The next day after school Serena
stopped in the arcade. She was trying
to find Darien.
"Hi Serena," called Andrew.
"Hey," said Serena a bit gruffly.
Andrew gave her a strange look and was
about to comment. When Darien said:
"Hey Andrew, oh Meatball Head,
I didn't notice you coming in usually
I hear a loud crash and whining loud
enough to make anyone go deaf."
"I'm…I'm sure… Satan," replied
Serena darkly, masking her complete
surprise at his cold remark as she
walked up to the counter.
"Oh I'm so hurt," Darien said
in a colder voice than usual.
"I'm sure you are," retorted
Serena.
"Meatball head, strikes again
I really want to hear what witty comment
you will come up with next"
"Darien?" Andrew asks confused, he
was being meaner than usual, had he
missed something? A big bad fight
perhaps? But Serena quickly interjected
smugly:
"I know you do, Satan." She had
no clue where she was going with this,
but she was extremely hurt, she had
at least hoped they had formed some sort
of truce albeit a strange and uncomfortable
one.
"Don't you know by now that a silly
little child like you could never affect
me?" and then Darien took his last sip
of coffee and walked out the door.
'How does he do it, how can he act
like nothing happened, how can he be so
heartless?' 'What were you expecting from
him anyway, he never had feelings for you
in the first place, your just a Meatball
head to him.' Serena was so wrapped up in
thinking about Darien that she didn't notice
the tears welling up in her eyes or that
Andrew had come up to her.
"Serena do you want to talk about it?"
She gasped, startled out of her thoughts
to look up at him.
"What are you talking about?" she
feigned indifference unconvincingly.
"Come on Serena that wasn't a normal
good natured spat you two just had," a
little sob escaped Serena and she looked away.
"Man I really love Darien but he was
being a major asshole, Serena if I could
have I would have said something had he not
left so suddenly, you are like a sister to
me you know," Serena nodded tears streaming
down her face.
"Oh come here girl," and Andrew pulled
her into his embrace and then led her into
the break room.
"Serena what's going on did you guys
have a fight?" Serena just stared at the floor
"Serena?" he questioned.
"I went to the park… he looked so sad… I
went up to him... and I tried to help him and
he told all this stuff about the
orphanage... he suffered so much. Oh I'm so
confused, I like him so much, and then we
were kissing and oh…," cried Serena brokenly.
"Whoa, whoa you guys were kissing!!!!?
And you like him?!" Andrew exclaimed, what
was going on?
"I don't know I was holding him and he
was crying and then he just started kissing
me and then he just left me there," Serena
replied still extremely upset.
"He was crying?!, and then he initiated
a kiss with you?" asked Andrew incredulously.
"I see, it is so hard to believe anyone
would wan to kiss a dumb ditz like me,
right?" spat out Serena mockingly.
"No, no, no, Serena, I did not mean it
like that. First of all Darien never cries
and second he never makes the first move with
a girl. Although he never has too because
they all throw themselves at him," commented
Andrew wryly, "what I mean to say is that he
must feel something for you. Darien doesn't
just do that in front of any girl."
"Well he certainly has a way of showing
his feelings."
"Serena I know you may not want to hear
this and if this was anyone else I would say
forget that loser, but Darien although smart
in many ways is completely with out a clue in
other aspects such as love and friendship.
Hell it took years for him to open up with me.
It's saying a lot if he told you this much
about himself in just a matter of a few months.
You guys could barely stand each other,
Serena you most definitely have an effect on
him no matter what he says, that's what I
think at least," Andrew said with a comforting
smile.
"You really think so, has he ever
mentioned me in a good way or something?"
asked Serena forlornly.
"Well he does mention you, a lot
actually, but not in the way you would
like to hear. But come to think of it
you are the only girl he talks about so
that's saying something. And Serena for
Darien to lose control like that with you,
well I just can't believe that he has no
feelings for you, he's really hard to read,
and he might even fight you on this, but
I have a feeling you are going to be the
one to break him down," said Andrew helpfully.
"Thanks for you help Andrew," said
Serena as she got up, gave him another
hug, and headed for the door not wanting
to say more or to even hope that what
Andrew was saying was even remotely true.
-------------------------------------
Serena found herself walking along the pond
of the park. She wasn't ready to go home, sit
in her room, attempt to do homework, and only
end up thinking about Darien. Though it really
didn't matter because she was thinking about
him anyway, 'well at least I don't have to deal
with Luna or Sammy.'
'Why did he have to be my first kiss! Why
did he have to do it so well, why did it have
to feel like the ground beneath my feet was
not there? Why did it have to be all that I
dreamed it to be? Why can't there be some
sort of injection that could make me forget
about him? Who are you kidding you would
never want to forget about that kiss!'
'I know I know' Serena said back to
her brain resignedly.
As she was walking towards the bench
she saw none other than Darien sitting
there. 'What is the deal!!! Are we destined
to see each other a thousand times a day!!
Usually I don't mind, but come on!'
"Girl you could always turn around he
hasn't seen you yet," her mind replied
"I lost to much of dignity in the arcade
back there, this boy is going to get a piece
of my mind."
