biggest priority, and the fact that Mina didn't even seem to acknowledge that hurt her. A huge part of her did it for selfish reasons, but a big part also just really wanted Mina to look her best. She could have presented Mina a less than perfect dress which people would have said was pretty enough, but she didn't. She cared for Mina, and she wouldn't have allowed her to wear anything short of amazing. She had integrity, and if Mina couldn't appreciate that, it was her loss.
She tried to strengthen her resolve and forced herself to stop shaking, "Mina, the dress is perfect. It would look wonderful on you. I know I let you down, but I would be letting you down even more if I let you walk away with a frayed neckline, or a last-minute dress from another designer who couldn't care less about how you looked. I'm your stylist and your friend, as both, I care about your look, your reputation, and your future," at this Mina raised her eyebrow in apparent scepticism, "This dress tells everyone everything that you are. I know I'm late, but it's not something I'm going to apologize for any more than I have to, because in my opinion, I had the right reasons." Serena exhaled a breath of nervousness. She really didn't feel as strong as she had sounded.
Mina gave Serena a toothy grin, "Alright dear, no hard feelings then? Let's go to my trailer and make me look gorgeous!"
Serena was stupefied, "Mina, you have the weirdest mood swings. I swear sometimes I really honestly think you're going insane." Mina just laughed it off and skipped ahead, but not before winking at Andrew. Crisis averted.
"You're one to talk, Serena," Andrew interjected, "You can go from embarrassed to giddy to defensive to self-righteous all in the span of three minutes!"
"Is it too much if I blame everything on PMS?" Serena joked.
"If it were anything else, I'd personally drive you to a mental institute." Serena giggled and Andrew joined her laughter. They both walked to Mina's trailer forgetting it was the scene of the crime.
With the help of ten people and Serena, Mina did not only look gorgeous but was also declared the night's best dressed. Everyone wanted to know who she was wearing and where they could get a dress like hers. The event was the start to a great month for Serena. She received the recognition that she had wanted. She wasn't allowed to be another celebrity's stylist, but she didn't care for that part of her job much anyway; one Mina was enough. She was happy with just her name being out there. Now, she could apply for an internship to famous designers and actually get noticed. She wasn't going to simply learn about the backstage happenings of fashion shows. She was going to live it.
With all the new people she was meeting, June became a happy but busy month for her, so she was eager for the end of it to arrive. Her best friends, Amy and Rei, were going back for summer vacation. It was going to be a time for fun and relaxation. Plus, she had a birthday to celebrate.
"I'm just confirming. You are coming to my birthday slash congratulations-you-totally-made-the-best-dress-at-the-Vanity-Fair-Party party right?"
"Yes, you've asked me that a hundred times just this week," Mina paused for a second, "By the way, you may not see it, but I'm rolling my eyes at you. Just so you know."
She offered a crude snort in reply. "Ugh, that is so unladylike, Serena!"
"Whatever! Let's go back to the topic at hand. My party!" Serena babbled on, "I'm so excited! You're finally going to meet my best friends."
"Am I not your best friend too?" Mina asked in a low voice.
"Oh Mina, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it that way at all. Of course you're one of my best friends too," Serena tried to reassure.
Mina chuckled, "I'm just kidding, Sere. You know I know that I'm your best best friend since I'm the one who's paying you."
"As if!" Serena exclaimed, "How come I've never gotten a check yet, huh?"
"Well the payment is the fame I bring you."
"More like the stress," Serena grumbled.
"I heard that!" Mina said laughing.
"That was the point. Maybe you'll finally grow a conscience or something, you slave driver."
"You watch it, Serena," Mina chastised, "I might just fire you."
"But tomorrow, when you need a dress, you'll just rehire me anyway," Serena said smugly.
"Yup! But the threat's still there," Mina replied gleefully.
"You know you never make sense right?"
"I'm an actress; I'm not expected to make sense. You little people are supposed to decode what I mean, and get me what I want." Mina stated matter-of-factly.
"God, I'm certain you have the biggest ego in the world," Serena paused, "And by the way, you may not see it, but I'm rolling my eyes at you. Just so you know."
