A/N: Hi everyone, this is chapter 5!! Um....I guess this is where the
action finally starts, but don't worry, it'll get really interesting. Ok,
well enjoy and read and review! :-)
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon nor any of the other characters :-(.
Title: The Real Me
Chapter 5
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Serena tried to breathe, but she found that no air would come. No thoughts were even forming in her mind. She was just in a state of numbness and shock. **Maybe he hasn't read the paper yet** she thought desperately, in need of some miracle right now.
"Darien.....," she started shakily," Give me the paper." Silently he handed it to her, not taking his eyes of her for a minute. He was still as pale as a ghost, but Serena decided to ignore that fact, thinking, hoping that he hadn't read the paper.
She gulped, knowing she had to ask the next question. "Darien.....what exactly did you read?" she asked in a voice that could described as a whisper, if even that.
When she asked that question, she noticed that Darien's facial expression changed. The shock turned into a slow smile which crept over his face. His eyes that were once as wide as saucers, filled with disbelief, had now returned to normal size and now had a twinkle in them. **What did that mean? Could it be love for me also?** Serena wondered, but quickly shook that thought away. **Love for me? Whatever, he's just laughing like he always does.** Serena thought as tears started coming to her eyes. She was just so embarrassed and now Darien was going to maximize her embarrassment for his own joy.
Darien however had gotten over his shock and was now deliously happy about this discovery. **She likes me! She actually likes me! Now we can be together** he thought as a smile crept on his face, he was just so happy, he couldn't wait to tell Serena how he felt about her. But when he looked at her he saw she was not so happy. In fact she had tears in her eyes and her lip was shaking. **Why does she look like she's going to cry, what's wrong?** Darien pondered.
"Serena.....I read......um....well why are you crying? What's wrong?" He spit out before answering her question. Serena, however, looked even more crestfallen as he said this. The tears that had welled up in her eyes, were starting to make the long journey from her cheek down to her chin. Darien was now starting to feel very concerned. Serena however spoke up before he could voice his concerns.
"What's wrong??" she said in a choked up voice, "What's wrong? You actually ask me what's wrong??"
Darien was now really confused, "Um. ya isn't what I asked?" Damn, he didn't mean it to come out so cold, he tried again, "What I mean is, what's got you so upset?" he asked trying to let his concern for her show. Serena face fell even more, and when she spoke, it wasn't in such a quiet voice anymore.
"Darien, don't try to play me by acting all concerned and junk. I know you don't mean any of it," she said angrily. Darien tried to protest, but she cut him off before she could say anything, "Ok fine, you caught me. I like you ok? In face I like you a lot, but it's not like it matters. I know you will never feel that way about me, and I know instead all you're going to do is torture me and make fun of me because of this."
"No, that's not true......." Darien started, but once again was cut off by the angry, crying blonde.
"Just shut up, ok? I'm embarrassed enough. You don't have to make it worse. I know all you want to do is crack jokes about it and make my life miserable, but just for once leave me alone ok? Just leave me alone!" And with that Serena pushed Darien out of the way and ran from the arcade in tears. Darien however would have none of that.
"Serena wait!!" Darien yelled as he tried to catch up to her, but it was no use. She was long gone. Sadly, he made his way back into the arcade. Andrew, who had witnessed the whole exchange, walked over to Darien to see what exactly had happened.
"Dude, what happened?" He asked Darien. Darien just sighed as he began to tell him the story of what exactly had happened.
"Ok, well here's what happened. I went to talk to Serena like you told me to, but she was already gone. I went to come back to the counter, but then I saw a piece of paper in her writing. So when I looked at it, it turned out to the 'True Love Game'," Andrew nodded, knowing what the game was, " Anyway, while I looking at it, I saw that she had used me as her true love and that in the bottom she had wrote 'I love Darien'. " Andrew gave a low whistle, insinuating his surprise.
"Well ok that's good! Weren't you happy?" Andrew asked.
Darien nodded. "Ya I was, but I was also shocked you see? Like I always thought she hated me then here I find out that she likes me? I mean sure I guess I looked kinda weird for a minute, and just when I was looking shocked, she walked in and saw me,"
"Uh oh," Andrew added. Darien sighed again and continued.
"Ya well she asked me for the paper back and I gave it to her, but I was still like I guess in shock you know? Well then I finally got over the shock and I finally figured out what it meant. So then I was like happy and then she started to cry.!"
"She started to cry??"
"Ya! So I asked what was wrong and she just told me off!"
"Like how?"
"She told me how all I was going to do was make fun of her and how I would never feel that way about her and to just leave her alone. And I was trying to tell her that I like her a lot too, but she just walked out on me." Darien concluded.
"Ouch harsh man. What are you going to do?"
" I don't know! I want to tell her how I feel, but how am I going to if I never see her?" Darien asked plaintively.
Andrew just gave a nod of understanding. "You want my two cents?" he asked.
"Ya sure, I need all the help I can get."
