Plain and Simple:
part 2
"There are so many cute things to buy here!" Serena exclaimed, her face
pressing against the glass display case.
"Yeah, well they're of no importance at this second," Darien reminded
her. "We're supposed to be looking for the third clue, remember?"
"Ok, ok, I'll start looking!" Serena huffed, annoyed. She continued
peering into the display case.
Something caught her eye on the bottom shelf....
She bent down to get a better look and sharply drew in her breath. She
had found their next clue!
"Darien, get over here!"
"Serena, you're supposed to be looking for our clue," Darien replied,
exasperated. He walked over to her. "I don't care what's in the display
case."
Serena's cheeks colored in anger. She turned her nose up. "Fine, if you
don't want our next clue then I'll just read it by myself..."
"Hold on!" Darien interrupted her. "You know where our next clue is?"
She pointed to the bottom shelf, trying to look bored.
Darien knelt down beside her and searched the display case. Sure enough,
there was a box labeled "Clue #3."
"Wow, we're making great time!" he exclaimed.
Serena didn't answer.
He glanced over at her. "Serena?"
She turned her head away from him.
"Please talk to me, Serena," he pleaded with her.
Still no answer.
"After we get this clue, I'll buy you an ice cream..."
Serena perked up at the sound of food. She slowly turned around to face
him. "Anything I want?"
"Anything you want," Darien answered, tugging gently on one of her
pigtails.
The playful gesture made Serena erupt into giggles. "You're on!"
Once they got the box from the salesperson, Serena eagerly threw off the
top and peered inside.
"Oh, how cute!" Serena reached inside the box and gingerly picked up a
tiny figurine of a snow-colored bunny holding a deep red rose. She inspected
every inch of it, instantly growing attached.
Darien, gently pried it out of her fingers and gazed thoughtfully at it.
'Hmm, is there supposed to be some kind of significance in this?" he
wondered. He glanced at Serena out of the corner of his eye. 'Apparently
she didn't notice anything.'
She did, however, notice their next clue. She carefully opened the
envelope and pulled out the yellow card.
"You have to navigate your way to the middle of a sapphire." She threw
her hands up in defeat. "Ok, I'm stumped."
Darien searched his brain for any ideas, but none came. "I don't know."
Can we go get ice cream now? I'm hungry," Serena whined, tugging on
Darien's arm.
"Sure," Darien told her, smiling at her childlike actions. He placed the
figurine in his jacket pocket and was led out of the charm shop by Serena's
insistent grip on his sleeve.
"They're probably still at the charm shop," Raye laughed.
"Why, is the clue that hard to find?" Mina asked her.
"No, but the clue itself is a little too deep for both of them."
"What did it say?" Amy asked nervously.
"Nothing they both can't handle," Andrew reassured everyone. 'At least I
hope so.'
"Just give them some time," Greg put in.
"Let's just be happy they made it this far," Ken added. "It's not like
those two have the best track records around each other."
"That's an understatement," Lita muttered. She impatiently twirled a
piece of hair around her finger. 'Something had better start happening
before I make it happen.'
"I'll have a triple hot fudge sundae with extra whipped cream and
cherries," Serena anxiously told the waitress.
She and Darien were standing in the ice cream shop. As promised, Darien
allowed Serena to choose her perfect dessert, which was almost as expensive
as buying a small foreign country.
"I'll just have a scoop of vanilla," Darien absently told the woman
behind the counter.
After receiving their ice cream, they moved to a tiny corner booth at the
back of the shop.
A spoonful of Darien's ice cream hovered at his lips while he watched
Serena, fascinated at the skill in which she ravished her sundae.
"So what about that clue?" Serena tried to ask with a mouthful of whipped
cream.
Darien hid a smile behind his hand. She was so cute without even trying!
"What was that?" he asked with as much seriousness as he could muster.
She swallowed the whipped cream. "I asked about the clue," she repeated
impatiently. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Nope, none," he relayed.
"What help are you then?" she muttered under her breath, but not as
quietly as she had intended.
Darien's sharp intake of breath drew her eyes to his face. His beautiful
mouth and piercing blue eyes. She always saw them first. Now he wore a
heart-shattering frown, and his eyes were bottomless pools of hurt.
