Destiny Can Seem So Wrong
A/N- Thanks again for the reviews. They all mean so much :) As I said in the previous chapter, and forgot to say in the first, I do not own Sailor Moon, but wish I did. ^_^ Well, on with the story...
3-- Hateful Feeling Of Jealousy
Serena's entire body seemed to quit on her at the fatal sentence that had just made its way out of Raye Hino's mouth. When her body found the power to begin working again, she felt her eyes fill with inexplicable tears. Serena quickly blinked them away, using all the strength she possessed. For some inane reason, she felt deep within herself that Darien did not belong with Raye. But, she scolded herself, that was ridiculous. How could she know that?
The self-satisfied look on Raye's face tore at Serena's heart, but this time around she managed to hide it.
"So what do you think, Meatball Head?" Raye asked with fake politeness. Her deep violet eyes locked onto Serena's.
"Meatball Head?" Darien asked in confusion.
"Oh, that's just a nickname I have for her. See, Serena normally wears her hair in two ponytails with meatballs on the top of them..." Raye allowed herself a fast smirk. "So anyway, isn't it great?" she said, addressing Serena once more.
"Oh--" Serena found her voice after a couple of seconds. "Oh, I'm really happy for you, Raye." She lowered her eyes, fearful of what they might give away about the truth if she were to look at Raye. "Really," she added lamely.
Raye seemed surprised for a second, but recovered herself. "Good, good, good. I'm glad you're happy for me." With her eyes, Raye sent Serena a warning look. She knew what Serena was like. That girl would go after any guy, under the false impression that she would somehow find Mr Right amongst one of them. So that was why Raye was being so tough on Serena. Raye didn't want the girl to go after Darien like she did with every other guy, because Raye thought that this could be true love she was feeling for Darien, and didn't want Serena messing it up.
Serena, however, could not read Raye's calculating mind, and so was baffled at the look Raye channelled into her eyes. "I am," Serena remarked needlessly, sensing that she was sounding lamer and lamer with every word that came out of her mouth. "So anyway, I'm just going out for some... air. Yeah. Um, bye, guys!" Serena worked just the right amount of brightness into her statement and fled out into the misty night.
Once she was in a quiet place far, far away from the hall, Serena stared up with huge, desperate eyes at the sympathetic full moon above her. Tears rapidly formed as she kept looking. "I'm just being silly. The moon's just- really bright tonight. That's why my eyes are watering--" Her voice broke and a fresh round of tears trickled down her face.
Oh, well, no sense trying to fool herself as well as everyone else. This time she let herself cry, still not knowing exactly why she was so affected by Raye and Darien's relationship, but feeling the pain anyway. Why did it hurt so very much whenever she pictured the pair together? It wasn't as if they looked bad with one another. In fact it was the opposite; they looked fantastic as a couple. So what was it, and why did she feel like this about Darien?
***
Darien seemed strangely distant as Serena walked back inside after fifteen minutes out in the night. "Hi," she said in a small voice.
Looking over, Darien returned, "Hello, Serena."
Stung by the cold, remote tone he used toward her, Serena tried again to make conversation. Maybe the case would be, the more the found out about him, the more she would think he was totally wrong for her. It sure seemed to be the way it was going now. She hoped in the back of her mind that it wouldn't, but she had to force herself to accept the reality that Darien was Raye's and would most likely never be her own. "So, how long have you and Raye been, um, boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"A couple of weeks." Darien sighed and shifted his feet. His stormy blue eyes held a frosty look, and Serena began to feel even more uncomfortable around him.
"Oh, that's good," Serena stalled.
"Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to be somewhere." Darien gave Serena a brief nod and walked over to where Raye stood near the buffet table.
"Right," Serena whispered. She got the message, all right. That frigid rebuff had been all she needed to realise Darien was not interested in the least in her.
***
Serena floated through the next few days, lost in her own little world. Raye had been merciless on her, but Serena truly had not cared. She wasn't even paying attention to the girl. The only thing- the only person- on her mind was Darien.
"Serena?" Molly Baker tapped her best friend on the shoulder. They were walking down one of the hectic main streets in the heart of Tokyo. "Ya wanna go and get some ice cream?"
"Huh? Oh! Oh, yeah, sure Mol," Serena said with a catch in her voice.
"Serena? Is something wrong?" Molly asked, red eyebrows creased.
"Nothing a little ice cream won't fix," Serena lied. She pasted a smile on her face and led the way into the ice cream parlour. The instant she set foot inside the door she wanted to turn around and run right back the way she came in. Darien and Raye were sitting there, sharing a chocolate ice cream soda. Serena's knees went weak and the hateful feeling of jealously pierced her aching heart.