"Ok, I think the reason Serena is acting like this is because she's really embarrassed and stuff. Like she thinks that you will never feel that way about her and so she has a broken heart and to top it off she thinks all you're gonna do is make fun of her."
Darien was puzzled, "But why would she think I would make fun of her, that's the part I don't get."
Andrew just laughed, "Dar, my man, give me a break! All you do to that girl is make fun of her, of course she's gonna think you're gonna laugh."
"Geez, what should I do?" Darien asked pitifully.
"Just be yourself. Tell her how you feel, and DON'T make fun of her!" Andrew said with a grin.
"You're right Drew. I'm going to tell her how I feel. Maybe then we'll be together," And with that, Darien was lost in a daydream of Serena and him together in a field of flowers," Andrew just laughed and went back to cleaning the counter.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*The next day*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Serena are you home?" Raye called out gently as she and the other girls were standing in front of her porch ringing the doorbell. They sighed as they saw that their friend was going to come out that easily. It had already been a day since their friend ran off to the arcade to get the paper and never returned. They were all really worried about her--she hadn't even shown up when they called and left a message on her machine to come over for ice-cream. They all had a suspicion of what happened, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"Do you think she's home?" Amy asked quietly breaking the silence.
"Oh she's home all right. I know she is," Raye responded, but in a more gentle tone of voice, not like the contempt tone of voice she usually used when speaking of Serena. It was as if she could feel the pain her friend was feeling. She did after all love Serena like a sister, but like sister's they fought a lot.
"You guys maybe we should go. I mean what if she wants to be alone?" Lita asked.
Mina, however, had other ideas. "No way, if what we think happened actually happened, than she needs her friends now more than ever," and a very determined Mina stepped up and rang the doorbell again. This time however they heard footsteps which in turn led the door being open by a very disheveled Serena. The blonde was not in her signature hair style-the meatballs, instead her blonde hair was loose and messed up. She was in a fuzzy pink bathrobe and was wearing no makeup. Instead her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. All the girls took pity on her as their fears came true, but decided to put a brave face forward.
"Hey Serena," Mina greeted cheerfully, " Do you want to do something?"
Serena on the other hand just looked numb and sad and was unresponsive to Mina's cheerfulness. " No thanks," she declined politely.
"Cmon Serena, you can't stay inside on a day like this," Even quiet Amy was trying to cheer up the unhappy blonde.
"No..." she trailed off just looking at the sky.
"Serena, what's wrong? What happened?" Raye blurted out ignoring the warning looks the other girls gave her. Serena just sighed and looked down. She gestured for them to come, and the girls followed her meaning and stepped inside the house closing the door behind them. Lita, being the domestic one she is, quickly made her way into the kitchen and began puttering around for some tea. The other girls made their way into the living room and sat down on the couch, getting ready for Serena to tell her story.
"Ok, Serena it's time you tell us what happened. We are your best friends after all and we just want to help," Raye said in a firm but kind voice.
"Oh fine, but we'd better wait for Lita. I don't really want to repeat the whole story," Serena responded dully. Just then Lita came in carrying a tray of steaming, green tea and passed a cup around to everyone before taking a seat herself. Serena saw that everyone was waiting so she began.
"All right, you guys know how I went back to the arcade yesterday to get the paper, right?" Everyone nodded, remembering how she had dashed off. Serena swallowed and continued.
"Well ok I went in and went straight to the booth we were sitting at, but then I saw Darien was already there and he was giving me this weird look. Like he was all pale and his eyes were really wide and stuff. So then I looked down and saw the was holding the paper and saw exactly what it had read," she said as her friends looked at her with pity and disbelief.
"So I asked him to give it back to me and he did. But then he got this smile on his face like he laughing at me. So then I knew for sure that he didn't feel that way about me. But I don't know, I guess I had always hoped he would like me too even though I knew he never would, but when I saw that smile on his face, I knew he was just laughing at me and thinking what a loser I am. So I told him off and walked out." she concluded. Her friends all got up and gave her a huge group hug mixed in with a few tears, mostly Serena's.
"Thanks guys. It's good to know I still have my friends with me,"
"You'll always have us Serena," Lita said along with nods from everyone else.
"Ugh you guys what am I going to do? I'm so embarrassed...and I guess a little heartbroken too," Serena admitted sadly.
"You know, Darien is such a jerk," Raye said surprisingly, considering her former crush on him.
"Ya, who needs him? There are guys WAY better than him!" Lita added chipping in.
"Yes, he needs a major personality change, " Amy added also. Serena smiled at her friend's efforts to cheer her up, but it didn't change the sadness she felt inside. **Oh well, who says I can't act?** she thought.
" Hehe you guys are right, I'm so glad you're here" Serena said forcing a smile. Mina however, was silent. She knew this wasn't the end of Darien and Serena. **My gut tells me that they are meant to be.** she thought quietly. And she knew Darien felt that way about Serena too. She could feel it. After all she wasn't the goddess of love for nothing. **Oh well might as well keep it quiet for now. All in good time** And with that she joined in with the giggling girls.
