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"Love Potion #9"
Recorded by Ziska Ames
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Chapter Five
The next couple days were the hardest of Serena's life.
Darien sent her flowers both days and notes asking if she was okay.
He tried to talk to her at the arcade, but she always evaded him
and she also avoided Andrew, who she was sure was working for
Darien in his evil plot to ruin her life.
Looking back at the irony, Serena sighed. Darien was acting
like a sweet, concerned boyfriend and she was avoiding him at all
costs.
She lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. This was it.
According to Amy, the curse ended that night at 9:07. That was when
she was first sprayed with the stupid pink slime so that should be
when the curse ended. She rolled over and stared at the wall.
Tomorrow, Darien would hate her again. He would be free of the
spell and figure out how stupid he had been acting. He'd laugh in
her face and insult her again.
Serena expected a flood of relief. Her life was going to be
normal again. Instead, she choked back a sob. She didn't want
normality. She wanted Darien. It was going to hurt so bad. She knew
that. After seeing how nice and sweet he could be, how could she be
expected to deal with his insults and put-downs. How could she be
expected to put up with him after she had caught a glimpse of what
it was like to have his love and compassion? She didn't know. And
she doubted even Amy had an answer to this problem.
"Serena! Get out of bed, you are going to school today!"
Serena rolled over and faced the wall as her mother continued to
scream. She'd woken up early today, even happy, then remembered
just what today was.
The curse was over. Done. Kaput. No more.
Serena dreaded the day.
Therefore, Serena had decided never to seek the outside
world again. She was going to lay in this bed forever, living on
whatever Luna brought her and the rainwater that she could catch
outside her window. She refused to leave this room.
"If you aren't down her in ten minutes your allowance is
gone for life!"
Ilene smiled happily as her daughter sprinted out the door,
grabbing her lunch on the way, about seven minutes after the threat.
"Ah. To be a mother," she murmured as she began to prepare Sammy's
breakfast.
Serena slowed down immediately after leaving the house. In
her experience, sprinting head long for anything meant an untimely
meeting with Darien. And that was not something she hoped to
encounter today.
"Maybe if I walk really slow, I'll miss him," she wondered
out loud. "But if I go to slow, I'll be really late for school."
Being the slightly unaccomplished student she was, Serena decided
it was worth the risk of her teacher's wrath to avoid Darien.
Darien woke up, got out of bed, prepared for the day, and
sat down on the couch. He wasn't smiling, but then he thought of
Serena. A smile appeared on her face.
"Ha," he said quietly. "It's been three days and I still..."
he trailed off.
"I still don't hate you," he finished after a moment. He'd
been about to say something else. It had been on the tip of his
tongue, and he'd held back. He picked up a piece of paper from his
coffee table. He smoothed the creases then opened it slowly.
Andrew's strong handwriting proclaimed to the silent
apartment what Darien had been unable to say.
He cleared his throat and carefully folded the paper again.
After a moment, he swallowed and spoke again. "It's been three days
and I still... I still..." He opened the paper again and stared at
the heart. An equation. Serena and He. A heart at the end.
"I can't say it to myself," he decided. "I can only say it
to her."
Serena sighed happily at the end of the school day. She had
successfully avoided Darien in the morning, though that probably
had more to do with the fact that Grange Electronics was in the
opposite direction of her school than her own evasiveness. But
Serena didn't care how it had happened. She was just happy that it
had. She linked arms with Mina and smiled at her friend as they
walked casually to the arcade.
"So, it's over?" Mina asked as they stood outside the
doors. Serena nodded and glanced inside. After a quick inspection
she noticed Darien wasn't around. With a regretful, but relieved
sigh, she responded.
"Yes. It's over."
Serena started to head in, but Mina grabbed her arm. "Do
you think he remembers?"
"That he... protected me?" They both knew Darien had seen
himself as more than a protector in the short period of time the
curse had held him in thrall. Mina wouldn't say it though and
Serena wanted only to block it from her mind. "Who knows."