"Imitation is the best form of flattery dear, but it's totally unnecessary. I already know you want to be me. I mean who doesn't? And you can't be sure I have the biggest ego in the world. Have you met everyone in the world?"
"Alright, you have the biggest ego of anyone I've ever known. And that's a lot of people, Mina."
"Most of whom are insignificant and matter little in the great scheme of things," Mina said dismissively.
"The great scheme of things being Hollywood?"
"Well of course!"
"I seriously think my brain just shrunk three sizes. I wanted to lose weight, but not like this. No wonder you're so light!"
"Thank you," Mina replied haughtily.
Serena waited for a few seconds. With no response from Mina, she finally let loose her laughter.
"What's so funny?" Mina whined.
"Your brain," Serena chortled, "must be," she sniggered, "going on a serious diet!" She couldn't help it and released a new batch of giggles.
"You're so mean!" Mina cried, but Serena was laughing too hard to respond. "Hmph, not funny Serena!"
After a few minutes Serena had finally calmed down enough to reply, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. It was just too easy."
"That's it. I'm not going to your party anymore!"
"Aw, don't be like that. You know I'm just kidding. And you'll have a lot of fun with the other girls. I promise." Mina stayed silent.
"Please?" Serena begged with as contrite a tone as she could muster.
"You're a terrible actress."
Serena knew an opening when she heard one, "But you're so talented that you make up for my totally absent acting ability!"
"That's true." The tone of Mina's voice signalled her wavering; she always did bend easily to compliments.
"You're coming then?"
"Fine, fine, but there better be good-looking guys there."
"Uh, not really," Serena answered with a frown, "It's a small get-together and the guys who'll be there are already taken. But you can bring a date! All the other girls are bringing dates."
"A date huh? Are you sure about that?"
"Why not? There's no harm in bringing another person. I mean Lita always cooks for like twenty more than what I ask for."
"Alright Sere, I'll bring a date," Mina giggled, "Darien's okay with you right?" she asked, fully expecting Serena to blubber in reply.
Serena's mom entered the living room with a whole rainbow of balloons. Serena smiled at the added colour, and jumped up to help her mom, while sandwiching the phone in the crook of her neck. But mother and daughter fumbled with the strings and all the balloons started flying towards the ceiling.
"Sere?"
"Just great!" Serena groaned, frustrated.
She was too preoccupied to really hear what Mina had said. The flying mass was heading toward her because of the wind from the garden her mom just came from, and it didn't help that she was also losing the battle with the receiver which was quickly slipping from her cramped neck.
"Uh, I have to go my neck is really killing me and a mob of killer balloons are aiming to swallow me I think, but I'll see you tonight. Bye!" She wasn't sure if Mina understood half of what she had said, but it couldn't be helped, the phone had slipped to the floor.
Serena and her mom had finally tamed the reckless decorations after almost half an hour of running after them. The interior of their house was now covered by a cornucopia of balloons, streamers, and ribbon. It looked more like a children's party than one for a person who was turning twenty, but Serena wanted to have a last childish moment since she was leaving her teens. She could have an adult's party anytime afterward, especially since she was in college anyway.
This was symbolic. To emphasize her point, tomorrow, she was cutting her hair. She had refused to cut it to a normal length all throughout her childhood and teens, feeling a connection with Rapunzel, who was a beauty trapped in a monotonous existence until her saviour came. However, her recent stream of successes made her realize that she didn't need to wait for life to come to her. Carpe diem! She was not some poor woman who had no means of escape. Her career was moving forward, but it would stall if she remained stuck in her past. Also, she had to acknowledge that cutting her hair was a good business move. Nobody would probably have taken her seriously with her hair up in pigtails and flowing down to her knees.
Tomorrow, however, would not only bring physical changes but emotional ones too. She was officially moving out of her parents' house and to her own apartment. It was scary for her, being the type to crave companionship, but also quite necessary. After all her meetings with business people, she had concluded that she needed a lifestyle change. She was too dependent on others and needed to grow on her own.
Everything was going to move forward tomorrow. To quote little orphan Annie, "Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love yah tomorrow, you're only a day away!"
