Us
by Phantasy Star
--------------------
Chapter Five
"Whoa, you okay, man?"
Darien didn't answer.
Andrew walked to the other side of the counter and sat next to his friend,
who was holding his cup of coffee with shaking hands.
Finally, Darien spoke up, whispering "Serena..."
Andrew looked startled, "You... you saw them?"
Darien nodded gravely.
"Sorry, man," Andrew said sympathetically, frowning, "I thought it was a good
thing you didn't show up at the arcade yesterday. I couldn't believe my eyes
when I saw Serena and that -"
"Andrew," Darien interrupted, "I don't want to talk about it."
Andrew didn't say anything for a minute.
"Excuse me," a female voice spoke up beside the pair.
Andrew turned around to see a very pretty girl with short brown hair.
"Are you the manager?" she asked Andrew.
Darien glanced up at the girl and blushed slightly.
"Yeah, I am," Andrew said, stuttering, smiling nervously.
"Um, well, I was wondering if I could get a strawberry milkshake."
"Oh, of course!" Andrew said, jumping up, "I'll get that for you right now!"
The girl sat on the seat Andrew had previously occupied.
"Hey, I'm Erin," she said to Darien, "What's your name?"
"Darien Chiba."
* * *
"Hey Mina,"
"'Sup, girls?" the blonde said, "I did what you guys asked me to do."
"You mean talk to Serena?" Raye asked.
"Yep, I told her to find herself a boyfriend."
"I'm not sure if this plan will work..." Amy said worriedly.
"It's gotta," Lita said, "Once Darien sees Serena with someone else, he'll
realize what he's lost and come begging to Serena, letting her know how he
_really_ feels."
"I hope so..." Raye said, "but Darien's never been good with his emotions."
* * *
Darien laughed, for the first time in the past few days.
"Of course," Erin said, "He didn't know that I knew, so I played around with him
all week!"
"Wow..." Darien said, "I can't believe you did -"
He stopped talking when he noticed a familiar figure walking past the arcade
window.
Serena.
He suddenly thought of something.
Maybe Serena got that guy to go with her to the arcade yesterday to get him
jealous. Well... What if he did the same? Would he get some reaction out of
her?
Serena walked into the arcade to find Darien grinning as he listened to a girl
she didn't know tell him some story.
Serena couldn't help feeling jealous. She hadn't expected this...
Just act natural, she told herself, you can't let him know. It'll make
everything go the wrong way...
"Hey Andrew," Serena said with her usual cheerfulness, "Strawberry milkshake
to go please."
Darien tried not to look at her, but found himself staring at his ex-girlfriend
as she waited for her drink.
Serena glanced at him and their gazes locked.
"Hi Darien," she said, "How's it going?"
"Well, uh," he began.
'Stick to the plan!' he told himself.
"Erin and I... we were just talking about..."
'What were they talking about again?'
"... the new restaurant downtown, and how we may go there one day."
"Really?" Erin exclaimed, but Darien ignored her, waiting to see Serena's
reaction.
To his surprise and his disappointment, Serena simply nodded, "I've been
there. It's pretty good."
'Did she go with that guy he saw with her the other day?' Darien thought
painfully.
"Here ya go," Andrew said with a forced grin, noticing the awkward situation
he had just interrupted.
"Thanks, Andrew," Serena said with a smile, "I'll see you guys later. And,
nice meeting you, Erin."
The new girl nodded, still smiling uncontrollably at the thought of having
dinner with Darien at some fancy restaurant.
Serena picked up the drink and left.
Darien stared after her.
She didn't care.
She truly didn't care.
* * *
'Oh Darien...' she thought, 'It was my decision. It's for the best...'
She kept telling herself this over and over again.
'We weren't meant to be. We both have to see that now.'
"Serena, wait!"
She turned around to face Darien, who was breathing hard, and obviously having
chased after her for several blocks.
"Darien..."
Her ex-boyfriend grabbed onto her hands, "That..."
He was still breathing heavily, "That... wasn't what it looked like. I had just
met her. Heck, I don't even remember her name..."
"It's Erin," Serena said slowly, before pulling her hands from his, "Why are you
telling me this?"
"Because... I did that to make you jealous, and it obviously didn't work. I just
needed you to know that... that, I would never do that to you. You're the only
girl, that... that... uh..."
Serena sighed.
He couldn't even say what he wanted to say.
"I've got to go," she said somewhat disappointedly, turning around.
'Why did he always have to be like this?' she thought, 'He still can't sort his
feelings out. Maybe breaking up with him was a wise choice...'
Darien sweeped his hand over his hair as he watched her leave.
