I know it took a little longer than expected, but chapter seven has finally
arrived. I want to thank all of you for your kind reviews, and for reading
my story. You guys are my inspiration, and I hope that you find this
chapter to be really good. Anyway, I'll see you soon. Don't forget to
R&R! Later!
Serena opened her eyes and found herself standing in a dark void. She looked around her, wondering where she could be. All around her, all she saw was darkness. Then, from the darkness, walked a boy. Serena gasped as the boy walked towards her, looking around. Soon, however, his eyes were fixated onto her.
"Sere?" the boy asked, his eyes wide in hope. Serena gasped, wondering how the boy could possibly know her name. He looked no older than seven. All that she could make out of his face was his black hair and stunning blue eyes. All his other features were shrouded by darkness. Serena swallowed and tried to step forward, but she couldn't move. She only stood, unmoving, staring at the boy in front of her.
"Who are you?" Serena managed to say. At least she was able to speak. The boy looked at her, his eyes filled with laughter. The boy then began to walk closer to her, but soon stopped. Serena looked at him questionably.
"Hey," the boy said, talking a step back, "you're not Sere. Who are you?" Serena looked at him, shocked. "Well?" the boy asked again. "Who are you? If you don't tell me, I'm gonna leave." Serena reached out her hand towards him, making him step back again.
"I am Serena," Serena said, reaching her hand out. She was surprised she was able to even move her hand. Hoping her legs were now functional, she attempted to take a step, but she couldn't move them, regardless of how much she tried. The boy's eyes narrowed towards her.
"Liar," he said. "You're not Sere. Sere knows who I am." Right then, he turned around and began walking away. Serena begged for him not to leave, making him turn his head towards her, his back still facing her. His eyes narrowed even more as he looked at her. "I gotta find her," he said, "no matter what." With that, he faced away from her and ran away, vanishing into the darkness.
"WAIT," cried Serena, but it was already too late. The boy now couldn't be seen anywhere. Serena sighed and fell to her knees, looking ahead of her. Right then, she noticed something ahead of her. Slowly, she reached out with her arm, and grabbed it. Slowly, she brought the shimmering object to her face and gasped. It was a star-shaped locket. She swallowed, slowly opening it.
The locket instantly began playing a soft melody. Serena smiled, recognizing the melody very well. She closed the locket and looked at it. Realization hit her as she realized that she had the same exact locket.
"Wait a second," Serena thought aloud. "That must mean that that boy was the one who gave me this." She took a deep breath and sighed, taking another look at the locket. She cursed herself for not remembering the boy. Once again, she opened the locket, and its melody played once again. Serena smiled, closing her eyes, as the melody overtook her. Quickly, she felt her mind and body being overcome with sleep, and then, the music stopped.
Serena opened her eyes, gasping. Quickly, she sat up and looked around her. She was no longer in the dark void where she had been only minutes ago. Now, she was in her room. Her window was open, blowing the morning air into her room, making the curtains sway along with it. Serena sighed and flopped onto her back, her hands clasped behind her head.
"What a strange dream," Serena said to herself as she stared at the ceiling. Her pure white ceiling seemed so unfamiliar compared to the light tan one of her apartment. She took a deep breath and rolled around to her side, facing her window. She yawned and looked over at her clock. It read eight o'clock. Serena sighed, rolling over again. She was hoping to sleep in late, but it looked like that wasn't going to be the case.
Slowly, Serena rolled out from under her covers, hanging her legs off the side of the bed so she was sitting on the edge of it. She yawned once again, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Slowly, she stood up, pushing away any excess blanket that was still covering her and walked to her mirror. She gasped as she looked into it.
"Damn," she said, scratching her head, "I slept with my dress on." Sighing, she peeled off the dress and took a robe out of her closet. She put it on and tied the sash before opening her door and walking down the hall towards the bathroom. She walked like a zombie, her head and arms hanging in restlessness as she walked to the bathroom. Once she made it to the door, she was surprised to see it closed. She knew that nobody else at her house, except for her parents, woke up this early. Also, they had their own bathroom, so there was no way anybody else could be in this one.
Figuring that the door was shut for some odd reason, Serena reached out her hand to open it. Right then, the door opened inwards on its own. In a matter of seconds, a man was clearly visible at the door, steam running out from behind him. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waste, therefore showing off his well-chiseled chest and broad shoulders.
Serena screamed and fell onto her behind. As quickly as she fell, she pushed herself against the wall, breathing heavily. The man looked at her, confusion across his face. Slowly, he reached out his hand towards her. She screamed again and quickly crawled away, eventually standing up and running towards her room. Before she got to it, another door opened and a girl ran out ahead of her. Still in a state of panic, Serena quickly turned around and began running towards the next available door.