She quickly grabbed his hand and held it in hers. "Darien," she began.
He yanked his hand away, but she reached out and held onto it tightly this
time. "Darien... Darien, please look at me."
His head turned away, not meeting her gaze.
She let go of his hand and placed hers on either side of his face,
forcing him to look at her. His pained expression stung her, but she
couldn't figure out why he cared what she thought. "Darien, I'm sorry I said
that. I was just a little upset. I didn't mean it."
He smiled sadly and pulled her hands away. "Yes, you did mean it,
Serena," he told her. "I'm sorry too. I know spending the day with the
person you dislike most in the world has to be torture for you." Those last
words hung bitterly in the air.
"I don't feel that way at all!" she protested, surprised at her own words.
She wasn't the only one.
Darien stared back at her, his mouth hanging open.
"What I mean is... It's just that..." Serena stuttered. "What I'm
trying to say is..." she lowered her eyes. "I had fun today," she told him
quietly.
'He probably hates me,' she thought sadly, staring at her melting sundae.
'I wouldn't blame him if he left right now and didn't look back. God, I
hope he doesn't do that.'
Darien silently studied her reaction to her words. She looked downright
nervous! 'It's far from what I wanted her to say, but I'll take what I can
get for now.'
He placed a hand on hers. "I had fun too."
She met his gaze. Their eyes locked. "Really?" she asked hopefully.
"Uh huh."
Serena gave him a tiny smile, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. 'Now
that that's taken care of, I can finish my ice cream.' She picked up her
spoon and went to scoop up some ice cream, only to find a bowl of melted
slush.
"Oh no!" she wailed, stirring the melted ice cream with her spoon. "My
sundae melted!" She looked ready to cry.
"Here, have mine," Darien offered, pushing his bowl of half-eaten ice
cream across the table to her.
She smiled gratefully, then turned to devour the ice cream.
Darien watched in amusement as Serena polished off the last drop of the
melted treat.
Sighing contentedly, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
After a moment Darien said, "We still need to figure out the next clue."
Serena's head snapped back and her eyes met Darien's. 'I never noticed
the lighter flecks of blue swimming in the dark pools,' she thought, studying
his eyes. 'Dark pools...'
Her mouth widened into a smile. "That's it!"
"What's it?" Darien asked, confused.
Serena's eyes gleamed with excitement. "The clue! You know, the middle
of a sapphire!" She was gesturing frantically with her hands. "I think I
know what it is, but I'm not sure. I mean, it could be right, but-"
"Just tell me!" Darien interrupted her babbling, grabbing her hands and
forcing them to stop moving.
She caught her breath, then blurted out, "Water! It has to be something
with water!"
"Of course," Darien almost smacked himself for not thinking of that
sooner. "But what about water?"
"A boat! Remember? You have to navigate your way to the middle of a
sapphire," she recited. "It must be the lake!" Serena beamed, obviously
proud of figuring out the clue.
Darien shared her enthusiasm. He jumped up out of the booth and picked
Serena up, twirling her around.
They both laughed; Serena at the euphoric feeling of almost feeling,
Darien at the sheer amazement of holding Serena in his arms. When he finally
set her down, the laughter subsided.
She blushed furiously and looked down at the floor.
Darien took a step back. "Serena, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I was
just caught up in the moment. Solving the clue was just so great..."
"Darien," Serena began.
"It's just that it was so unexpected, and... and... and maybe it was the
sugar too, I don't know-"
"Darien, just shut up already!" Serena interrupted him.
He was so stunned by the outburst he had to comply.
"Darien, it's ok," she said finally.
He just looked at her dumbly.
"I was caught up in the moment too," she told him, smiling shyly. Her
eyes glittered with nervousness.
Instead of dragging the awkward moment out, Darien decided to change the
subject. "We should probably take off to get our next clue."
"You're right. I mean, we might not be ahead anymore."
'As long as I get to spend more time with you, I wouldn't care if we came
in last,' Darien almost said. Instead he replied, "We wouldn't want that to
happen." He feigned shock.
Serena playfully hit him on the arm. "Very funny. Now lets go." She
took his hand in hers, a gesture that surprised both of them.
She quickly looked up at him, and smiled down at her.
They left the shop hand in hand, their fingers entwined.