Serena walked towards the garden to inspect the tables and chairs. She saw Lita and helped her arrange the plates of food on the picnic table. As expected, Lita had cooked for a group more like the army than the 10-15 people who would actually be there.
"Lita, this is just too much," Serena told her.
"Have you seen yourself eat? I think it's just right," Lita said with a teasing grin.
"Hahaha, very funny, but seriously," Serena looked at her, "you didn't have to cook this much. I know you have a lot of work to do and school to worry about. I didn't want you to tire yourself out just for me."
"You're so sweet," Lita smiled at her, "You always worry about everybody. I'm fine and I had a lot of free time. This is my gift to you." Serena was still frowning though, "I mean you're going to live alone and you don't know how to cook. You need all the leftovers you can get just so you won't starve the first week."
"I'm not that bad at cooking!" Serena cried in defence. Lita just raised an eyebrow.
"Really I'm not! I cooked that stew once and you guys loved it," Lita looked confused, "You know the one I had to do for a class project, the one you helped me with. It looked terrible, but even you said it was good!"
"Oh yeah! That wasn't half bad. But still, you need all the food you can get. You'll be busy with the move, and I don't think you'll have time to cook."
"Fine. But next time, no doing this, okay?"
"Okay," Lita smiled. "On more important stuff, is Mina Lovelane coming tonight?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah! But I promised her you'd all act normal, so no asking for autographs or saying that she looks better in the movies."
"Does she look better in the movies?"
"Does who look better in the movies?"
"Molly!" Serena said surprised, "I thought you were going to be late."
"My mom told me I could close the shop early to get here on time. So who looks better in the movies?"
"Not you too," Serena frowned, "We were talking about Mina Lovelane, and I told Lita that she should act normal around her."
"You're evading the question, Serena," Lita observed.
"She's right," Molly seconded, "Does that mean Mina isn't as pretty as she's supposed to be?"
"No!"
"No she's not as pretty, or no she is?" Lita was being very pushy about this.
"No, she's very pretty and I think she's equally good-looking on and off the screen," Serena answered with annoyance.
"And you're not just saying that, because you're a nice person?" Molly asked.
"No, I'm not just saying it," Serena replied exasperated, "But if you don't believe me, you could see for yourself later. Just don't–"
"Say that she looks better in the movies to her face," Lita finished for her.
Serena glared at Lita and Molly. She wasn't angry but they were being terribly silly.
"Sere, I promise that we won't do anything to annoy Miss Lovelane," Molly tried to appease her.
"We both promise!" Lita agreed. Serena looked disbelieving though.
"C'mon, Sere. After all, she's rich, and I can't push away a person who has money to invest in my restaurant," Lita joked.
"Alright, I believe you if only because I know you need her money," Serena replied.
"I'm not that bad!"
"I'm sorry," Molly said, "but you really are."
The three of them laughed at that. They started talking about other things and were just catching up when three other people joined them.
"Happy birthday, Sere!" a shy voice said from behind them.
"Amy!" Serena saw the other girl beside her, "Rei!" She rushed to them and gave them a bone-crushing hug. "I've missed you guys! How's Dartmouth? Where's Greg? And what about you, Rei? Is Yale still full of stuck-up elitists?"
"Slow down Meatball Head!" Rei said laughingly.
Molly joined the trio and gave both Rei and Amy a hug, "It's been a long time," she smiled at them.
Serena looked up from her three friends and noticed Lita standing awkwardly at the food table. She quickly dragged the newcomers to where Lita was. "Girls, this is Lita. She is the best cook in the whole city, probably the whole state, and possibly the whole country!"
Lita blushed from Serena's praise, "Uh, hi. I like to cook and people say I'm really good, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the best in the city."
"Don't be shy!" Rei said, "Serena would know, her goal in high school was to eat in all the restaurants in the country, and I'm pretty sure she's accomplished most of it already."
"And that annoying person is none other than Rei," Serena bit back, "You'd be able to find her in a crowd just by following the trail of petrified corpses she leaves behind."
Serena mock whispered, "She can be a real bitch." Lita giggled and looked up to see Rei scowling which she found even funnier.
"And this," Serena gestured, "is Amy. She's the smartest–"
"That's not true," Amy said timidly looking down.
