CHAPTER ONE

Once upon a time there was a young girl named Serena who saw the most beautiful man in her life. To say that she fell in love at first sight was an understatement. It seemed as of her whole world stopped at that very moment. Everything faded away in the background. Serena swore that she could hear a choir of angels singing at that very moment she laid her eyes on him. Her heart, she would later boast, literally skipped a beat when their eyes collided for a fraction of a second. He was, in that instant moment, her entire being. Serena had found a reason to breathe and a motivation to go to school even if that reason was just to get a glimpse of him.

Unfortunately for Serena, that person did not share the same thoughts and ideas about her. In fact, he barely even knew she existed. And how did Serena came to know this, you may ask. It was because apart from that first time their eyes connected, he barely even looked at Serena. In fact he care nought for anyone at school, save for his one friend. He only spoke to those people of whom he could tolerate and they were not many. He only spoke or paid attention to others when they directed their queries to him. Questions that only he could answer. Even the teachers looked to him for answers. And who this person might be, you wonder. Why, it is none other than the school genius Darien Havers.

Serena Johnston, on the other hand, had a reputation for being nobody at school. No one took notice of her unless she spoke. It was not to say it was because she was shy. She was from that. It was entirely because she was literally at the very bottom of the school food chain. The whole school was focused on Darien and Serena could include herself in that. Darien was perfect. Darien was tall and handsome to boot. His piercing blue eyes and perfect face would put top models to shame. Not that he cared at all. Serena knew that Darien was focused on his studies.

In fact, Serena knows a lot about Darien, right down to how he likes his coffee which was black with half a teaspoon of sugar. How she came to know so much about the mysterious Darien Havers started on that fateful day of the last year of their high school life.

"I can't do this!" exclaimed a nervous Serena.

"Yes, you can!" echoed her four exasperated best friends, Amy, Raye, Lita and Mina.

"You cannot go through senior year like a lovesick fool and not do anything about it," said Mina. Everyone thought that Serena and Mina were twins. They both shared the same blonde hair and the same pair of blue eyes. The only difference is that Serena wore her hair in two ponytails with a bun on each side at the top.

"But it's embarrassing," cried Serena clutching an envelope in her hand.

"What's more embarrassing is having to witness you constantly following him around," added an exasperated Raye.

Serena looked at each of her friends who were all trying to encourage her. She knew they were right. But the thought of what she was about to do was starting to bring anxiety pains to the pit of her stomach.

"Here he comes," said Amy.

"We'll distract Andrew, while you beeline to your future boyfriend," suggested Lita who gave her a wink.

Serena watched her four friends approach Darien and Andrew who was his best friend. The girls had actually befriended Andrew as he worked at their favourite ice-cream parlour.

Serena took a deep breath and walked to her target. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach and her heart was beating so fast. She kept her eyes glued to the pavement the whole entire way and stopped only when she saw two black shoes blocking her path. Her eyes travelled all the way up the person's legs, their hips, past the chest and finally landed on their face.

'He's even more beautiful up close,' Serena though. This was the closest she had ever been to Darien Havers, the love of her life.

She looked straight into his eyes and gulped. His eyes bore into her own. Serena noted that his face showed no signs of any expression of interest or curiosity. In fact, Darien was not showing any expressions at all.

"Yes?" he asked in his deep, melt in your bones, voice.

"Ummm…" stated Serena. She was unsure how to begin.

"Look, if you have something to say, say it. Otherwise don't waste my time," he bluntly said.

Serena held out her arms towards Darien. In her hands was an envelope she was presenting to him.

"This is for you."
Darien looked at the envelope in her outstretched hands. Immediately he knew what it was. He was no stranger to these situations. He experienced it on an almost monthly basis since he started high school. Even the seniors thought that they had a chance. Unfortunately for all of them, Darien had no time for such frivolities. Darien was at school for one thing and one thing only. And that was to finish school with top marks. And Serena Johnston was just another obstacle to overcome.

"No thanks," he said bluntly and walked away without a second glance.

Serena's heart shattered.

She froze on the spot and seemed suspended in time. She did not think that she would get rejected, but there you have it. Rejected right then and there. And in front of her friends and not to mention the whole school.

Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina and Andrew had all watched the whole situation. The girls were flabbergasted at what just happened. Andrew just shook his head. He had been witness to these awkward situations more times than he could remember. He was, after all, Darien's best friend. It was usually he who would offer comfort to the rejected girls. But this time was different. Serena was one of his friends. He could literally hear her heart breaking.

"I'm so sorry, Sere!" Andrew apologized and dashed after his friend.

"Serena?" probed Lita.

They had never seen their friend like this before. It was like she was literally frozen in time. Her hands were still outstretched clutching the love letter and he mouth and eyes were open in a state of shock. The four of them shared worried looks.

Serena finally registered what just happened. She put her arms down and faced her friends.

"Well that was exciting," she exclaimed in the happiest tone she could muster. No one was fooled for one second. They all heard the little quiver in her voice.

"It wasn't too bad, Serena. At least you made him aware about your feelings," said a hopeful Amy.

"But I didn't, did I?" stated Serena looking at her friend, "He didn't' even look at it at all."

"It's just not right!" exclaimed Raye who was offended on her friend's behalf.

"It's okay, guys. Really," Serena assured them, "At least I get to move to a new house today! You're all coming right?"

"Of course we are!" replied Mina.

Once the shock of it all wore off Serena and her friends were able to enjoy themselves better. Serena, for her part, could not shake the feeling of heartbreak and disappointment/ she had poured her heart and soul into that letter. She had even used a dictionary to make sure that everything was perfect. She had tried her best and she was someone who usually tried her best. For you see, Serena was someone who was completely opposite to Darien. Where Darien was at the top of the school, Serena was notorious for being one of the worst. It was not as if she was dumb. It was simply because she was too lazy to try. She supposed she could get there if she wanted but Serena just could not be bothered.

Serena did not think it made an impression with anyone, her laziness to study. Her friends certainly did not mind. They nagged her about it, of course, but Serena had always been able to get by with some help. It helped that she was friends with Amy, who next to Darien, was also a genius,

She shook her head and tried to think about the excitement she felt at finally moving to her new home.

'After all,' she thought, 'nothing else could possibly go wrong.'