Third Time's the Charm
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Part 2
Hikari's Notes for (06/20/01):
*smiles broadly* I wrote a new message for this thing. I
first want to thank all the people that have emailed me,
and reviewed my story. I'm really happy to know that you
guys are liking this story.
Special mentions go to Hitomi-chan (for her former whip) and
Lil Usako (for her *gulps* stun-gun): SERIOUSLY! YOU PEOPLE
ARE CRAZY!! YOU DON'T THREATEN AUTHORS, YOU SHOWER THEM
WITH CHOCOLATE ^-^
Many, and I mean MANY thanks to my dear friend Brandy for
the inspiration. YOU ARE AWESOME WHEN YOU THINK LIKE ME.
And of course, I can't forget the all mighty *snickers
without her noticing* Sailorcelestial-sama for making me
the Queen of the Cliffhanging AU's. *takes a breather
thinking that maybe sometimes, LESS really IS better*
You know Sabbie-chan, we really have to work together some
time. I'd love to do something with you? How about it?
Well, that's it for now. Enjoy PART II!
Part 2: Irredeemable?
Resting his head against his locker momentarily,
Darien heaved a sigh as he tried to forget what he had done
the night before. 'Kissed his best friend.' And there
would be no problem in that, except for the fact that she
had a boyfriend..., which he knew personally.
Spinning the dial to the correct combination, he
opened the locker door and swung his book-bag inside. He
smiled as he realized his evasion plan had worked perfectly.
For two days he had used different routes to get to class,
slight changes in the way he conducted his day, and not one
sign of Serena or Neil anywhere. His smile broadened at the
thought. Once again, he was almost home free.
Abruptly, and much to his despair, he felt a heavy
hand land upon his shoulder. "Hey Shields," it's owner
called. "Where've you been man? I've been looking for you
all day!"
Turning around, feeling as if time had slowed down,
he momentarily looked at Neil before his eyes moved past
Neil's shoulder to the bowing blond head of his girlfriend.
Serena's eyes seemed captivated with something on the floor.
'Damn it!' he mentally cursed himself. She couldn't even
look at him without feeling shame! Their friendship, he
knew, could never hold the same trust... the same simplicity.
He had ruined it.
At that moment, Serena raised her eyes and they
clashed with his. Darien saw her face turn quickly away,
as a sharp pang caused an ache in his chest. 'One kiss
isn't worth it,' he realized. One kiss wasn't worth losing
the carefree friendship he and Serena shared. But it was
too late now. He had wanted her that moment, and now he
was forced to pay the price.
Realizing Neil was staring at him, he grinned
carelessly as he shrugged his shoulders. "I've been around."
He grabbed his wallet and keys out of his bag. "Why? Did
you want to talk to me about something?"
Neil looked both sides and then stepped closer to
Darien as if about to reveal some big secret. "Jason's
parent's are out of town this weekend and he wants to throw
a party."
"Really?" he asked coolly. "What for?"
"What do you mean 'What for?'" Neil leaned one
shoulder against the lockers. "We're the division champs!
Isn't that reason enough?!"
"I suppose."
He threw his hands in the air. "You *suppose*!"
Neil rolled his eyes. "You must have had one lousy weekend.
What the hell's wrong with you? You'd usually be glad
there's a party going on."
Darien's eyes took a quick glance Serena's way
before returning to look at Neil. "Listen, I'm sorry if
I'm not sounding like my usual self. I have a lot of
tests to make up due to that time I was in the hospital."
He lied.
"They're still testing you from back then?" Neil
gave him an incredulous look. "That was about a month ago!"
"Yeah, but with practice I haven't had the time to
make some of them up. I still have two or three left to
take."
Neil's face turned serious. "But you're going to
the party... *right*?"
Again, Darien's eyes locked with Serena's and he
could see the small pleading in them. "I- I- " he hesitated.
"You *HAVE* to go! Everyone in the team is going!
I can't believe you're even considering not showing up."
Neil grew angry. "The guys aren't gonna like this."
And Darien knew exactly what the guys were capable
of doing. Like kidnapping him from his home and dragging
him to the party... even if they had to tie him down! It
was better to go willingly than to put up a fight against
a *whole* wrestling team.