"And most modest girl you'd ever meet," Serena smiled at her fondly, and continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, "She was our school's resident genius. Actually, if Melvin's coming, you'd meet our school's other genius. Is he coming tonight, Molly?"
At Lita's questioning glance, Serena explained, "He's Molly's boyfriend. They used to be attached at the hip during high school, but he's at Berkeley studying only god knows what."
"Astrophysics actually," Molly said.
"Wow, movie stars and geniuses," Lita gasped looking awed, "Serena, you seriously meet the coolest people!"
"Sorry to disappoint," Molly murmured, "Melvin can't come," she had a sad look while saying this.
Serena's words were empathetic, "I'm sorry, Molly. I know you miss him very much. It's summer though, he's bound to come home soon," Serena comforted.
"Yeah," Molly smiled a little, "it's just that we don't have a lot of time together anymore. It's so different compared to high school."
"How about Ken?" Serena turned to Lita.
"He's neck-deep with work and school," she said apologetically, "He told me he'd try to catch up, but he most probably won't be able to make it."
"That's too bad. I guess only Mina and Amy are bringing dates," Serena turned to Amy, "Where's Greg by the way?"
"He's just parking the car," she clarified for Lita, "He's my boyfriend. He's also studying at Dartmouth to be a doctor."
"So are you doing a lot of doctor stuff already?" Molly asked.
"Not really. Right now, we just usually dissect frogs and do Chem experiments. It's not all that stressful yet."
"And you?" Serena directed at Rei, "Met anyone bitchier than you yet?" she asked innocently.
"Haha, always with the wisecracks, Serena," Rei stuck out her tongue, "But to answer your earlier question, yes, Yale is still full of stuck-up snobs and I don't know how I'm going to survive."
"I thought you'd have found your kindred spirits," Serena quipped.
"Are they always like this?" Lita asked Amy and Molly. The three of them laughed at the arguing couple.
"Serena," her mom's voice drifted from the living room, "don't you think it's time to feed your guests?" she inquired.
"Shouldn't we wait for Mina and Andrew?" Serena replied.
"I think it's okay if we eat now. After all, Rei, Amy, and Greg had a long flight and airplane food is no good," her mom said.
"We're all hungry, Serena," her dad agreed.
"Alright, I'm pretty hungry as well," Serena relented.
"That's no surprise. You're never not hungry," her brother stated carelessly.
"Isn't there like a law saying that you can't insult people on their birthday?"
"Children, please," her father grumbled, "You can continue your argument after dinner."
"Sorry Dad," they both mumbled.
Her parents, brother, and Greg joined the girls at the food table. Everybody was in line to fill their plates when the doorbell suddenly rang. "I'll get it!" Serena shouted while running to the house.
"Mina, Andrew!" Serena greeted, opening the door. She grinned at the two people in question and noticed that there was another behind them.
"Is that your date, Mina?"
"Serena," Mina and Andrew were trying not to smirk, "I think you remember Darien," they moved to the side so that Serena could get a better view.
"Oh. My. God."
Serena stood stock-still, frozen at the man before her. Andrew and Mina couldn't help but laugh at the repeat of what they fondly called "Darien's Dick-induced Serena Shutdown Effect of Derangement" or "Darien's DISSED" for short. And yes, it took them a long time to figure that name out.
"Would you," Andrew snorted, "have come?" he guffawed.
For a full three minutes, Serena remained unmoving; the two perpetrators laughed their asses off; and Darien stood there staring uncertainly at the three. This was the scene Rei walked in on when she came to check on what was holding Serena up.
"What's going on?" Rei asked with shock in her voice.
Darien noticed the presence of the only other normal person in the area, "Please, fix her!"
"Uh, okay. When they're done," Rei pointed to Mina and Andrew, "you can go round the house to the yard."
"Are you sure she'll be fine by then?"
"Yes, don't worry," she pulled Serena into the living room and began insulting her about her hair. Her hair had always been a sensitive subject for Serena, so it was an effective tactic. Soon enough, Serena was alive again to riposte against Rei's verbal fencing. They went back to the yard still arguing and Serena seemingly under the influence of selective amnesia.