"Wow, he sure is cute," Molly noted as she laid eyes on Darien for herself. "I've seen him around a few times. Goes to university, I think. Who's the girl he's with?"
"I--" Serena stopped and cleared her throat. "I've never seen her before," she lied. "Must just be a casual fling of his or something."
Molly laughed. "Yeah. Guys are like that. I'm lucky I've got Melvin though. You know, Serena, one of these days you gotta get a guy so we can double date. It'll be so much fun!"
"Mm-hm," Serena managed to say through the sudden lump in her throat. "I sure will get a guy one of these weeks."
Molly and Serena stayed in the parlour for half an hour. Each second was painful for Serena. She didn't want to look at Raye's happy face, because it made her feel both jealous and bad at the same time. Jealous because she was with him and bad because Serena knew she should be happy for Raye.
The final straw came when Darien and Raye shared a passionate kiss once the last drop of ice cream was drained from their glass. Serena pushed back her chair and strode out without finishing the sundae she'd ordered. Molly panted after her.
"Serena? What is wrong with you?" Molly asked, annoyed.
"Nothing! I'm just not hungry anymore." Serena turned away so Molly couldn't see the sheen of water covering her eyes. "Okay?"
Molly's own eyes narrowed. "Fine, Serena. That's just fine. Keep secrets from me if you want to, because I don't care. I'm going. See you in school tomorrow." She stalked away from the devastated Serena.
Angry, Serena sat down on a bench and watched Molly walk away. It wasn't Molly that she was angry at, but Darien and Raye. It was because of Darien that Serena was feeling this way, and it was Raye who was pushing Serena to her limits with all this possessive behaviour. There had to be something Serena could do about this hapless obsession. But what? She had to find something before Darien ruined every other friendship she had as well.
Out of the blue, an idea formed in Serena's head, cutting forcefully through the fog of her mind. Her deep blue eyes widened. As she thought about the idea again, she shook her head. "No," she said aloud. "No way. There is absolutely no way in this world I would ever do that to Raye, or degrade myself like that," she told herself.
But the more that idea replayed in Serena's head, the more she liked it. She had to stop this. She got up and ran, hoping that if she left the place that the idea had struck her in, she would leave it behind. However, it ran with her. Serena sighed. "No!" she shouted, far away from everyone and everything. "I will not do that to her. I won't. Don't even tempt me," she warned her scheming mind. "Do not even tempt me."
A/N- Thanks again for the reviews. They all mean so much :) As I said in the previous chapter, and forgot to say in the first, I do not own Sailor Moon, but wish I did. ^_^ Well, on with the story...
3-- Hateful Feeling Of Jealousy
Serena's entire body seemed to quit on her at the fatal sentence that had just made its way out of Raye Hino's mouth. When her body found the power to begin working again, she felt her eyes fill with inexplicable tears. Serena quickly blinked them away, using all the strength she possessed. For some inane reason, she felt deep within herself that Darien did not belong with Raye. But, she scolded herself, that was ridiculous. How could she know that?
The self-satisfied look on Raye's face tore at Serena's heart, but this time around she managed to hide it.
"So what do you think, Meatball Head?" Raye asked with fake politeness. Her deep violet eyes locked onto Serena's.
"Meatball Head?" Darien asked in confusion.
"Oh, that's just a nickname I have for her. See, Serena normally wears her hair in two ponytails with meatballs on the top of them..." Raye allowed herself a fast smirk. "So anyway, isn't it great?" she said, addressing Serena once more.
"Oh--" Serena found her voice after a couple of seconds. "Oh, I'm really happy for you, Raye." She lowered her eyes, fearful of what they might give away about the truth if she were to look at Raye. "Really," she added lamely.
Raye seemed surprised for a second, but recovered herself. "Good, good, good. I'm glad you're happy for me." With her eyes, Raye sent Serena a warning look. She knew what Serena was like. That girl would go after any guy, under the false impression that she would somehow find Mr Right amongst one of them. So that was why Raye was being so tough on Serena. Raye didn't want the girl to go after Darien like she did with every other guy, because Raye thought that this could be true love she was feeling for Darien, and didn't want Serena messing it up.
Serena, however, could not read Raye's calculating mind, and so was baffled at the look Raye channelled into her eyes. "I am," Serena remarked needlessly, sensing that she was sounding lamer and lamer with every word that came out of her mouth. "So anyway, I'm just going out for some... air. Yeah. Um, bye, guys!" Serena worked just the right amount of brightness into her statement and fled out into the misty night.
Once she was in a quiet place far, far away from the hall, Serena stared up with huge, desperate eyes at the sympathetic full moon above her. Tears rapidly formed as she kept looking. "I'm just being silly. The moon's just- really bright tonight. That's why my eyes are watering--" Her voice broke and a fresh round of tears trickled down her face.