As she walked up to the bench Serena
chanted: "You can do it, you can do it,"
under her breath and sat down on it.
It's no use
He sees her
He Starts to shake he starts to cough
- Don't Stand So Close to Me, The Police-
She waited for Darien to realize it
was her. Apparently he was in la la land,
so she cleared her throat. His face
swiveled over in surprise.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't
the one and only meatball head,"
"I'm going to get straight to the
point here Darien, what happened last night?"
"Nothing of great importance." He
replied coldly
"Oh really the impenetrable Darien
crying and spilling his guts out among
other things constitutes nothing? Why are
you acting like this?" she said in a tone
of voice that was not to be messed with.
"You know what constitu…" apparently
he didn't notice.
"Darien give me a break for once, I
know a lot more than you think," Serena
replied heatedly, cutting him off form
his sarcastic remark
"Look you just happened to be there,
that's all, nothing more nothing less," once
again Darien remarked in that heartless
way of his.
"So I could have been any girl, you
can honestly say that?"
Silence
"Darien?" Serena questioned.
"Y…yes" he almost sounded like he
stuttered, Serena thought. Silence descended
once again and Serena thought that maybe if
she was completely honest with him than
might actually say what was on his mind.
Maybe it wouldn't be good but it was better
than this cold indifference, 'okay girl
time to bust out the big guns'
"Oh really?" Serena questioned again
"Yes really," by this time it seemed as
though he had gained more composure, what
exactly did he think she was going to do
to him?
"I don't believe you," where Serena
had gotten this newfound courage she didn't
know but she was going to go with it, she
wanted to prove to him that she was more
than just a flaky girl.
"What do you want me to do prove it
to you, that night didn't mean anything,
there is that what you want to hear," he
said forcefully.
"Yes I want to you to prove it to me
because those words you just spit out mean
nothing," then all of a sudden Serena
straddled Darien on the bench
"Serena what the hell are you
doing," Darien practically yelled.
"I'm going to make you prove something
to me," Serena said a little shaken from
his anger.
"Serena get off of me!" This time
Darien really let the annoyance in
his voice show. 'Was he getting
scared?' Serena wondered.
'Probably not' her mind shot back.
"So I don't affect you in anyway?
Well then you won't mind…," Serena lowered
her mouth to his ear and whispered, "this." And
she brought her lips down to his neck
kissing him as tenderly as she could.
"And this" she whispered in his ear
again and kissed right underneath it. She
felt Darien freeze like a statue, and she
almost lost hope, but something in her
heart egged her to continue.
"You were my first kiss you know," she
continued whispering in his ear "and I
liked it," again she kissed him tenderly
on his neck.
"I don't bite you now, unless you
want me too," and Serena proceeded to nip his
ear and suck on it lightly. Then a great
shuddering breath came out of Darien and she
knew he felt something.
'Here goes nothing' she thought shaking
from fear, and she kissed Darien's lips
lightly, but he was still like a stone cold
rock, so she did it again as slowly and as
tenderly as possible and she pulled back
slowly so that her lips slid along his and
then no longer touched them. She did this
again and again. But still he remained a
statue. Tears started to well in her eyes,
she felt humiliated and stupid, she looked
up into his eyes, which were now closed tightly.
Unexpectedly Darien groaned deep in
his throat and his arms came up around her.
He pulled her tightly to him, and this time
he was the one ravaging her lips. He began
kissing her like a drowned man, like he
could not get enough of her. He ran his
hands over every part of her like he couldn't
bear it if every inch of her body wasn't
touching his. But once again he shoved her
roughly away from him, almost throwing her
down on the other side of the bench. He
was gripping her arms so tightly that it
was actually hurting her.
"Don't ask for what you don't really
want," he growled.
"Darien you're hurting me," Serena
whimpered.
Darien looked down at his hands like
they weren't his, mumbled what sounded
like a sorry under his breath making the
apology worthless in her mind as he got
up to leave. He had taken no more than
two more steps when Serena called out
to his back
"Darien," and he paused for a second
"Don't walk away from me like
this," and it looked like he considered
what she said, but then he kept walking
"How do you do it Darien, I don't
understand," this time Serena was yelling
in anger, she felt cheap and humiliated.
"Do what," but he knew, he turned
around and faced her.
"Stuff your self inside and let
no one in? All you are is a scared lonely
little boy. You are lost Darien and you're
searching for who knows what, but you'll
never find it because you are heartless
and cold!," returned Serena furiously.
"Shut-up!," said Darien getting
angry himself not wanting to hear her words.
"Personally I don't know how you do
it, how do shut people out the way you do,
how you love nothing and no one but yourself,
if you continue that way you're going to be
alone all your life!" Serena continued,
crying now because she didn't think she
was getting through to him, because he
didn't return her feelings.
"What would a silly girl like you
know about love?" replied Darien furiously
and he stalked away
Serena went as white as death, and
whispered "I'm sorry Darien, so sorry,"
Oh you're spinning me around
My feet are off the ground
I don't know where I stand
-Sunday, The Cranberries-
-------------------------------------