"Hey Serena, let's go somewhere ok? You don't want to be inside all day do you?" Raye asked. Serena nodded in agreement.
"You're right Raye. I don't want to be inside. It's such a beautiful day and I want to be outside in the sunshine. Just let me go get changed then we can all go somewhere!" Everyone agreed and waited patiently for Serena to get changed.
While she was gone upstairs though, the girls had a quiet conversation of their own.
"Do you guys think she's really up to going out?" Lita asked with some concern.
"I don't know," Amy said truthfully, "She's obviously really hurt about having her heart broken, but it's good for her to get out, and even if we all fake a smile, we are not going to talk about Darien at all, ok??" Everyone shook hands and agreed not to mention his name. Just at that minute, Serena came running downstairs looking like her old self with her clothes, make-up and hair--all except for her eyes. which were still clouded in sorrow and sadness but for today she would try to forget. So with that all the girls ran out the door and into the sunshine outside.
After a few minutes of walking, the girls had resumed the chatter they used to have--mindless, girlie gossip(A/N: Not saying that gossip is mindless! Hey I'm a girl and I gossip too, but it's just for the sake of the story!), however the girls made sure to exclude all talk of guys as to not upset Serena. Mina, however, knew she had to act on the whole Serena/Darien situation, she wasn't going to let it fall apart.
"Hey you guys," she spoke up, "It's really warm out, let's get a drink!" Everyone nodded in agreement and were trying to decide where to go, when once again Mina had an idea.
"Don't be silly guys, the arcade is just across the street, let's go there!" Suddenly, Serena's eyes dropped in sadness and got to be very quiet all of a sudden. The other girls were sending warning looks to Mina and mouthing the word 'no' to her in hopes the ditzy blonde would get the message, Mina, however, would have none of that.
"You guys, it's so hot out and a milkshake would be so nice right now, don't you agree?" The group remained silent, not really knowing what to say. Raye, having the most guts, spoke up.
"Um, Mina, I'm thinking no. The arcade is....well.....not a good place, get it?" Raye said with gritted teeth. Serena was still unresponsive to all this, keeping her head low and her eyes on the ground.
"But Raye, why is the arcade a bad place?" Mina asked innocently all the while ignoring Raye's growing fury. Finally Serena spoke up, wanting to spare her friend.
"Mina, it's just that the arcade....well what if he's there?" She said so quietly, everyone had to lean in to hear her.
"But Serena, what if he's not there? You can't let him drive you out of your favorite places!" Mina said, all the while knowing she had an ulterior motive. Serena nodded considering what her friend was saying, but reluctant to go in. Mina finally caved in, **I suppose I can't force her...yet**.
"Ok Serena, how about if we go in and check to see if he's in there? If he's there, we won't go in, all right?" Serena shook her 'yes' and agreed. Amy vouched to stay with Serena, while the other girls trooped over to the arcade. Along the way, Raye had a few questions.
"Mina! What the heck do you think you're doing??" Raye asked, furious at her friend. Mina just smiled, knowing full well no one could understand what she had in her mind. So she tried a different tact.
"Why Raye, I just want Serena to feel comfortable anywhere she goes. Why should she have to suffer because of Darien?" Mina asked pulling the old wide eyes-innocent act. Raye just exhaled.
"Whatever. I don't really believe you Mina. You always have another motive for things," Raye told her suspiciously. Mina just gave a sweet little smile.
"Cmon guys, stop fighting, let's just go look in the arcade and see if Darien is there," Lita told them as they entered the arcade. As they looked around every corner and booth, they saw that Darien was no where in sight. **Damn. Too bad he wasn't here, Oh well next time** Mina thought. So the group turned around and went back across the street to inform Serena and Amy that Darien was not there. Only Amy noticed the small exhale of breath Serena let out once informed of the news and how Serena's eyes didn't have the twinkle of happiness it always had. Instead it was replaced with the dull look of sorrow. **Poor Serena, she's really heartbroken over Darien. I wish there was something we could do** Amy thought sadly as they all entered the arcade again and took a seat in a booth far away from the last one.
After they had ordered their milkshakes and were sipping on the cool drinks, everyone seemed to be having a good time. However, unknown to them Darien was in the arcade. While the girls were searching for him, he had been in the back, helping Andrew stock shelves, while his mind was on Serena the whole time. He had been at the arcade since 8:00 am hoping that Serena would come in so that he could talk to her. So far no sign of her and it was getting late. **Maybe I should call her house...** But no, he thought. That would never work, she would just hang up on me. Darien sighed, not really knowing what to do.
"Serena blues?" Andrew asked slyly.
"Ya, I just ......miss her..." Darien confessed. Andrew just grinned.
"Well here's your chance. Serena and the rest of her friends just came in," Darien's eyes popped out.
"Are you sure??" Andrew laughed again,
"Ya I'm pretty sure since I just took their drink order,".
"Oh boy, what do I do?? What do I say?? What will she think??" Darien was acting like a nervous 14 year-old girl.
