Here I Am
Chapter 7
Darien dropped the girls off at Lita's place at exactly 6:30.
They wanted to be back by at least 6:45 or earlier, but no later.
He didn't know why, since they were all together anyway. They spent
the day together, not what Darien had planned. Sure, he loved the
girls like his family, but he needed to hang out with his friends.
He guessed it was because it was familiar...it just became a routine.
"Want to come in for a drink or something, Darien?" Lita asked,
sticking her head through the open window.
"Sure..." he said. Usually that meant that Lita would hand him a can
of coke, or some bottled water, then he would leave. It was all
pretty routine.
"Oh, while your still here, Darien, want to help us unload some of
this stuff?" Raye said. He frowned.
"What do you need all this stuff for? Isn't this just a slumber party?
I mean, a one night thing?" He asked and at the same time, grabbing
some of the bags that were earlier stuffed in his car.
"None of your business. Now, get moving!" Raye said, still smiling.
He dropped the bags on the Lita's couch, sighing deeply.
"Okay, now where's that drink you were offering me, Lita?" He asked,
looking inside her fridge. He wasn't surprised that her fridge was
full of everything. Vegetables, dairy product etc. He saw some
bottled water on the bottom and grabbed one.
"So, what are you girls planning on cooking today?" He asked, hoping
maybe it was something he would like.
"A little bit of everything, chocolate cake, brownies, cookies..."
"Anything healthy?" he teased them. "You know you can get fat with
all that, you're not teenagers anymore."
"We know! Don't remind us! Now, aren't you getting out of here?
What time is it anyway?" Mina said, looking at the clock on the wall.
"Wow, it's almost 7!"
"Is it a good idea for…you know," Amy asked hesitantly. Darien was
once again confused. They were communicating with their eyes,
except he wasn't part of it.
"What?!" he asked, not able to stand the silence anymore.
"Nothing. Anyway, Darien, shouldn't you be going now? I thought you
wanted to catch a movie with Andrew or something," Raye said,
practically pushing him out the door.
"When did I say that?"
"I don't know, have fun!" She insisted, still pushing him towards
his car.
"Okay," He stepped in his car, turned it on and looked weirdly at
Raye standing on the sidewalk, waving at him with a fake smile on
her face. He waved back, and then pressed on the gas pedal. On the
red light, he stopped and watched as a bus turned in.
"Those girls are sure acting weird. I wonder what's on the agenda,"
he said, watching the bus stop in front of Lita's apartment. As it
moved away, the light turned green, allowing him to go. Yet, as he
went, he couldn't help but glimpse at the woman standing on the
curb where the bus had been a few seconds ago. But he didn't stop,
he somehow felt like she was familiar. Of course, he didn't know
anyone with short blonde hair. That was all he could make out from
where he was. He kept on going, until he reached home.
''''''''''''''''''''''''
"Okay, from what I remember, this is it," Serena said looking at
the apartment building in front of her. She couldn't help but see
a black-haired woman go inside, but she didn't bother to call out
to her to hold the door. Instead, she grabbed her backpack and
sauntered toward the door. She opened the first door and rang a bell
on the next one. She heard a buzz and pulled the second door open.
She breathed in deeply as she made her way to Lita's apartment suite.
Lightly, she tapped on the door three times. When no one answered,
she knocked louder. She closed her eyes and hoped she was at the
right place. Feeling a little unsure, she decided to see if maybe
the next door might know Lita personally, but as she turned away the
door opened and she was greeted with a smile.
"Serena..." Serena exhaled deeply and smiled in return.
"Come on in..." A little afraid that she would wake up as if dreaming,
Lita slowly walked aside to let Serena in. Inside, Serena was greeted
with old friends, smiling and tears in their eyes. She heard the
door close behind her, and as each one of her friend stood there
looking at her, they were strangely feeling as if they were looking
at a stranger. The long golden blonde meatballs were gone. Innocent
blue eyes were replaced by eyes, which had seen many horrible things.
The childlike aura that had once surrounded their friend had been
replaced by that of womanhood. Yet, their heart knew that this was
their long lost friend. For Raye, of course it was different, but
the moment was memorable. There they were, standing at the same place,
at the same time, smiling as if in a picture...it was something she
had dreamed about for a long time. Of course, she being the one who
had just seen Serena this morning, she cleared her throat and broke
the spell.