"I win!" Lita cried triumphantly.
Everyone groaned.
"You've won the last four hands," Andrew complained, watching Lita
gleefully slide all the poker chips in front of her and add them to her
already huge pile.
"How about another hand?" Lita grinned slyly.
"Count us out; you already have our money," Amy shook her head, gesturing
to herself and Greg.
"I'm game," Mina announced after counting her small collection of poker
chips.
Ken leaned back in his chair and placed his crossed arms behind his head.
"Not me; you guys cleaned me out," he nodded to his nonexistent pile of
chips.
"I've got enough for another hand," Raye said.
"Well, I already lost most of my money, might as well go for all of it,"
Andrew sighed.
The girls giggled.
"Ok, here we go," Lita shuffled the cards with all professionalism. "The
name of the game is Five Card Draw. Deuces are wild." She dealt out five
cards each to Mina, Raye, Andrew, and herself. They all tossed a chip in the
middle of the table.
"They picked up their cards. Mina's eyebrows shot up, but she quickly
resumed her poker face.
"Ok, how many?" Lita asked her.
"Two." Mina took her two new cards.
"Raye?"
"Two also," Raye answered, taking her new cards.
"Andrew?"
Andrew said nothing.
"Yo, Andrew, how many cards?" Lita prompted.
"Um..." he contemplated. "One, I guess."
"Only one? Sure about that? Your winning record isn't too great," Lita
teased him.
Andrew glared at her. "Just give me my card!"
"Ok, ok!" Lita gave him a new card. He snapped it out of her hand.
"All right, dealer takes two," Lita said. She studied her new hand.
"I'll start at five." She tossed a poker chip into the middle of the table.
"I'll see your five and raise it five," Mina tossed in her chips.
"Ok, I can do that." Raye added her chips to the pile. "And I'll raise
it ten."
Andrew glanced around nervously. He took a peak at his hand once more,
then pushed some chips into the pile. "I'll see your ten." He added
bravely, "And raise it twenty."
"What?" the girls screeched together.
"Hey, I need the money!" Andrew shot back defensively.
Lita gulped. "Ok, I'll see your twenty and raise it another twenty."
She pushed a stack of chips to the middle pile.
"I'm out," Mina dropped her cards on the table. "Too rich for my bones."
"That's blood, Mina," Raye corrected her. "I fold too."
Andrew counted his chips. "Ok, I'll see your twenty and raise you
fifty." He tossed his remaining chips into the pile.
Lita's eyes bugged out. "Fifty?" she squeaked.
"Yeah; take it or leave it," Andrew shrugged.
She looked nervously at Raye and Mina, then threw a handful of chips into
the pile. "I call." She took a deep breath. "What have you got?"
Andrew slowly spread his cards out on the table. "Full house."
Lita stared in disbelief at his cards. "Full house?" she repeated. Her
cards fell out of her hands and landed on the table. "How can that be? My
three of a kind was a great hand!"
"You mean I beat you?" Andrew grinned. He jumped out of his chair and
started dancing around. "I won! I won!"
"Must've been a fluke," Lita grumbled.
"Who cares? I won!" Andrew gloated.
Amy, who had been sitting with Greg by the window, suddenly jumped up and
shouted, "Guys, shut up!"
Everyone stopped talking and looked over at her.
"They're coming!" she told them, pointing out the window.
They all ran for a place to hide. Mina and Lita sucked behind the
counter. Andrew and Raye scrambled underneath a table. Ken and Greg dove
behind some video games. Amy crouched down by the window, her head high
enough to see where Serena and Darien were.
To her surprise, they walked right past the arcade. Amy blinked. 'Did I
see that?' she asked herself. She stood up and leaned over to get a better
view of them. What she said made her heart skip a beat.
"They're holding hands!" she exclaimed, still watching the two walking
down the sidewalk.
"You're kidding!" Mina flew over to the window. She had to see this
herself. "I can't see!" She pushed her way past the others and stepped
outside. They followed.
"Oh, that's so cute," Lita sighed.
"It's working!" Raye replied excitedly.
They watched Darien and Serena until the two turned a corner. They
shuffled back inside.
"You sure know what you're doing, man," Ken told Andrew.