Serena and Rei were already piling food on their plates when Mina, Andrew, and Darien arrived. They silently took their seats not wanting Serena to suddenly go into shock again and break the china. But some things couldn't be helped.
"Omigod! Andrew Foreman and Darien Shields! I think I've gone to heaven," Lita screamed swooning.
Serena turned around at the ruckus only to have Rei push her face down.
"Ouch!" Unfortunately, the abruptness of the action gave the push extra force and caused Serena to smack her face on her plate. When she raised her head, it was covered in bright red.
"Oh. My. God."
Everyone in the yard was shocked to find the birthday girl celebrating with salsa unmistakably on her face. Everything was quiet and Rei was shaking with fear waiting for Serena to retaliate. The world seemed to move in slow motion, so Rei was able to see Serena grab a fistful of guacamole. But her hand wouldn't budge to stop her. Her body was rocklike in heaviness and she could only stare at Serena open-mouthed hoping that she was going to have second thoughts.
"Not gonna happen," Serena said stonily as if reading her mind.
At the same time the smashed mixture of avocados connected with Rei's face.
"FOOD FIGHT!"
In seconds, the whole yard and everyone in it was covered with an assortment of food. Red, green, yellow, brown, and most frighteningly, black, was thrown all around. Amy and Greg were singling out each other, while Rei had decided to hit everyone at random. Serena's parents were evading Molly's relentless attacks as her brother fended them off by himself. Even girly Mina wasn't holding back. She hit Lita head on and they were on full-out fight mode. It was all fun for Serena who in no time resembled a work of abstract art; however, not everyone seemed to be participating. Noticing Andrew and another shying away in the background, Serena picked up a bowl of spaghetti and silently trailed behind her prey.
Without warning she poured the whole contents of the bowl over their huddled heads.
"Fuck!"
Too bad for them it wasn't typical spaghetti, "Next time, don't let Lita make anything with squid ink," she chuckled to herself.
Serena couldn't contain her laughter at the two faces covered by noodles dripping with blackness. It was possibly the most disgusting thing she had ever seen. The two males glowered at her as she was struggling to find her breath in between giggles. Mina came over to help them both since everybody else had stopped to stare at the food fight's most pitiful victims.
"Serena, although it was incredibly entertaining, I don't think that was the best way for you and Darien to...um...settle your differences," Mina giggled while trying to remove strands of spaghetti from his head.
"You mean–" Serena gasped, "Oh. My. Go–"
Serena never got to relapse into "Darien's DISSED" mode again, though, for Rei had come over to knock some sense into her, literally and quite painfully.
"Ow!" Serena cried rubbing the back of her head, "What was that for!"
"Stop being a crybaby," Rei said rolling her eyes, "You deserved it. I mean you knowingly dumped black spaghetti on the guy, and instead of apologizing when Mina mentioned his name, you almost went into that whole zombie routine of yours."
"But Rei," Serena whined in a voice that resembled a five-year old's, "you don't understand! He- he-"
"He what?" Rei asked raising an impatient brow.
Serena leaned against her and whispered, "He was naked!"
Unfortunately, Serena never was any good at whispering things in a loudness appropriate for a whisper. And even worse, the others had moved in to get closer to the commotion. Everybody had heard her confession. But the bigger concern was that her father had heard her confession.
"WHAT!" he roared. Darien visibly shook in his place. "That man corrupted my baby! I'll tear him piece by piece!"
Even with a gargantuan effort, Sammy and Greg could not hold back a father bent on massacring the man who had desecrated his baby's honor. And if it wasn't for Amy's quick thinking, Darien probably would have gone home permanently unable to bear offspring.
Like a throwback to the Three Stooges, Amy threw the pie she was holding right at the face of Serena's father. All eyes were on Amy and everything was silent as a graveyard.
"Uh," like an audience in a tennis match everyone turned in unison to the direction of the daring voice, "banana cream's a really good flavour on you, Daddy!" Serena said brightly feigning a smile.
All heads now faced her father. His right eye seemed to be twitching and those who were close enough to him were able to note the purple vein throbbing under all the whipped cream. He wasn't saying anything, but there was definite evidence to conclude that he did not take the joke well. Serena desperately made eye contact with her mother who seemed to be the only one who was enjoying the skirmish.