The girl reached out and tried to grab Serena's arm to stop her, but Serena was too fast, forcing the girl to miss her target, grabbing hold of her sash instead. This caused her sash to become undone, and also pull the entire robe off of her body. Serena gasped and stopped in her tracks, realizing that she was missing something. She looked down, noticing her robe was gone, and in a sudden frenzy, attempted to cover herself up.
Once she felt she was covered up, she looked up only to make eye contact with the man that was the cause of this all. He only stared at her, his eyes wide in amazement. The scream that followed could be heard blocks away. This is all how their first morning started with each other.
Several minutes later, the three of them were seated around the kitchen table. Elaine was busy fixing breakfast, laughing the entire time. Serena sat back in her chair, arms crossed, head up in the air. It was obvious that she was still amazingly angry about earlier. Darien was holding an ice pack on a red mark on the side of his face where Serena had slapped him. Jill was seated back in her chair, arms crossed, one of her legs resting against the side of the table. There was a large grin across her face. It was obvious that she found the incident to be all too amusing.
"I swear I didn't see anything," Darien said once again, almost pleading. Serena gave no answer. She simply continued staring at the ceiling, going over all that had happened within the past twenty minutes in her head. Jill simply laughed. Serena simply huffed and sank deeper into her chair.
"Yeah right," Jill said, laughter I her voice. "I saw how you were goggling over her. You were practically drooling." This caused Darien to sigh. Right then, Serena turned her head towards him, giving him a vicious look. Darien squinted, suddenly feeling his face ache more. He rubbed the ice deeper into his face, hoping that the stinging sensation would finally subside.
"Listen," Darien said, "I'm sorry, okay? I should have told you last night what time I usually wake up, so we could have done some sort of schedule thing with the shower. It was really an accident." Jill looked at him, noticing the seriousness in his face. She knew that he really didn't have much of a reason to apologize. It was only an accident. Serena had only forgotten that Darien was staying there and went into panic, wondering why there was a strange guy in her bathroom. She started laughing again only thinking about it.
"It isn't really funny," Serena said, looking down at her sister. Jill instantly stopped laughing, but still had a smirk across her face. Serena then turned to Darien. "And as for you," she said, Darien gulping, hoping it wasn't going to be anything bad, "it's okay. I forgive you." Darien sighed in relief, thankful that the girl wasn't going to hold some sort of grudge against him.
'It's only that he's the first man to ever see me naked,' Serena thought, a blush forming on her cheeks. She never thought that it was going to end up happening that way. Jill, noticing her blush, was about to say something when Elaine returned to the table.
"Breakfast is served," Elaine said, knocking Serena out of her thoughts. Elaine placed several large plates on the table. On the plates were various breakfast items, including: scrambled eggs, French toast, waffles, and pancakes. Serena eyes the food, practically drooling. Darien only smiled, feeling the pain in his cheek begin to fade away, at last.
"Well?" Elaine asked, wondering why the trio wasn't eating yet. "Dig in, guys," she continued. "You don't want it to get cold now, do you?" The three shook their heads and began placing food onto their plates. Elaine smiled and sat down at the table, relieved that the tension between the three had finally faded away.
"Thanks for everything," Darien said between mouthfuls of food. "Everything's great." Elaine smiled and nodded, placing food on her plate. Jill was eating slowly, going over in her head how Serena was going to last the vacation. She expected it to be bad, but after seeing what happened earlier that morning, she knew it was far worse than she ever expected.
Serena, on the other hand, was stuffing her mouth, as usual. She was so hungry, she didn't even care that Darien was sitting right next to her. Darien looked at her and smiled, taking small bites from his food. Elaine began eating her breakfast as well, noticing the looks Darien was giving Serena. She smiled, trying to make sure it wasn't too obvious that she was watching them. She didn't want to make him feel awkward at all.
"So," said Jill, her mouth full of food, "do you two have any plans today?" Serena and Darien both looked up at her. Serena swallowed her food, wondering if there was anything worth doing that day. Darien was doing the same thing. He expected to be looking around for an apartment today, but now he had no need to.
"Nothing that I know of," Darien answered first. Jill nodded and turned to Serena, who replied the same way. Serena wasn't really the type that looked forward to things, like she used to be. To her, every day was just the same routine, so there really wasn't anything to look forward to. Now that she was on vacation however, the world was open to her. She began to wonder what there was to do now.
"Well then," began Jill, obviously having a plan, "I was thinking that maybe we can go to the beach today." Serena's eyes lit up. She had always loved the beach. Back when she was still attending school, she used to spend most of her summers at various beaches. She nodded in agreement to Jill's idea.
"Great idea," Serena said, running over all the possibilities in her head. "We can invite my friends too," she continued, "I'm sure they'd love to go." Jill nodded in agreement, smiling. She was happy that she found something that Serena wanted to do.
