Author's Note:
This is my story – yes, I'm a second-generation immigrant and blah, blah, blah.
Right, like you would believe me.
No, this is not my story – this is a story of Serena Kensington, the main character in the story. That's it.
Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this.
"Like two moths clumsily bumping together, with no more weight than that, their lips touched. Then before they knew how it happened, they were clinging together, blindly pressing their faces toward each other."
Philip Pullman, "The Amber Spyglass" (His Dark Materials, Book III)
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Chapter One:
The Meeting
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I pulled my waist-long hair up and twisted into a bun – anything that would make it out of my face. I brushed my bangs while my heart beat wildly, something I had been used to for – what? – six or seven times of moving.
The first time that I'd moved and went to a new school, of course, I was scared out of all my wits. And it'd been back in Tokyo, the place that I was born in – hold on, no, I wasn't born in Tokyo. I was born New York City, even though I don't have any memories of it. My mother – Irene Tsukino Kensington – and my father – Kevin Kensington – had been traveling in the States, and I had been premature enough to born premature. That was a quote from my mother, not me.
But as I said, moving and going to new school is like a perfectly normal thing to do, and while my heart's beating wildly, it's because I'm excited and – a little, tiny bit – anxious. After all, only one of my friends is going there. The others are going to another high school in the district, their home high school – it was my friend's and mine, too. But I chose to come here – to the best school in all of California.
I'd moved enough to know that before this week's over, I'll have a little band of friends with me to go window-shopping. So I'm not worried, just a little anxious.
"Serena, Hon, are you done with your bangs yet?" my mother's voice came to me at the door.
And it was then that I'd realized I've been brushing the bang for at least five minutes. I flushed a little and put away the hairbrush, turning around. "Of course, Mom. I should've made breakfast, though…thanks," with that, I smiled and left the bathroom, heading for the kitchen.
Dad, of course, is sitting on a chair with a newspaper and a cup of coffee. And I announce that I have no idea what he got out of newspapers – I'm so not a fan. But, you know, Dad watches news when he comes home, which means, of course, I'm watching and listening to news, as well, which also means, we often get into a deep conversation of politics, which means as well, Mom gets so annoyed she just stomps away.
"Good-morning, Dad," I greeted him.
He looked up from his reading on the current Iraq and U.N. weapons inspectors and smiled up to me. "Good-morning, Serena."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Now I'm getting more anxious than excited. My first class – Math. I rolled my eyes. Yeah, last year, I had Algebra first period too. What a coincidence.
It's not that I don't like math – I used to love math, believe it or not. I was good at it, and I'm still good at it, but it's just that it's not as interesting anymore, you know? Now, I'm more into English and Social Studies and the literature stuff. Molly – my friend – said that I have a photographic memory. Maybe I do. All literary subjects – especially Social Studies – needs immense concentration on dates and years and what exactly happened, and I can always memorize them without even trying to.
But I'm not good at phone numbers – I used to be good at memorizing all my friends' numbers, but as the time went on and I've moved often, I guess I'm just starting to lack on this. Which is perfectly fine, because I've got all the numbers in my phone book.
I entered the classroom and immediately felt all the talk stop and all the eyes on me. What? Do I have a stain on my shirt – it should be called blouse, really – or something? I felt myself growing uncomfortable at all the attention but at the same time, a little pride started to blossom in my stomach. This had happened time and time again, but I don't get used to it – in fact, I think I'll never be able to get used to it.
"Excuse me, young lady, will you come here for a moment?" that, of course, must be the teacher.
I turned around and smiled sincerely, heading for the teacher's desk – or table, whatever you call it. Once there, I flipped up my schedule and smiled at the teacher once more. "Good-morning, Mrs. Land."
"Good-morning. Tell me, young lady, what's your name?" I felt an immediate liking toward this kind and knowledgeable teacher around the age of thirty-five.
"Serena. My name's Serena Kensington."
"Oh, yes, you're the girl who transferred here," I felt myself blush. Transferring between schools wasn't uncommon, and why was I so known?