A slender finger wiped some topping from her father's cheek. Eyes widened, mouths gaped, as all other movement ceased in reaction. The finger then proceeded to enter its owner's waiting mouth with as much deliberation as possible.
"Serena's quite right, dear. You've never tasted better," Serena's mom said saucily and with a wink for good measure.
"Eww! Mom, keep the innuendoes inside the bedroom!" Sammy mock-gagged.
With those words, the noise level spiked with boisterous laughter. Even Serena's father proved he had a sense of humour. It was during this time that Serena noticed Darien eyeing his escape. She silently prayed that he'd be able to leave without catching her father's attention again.
"Don't think I'm letting you go!" her father barked in his sternest army voice.
Apparently, her birthday prayer was not going to be answered.
"I may have let Amy go for hitting me with pie, but don't think I'm done with you," Darien slowly turned around to face him, "Tell me, exactly what are your intentions with my daughter?"
"Sir," Darien started in a shaky voice, "I have no intentions whatsoever."
"How dare you! After you–"
"Now dear, I'm sure the young man didn't mean to come off so crudely," Serena's mother mediated, "I'm sure... I'm sorry. I never got your name." She smiled at Darien welcomingly.
"It's Darien Shields, Ma'am."
"It's nice to meet you, Darien," she walked over to him and shook his hand, "You can call me Ilene and my husband over there is Kenneth. I apologize for our lack of decorum. My husband especially," she glanced at her erring spouse critically.
"He should be the one you're lecturing, not me!" Kenneth spluttered in protest, "After all he did to Serena!"
"What is your relationship with our daughter?" Ilene asked, but not unkindly.
"Um, you may not like to hear this, but I don't have any relationship with her," Darien answered warily.
"Ah, you mean a purely physical release thing," she said.
Mina and Andrew snickered, Serena tried to shrink behind a chair in mortification, and all the others who knew Ilene had their mouths open in shock. But Sammy, poor Sammy, actually fainted with the horror of his mother and sex sharing the same thought bubble in his well-compartmentalized brain.
"NO!"
Serena's mom raised her brow at his vehement denial.
"Not that there's anything wrong with your daughter!" Darien reassured both parents forcefully.
"She's clearly a very pretty girl," he said, nodding his head to punctuate his words, "Veryvery pretty."
"I still don't understand," Ilene said.
"Meatball Head, why don't you explain this? It's your fault he's in this mess anyway," Rei said.
"Yes, Serena. Everything would be much clearer if you tell us," Ilene agreed.
Serena stood up from her position behind the chair and looked at Darien uncomfortably. She glanced at Mina and Andrew who were still sniggering, and sighed. She couldn't ask them to explain without their botching up everything even more. She steeled her nerves and tried to hold down the feelings of embarrassment that so easily overtook her.
"Like Darien said, he and I have no relationship whatsoever, whether it's simply physical or something more," she looked at her father sternly to stop him from interrupting, "In fact, he's here as Mina's date and Andrew's friend. This is honestly just the second time I've ever seen him."
"But you said you saw him naked!" a breathless Sammy exclaimed who was thankfully being given first-aid shock treatment by Greg and Amy.
"It's also true that I saw him naked. But," she directed her words to her father, "I assure you there was no corrupting involved."
"I beg to differ," Andrew said laughingly.
"Well if there was any corrupting involved, I didn't play a direct part in it."
"Serena, can you please stop talking in circles," Lita cried, exasperated.
"Oh be fair," Amy interjected, "it's obviously a very humiliating subject for her."
"But it would all be over if she'd just say it straight," Molly said agreeing with Lita.
Serena had no words to explain how she walked in on Mina and Darien. It was too embarrassing an experience for her to recount. Everybody was waiting for her to continue, but the seconds just ticked by.
"I'm surprised you even got that far," Mina giggled, "What Serena wants to say if her brain were functioning properly is that she wasn't in the direct line of 'corrupting'," Mina gestured with air quotes around the last word, "because it was me she saw Darien corrupting," she waited for her meaning to sink in.
