A/N : Hello all it's been a long long while since I have actually sat down to write a full fledge fanfic and not just a chapter of smut. And well I am challenging myself to really sit down and write out a good actual story with a very very slow burn. Hope you all enjoy.
Serena watched carefully from behind her open locker door using it as a shield to hide most of her face to keep the only person from accidentally meeting her eyes and noticing her watching bright blue eyes.
Serena had made a sort of weird weekly ritual out of this. She couldn't possibly allow herself to go over once a week then she felt that it would be creepy or considered stalkerish. This once a week dropping a letter in his locker made it cute, secret admirish.. Or so she convinced herself to keep her from questioning all the choices she was making.
You see, Serena had a long lasting crush on the one boy she knew deep down would never take her. Darien Shields, star student and as cliche as it was he was also quarterback for the football team too, super gorgeous with midnight black hair, tall and lean with just the right amount of muscle that made him look solid, and piercing dark blue eyes. The one boy who had made fun of her for three long years and teased her just because she was a klutz, dumb, a meatball head, or whatever else he could throw at her when he saw opportunity. He hadn't even really known her three years ago, she didn't even go to his school then as she was just a junior high student back then, but she did regularly occupy a bar stool at the arcade where his best friend worked at during after school hours and that's how he knew her. The bullying started when one day she accidentally ran into him at full force with a fresh strawberry milkshake and that was it. He hadn't even noticed her before then she was just a background image to him before that but when she lost her balance with her fresh milkshake in her hand and collided into his solid chest and the pink goop drenched his entire torso he took it as the beginning of a war with her. And stupidly she tried to retort back by calling him obscene names every time they had these spats which always ended with her crying, usually without anyone noticing where she would sneak away and run far from him to let the tears spill.
Serena, now midway through her freshman year and attending Darien's school, struggled with what to do with these feelings she had. After confiding with her best friend Mina, who only suggested writing him one letter and she never said to do so anonymously or for this long, but Serena took her little suggestion and ran with it and now she had dragged this on for weeks. She knew if she ever told anyone of her little habit they would be so disappointed with her for her borderline problematic behavior. She noticed Darien look up as he opened his locker and again another one of Serena's pink envelopes fell out and Serena then ducked behind her locker door and pretended to be searching for a book to avoid being caught staring at him. Serena then exhaled then peaked around the metal door again to see what Darien was doing with his new letter.
Darien quickly took the pink envelope and stuffed it into his jacket pocket as his best friend Andrew, another fellow football player and very same friend who worked at the Crown arcade where both Serena and Darien were regulars at, walked up to him.
"Dude another one? You got a stalker?" Andrew laughed.
Serena gulped over hearing andrew's comment. Was she a stalker? Had she taken this letter thing too far? It wasn't like she was spying on him or following him everywhere. Sure she still regulared the arcade at he went to and she went to all the football games to watch him play but she didn't follow him home, she didn't sneak pictures of him, or any other weird stalkerish behavior.
"I wouldn't consider this girl to be a stalker per say, just shy?" Darien shrugged then shifting the conversation to typical guy talk before he turned and started walking down the hall.
Serena inwardly let out a little cheer, Darien was defending her. Well not really her, an imaginary girl to him who didn't exist and went by the name of Bunny but still he didn't call her a stalker. Small victories.
Serena quickly shifted her attention to gathering her stuff from her locker, but was cut off to the metal door of the locker slamming in front of her. The sound startled her and she dropped all her books and binders all falling into a mess at her feet and it took all of her willpower to not let the sound startle her into falling into a heap on the floor with her books.
"Be more careful Meatball head," Darien and Andrew laughed walking past her.
Serena rolled her eyes and knelt down to start picking up her belongings.
"How do you like such an egotistical child?" Mina smirked helping Serena pick up her books.
"SHUSH!," Serena glared daggers at her.