"And you can come too," Jill said, looking at Darien. He was sort of in a blank state as they two sisters discussed the beach, thinking that he wasn't involved in their plans. He had heard enough to know that they were going to the beach however, and they Serena's friends were coming along. Darien swallowed, wondering if he would even be welcomed by all of them.
Serena began having second thoughts about the beach. Sure, she somewhat expected that Darien would be coming along, but she was secretly hoping that he wasn't going to. Darien turned his eyes to Serena, as if to ask her if it were okay with her. Serena just diverted his eyes away from him, not giving an answer. Darien then looked back at Jill, who was obviously waiting for an answer.
"I'm not sure," Darien said, not wanting to feel out of place with them. Jill simply shook her head and smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry," Jill said, "it'll be fun. Plus, I'm sure you're more than welcomed." Darien smiled warmly in return, wondering how Jill knew what he was thinking. He wondered if he made it seem that obvious to her. Either way, he wouldn't be the last to admit that he was actually looking forward to the trip to the beach a bit.
"Did you bring a suit?" Jill asked, knocking him away from his thoughts. Darien thought for a moment before shaking his head. He was planning on buying one some time of the week, just in case. By the look on Jill's face, he wouldn't be surprised if he were to get one sooner. "Well, then we gotta get one for you." Darien smiled, taking a bite from his waffle. Darien had to admit that the offer was beginning to sound pretty good to him.
'Besides,' Darien thought, 'I get to see all them in bikinis.' Instantly, he cursed himself for thinking such a thing. He smiled once again, turning back to Jill. "Sure," Darien said, "I guess I'll go along." Serena held back a sigh. She knew that she couldn't back out of going to the beach; it would be too obvious that she was avoiding Darien. Right then, an image of Darien, a towel wrapped around his waste, popped into her head.
Quickly, Serena blinked the thought away, blushing furiously. She wondered why she had even imagined such a thing. Jill, noticing Serena's blush, laughed. This caused Serena to look up at her.
"What?" Serena asked quickly and nervously. 'Did she notice me blushing?' Serena asked herself. She knew deep down inside that Jill definitely did notice. Jill only laughed again, shaking her head, before turning back to her food. Serena took a deep breath, sitting back in her chair. "I'm full," Serena said, pushing her plate out of the way.
Jill gasped, her mouth wide open, staring at Serena's half-full plate of food. Even Darien looked shocked. Quickly, Elaine stood up and ran over to Serena, placing her hand over her forehead.
"What are you doing?" Serena asked, quickly pushing her mother's hand away. Elaine slowly pulled her hand away as Serena looked on in confusion. Jill, realizing her mouth was wide open, filled with food, quickly closed it and continued chewing. Darien simply grinned, taking another bite from his waffle.
"It doesn't feel like you have a temperature," Elaine said in wonder. Never in her life had she seen Serena get full before she was finished eating. "Let me get the thermometer," Elaine said, turning around. She began walking towards the bathroom when Serena got up and grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"I'm okay, mom," Serena said, partly amused, partly aggravated. Elaine swallowed and nodded before turning around to face her. "I'm just not that hungry this morning," Serena said, pulling away from her mother and sitting back down. She leant forward though, ready to get up and stop her mom if she tried to get the thermometer again. Slowly, Elaine pulled out her chair and sat back down.
"What time were you planning on going anyway?" Darien asked, finishing the last of his plate. He pushed is away from him and turned to face Jill. She had her face resting in her hand in wonder. She actually had just thought up the idea of going to the beach right there at the table. She began to wonder what would be a good time to go.
"I'm not sure," Jill said. "Maybe the afternoon? Like around one or something?" Darien nodded, looking down at his watch. That gave them about three hours to get ready, if they wanted to leave at around twelve to get there at around one. Unfortunately though, the mall didn't open until ten.
"One sounds fine," Darien said. He then turned to Serena, who had been oddly quiet the entire time. "Does one o'clock sound okay with you?" Darien asked. Serena blinked out of her trance and looked up at him. Slowly, she nodded, though she barely heard what he said. Darien gave her an odd look before nodding hi head himself. "Then I guess it's settled," Darien said.
"But wait," Serena said quickly, as if she just remembered something urgent. Jill and Darien turned to her, wondering what she was so excited about telling them. "We need to still call the others. What if they can't make it?" Jill nodded in agreement. She hadn't thought of that. Quickly, she stood up, Serena eyeing her with a confused look in her eyes.
"I'm gonna call them," Jill said before leaving the room. Serena took a deep breath and fell back into her chair. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and took a sip from it before sitting back. Darien followed suit, pouring his own glass of juice. He looked at her, wondering why she looked so stressed.
"Hey, you okay?" Darien asked, leaning close to her. Serena looked up at him and swallowed. She nodded quickly, taking another sip from her orange juice. Elaine smiled and stood up. She picked up all the dishes, and went to the sink to wash them, much to Serena and Darien's offer to do the dishes themselves. "Are you sure?" Darien asked just to make sure. "You just don't seem yourself."