"I knew they just needed to spend some time together," Andrew answered.
"I mean, you should see the way he always lights up around her. It's like
she gave him a spark of life that he had been missing."
"Serena's the same way," Mina said thoughtfully, thinking back to her
conversation with Serena the day before. "She may act all indignant and
annoyed by him, but I think she enjoys his company. Even though they were
arguing most of the time, it gave them an excuse to talk to each other."
"Now that you mention it, Serena did always have a certain look in her
eyes when she talked about Darien," Amy spoke up.
Everyone stared at her.
"What? I notice these things!" she shot out defensively.
"Yes, we know, Amy," Greg broke in quickly, patting her hand.
"No arguing, guys," Ken added. "We should keep focusing on out plan."
"Well, they took the bait, so now it's just a matter of reeling them in,"
Lita smiled, crossing her fingers.
"The lake is so beautiful this time of year," Serena murmured, dangling her fingers in the crystal pool. She playfully splashed Darien with some water.
"Hey, not fair! I'm rowing!" he protested.
Serena giggled. "Good! Then I won't get splashed."
"Wanna bet?" Darien skillfully used the oar to hit the water at an angle, splashing Serena.
"I'm soaked!" she wailed, wringing out her dripping shirt. "Ooh, this means war!" She cupped a handful of water and threw it at Darien.
He tried to dodge but only succeeded in getting hit square in the face.
Serena laughed. "Hey, that was fun!"
"Ok, no more Mr. Nice Guy!" Darien threw the oars in the rowboat and grabbed a handful of water, flinging it at Serena.
She shrieked. "Hey, what about the rowing?"
"It can wait!"
Darien and Serena continued splashing each other.
The boat jerked as it ran into something.
Both stopped their splashing.
"It's a buoy." Darien observed.
"Hey! There's our next clue!" Serena pointed.
Tied to the buoy was a box labeled "Clue #4."
Darien carefully lifted the lid off the box and peered inside. There were the usual stack of clues and some cassettes. He picked up one of each, then set the lid back down.
Serena plucked the cassette out of his hand. She looked at one side, then flipped it over." It's unmarked," she announced.
"Hmm, strange," Darien took the clue out of the envelope.
"There's never enough time before the bell goes off. Everything should start at a more reasonable hour."
"I don't get it," Serena commented. "How can you restart time?"
"I don't think that's what the clue is saying," Darien said slowly. "But I also can't think of anything."
She sighed. "Trees, fortune, pools of water... Does everything have to be a riddle?"
Darien chuckled. "That would defeat the purpose of the game."
"Why can't we get easy clues?" Serena pouted. "This isn't fun. And besides, I'm still soaked!"
Darien looked up at her, smiling in triumph. "Hey, I am too," he pointed out. Maybe we should head back in," he suggested, glancing at the darkening sky.
Serena followed his gaze. "It's about to rain!"
Darien grabbed the oars and swiftly rowed them to the dock. He jumped onto the dock, then reached for Serena's hand to help her out of the boat.Her hand in his, she stepped up onto the dock but lost her balance. She tripped and fell into Darien, who caught her and wrapped his arms around her. She looked up at him, blushing from embarrassment. He just smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her more tightly.
They started walking.
Serena leaned back into him, enjoying the warmth of his body. "Where do we go now?" she wanted to know.
"Well, we need to dry off." He paused before he spoke next. "We're close to my apartment. We could go there to dry off..."
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Serena's face. "Your apartment?" she asked meekly.
"While we wait out the storm, I could make us some hot chocolate," he quickly
added.
"Mmm, hot chocolate." She smacked her lips. She thought for a minute. Well, we probably won't be there that long.' To Darien she said, "Ok, lets go."
He silently thanked the storm for allowing him more time with her. Leaning down close to her ear, he whispered, "Whatever you wish."
She shivered at his closeness. As they started off, she had to command her legs to move. 'This is going to be a long storm,' she thought.
"It's really getting dark out there, guys," Mina reported.
"I hope Serena and Darien will be all right," Lita said worriedly.
"They'll be fine, don't worry," Andrew told everyone.
"It looks like our plan is on hold for a little while," Amy observed, staring outside as it began to rain.
"Hey, won't this work to our advantage?" Greg pointed out. "They're spending more time together this way."