Releasing Serena's arm, Mina nodded and pushed the doors to
the arcade open. Straightening her shoulders, Serena marched in, a
cheerful smile on her face. Andrew waved from the counter and
motioned them over.
"Serena, I've got something for you here. Darien dropped
this off this morning." He reached below the counter and brought
out a box with a ribbon around it. "He wanted to give it to you,
but didn't see you this morning."
Serena stared at the box after Andrew set it on the counter.
"Mina..." she trailed off, but her friend understood. Slowly, Mina
reached out and untied the ribbon. She lifted the lid and took out
a piece of paper. She looked to Serena.
"Are you sure you don't want to-"
"Just read it," Serena interrupted. "Silently."
If it was a note saying how sorry Darien was for acting
like an idiot for the past three days, Serena didn't want to hear
the words outloud. Mina's eyes expressed sincere trepidation, but
she unfolded the note anyway. It had obviously been opened and
closed a number of times. There was only a simple thing written on
the paper, which was actually a napkin. And unless Mina was
mistaken, it was in Andrew's handwriting.
She turned her questioning glance on Andrew. He grinned and
leaned over to whisper in her ear. Mina's confusion died and a grin
broke out on her face.
"Serena," she called her friend's attention away from the
wall. "I really think you should read this."
Mina held out the note and Serena reached out a shaky hand
to take it. She shut her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and
prepared herself for the worst. She opened her eyes and looked down.
Written in a bold, dark handwriting were the words "Serena
plus Darien equals heart". Underneath, in a light, spiky writing
was a short message. Serena's heart leaped into her chest and her
eyes darted to the clock. 4:32. Darien got off work at 5:00.
"If I hurry..." she murmured quietly. Clutching the paper
in her fist, she fled the arcade as quickly as possible.
Mina turned to Andrew, puzzled. "How did you know?"
"I've known for a long time," he answered. "Darien just
needed to figure it out too."
"Some curse," Mina muttered quietly.
"What?" Andrew asked.
"Oh nothing," Mina giggled. "I'll have a coke please."
"Love Potion #9"
Recorded by Ziska Ames
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Five
The next couple days were the hardest of Serena's life.
Darien sent her flowers both days and notes asking if she was okay.
He tried to talk to her at the arcade, but she always evaded him
and she also avoided Andrew, who she was sure was working for
Darien in his evil plot to ruin her life.
Looking back at the irony, Serena sighed. Darien was acting
like a sweet, concerned boyfriend and she was avoiding him at all
costs.
She lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. This was it.
According to Amy, the curse ended that night at 9:07. That was when
she was first sprayed with the stupid pink slime so that should be
when the curse ended. She rolled over and stared at the wall.
Tomorrow, Darien would hate her again. He would be free of the
spell and figure out how stupid he had been acting. He'd laugh in
her face and insult her again.
Serena expected a flood of relief. Her life was going to be
normal again. Instead, she choked back a sob. She didn't want
normality. She wanted Darien. It was going to hurt so bad. She knew
that. After seeing how nice and sweet he could be, how could she be
expected to deal with his insults and put-downs. How could she be
expected to put up with him after she had caught a glimpse of what
it was like to have his love and compassion? She didn't know. And
she doubted even Amy had an answer to this problem.
"Serena! Get out of bed, you are going to school today!"
Serena rolled over and faced the wall as her mother continued to
scream. She'd woken up early today, even happy, then remembered
just what today was.
The curse was over. Done. Kaput. No more.
Serena dreaded the day.
Therefore, Serena had decided never to seek the outside
world again. She was going to lay in this bed forever, living on
whatever Luna brought her and the rainwater that she could catch
outside her window. She refused to leave this room.
"If you aren't down her in ten minutes your allowance is
gone for life!"
Ilene smiled happily as her daughter sprinted out the door,
grabbing her lunch on the way, about seven minutes after the threat.
"Ah. To be a mother," she murmured as she began to prepare Sammy's
breakfast.
Serena slowed down immediately after leaving the house. In
her experience, sprinting head long for anything meant an untimely
meeting with Darien. And that was not something she hoped to
encounter today.
