Hi, guys! As I promised, I got chapter four up much sooner. I'm not very
satisfied with how this chapter turned out, but that's just my opinion.
I'll try my best to remedy this next chapter. Anyway, we should be seeing
part five soon, so keep reading. Remember to R&R!!!
Serena quickly sat up, excited. She ran out of her room and down the stairs. She ran to the front door and stopped. Quickly, she gulped and eyed the door suspiciously.
"What if it's my boss, and that.guy?" Serena asked herself aloud, her voice lowering at the very thought of him. "But still," Serena continued, "It might be my friends." The doorbell rang again and Serena took a step back. She had no idea what to do.
"SERENA, CAN YOU GET THAT?" called her mother's voice from the kitchen. Serena swallowed up the last of her uneasiness and reached out slowly for the doorknob. Even more slowly, she turned it, and then carefully pulled it open. Once it was halfway open, it suddenly pushed in the rest of the way, making Serena stumble back.
Serena looked up and gasped. Standing at the door were her four friends. In the front of them all stood a girl with long raven-black hair, and purple eyes. She was wearing a tight red dress that reached down to her ankles. Under the dress, she was wearing red heals. Around her neck was a necklace made of little white flowers. She had her arms crossed, a snug look across her face.
"Took you long enough, meatball brains," the girl said sarcastically. Serena's eyes narrowed.
"That was you, Raye?" Serena asked angrily. "You shouldn't just push the door open like that." Raye giggled, making Serena smile. She and Raye had always has this sort of relationship. At first glance, they didn't even seem like friends. The truth, however, is Raye was one of her best friends, even though they seem to only bicker non-stop.
"But what if it wasn't me at the door?" Serena teased. Raye's eyes widened. She hadn't thought of that. Serena giggled and hugged her, Raye hugging her back soon after. "It's so great to see you again," Serena said, smiling. Raye nodded, breaking the hug. Serena then looked up at the other girls.
On the left stood a short girl with medium-length blue hair, down to her shoulders. She had blue eyes, and was wearing thick glasses. She was also wearing a long blue flower-print dress that hung to her ankles. She was wearing blue heals under them. Serena couldn't help but notice her large stomach.
"OH MY GOD!" Serena squealed. "YOU'RE PREGNANT!?" Amy blushed and nodded, placing her hand of her stomach. Like Serena, she had also been shy her entire life. Serena always wondered how she managed to get married before her. She felt a slight pang of jealousy, but she shook it off. "I'm so excited," she said, her face practically glowing. Serena then looked to the girl next to Amy.
"Mina?" asked Serena. The girl smiled. She had long blonde hair that reached to the small of her back. She had blue eyes, exactly like Serena's. She was wearing a pink sweater and a short white skirt with white heals. She giggled, making Serena giggle back. Mina had always been Serena's best friend. Their entire lives, they always looked exactly alike. Actually, they were often mistaken for twins.
Serena then turned her attention to the last girl. She was tall with medium-length brown hair, done in a ponytail. She had green eyes, and was wearing a green sweater with jean-shorts. She was wearing white sneakers under them. She grinned at Serena.
"It's so good to see you again, Lita," Serena said, smiling brightly. She had first met Lita in second grade, when Serena was being picked on by a group of older boys. Lita came by and beat them all up. Ever since then, they had been good friends. Do to Lita's violent nature, she never had many friends. Serena was her first friend, and in Lita's opinion, best friend.
"Everybody," Serena said, her voice cracking, tears in her eyes. "It's so good to see you all again." They all nodded, in the same condition as Serena. Suddenly, they all cried and joined in a group hug. Serena's mother watched in the background, tears in her own eyes. Serena and her friends had always been so close. They were more than friends, but sisters to each other. To see them all reunite after such long of a time was definitely an experience.
After hugging for several minutes, they broke the hug, giggling, while wiping their eyes. Serena smiled at all of them once more.
"Well, come in," Serena said. The girls nodded and followed her into the house. Once inside, all the girls turned to Serena's mother and smiled.
"Hi, Mrs. Tsukino," They all said simultaneously. Serena's mother giggled and nodded, making the others giggle as well. They then all followed Serena up into her room. Once there, Mina instantly lied on Serena's bed. Serena sat down next to her. Lita leaned against the wall, and Raye sat down on the floor, and Amy carefully sat down on a chair. Mina looked around the room and giggled.