Accepting the facts, Darien took a deep breath and
told Neil what he wanted to hear. Even if it wasn't what
Serena had been hoping for.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
One day. That was all Darien had left before the
assigned party date. And this day was almost over. He
rubbed his eyes in a weary manner as he concentrated on the
math problem on the blackboard.
"Well," the teacher began. "The bell's about to
ring so, do problems 42 through 72 starting on page 134.
Even numbers." She started writing it on the board with
yellow chalk. "Oh! And you can do the odd numbers for
extra credit."
On cue, the bell rang and everyone in class stood
and began stuff their bags. Since this was the last period
of the day, everyone was happy to go home. Besides, after
today, there was only one more day before the weekend was
here.
With his back turned to the front of the class,
Darien sorted out his papers- not noticing that a couple
feet away from him, someone was waiting for his attention.
"Darien?" he heard Serena's voice call out softly.
"Darien?" she asked again seeing no response from him.
He continued to ignore her until she stood behind
him, making her presence unmistakable. "Darien, I want to
talk with you."
Lifting his head with a sigh, he announced, "We
have nothing to talk about."
"I- I think we do."
"Then say whatever it is that you have to say."
Placing his book-bag on, he gave her an annoyed look. "I'm
in a hurry to get home."
"I..." Serena pouted her lips unconsciously as she
pleaded with him. "I just want to talk about what happened
on Sunday. I mean, after I hung up with Neil you were gone
so..." her voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm just a little
confused."
"Confused about what?" he said causing her eyes to
snap up. He stood in front of her, arms crossed over his
chest giving him the appearance of being made out of granite.
Serena licked her lips in a nervous reaction, her
dry throat making her squeak out, "Why did you kiss me?"
Darien thought she was laughing at him. Why else,
after the kiss he had given her, would she have any doubt
in her mind about where his feelings stood? "I don't know
Serena," he began in a sarcastic tone. "Could you have
possibly considered the chance that I might *like* you?"
Her eyes widened immediately in horror. He was
mocking her! And in a cruel way too. Serena took a small
step back trying to distance herself from him. This person
was *not* the Darien she knew, the one she had grown up
with, the one she...
Trying to make a quick getaway, she spun on her
heel and made a move to leave. However, before she even
registered what was happening, Darien's arm was holding her
in place and pulling her body towards his. "I'm sorry."
Serena could feel her eyes brimming with tears.
"Why?" she bit back, unknown anger coursing within her.
"Because I'm being a jerk to you." His hand went
gently to her hair and swept back a lock that had fallen
out of place. "Listen Serena, I know you have a boyfriend.
And I'm sorry that I kissed you." He paused. "But I will
not apologize for the way I feel about you."
He gave her a pained smile while he caressed her
cheek. Then, Darien bent down and kissed her forehead
tenderly. Serena instinctively closed her eyes and leaned
towards him, an anxiety pumping through her at the thought
of physical contact.
A couple of minutes later, as a cold shiver swept
up her back, Serena opened her eyes. Looking around the
classroom, she shook her head slowly. Darien had done it
again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Serena finished placing the last of her make-up on
and stared at her reflection. Smiling back at her, she
saw a completely different woman. She no longer held the
appearance of an innocent sixteen-year-old. Now, she
looked the part of a college student.
Her smile faltered. Did she want to look older?
More mature? And for whom?
Pushing one of her bangs away from her eyes, she
began to scrutinize her looks. All her hair was pulled back
into a high ponytail that was tied with one of her locks.
She was wearing faded-out flare jeans, which accentuated the
curve of her hips, black high-heeled boots and a pink
button-down tank top that did wonders to her assets. As an
insurance policy to possible cold weather, she'd also wear
a jean jacket. Now, her make-up... well, she already knew
what look *that* achieved.
Her eyes traveled over her mirror as they kept
trying to find something wrong with her outfit so she'd
have to change; that is, until they fell on one of the
many pictures she had slid into the rim of the glass.
Tentatively, her small hand reached out and picked the
photo from where it had been. She smiled in reminiscence.
