A smidge of a rewrite to improve the story. Hopefully inspiration will strike and I can finally complete this project over this summer. I had it completely written but lost all the files on an old desktop so it may seem a little different because I forgot bits of the original plot oops.
"Serena we have been over this problem several times. How do you not understand it? It's second grade math not rocket science," Rei huffed. She was trying to keep her patience she was, but Serena always seemed to bring out the worst in her. The other girls glanced up from their studies only to shake their heads at the familiar scene. Helping Serena with her studies was often more difficult than they'd like it to be.
Serena knew she wasn't the brightest of girls, but she tried her best, she really did. It was just… harder for her to understand the concepts the other sailors grasped so easily. She struggled to be as good as her friends and hated to admit that she simply wasn't. With her tolerance for math and her embarrassment at an all-time high Serena gave up.
"Oh calm down Rei," giggled Serena, "it's just school work it's not like it actually matters. What's one more bad grade? I don't care anymore."
Rei's explosion of anger melted into the air as she started shaking. Punching the table Rei stood up and glared at Serena with an ugly sneer on her face and murder highlighting her eyes. The other girls jolted out of their books to watch the latest fight unfold.
"You…don't ….care?" forced its way out through Rei's gritted teeth. She leaned across the table and looked daggers into her friends' eyes. "Of course you don't care you're too dumb to understand it anyways. You don't give a shit about school and the scouts either right? You never take anything seriously and always jeopardize us because of that, but you don't care right? Are our lives some sick game of yours that you don't care about either? You are way too stupid to have control over the sailor scouts and I am sick of you and the other girls are too! Why should we follow someone who acts half our age? We all have to take care of you and your mistakes! Have a reality check before you kill us all with your stupidity!"
Deafening silence slipped over the room. Rei's frustrated anger died down after her screaming. Slowly the words she had said began to sink into her mind and guilt churned in her stomach. She wasn't really that mad at Serena. However Rei had a long day and was thoroughly stressed at long before the studying session occurred. She had woken up late and was late to school and afterwards had to clean the entire temple by herself. Any semblance of patience was not present at the moment. That couldn't take away the words or the damage they had caused.
Rei had said mean, even hurtful things before, but none had cut Serena as deeply. Serena's eyes glazed over with quickly building tears. She fought them back and cleared her throat to cover up the rough texture shock had brought her voice. But the girls knew. Amy, Lita, and Mina stared at the wreckage with horrified silence. They knew some of it was true, but it didn't matter. The words were ones they would have never said. Looking at her face it was easy to see that Serena was devastated. Serena looked down to hide her face as tears swept across her cheeks.
With her face out of view of the girls, Serena clenched her eyes shut in pain. The silent tears were not for the reason the girls believed, but instead were memories of another time. A time that was almost similar to the nightmares she kept so closely guarded. Flashes of those times sped across her mind' sirens blaring and evil snickering made her shiver. Serena had believed this time would be better. She had been so positive that her friends were good and she had helped them, took care of them even sacrificing herself to do so. But it wasn't enough apparently, when would she ever be enough thought Serena. Her deepest fears were coming true in front of her and Serena was powerless to stop it.
Rei wanted to correct the situation, to try and put a band aid on an open wound. "Serena I.." Rei never got to finish as Serena cut her off. Serena didn't want to hear Rei's apology. An empty "sorry" wouldn't ease her pain or stop the bleeding in her heart. Serena choked out "No Rei it.. it's ok. I understand. I have to leave now." Serena clutched her books to her chest and hurried walked out of the temple, with each step more tears spilled over.
Rei grew panicked and stretched out her arm to stop Serena from leaving. That face. The slight glimpse of Serena's face when she glanced back would haunt the group for quite some time. Their bunny's smile was absent and in its place was gut-wrenching emptiness. Frozen in place, Rei was unable to stop Serena. Their leader quickly fled from the crime scene. Rei turned towards the girls and they stared at each other in disbelief. Nothing had ever made their leader's optimism waiver so strongly. The sailors packed their bags, no one in the mood to continue their group studies. They all hoped come tomorrow Rei would apologize and Serena would grace them with her beaming smile. Today would soon just be a distant memory long forgotten. Well at least they hoped so…