"My, doesn't this bring back memories," Mina said, a far-away look on her face. The others nodded. When they were all teenagers, they sat in the same room, the way they were now, and talked for hours. They always talked of the latest gossip, the cutest boys, school, and just about everything else. They even studied for their regents and SAT's together in this same room. When in elementary school, they played dolls together in this same room.
Serena felt tears stinging her eyes as she remembered. Her room held countless memories. She had forgotten how much she lost when she moved to Manhattan. She wished that it could be the same as it was ten years ago. She sighed and held her knees to her chest. Even her and that boy had played in this very room when they were children. This was the room she cried in all weekend when he moved.
The other girls looked up at Serena, who was sitting on the bed, her arms hugging her knees. She had a sad and far-away look on her face. Mina sat up and looked at Serena, worried. Lita knelt over in front of her.
"You okay?" Lita asked. Serena blinked and looked at Lita in the eyes. Serena nodded and smiled at everybody to reassure them that all was all right. Lita nodded and leant against the wall again.
"Sorry guys," Serena said. "I was just reminiscing." The others nodded. They knew exactly what she was talking about. Serena laughed and looked at everybody again. "So what do you wanna talk about?" she asked, trying to change the topic. Mina's eyes brightened.
"How about we talk about that guy that's coming over tonight?" Mina asked, winking. Serena gasped. She had hoped Mina forgot about that. Lita grinned, now interested. Amy just sat back, listening. Raye jumped to her feet, disbelief across her face.
"Serena has a boyfriend?" Raye asked, shocked. "I refuse to believe it." Serena glared at her angrily. Raye only snickered in return.
"Well, for one thing, he's not my boyfriend," Serena said. "As a matter of fact," she continued, "I haven't even met him before?" Amy gasped, making everybody turn to her.
"You're so desperate that you are going on a blind date now?" Amy asked. Serena almost screamed. Lita held back her laughter. She found this all quite amusing. It felt like old times again.
"It is NOT a date," Serena said as a matter-of-factly. "My boss is coming over tonight and he's bringing Darien over." Lita sighed looking up at the ceiling.
"Darien," Lita sighed, "what a romantic name." Mina giggled, making Serena's eyes narrow. She knew Mina was about to say something that would most likely embarrass Serena.
"Serena and Darien," Mina said, holding her index finger up, as if making a point. "Isn't it just so catchy? There's no doubt in my mind these two are meant for each other." Serena sighed and shook her head. She knew that against the four of them, she couldn't win. Right then, Serena grinned. She quickly looked up at Raye, making her step back.
"And you aren't one to speak, Raye," Serena said, grinning. "I don't see a guy in YOUR life." Raye stepped back, her eyes opened wide. The other girls turned their attention to her. She looked at all of them and blushed.
"That's true, but." Raye said, finding that there was nothing she could say. "Well, I have a better chance then you do, meatball head," she said in one last effort. Serena's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah right," Serena said. "And I don have my 'meatballs' anymore. So there!" She stuck her tongue out at Raye. Raye stuck out her tongue back. Everybody else sighed.
"They're still children," Amy sighed, smiling. It was nice to see everybody together, and so happy. Seeing everybody happy made her happy. She sighed and placed her hand on her stomach. Soon, she was going to have a child of her own. She smiled, wondering if her daughter would be friends with everybody else's children some day. She sure hoped so.
Right then, there was a knock at the door. Serena stood up and opened it. Standing behind it was Jill, grinning. Serena's eyes narrowed. As if the gossip surrounding her was bad enough, now it was time for Jill to make things worse. Jill's ability to bend the truth was deadly. Serena knew that she was going to get it from all her friends.
"What do you want?" asked Serena, emotionlessly. Jill grinned closing her eyes. Though to most people this would make her look cute, to Serena, it made her look sneaky.
"What, I can't hang out with you guys?" Jill asked, trying to sound upset. "I've known them my whole lives, you know. Serena sighed. She knew that she would have to let Jill in. Serena stepped aside and Jill walked in. "Hey guys," Jill said, smiling at the girls. They all smiled back and gave their own helloes.
Unlike Serena, her friends saw Jill almost constantly. She walked in the room, and claimed Serena's seat on the bed. Serena gasped, lunging forward.
"That was my seat," Serena wined. Jill giggled, making herself comfortable. Serena sighed. She knew she wasn't going to be getting her seat back anytime soon. Serena reluctantly sat on the floor next to Raye.
