The rabbit shaped alarm clock woke Serena from her fitful sleep. She groaned and smacked it off her nightstand, silencing it briefly before her small black cat landed on her chest.

"Serena!" Luna shouted. "Get up or your going to be late for school!"

Serena threw the covers over her head. "I don't feel good!" She mumbled.

"Serena! You say that everyday! Now GET UP!"

Serena thought about the situation. She could either get up and spend a long, miserable day at school, or spend the next 7 hours being nagged by Luna, and then not being able to go to the arcade at 2:00.

The thought of Andrew making her a strawberry milkshake was the only reason she got up. She threw the covers off and stepped into the shower, standing there for a moment before rubbing the jasmine scented shampoo into her long blonde hair.
"Serena! Your on time today!" Molly said, shocked. He auburn hair was fixed into a blue ribbon, her cheeks flushed and her blue eyes-

"Molly, are you wearing make-up?" Serena said, looking up into her friends eyes that were lined with black mascara.

Molly blushed. "Shh! Not so loud!" She giggled. "I wanted to see if Melvin noticed anything different about me today. Is it really that noticeable?"

Serena rolled her eyes. "Why do you care about what Melvin thinks of you?" She sneered.

A wounded look crossed Molly's face, before being replaced by one of supreme knowledge. "You just don't understand, Serena, because you don't know what its like to have a guy in love with you."

Serena grunted. "Yeah, like I need to aggrivation. Who wants a guy fawning over you and complementing you and following you everywhere, calling you all day and wanting to be with you all the time?"

"You do." Molly said matter of factly.

"Yeah, right Moll's." Serena rested her head in her arms that were neatly folded across her desk.

Truth was, Serena did want that. It felt like a knife was twisting in her whenever she saw the way Melvin looked at her friend. And when she heard the romantic stories Lita would tell about her many ex-boyfriends, she couldn't help but wonder what she was doing wrong that made no guy on earth attracted to her. She knew she wasn't bad looking. She liked to hear her friends tell her how pretty she was, with her long blonde hair and bright blue eyes, long legs and girlish figure. But it would be a whole different story to hear a guy tell her she was beautiful.

She sighed and shut her eyes, pretending she was perfectly happy own her own.

-

Yes! Serena thought. School is out. And now for my milkshake!

She skipped happily down the sidewalk, oblivious to the looks the older, more sophisticated girls were giving her, sneering at her and her childish antics. Serena was always blind to the way other people looked at her, be it girls or guys. She was quite happy with the way she was, and didn't search for the approval on other peoples faces like most girls her age did.

She opened the door to the arcade and her face lit up at the sight of Andrew cleaning up the countertop. She bounced up to 'her' seat, spun around in it a few times, before placing her elbows on the counter and smiling up at him.

"You'll be wanting a milkshake, I assume?" Andrew said, his dimples showing quite nicely on his cheeks as he smiled.

"Strawberry please!" Serena said. "And do you have any Kleenex Andrew?"

Andrew handed her a napkin. "No Kleenex, just napkins. You feeling sick?" A concerned look crossed his face.

Serena waved a hand in dismissal. "Nah, I never get sick. My nose is just a little runny today. Its not a big deal. But my mom is really sick, she couldn't even get out of bed this morning, which really stinks, because I had to make my own lunch and I totally didn't know what to make myself, you know? Because my mom is always-"

"Pampering and spoiling you, I'm sure." A smooth voice said from behind her.

Serena spun around in her chair and gave Darien a look. "Can a day go by without you telling me something that isn't true, Darien?"

Darien took a seat next to her, then thought better of it and took the next seat over. "Nope," He said smugly. " On account that I only speak the truth. Meatball Head." He added for effect.

"OOOoooooh, don't call me that!" She said, throwing her dirty napkin at him. She then sneezed into the air, her hair flying around her face.

"Are you sure your not getting sick, Serena?" Andrew said, handing her another napkin and shooting a nasty look at Darien, who looked innocently back at him.

"Yeah, you don't look so good." Darien thought about that comment. "Well, then again, you never look very good so I guess your doing just fine today!"

Serena looked back at him, her eyes watering. "I haven't had a very good day, Darien, and I don't need you adding even more crap to it!" Serena sneezed as she stood and handed Andrew a dollar for her milkshake.

"Then go cry about it." Darien muttered as she began to stride out of the arcade.

She whirled around and her pretty face turned red. "For your information you self assured conceded shovanistic PIG, I'm not CRYING, my eyes are watering because I sneezed!"

And with that she strode out of the arcade, walking right past Rei, Amy, and Lita as they entered.

"Serena?" Amy called after her. The other two girls just walked in and ignored her.

Rei smiled and flipped her long black hair over her shoulder. "Shes just having one of her tantrums, Amy, she'll be back in 5 minutes."

"Yeah, you should know the drill by now." Lita said as she took the seat next to Darien. "What did you say to her?" She said.

"What did I say to her?!" Darien said. "I said nothing! She just called me a self assured conceded shovanistic pig!" His deep blue eyes flashed the accusation at the brunette.

She grunted. "Good."