Mina was her best friend. Had been for many years now and she was the only one Serena trusted with her secret crush on Darien. She didn't trust anyone with the secret of her secret letters to Darien afraid of their judgement, but she did trust Mina with the knowledge of her secret crush which was a big deal to Serena and Serena needed someone to confide in. Mina was gorgeous and a star drama student at school. Serena was honestly surprised a girl as talented, beautiful, and popular as Mina wanted to stay friends with someone like Serena. Schools now a days were a bit more evolved than like it was in the movies, it wasn't the nerds who were picked on it could honestly be anyone but Serena was that kid who was picked on. It wasn't for any particular reason. She was average looking she thought, not special even though Mina would fight her consistently on the fact that Serena was beautiful. Serena just didn't see it she was average she had long blonde hair but not unlike Mina, her blonde just had a bit more of a platinum to it while Mina had a more golden sparkly look to it, Serena also had bright big blue eyes but not unlike many girls, she had an average face that she was appreciative she didn't have to hide behind makeup but she wasn't drop dead gorgeous either, she had decently long legs but again she had seen longer legs, and she had the average amount of curves and again she had scene girls with more impressive curves. Serena wasn't smart but she wasn't dumb either if she just applied herself and she didn't have any special talents. This normally wouldn't give students a reason to pick on her she probably would have skated by high school if it wasn't for Darien and his groupies who followed and adored him. Like Beryl or Ann his two regular groupies. The girls who regularly tormented Serena when Darien wasn't.
Beryl and Ann were a bit more cruel with their torment but not creative with what they did it was like they got all their ideas on bullying from tv or movies. They would shred Serena's homework which would result in Serena having to tape it together to turn it in for credit, they would vandalize her locker, trip her if she walked past them, and the list could go on and on. She wasn't even sure why the two of them did this to her it wasn't like they knew about her crush on Darien or that she was writing the letters to him, nobody knew. They just did it to please Darien in some odd way. Serena figured it was some weird way to show their devotion to him but she didn't take Darien to be the type of guy to take a girlfriend based on who she bullied for him. She knew Darien could be a jerk but she saw sincerity deep within him. She noticed it more before the milkshake incident if she was being honest, but that was when she was invisible, she saw Darien as a normal sweet guy then and always kind. Now she had to search for that kindness within him and there would be rare moments that Serena would catch in passing where he was being that sweet Darien she knew he was.
Once Serena gathered her belongings with Mina's help the two walked together to their first class.
Darien waited till he was seated at his desk and class had begun to finally open the letter. He didn't want someone else to see him or really pay attention to him reading it and making fun of it. He found the weekly letters charming actually. Sweet. It was something he clung to now it was a comfort to him. The letters didn't seem creepy to him or seem out of ordinary. They were just cute letters written by some girl who was too shy to say these things to him. They almost read like one sided conversations. Like some on going text chain where she never got a reply. He wondered what she was like. What she looked like, what she was into, what she did for fun, and what her voice might sound like.
Darien,
Last week I saw this movie that scared me so bad. I imagined you were with me laughing and holding my hand through the entire film to bring me comfort like some cliche where the boy comforts the girl during all the jumpscares. I wish I was able to get the nerve to actually maybe ask you to a movie. But I have the nerve to write this to you and drop this in your locker. Maybe one day I will get that nerve. I hope your week is going well and that it continues to go well.
With Love,
Bunny
Every letter ended the same, With Love, Bunny, who was Bunny? He knew it certainly wasn't a few girls at this school. For one he could eliminate the girls so desperate for him because they wouldn't take time to write letters nonetheless hide behind a fake pet girls would be Ann and Beryl and basically anyone else on the cheer team. Darien felt bad for how much he disliked them and their desperate attempts it just was such a turn off when a girl was so desperate to be just his girlfriend or even a quick fuck, he didn't want a girl to literally throw herself at him like those girls did. Then there was Serena, she hated him almost as much as he hated her so it was safe to assume she would never write him a letter like this, if anything she would write a letter outlining the different ways she hoped he would die. That still left a lot of options on who this Bunny could be though.
Maybe he would ask Andrew if he knew any girl who went by the pet name of Bunny.
The rest of the day passed without much incident and Serena and Mina slowly walked and chattered their way down the winding sidewalk to their dubbed secret passageway to the arcade which was really just a shortcut through the park and then through an alley to the arcade.
"Serena, can I ask you something?" Mina paused on their casual conversation.
"Yeah of course Mina whats up?" Serena asked eyeing her friend growing suspicious of what was to come next. These sorts of questions before the big question made Serena nervous it always made her think someone had discovered her secret despite how careful she was with it.
"Why Darien?" Mina stared intently into Serena's eyes as if searching for an answer.
