"Whose Got a Date with Tuxedo Mask?"
Chapter 1: Big Fat Lie
Thursday afternoon: the Arcade
"Hi girls!" Andrew waved cheerfully at Raye, Ami, and Serena as they plopped down in their usual booth by the counter, "What'll it be today?"
Serena smiled at him, twisting a long blonde pigtail. He was so cute! "Just a small sundae," she chirped, batting her eyelashes madly.
"If I know you Serena," he teased, "One sundae will turn into two sundaes and that's double the cost. Why don't you just order a sundae with a double scoop?"
"Because then there's not enough hot fudge to go around!" she explained, in her mind her reasoning perfectly rational.
Andrew smiled at her precociousness, "Alright, extra hot fudge on the house today." Serena was in there every day, after all and had become like an adored little sister to him.
"Special occasion you're chowing down for, Meatball Head?" A drawling, familiar voice came from the doorway of the Arcade. "Hey there, Andrew!" he added sliding off his sunglasses and acknowledging his friend.
"For your information, Darien," Serena huffed, shooting her nose up in the air, "I have a fast metabolism and can eat whatever I want!"
Darien Shields, a senior at Crossroads High, could be such an arrogant jerk sometimes. Serena just fumed in his mere presence.
"Hey there, Darien!" Raye greeted him eagerly, hopping up from where she was sitting, praying that he had come into the Arcade to ask her on another date.
"Actually, good thing you're here," He addressed the slim, raven-haired beauty, "I wanted to apologize for having to cop out on our date so early the other day."
"Oh, of course he would do something like that, the jerk," Serena muttered under her breath although secretly jealous that Raye had gone on her first date before herself.
Raye flashed an eager smile, "Oh, it's perfectly fine, don't worry about it, Darien. Another time?"
"Funny you mentioned it. That's what I've come to ask you," Raye looked as if she was going to leap out of the booth, "Another date to make up for the last one. Are you free Saturday?"
Serena choked on her own spit in surprise, "Oh Raye," she coughed, barely audible, "You wouldn't possibly want to go out with a loser like him?"
"Serena, shut UP," Raye hissed then turned back towards Darien with her ready and willing game face, "I'd love to," she answered, "We could see a movie and perhaps afterwards go get some ice cream or something?"
Ice cream! Serena remembered her coming treat and practically drooled onto the tabletop in a momentary trance.
Darien laughed, "Ice cream? You might have to watch it or the Meatball Head will want to come along and mooch off the free food!"
Serena waved her fists in the air angrily shouting, "I am not a Meatball Head!"
The two lovebirds laughed at her.
"Alright sounds like a plan," Darien agreed with Raye and left to chat up Andrew at the counter.
Raye did a victory dance where she sat, "I'm going on a date with Darien, I'm going on a date with Darien!" she sang much to Serena's annoyance.
"Why you would ever go on a date with a creep like that…" Serena hissed, slumping in her seat, still recovering from the encounter.
"Oh, I just think you're jealous!" Raye taunted a malicious glint in her eye.
"Raye, don't provoke her!" Ami interjected, glancing up from her textbook momentarily.
"Why would I be jealous?" Serena practically screamed, Ami covering her ears preparing for the argument, "Darien Shields is the last guy on Earth I'd ever want to go out with!"
Darien smirked from where he was sitting at the counter. He loved infuriating the sensitive blonde, he didn't know why. It was just instinctually satisfying.
Raye leaned over the booth, meeting Serena face to face so they could battle, "Yes, you're jealous," she insisted, "Jealous that I'm going on my second date with a guy when you've never even had one!"
Andrew second guessed his timing hearing the outburst but the sundae was going to melt and he slid it precariously on the table, hurrying away before Serena had a chance to retaliate.
But the sundae was just the peace treaty that was needed. Serena spied it out of the corner of her eye and decided to delay her retort. The ice cream would give her the inspiration she needed to really knock Raye off her dating pedestal.
