7.) #22-Online 852 Words

Serene tied her long blonde hair into a bun at the top of her head. She placed a pair of pink sunglasses with pictures of bunnies on the sides of the frames into her hair, then a sharpened pencil onto her ear which barely even held itself in place.

She glanced at the mirror on the wall before shaking her head. The sunglasses looked too childlike. Instead she picked up her dad's black, square reading glasses. Surely these would look more intelligent.

After the quick swap, she wondered if it looked like she was trying too hard. Serena refused to let that thought deter her. She picked up her mom's deep red lipstick and carefully applied makeup to her lips.

After some careful consideration, Serena decided that borrowing one of her mother's dresses may be worth a week of groundation. She left her parent's bathroom, did a quick check to make sure her mother was still cooking downstairs. When this piece of information was confirmed, Serena dug through her mother's closet until she found the little black dress she had admired on her mother for her and dad's last date night. She slipped it on, then raced down the stairs, sneaking past her mom, practically jumping out the front door with her heels and midnight blue clutch in hand.

She had never been on a date before, and was thrilled when Darien had asked her. Serena wanted nothing more than to impress him with her beauty and intelligence.

But not even an hour later, Serena found herself dripping wet, standing outside the arcade doors. She clenched the folded piece of paper Darien had given to her before crumbling it with pure frustration.

She stepped inside, her feet wet and aching with every step she took in the too tall high heels.

Andrew looked up from helping a young girl with the Sailor V game.

"Are you okay?" Andrew asked, racing to her side with a clean and dry rag pulled from his apron pocket.

Serena accepted the cloth, using Andrew's rag to wipe the smeared lipstick and dryoff her face. She looked at him like he was an idiot. "No. Do I look like I'm alright, Andrew?"

"What happened?" Andrew took his now soaked rag from her. "Why were you wandering in the rain?"

Serena sniffled, holding back tears. "I couldn't find the restaurant Darien wanted to meet at. I looked all over and it wasn't around!"

Andrew's eyes widened.

"The jerk pranked me! I should've known this reservation was fake. Why would he ever go to dinner with a girl he calls Meatball Head?"

She threw the paper at the ground and let the tears fall down her face. "He must think I'm a total idiot, falling for his trick."

Andrew bent down to pick up the paper. When he uncrumpled it from it's ball, he couldn't help but laugh. "Serena…"

"What?" Serena snapped.

"What exactly did he tell you?"

"He asked me to meet him at that dumb restaurant."

Serena rolled her eyes. Didn't she already tell Andrew what Darien had said? Maybe she wasn't the only dumb blonde in the arcade.

"Serena, have you ever heard of the internet before?"

"Dad uses that thingamajig for work. Why?"

"Darien invited you to chat online, not to dinner."

Serena took the paper back from him, her fingers shaking as she shook her head feverishly. "No, he invited me to dinner. He even gave me the reservation name."

"No, he didn't!"

"Yes, it's aolinsta something! That sounds French."

Andrew read the information to her," AOL instant messenger. Under Darien Chiba. Serena, I think he wanted to webcam with you."

Serena only look confused. Questioning, even.

Andrew chuckled. "It's where you chat on the computer using a camera and a microphone."

Serena felt less confused and more annoyed than ever. "Well, that's stupid. Why not just ask me out on a real date?"

"I couldn't agree more, but he said it's less complicated online."

Serena looked bewildered. "And he calls me dumb? Going online sounds way too complicated!"

She wrote the name of a real restaurant on the other side of the damp, wrinkled paper.

"Next time you see Darien, tell him he owes me a real dinner for my troubles tonight."

"I'll let him know."

Serena left the arcade wet, tired, and cranky.

Andrew turned to the booth in the back of the arcade where Darien had been hiding with his laptop and microphone. He put Serena's note down next to his best friend's hand. "I told you to try the traditional route first."

"Yeah, yeah." Darien waved Andrew off. "Now I know the article in the Tigerbeat magazine was way off about online dating."

"Yeah, no kidding!"

Darien held the piece of paper in his hand, a smile resting on his face. "But it got me what I wanted, didn't it?"

"And what was that, Dar?" Andrew rolled his eyes at how Darien couldn't admit he was wrong and leave it at that.

"Serena asked me for a date."

"More like demanded it."

And that was all Darien could hope for.

Remember when the internet was new?