"Are you sure this looks right?" Serena studied her appearance in
the mirror. The skirt she was wearing ran to mid thigh and Serena was
constantly pulling it down. She was wearing a yellow halter top to
match with the golden skirt. Serena gave herself an appraising look. It
didn't look too bad. Her hair made her look better that she could have
looked and her eyes matched well with her clothes.
"Trust me Serena. Just wear this to school on Monday. Every one
will trip out when they see you. I didn't even know you looked this
good,". Smiling, Mina walked to another section. "Now, it's time for
your dress for the dance."
She pulled Serena out of the store and lead her to another one
filled to the brim with dresses of all kinds. It was called 'Once upon
a dress'. She chuckled silently to herself thinking of the stupid name.
"What am I looking for here?"
Raye came up beside her, putting an arm on her shoulder.
"your looking for a flamboyant dress. One that stands out and
says 'this is me everyone, look at me!'."
She walked off and Serena wandered around the store, looking,
searching for the perfect dress. She gasped, suprised, when
she quite accidentally ran into the perfect dress.
She was wandering around, then tripped on a shoe and ran right
into it. It was beautiful; violet and lovely. It was low cut, with
long sleeves. There were intricate designs strewn into it, and it was
velvet. It flowed around her like silk. She touched it and it slithered
like water.
"Perfect!" She heard Mina say from behind her. "Go try it on."
Serena came out a couple of minutes and sucked in a shocked
breath. The dress made her look gorgeous. It was a dark violet color, a
tint darker than her eyes. There was a "V" in the back that ran down to
her waist. It wrapped around her neck and tapered to her waist, clinging to every
curve. At the bottom, it went out making the dress sort of like a bell
shape.
Serena ran a finger down the silky fabric of the dress to make
sure it was really her. She looked beautiful. It was perfect. She
didn't look the deformed Serena she had seen earlier. She looked…
pretty. A word she didn't associate with her self on a regular basis.
Serena didn't realize that she was crying until she felt in run
down her cheek. Embarrassed, she darted a quick glance at Mina who was
clearly too shocked to notice. She wiped the tear away and turned to
face Mina.
Mina's face turned into a satisfied look like a cat who had
stolen the cream. She knew this was the dress for Serena when she saw
it. It was perfect and she was even more shocked then she expected when
she saw the outcome. Serena was a true beauty who had hidden too long
behind the mask of a boy. Taping her breasts?? Hiding her hair in a
hat?? She most definitely had a problem if she had never noticed her
beauty when she was alone. How could someone so beautiful be hiding
there and not know it themselves.
Mina smirked. Darien was in for a surprise. His best friend was
about to turn into his deepest challenge.
"It looks perfect," Mina purred all too proud of herself. "I'll
go get the girls so they can see," and then she was off.
Serena nodded and turned back to the mirror. She looked so
beautiful at the moment, she almost couldn't believe it. Why couldn't
she look so nice in anything else?
Serena stared at nothing while she pondered. Would Darien think
she looked nice in this dress? Serena never admitted it out loud but
she was always jealous of all of Darien's girlfriends. She was a girl
and she was his best friend but she wasn't his girlfriend. He never
thought of her as a girl. Just his buddy.
Serena's eyebrows furrowed in anger. Of course she acted like a
guy and hung out with them but it annoyed her endlessly that he never
considered her a girl. She hoped to god that he would actually look at
her tonight as a female, not his best friend.
Three gasps brought Serena out of her reverie. She turned to see
Ami, Raye, and Lita staring shocked at her.
"Serena you look beautiful!"
"Never knew you had it in you meatball head."
"You look quite the enchantress."
Serena gave them a brilliant smile that sent them into more
shivers of shock. "Thanks guys, you really helped me out. I never
considered myself beautiful until I tried on this dress. This dress
makes me look wonderful." She gestured to the dress with an open hand.
"But Serena, its not-"
"Let her be, she has to learn on her own,"
"Give it up Raye, she just wont believe it,"
Serena gave this an inquiring look and turned to Mina. She had a
sudden urge to hug her and gave into it. "Thank you for picking out the
perfect dress Mina. I'm in your debt forever." She whispered fervently.
"No problem Serena. My reward is seeing you think of yourself as
beautiful," she replied, tears filling her eyes. "He'll love it," she
whispered and then pulled away.
"I gotta change back," she said in a rush and in a flash off
purple, she was back in the changing room.
When Serena came back out, she smiled. "Is it time for lunch?"
"Sure meatball head, your favorite time of the day."
"Sure is."
"After this, we go mask shopping!" cried an enthusiastic Mina.