"Serena, glad you can make it! We were worried that you wouldn't
remember Lita's place and they were giving me hell not to make sure
that you had her address!!" She said, taking a hold of Serena's hand
and leading her into Lita's living room. The other's followed
without saying anything. Raye offered to take Serena's backpack,
which she gladly gave to her friend. She sat down and took a look at
her friend. Amy was still the same intelligent looking woman she
remembered her to be. Mina looked like a superstar with her sunglasses
on her head, and Lita was surprisingly the same! Except of course, her
hair was down.
"How have you guys been?" She asked timidly, intimidated by the way
they looked at her.
"Oh for God's sake, people! Snap out of it!!!!" Raye screamed at them.
Serena couldn't help but laugh because it worked.
"Uh, good, how have you been, Serena?" Amy said, sitting beside her.
She didn't know why she was surprised to see Serena…she really didn't,
like Mina and Lita didn't.
"Yeah, Serena, we haven't seen you for a long time..."
"Yeah, what have you been up to?" Serena smiled and answered all
their questions. It wasn't much of a slumber party. They had stayed
up all night talking about everything…what happened, what didn't h
appen…the breakups, the romance…everything. But before any of them
could sleep, they forgave each other for everything, for nothing.
That's what friendship was for them, special and something to cherish.
"Good night, girls," Serena said softly, closing her eyes.
"Good night..." she heard each one of them answer in return. They
slept well into the afternoon the next day. They were all in the
living, music quietly playing in the background. A knock could still
be heard at the door, an impatient man quietly in conflict with himself
whether to just open the door or leave. He decided on the first option.
The door, being neglected the night before, opened at the turn of the
knob. He peeked inside, frowning because everything seemed to be quiet
except for a little music. He walked inside, feeling a little guilty
for being in there uninvited. It wasn't the first time though, they
had forgotten about their lunch date before and he had found them in
Lita's apartment munching on her food. It wasn't the case this time.
No, this time, he found 5 women sleeping on the floor. He almost
collapsed when his eyes fixed on the woman with blonde hair...the one
that he had hoped was what the girls were excited about. There she was...
''''''''
Chapter 7
Darien dropped the girls off at Lita's place at exactly 6:30.
They wanted to be back by at least 6:45 or earlier, but no later.
He didn't know why, since they were all together anyway. They spent
the day together, not what Darien had planned. Sure, he loved the
girls like his family, but he needed to hang out with his friends.
He guessed it was because it was familiar...it just became a routine.
"Want to come in for a drink or something, Darien?" Lita asked,
sticking her head through the open window.
"Sure..." he said. Usually that meant that Lita would hand him a can
of coke, or some bottled water, then he would leave. It was all
pretty routine.
"Oh, while your still here, Darien, want to help us unload some of
this stuff?" Raye said. He frowned.
"What do you need all this stuff for? Isn't this just a slumber party?
I mean, a one night thing?" He asked and at the same time, grabbing
some of the bags that were earlier stuffed in his car.
"None of your business. Now, get moving!" Raye said, still smiling.
He dropped the bags on the Lita's couch, sighing deeply.
"Okay, now where's that drink you were offering me, Lita?" He asked,
looking inside her fridge. He wasn't surprised that her fridge was
full of everything. Vegetables, dairy product etc. He saw some
bottled water on the bottom and grabbed one.
"So, what are you girls planning on cooking today?" He asked, hoping
maybe it was something he would like.
"A little bit of everything, chocolate cake, brownies, cookies..."
"Anything healthy?" he teased them. "You know you can get fat with
all that, you're not teenagers anymore."
"We know! Don't remind us! Now, aren't you getting out of here?
What time is it anyway?" Mina said, looking at the clock on the wall.
"Wow, it's almost 7!"
"Is it a good idea for…you know," Amy asked hesitantly. Darien was
once again confused. They were communicating with their eyes,
except he wasn't part of it.
"What?!" he asked, not able to stand the silence anymore.
"Nothing. Anyway, Darien, shouldn't you be going now? I thought you
wanted to catch a movie with Andrew or something," Raye said,
practically pushing him out the door.
"When did I say that?"
"I don't know, have fun!" She insisted, still pushing him towards
his car.