Sadly, it wasn't just Serena's brain that wasn't functioning that night. She saw Darien sigh audibly at the frustration she also felt. But she didn't expect the words that burst from his mouth.
"Serena walked in on me and Mina fucking in her trailer!"
Instead of the shock that she expected to see on their faces, Serena saw expressions of relieved comprehension. Finally.
The only predictable reaction came from her father.
"C'mon dear," Serena's mom pulled her dad who was spluttering "my poor baby" over and over again towards the house, "This much excitement is no good for your blood pressure."
Without her parents, the role of host was now solely Serena's. She didn't really know what to do, so she just observed everyone for a few moments. She found Darien together with Mina and Andrew, the pair still laughing at him. Sammy and Greg were talking about techie stuff, completely ignoring the recent revelations. Apparently selective amnesia ran in the family. The girls were together gossiping. Since everyone seemed to be occupied, she thought it was fine to talk with the girls a while.
"You're such a meatball head, you know," Rei told Serena, "making such a big deal out of something so small."
"You weren't there. You didn't see what I saw," Serena replied defensively.
"That big huh?" Lita quirked an eyebrow, "Care to describe more of exactly what you saw?"
Serena just glowered at her.
"Of course it's only to help us sympathize with you," Lita said giving a false look of empathy.
"You shouldn't pick on Serena," Amy said, "It was a terrible situation to be in."
Molly nodded, "Yes, I wouldn't want to see any intimate moments between those two either," she gestured toward Darien and Mina, "I've heard how much they experiment in bed," she shuddered.
"I for one would like to test the truth of the rumours," Lita said, after a few seconds she sighed. "He reminds me so much of my old boyfriend. If only I didn't have one now..."
"I'm with you," Rei said while studying him from afar, "Darien Shields is definitely the kind of man I'd like to experiment with."
"But he's sleeping with Mina!" Serena cried.
"Minor detail," Lita answered, "everybody knows Darien Shields and Mina Lovelane aren't the serious type."
"And I'm not the serious type either," Rei said grinning predatorily.
"I hope you're not going to do what I'm almost certain you're going to do," Molly said but in a tone that was goading her on.
"It wouldn't be very prudent of you to do that," Amy tried to reason.
"Amy's right! You can't be serious. Darien is a player," Serena looked worried, "You don't know what you're getting into."
Rei looked at her fondly and mussed her hair a bit, "You're so naive. Do you think I would have survived college if I didn't have sex-only relationships with the guys there? I mean most of them are assholes, but a lot of them are hot assholes. You have to take what you can get," she said matter-of-factly. "I'm sure I have enough experience to handle Darien Shields."
"But you're just staying here for the summer, won't that be bad?" Serena asked, trying to dissuade her.
"Actually, that would be perfect. Call it a summer fling," with that, Rei flipped her hair over a shoulder and walked off to Darien's direction.
The girls continued to talk with Serena glancing worriedly at Rei every now and then. Eventually they switched to other subjects. Mina and Andrew joined them when Rei and Darien's flirting became overt and unbearable.
"Mina, Andrew, this is Molly, my first friend ever. This is Amy who was our high school's genius. And this is Lita, the greatest cook I've ever met," Serena said and gestured to each one accordingly. They all exchanged niceties, but afterward there was some dead air. Serena was watching Lita and Molly for any signs that they were going into fan-mode.
"I give up!" Lita exclaimed, "Serena, I know I promised you that I wouldn't do anything, but I have to do this," she looked at her bravely.
She turned her eyes toward the famous pair and just started to gush. Compliment after compliment, inappropriate question after inappropriate question burst from Lita's lips. And soon after, Molly joined her. The two of them sang a duet of fan-crazed psalms praising everything from their ability to be on every A-list party to their seemingly Botox enhanced smiles. Then just as suddenly as it began the mixture of sycophantic and insulting statements stopped.
Lita and Molly both took deep breaths. "Wow, I'm glad I got that out of my chest," Lita said.
Molly apologized for the both of them, "I'm sorry, but we couldn't just stand here without saying those things. It would've killed us. It's like meeting a person who has a humongously huge mole and trying to stop yourself from even looking at the thing."