"Yes, I am, Mrs. Land," I answered truthfully.
"All right, then. Sit anywhere you want for today. I must start my lessons, now."
"Thank you, Ms. Land," I replied and turned, still aware of all the gazes on me, and sat down near the front. It was my habit to change Mrs. to Ms., and it was also my habit to change Miss to Ms. It just was that long to pronounce.
So my first day at Monte Lindo High School began.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
At lunch, I sat on the bench alone, for Molly had wanted to go and see out the pool in the school, and I had wanted to be alone for a minute or two.
I'd already had P.E. It's my third class. I suppose it's good. In the summer, it'd be red-hot in the afternoon, and in winter, it'd be freezing in the morning. The weather of the Bay Area is the best in the U.S., but best isn't perfect.
"Is this seat taken?"
I looked up and saw a blonde-haired and blue-eyed girl standing beside me. "Oh, no, it's not." I took my books away to clear a seat for her. I noticed that she had a hair color lighter than mine, more toward yellow than golden, in fact. And her eyes – she had a light, light blue while I had cerulean.
She smiled kindly and sat down. "Mina Summers," she held out her hand.
"Serena Kensington," I introduced myself and we shook hands. "Are you new here? Oh, duh, of course. Every ninth grader's new here. What I meant to ask is did you move to here?"
"Yes," I was lucky, of course, to have all the kind teachers and friends around me. "What about you?"
"I was born here, and I haven't moved since," she grinned, nodding toward a group of girls sitting at a table. "Those are my friends. You wanna come and join us?"
I smiled. See? I said I'd have friends to go window-shopping with before this week's out. "Sure."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"How was your first day at Monte Lindo, my dear?" Mom asked as soon as my backpack was thrown onto the sofa.
"Perfect," I answered. Days like these were never perfect, but I'd learned to not worry my parents. They've had their burdens enough – namely, of course, me.
"Good."
Hold on – why's Mom home so early? "Mom, why are you home so early?" I asked suspiciously.
Mom came out of the kitchen – probably making some dish for dinner – and smiled. "I took the week off for some badly needed break with my daughter."
"Oh," I flushed a little and hugged my mother. Yes, as I can say right now, I'm embarrassed very easily.
"Do you have any homework?" Mom asked.
"Yes," I nodded. Every time the first day at a new school, I go through this process – come home, say hi to my mom, answering yes I have homework, show her the new textbooks and materials, and answer every single other question my dad has for me. "Mainly things needed to be signed. You know, the classroom rules and all the materials needed in class?" I made a face. "Like pencils, pens, erasers, rulers, colored pencils or pens, and all the rest of the basic stuff including notebooks?" I rolled my eyes in annoyance. "Every time. But Orchestra was good!" I jumped up suddenly. "We actually started to do something today! The teacher – Ms. Stevens – will start the test for chairs tomorrow. I'm so excited!"
"Then you better practice your flute and violin," Mom said softly. "And don't forget your piano lesson tomorrow at five and the orchestra – remember the Youth Orchestra? – the day after that."
"Sure thing!" I answered happily. Yes, I'm in love with music – of course, pop comes first and classic comes second. But I still love every type of music…well, except loud and blaring music that I can hardly hear the lyric.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Hi," a blonde-haired and green-eyed boy said to me as I entered the classroom. Oh, he's a gentleman – he even held the door out for me! How rare of a boy!
"Hi," I answered, smiling. "Jacob Diaz, right?"
"Yes," he nodded and seemed extremely proud for a moment. "You remembered my name."
Of course I'd remembered his name. How can I not? You know the most popular girl or boy in the school with one glance. And he's the most popular boy in the school. And he's surrounded by girls.
No, I don't have a crush on him. He may be rare in guys, but he's not my type – okay, so he's my type, but I don't feel anything for him…yet.
"So how are you, Jake?" I tried to start a conversation – after all, since I have Orchestra before school, I'm early.
"I'm good. You?"