"I told you, just be yourself and tell her the truth," Andrew advised. Darien gulped and responded to Andrew's advice.
"You're right, Ok here goes," and with that he stepped out from the back and scanned the room for a sign of Serena. Sure enough he saw the blonde meatballs from the back and gathering every ounce of courage he had, he walked over to where Serena and her friends sat.
Unknown to Serena, Darien was just metres away from her. Mina however caught full sight of this and smiled. **Aha! Here we go, I knew Darien would come after. Let the games begin!** she thought satisfied with herself. Lita, however, caught full sight of the grin creeping along Mina's face.
"Mina, why are you smiling?" Lita asked suspiciously. **Ohh, can't tell her the truth, she'll tell Serena and they'll run out of here before Darien can make it** Mina thought quickly.
"No reason, just enjoying my milkshake," and as if to prove her point she took a big sip of her shake. Lita just shook her head and went back to the conversation. Amy, on the other hand, knew exactly what Mina was smiling about. She had seen Darien make his way over to the booth and in turn she gave Mina a disapproving stare, and Mina in turn to Amy just gave her a confident wink.
"Serena?" a voice said from behind the blonde. Serena's face just dropped and she knew without turning around who the owner of the voice was. She closed her eyes and prayed that this was a dream and that he wasn't there, but yet when she turned around--he was there. She could have cried, but she didn't want to, again.
"Darien I have nothing to say to you," as she said this, she tried to get up from the booth and leave, but was unsuccessful seeing as how she was in the middle of the booth and in order for her to get up, everyone would have to get up, and no one seemed to be making any move. Serena sighed, it looked like they would have to duke it out here and now.
" Serena, listen...," Darien started but was once again cut off by the girl.
"No Darien, let me save you a lot of time. Let me think what you were going to say, oh yes I know! How about 'haha like I would ever like you meatball head. You're a small, blonde, weird, ugly freak who could never be with me' or how about 'sorry meatball head, I only go out with girls, not aliens' or why not 'Meatball heard, you have another fault to add to your list--add likes guys she can never get'. Were those any of the jokes you had planned on telling me Darien?" she burst out with tears in her eyes, while her friends around her were shocked at her outburst, and Darien. Darien oddest of all had pain in his eyes, like what she said actually hurt him. **Whatever, he's just getting his laughs** she thought bitterly.
"Ok Serena, can I talk now?" he asked, almost pitifully, no humor left in his face.
"Why not Darien? Go for it, crack all the jokes you want about me," Serena said with a tear streaming down her cheek.
"Serena, do you have any idea how much you hurt me by the things you said about me?" This was not what Serena had expected. Darien continued, " It just makes me really sad to think that you view me this way. Is this really how you see me?" he asked not really expecting an answer. Sighing, he just continued.
"If you only knew what I really thought of you, you wouldn't think of me as some cruel, heartless monster. I'll tell you what I think of you Serena. I think the world of you. Whenever I go to sleep, your face is etched in my mind, during the night my dreams are consumed by you, and when I wake up your name is the first thing on my lips. Why do you think I'm always around you before and after school? I wait for you. I get up and deliberately wait for you, just so that I can catch a glimpse of your face. So why am I always so mean to you? It was just a mask Serena. A mask to hide my feelings. Ever since I was little, whenever I told someone I loved them, they disappeared. But you Serena, I would never want you to disappear. So even If you and I could never be together, it was ok to me because I knew that somehow in some small way you would be in my life." he paused to get a breath before continuing. "When I saw that true love game, I thought to myself,' oh my god, is there the slim chance she likes me too? Is there a possibility she feels for me just one millionth of what I feel for her?' But when you ran out of here crying, I knew that it had to be some sort of prank. And even if it was a prank, Serena, it's ok. But I just have one thing to ask of you. Please don't try to avoid me. Even if you never talk to me again, it's ok because just the thought of you makes me want to get up in the morning, and the thought of you hating me makes me just want to die," Darien concluded his speech. He was too scared to look at Serena. **Damn, I hadn't meant to say how deep my feelings for her were** he thought. But finally he risked a look at her and was surprised by what he saw.
Serena's tears had now stopped and the single tear that had left her eye was now frozen mid-cheek. Her jaw had dropped slightly and she was no longer looking sad, but a whole flurry of emotions including joy, shock, surprise, happiness, and fear. Fear that he was playing her and that it was all some joke. Darien saw this expression on her face and wanted to make it go away. He leaned in to wipe the tear from her face and leaned in to whisper in her ear, " It's no joke Serena, I've felt this way since the moment I laid eyes on you,". He whispered and drew back. Serena looked back up at him with her hear in her eyes and said,
"Really?". It sounded so innocent, so pure. Like she was putting herself out there and all he had to do was reach out and they would be together. So he reached out and held her hand from across the table. He looked at her, and tried to put all his feelings for her into his eyes as he made eye contact with her. One word could bring them together, one word would join them. And Darien knew exactly what that word was.
"Really."