Four simultaneous groans could be heard following miss energetic
out of the store.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien and Ken sat in the food court. Darien saw Ken look up and
wave. Darien felt compelled to look back and saw Raye, Mina, Lita, Ami,
and a beauty in a jean jacket and a skirt.
He couldn't get a good look at the beauty's face but he saw her
whisper something to her friends and run off.
Darien felt a strange sense of recognition. The beauty reminded
him of Serena. But, that couldn't be true. Serena would never be caught
in a dress.
Safely in the bathroom, Serena changed into her jeans and T-
Shirt. She had brought it with her incase of emergency. And, this was
definitely emergency. She placed Mina's jean outfit into the bag that
held her dress for the dance, and hastily washed her face in the sink
of the mall's girl's bathroom.
Why did Darien have to show up. Not now! Not when she didn't have
her boobs taped and her cap on. She had to do something. She hastily
French braided her hair, and hoped for the best. With that, she walked
out of the bathroom.
Darien saw Serena approach. She was biting her nails which meant
that she was nervous. Darien didn't have any idea why.
Serena came up to the table. "Sorry I'm late guys." she said.
"We weren't expecting you Serena." Darien replied, casting a
questioning glance in Serena's direction.
Serena looked at Darien in his blue t-shit that read 'Playa' and
his baggy jeans looking so masculine and beautiful to her that her
heart nearly burst.
Serena smiled, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I wasn't
talking about you dork. I was talking to the g-girls.".
Darien cast a bewildered glance at the four girls who were
looking innocently his way. He lifted up an inquiring eyebrow.
"Serena was with you?" he said, his voice clearly stating that he
was confused.
Mina smiled, knowing she looked her part. "Of course Darien. She
was going to go shopping with us today because she was planning on
going to the dance tonight."
Darien turned to look at Serena who was glaring at Mina. Then,
her glare disappeared and she smiled sheepishly at Darien.
"You're," he said, obviously not believing, "going to the dance?"
"Yes, I'm going to the Dance Darien." she said, angered that he
sounded to clueless. She wasn't a lesbian or anything.
"With who?" he was still unconvinced.
"No one you know." She wanted to smack that overbearing smirk off of his know-it-all face. "You'll meet him at the dance." Clearly brushing the subject away, Serena
turned to the girls, "I'm hungry, so let's eat first, then shop."
"Make sure you don't wear a tux." Darien muttered, chuckling to
himself.
Serena gasped and glared at her former best friend. He was being
spiteful on purpose and for no reason that she could fathom. His
midnight blue eyes were dark under his cap and she wanted to scream,
hit him, anything but stand there looking hurt and offended.
Darien didn't know why he suddenly felt angered at the thought of
Serena going to the Dance with some guy. She was his best friend Damn
it! She wasn't supposed to turn all like this on him. She never went to
a dance in her life and now she was acting as if he were in the wrong
for questioning her. What a load of bullshit.
"I think I'm going to get a corndog," she said, obviously miffed,
and stalked to Corn Dog on a Stick.
Mina surveyed the entire encounter with matchmaker's eyes.
Darien was jealous and he didn't even know it. He was in for the
surprise of his life. And, she couldn't wait to see the fireworks.
"I think we should go and get our lunch," Mina said, motioning
for the rest of the girls to come along.
Darien just stared after Serena, oblivious to the other girls.
His best friend was becoming a mystery to him. What had happened to his
Serena?
His Serena?!?!? Darien shook his head in resignation. He must be
going crazy. His Serena? More like his best friend who had changed on
him. He barely knew the one person he thought he knew best in the
world. Serena had changed on him and he was afraid of what the effects
were going to be.
Serena stared at the menu on the wall of Corn Dog on a Stick, not
really reading but thinking. Darien was an asshole. There was no
thought about that. He was making fun of her because she was going to
the dance. Well big surprise.
Almost to the front of the line, Serena glared at nothing in
particular. When she reached the front she saw the employee with the
funny Yellow hat on his head, freckles, and thick glasses take
tentative steps back. Realizing that she was still glaring, She gave
the nervous server a brilliant smile which had him retreating a couple
of steps more just from the brilliance of it. Seeing his reaction and
thinking the worst, Serena sighed in defeat and ordered.
She was back at the table while Mina, Raye, Ami, and Lita were in
line, along with Ken who insisted on accompanying Lita to get her
lunch.
Darien sat there, staring straight ahead, clearly brooding and
Serena decided this was the perfect opportunity to talk to him.