"You're right," Ken agreed. "And if I remember correctly, Serena was never too fond of storms."
"Oh, I get it," Mina replied, catching on. "Darien will have to comfort her and be sweet to her, which is a plus."
"Looks like we'll be stuck here for a while too," Raye said, watching the rain pour down in sheets.
"Anyone for another game for cards?" Ken joked.
"Here we are," Darien said as they stepped off the elevator on the twelfth floor. He fumbled in his pocket for his apartment key. Once found, he unlocked and opened the door.
Serena quickly sized up his apartment. It was very impersonal. Besides an array of furniture, a big screen tv, and a huge bookshelf, there wasn't much else in the room. No pictures, no photos, no sign of anyone ever being there. She glanced questioningly at Darien, but he didn't notice.
"Why don't you go sit down on the couch?" Darien offered. "I'll make the hot chocolate." He walked into the kitchen.
Serena wandered over to the book shelf. It was stuffed with thick books, most of which were science and medical texts. Randomly grabbing a book, she settled on the couch. She had picked up a science encyclopedia. Flipping open the book, she started skimming an article. Her head swam with words that had more syllables than she'd ever seen in her life! She tried sounding out some of the words but gave up fast.
"Here," Darien said, startling her. He held out a mug of hot chocolate.
She slammed the book shut and looked up guiltily.
"It's all right if you look at that," Darien told her, setting the mug down on the table in front of her. He sat down in an armchair, taking a sip of his water.
Serena raised the mug to her lips and sipped the hot chocolate. "Owwww!" she cried in pain over her scalding tongue.
"Here," Darien pressed his glass of water into her hands. She quickly downed the entire glass.
"Thanks," she mumbled. Then she asked, "How can you understand this stuff?" She gestured to the book.
"I guess I just have a mind for it," Darien replied, watching her.
Serena's eyes kept fluttering closed, but she quickly forced them open and blinked furiously. Her head started drooping forward.
"Hey, I'll be right back," Darien told her, jumping up and going to his bedroom.
A few minutes later he returned with a blanket in his hand. As he knew would happen, Serena had fallen asleep on the couch. Her head rested on a tiny pillow, and her feet were curled up underneath her.
Darien gently covered Serena with the blanket, then sat back down in the chair. 'She's so angelic,' he thought as he watched her sleep. Her lips curled into a tiny smile, almost as if she were aware of Darien's thoughts.
Watching her peaceful slumber, Darien felt his own eyelids grow heavy. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
"I'm so bored," Mina complained an hour later.
"You're not the only one," Lita yawned.
"Come on; it wasn't that bad," Ken interjected.
"Did you hear what you just said?" Raye asked incredulously. "The card game was a bad idea, our attempt at charades was laughable, and if I have to listen to anyone else karaoke their hearts out I'm going to scream!"
"God, sorry I said anything," Ken huffed.
"Well, it's not my fault if I -"
"Hey, the rain stopped!" Amy exclaimed, cutting Raye off.
"Looks like our plan is back in business," Andrew said.
"And not a moment too soon," Greg whispered to Amy.
Serena groggily opened her eyes. Not recognizing her surroundings, she quickly sat up. Glancing around, she realized that she was in Darien's apartment. Her eyes fell on him. She giggled at his light snoring. 'I could watch him sleep all day,' Serena thought. 'Wait, back up there just a sec! Where did these feelings come from? I'm not supposed to like Darien. I do have to admit, though, that he knows how to put on the charm. And spending the day with him was far from terrible.'
"Serena," Darien mumbled. He woke up. "Hey, you're up too," he grinned tiredly at Serena, his eyes still half closed.
"Sleeping on the job, are we?" she teased.
"I believe I wasn't the only one," he reminded her.
Serena batted her eyes at him and said in her most innocent voice, "Who, me?"
Darien only laughed.
Serena shuffled over to the window and looked out. "It stopped raining," she reported. "I guess it's back to work?"
"You guessed it." Darien stood and ushered Serena out the door. Once out of the building, they took off down the sidewalk.
"That rainstorm arrived out of nowhere," Darien commented.
"Well, I'm not going to complain since I got to nap for an hour," Serena told him airily, stepping over a puddle of water. "I like the rain. It's the lightning and thundering that I'm not fond of." She quickly blushed and looked down, embarrassed about telling him her fears.