"Okay," He stepped in his car, turned it on and looked weirdly at
Raye standing on the sidewalk, waving at him with a fake smile on
her face. He waved back, and then pressed on the gas pedal. On the
red light, he stopped and watched as a bus turned in.
"Those girls are sure acting weird. I wonder what's on the agenda,"
he said, watching the bus stop in front of Lita's apartment. As it
moved away, the light turned green, allowing him to go. Yet, as he
went, he couldn't help but glimpse at the woman standing on the
curb where the bus had been a few seconds ago. But he didn't stop,
he somehow felt like she was familiar. Of course, he didn't know
anyone with short blonde hair. That was all he could make out from
where he was. He kept on going, until he reached home.
''''''''''''''''''''''''
"Okay, from what I remember, this is it," Serena said looking at
the apartment building in front of her. She couldn't help but see
a black-haired woman go inside, but she didn't bother to call out
to her to hold the door. Instead, she grabbed her backpack and
sauntered toward the door. She opened the first door and rang a bell
on the next one. She heard a buzz and pulled the second door open.
She breathed in deeply as she made her way to Lita's apartment suite.
Lightly, she tapped on the door three times. When no one answered,
she knocked louder. She closed her eyes and hoped she was at the
right place. Feeling a little unsure, she decided to see if maybe
the next door might know Lita personally, but as she turned away the
door opened and she was greeted with a smile.
"Serena..." Serena exhaled deeply and smiled in return.
"Come on in..." A little afraid that she would wake up as if dreaming,
Lita slowly walked aside to let Serena in. Inside, Serena was greeted
with old friends, smiling and tears in their eyes. She heard the
door close behind her, and as each one of her friend stood there
looking at her, they were strangely feeling as if they were looking
at a stranger. The long golden blonde meatballs were gone. Innocent
blue eyes were replaced by eyes, which had seen many horrible things.
The childlike aura that had once surrounded their friend had been
replaced by that of womanhood. Yet, their heart knew that this was
their long lost friend. For Raye, of course it was different, but
the moment was memorable. There they were, standing at the same place,
at the same time, smiling as if in a picture...it was something she
had dreamed about for a long time. Of course, she being the one who
had just seen Serena this morning, she cleared her throat and broke
the spell.
"Serena, glad you can make it! We were worried that you wouldn't
remember Lita's place and they were giving me hell not to make sure
that you had her address!!" She said, taking a hold of Serena's hand
and leading her into Lita's living room. The other's followed
without saying anything. Raye offered to take Serena's backpack,
which she gladly gave to her friend. She sat down and took a look at
her friend. Amy was still the same intelligent looking woman she
remembered her to be. Mina looked like a superstar with her sunglasses
on her head, and Lita was surprisingly the same! Except of course, her
hair was down.
"How have you guys been?" She asked timidly, intimidated by the way
they looked at her.
"Oh for God's sake, people! Snap out of it!!!!" Raye screamed at them.
Serena couldn't help but laugh because it worked.
"Uh, good, how have you been, Serena?" Amy said, sitting beside her.
She didn't know why she was surprised to see Serena…she really didn't,
like Mina and Lita didn't.
"Yeah, Serena, we haven't seen you for a long time..."
"Yeah, what have you been up to?" Serena smiled and answered all
their questions. It wasn't much of a slumber party. They had stayed
up all night talking about everything…what happened, what didn't h
appen…the breakups, the romance…everything. But before any of them
could sleep, they forgave each other for everything, for nothing.
That's what friendship was for them, special and something to cherish.
"Good night, girls," Serena said softly, closing her eyes.
"Good night..." she heard each one of them answer in return. They
slept well into the afternoon the next day. They were all in the
living, music quietly playing in the background. A knock could still
be heard at the door, an impatient man quietly in conflict with himself
whether to just open the door or leave. He decided on the first option.
The door, being neglected the night before, opened at the turn of the
knob. He peeked inside, frowning because everything seemed to be quiet
except for a little music. He walked inside, feeling a little guilty
for being in there uninvited. It wasn't the first time though, they
had forgotten about their lunch date before and he had found them in
Lita's apartment munching on her food. It wasn't the case this time.
No, this time, he found 5 women sleeping on the floor. He almost
collapsed when his eyes fixed on the woman with blonde hair...the one
that he had hoped was what the girls were excited about. There she was...
''''''''