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A/N: Ok everyone that's chapter 5. More to come! Read and review plz!!! :- )
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon nor any of the other characters :-(.
Title: The Real Me
Chapter 5
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Serena tried to breathe, but she found that no air would come. No thoughts were even forming in her mind. She was just in a state of numbness and shock. **Maybe he hasn't read the paper yet** she thought desperately, in need of some miracle right now.
"Darien.....," she started shakily," Give me the paper." Silently he handed it to her, not taking his eyes of her for a minute. He was still as pale as a ghost, but Serena decided to ignore that fact, thinking, hoping that he hadn't read the paper.
She gulped, knowing she had to ask the next question. "Darien.....what exactly did you read?" she asked in a voice that could described as a whisper, if even that.
When she asked that question, she noticed that Darien's facial expression changed. The shock turned into a slow smile which crept over his face. His eyes that were once as wide as saucers, filled with disbelief, had now returned to normal size and now had a twinkle in them. **What did that mean? Could it be love for me also?** Serena wondered, but quickly shook that thought away. **Love for me? Whatever, he's just laughing like he always does.** Serena thought as tears started coming to her eyes. She was just so embarrassed and now Darien was going to maximize her embarrassment for his own joy.
Darien however had gotten over his shock and was now deliously happy about this discovery. **She likes me! She actually likes me! Now we can be together** he thought as a smile crept on his face, he was just so happy, he couldn't wait to tell Serena how he felt about her. But when he looked at her he saw she was not so happy. In fact she had tears in her eyes and her lip was shaking. **Why does she look like she's going to cry, what's wrong?** Darien pondered.
"Serena.....I read......um....well why are you crying? What's wrong?" He spit out before answering her question. Serena, however, looked even more crestfallen as he said this. The tears that had welled up in her eyes, were starting to make the long journey from her cheek down to her chin. Darien was now starting to feel very concerned. Serena however spoke up before he could voice his concerns.
"What's wrong??" she said in a choked up voice, "What's wrong? You actually ask me what's wrong??"
Darien was now really confused, "Um. ya isn't what I asked?" Damn, he didn't mean it to come out so cold, he tried again, "What I mean is, what's got you so upset?" he asked trying to let his concern for her show. Serena face fell even more, and when she spoke, it wasn't in such a quiet voice anymore.
"Darien, don't try to play me by acting all concerned and junk. I know you don't mean any of it," she said angrily. Darien tried to protest, but she cut him off before she could say anything, "Ok fine, you caught me. I like you ok? In face I like you a lot, but it's not like it matters. I know you will never feel that way about me, and I know instead all you're going to do is torture me and make fun of me because of this."
"No, that's not true......." Darien started, but once again was cut off by the angry, crying blonde.
"Just shut up, ok? I'm embarrassed enough. You don't have to make it worse. I know all you want to do is crack jokes about it and make my life miserable, but just for once leave me alone ok? Just leave me alone!" And with that Serena pushed Darien out of the way and ran from the arcade in tears. Darien however would have none of that.
"Serena wait!!" Darien yelled as he tried to catch up to her, but it was no use. She was long gone. Sadly, he made his way back into the arcade. Andrew, who had witnessed the whole exchange, walked over to Darien to see what exactly had happened.
"Dude, what happened?" He asked Darien. Darien just sighed as he began to tell him the story of what exactly had happened.
"Ok, well here's what happened. I went to talk to Serena like you told me to, but she was already gone. I went to come back to the counter, but then I saw a piece of paper in her writing. So when I looked at it, it turned out to the 'True Love Game'," Andrew nodded, knowing what the game was, " Anyway, while I looking at it, I saw that she had used me as her true love and that in the bottom she had wrote 'I love Darien'. " Andrew gave a low whistle, insinuating his surprise.
"Well ok that's good! Weren't you happy?" Andrew asked.
Darien nodded. "Ya I was, but I was also shocked you see? Like I always thought she hated me then here I find out that she likes me? I mean sure I guess I looked kinda weird for a minute, and just when I was looking shocked, she walked in and saw me,"
"Uh oh," Andrew added. Darien sighed again and continued.
"Ya well she asked me for the paper back and I gave it to her, but I was still like I guess in shock you know? Well then I finally got over the shock and I finally figured out what it meant. So then I was like happy and then she started to cry.!"
"She started to cry??"
"Ya! So I asked what was wrong and she just told me off!"
"Like how?"
"She told me how all I was going to do was make fun of her and how I would never feel that way about her and to just leave her alone. And I was trying to tell her that I like her a lot too, but she just walked out on me." Darien concluded.
"Ouch harsh man. What are you going to do?"
" I don't know! I want to tell her how I feel, but how am I going to if I never see her?" Darien asked plaintively.
Andrew just gave a nod of understanding. "You want my two cents?" he asked.
"Ya sure, I need all the help I can get."
"Ok, I think the reason Serena is acting like this is because she's really embarrassed and stuff. Like she thinks that you will never feel that way about her and so she has a broken heart and to top it off she thinks all you're gonna do is make fun of her."