The picture was of her and Darien before they had
gone off on their Washington fieldtrip during eighth grade.
It had been cool to go to the nation's capital. But what
had been more fun was causing mischief with Darien. They
had snooped around the place, sneaked where they weren't
supposed to, and evaded their group leaders. Sure, it
had landed them three days in detention, but it had been
worth it.
'Why did Darien have to ruin all that now?!'
She grabbed her stuffed bear from the corner chair
in her room and sat on her bed. 'Why?' was what she
couldn't understand... 'Why now?' Darien had never given
her any signs to pick up. He had always acted like, to
him, she was one of the guys. Sure, his aloof attitude
had hurt her making her think she wasn't appealing... but
that all changed when she met Neil.
Unlike Darien, Neil liked her to dress-up. He liked
having her wear make-up. He liked having her look older
and more mature. 'Was that why she looked this way today?'
'Or was she doing it so that Darien would notice
she was a woman?'
But he had already confessed that he liked her.
And he had definitely made her feel like a woman last
Sunday at her house. She unconsciously shivered at the
memory. But then, if he had known what she was, and didn't
think of her as one of the guys... Why the *hell* hadn't
he said so sooner?!
'And what's that supposed to mean?' a little voice
called back. 'That knowing he liked you would have changed
your feelings for him?'
Serena didn't answer, and couldn't have had she
wanted to, because all her thoughts were disrupted by the
instant and constant honking of Neil's car.
...To be continued in Part 3...
^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^
Once again... you hear those horrible word of "To Be
Continued." But what will you do about it? Will you:
a) Send me an email at Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com letting
me know what you think of me and my story and ask me to
hurry with the next part.
b) Review me and let me know that way that people are
actually reading this so that I bother to post the next
part out soon.
c) Theathen me with death an destruction, warning me that if
I don't post soon, something bad will happen to my mailbox.
OR ARE YOU THE TYPE THAT DOES:
d) Will not review or let the author one way or another that
you actually like reading this, thinking that others will
do it for you.
Author: Hikari
Email: machi_no_tenshi@excite.com
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Alt.Reality
Part: Part 2
Hikari's Notes for (06/20/01):
*smiles broadly* I wrote a new message for this thing. I
first want to thank all the people that have emailed me,
and reviewed my story. I'm really happy to know that you
guys are liking this story.
Special mentions go to Hitomi-chan (for her former whip) and
Lil Usako (for her *gulps* stun-gun): SERIOUSLY! YOU PEOPLE
ARE CRAZY!! YOU DON'T THREATEN AUTHORS, YOU SHOWER THEM
WITH CHOCOLATE ^-^
Many, and I mean MANY thanks to my dear friend Brandy for
the inspiration. YOU ARE AWESOME WHEN YOU THINK LIKE ME.
And of course, I can't forget the all mighty *snickers
without her noticing* Sailorcelestial-sama for making me
the Queen of the Cliffhanging AU's. *takes a breather
thinking that maybe sometimes, LESS really IS better*
You know Sabbie-chan, we really have to work together some
time. I'd love to do something with you? How about it?
Well, that's it for now. Enjoy PART II!
Part 2: Irredeemable?
Resting his head against his locker momentarily,
Darien heaved a sigh as he tried to forget what he had done
the night before. 'Kissed his best friend.' And there
would be no problem in that, except for the fact that she
had a boyfriend..., which he knew personally.
Spinning the dial to the correct combination, he
opened the locker door and swung his book-bag inside. He
smiled as he realized his evasion plan had worked perfectly.
For two days he had used different routes to get to class,
slight changes in the way he conducted his day, and not one
sign of Serena or Neil anywhere. His smile broadened at the
thought. Once again, he was almost home free.
Abruptly, and much to his despair, he felt a heavy
hand land upon his shoulder. "Hey Shields," it's owner
called. "Where've you been man? I've been looking for you
all day!"
Turning around, feeling as if time had slowed down,
he momentarily looked at Neil before his eyes moved past
Neil's shoulder to the bowing blond head of his girlfriend.
Serena's eyes seemed captivated with something on the floor.