"Couldn't be better," I replied with a smile. "Do you like math?"
He made a face. "No."
I grinned. "No math for me, but did you get last night's homework?" the reason that I'm talking around homework and school is because it's the only safe thing to talk about with a stranger at school. I tell my friends about me at times, but I keep my distance – I never tell anyone my whole story. I never tell anyone wholly about my life. I'd been hurt, and I learn to keep my distance and wall – but I make myself inconspicuous and make others oblivious to my distance.
Well, to the subject that I'd been hurt…it's more of a defense, really. I've just moved too many times and have lost contact with too many of my friends, and they all take a piece of me with them. I'm glad that they have a piece of my heart to go along with, but…
It's hard to explain. Maybe I can find someone who actually understands when I grow up…The One.
"Yeah," Jake nodded. "Last year in junior high, we spent the whole first quarter reviewing."
I shrugged and grinned. "Probably this year, as well."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ms. Land kept me in after class. She talked to me about a tutor program and wanted me to be the head of it. I nearly choked. I'd been helping my friends, but head of a tutor program?
"But I'm not good at every subject!" I said, eyes wide.
"Your record says that you've been getting 4.0 GPA's as long as the record goes back. I think I've found my girl," she said with a smile. "Think about it, Serena. I won't push you."
I nodded and left the classroom with a late slip.
The head of a tutor program… It doesn't sound bad, and I like helping others, but… There was no but. I'll just see if it fits all my schedule, that's all. And Ms. Land did say that if I feel I have too much pressure, I could pass it along to someone that I trust could do the job. I'm not the kind to refuse anyone…and Dad had a thorough talk with me, which aggravated me very much for a very long time. I'll talk to Mom and Dad about this–
I bumped into a hard body and stumbled back in surprise. Big and warm hands reached out and held my elbows, steadying me. "I'm sorry," I mumbled, rubbing my temples. I've only been here two days, and I'm already starting to feel the busyness and pressure that I'd come to know in school, which had always associated with me.
"Are you all right?"
Now, I must clarify myself here – it might not be uncommon for guys to have a deep and rich voice, but it's certainly not everyday you bump into someone and that someone ask if you're all right while holding your elbows. Has anything like that happened to anyone yet, hmm? No? I thought so.
I looked up and stared at him in surprise. I'm not rude; you all know that, and I know that staring isn't polite, but I can't help it. "I'm fine, thanks," I answered and stepped back. "I have to get going or I'll miss my–" what's my next class? "–Computers/Digital Arts class."
He nodded and smiled. "Good luck," he said.
I was thrilled and I didn't know why. I blinked in surprise. I'd never heard anyone say good luck to me the first meeting, and besides, good luck for what? "Thank you. You too." That was the best that I could think of saying. I conjured up my most brilliant smile to him and walked away.
Why did I conjure up my most brilliant smile again? I know that that was my most brilliant smile because Mina told me yesterday…
I suddenly realized that I forgot to ask his name.
I spun around, but he was nowhere in sight.
My fatal mistake…I'd forgotten to ask his name, for Heaven's sake!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I gave the late slip to the teacher, Ms. Schwartz – again, I abbreviated Mrs. to Ms.
"What happened to you?" Jake asked as I sat down beside him.
Yes, Ms. Schwartz assigned us side by side.
"Nothing bad. Ms. Land asked me if I wanted to do a program."
"What was it?"
He wasn't being nosy. He's just curious, and I can hear it in his voice. "Oh, just some tutoring thing," I shrugged and looked up to the assignment sheet. Yes, the first assignment is to make a short movie about ourselves using Flash…that's easy. And, of course, I always kept apart of myself out of these kinds of things.
"Jake," I said to him.
"Yeah?" he turned his full attention upon me and I felt a curious little thrill run down my spine. But compared to the thrill I'd felt when I met Him – yes, I'll call him Him until I know his name – it's like an ant being compared to an elephant.