Darien was puzzled, "But why would she think I would make fun of her, that's the part I don't get."
Andrew just laughed, "Dar, my man, give me a break! All you do to that girl is make fun of her, of course she's gonna think you're gonna laugh."
"Geez, what should I do?" Darien asked pitifully.
"Just be yourself. Tell her how you feel, and DON'T make fun of her!" Andrew said with a grin.
"You're right Drew. I'm going to tell her how I feel. Maybe then we'll be together," And with that, Darien was lost in a daydream of Serena and him together in a field of flowers," Andrew just laughed and went back to cleaning the counter.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*The next day*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Serena are you home?" Raye called out gently as she and the other girls were standing in front of her porch ringing the doorbell. They sighed as they saw that their friend was going to come out that easily. It had already been a day since their friend ran off to the arcade to get the paper and never returned. They were all really worried about her--she hadn't even shown up when they called and left a message on her machine to come over for ice-cream. They all had a suspicion of what happened, but didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"Do you think she's home?" Amy asked quietly breaking the silence.
"Oh she's home all right. I know she is," Raye responded, but in a more gentle tone of voice, not like the contempt tone of voice she usually used when speaking of Serena. It was as if she could feel the pain her friend was feeling. She did after all love Serena like a sister, but like sister's they fought a lot.
"You guys maybe we should go. I mean what if she wants to be alone?" Lita asked.
Mina, however, had other ideas. "No way, if what we think happened actually happened, than she needs her friends now more than ever," and a very determined Mina stepped up and rang the doorbell again. This time however they heard footsteps which in turn led the door being open by a very disheveled Serena. The blonde was not in her signature hair style-the meatballs, instead her blonde hair was loose and messed up. She was in a fuzzy pink bathrobe and was wearing no makeup. Instead her eyes were red and puffy as if she had been crying. All the girls took pity on her as their fears came true, but decided to put a brave face forward.
"Hey Serena," Mina greeted cheerfully, " Do you want to do something?"
Serena on the other hand just looked numb and sad and was unresponsive to Mina's cheerfulness. " No thanks," she declined politely.
"Cmon Serena, you can't stay inside on a day like this," Even quiet Amy was trying to cheer up the unhappy blonde.
"No..." she trailed off just looking at the sky.
"Serena, what's wrong? What happened?" Raye blurted out ignoring the warning looks the other girls gave her. Serena just sighed and looked down. She gestured for them to come, and the girls followed her meaning and stepped inside the house closing the door behind them. Lita, being the domestic one she is, quickly made her way into the kitchen and began puttering around for some tea. The other girls made their way into the living room and sat down on the couch, getting ready for Serena to tell her story.
"Ok, Serena it's time you tell us what happened. We are your best friends after all and we just want to help," Raye said in a firm but kind voice.
"Oh fine, but we'd better wait for Lita. I don't really want to repeat the whole story," Serena responded dully. Just then Lita came in carrying a tray of steaming, green tea and passed a cup around to everyone before taking a seat herself. Serena saw that everyone was waiting so she began.
"All right, you guys know how I went back to the arcade yesterday to get the paper, right?" Everyone nodded, remembering how she had dashed off. Serena swallowed and continued.
"Well ok I went in and went straight to the booth we were sitting at, but then I saw Darien was already there and he was giving me this weird look. Like he was all pale and his eyes were really wide and stuff. So then I looked down and saw the was holding the paper and saw exactly what it had read," she said as her friends looked at her with pity and disbelief.
"So I asked him to give it back to me and he did. But then he got this smile on his face like he laughing at me. So then I knew for sure that he didn't feel that way about me. But I don't know, I guess I had always hoped he would like me too even though I knew he never would, but when I saw that smile on his face, I knew he was just laughing at me and thinking what a loser I am. So I told him off and walked out." she concluded. Her friends all got up and gave her a huge group hug mixed in with a few tears, mostly Serena's.
"Thanks guys. It's good to know I still have my friends with me,"
"You'll always have us Serena," Lita said along with nods from everyone else.
"Ugh you guys what am I going to do? I'm so embarrassed...and I guess a little heartbroken too," Serena admitted sadly.
"You know, Darien is such a jerk," Raye said surprisingly, considering her former crush on him.
"Ya, who needs him? There are guys WAY better than him!" Lita added chipping in.
"Yes, he needs a major personality change, " Amy added also. Serena smiled at her friend's efforts to cheer her up, but it didn't change the sadness she felt inside. **Oh well, who says I can't act?** she thought.
" Hehe you guys are right, I'm so glad you're here" Serena said forcing a smile. Mina however, was silent. She knew this wasn't the end of Darien and Serena. **My gut tells me that they are meant to be.** she thought quietly. And she knew Darien felt that way about Serena too. She could feel it. After all she wasn't the goddess of love for nothing. **Oh well might as well keep it quiet for now. All in good time** And with that she joined in with the giggling girls.