'Damn it!' he mentally cursed himself. She couldn't even
look at him without feeling shame! Their friendship, he
knew, could never hold the same trust... the same simplicity.
He had ruined it.
At that moment, Serena raised her eyes and they
clashed with his. Darien saw her face turn quickly away,
as a sharp pang caused an ache in his chest. 'One kiss
isn't worth it,' he realized. One kiss wasn't worth losing
the carefree friendship he and Serena shared. But it was
too late now. He had wanted her that moment, and now he
was forced to pay the price.
Realizing Neil was staring at him, he grinned
carelessly as he shrugged his shoulders. "I've been around."
He grabbed his wallet and keys out of his bag. "Why? Did
you want to talk to me about something?"
Neil looked both sides and then stepped closer to
Darien as if about to reveal some big secret. "Jason's
parent's are out of town this weekend and he wants to throw
a party."
"Really?" he asked coolly. "What for?"
"What do you mean 'What for?'" Neil leaned one
shoulder against the lockers. "We're the division champs!
Isn't that reason enough?!"
"I suppose."
He threw his hands in the air. "You *suppose*!"
Neil rolled his eyes. "You must have had one lousy weekend.
What the hell's wrong with you? You'd usually be glad
there's a party going on."
Darien's eyes took a quick glance Serena's way
before returning to look at Neil. "Listen, I'm sorry if
I'm not sounding like my usual self. I have a lot of
tests to make up due to that time I was in the hospital."
He lied.
"They're still testing you from back then?" Neil
gave him an incredulous look. "That was about a month ago!"
"Yeah, but with practice I haven't had the time to
make some of them up. I still have two or three left to
take."
Neil's face turned serious. "But you're going to
the party... *right*?"
Again, Darien's eyes locked with Serena's and he
could see the small pleading in them. "I- I- " he hesitated.
"You *HAVE* to go! Everyone in the team is going!
I can't believe you're even considering not showing up."
Neil grew angry. "The guys aren't gonna like this."
And Darien knew exactly what the guys were capable
of doing. Like kidnapping him from his home and dragging
him to the party... even if they had to tie him down! It
was better to go willingly than to put up a fight against
a *whole* wrestling team.
Accepting the facts, Darien took a deep breath and
told Neil what he wanted to hear. Even if it wasn't what
Serena had been hoping for.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
One day. That was all Darien had left before the
assigned party date. And this day was almost over. He
rubbed his eyes in a weary manner as he concentrated on the
math problem on the blackboard.
"Well," the teacher began. "The bell's about to
ring so, do problems 42 through 72 starting on page 134.
Even numbers." She started writing it on the board with
yellow chalk. "Oh! And you can do the odd numbers for
extra credit."
On cue, the bell rang and everyone in class stood
and began stuff their bags. Since this was the last period
of the day, everyone was happy to go home. Besides, after
today, there was only one more day before the weekend was
here.
With his back turned to the front of the class,
Darien sorted out his papers- not noticing that a couple
feet away from him, someone was waiting for his attention.
"Darien?" he heard Serena's voice call out softly.
"Darien?" she asked again seeing no response from him.
He continued to ignore her until she stood behind
him, making her presence unmistakable. "Darien, I want to
talk with you."
Lifting his head with a sigh, he announced, "We
have nothing to talk about."
"I- I think we do."
"Then say whatever it is that you have to say."
Placing his book-bag on, he gave her an annoyed look. "I'm
in a hurry to get home."
"I..." Serena pouted her lips unconsciously as she
pleaded with him. "I just want to talk about what happened
on Sunday. I mean, after I hung up with Neil you were gone
so..." her voice lowered to a whisper. "I'm just a little
confused."
"Confused about what?" he said causing her eyes to
snap up. He stood in front of her, arms crossed over his
chest giving him the appearance of being made out of granite.
Serena licked her lips in a nervous reaction, her
dry throat making her squeak out, "Why did you kiss me?"
Darien thought she was laughing at him. Why else,
after the kiss he had given her, would she have any doubt
in her mind about where his feelings stood? "I don't know
Serena," he began in a sarcastic tone. "Could you have
possibly considered the chance that I might *like* you?"