"I saw someone in the hall when I was on my way here. He has…" I stopped to analyze His features. "He has dark-blue eyes…" it's hard to know what color people's eyes are. I'd had difficulty trying to distinguish one of my friends' eye colors before – I didn't know if it was green or blue. "And he has dark hair…black hair, to be exact…do you know who that is?"
Jake grinned. "Easy. That's Darien Shields."
That name meant nothing to me, but something stirred at the back of my mind. "Who's him?"
"He's the most popular guy the school has ever known. He's a heartthrob, and wherever he goes, a swarm of girls and guys follow him…" Jake trailed off.
"I thought you were the most popular," I said doubtfully.
"No. You just haven't seen Darien yet. Compared to him, I'm more like a wind while he's a blizzard."
I think everyone has a natural instinct to compare everyone to the nature… I shrugged. "He didn't seem to have a fan of girls after him."
"That's because class has already started," Jake supplied, smiling. "You wouldn't have known him yesterday, since he's at the junior year section of Monte Lindo."
"He's a junior?" well, that's something interesting.
"Yeah," Jake nodded. "Just telling you, many senior year girls have asked him out…and none had even gotten a second glance."
I felt my face lighting up. Why? I have no idea.
"He's a heartthrob, Serena, and he's also a heartbreaker, even though he doesn't intend to be one."
I was about to ask more questions when I glimpsed Ms. Schwartz walking toward me with a camcorder. I don't know her that well yet, so I went to work on my Flash obediently until she came over.
"Serena, would you like to take a trip around the campus and film some class activities?"
Here we go again. Exactly as I'd expected, I'm becoming the class top and the teacher's pet.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I stared at the piece of music before me. Ms. Stevens has given it to Molly to pass along to me. This piece was hard, and I guess she wanted me to play solo in the next concert, one month away.
But my mind wasn't on the music. It was on a man named Darien Shields.
"Serena, you're supposed to play the flute solo," Lita, a girl from the group I'd known from yesterday's lunch, reminded me gently.
I blinked and laughed a little. "Yes, and I have my violin out. Thanks, Lita," I said and opened my violin case, putting my beloved instrument back.
"Are you planning to play here?" Molly asked with wide eyes. "It's in the middle of the school's courtyard, Serena!"
"Ms. Stevens wanted me to do this…that's why I didn't eat lunch – not that I'm hungry. To protect the flute, I shouldn't eat any candy or food or gum before I play," I answered, shrugging.
Amy, another girl from the group I'd known from yesterday, nodded. "Good luck."
"Thanks," I smiled a little uneasily. Have you ever felt that you've got everything under control and then, one minute before the show, your stomach starts twisting and your hands become clammy? That's what was happening to me, to moi. Oh, yes, I take French, by the way.
I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Putting the music to the stand, I began to warm up with the chromatic scales I'd come to memorize from oh-so-long ago.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I was utterly into the music. Whittaker's so wonderful! The nightingales singing in the dark…the moon and stars shining down upon the earth…children's dreams…
When I finally lifted my head and came out of my trance, there was an audience around me, and everyone was staring! I flushed. Did I say that I become easily embarrassed? Yes? And did I say that I've never gotten used to the attention everyone gives me? Yes? That's what was happening then!
"Bravo!" Ms. Stevens clapped. "Bravo, Serena!"
I blushed deeper and stood helpless in a circle of on-lookers. "It's a wonderful song," I provided.
"Have you ever had this song before?" Ms. Stevens asked kindly.
"No," I shook my head and felt my face cooling. Good. Let my face cool down.
"Well, then, how did you know so much? Where did you learn all this? You've…you've captured the heart of the song, Serena! You play with such maturity and delicacy! The solo's yours! Definitely! I'll talk to Mr. Kelley about this! You should play all three instruments together in the school's orchestra!"
And I thought my face was cooling. Absolutely not. No, it's heating up again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I tried, from that day on, to find Darien Shields in the hall or on campus. But I'd never seen him again, to my great disappointment.
And to my annoyance, people started following me.