"Good?!" Darien said, outraged. He stood up and looked at Andrew, who kept his head down and looked fascinated at an invisible stain on the countertop that he was rubbing down.

"Yeah, good!" Lita said, standing up, looking him in the eye. "Everyday you come in here and yell at her, and did you ever think that maybe she has every right to say something to you in her defense for once?"

Darien looked down at the girl who stood only a few inches below him. He wasn't used to people talking back to him, especially not a girl.

"You know, as much as I hate to admit it, Darien," Andrew said quietly. "Maybe she is right. You always pick on Serena and there is no apparent reason why."

Darien searched for an excuse in his mind, but found only images of Serena's beautiful blue eyes watering and her perfect pink lips shaking.

"Well- well-" he stuttered. "What do you want me to do then?"

"Go apologize." Lita said, proud of herself for sticking up for her friend.

Rei sat down on the other side of Darien and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Lita, at least leave the man his dignity!"

Darien considered this. "Fine, I'll go apologize." He said, thundering out of the arcade.

What else could he have done? Tell them the reason he always picks on her is because hes so used to women falling all over him, he never has to be the first to start conversation, and therefore doesn't know how? That every time he looks into her eyes he feels as though he's known her, held her, and kissed her before? He'd rather apologize then confess that.

He ran down 4th street and caught sight of her walking slowly towards the Juuban center. He cleared his throat and yelled after her. "Serena!"

Serena stopped and looked behind her, seeing Darien in all his glory striding toward her. He looks nervous for some reason, she thought. He ran his fingers through his black hair and bit the inside of his cheek as he walked up to her.

"What is it Darien?" Serena said icily. "I don't want to talk to you. I don't feel good, I just want to go home." She said, turning back around.

Darien grabbed her upper arm. "Listen, Serena, I-" he looked at her pretty face, blotchy and pale, circles under her eyes. "Wow, are you ok?"

"No!" She spat out. "I told you, I just want to go home, ok?" A cold breeze left shivers down Darien's spine as her long blonde hair waved an invisible labyrinth around her head, and she shuddered in cold. Darien took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders.

"No, Darien, that's really ok-" Serena mumbled, trying to take the warm leather off her cold shoulders.

"No, take it, your freezing." He said. The two stood in an awkward silence. Darien cleared his throat again. "Where do you live?" He asked.

"Cherry street," she said. "I usually take the bus, but it doesn't come for another 30 minutes, so I'm walking."

Darien thought for a minute. "Let me drive you home, I'm parked right in front of the arcade, let me give you a ride, it's a long way to Cherry street."

If Serena had been feeling any better, she would have put up a very good fight. She may have even just turned around and walked away, but there was something about the way her head hurt and the way his deep blue eyes made it hurt a little less that made her shrug and nod her head.

Darien started walking back, the small girl at his side. He ran his fingers through his hair again and looked ahead. "Listen, I, uh, I wanted to apologize." Waiting for a response, he paused, only to look out of the corner of his eye to see Serena staring at the ground. "Serena?"

"I'm listening." She said, rubbing her nose. "Keep talking."

The corner of his lips twitched a little. Glad one of us is enjoying this, he thought. "Well, I was thinking that I always do kinda bring you down, and I felt kind of bad about what I said today, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

The silence made his heart pound. He reached the red Mustang first and opened the passenger side door for her. She giggled and stepped in.

"This is nice. Being driven home like I'm rich. James!" she said, clapping her hands at him. "Take my shoes and rub my feet." He blue eyes sparkled as Darien shook his head at her. He shut the door and sat in the drivers side, putting the keys in the egnition.

"Is that it?" Serena said.

"Is what it?" Darien replied, looking at her.

"Well, don't you have anything more to say?" She said, crossing her long toned legs. Darien looked quickly away.

"Uh," he said, clearing his throat again. "I lied when I said that you looked bad."

This time is was Serena's turn to feel a little unsure. Was Darien actually complementing her?

"I think you look. I think you look very pretty." He said quickly, pulling out onto the street a bit faster then intended.

A warm flush creeped up her face as she suddenly became aware that her skirt was riding up her thighs. He thinks I'm pretty, she thought, a smile on her pouty lips. He thinks that I'm pretty.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sneeze. And then another. And then another. "I really hope I'm not getting sick." She thought outloud. "I hate getting sick. I never get sick."

"Everyone gets sick," Darien said. "That's why I'm going to become a doctor."

"You want to be a doctor?" Serena said. "Doesn't that involve, like, work? And good grades?"

Darien laughed. "Something I'm sure you know little about."

"You got that right." Serena laughed. She was feeling very hot and nauseous all of the sudden, and she could feel her face turning red. "Darien, pull over."

Darien kept driving. "Why?"

"I think I'm gonna throw up, just pull over," She said urgently.

Seeing as he was in the middle of Tokyo, and there was nowhere to pull over to, he looked franticly for a alternative. "Just, just open the window, I cant."

Oh god, please don't make me throw up, she thought. I don't want Darien to see me throw up.

Just as she began to roll down the window, everything turned black.

Darien looked over to see a passed out Serena leaning back against his leather seat.