The next morning Serena was up at the crack of dawn. She had a lot planned today and if she wanted to get things done she would have to start bright and early. Alternatively, so she thought.
"Serena? Are you up?" Irene Tsukino asked as she entered her youngest daughter's room. "I heard you moving around in here." She smiled when Serena came up to her.
"What's up?" She asked as she applied lip-gloss.
"Honey." Irene deeply breathed.
"Mom?" Serena questioned. She was starting to panic.
"I know how you feel about Jon." Irene deeply inhaled and exhaled.
"Sit down." Serena gestured to her bed.
"Thanks."
"Okay. Did something happen?" Serena tilted her head. "I swear if he-
"No. Honey. It's nothing like that." Irene laughed. "We decided to move the date up."
"Up?" Serena asked. She did not like where this was going. If it were up to her Irene and Jon would never get married.
"Yeah. The wedding is Tuesday."
"What!?" Serena shouted.
"I know." Irene hugged her daughter.
"MOM!" Serena cried.
"I know." Irene touched Serena's hair.
"No! You don't know. How could you do something like that? You and Dad's anniversary is today. Why? Do you hate me that much? No. I don't want to know. I have to go." Serena pushed past Irena and ran downstairs. The whole time all she could do was think about her fucked up relationship with Seiya and Darien. She just wanted to forgive and forget. She didn't want to be a hateful bitch like her mother. She refused.
Ten minutes later, Serena was walking through the entrance of Oleander Hill Cemetery, desperately trying to shake off the thoughts of life. All she wanted was to talk to her father and to have him listen.
"Hello. Daddy." Serena whispered when she reached his gravesite. It had been three years since the accident but it still felt like yesterday. Serena kissed the tombstone before sitting down.
"Sorry. I haven't been around lately. A lot has been going on. Mom is getting married. Yeah. To Jon. He's still the same as always. You never liked him, did you? I don't know. He's cool, but he's not you." Serena sighed. "I also met a guy. His name is Darien. I love him so much it hurts. You see…he's Raye's boyfriend. She doesn't appreciate him though. He's so perfect and sweet. You would like him. He has a lot of…wit." She laughed and continued. "There is this other guy too. Seiya. I like him. However, he's not the person I love. I think Darien loves me back. But we can never be together." Serena stopped when she felt a drop hit her arm. "Dad. I know." Serena looked up at the sky. "I'm sorry." She began to cry as the rain slowly came down. "I just don't know what to do." Serena sobbed.
"Serena!" Irene shouted as she happily watched her daughter enter the house two hours later.
"I'm sorry." Serena cried when she hugged her mother. "I'm sorry. I should be happy for you and Jon. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Serena whispered.
"Don't be. I'm just glad you're safe." Irene wiped Serena's tears.
"I'm sorry." Serena repeated. "I love you."
"I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have agreed to get married two days after your father died."
"I forgive you." Serena smiled. "I have to."
"Honey." Irene hugged her. "You're all soaked."
"Serena!" Raye ran up to her sister. "I was so worried." She cried hugging her.
"May I go to my room? I have some things I need to take care of." Serena smiled hugging her sister back.
"Ok. Honey. I'll make you some soup."
"No. It's all right. Go take care of the wedding." Serena nodded from the stairs.
"Oh. Serena." Irene smile.
"I love you." Serena whispered before turning to go up the stairs.
Serena dialed the same number 10 times, each time hanging up on the first ring. "Serena, you can do this." She cheered herself on. "He's just a guy." Serena nodded before quickly dialing Seiya's number.
"Hello?" He picked up after two rings.
"Seiya?" Serena questioned.
He sighed and asked. "Have you been calling and hanging up?"
"Yeah." Serena sighed.
"Why?"
"I was nervous." Serena laughed; she was glad that he didn't hang up in her face.
"I'm sorry." They both spoke at the same time.
"You first." Seiya laughed.
"I'm sorry for being a bitch and to make it up to you. I want you to take me out for ice cream."
"How is that making it up to me?"
"You get to be with me." Serena whispered. "Pick me up in 10 minutes."
"Alright." Seiya grinned and put down the phone.
"God." Serena sighed and took off her clothes; she had to changed clothes and dry her hair all in ten minutes. "What to wear?" Serena shrugged and picked out her favorite sevens jeans and a Abercrombie & Fitch shirt.
After changing her clothes, Serena walked over to vanity. "Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun. Dun." Serena began to hum as she pulled out her dryer. "You make me feel out of my element. Like I'm walkin' on broken glaaass. Like my worlds spinnin' in slow mootion. And you're movin' too fast. Were you right, was I wrong. Were you weak, was I strong, yeah. Both of us broken. Caught in a moment. We lived and we loved. And we hurt and we jumped, yeah. But the planets all aligned. When you looked into my eyes. And just like that. The chemicals react. The chemicals react." Serena smiled as she turned the dryer off. She didn't want her hair to be any more burned.
"Serena?" Raye inquired as she knocked on her sister's door.
"Yeah?" Serena watched Raye enter with Seiya trailing behind.
"I had been calling you for a while." Raye shook her head as Serena tilted hers.
"I'm sorry. I didn't hear." Serena blushed as Seiya looked around her room.
"Cute room." He commented.
"Thanks." Serena smiled. "Anyways. Raye shouldn't you be helping mom with wedding plans?"
"Mom left a while ago." Raye absent-mindedly picked up some earrings from Serena's desk.
"Then go find her."
"OH!" Raye grinned after she figured Serena wanted her to leave. "I have my cell if you need me."
"Yeah." Serena smiled before closing the door on Raye.
"How long have you been here?" Serena asked pulling her hair up.
"A few minutes. I was nearby."
"Doing?"
"Shopping."
"For?"
"My mom."
"Where is she?"
"Home. I leave in four weeks."
"You'll miss my birthday. Serena pouted.
"I'll come back."
"Promise?"
"Promise. Besides I have an art showing here on the 28th."
"And I thought I was the only reason."
"Nope."
"I hate you." Serena smiled and walked over to him.
"I think you're lying." Seiya grinned and hugged her waist.
"Yeah. I think so too." Serena mumbled before bending down to hug his head. "You smell like Vanilla."
"Thanks." Seiya sighed placing a kiss on her right shoulder.
"Seiya..." Serena softly smiled as she kissed Seiya on each cheek before placing the softest kiss on his lips.
"I love you." Seiya whispered.
"Seiya. I want to love you. I don't think I can though."
"Serena. Why do you keep doing this?" He asked sitting on her bed.
"Doing what?"
"You fill me with hope, only to hurt me."
"Seiya." Serena turned from him.
"Serena. Look at me." He turned her head so that she could look deep into his eyes.
"I can't." Serena spoke through her tears.
"Why?" He asked. "I'm right here. I'm with you right now."
"Seiya. I'm dating Darien."
"Who?" Seiya asked. The only Darien he knew was Raye's boyfriend.
"Darien. Raye's boyfriend."
"What?"
"I'm dating him. We've been seeing each other for a while."
"You just me him."
"I just met you."
"I don't get it."
"I'm sorry." Serena shook her head.
"Serena."
"I thought I was okay, but then you came into the picture and screwed everything up. I have so many mixed feeling. I don't know what to do."
"Serena."