"So, what are you guys talking about?" asked Jill, already having a good idea what it was. Raye grinned and looked down at the younger girl.
"Well," began Raye, "we're talking about this guy that's coming over tonight." She diverted her eyes to Serena. She knew that Serena hated talking about this sort of stuff. She knew that this would have an effect on her. Serena turned her attention back to Jill, who had a wide grin across her face. Serena wanted to slap that grin right off her face then and there.
"Ahh, I see," said Jill. "I heard that he's a hunk, too." Everybody gasped. Jill's grin widened. "And his name's Darien. Doesn't 'Serena and Darien' just have a ring to it?" Everyone giggled and nodded in agreement. Serena tried to remember where she heard that one before. "And last, but not least, Serena's gonna try to hook up with him tonight. Isn't that great?"
Everyone that was sitting down, except for Jill, suddenly stood up. Lita stood straight. They all turned their attention to Serena, who was still sitting on the floor. At that moment, she felt far smaller than she was. She blushed, not knowing what to do.
"SERENA, EVERYBODY, COME DOWNSTAIRS!" called Serena's mother's voice from downstairs. Serena sighed in relief. She had to remember to thank her mother later. Serena quickly stood up and opened her door. The others all followed her out the door and down the stairs. They all walked in to the kitchen. Standing there was Serena's father, back faced to Serena, talking to her mother.
"DADDY!" cried Serena, making her father turn around to face her. He gasped and Serena lunged forward, hugging him. "Daddy, I missed you," Serena whispered, hugging him. Though they saw each other more often then Serena saw the others, she had always favored her father the most. They were extremely close, and even being gone for a little while hurt Serena.
Serena's father smiled, rubbing her hair with his hand. He was a tall, skinny man. He had short black hair, brushed to the side, and thick glasses. Though at first glance, he seemed sort of nerdish, he was actually quite handsome, and looked only half his age. They broke the hug and Serena smiled up at him, tears in her eyes. Her friends and Jill all watched, smiling, Darien forgotten.
"So how long are you back for, Serena?" Her father asked. Serena wiped her eyes and smiled at him. She knew he would be surprised when he heard the length of time she would be back for.
"Two weeks," Serena said, smiling. Her father looked surprised, but he quickly smiled. Serena's friends could not hold back their gasps, however.
"Two whole weeks?" asked Lita, surprised. She would have been surprised if it was only three days, let alone two whole weeks. "Are you feeling okay?" Lita asked, quickly running over to Serena and feeling her forehead. Serena giggled and turned to her friends.
"I'm fine, Lita," Serena said. She smiled widely, "At first, I didn't want to take my vacation. But now that I'm home, and with all you guys, I never want it to end." Her friends all smiled, and they ran to her, hugging her again. Serena's father laughed and turned to his wife.
"It's great to see that they hadn't changed a bit," he said, laughing. His wife nodded, smiling at the group of girls. He turned to them as well. He too was happy that Serena returned. As a matter of fact, it was partially his idea to put Serena on vacation. He was the one who brought it up to Serena's boss. By the look of things, the idea was perfect.
The girls all broke their hug and giggled. While they were giggling, there was a knock at the door. Serena gasped, her eyes opened wide. She knew for a fact that there was now only one person who could come. She swallowed, turning her head slowly to the door.
"I'll get that," her father announced, walking to the door. Once he made it to the door, he quickly pulled it open. To Serena, however, it looked as if it was happening in slow motion. Once the door was open, Serena sighed in relief. Behind the door stood her father's old friend.
"Hey, Jim," Serena's father said, shaking the man's hand. He was the same age as her father, but he showed his age more. He had black hair combed to the side, and a black beard. His hair had many gray strands, as did his beard. He was a big man, and gave the appearance that he was once very handsome in his younger days.
Next to Jim stood his wife. She was tall, with dirty blonde hair, down to her shoulders. Serena's mother walked up to her and they kissed. Serena sighed once again and turned to her friends. Jill was grinning widely, as was everybody else, even Amy.
"Hopefully he comes next time," Lita said, grinning. Serena's eyes narrowed. Ever since then, many more guests arrived. Each and every time, however, Serena would get terrified and wait anxiously for the door to open, only to feel relief in the end. Things began looking good for her.