"I'm really fine," Serena said, taking another sip from her juice. "I just have a lot on my mind, that's all." Darien nodded, deciding not to push her any further. It was obvious that she wasn't going to tell him what exactly was on her mind. Also, he knew that he didn't really have much of a right to know as well. He simply sat back in his chair, waiting for Jill to return to the room.
An awkward silence filled the room as the two waited for Jill to return. Serena continued taking sips from her juice in silence. Darien did the same, looking at the doorway from time to time, hoping that Jill would show up and break the uncomfortable silence. Serena sighed, reaching over and taking the carton of juice. She sat back and read the back. Darien just smiled, taking another sip from his juice to hide it.
"Sorry I took so long," Jill said, entering the room. Serena placed the juice back onto the table and sat upright. Jill sat back down at the table, taking the juice and pouring herself a glass. Darien and Serena both gave her looks. It was obvious that they expected her to say something. Jill downed her glass of juice in one gulp and placed it down onto the table, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. She leaned forward and places her elbows onto the table.
"Well?" Serena asked. It was obvious that she was losing her temper. Jill gave her a strange look, as if to say, 'Well what?' Serena sighed, "Well, what did they say?" Jill simply laughed.
"Yeah, sorry," Jill said. "They said that it's no problem." Darien smiled and nodded, finishing off the rest of his juice. "But it's like nine- thirty," Jill said, looking at the clock on the wall. "The mall's opening soon, and there's still a bunch of stuff we have to get." Serena and Darien both nodded in agreement.
"I'm all ready," Darien said, brushing back a few bangs out of his eyes with his hand. "So we can leave whenever." Jill nodded, then turned to Serena. She sat in thought for a few seconds.
"Well," Serena said, "I still have to brush my teeth. Besides that, I'm all set." Jill nodded, noticing the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. Usually, Serena couldn't wait to go to the beach. She would look forward to it for days. Now however, it seemed to be the last thing on her mind. Jill smiled, letting her eyes linger to a "certain guy". She knew that he was the cause of this sudden change in her sister.
"So, who's driving?" Darien asked. Jill was about to open her mouth, but Serena quickly stood up, making Jill close it. Darien and Jill both then turned to her. Serena had no intentions of dieing that day, and she knew that willingly getting into a car with her sister was as good as committing suicide. Serena also knew that there was no way she was going to drive. There was no way she was going to embarrass herself any further by letting Darien see her car.
"Ummmm," Serena said, noticing the stares she was getting. "How about Darien drives?" she quickly asked. Jill then diverted her eyes to Darien. He looked at Serena, with her pleading eyes, then down at Jill, who didn't seem to care. Darien simply shrugged.
"I guess I'll drive then," he said. Serena sighed in relief and fell back into her chair. Now she only hoped that Darien was a decent driver. Jill smiled and stood up, making Serena and Darien's eyes follow her as she stood.
"Well then," Jill said, "shall we get going?" Serena and Darien both nodded in agreement, standing up themselves. Thankfully, Serena had forgotten about brushing her teeth: a task that could take years. "Later mom," called Jill as she left the room. Serena said her goodbyes and Darien said his thanks before they all left the kitchen and entered the main room.
Darien reached into his pockets and pulled out his keys as Jill, who was ahead of them all, opened the front door. Once they were outside, they were instantly attacked by the hot air. The sun was shining bright, and there was not one cloud I the sky. It was perfect beach weather. Fortunately, they were well dressed in preparation for it. Serena wore a pink halter-top and black pants. Her hair was up in a ponytail, which reached the middle of her neck.
Jill wore a tan tank top and blue jeans. Her hair was down straight, reaching just past her shoulders. Darien wore a simple Sutton-down short- sleeved shirt and black shorts. He had sunglasses covering his dark blue eyes, making him look both cool and mysterious at the same time.
Serena looked around and gasped as she laid eyes on Darien's car. The night before, she had not gotten a good look at it do to the darkness of the night. Now that the sun was out however, the car was shown in all its glory. Once they got to the car, Darien shut of the alarm and walked inside. Serena was about to get into the back seat when Jill stopped her.
"Why don't you get the front?" Jill asked, standing in Serena's way so that she couldn't open the back door. "I like being in the back seat." Serena's eyes narrowed. She gave her a sister a "since when" look. After bickering for a little while, Serena finally gave in and sat in the front seat. Now she had to sit next to Darien the whole way to the mall. She only hoped that Jill didn't have any other plans up her sleeve.
Uh oh! They're all going to the beach now? Can Serena survive an entire afternoon with Darien, both of them wearing only swimsuits? Whoa, things seem to be spicing up a bit now. Make sure you check back next chapter. I only hope Serena can last the day without doing anything stupid.