Serena let out a breath relieved her secret lived on another day, "Honestly Mina I couldn't tell you anymore. Three years ago I saw him as this knight in shining armor rescuing kittens from trees and that sort of thing even though I hardly knew him even if I saw him regularly at the arcade. But now he is different," Serena shrugged walking onward through the trees beginning down the dark alleyway on the side of the arcade.
"Well he's different cause now he bullies you, but why are you still so stuck on him now? It's not like how it was in kindergarten where a boy picks on you means he likes you." Mina said softly as if she was using her tone of voice to lessen the blow of her words.
"I know that, I just see something within him I can't explain it, I want to believe he is still good Darien," Serena half smiled.
"Serena you always want to believe the best in everyone I know, but maybe it's time to move on you can believe he might be a good person, DEEP in there, but maybe let go of your crush it will only hurt you," Mina said now as they turned the corner to the glassy front of the arcade.
Serena saw Darien sitting inside at a booth with his fellow teammates and some of the cheerleaders including Ann and Beryl while Andrew waited on them chatting and laughing.
Mina looked at her friend sympathetically as she watched her catch a look at Darien, she just wanted her to be happy that was all Serena ever deserved.
"You know I know some great guys who look hot and who would love to get a date with you," Mina smirked now taking on a playful tone as they entered through the sliding glass doors of the arcade.
"Who would want to take Meatball head out?" Darien chuckled overhearing the tail end of the conversation.
"Plenty of people you ass!" Serena growled refusing to make eye contact with him in fear she would start to form a blush.
Mina just watched the two analyzing the situation carefully from the sidelines. She knew the two fought like cats and dogs but she personally never really fed into it or paid much attention to it.
"Little girls shouldn't cuss," Darien threw back as he towered over her small frame.
"What can I say you bring out the worst in me," Serena said now staring up at him.
"Alright alright break it up, as much as I would love to see Darien hand it to Serena I do work here and have to keep some order to business," Andrew said now coming between the two already knowing how most of their arguments go.
Serena grumbled and trudged away to the arcade machine Mina was leaning against where she wore a funny smirk.
"What Mina?" Serena growled now in a mood.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Mina smiled now taking her friend's wrist to drag her to the back of the arcade to distract themselves with some good old games.
Mina hid her face from Serena knowing her friend could read her like a book but maybe her friend was too absorbed to notice what this look meant. Mina often said she had a gift and she rarely was ever wrong and the instances where she was wrong was her own predictions in her own love life. Mina saw how Darien treated Serena just now. Usually Mina dismissed his attitude up to him being a pompous ass but she never really analyzed the situation with her full attention and just now she saw something a small spark not just from Serena but from Darien, and she would have missed it if she had blinked but she saw it in his eyes.
It was a quick hint of desire that pooled in his eyes and then quickly faded as Andrew broke the two of them up.
Darien turned his attention away from Serena who was now being dragged into the back of the arcade by her friend and brought himself to the counter of the diner portion of the arcade where he plopped his history book down and then learning forward enough to grab a mug from over the counter and pour himself a cup of coffee before taking a seat on the bar stool while Andrew wiped down counters across from him.
"Hey Andrew, do you know of a girl named Bunny?" Darien asked taking a sip of his coffee just the way he liked it, black.
"You mean like a stripper?" Andrew chuckled focusing on a stain trying his best to scrub it out of the counter.
Darien choked back a laugh while the hot caffeinated liquid nearly came out his nose from forcing the laugh down, "No I mean like a girl at school or maybe someone by that nickname?" Darien asked once his airway cleared.
"I don't but I could ask around," Andrew stated.
"Thanks man," Darien smiled before investing himself into his coffee and focusing on his homework.
Darien in truth could have asked around himself but he had two reasons why he wouldn't. One Darien was a bit more reserved despite being popular and known with ladies at school, ever since his parents died four years ago he didn't like many people. He only really spoke with Andrew in the most deep conversations one has with his best friend, his teammates who he spoke with on semi friend terms but it was mostly a "what's up bro," and that sort of thing, and then of course the occasional girl he would hook up with but nothing serious and nothing substantially deep with any of them. And two he didn't want to go looking around for this Bunny and find out who she was and discover she wasn't something he wanted and make a fool of himself of give the girl false hopes. Andrew would be more like a buffer to avoid him having to deal with these issues.
But Darien was generally curious more than ever as this weekly letter thing has not let up who Bunny might be and if she was really as intriguing as her letters made her out to be.
A/N: short chapter for now but it's just the introduction!