"Hey Serena, let's go somewhere ok? You don't want to be inside all day do you?" Raye asked. Serena nodded in agreement.
"You're right Raye. I don't want to be inside. It's such a beautiful day and I want to be outside in the sunshine. Just let me go get changed then we can all go somewhere!" Everyone agreed and waited patiently for Serena to get changed.
While she was gone upstairs though, the girls had a quiet conversation of their own.
"Do you guys think she's really up to going out?" Lita asked with some concern.
"I don't know," Amy said truthfully, "She's obviously really hurt about having her heart broken, but it's good for her to get out, and even if we all fake a smile, we are not going to talk about Darien at all, ok??" Everyone shook hands and agreed not to mention his name. Just at that minute, Serena came running downstairs looking like her old self with her clothes, make-up and hair--all except for her eyes. which were still clouded in sorrow and sadness but for today she would try to forget. So with that all the girls ran out the door and into the sunshine outside.
After a few minutes of walking, the girls had resumed the chatter they used to have--mindless, girlie gossip(A/N: Not saying that gossip is mindless! Hey I'm a girl and I gossip too, but it's just for the sake of the story!), however the girls made sure to exclude all talk of guys as to not upset Serena. Mina, however, knew she had to act on the whole Serena/Darien situation, she wasn't going to let it fall apart.
"Hey you guys," she spoke up, "It's really warm out, let's get a drink!" Everyone nodded in agreement and were trying to decide where to go, when once again Mina had an idea.
"Don't be silly guys, the arcade is just across the street, let's go there!" Suddenly, Serena's eyes dropped in sadness and got to be very quiet all of a sudden. The other girls were sending warning looks to Mina and mouthing the word 'no' to her in hopes the ditzy blonde would get the message, Mina, however, would have none of that.
"You guys, it's so hot out and a milkshake would be so nice right now, don't you agree?" The group remained silent, not really knowing what to say. Raye, having the most guts, spoke up.
"Um, Mina, I'm thinking no. The arcade is....well.....not a good place, get it?" Raye said with gritted teeth. Serena was still unresponsive to all this, keeping her head low and her eyes on the ground.
"But Raye, why is the arcade a bad place?" Mina asked innocently all the while ignoring Raye's growing fury. Finally Serena spoke up, wanting to spare her friend.
"Mina, it's just that the arcade....well what if he's there?" She said so quietly, everyone had to lean in to hear her.
"But Serena, what if he's not there? You can't let him drive you out of your favorite places!" Mina said, all the while knowing she had an ulterior motive. Serena nodded considering what her friend was saying, but reluctant to go in. Mina finally caved in, **I suppose I can't force her...yet**.
"Ok Serena, how about if we go in and check to see if he's in there? If he's there, we won't go in, all right?" Serena shook her 'yes' and agreed. Amy vouched to stay with Serena, while the other girls trooped over to the arcade. Along the way, Raye had a few questions.
"Mina! What the heck do you think you're doing??" Raye asked, furious at her friend. Mina just smiled, knowing full well no one could understand what she had in her mind. So she tried a different tact.
"Why Raye, I just want Serena to feel comfortable anywhere she goes. Why should she have to suffer because of Darien?" Mina asked pulling the old wide eyes-innocent act. Raye just exhaled.
"Whatever. I don't really believe you Mina. You always have another motive for things," Raye told her suspiciously. Mina just gave a sweet little smile.
"Cmon guys, stop fighting, let's just go look in the arcade and see if Darien is there," Lita told them as they entered the arcade. As they looked around every corner and booth, they saw that Darien was no where in sight. **Damn. Too bad he wasn't here, Oh well next time** Mina thought. So the group turned around and went back across the street to inform Serena and Amy that Darien was not there. Only Amy noticed the small exhale of breath Serena let out once informed of the news and how Serena's eyes didn't have the twinkle of happiness it always had. Instead it was replaced with the dull look of sorrow. **Poor Serena, she's really heartbroken over Darien. I wish there was something we could do** Amy thought sadly as they all entered the arcade again and took a seat in a booth far away from the last one.
After they had ordered their milkshakes and were sipping on the cool drinks, everyone seemed to be having a good time. However, unknown to them Darien was in the arcade. While the girls were searching for him, he had been in the back, helping Andrew stock shelves, while his mind was on Serena the whole time. He had been at the arcade since 8:00 am hoping that Serena would come in so that he could talk to her. So far no sign of her and it was getting late. **Maybe I should call her house...** But no, he thought. That would never work, she would just hang up on me. Darien sighed, not really knowing what to do.
"Serena blues?" Andrew asked slyly.
"Ya, I just ......miss her..." Darien confessed. Andrew just grinned.
"Well here's your chance. Serena and the rest of her friends just came in," Darien's eyes popped out.
"Are you sure??" Andrew laughed again,
"Ya I'm pretty sure since I just took their drink order,".
"Oh boy, what do I do?? What do I say?? What will she think??" Darien was acting like a nervous 14 year-old girl.
"I told you, just be yourself and tell her the truth," Andrew advised. Darien gulped and responded to Andrew's advice.