"I think what they're trying to say is that since they've said everything embarrassing they could, they can now treat you as normal people," Amy translated.
"No worries," Andrew grinned affably, "we thought it was funny."
"Yeah," Mina nodded, "it could've been insulting if you mentioned the Botox thing by itself, but since you just talked and talked, it kind of faded with the other stuff you said," Mina smiled. After a second she added, "Just don't ask me about plastic surgery ever again," she warned forebodingly.
"Uh, okay. I'll try," Lita said cautiously.
After the initial weirdness, the six of them had a fun conversation. Of course most of it consisted of teasing Serena since she was the tie that held them all together, but there was a general feeling of camaraderie, and it was not hard to imagine that they'd all become fast friends.
The conversations among the three groups dragged on until Amy, Greg, and Rei finally had to succumb to their jetlag. Lita and Molly were both sleeping over at Serena's house, so they cleaned up the yard while Serena walked the others to the door. She felt a bit sad at seeing them go, but had to admit that she too was beginning to feel sleepy.
"Are you sure you don't want to call a cab," Serena asked Greg.
"It's no trouble. Our hotel's near and I'm not that sleepy yet," he replied with a comforting smile.
"Okay then, I'll see you both tomorrow." Serena then furrowed her eyebrows, "Wait. Where's Rei?"
"Um," Amy said slowly hoping Serena wouldn't take the news too badly, "she told us she's going home with Darien tonight."
"What! Is she crazy?" Serena shouted, "She barely knows the guy!"
"Hey! I know him better than you do," Rei said from behind.
"Serena," Amy said shrinking away, "Greg and I are going."
"Okay," she absentmindedly hugged them both, and then turned her attention back on Rei.
"That's not saying much!" she cried. "Rei, please think clearly. I know Darien's not that bad a guy-"
"Wow! Thanks a lot!" Darien joked interrupting their argument.
"But you barely know him. How is that good to start a relationship with?" Serena finished without missing a beat.
"That's the problem with you. You keep on thinking that there's going to be something more than this, but I'm not looking for more," Serena still looked anxious. "Look, it's better this way. If he does anything bad, I won't feel hurt because I didn't really expect much in the first place. Trust me, Serena," Rei said assuredly.
"You girls really know how to give a guy a much-needed ego boost," Darien said sarcastically.
"Well, it is the truth," Rei reasoned. "But yeah, sorry Dare," she added sheepishly.
"You're onto pet names now!" Serena glared at Darien.
"Meatball Head," Rei interjected, "can't you use your brain for once? 'Dare' is his nickname. Like 'Sere' is yours."
Serena just continued to look at Darien menacingly, effectively blocking out Rei's words.
"I don't know what reaction I prefer from you more, the zombie trance or the death glare," Darien pondered.
Mina and Andrew joined them at the hallway, "Definitely the death glare," they said in unison.
"I don't know if I should feel bad that you're not as protective over me as you are over your other friends," Mina pouted.
"I can't be protective over you when I saw firsthand that you can go from him to another guy in less than a day," Serena rolled her eyes.
"That's a new record, Sis," Andrew applauded mockingly.
"You mean to say if I had another guy tomorrow then you wouldn't mind my sleeping with Darien?" Rei questioned, glad to have trapped Serena.
"Uh," she didn't have an answer.
"I think that's exactly what she means," Mina said, "So you and Darien can have your fun tonight!" she smirked.
"No problem then. I'll personally see that Rei has a different guy tomorrow," Darien said chuckling.
The pair walked out the door with the siblings tailing them. Serena stood at the doorway still thinking of a way to rebut their argument, too surprised at the turn of events.
When she found them already riding their cars, she shook her head to regain consciousness and called out, "Just be safe, okay?"
"Don't worry, Meatball Head!"
She closed the door and leaned against it. The assurance troubled her even more.
It was Darien's voice that called her "Meatball Head."
A/N:
"In Sync Kids in the Backstreet" is my homage to boy bands, and Andrew's story in the music business is my shout out to Justin Timberlake who I'll always love as that scrawny boy with too big hair from my favourite boy band, *NSYNC. May boy bands return and reign again! The mole thing was inspired by the mole in Austin Powers: Goldmember.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it.