Serena opened her eyes and found herself standing in a dark void. She looked around her, wondering where she could be. All around her, all she saw was darkness. Then, from the darkness, walked a boy. Serena gasped as the boy walked towards her, looking around. Soon, however, his eyes were fixated onto her.
"Sere?" the boy asked, his eyes wide in hope. Serena gasped, wondering how the boy could possibly know her name. He looked no older than seven. All that she could make out of his face was his black hair and stunning blue eyes. All his other features were shrouded by darkness. Serena swallowed and tried to step forward, but she couldn't move. She only stood, unmoving, staring at the boy in front of her.
"Who are you?" Serena managed to say. At least she was able to speak. The boy looked at her, his eyes filled with laughter. The boy then began to walk closer to her, but soon stopped. Serena looked at him questionably.
"Hey," the boy said, talking a step back, "you're not Sere. Who are you?" Serena looked at him, shocked. "Well?" the boy asked again. "Who are you? If you don't tell me, I'm gonna leave." Serena reached out her hand towards him, making him step back again.
"I am Serena," Serena said, reaching her hand out. She was surprised she was able to even move her hand. Hoping her legs were now functional, she attempted to take a step, but she couldn't move them, regardless of how much she tried. The boy's eyes narrowed towards her.
"Liar," he said. "You're not Sere. Sere knows who I am." Right then, he turned around and began walking away. Serena begged for him not to leave, making him turn his head towards her, his back still facing her. His eyes narrowed even more as he looked at her. "I gotta find her," he said, "no matter what." With that, he faced away from her and ran away, vanishing into the darkness.
"WAIT," cried Serena, but it was already too late. The boy now couldn't be seen anywhere. Serena sighed and fell to her knees, looking ahead of her. Right then, she noticed something ahead of her. Slowly, she reached out with her arm, and grabbed it. Slowly, she brought the shimmering object to her face and gasped. It was a star-shaped locket. She swallowed, slowly opening it.
The locket instantly began playing a soft melody. Serena smiled, recognizing the melody very well. She closed the locket and looked at it. Realization hit her as she realized that she had the same exact locket.
"Wait a second," Serena thought aloud. "That must mean that that boy was the one who gave me this." She took a deep breath and sighed, taking another look at the locket. She cursed herself for not remembering the boy. Once again, she opened the locket, and its melody played once again. Serena smiled, closing her eyes, as the melody overtook her. Quickly, she felt her mind and body being overcome with sleep, and then, the music stopped.
Serena opened her eyes, gasping. Quickly, she sat up and looked around her. She was no longer in the dark void where she had been only minutes ago. Now, she was in her room. Her window was open, blowing the morning air into her room, making the curtains sway along with it. Serena sighed and flopped onto her back, her hands clasped behind her head.
"What a strange dream," Serena said to herself as she stared at the ceiling. Her pure white ceiling seemed so unfamiliar compared to the light tan one of her apartment. She took a deep breath and rolled around to her side, facing her window. She yawned and looked over at her clock. It read eight o'clock. Serena sighed, rolling over again. She was hoping to sleep in late, but it looked like that wasn't going to be the case.
Slowly, Serena rolled out from under her covers, hanging her legs off the side of the bed so she was sitting on the edge of it. She yawned once again, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Slowly, she stood up, pushing away any excess blanket that was still covering her and walked to her mirror. She gasped as she looked into it.
"Damn," she said, scratching her head, "I slept with my dress on." Sighing, she peeled off the dress and took a robe out of her closet. She put it on and tied the sash before opening her door and walking down the hall towards the bathroom. She walked like a zombie, her head and arms hanging in restlessness as she walked to the bathroom. Once she made it to the door, she was surprised to see it closed. She knew that nobody else at her house, except for her parents, woke up this early. Also, they had their own bathroom, so there was no way anybody else could be in this one.
Figuring that the door was shut for some odd reason, Serena reached out her hand to open it. Right then, the door opened inwards on its own. In a matter of seconds, a man was clearly visible at the door, steam running out from behind him. He was wearing nothing but a towel around his waste, therefore showing off his well-chiseled chest and broad shoulders.
Serena screamed and fell onto her behind. As quickly as she fell, she pushed herself against the wall, breathing heavily. The man looked at her, confusion across his face. Slowly, he reached out his hand towards her. She screamed again and quickly crawled away, eventually standing up and running towards her room. Before she got to it, another door opened and a girl ran out ahead of her. Still in a state of panic, Serena quickly turned around and began running towards the next available door.
The girl reached out and tried to grab Serena's arm to stop her, but Serena was too fast, forcing the girl to miss her target, grabbing hold of her sash instead. This caused her sash to become undone, and also pull the entire robe off of her body. Serena gasped and stopped in her tracks, realizing that she was missing something. She looked down, noticing her robe was gone, and in a sudden frenzy, attempted to cover herself up.
