Chapter 3: NB party
Serena collapsed. " Ahh…" she panted. " Can't…move…"
" Ahah!" Darien jeered tiredly, as he too fell to the ground in exhaustion. " Knew…you…would…lose," he wheezed.
" Serena! Darien!" Mina yodeled.
" Ouch," everyone within hearing distance winced.
" Serena? Darien?" Lita called out, until she came upon the two tired souls. " We're going to have a NB party!" she smiled.
Serena groaned and rolled over. Lying on her back, she stared at the girl through a film of pink tinted hair.
Darien moved his head an inch to the north from its recent position of being faced on the grass. " NB party? Sure, fine," he sighed. " Sleep…" he moaned. His head plopped back down onto the grass.
" Great! Same time!" Lita grinned, and grabbed Serena. " Let's go! We have to get you ready!" she lifted her up and dragged her out of the woods…past the girls…up the hill…up the path…and into her room.
Serena looked around through half-closed eyes. " Wow, Lita," she said. " This is a really…color-coordinated room," she commented. And it was. The whole room seemed to consist of three colors: green, tan, and brown.
" Thanks," Lita smiled. Then a slight frown formed on her face. " I think…" she added slowly, rewinding the scene and trying to decide whether it was a compliment or insult.
" Anyways, what's a NB party?" Serena quickly changed the subject.
Lita plopped onto her green bed, crossed her legs, and pulled a tan pillow to her chest. " A NB party," she began.
" Hey! Lits!" someone shouted, as something hit Lita's balcony door.
" What was that?" Serena recoiled from her spot near the balcony door.
Lita didn't seem worried. She grinned and jumped up from her bed. Pulling the doors open, she caught a pebble that was flung horizontally at her. " Watch it Mina!" she shouted.
Mina smiled sheepishly. " Sorry! What took so long?" she replied, from her spot on the next-door balcony.
" Serena's over here. We were just talking about the NB party," Lita answered, letting the pebble drop from her hand.
" OW!" a voice cried out, as the pebble hit something below Lita and onto the balcony floor below.
" Who's that?" Serena asked; venturing outside when she felt it was safe.
" Amy," Lita whispered. " Sorry Ames!" she leaned over her balcony railing.
" S'okay. Are you getting ready? The sun's about to set," Amy pointed to the quickly darkening sky.
Lita cursed at the sun's early setting now that fall's about to come. " Um…Lita?" Serena asked timidly. " Can you tell me what a NB party is now?"
" Oh, right. Sorry about that," now it was Lita's turn to smile sheepishly. Lita gestured to all the activity going on on the balconies around her. " Every once in awhile, we have a NB party, also known as a Night Balcony party."
Serena stared at the balconies' above her as white Christmas lights were lit. " Wow," she breathed as the sun settled behind the horizon, and small white lights twinkled everyway she turned.
" It's kind of odd, but it's also a lot of fun. We talk, fool around, and just hang around on our own balconies. The parent's are used to it," Lita concluded matter-of-factly.
" I guess I should be getting ready," Serena said hesitantly.
" Well, since you're new we decided to decorate your balcony for you," Lita grinned, pointing to the balcony above her. " We were really glad that a teenager got the balcony, when Darien's cousins moved away."
Serena looked up and gasped. Her balcony was also decorated with sparkling white lights. " But who?" she inquired, awed.
" Well, it was probably Ken, Darien, and Andrew," Lita replied thoughtfully. " Ken lives above you; Darien and Andrew live next to you."
" Where does everyone else live?" Serena asked, curious.
" Let's see. On the A- side, from the bottom level up, is Amy, then me, then you, then Ken. On the B-side, bottom level up, is Raye, then Mina, then Andrew and Darien, then Chad and Greg," Lita recited.
Serena scrunched up her face. " And your parents don't mind?" she questioned, more than a little doubtful about the party.
" I live on my own. My mom and dad are divorced. I live with my dad, but he's always away on business, so he's never here. Therefore, he doesn't mind," Lita winked.
" Oh, but don't you get lonely?" Serena saw the wistful look on Lita's face.
" Nah. I have all these people, friends around me," Lita smiled warmly at everyone bustling around to prepare for the NB party.
Serena nodded. Lita did seem loved by everyone at Governor Squares. Serena was a bit wistful herself. There weren't any teenagers in her apartment building in New York, and her parent's divorce had driven her away from any friends from school. She remembered quite well her parent's fights, and the final agreement to divorce and move. It isolated Serena, who felt that her life was ending. " It would have been nice if a few of them had stopped by to say goodbye," Serena thought regretfully, although she recalled turning down millions of invitations to shopping, etc.
" Serena?" Lita snapped her fingers at her face. " We're going to begin. You might as well go onto your balcony, and see what the guys prepared for you," she smiled. So, Lita walked her to the door and Serena ran all the way up the stairs, and up to her room.
Flinging open the balcony doors, Serena nearly fainted from surprise. There were sparkling white lights, a few welcome balloons, and such. It was just the thought, and the beauty of all the little lights against the dark sky, that nearly brought tears to Serena's eyes. Then Serena turned and couldn't help but laugh. Someone, most likely Darien, had the initiative to tape a few pictures of pink bras on the balcony railing.
" Time to party!" someone shouted, and a boom of cheering and yelling began.
Serena leaned against her railing staring at the sky, feeling a bit like a wallflower.
" Want something to drink?" Darien asked from the next-door balcony.
" Sure," Serena turned and was drenched from head to toe with champagne.
" Welcome to Governor Squares!" everyone cheered madly.
A/N: Hii!! I found time to write this while I was away at my relatives. Jo is being nice enough to edit and post it up for me, because I'm running out of time. Make sure you catch all her fics! Including the ending of When Sunlight meets Moonlight!
* Miriam: What's up with your email?! I can't email you!! -_-()
* Hi Kit! ^^
* Stay tuned for the next chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