And to my expectations, I'm really becoming the top of the school – or at least ninth graders – both academically and socially.
But it was a family matter that really weighed me down.
Even though I was born and a rightful citizen in the U.S., Mom and Dad weren't. Both trying to start the long process of getting the Green Card, it's hard when the companies aren't really helping at all.
I know that Dad and Mom talk to me about this only because they wanted me to know how hard life might be…and I've never told them how depressing it is… Sometimes I'd envy some other girl who's more of a teenager than I am.
Sure, I'm growing up; I have a graceful figure. Looking back now, I sometimes feel a wonder at how much growing up I'd done in a short time of three years. My family had actually moved to Canada first – the city of Toronto…but I was a sixth grader by then…and if I really think about it, I was so naïve… I began to understand the world and the dangers when I was in seventh grade, though…I'm not even sure myself how I started doing that… All around me, my friends had allowances, went to movies together, went over to each other's houses, went to parties or hosted some…and went on real shopping trips together…
I could never do that. Even though my family isn't in any particular financial crisis, Mom and Dad are very strict on money…and I understand that completely… But they're so overprotective sometimes…even going to a movie with my friend once had caused a total disaster – don't ask.
And sometimes, parents can be so stubborn and unreasonable. I do get annoyed and impatient with them at times, but that's mainly because I'm trying to pull myself out of this deep depression that no one knows about… Sometimes they're so annoying that I wonder if they'd ever be more annoying.
But most of the time, I love them and I'd do anything that I can to help, even by just hugging them or listening to them. I know I appreciate it when others do that, and so I know how warming it is when you're hugged or listened to attentively.
In the cover of the night, I would cry sometimes…it may seem childish, but that's how I release the pressure and expectations everyone seem to has… Honestly, sometimes I like school better than home, because I can pretend to my friends that I'm happy and optimistic and perfectly fine and tell them a story of my past.
And I appreciate that very much. When I first went to Toronto, I know nothing of English except the alphabets – and I can't imagine how I got through with it. I've been bullied – verbally, of course – and made fun of, but still, I made it through. I had friends no matter if I knew English or not, and that was something I'm grateful for.
Music…well, I'd been playing piano ever since I was four back in Tokyo, and I started violin when I was seven, and I started flute when I was nine. Of course, I brought my flute and violin with me when we'd immigrated, and also some music – techniques and songs – but of course, it's impossible to bring a grand piano with you while you move around. But my parents made a big sacrifice.
And it was because of that that I love them more. They squeezed out several thousand dollars and bought a brand-new Yamaha piano for me. It's the color of black, and there are streaks of different shades of it on the wood. I shine the piano every now and then, but Mom hires a technician every April to tune it. Because the rain season is roughly from November to March, and the piano goes through the humid air for several months, it needs to be tuned every year or so.
Mom hires teachers so that I can learn…I must be a big strain and burden on them. After all, my parents came here for me, only me, so that I may have a brighter future. And so no allowances had been fine for a while, but then it starts to hit me that everyone else had them.
I don't think my diary even knows this. But when I think of all the sacrifices my parents made, I know that what I'm doing is just a tiny portion of what they've done for me…and no allowance seemed perfectly normal. So life goes on.
I can't exactly say when I'd known Sailor Moon. I suppose I knew it when I was still back in Japan, but I'm not sure. At the beginning, I frowned at the animation. It seemed absurd to me for a while. But then I started liking it – and I have no idea when or how – and before I knew it, I'd started writing fan fiction about it.
Of course, no one knows about this, not even my parents. They never check the computer – in my family, I'm the expert at computer. And they never mind, anyway.
For a long time, it's been a way of releasing all that I held in my heart and be lost in an imaginary world, where everything was perfect.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I have to get a manicure badly," I rolled my eyes and sighed, mumbling to myself. "Or else I'd hurt the piano. Okay, where is it?"
The phone rang. I frowned and shrugged, opening my drawer.
"Serena! It's Molly!" Dad said from downstairs.