Once she felt she was covered up, she looked up only to make eye contact with the man that was the cause of this all. He only stared at her, his eyes wide in amazement. The scream that followed could be heard blocks away. This is all how their first morning started with each other.
Several minutes later, the three of them were seated around the kitchen table. Elaine was busy fixing breakfast, laughing the entire time. Serena sat back in her chair, arms crossed, head up in the air. It was obvious that she was still amazingly angry about earlier. Darien was holding an ice pack on a red mark on the side of his face where Serena had slapped him. Jill was seated back in her chair, arms crossed, one of her legs resting against the side of the table. There was a large grin across her face. It was obvious that she found the incident to be all too amusing.
"I swear I didn't see anything," Darien said once again, almost pleading. Serena gave no answer. She simply continued staring at the ceiling, going over all that had happened within the past twenty minutes in her head. Jill simply laughed. Serena simply huffed and sank deeper into her chair.
"Yeah right," Jill said, laughter I her voice. "I saw how you were goggling over her. You were practically drooling." This caused Darien to sigh. Right then, Serena turned her head towards him, giving him a vicious look. Darien squinted, suddenly feeling his face ache more. He rubbed the ice deeper into his face, hoping that the stinging sensation would finally subside.
"Listen," Darien said, "I'm sorry, okay? I should have told you last night what time I usually wake up, so we could have done some sort of schedule thing with the shower. It was really an accident." Jill looked at him, noticing the seriousness in his face. She knew that he really didn't have much of a reason to apologize. It was only an accident. Serena had only forgotten that Darien was staying there and went into panic, wondering why there was a strange guy in her bathroom. She started laughing again only thinking about it.
"It isn't really funny," Serena said, looking down at her sister. Jill instantly stopped laughing, but still had a smirk across her face. Serena then turned to Darien. "And as for you," she said, Darien gulping, hoping it wasn't going to be anything bad, "it's okay. I forgive you." Darien sighed in relief, thankful that the girl wasn't going to hold some sort of grudge against him.
'It's only that he's the first man to ever see me naked,' Serena thought, a blush forming on her cheeks. She never thought that it was going to end up happening that way. Jill, noticing her blush, was about to say something when Elaine returned to the table.
"Breakfast is served," Elaine said, knocking Serena out of her thoughts. Elaine placed several large plates on the table. On the plates were various breakfast items, including: scrambled eggs, French toast, waffles, and pancakes. Serena eyes the food, practically drooling. Darien only smiled, feeling the pain in his cheek begin to fade away, at last.
"Well?" Elaine asked, wondering why the trio wasn't eating yet. "Dig in, guys," she continued. "You don't want it to get cold now, do you?" The three shook their heads and began placing food onto their plates. Elaine smiled and sat down at the table, relieved that the tension between the three had finally faded away.
"Thanks for everything," Darien said between mouthfuls of food. "Everything's great." Elaine smiled and nodded, placing food on her plate. Jill was eating slowly, going over in her head how Serena was going to last the vacation. She expected it to be bad, but after seeing what happened earlier that morning, she knew it was far worse than she ever expected.
Serena, on the other hand, was stuffing her mouth, as usual. She was so hungry, she didn't even care that Darien was sitting right next to her. Darien looked at her and smiled, taking small bites from his food. Elaine began eating her breakfast as well, noticing the looks Darien was giving Serena. She smiled, trying to make sure it wasn't too obvious that she was watching them. She didn't want to make him feel awkward at all.
"So," said Jill, her mouth full of food, "do you two have any plans today?" Serena and Darien both looked up at her. Serena swallowed her food, wondering if there was anything worth doing that day. Darien was doing the same thing. He expected to be looking around for an apartment today, but now he had no need to.
"Nothing that I know of," Darien answered first. Jill nodded and turned to Serena, who replied the same way. Serena wasn't really the type that looked forward to things, like she used to be. To her, every day was just the same routine, so there really wasn't anything to look forward to. Now that she was on vacation however, the world was open to her. She began to wonder what there was to do now.
"Well then," began Jill, obviously having a plan, "I was thinking that maybe we can go to the beach today." Serena's eyes lit up. She had always loved the beach. Back when she was still attending school, she used to spend most of her summers at various beaches. She nodded in agreement to Jill's idea.
"Great idea," Serena said, running over all the possibilities in her head. "We can invite my friends too," she continued, "I'm sure they'd love to go." Jill nodded in agreement, smiling. She was happy that she found something that Serena wanted to do.
"And you can come too," Jill said, looking at Darien. He was sort of in a blank state as they two sisters discussed the beach, thinking that he wasn't involved in their plans. He had heard enough to know that they were going to the beach however, and they Serena's friends were coming along. Darien swallowed, wondering if he would even be welcomed by all of them.