"You're right, Ok here goes," and with that he stepped out from the back and scanned the room for a sign of Serena. Sure enough he saw the blonde meatballs from the back and gathering every ounce of courage he had, he walked over to where Serena and her friends sat.
Unknown to Serena, Darien was just metres away from her. Mina however caught full sight of this and smiled. **Aha! Here we go, I knew Darien would come after. Let the games begin!** she thought satisfied with herself. Lita, however, caught full sight of the grin creeping along Mina's face.
"Mina, why are you smiling?" Lita asked suspiciously. **Ohh, can't tell her the truth, she'll tell Serena and they'll run out of here before Darien can make it** Mina thought quickly.
"No reason, just enjoying my milkshake," and as if to prove her point she took a big sip of her shake. Lita just shook her head and went back to the conversation. Amy, on the other hand, knew exactly what Mina was smiling about. She had seen Darien make his way over to the booth and in turn she gave Mina a disapproving stare, and Mina in turn to Amy just gave her a confident wink.
"Serena?" a voice said from behind the blonde. Serena's face just dropped and she knew without turning around who the owner of the voice was. She closed her eyes and prayed that this was a dream and that he wasn't there, but yet when she turned around--he was there. She could have cried, but she didn't want to, again.
"Darien I have nothing to say to you," as she said this, she tried to get up from the booth and leave, but was unsuccessful seeing as how she was in the middle of the booth and in order for her to get up, everyone would have to get up, and no one seemed to be making any move. Serena sighed, it looked like they would have to duke it out here and now.
" Serena, listen...," Darien started but was once again cut off by the girl.
"No Darien, let me save you a lot of time. Let me think what you were going to say, oh yes I know! How about 'haha like I would ever like you meatball head. You're a small, blonde, weird, ugly freak who could never be with me' or how about 'sorry meatball head, I only go out with girls, not aliens' or why not 'Meatball heard, you have another fault to add to your list--add likes guys she can never get'. Were those any of the jokes you had planned on telling me Darien?" she burst out with tears in her eyes, while her friends around her were shocked at her outburst, and Darien. Darien oddest of all had pain in his eyes, like what she said actually hurt him. **Whatever, he's just getting his laughs** she thought bitterly.
"Ok Serena, can I talk now?" he asked, almost pitifully, no humor left in his face.
"Why not Darien? Go for it, crack all the jokes you want about me," Serena said with a tear streaming down her cheek.
"Serena, do you have any idea how much you hurt me by the things you said about me?" This was not what Serena had expected. Darien continued, " It just makes me really sad to think that you view me this way. Is this really how you see me?" he asked not really expecting an answer. Sighing, he just continued.
"If you only knew what I really thought of you, you wouldn't think of me as some cruel, heartless monster. I'll tell you what I think of you Serena. I think the world of you. Whenever I go to sleep, your face is etched in my mind, during the night my dreams are consumed by you, and when I wake up your name is the first thing on my lips. Why do you think I'm always around you before and after school? I wait for you. I get up and deliberately wait for you, just so that I can catch a glimpse of your face. So why am I always so mean to you? It was just a mask Serena. A mask to hide my feelings. Ever since I was little, whenever I told someone I loved them, they disappeared. But you Serena, I would never want you to disappear. So even If you and I could never be together, it was ok to me because I knew that somehow in some small way you would be in my life." he paused to get a breath before continuing. "When I saw that true love game, I thought to myself,' oh my god, is there the slim chance she likes me too? Is there a possibility she feels for me just one millionth of what I feel for her?' But when you ran out of here crying, I knew that it had to be some sort of prank. And even if it was a prank, Serena, it's ok. But I just have one thing to ask of you. Please don't try to avoid me. Even if you never talk to me again, it's ok because just the thought of you makes me want to get up in the morning, and the thought of you hating me makes me just want to die," Darien concluded his speech. He was too scared to look at Serena. **Damn, I hadn't meant to say how deep my feelings for her were** he thought. But finally he risked a look at her and was surprised by what he saw.
Serena's tears had now stopped and the single tear that had left her eye was now frozen mid-cheek. Her jaw had dropped slightly and she was no longer looking sad, but a whole flurry of emotions including joy, shock, surprise, happiness, and fear. Fear that he was playing her and that it was all some joke. Darien saw this expression on her face and wanted to make it go away. He leaned in to wipe the tear from her face and leaned in to whisper in her ear, " It's no joke Serena, I've felt this way since the moment I laid eyes on you,". He whispered and drew back. Serena looked back up at him with her hear in her eyes and said,
"Really?". It sounded so innocent, so pure. Like she was putting herself out there and all he had to do was reach out and they would be together. So he reached out and held her hand from across the table. He looked at her, and tried to put all his feelings for her into his eyes as he made eye contact with her. One word could bring them together, one word would join them. And Darien knew exactly what that word was.
"Really."
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A/N: Ok everyone that's chapter 5. More to come! Read and review plz!!! :- )