"Got it!" I called back after pulling the phone from its cradle on my table. "Hello?"
"What's up?"
It was Molly. Everyone's voice is different when they talk on the phone, but I've been talking on the phone with Molly for over one year now, so I know it was she the moment she spoke. "Nothing. I'm trying to manicure my nails right now."
"Good luck," she said sympathetically. "Last time when I was cutting my nails, I cut my thumb also."
"That must've hurt," I answered, grinning.
She had heard the laughter in my voice and scolded. "Serena! It's not funny!"
I swallowed back my laughter and said into the phone, "I know. It's not. It's just…I'm choking on a cup of lemonade here."
Molly laughed. "Serena, if I didn't know you any better, I'd taken that. But you never drink lemonade after without sugar, and you ran out of sugar yesterday, remember?"
I groaned in surrender. "And now I have to buy sugar," I rolled my eyes again.
I could tell that Molly was up for some gossip. Even though we never gossip beyond our limits, we chat all the time about it. As I expected, Molly asked: "So what's up with you and Jake Diaz?"
That was an unexpected question. I thought she'd be thinking about Melvin, her crush. "Who? Jake? We're friends…I think."
Molly snorted in disapproval at the other end. "Now what made you think that you think you're friends?"
"Well," I shrugged, even though Moll couldn't have seen it. "Okay, we're a week into ninth grade, right? I think I told you this before…but listen, remember the other day when I was telling you about his saying we're not friends? Another friend of mine, Lucy, was asking me something about filming. And Jake was hanging around us – oh, he's so annoying! – and Lucy stared at him for a moment before saying to me, 'Serena, you have a weird friend.' Of course, I knew it was directed at him and I only agreed. But then, Jake put his hand at the back of my chair and said very quietly, 'We're…we're not friends…' I was so surprised, Moll! I just stared at him while he stared at anything but moi! And then, on accident, I think, he looked into my eyes… I think he saw something there just before I turned back to mon computer, but he probably saw shock there…" (AN: ironically, this happened to me while I was in ninth grade, too.)
"Serena, you told me that he apologized the next day," Molly's stern voice carried to me.
I blinked in surprise. "Oh, I did, didn't I?" I said nervously. "Anyway, now that you know. There's nothing more than friendship between us."
"Serena, not trying to be over-nosy or anything, do you know Darien Shields? Do you care about him?"
I nearly had a heart failure. The manicure case fell from my hands to the carpet, making a soft sound, and I dropped the phone that was between my ear and my shoulder. I haven't told anyone about Darien Shields except Jake, and that had been asking who he was. "Darien Shields? Yeah, I know him," I answered, trying to be as nonchalant as I could. "But he doesn't know me, though. And I don't know him well enough to care about him."
"Yeah, anyway," Molly continued on excitedly. "I passed by him on my way to lunch – I was about to wave my hand to you, but you were looking at the sky – and he stopped beside me, totally ignoring all the fan of girls and guys behind him and – oh, you won't believe it, Serena!" she was nearly squealing.
I felt my heart twist. I'm a little jealous of Molly because Darien Shields had stopped by her…but I shook it off. It wasn't anything important to me, anyway. It was something important to Molly. "Then what happened, Moll?"
"Darien Shields asked me one single question, and, Serena, I think tomorrow you will find all the girls in the school against you – including me – he asked me…"
My heart was thudding with excitement. "What? What? Molly Seneca, if you don't tell me this instant, I'll kill you tomorrow!"
"Darien Shields asked me if I knew where you were!"
I dropped the phone and the manicure case again. I could feel my heart stop altogether and the blood rushing to my face. What? But that would mean that he knew me…but…
"Serena? Hello? Are you still there? Serena!"
I picked up the phone and opened my mouth. No sound came out. I took a deep breath and tried again. "Hold on – hold on, Moll. Back it off – you mean, Darien Shields asked you if you knew where I was?"
"Yeah!"
But that would mean that he knew me! "But how did that happen?"