Her eyes widened immediately in horror. He was
mocking her! And in a cruel way too. Serena took a small
step back trying to distance herself from him. This person
was *not* the Darien she knew, the one she had grown up
with, the one she...
Trying to make a quick getaway, she spun on her
heel and made a move to leave. However, before she even
registered what was happening, Darien's arm was holding her
in place and pulling her body towards his. "I'm sorry."
Serena could feel her eyes brimming with tears.
"Why?" she bit back, unknown anger coursing within her.
"Because I'm being a jerk to you." His hand went
gently to her hair and swept back a lock that had fallen
out of place. "Listen Serena, I know you have a boyfriend.
And I'm sorry that I kissed you." He paused. "But I will
not apologize for the way I feel about you."
He gave her a pained smile while he caressed her
cheek. Then, Darien bent down and kissed her forehead
tenderly. Serena instinctively closed her eyes and leaned
towards him, an anxiety pumping through her at the thought
of physical contact.
A couple of minutes later, as a cold shiver swept
up her back, Serena opened her eyes. Looking around the
classroom, she shook her head slowly. Darien had done it
again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Serena finished placing the last of her make-up on
and stared at her reflection. Smiling back at her, she
saw a completely different woman. She no longer held the
appearance of an innocent sixteen-year-old. Now, she
looked the part of a college student.
Her smile faltered. Did she want to look older?
More mature? And for whom?
Pushing one of her bangs away from her eyes, she
began to scrutinize her looks. All her hair was pulled back
into a high ponytail that was tied with one of her locks.
She was wearing faded-out flare jeans, which accentuated the
curve of her hips, black high-heeled boots and a pink
button-down tank top that did wonders to her assets. As an
insurance policy to possible cold weather, she'd also wear
a jean jacket. Now, her make-up... well, she already knew
what look *that* achieved.
Her eyes traveled over her mirror as they kept
trying to find something wrong with her outfit so she'd
have to change; that is, until they fell on one of the
many pictures she had slid into the rim of the glass.
Tentatively, her small hand reached out and picked the
photo from where it had been. She smiled in reminiscence.
The picture was of her and Darien before they had
gone off on their Washington fieldtrip during eighth grade.
It had been cool to go to the nation's capital. But what
had been more fun was causing mischief with Darien. They
had snooped around the place, sneaked where they weren't
supposed to, and evaded their group leaders. Sure, it
had landed them three days in detention, but it had been
worth it.
'Why did Darien have to ruin all that now?!'
She grabbed her stuffed bear from the corner chair
in her room and sat on her bed. 'Why?' was what she
couldn't understand... 'Why now?' Darien had never given
her any signs to pick up. He had always acted like, to
him, she was one of the guys. Sure, his aloof attitude
had hurt her making her think she wasn't appealing... but
that all changed when she met Neil.
Unlike Darien, Neil liked her to dress-up. He liked
having her wear make-up. He liked having her look older
and more mature. 'Was that why she looked this way today?'
'Or was she doing it so that Darien would notice
she was a woman?'
But he had already confessed that he liked her.
And he had definitely made her feel like a woman last
Sunday at her house. She unconsciously shivered at the
memory. But then, if he had known what she was, and didn't
think of her as one of the guys... Why the *hell* hadn't
he said so sooner?!
'And what's that supposed to mean?' a little voice
called back. 'That knowing he liked you would have changed
your feelings for him?'
Serena didn't answer, and couldn't have had she
wanted to, because all her thoughts were disrupted by the
instant and constant honking of Neil's car.
...To be continued in Part 3...
^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^v^
Once again... you hear those horrible word of "To Be
Continued." But what will you do about it? Will you:
a) Send me an email at Machi_NO_Tenshi@Excite.Com letting
me know what you think of me and my story and ask me to
hurry with the next part.
b) Review me and let me know that way that people are
actually reading this so that I bother to post the next
part out soon.
c) Theathen me with death an destruction, warning me that if
I don't post soon, something bad will happen to my mailbox.
OR ARE YOU THE TYPE THAT DOES:
d) Will not review or let the author one way or another that
you actually like reading this, thinking that others will
do it for you.