She instantly felt better when Darien said, "I know how you feel. I don't like them much either."
As they passed the junior high building, she stopped in front of the gate. "I don't like going to school either," she muttered. "It should start at a better time, like noon. Hey, that's it!" She frantically knelt down to look under the tall shrubs.
"Serena, what's wrong? What are you looking for?" Darien asked.
"This!" Serena stood and turned to Darien. In her hands was a box labeled "Clue #5."
"Wow, I don't think I ever would have gotten that," Darien said.
Serena smiled at him, then opened the box. Besides the usual envelopes were little white boxes. She picked one up and opened it. She gasped.
Inside was a tiny star locket that bore an uncanny resemblance to the one she knew so well. Her hand trembled as she took it out of the box and stared at it. She finally stood and held it up for Darien to see.
He stepped closer and took the locket from her shaking hand. He knew this locket; at least the original from which this one must have been duplicated.
"The star locket," they both whispered.
Serena's head jerked up and her eyes bore fiercely into his. "What did you say?" she screeched.
"Um, nothing," Darien answered quickly, his heart stopping. He eyed her suspiciously. "What did you say?"
"Oh, well, I... always mumble to myself without saying anything important. Yeah, that's it!"
Darien gave her one last look, then let the subject drop. He unclasped the necklace. "Come here," he told Serena.
She obeyed, turning around and lifting her hair of her neck so he could fasten it on her.
Noticing his fingers still lingering on her neck, she glanced questioningly up at him. He had an unreadable expression on his face.
Darien gently turned her around to face him. "The locket looks beautiful on you," he said in a hoarse whisper.
'He looks really upset over something,' Serena noticed. 'Did I cause it? I hope not. Well, maybe I can make him feel better,' she decided. She tentatively took a step
toward him.
Darien raised his eyebrows at her, never taking his eyes off her for a second. 'What is she doing?'
Serena hesitated only for a second, then threw her arms around Darien in a fierce hug.
He stood there, not knowing if this was real or not. Deciding that he didn't care, he hugged her back. It was sheer heaven holding Serena in his arms. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, and he never wanted this moment to end. 'I love you, Serena,' he wanted to tell her, but he knew the feelings weren't mutual. 'If only I weren't such a jerk to her. She doesn't like me. She'll never love me.'
That thought made him draw back from Serena.
She looked at him, startled. "Darien?"
"I'm fine now," he lied. "Thank you, Serena."
"Are you sure you're ok?" Serena asked worriedly.
"Yes, I'm sure. It's just that... I was thinking how stupid it was of me not to figure out the clue about your school when it should have been obvious."
She gave him a tiny smile. "Well, the other clues, weren't exactly easy,either."
"You seem to have a knack for it."
"I do?" Serena looked pleased. "Yeah, I guess I do. Speaking of which, maybe we should take a peek at our next clue."
Darien looked at the envelope lying on the ground. He had completely forgotten about it.
Since he made no attempt for the envelope, Serena picked it up and took out the clue.
"Where there's a starting line, there's a finish line. You always end up back where you came from," she read. She looked up. "Does that mean..."
"The game is over," Darien finished her sentence. "Guess we should head over to the arcade." He started walking.
"What about us?" Serena asked meekly.
Darien stopped. He turned to face her. "What do you mean?"
She fidgeted nervously with the locket. "I know we usually can't stand each other, but after today, well... I consider you my friend. Is... Is that ok?"
Darien heard the words, but he didn't believe them. 'She wants to be my friend? She doesn't totally hate me?' He was speechless. He just gaped at her.
Her face fell. "Ok, I see. Forget I said anything." She turned away.
"No!" Darien shouted, grabbing her hand. "Serena, there's nothing I'd love more than to be friends with you."
'Except to hear you say that you love me,' he thought sadly.
She looked at him, her eyes full of tears. "Really?"
Darien's heart broke at her torn expression. "Of course."
Her face instantly lit up. She gave Darien a quick hug. "That makes me so happy," she babbled.
"Yeah, me too." He smiled at her.
"Now that that's taken care of, let's go claim our prize!" Serena dragged Darien to the arcade.