"Maybe if I walk really slow, I'll miss him," she wondered
out loud. "But if I go to slow, I'll be really late for school."
Being the slightly unaccomplished student she was, Serena decided
it was worth the risk of her teacher's wrath to avoid Darien.
Darien woke up, got out of bed, prepared for the day, and
sat down on the couch. He wasn't smiling, but then he thought of
Serena. A smile appeared on her face.
"Ha," he said quietly. "It's been three days and I still..."
he trailed off.
"I still don't hate you," he finished after a moment. He'd
been about to say something else. It had been on the tip of his
tongue, and he'd held back. He picked up a piece of paper from his
coffee table. He smoothed the creases then opened it slowly.
Andrew's strong handwriting proclaimed to the silent
apartment what Darien had been unable to say.
He cleared his throat and carefully folded the paper again.
After a moment, he swallowed and spoke again. "It's been three days
and I still... I still..." He opened the paper again and stared at
the heart. An equation. Serena and He. A heart at the end.
"I can't say it to myself," he decided. "I can only say it
to her."
Serena sighed happily at the end of the school day. She had
successfully avoided Darien in the morning, though that probably
had more to do with the fact that Grange Electronics was in the
opposite direction of her school than her own evasiveness. But
Serena didn't care how it had happened. She was just happy that it
had. She linked arms with Mina and smiled at her friend as they
walked casually to the arcade.
"So, it's over?" Mina asked as they stood outside the
doors. Serena nodded and glanced inside. After a quick inspection
she noticed Darien wasn't around. With a regretful, but relieved
sigh, she responded.
"Yes. It's over."
Serena started to head in, but Mina grabbed her arm. "Do
you think he remembers?"
"That he... protected me?" They both knew Darien had seen
himself as more than a protector in the short period of time the
curse had held him in thrall. Mina wouldn't say it though and
Serena wanted only to block it from her mind. "Who knows."
Releasing Serena's arm, Mina nodded and pushed the doors to
the arcade open. Straightening her shoulders, Serena marched in, a
cheerful smile on her face. Andrew waved from the counter and
motioned them over.
"Serena, I've got something for you here. Darien dropped
this off this morning." He reached below the counter and brought
out a box with a ribbon around it. "He wanted to give it to you,
but didn't see you this morning."
Serena stared at the box after Andrew set it on the counter.
"Mina..." she trailed off, but her friend understood. Slowly, Mina
reached out and untied the ribbon. She lifted the lid and took out
a piece of paper. She looked to Serena.
"Are you sure you don't want to-"
"Just read it," Serena interrupted. "Silently."
If it was a note saying how sorry Darien was for acting
like an idiot for the past three days, Serena didn't want to hear
the words outloud. Mina's eyes expressed sincere trepidation, but
she unfolded the note anyway. It had obviously been opened and
closed a number of times. There was only a simple thing written on
the paper, which was actually a napkin. And unless Mina was
mistaken, it was in Andrew's handwriting.
She turned her questioning glance on Andrew. He grinned and
leaned over to whisper in her ear. Mina's confusion died and a grin
broke out on her face.
"Serena," she called her friend's attention away from the
wall. "I really think you should read this."
Mina held out the note and Serena reached out a shaky hand
to take it. She shut her eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and
prepared herself for the worst. She opened her eyes and looked down.
Written in a bold, dark handwriting were the words "Serena
plus Darien equals heart". Underneath, in a light, spiky writing
was a short message. Serena's heart leaped into her chest and her
eyes darted to the clock. 4:32. Darien got off work at 5:00.
"If I hurry..." she murmured quietly. Clutching the paper
in her fist, she fled the arcade as quickly as possible.
Mina turned to Andrew, puzzled. "How did you know?"
"I've known for a long time," he answered. "Darien just
needed to figure it out too."
"Some curse," Mina muttered quietly.
"What?" Andrew asked.
"Oh nothing," Mina giggled. "I'll have a coke please."