There was a knock at the door again. Once again, Serena swallowed, frozen like a statue. Her friends and Jill all sighed. This was beginning to become old. This time, her parents were too busy talking to their friends to answer the door.
"Can you get that?" Serena's father asked from the next room. Serena sighed and slowly stepped forward. She opened the door slowly, and gasped once it was fully opened. Behind it stood a short, heavy man. He had a smiling, red, jolly face. He was wearing a gray suite and was holding a box in his hand. He looked familiar to Serena, but she couldn't lay a finger on him.
"My, hello, Serena," he said in a deep, friendly voice. "It's great to see you in here." He laughed merrily and walked into the house. He stopped in front of the door and sniffed the air, then laughed. "Ms. Tsukino," he called happily, "your cooking never fails to amaze me." From the kitchen appeared Serena's parents. They both smiled when they noticed the man standing in the main room.
"Hey, Jack," Serena's father said, walking over to him and shaking his hand. He laughed and kissed Serena's mother. Serena gasped as she finally realized whom this man was.
"Mr. Shields?" Serena asked, dumbfounded. She could not believe that this jolly man could be her evil boss. Jack turned to her and laughed. Serena couldn't help but smile.
"Just call me Jack," Jack said, smiling. Serena smiled and nodded. She wouldn't be able to look at her boss the same way again after this.
"Hi," said a friendly voice from behind Serena. Serena turned around to face a slightly taller woman. She had brown hair up in a bun, and green eyes. Her face seemed mature, but still pretty. She held out her hand towards Serena. "I'm Jack's wife, Maria. How are you?" Serena held back her gasp. He expected her boss's wife to be some small, hideous-looking woman.
On the other hand, however, this woman was tall and elegant. Serena forced a smile and shook her hand. Maria walked into the house and greeted the others. Serena turned to her friends and saw them all staring ahead, with blank looks on their faces.
"What?" asked Serena. She turned around to see what they were staring at. Right then, she gasped. Serena felt herself getting weak in the knees, and she had to support herself against the wall for a moment before she was able to regain her composure. She thought she was going to fall over dead any second, for standing at the door was the same man she bumped into at the mall earlier that day.
Oh no, what now? Will Serena kick it off with this guy? Or is the incident at the mall foreshadowing of what is to come? We'll begin finding out in my next chapter. See you soon!
Serena quickly sat up, excited. She ran out of her room and down the stairs. She ran to the front door and stopped. Quickly, she gulped and eyed the door suspiciously.
"What if it's my boss, and that.guy?" Serena asked herself aloud, her voice lowering at the very thought of him. "But still," Serena continued, "It might be my friends." The doorbell rang again and Serena took a step back. She had no idea what to do.
"SERENA, CAN YOU GET THAT?" called her mother's voice from the kitchen. Serena swallowed up the last of her uneasiness and reached out slowly for the doorknob. Even more slowly, she turned it, and then carefully pulled it open. Once it was halfway open, it suddenly pushed in the rest of the way, making Serena stumble back.
Serena looked up and gasped. Standing at the door were her four friends. In the front of them all stood a girl with long raven-black hair, and purple eyes. She was wearing a tight red dress that reached down to her ankles. Under the dress, she was wearing red heals. Around her neck was a necklace made of little white flowers. She had her arms crossed, a snug look across her face.
"Took you long enough, meatball brains," the girl said sarcastically. Serena's eyes narrowed.
"That was you, Raye?" Serena asked angrily. "You shouldn't just push the door open like that." Raye giggled, making Serena smile. She and Raye had always has this sort of relationship. At first glance, they didn't even seem like friends. The truth, however, is Raye was one of her best friends, even though they seem to only bicker non-stop.
"But what if it wasn't me at the door?" Serena teased. Raye's eyes widened. She hadn't thought of that. Serena giggled and hugged her, Raye hugging her back soon after. "It's so great to see you again," Serena said, smiling. Raye nodded, breaking the hug. Serena then looked up at the other girls.
On the left stood a short girl with medium-length blue hair, down to her shoulders. She had blue eyes, and was wearing thick glasses. She was also wearing a long blue flower-print dress that hung to her ankles. She was wearing blue heals under them. Serena couldn't help but notice her large stomach.