Serena began having second thoughts about the beach. Sure, she somewhat expected that Darien would be coming along, but she was secretly hoping that he wasn't going to. Darien turned his eyes to Serena, as if to ask her if it were okay with her. Serena just diverted his eyes away from him, not giving an answer. Darien then looked back at Jill, who was obviously waiting for an answer.
"I'm not sure," Darien said, not wanting to feel out of place with them. Jill simply shook her head and smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry," Jill said, "it'll be fun. Plus, I'm sure you're more than welcomed." Darien smiled warmly in return, wondering how Jill knew what he was thinking. He wondered if he made it seem that obvious to her. Either way, he wouldn't be the last to admit that he was actually looking forward to the trip to the beach a bit.
"Did you bring a suit?" Jill asked, knocking him away from his thoughts. Darien thought for a moment before shaking his head. He was planning on buying one some time of the week, just in case. By the look on Jill's face, he wouldn't be surprised if he were to get one sooner. "Well, then we gotta get one for you." Darien smiled, taking a bite from his waffle. Darien had to admit that the offer was beginning to sound pretty good to him.
'Besides,' Darien thought, 'I get to see all them in bikinis.' Instantly, he cursed himself for thinking such a thing. He smiled once again, turning back to Jill. "Sure," Darien said, "I guess I'll go along." Serena held back a sigh. She knew that she couldn't back out of going to the beach; it would be too obvious that she was avoiding Darien. Right then, an image of Darien, a towel wrapped around his waste, popped into her head.
Quickly, Serena blinked the thought away, blushing furiously. She wondered why she had even imagined such a thing. Jill, noticing Serena's blush, laughed. This caused Serena to look up at her.
"What?" Serena asked quickly and nervously. 'Did she notice me blushing?' Serena asked herself. She knew deep down inside that Jill definitely did notice. Jill only laughed again, shaking her head, before turning back to her food. Serena took a deep breath, sitting back in her chair. "I'm full," Serena said, pushing her plate out of the way.
Jill gasped, her mouth wide open, staring at Serena's half-full plate of food. Even Darien looked shocked. Quickly, Elaine stood up and ran over to Serena, placing her hand over her forehead.
"What are you doing?" Serena asked, quickly pushing her mother's hand away. Elaine slowly pulled her hand away as Serena looked on in confusion. Jill, realizing her mouth was wide open, filled with food, quickly closed it and continued chewing. Darien simply grinned, taking another bite from his waffle.
"It doesn't feel like you have a temperature," Elaine said in wonder. Never in her life had she seen Serena get full before she was finished eating. "Let me get the thermometer," Elaine said, turning around. She began walking towards the bathroom when Serena got up and grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"I'm okay, mom," Serena said, partly amused, partly aggravated. Elaine swallowed and nodded before turning around to face her. "I'm just not that hungry this morning," Serena said, pulling away from her mother and sitting back down. She leant forward though, ready to get up and stop her mom if she tried to get the thermometer again. Slowly, Elaine pulled out her chair and sat back down.
"What time were you planning on going anyway?" Darien asked, finishing the last of his plate. He pushed is away from him and turned to face Jill. She had her face resting in her hand in wonder. She actually had just thought up the idea of going to the beach right there at the table. She began to wonder what would be a good time to go.
"I'm not sure," Jill said. "Maybe the afternoon? Like around one or something?" Darien nodded, looking down at his watch. That gave them about three hours to get ready, if they wanted to leave at around twelve to get there at around one. Unfortunately though, the mall didn't open until ten.
"One sounds fine," Darien said. He then turned to Serena, who had been oddly quiet the entire time. "Does one o'clock sound okay with you?" Darien asked. Serena blinked out of her trance and looked up at him. Slowly, she nodded, though she barely heard what he said. Darien gave her an odd look before nodding hi head himself. "Then I guess it's settled," Darien said.
"But wait," Serena said quickly, as if she just remembered something urgent. Jill and Darien turned to her, wondering what she was so excited about telling them. "We need to still call the others. What if they can't make it?" Jill nodded in agreement. She hadn't thought of that. Quickly, she stood up, Serena eyeing her with a confused look in her eyes.
"I'm gonna call them," Jill said before leaving the room. Serena took a deep breath and fell back into her chair. She poured herself a glass of orange juice and took a sip from it before sitting back. Darien followed suit, pouring his own glass of juice. He looked at her, wondering why she looked so stressed.
"Hey, you okay?" Darien asked, leaning close to her. Serena looked up at him and swallowed. She nodded quickly, taking another sip from her orange juice. Elaine smiled and stood up. She picked up all the dishes, and went to the sink to wash them, much to Serena and Darien's offer to do the dishes themselves. "Are you sure?" Darien asked just to make sure. "You just don't seem yourself."