Molly laughed at the other end. "Just listen…so I pointed out where you were, and he looked in the direction and saw you, and a smile appeared on his face – oh, Serena, you're so lucky! If you weren't my friend, I'd have killed you right there! I'm jealous, honest!"
"Okay, kill me later – just hurry up and tell the story already!"
"Okay. Okay. Okay, so he smiled and went in your direction – I know he didn't speak to you and that you didn't see him, and that was because he dodged your glances behind to see if I was there and – oh, Serena! He was standing by a tree and looking at you!"
My heart…oh, my poor heart…I'll go to the family doctor as soon as this phone call's over. "Are you sure? I didn't see him, though! And you didn't tell me when you joined me for lunch!"
"Duh, of course I didn't tell you! He was practically right beside us, you dummy! He could've overheard me telling you, and that'd be no fun at all!"
"Bad Molly! Bad, bad Molly!" I blamed her.
Molly only laughed at the other end, knowing that I was just being sarcastic. "And of course you didn't see him, Serena! You didn't even suspect anything! You were too into your – what? – Math homework to look around you! And I guess when you were looking up at the sky, you were picturing what the inequality would end up – whether it'd be a bigger than or less than!"
"Molly…oh, Molly…you're so wonderful! Go to school early tomorrow, okay? We'll talk before Orchestra, and – oh! Molly! You're so wonderful! Thank you for telling me this!"
Molly was grinning at the other end, I knew. "Now, Miss Serena Kensington, would you tell me why you're thanking me for telling you this if you didn't care about him?"
Molly suddenly sounded very smug and frightening.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I'd always been good at bluffing and lying, even though I try to be truthful to everyone while not giving out too much about myself. And so, with my deceits and lies – and I feel so guilty – I coaxed Molly into believing that I was only excited because Darien Shields is the most famous and popular guy on campus.
And believe me, it was no easy task.
As Molly tested her reed for her clarinet some rows behind me, I stared at an unknown point on the music that I shared with the second chair, a girl named Katie Shields.
"Hey, Serena, are you all right?" currently, Katie asked me.
I smiled to her. "I'm fine. Just not fully awake yet."
She nodded. "Yeah, considering you being the head of the school's ninth grade tutor program, playing solos on three instruments, filming the school, making the school's website, and all that."
"How did you know all that?" I raised my eyebrow.
"My brother talks about you all the time," she shrugged.
"Who's your brother?"
"Darien. Darien Shields."
I was stupefied. Of course I didn't make the connection between Katie and Darien Shields, but to hear Katie saying that he'd talked about me all the time…
"Are you trying out for the school's volleyball team today after school?" Katie asked as she arranged the music on the stand.
I nodded. "Yeah."
"Me, too. And Darien's such a wonderful brother, Serena! He's coming to watch me!"
I felt my stomach twist.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I changed into the school's P.E. uniform and stood in the gym, feeling more nervous than ever. I have no idea why I'm so excited and out of my wits about this Darien Shields – I don't even know him, for Heaven's sake! Still, I was nervous and…afraid, almost, for him to see me as a nobody in the school… After all, he must be tired of girls if he's that popular…
"Serena!" Katie waved to me from across the room.
I looked and smiled. Good. He's not with her. Perfect. I waved back and bumped the volleyball that Katie sent my way. And then, I uncurled my fingers and spiked the ball with a satisfying sound. "I'm sorry!" I
exclaimed to Katie and hurried to her. The poor girl had to duck to prevent the ball from hitting her.
"Gee, Serena. Next time, tell me what mph the ball's gonna go before you hit it, okay?" Katie was smiling.
I smiled back. "Sure thing."
Katie nodded and suddenly smiled wider. "Darien! Darien, here!"
My felt my heart freeze and nearly tumbled down to the floor. "You know, Katie," I began weakly, "I forgot to give the sign-up form to Mr. Williams. I'll be right back," the brown-black haired and similarly colored eyed girl nodded. I slipped away gratefully, hiding in the girls' locker room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Eventually, I realized that if I don't go out there, I'd never be able to make it into the team. And I loved volleyball, so I'd have to.