"OH MY GOD!" Serena squealed. "YOU'RE PREGNANT!?" Amy blushed and nodded, placing her hand of her stomach. Like Serena, she had also been shy her entire life. Serena always wondered how she managed to get married before her. She felt a slight pang of jealousy, but she shook it off. "I'm so excited," she said, her face practically glowing. Serena then looked to the girl next to Amy.
"Mina?" asked Serena. The girl smiled. She had long blonde hair that reached to the small of her back. She had blue eyes, exactly like Serena's. She was wearing a pink sweater and a short white skirt with white heals. She giggled, making Serena giggle back. Mina had always been Serena's best friend. Their entire lives, they always looked exactly alike. Actually, they were often mistaken for twins.
Serena then turned her attention to the last girl. She was tall with medium-length brown hair, done in a ponytail. She had green eyes, and was wearing a green sweater with jean-shorts. She was wearing white sneakers under them. She grinned at Serena.
"It's so good to see you again, Lita," Serena said, smiling brightly. She had first met Lita in second grade, when Serena was being picked on by a group of older boys. Lita came by and beat them all up. Ever since then, they had been good friends. Do to Lita's violent nature, she never had many friends. Serena was her first friend, and in Lita's opinion, best friend.
"Everybody," Serena said, her voice cracking, tears in her eyes. "It's so good to see you all again." They all nodded, in the same condition as Serena. Suddenly, they all cried and joined in a group hug. Serena's mother watched in the background, tears in her own eyes. Serena and her friends had always been so close. They were more than friends, but sisters to each other. To see them all reunite after such long of a time was definitely an experience.
After hugging for several minutes, they broke the hug, giggling, while wiping their eyes. Serena smiled at all of them once more.
"Well, come in," Serena said. The girls nodded and followed her into the house. Once inside, all the girls turned to Serena's mother and smiled.
"Hi, Mrs. Tsukino," They all said simultaneously. Serena's mother giggled and nodded, making the others giggle as well. They then all followed Serena up into her room. Once there, Mina instantly lied on Serena's bed. Serena sat down next to her. Lita leaned against the wall, and Raye sat down on the floor, and Amy carefully sat down on a chair. Mina looked around the room and giggled.
"My, doesn't this bring back memories," Mina said, a far-away look on her face. The others nodded. When they were all teenagers, they sat in the same room, the way they were now, and talked for hours. They always talked of the latest gossip, the cutest boys, school, and just about everything else. They even studied for their regents and SAT's together in this same room. When in elementary school, they played dolls together in this same room.
Serena felt tears stinging her eyes as she remembered. Her room held countless memories. She had forgotten how much she lost when she moved to Manhattan. She wished that it could be the same as it was ten years ago. She sighed and held her knees to her chest. Even her and that boy had played in this very room when they were children. This was the room she cried in all weekend when he moved.
The other girls looked up at Serena, who was sitting on the bed, her arms hugging her knees. She had a sad and far-away look on her face. Mina sat up and looked at Serena, worried. Lita knelt over in front of her.
"You okay?" Lita asked. Serena blinked and looked at Lita in the eyes. Serena nodded and smiled at everybody to reassure them that all was all right. Lita nodded and leant against the wall again.
"Sorry guys," Serena said. "I was just reminiscing." The others nodded. They knew exactly what she was talking about. Serena laughed and looked at everybody again. "So what do you wanna talk about?" she asked, trying to change the topic. Mina's eyes brightened.
"How about we talk about that guy that's coming over tonight?" Mina asked, winking. Serena gasped. She had hoped Mina forgot about that. Lita grinned, now interested. Amy just sat back, listening. Raye jumped to her feet, disbelief across her face.
"Serena has a boyfriend?" Raye asked, shocked. "I refuse to believe it." Serena glared at her angrily. Raye only snickered in return.
"Well, for one thing, he's not my boyfriend," Serena said. "As a matter of fact," she continued, "I haven't even met him before?" Amy gasped, making everybody turn to her.
"You're so desperate that you are going on a blind date now?" Amy asked. Serena almost screamed. Lita held back her laughter. She found this all quite amusing. It felt like old times again.
"It is NOT a date," Serena said as a matter-of-factly. "My boss is coming over tonight and he's bringing Darien over." Lita sighed looking up at the ceiling.
"Darien," Lita sighed, "what a romantic name." Mina giggled, making Serena's eyes narrow. She knew Mina was about to say something that would most likely embarrass Serena.