Hopefully, she thought, crossing her fingers, he would be calm now and
not insult her this time. She took a deep breath and occupied the seat
across from him. She set her corndog down and looked up to see Darien
looking at her in a weird way, as if he were studying her.
Serena blushed but looked back at her corndog to cover it up.
"Serena, where is my best friend?". His voice was so melancholy
that Serena abruptly looked up, alarm on her face. What had she done??
All she wanted to do was make her Best friend see her as she the female
she never was. And now, she didn't know what to do.
"Darien," she started, trying to come up with the words from her
heart, "I am the same as I always was. Why do you think I've changed?"
"Your going to a dance and if I remember correctly, you had said
once, in what now seems like a million years ago, 'I'll never go to one
of those things. Leave that to those prissy girls. I don't have time'.
Your changing and I cant really recognize you, I mean I never realized-
" he broke looking anywhere but at Serena, not knowing quite how to put
it. "I never thought-"
Serena accomplished the impossible by forming a gentle smile on
her face. What she really wanted to do was cry.
"You never thought I would start acting female or something
Darien?". His eyes still avoided her face and Serena suddenly knew the
answer. She had become the woman that was hiding beneath the Tomboy and
he couldn't understand it. Her eyes filled but no tears came out.
When Darien heard Serena take a ragged breath filled with unshed
tears, he looked at her. And he really looked at her. She was different
somehow. Her violet eyes were huge in her face, shining with unshed
tears. Her face was full of sadness and other emotions Darien couldn't
identify. Her blond hair was long and golden; tiny wisps escaped from her french braid and floated wildly around her face.
Her hair?!?
Darien took in a startled gasp. So that was what she was hiding
all this time under her cap. Her golden wavy, long hair. Her hair was
undoubtedly the most beautiful hair he had ever seen on a woman-err..
girl. He shook his head in exasperation. Serena had been hiding this
for some reason unknown to him. And, she looked… he had to admit it.
Beautiful.
"Serena," he said, anger seething out of him for this change in
his best friend, "when did this happen to your hair?"
Serena sighed. Changing the subject again?? She touched her cap
and ran a hand down and only then did she realize her carefully braided
hair had come apart. She gasped and held a hand over mouth.
"Umm," she said, casting distracted glances toward her new
friends who were coming toward the table. "Well-"
"Never mind Serena. I don't want to know," he said, then angrily
got up from the table and stalked away.
the mirror. The skirt she was wearing ran to mid thigh and Serena was
constantly pulling it down. She was wearing a yellow halter top to
match with the golden skirt. Serena gave herself an appraising look. It
didn't look too bad. Her hair made her look better that she could have
looked and her eyes matched well with her clothes.
"Trust me Serena. Just wear this to school on Monday. Every one
will trip out when they see you. I didn't even know you looked this
good,". Smiling, Mina walked to another section. "Now, it's time for
your dress for the dance."
She pulled Serena out of the store and lead her to another one
filled to the brim with dresses of all kinds. It was called 'Once upon
a dress'. She chuckled silently to herself thinking of the stupid name.
"What am I looking for here?"
Raye came up beside her, putting an arm on her shoulder.
"your looking for a flamboyant dress. One that stands out and
says 'this is me everyone, look at me!'."
She walked off and Serena wandered around the store, looking,
searching for the perfect dress. She gasped, suprised, when
she quite accidentally ran into the perfect dress.
She was wandering around, then tripped on a shoe and ran right
into it. It was beautiful; violet and lovely. It was low cut, with
long sleeves. There were intricate designs strewn into it, and it was
velvet. It flowed around her like silk. She touched it and it slithered
like water.
"Perfect!" She heard Mina say from behind her. "Go try it on."
Serena came out a couple of minutes and sucked in a shocked
breath. The dress made her look gorgeous. It was a dark violet color, a
tint darker than her eyes. There was a "V" in the back that ran down to
her waist. It wrapped around her neck and tapered to her waist, clinging to every
curve. At the bottom, it went out making the dress sort of like a bell
shape.
Serena ran a finger down the silky fabric of the dress to make
sure it was really her. She looked beautiful. It was perfect. She
didn't look the deformed Serena she had seen earlier. She looked…
pretty. A word she didn't associate with her self on a regular basis.
Serena didn't realize that she was crying until she felt in run
down her cheek. Embarrassed, she darted a quick glance at Mina who was
clearly too shocked to notice. She wiped the tear away and turned to
face Mina.