Boy, that was stupid.
by Phantasy Star
--------------------
Chapter Five
"Whoa, you okay, man?"
Darien didn't answer.
Andrew walked to the other side of the counter and sat next to his friend,
who was holding his cup of coffee with shaking hands.
Finally, Darien spoke up, whispering "Serena..."
Andrew looked startled, "You... you saw them?"
Darien nodded gravely.
"Sorry, man," Andrew said sympathetically, frowning, "I thought it was a good
thing you didn't show up at the arcade yesterday. I couldn't believe my eyes
when I saw Serena and that -"
"Andrew," Darien interrupted, "I don't want to talk about it."
Andrew didn't say anything for a minute.
"Excuse me," a female voice spoke up beside the pair.
Andrew turned around to see a very pretty girl with short brown hair.
"Are you the manager?" she asked Andrew.
Darien glanced up at the girl and blushed slightly.
"Yeah, I am," Andrew said, stuttering, smiling nervously.
"Um, well, I was wondering if I could get a strawberry milkshake."
"Oh, of course!" Andrew said, jumping up, "I'll get that for you right now!"
The girl sat on the seat Andrew had previously occupied.
"Hey, I'm Erin," she said to Darien, "What's your name?"
"Darien Chiba."
* * *
"Hey Mina,"
"'Sup, girls?" the blonde said, "I did what you guys asked me to do."
"You mean talk to Serena?" Raye asked.
"Yep, I told her to find herself a boyfriend."
"I'm not sure if this plan will work..." Amy said worriedly.
"It's gotta," Lita said, "Once Darien sees Serena with someone else, he'll
realize what he's lost and come begging to Serena, letting her know how he
_really_ feels."
"I hope so..." Raye said, "but Darien's never been good with his emotions."
* * *
Darien laughed, for the first time in the past few days.
"Of course," Erin said, "He didn't know that I knew, so I played around with him
all week!"
"Wow..." Darien said, "I can't believe you did -"
He stopped talking when he noticed a familiar figure walking past the arcade
window.
Serena.
He suddenly thought of something.
Maybe Serena got that guy to go with her to the arcade yesterday to get him
jealous. Well... What if he did the same? Would he get some reaction out of
her?
Serena walked into the arcade to find Darien grinning as he listened to a girl
she didn't know tell him some story.
Serena couldn't help feeling jealous. She hadn't expected this...
Just act natural, she told herself, you can't let him know. It'll make
everything go the wrong way...
"Hey Andrew," Serena said with her usual cheerfulness, "Strawberry milkshake
to go please."
Darien tried not to look at her, but found himself staring at his ex-girlfriend
as she waited for her drink.
Serena glanced at him and their gazes locked.
"Hi Darien," she said, "How's it going?"
"Well, uh," he began.
'Stick to the plan!' he told himself.
"Erin and I... we were just talking about..."
'What were they talking about again?'
"... the new restaurant downtown, and how we may go there one day."
"Really?" Erin exclaimed, but Darien ignored her, waiting to see Serena's
reaction.
To his surprise and his disappointment, Serena simply nodded, "I've been
there. It's pretty good."
'Did she go with that guy he saw with her the other day?' Darien thought
painfully.
"Here ya go," Andrew said with a forced grin, noticing the awkward situation
he had just interrupted.
"Thanks, Andrew," Serena said with a smile, "I'll see you guys later. And,
nice meeting you, Erin."
The new girl nodded, still smiling uncontrollably at the thought of having
dinner with Darien at some fancy restaurant.
Serena picked up the drink and left.
Darien stared after her.
She didn't care.
She truly didn't care.
* * *
'Oh Darien...' she thought, 'It was my decision. It's for the best...'
She kept telling herself this over and over again.
'We weren't meant to be. We both have to see that now.'
"Serena, wait!"
She turned around to face Darien, who was breathing hard, and obviously having
chased after her for several blocks.
"Darien..."
Her ex-boyfriend grabbed onto her hands, "That..."
He was still breathing heavily, "That... wasn't what it looked like. I had just
met her. Heck, I don't even remember her name..."
"It's Erin," Serena said slowly, before pulling her hands from his, "Why are you
telling me this?"
"Because... I did that to make you jealous, and it obviously didn't work. I just
needed you to know that... that, I would never do that to you. You're the only
girl, that... that... uh..."
Serena sighed.
He couldn't even say what he wanted to say.
"I've got to go," she said somewhat disappointedly, turning around.
'Why did he always have to be like this?' she thought, 'He still can't sort his
feelings out. Maybe breaking up with him was a wise choice...'
Darien sweeped his hand over his hair as he watched her leave.
Boy, that was stupid.