"Serena and Darien," Mina said, holding her index finger up, as if making a point. "Isn't it just so catchy? There's no doubt in my mind these two are meant for each other." Serena sighed and shook her head. She knew that against the four of them, she couldn't win. Right then, Serena grinned. She quickly looked up at Raye, making her step back.
"And you aren't one to speak, Raye," Serena said, grinning. "I don't see a guy in YOUR life." Raye stepped back, her eyes opened wide. The other girls turned their attention to her. She looked at all of them and blushed.
"That's true, but." Raye said, finding that there was nothing she could say. "Well, I have a better chance then you do, meatball head," she said in one last effort. Serena's eyes narrowed.
"Yeah right," Serena said. "And I don have my 'meatballs' anymore. So there!" She stuck her tongue out at Raye. Raye stuck out her tongue back. Everybody else sighed.
"They're still children," Amy sighed, smiling. It was nice to see everybody together, and so happy. Seeing everybody happy made her happy. She sighed and placed her hand on her stomach. Soon, she was going to have a child of her own. She smiled, wondering if her daughter would be friends with everybody else's children some day. She sure hoped so.
Right then, there was a knock at the door. Serena stood up and opened it. Standing behind it was Jill, grinning. Serena's eyes narrowed. As if the gossip surrounding her was bad enough, now it was time for Jill to make things worse. Jill's ability to bend the truth was deadly. Serena knew that she was going to get it from all her friends.
"What do you want?" asked Serena, emotionlessly. Jill grinned closing her eyes. Though to most people this would make her look cute, to Serena, it made her look sneaky.
"What, I can't hang out with you guys?" Jill asked, trying to sound upset. "I've known them my whole lives, you know. Serena sighed. She knew that she would have to let Jill in. Serena stepped aside and Jill walked in. "Hey guys," Jill said, smiling at the girls. They all smiled back and gave their own helloes.
Unlike Serena, her friends saw Jill almost constantly. She walked in the room, and claimed Serena's seat on the bed. Serena gasped, lunging forward.
"That was my seat," Serena wined. Jill giggled, making herself comfortable. Serena sighed. She knew she wasn't going to be getting her seat back anytime soon. Serena reluctantly sat on the floor next to Raye.
"So, what are you guys talking about?" asked Jill, already having a good idea what it was. Raye grinned and looked down at the younger girl.
"Well," began Raye, "we're talking about this guy that's coming over tonight." She diverted her eyes to Serena. She knew that Serena hated talking about this sort of stuff. She knew that this would have an effect on her. Serena turned her attention back to Jill, who had a wide grin across her face. Serena wanted to slap that grin right off her face then and there.
"Ahh, I see," said Jill. "I heard that he's a hunk, too." Everybody gasped. Jill's grin widened. "And his name's Darien. Doesn't 'Serena and Darien' just have a ring to it?" Everyone giggled and nodded in agreement. Serena tried to remember where she heard that one before. "And last, but not least, Serena's gonna try to hook up with him tonight. Isn't that great?"
Everyone that was sitting down, except for Jill, suddenly stood up. Lita stood straight. They all turned their attention to Serena, who was still sitting on the floor. At that moment, she felt far smaller than she was. She blushed, not knowing what to do.
"SERENA, EVERYBODY, COME DOWNSTAIRS!" called Serena's mother's voice from downstairs. Serena sighed in relief. She had to remember to thank her mother later. Serena quickly stood up and opened her door. The others all followed her out the door and down the stairs. They all walked in to the kitchen. Standing there was Serena's father, back faced to Serena, talking to her mother.
"DADDY!" cried Serena, making her father turn around to face her. He gasped and Serena lunged forward, hugging him. "Daddy, I missed you," Serena whispered, hugging him. Though they saw each other more often then Serena saw the others, she had always favored her father the most. They were extremely close, and even being gone for a little while hurt Serena.
Serena's father smiled, rubbing her hair with his hand. He was a tall, skinny man. He had short black hair, brushed to the side, and thick glasses. Though at first glance, he seemed sort of nerdish, he was actually quite handsome, and looked only half his age. They broke the hug and Serena smiled up at him, tears in her eyes. Her friends and Jill all watched, smiling, Darien forgotten.
"So how long are you back for, Serena?" Her father asked. Serena wiped her eyes and smiled at him. She knew he would be surprised when he heard the length of time she would be back for.