Oh, well, no sense trying to fool herself as well as everyone else. This time she let herself cry, still not knowing exactly why she was so affected by Raye and Darien's relationship, but feeling the pain anyway. Why did it hurt so very much whenever she pictured the pair together? It wasn't as if they looked bad with one another. In fact it was the opposite; they looked fantastic as a couple. So what was it, and why did she feel like this about Darien?
***
Darien seemed strangely distant as Serena walked back inside after fifteen minutes out in the night. "Hi," she said in a small voice.
Looking over, Darien returned, "Hello, Serena."
Stung by the cold, remote tone he used toward her, Serena tried again to make conversation. Maybe the case would be, the more the found out about him, the more she would think he was totally wrong for her. It sure seemed to be the way it was going now. She hoped in the back of her mind that it wouldn't, but she had to force herself to accept the reality that Darien was Raye's and would most likely never be her own. "So, how long have you and Raye been, um, boyfriend and girlfriend?"
"A couple of weeks." Darien sighed and shifted his feet. His stormy blue eyes held a frosty look, and Serena began to feel even more uncomfortable around him.
"Oh, that's good," Serena stalled.
"Listen, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to be somewhere." Darien gave Serena a brief nod and walked over to where Raye stood near the buffet table.
"Right," Serena whispered. She got the message, all right. That frigid rebuff had been all she needed to realise Darien was not interested in the least in her.
***
Serena floated through the next few days, lost in her own little world. Raye had been merciless on her, but Serena truly had not cared. She wasn't even paying attention to the girl. The only thing- the only person- on her mind was Darien.
"Serena?" Molly Baker tapped her best friend on the shoulder. They were walking down one of the hectic main streets in the heart of Tokyo. "Ya wanna go and get some ice cream?"
"Huh? Oh! Oh, yeah, sure Mol," Serena said with a catch in her voice.
"Serena? Is something wrong?" Molly asked, red eyebrows creased.
"Nothing a little ice cream won't fix," Serena lied. She pasted a smile on her face and led the way into the ice cream parlour. The instant she set foot inside the door she wanted to turn around and run right back the way she came in. Darien and Raye were sitting there, sharing a chocolate ice cream soda. Serena's knees went weak and the hateful feeling of jealously pierced her aching heart.
"Wow, he sure is cute," Molly noted as she laid eyes on Darien for herself. "I've seen him around a few times. Goes to university, I think. Who's the girl he's with?"
"I--" Serena stopped and cleared her throat. "I've never seen her before," she lied. "Must just be a casual fling of his or something."
Molly laughed. "Yeah. Guys are like that. I'm lucky I've got Melvin though. You know, Serena, one of these days you gotta get a guy so we can double date. It'll be so much fun!"
"Mm-hm," Serena managed to say through the sudden lump in her throat. "I sure will get a guy one of these weeks."
Molly and Serena stayed in the parlour for half an hour. Each second was painful for Serena. She didn't want to look at Raye's happy face, because it made her feel both jealous and bad at the same time. Jealous because she was with him and bad because Serena knew she should be happy for Raye.
The final straw came when Darien and Raye shared a passionate kiss once the last drop of ice cream was drained from their glass. Serena pushed back her chair and strode out without finishing the sundae she'd ordered. Molly panted after her.
"Serena? What is wrong with you?" Molly asked, annoyed.
"Nothing! I'm just not hungry anymore." Serena turned away so Molly couldn't see the sheen of water covering her eyes. "Okay?"
Molly's own eyes narrowed. "Fine, Serena. That's just fine. Keep secrets from me if you want to, because I don't care. I'm going. See you in school tomorrow." She stalked away from the devastated Serena.
Angry, Serena sat down on a bench and watched Molly walk away. It wasn't Molly that she was angry at, but Darien and Raye. It was because of Darien that Serena was feeling this way, and it was Raye who was pushing Serena to her limits with all this possessive behaviour. There had to be something Serena could do about this hapless obsession. But what? She had to find something before Darien ruined every other friendship she had as well.
Out of the blue, an idea formed in Serena's head, cutting forcefully through the fog of her mind. Her deep blue eyes widened. As she thought about the idea again, she shook her head. "No," she said aloud. "No way. There is absolutely no way in this world I would ever do that to Raye, or degrade myself like that," she told herself.
But the more that idea replayed in Serena's head, the more she liked it. She had to stop this. She got up and ran, hoping that if she left the place that the idea had struck her in, she would leave it behind. However, it ran with her. Serena sighed. "No!" she shouted, far away from everyone and everything. "I will not do that to her. I won't. Don't even tempt me," she warned her scheming mind. "Do not even tempt me."