Serena picked up the spoon and prepared to take a big bite, but Darien passing their table on his way out of the Arcade couldn't resist the perfect opportunity that presented itself. He slid the dish out from under her and--
"Ow!" Serena moaned crashing down on the tabletop, taking a swipe of empty air with her spoon, "That hurt!" she cried, clutching her bruised chin, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
"Oh, geez, I didn't mean to…" Darien tried to explain himself, he actually felt pretty bad. He really didn't mean to hurt her.
But before he could get an explanation out, BAM! He was flat on his face! Serena flashed him a dangerous smile from where she sat, the culprit; her foot outstretched. She had tricked him.
Darien stood up slowly, his pride bruised more that his face. "So the Meatball Head has finally learned to control her waterworks," He threw in one last attempt at sarcasm, but unable to keep the flush of embarrassment out of his face. He would get that annoying blonde back somehow.
Serena took a huge scoop of victory ice cream. Her sundae had never tasted so sweet.
"That was really mean, Serena," Raye scolded her, "Just because you can't get a date, doesn't mean you have to sabotage mine!"
"I can so get a date!" Serena protested, "In fact," she made up a lie thinking quickly, "I have a date for Saturday, too. So there!"
Ami looked up from her book again with interest, "Serena, you have a date? Who is he?"
The blonde smiled secretly, "Way cooler than Raye's date, I'll tell you that."
Raye laughed incredulously, "Yeah right, you're bluffing."
"No really, Ami ventured, far more boy crazy than she let on, "Who is he?"
To tell the truth, Serena hadn't thought of this little detail yet. She tried to muffle the name with her mouth full, "His name is….mumffaffamuma…."
"Ah hah!" Raye shouted triumphantly, "I knew it! You were lying the whole time!"
Serena swallowed her bite of ice cream, "No, I'm NOT!" she insisted, having received a stroke of genius. She should rely on ice cream more often. "In fact," she scooted forward conspiratorially, "I have a date with Tuxedo Mask."
Raye erupted into a fit of laughter, so raucous that Andrew glanced curiously over from where he was wiping a glass clean.
"Serena and Tuxedo Mask!" Raye roared and even Ami who had closed her book was giggling slightly.
Raye caught her breath, "You little liar," she breathed, "You and Tuxedo Mask, that's rich!"
Serena, in her frustration dug herself even deeper into her hole of lies, "I am not a liar!" she protested, "And not only are Tuxedo Mask and I going on a date, but we're in LOVE!"
"Alright," Raye agreed, certain that the blonde was not telling the truth, "Prove it. Bring him on Saturday night. We'll make it a double date."
Darien had walked back in the store, having left his sunglasses on the counter and before Serena could make up an excuse Raye had called him back over to the table.
"Hey Darien!" She called eagerly and he came, "I was thinking Saturday maybe we could double date with Serena and her boyfriend."
"Serena has a boyfriend?" Darien asked incredulously and Serena felt like she was going to die, "I have to see this. Could he possibly be a donut, Meatball Head?"
Serena clenched her fists, "No," she retaliated, "He's sweet, cute and a hundred zillion times better looking than you!"
He held up his hands in mock defeat, "Alright, alright. No need to bring out the claws! We'll see this fabulous guy for ourselves Saturday, won't we?" He winked at Raye as he left, causing her to blush with pleasure and Serena to blush with anger.
--
"Serena, wait!" Luna, Serena's cat guardian doubled her pace to keep up with the blonde rushing home from the Arcade.
"What Luna?" Serena stopped in her tracks, the cat leaping nimbly up onto her shoulders.
"Serena," Luna said, "I can't believe you just told a lie to your friends. You know perfectly well you don't have a date with Tuxedo Mask."
"No but if all goes according to plan, I will!" Serena assured her, placating the feline with a comforting rub between the ears.
Luna purred contentedly and was silent. After all, she was a cat.