Mina's face turned into a satisfied look like a cat who had
stolen the cream. She knew this was the dress for Serena when she saw
it. It was perfect and she was even more shocked then she expected when
she saw the outcome. Serena was a true beauty who had hidden too long
behind the mask of a boy. Taping her breasts?? Hiding her hair in a
hat?? She most definitely had a problem if she had never noticed her
beauty when she was alone. How could someone so beautiful be hiding
there and not know it themselves.
Mina smirked. Darien was in for a surprise. His best friend was
about to turn into his deepest challenge.
"It looks perfect," Mina purred all too proud of herself. "I'll
go get the girls so they can see," and then she was off.
Serena nodded and turned back to the mirror. She looked so
beautiful at the moment, she almost couldn't believe it. Why couldn't
she look so nice in anything else?
Serena stared at nothing while she pondered. Would Darien think
she looked nice in this dress? Serena never admitted it out loud but
she was always jealous of all of Darien's girlfriends. She was a girl
and she was his best friend but she wasn't his girlfriend. He never
thought of her as a girl. Just his buddy.
Serena's eyebrows furrowed in anger. Of course she acted like a
guy and hung out with them but it annoyed her endlessly that he never
considered her a girl. She hoped to god that he would actually look at
her tonight as a female, not his best friend.
Three gasps brought Serena out of her reverie. She turned to see
Ami, Raye, and Lita staring shocked at her.
"Serena you look beautiful!"
"Never knew you had it in you meatball head."
"You look quite the enchantress."
Serena gave them a brilliant smile that sent them into more
shivers of shock. "Thanks guys, you really helped me out. I never
considered myself beautiful until I tried on this dress. This dress
makes me look wonderful." She gestured to the dress with an open hand.
"But Serena, its not-"
"Let her be, she has to learn on her own,"
"Give it up Raye, she just wont believe it,"
Serena gave this an inquiring look and turned to Mina. She had a
sudden urge to hug her and gave into it. "Thank you for picking out the
perfect dress Mina. I'm in your debt forever." She whispered fervently.
"No problem Serena. My reward is seeing you think of yourself as
beautiful," she replied, tears filling her eyes. "He'll love it," she
whispered and then pulled away.
"I gotta change back," she said in a rush and in a flash off
purple, she was back in the changing room.
When Serena came back out, she smiled. "Is it time for lunch?"
"Sure meatball head, your favorite time of the day."
"Sure is."
"After this, we go mask shopping!" cried an enthusiastic Mina.
Four simultaneous groans could be heard following miss energetic
out of the store.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Darien and Ken sat in the food court. Darien saw Ken look up and
wave. Darien felt compelled to look back and saw Raye, Mina, Lita, Ami,
and a beauty in a jean jacket and a skirt.
He couldn't get a good look at the beauty's face but he saw her
whisper something to her friends and run off.
Darien felt a strange sense of recognition. The beauty reminded
him of Serena. But, that couldn't be true. Serena would never be caught
in a dress.
Safely in the bathroom, Serena changed into her jeans and T-
Shirt. She had brought it with her incase of emergency. And, this was
definitely emergency. She placed Mina's jean outfit into the bag that
held her dress for the dance, and hastily washed her face in the sink
of the mall's girl's bathroom.
Why did Darien have to show up. Not now! Not when she didn't have
her boobs taped and her cap on. She had to do something. She hastily
French braided her hair, and hoped for the best. With that, she walked
out of the bathroom.
Darien saw Serena approach. She was biting her nails which meant
that she was nervous. Darien didn't have any idea why.
Serena came up to the table. "Sorry I'm late guys." she said.
"We weren't expecting you Serena." Darien replied, casting a
questioning glance in Serena's direction.
Serena looked at Darien in his blue t-shit that read 'Playa' and
his baggy jeans looking so masculine and beautiful to her that her
heart nearly burst.
Serena smiled, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I wasn't
talking about you dork. I was talking to the g-girls.".
Darien cast a bewildered glance at the four girls who were
looking innocently his way. He lifted up an inquiring eyebrow.
"Serena was with you?" he said, his voice clearly stating that he
was confused.
Mina smiled, knowing she looked her part. "Of course Darien. She
was going to go shopping with us today because she was planning on
going to the dance tonight."
Darien turned to look at Serena who was glaring at Mina. Then,
her glare disappeared and she smiled sheepishly at Darien.
"You're," he said, obviously not believing, "going to the dance?"
"Yes, I'm going to the Dance Darien." she said, angered that he
sounded to clueless. She wasn't a lesbian or anything.
"With who?" he was still unconvinced.
"No one you know." She wanted to smack that overbearing smirk off of his know-it-all face. "You'll meet him at the dance." Clearly brushing the subject away, Serena
turned to the girls, "I'm hungry, so let's eat first, then shop."