I screwed up my courage and took a deep breath. I felt for the door's handle and turned it, pushing it open. The try-out has just started, and Katie was looking at me, indicating that I should stand next to her while Mr. Williams was taking attendance.
"Serena Kensington?"
"Present," I answered and felt every possible gaze on me once more. Why was I so known throughout the school? Oh, yeah, Molly told me – that little "talk" that she'd had with Darien Shields. I felt my stomach tighten at his name. I didn't want to think of him so soon, and I hadn't wanted to look around to see where he was.
"Darien's sitting on the benches," Katie whispered to me. "You should meet him after this. He's driving me home, maybe he can give you a lift also?"
I wanted to faint. I've been trying to ignore meeting him for so long! I sighed and smiled. "Oh, no, Katie, that's fine. I need to get some sugar on my way home, anyway. But thank your brother for the offer."
Katie frowned in puzzlement, but she shrugged it off and nodded happily.
"Katherine Shields?"
"Present, sir, and Katie, please."
"Mina Summers?"
"She's absent today, Mr. Williams," I said to the coach.
"Well, if she wants to make it to the team, she needs to be here for tomorrow's try-out," Mr. Williams answered, nodding.
"I'll be sure to pass along the message, sir," I said in turn and took a deep breath.
Where was Darien Shields now? Is he still here? Well, duh, of course he's still here, Serena.
Mr. Williams finished taking his attendance and told us to run a lap outside on the track to warm up.
I kept my eyes on Katie and talked to her about the upcoming concert, telling my eyes to not search around for a certain someone.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Kensington, can I talk to you for a moment?" Mr. Williams asked as he dismissed us.
Oh, bless you, Mr. Williams! Oh, thank you! Now I don't have to face Darien Shields anymore… "I'll be there in a sec!" I called back and turned to Katie. "Thank your brother from the offer again, and thank you. I'll see you tomorrow in Orchestra, then?"
Katie nodded. "See you," with that, she turned and left for the girls' locker room.
Out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly saw a flash of a man in a black jeans and white shirt. I knew who it was and tried not to faint. He's walking toward me. I turned to my left and proceeded to march to Mr. Williams' office, keeping my pace as much of a delightful jog as possible to get away from Darien Shields.
"Mr. Williams?" I asked, standing in the doorway.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Darien Shields stop for a doubtful second and then he turned, leaving.
Oh, you're a saint, Mr. Williams! Bless you! Bless you!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I skipped my diary last night. I wasn't ready to telling my diary yet about Darien Shields. So I skipped it altogether.
"Darien says that you stayed after the try-out for at least an hour," Katie said to me as we made our ways into the band room.
"How did he know if he drove you home, Katie?" Molly asked, frowning in confusion.
"He must've came back to school, then," Katie shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe Mr. Williams told him."
Mr. Williams had stayed that late, I know. But the thought of Darien Shields watching me sends delicious chills down my spine.
"Serena, I sent all the information you need to do the Fall Concert Program over to the server," Ms. Stevens told me.
"Okay. Thanks," I smiled.
"No problem."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jake and I were talking about the Fall Concert Program when Ms. Schwartz received a call from the principal, Mr. Kline. I'd become close to Ms. Schwartz…very close…but we're still within the range of teacher/student relationship.
"Serena, Mr. Kline wants you in his office," Ms. Schwartz told me as soon as she hung up.
"Ohh, Serena…" everyone began to say.
I merely rolled my eyes at them and smiled at Ms. Schwartz. "Thanks," I said and turned, leaving.
"Miss Kensington," the secretary ushered me into Mr. Kline's office.
"Thank you, Mrs. La Salle," I smiled at the plump woman and closed the door lightly behind me.
There, I had the shock of my life.
Darien Shields was sitting on a chair, looking at me.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I'm evil. Yes, I know that. Feedbacks, please!
Crystal Selena