"I'm really fine," Serena said, taking another sip from her juice. "I just have a lot on my mind, that's all." Darien nodded, deciding not to push her any further. It was obvious that she wasn't going to tell him what exactly was on her mind. Also, he knew that he didn't really have much of a right to know as well. He simply sat back in his chair, waiting for Jill to return to the room.
An awkward silence filled the room as the two waited for Jill to return. Serena continued taking sips from her juice in silence. Darien did the same, looking at the doorway from time to time, hoping that Jill would show up and break the uncomfortable silence. Serena sighed, reaching over and taking the carton of juice. She sat back and read the back. Darien just smiled, taking another sip from his juice to hide it.
"Sorry I took so long," Jill said, entering the room. Serena placed the juice back onto the table and sat upright. Jill sat back down at the table, taking the juice and pouring herself a glass. Darien and Serena both gave her looks. It was obvious that they expected her to say something. Jill downed her glass of juice in one gulp and placed it down onto the table, wiping her mouth with her sleeve. She leaned forward and places her elbows onto the table.
"Well?" Serena asked. It was obvious that she was losing her temper. Jill gave her a strange look, as if to say, 'Well what?' Serena sighed, "Well, what did they say?" Jill simply laughed.
"Yeah, sorry," Jill said. "They said that it's no problem." Darien smiled and nodded, finishing off the rest of his juice. "But it's like nine- thirty," Jill said, looking at the clock on the wall. "The mall's opening soon, and there's still a bunch of stuff we have to get." Serena and Darien both nodded in agreement.
"I'm all ready," Darien said, brushing back a few bangs out of his eyes with his hand. "So we can leave whenever." Jill nodded, then turned to Serena. She sat in thought for a few seconds.
"Well," Serena said, "I still have to brush my teeth. Besides that, I'm all set." Jill nodded, noticing the lack of enthusiasm in her voice. Usually, Serena couldn't wait to go to the beach. She would look forward to it for days. Now however, it seemed to be the last thing on her mind. Jill smiled, letting her eyes linger to a "certain guy". She knew that he was the cause of this sudden change in her sister.
"So, who's driving?" Darien asked. Jill was about to open her mouth, but Serena quickly stood up, making Jill close it. Darien and Jill both then turned to her. Serena had no intentions of dieing that day, and she knew that willingly getting into a car with her sister was as good as committing suicide. Serena also knew that there was no way she was going to drive. There was no way she was going to embarrass herself any further by letting Darien see her car.
"Ummmm," Serena said, noticing the stares she was getting. "How about Darien drives?" she quickly asked. Jill then diverted her eyes to Darien. He looked at Serena, with her pleading eyes, then down at Jill, who didn't seem to care. Darien simply shrugged.
"I guess I'll drive then," he said. Serena sighed in relief and fell back into her chair. Now she only hoped that Darien was a decent driver. Jill smiled and stood up, making Serena and Darien's eyes follow her as she stood.
"Well then," Jill said, "shall we get going?" Serena and Darien both nodded in agreement, standing up themselves. Thankfully, Serena had forgotten about brushing her teeth: a task that could take years. "Later mom," called Jill as she left the room. Serena said her goodbyes and Darien said his thanks before they all left the kitchen and entered the main room.
Darien reached into his pockets and pulled out his keys as Jill, who was ahead of them all, opened the front door. Once they were outside, they were instantly attacked by the hot air. The sun was shining bright, and there was not one cloud I the sky. It was perfect beach weather. Fortunately, they were well dressed in preparation for it. Serena wore a pink halter-top and black pants. Her hair was up in a ponytail, which reached the middle of her neck.
Jill wore a tan tank top and blue jeans. Her hair was down straight, reaching just past her shoulders. Darien wore a simple Sutton-down short- sleeved shirt and black shorts. He had sunglasses covering his dark blue eyes, making him look both cool and mysterious at the same time.
Serena looked around and gasped as she laid eyes on Darien's car. The night before, she had not gotten a good look at it do to the darkness of the night. Now that the sun was out however, the car was shown in all its glory. Once they got to the car, Darien shut of the alarm and walked inside. Serena was about to get into the back seat when Jill stopped her.
"Why don't you get the front?" Jill asked, standing in Serena's way so that she couldn't open the back door. "I like being in the back seat." Serena's eyes narrowed. She gave her a sister a "since when" look. After bickering for a little while, Serena finally gave in and sat in the front seat. Now she had to sit next to Darien the whole way to the mall. She only hoped that Jill didn't have any other plans up her sleeve.
Uh oh! They're all going to the beach now? Can Serena survive an entire afternoon with Darien, both of them wearing only swimsuits? Whoa, things seem to be spicing up a bit now. Make sure you check back next chapter. I only hope Serena can last the day without doing anything stupid.