"Make sure you don't wear a tux." Darien muttered, chuckling to
himself.
Serena gasped and glared at her former best friend. He was being
spiteful on purpose and for no reason that she could fathom. His
midnight blue eyes were dark under his cap and she wanted to scream,
hit him, anything but stand there looking hurt and offended.
Darien didn't know why he suddenly felt angered at the thought of
Serena going to the Dance with some guy. She was his best friend Damn
it! She wasn't supposed to turn all like this on him. She never went to
a dance in her life and now she was acting as if he were in the wrong
for questioning her. What a load of bullshit.
"I think I'm going to get a corndog," she said, obviously miffed,
and stalked to Corn Dog on a Stick.
Mina surveyed the entire encounter with matchmaker's eyes.
Darien was jealous and he didn't even know it. He was in for the
surprise of his life. And, she couldn't wait to see the fireworks.
"I think we should go and get our lunch," Mina said, motioning
for the rest of the girls to come along.
Darien just stared after Serena, oblivious to the other girls.
His best friend was becoming a mystery to him. What had happened to his
Serena?
His Serena?!?!? Darien shook his head in resignation. He must be
going crazy. His Serena? More like his best friend who had changed on
him. He barely knew the one person he thought he knew best in the
world. Serena had changed on him and he was afraid of what the effects
were going to be.
Serena stared at the menu on the wall of Corn Dog on a Stick, not
really reading but thinking. Darien was an asshole. There was no
thought about that. He was making fun of her because she was going to
the dance. Well big surprise.
Almost to the front of the line, Serena glared at nothing in
particular. When she reached the front she saw the employee with the
funny Yellow hat on his head, freckles, and thick glasses take
tentative steps back. Realizing that she was still glaring, She gave
the nervous server a brilliant smile which had him retreating a couple
of steps more just from the brilliance of it. Seeing his reaction and
thinking the worst, Serena sighed in defeat and ordered.
She was back at the table while Mina, Raye, Ami, and Lita were in
line, along with Ken who insisted on accompanying Lita to get her
lunch.
Darien sat there, staring straight ahead, clearly brooding and
Serena decided this was the perfect opportunity to talk to him.
Hopefully, she thought, crossing her fingers, he would be calm now and
not insult her this time. She took a deep breath and occupied the seat
across from him. She set her corndog down and looked up to see Darien
looking at her in a weird way, as if he were studying her.
Serena blushed but looked back at her corndog to cover it up.
"Serena, where is my best friend?". His voice was so melancholy
that Serena abruptly looked up, alarm on her face. What had she done??
All she wanted to do was make her Best friend see her as she the female
she never was. And now, she didn't know what to do.
"Darien," she started, trying to come up with the words from her
heart, "I am the same as I always was. Why do you think I've changed?"
"Your going to a dance and if I remember correctly, you had said
once, in what now seems like a million years ago, 'I'll never go to one
of those things. Leave that to those prissy girls. I don't have time'.
Your changing and I cant really recognize you, I mean I never realized-
" he broke looking anywhere but at Serena, not knowing quite how to put
it. "I never thought-"
Serena accomplished the impossible by forming a gentle smile on
her face. What she really wanted to do was cry.
"You never thought I would start acting female or something
Darien?". His eyes still avoided her face and Serena suddenly knew the
answer. She had become the woman that was hiding beneath the Tomboy and
he couldn't understand it. Her eyes filled but no tears came out.
When Darien heard Serena take a ragged breath filled with unshed
tears, he looked at her. And he really looked at her. She was different
somehow. Her violet eyes were huge in her face, shining with unshed
tears. Her face was full of sadness and other emotions Darien couldn't
identify. Her blond hair was long and golden; tiny wisps escaped from her french braid and floated wildly around her face.
Her hair?!?
Darien took in a startled gasp. So that was what she was hiding
all this time under her cap. Her golden wavy, long hair. Her hair was
undoubtedly the most beautiful hair he had ever seen on a woman-err..
girl. He shook his head in exasperation. Serena had been hiding this
for some reason unknown to him. And, she looked… he had to admit it.
Beautiful.
"Serena," he said, anger seething out of him for this change in
his best friend, "when did this happen to your hair?"
Serena sighed. Changing the subject again?? She touched her cap
and ran a hand down and only then did she realize her carefully braided
hair had come apart. She gasped and held a hand over mouth.
"Umm," she said, casting distracted glances toward her new
friends who were coming toward the table. "Well-"
"Never mind Serena. I don't want to know," he said, then angrily
got up from the table and stalked away.