"Two weeks," Serena said, smiling. Her father looked surprised, but he quickly smiled. Serena's friends could not hold back their gasps, however.
"Two whole weeks?" asked Lita, surprised. She would have been surprised if it was only three days, let alone two whole weeks. "Are you feeling okay?" Lita asked, quickly running over to Serena and feeling her forehead. Serena giggled and turned to her friends.
"I'm fine, Lita," Serena said. She smiled widely, "At first, I didn't want to take my vacation. But now that I'm home, and with all you guys, I never want it to end." Her friends all smiled, and they ran to her, hugging her again. Serena's father laughed and turned to his wife.
"It's great to see that they hadn't changed a bit," he said, laughing. His wife nodded, smiling at the group of girls. He turned to them as well. He too was happy that Serena returned. As a matter of fact, it was partially his idea to put Serena on vacation. He was the one who brought it up to Serena's boss. By the look of things, the idea was perfect.
The girls all broke their hug and giggled. While they were giggling, there was a knock at the door. Serena gasped, her eyes opened wide. She knew for a fact that there was now only one person who could come. She swallowed, turning her head slowly to the door.
"I'll get that," her father announced, walking to the door. Once he made it to the door, he quickly pulled it open. To Serena, however, it looked as if it was happening in slow motion. Once the door was open, Serena sighed in relief. Behind the door stood her father's old friend.
"Hey, Jim," Serena's father said, shaking the man's hand. He was the same age as her father, but he showed his age more. He had black hair combed to the side, and a black beard. His hair had many gray strands, as did his beard. He was a big man, and gave the appearance that he was once very handsome in his younger days.
Next to Jim stood his wife. She was tall, with dirty blonde hair, down to her shoulders. Serena's mother walked up to her and they kissed. Serena sighed once again and turned to her friends. Jill was grinning widely, as was everybody else, even Amy.
"Hopefully he comes next time," Lita said, grinning. Serena's eyes narrowed. Ever since then, many more guests arrived. Each and every time, however, Serena would get terrified and wait anxiously for the door to open, only to feel relief in the end. Things began looking good for her.
There was a knock at the door again. Once again, Serena swallowed, frozen like a statue. Her friends and Jill all sighed. This was beginning to become old. This time, her parents were too busy talking to their friends to answer the door.
"Can you get that?" Serena's father asked from the next room. Serena sighed and slowly stepped forward. She opened the door slowly, and gasped once it was fully opened. Behind it stood a short, heavy man. He had a smiling, red, jolly face. He was wearing a gray suite and was holding a box in his hand. He looked familiar to Serena, but she couldn't lay a finger on him.
"My, hello, Serena," he said in a deep, friendly voice. "It's great to see you in here." He laughed merrily and walked into the house. He stopped in front of the door and sniffed the air, then laughed. "Ms. Tsukino," he called happily, "your cooking never fails to amaze me." From the kitchen appeared Serena's parents. They both smiled when they noticed the man standing in the main room.
"Hey, Jack," Serena's father said, walking over to him and shaking his hand. He laughed and kissed Serena's mother. Serena gasped as she finally realized whom this man was.
"Mr. Shields?" Serena asked, dumbfounded. She could not believe that this jolly man could be her evil boss. Jack turned to her and laughed. Serena couldn't help but smile.
"Just call me Jack," Jack said, smiling. Serena smiled and nodded. She wouldn't be able to look at her boss the same way again after this.
"Hi," said a friendly voice from behind Serena. Serena turned around to face a slightly taller woman. She had brown hair up in a bun, and green eyes. Her face seemed mature, but still pretty. She held out her hand towards Serena. "I'm Jack's wife, Maria. How are you?" Serena held back her gasp. He expected her boss's wife to be some small, hideous-looking woman.
On the other hand, however, this woman was tall and elegant. Serena forced a smile and shook her hand. Maria walked into the house and greeted the others. Serena turned to her friends and saw them all staring ahead, with blank looks on their faces.
"What?" asked Serena. She turned around to see what they were staring at. Right then, she gasped. Serena felt herself getting weak in the knees, and she had to support herself against the wall for a moment before she was able to regain her composure. She thought she was going to fall over dead any second, for standing at the door was the same man she bumped into at the mall earlier that day.
Oh no, what now? Will Serena kick it off with this guy? Or is the incident at the mall foreshadowing of what is to come? We'll begin finding out in my next chapter. See you soon!