Chapter 4
"Are you guys sure?" asked Raye as she finished her drink. "Yes, Raye," said Mina. "Darien was with another woman, and he asked Andrew to watch his place while he was gone." "That snake!" spat Raye startling Elizabeth as she passed them. "Keep down you guys," she said. "So where's Serena?" "She's out of town," said Amy. "Aw, and she didn't tell me," said Elizabeth. "How mean." "Serena's been really stressed for the past several months," said Lita. "Something's going on." "Well I'm glad that Mrs. Campbell gave us the phone number," Amy said. "We can call and keep an eye on her." "Let's go call her right now," said Mina. "Yeah," said Raye. The girls climbed out of the booth, paid for their drinks, and went to Amy's house to call Serena.
//What a beautiful day. I'm so glad that Darien and I came up here and got away from all of the stress. // Thought Serena as she walked down the sidewalk. //But I still miss them all. I should at least call Amy. She can tell the others that I'm okay and not to worry. // She passed for a moment and looked at the store before her. //I better not. Raye'll just get even madder at me and so will the others. Oh what am I going to do? // "Excuse me, miss," called a gentle voice. "Huh?" said Serena as she looked up. There before her was a young man with short wavy black hair and glassy green eyes. He was tall and handsome. A real looker and he was so muscular, also. "You look lost," he said with a warm smile. "Can I help you?" "I'm just lost in my thoughts I guess but you can't help me with that," she said. "What kind of thoughts?" he asked. "I just miss all of my friends. That's all," she said walking into the store. "Mind if I keep you company then?" he asked. "Sure," she said. "My name's Jay," he said as they entered the store. "What's yours?" "I'm Serena," she said. "So you're the new girl out here," exclaimed Jay. "I saw you drive through earlier." "Oh," she said. "I hate stores." "What do you need?" he asked. "Something for dinner," she said. "Darien should have come with me." "Oh so you're here with someone," Jay said. "So are you two dating or are you." "Oh we're engaged," Serena said holding her hand to her heart. There on her left ring finger was a ring with a heart shaped diamond in the center. "We've been through so much," she said. "It's amazing that we're still together at all and not dead." "What do you mean dead?" inquired Jay as Serena picked up a frozen pizza and looked at it. "Never mind," she said. "I didn't mean to say that last part out loud." "Is he abusive to you? Or is he even meaner than that?" Serena closed her eyes and shook her head. "Darien's a prince to me," she said with a smile. "He would never harm me in any way." Jay just stood there and couldn't believe that he had asked Serena if she was being abused by her fiancé. He felt like such a jerk. Serena chose a few pizzas that she and Darien would both like and turned to Jay. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm sorry about what I said. I should never have assumed that you were being abused," he exclaimed. "Here let me help you." "Oh it's okay," she said allowing him to take the pizzas. "My friends believe he's with another woman." "Why?" "My hair is usually up in two buns with the rest hanging freely, but today I did my hair like this." "Oh I see. So what else do you need?" "I don't know." "Serena," came a gentle voice. "There you are." Serena and Jay turned around and saw Darien walking towards them with a cart. He was now wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans with a pair of tennis shoes. "Darien," said Serena giving him a hug. "Did you finish everything already?" "Yes," Darien said. "I didn't know if you wanted me to put your things away or not so I just set the suitcase on the bed." "Okay, thank you," she said. "Oh, Darien, this is Jay. We just ran into each other a couple minutes ago." "Hello," said Jay. "Hi, thanks for looking after Serena," said Darien holding out his hand. "She's very important to me." Jay shook Darien's hand and said, "It was no problem. I was just helping her find something for dinner actually." "Oh I see you've chosen pizza," Darien said with a smile as he took the pizzas from Jay and putting them in the cart. "Maybe we'll get some ice cream also." "Okay," Serena said. "Can we get some soda?" "I guess, but not a lot," he said. "We've got to go. Hope to see you around, Jay." "Bye, Jay," said Serena as she and Darien walked down the aisle. "Bye," said Jay as he went the other way. "So what kind of soda do you want?" asked Darien. "Only two." "Um.cola and sprite," she said. "Okay and how about some chocolate ice cream," he suggested. "Yeah," she said. They continued shopping for another half an hour until they had all of the basic necessities for living. When they arrived back at the house, Darien put away the groceries and turned on the oven for the pizzas. Serena went upstairs and put her belongings away. She sat on the bed and brushed out her hair and then tied it back in a high ponytail. Her attention was pulled to the window that looked over the back yard. //Why did I leave you all? Why did I leave my only friends? // Serena put her hands on her stomach. //I'm sorry, guys. But I had to. // Ring. The phone rang a couple more times before Serena looked at the call ID. It was Amy. Why was she calling the country house? How did she even get the number? "Well I better pick it up," she said answering the phone. "Hello." "May I please speak to Serena," said Amy politely. "This is her," said Serena as she sat on the couch with the cordless. "Hi, Serena, it's Amy," she said. "How are you?" "I'm fine, Amy," Serena said looking out the window. "How did you get this number?" "You mother gave it to us," answered Amy. "Why didn't you tell us you were going out of town?" "I don't know," lied Serena. "So who all's there?" "Everyone, even Luna and Artemis are here," she said. "Even Raye's there," said Serena. "Yes and we're all worried about you," she said. "Mina wants to talk to you." "Okay," said Serena as Amy handed the phone over. "Hey, Serena," said Mina sweetly. "How are you?" "Yeah I'm fine," she said. "Is Raye mad at me still?" "A little, but all of us are," stated Mina. "You just left us without a single word." "Look guys I'm sorry, but you would have told me to stay," she pointed out. "Plus you guys gave me the cold shoulder last night, except Darien." "Serena, we've got some bad news about Darien," said Mina. "Amy and Lita saw him with another woman earlier today after you left. Plus they were going out of town." "I know," lied Serena. "That's also why I left to come up here for a while. He told me that he was taking her home and leaving her for good." Darien came into the room looked at Serena with confusion. He brought her a soda while he checked up on her. She saw him and smiled. "Lita want's to say something to you, Serena," said Mina as she passed the phone. "Hey, Serena," said Lita. "Look we're really sorry for giving you the cold shoulder last night. Do you forgive us?" "Of course I do," she said. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "Hey look, Raye want's to say something," said Lita. "So I hope you come home soon." "Okay, I'll try," Serena said. "Hey, Serena," said Raye nicely. "I'm really sorry for what I said last night. I shouldn't have been so mean to you. We should have let you explain yourself, before jumping to conclusions." "It's okay, Raye," said Serena. "Hey listen. I've got to go. I'm really tired and plus I need to eat something before I pass out. So I'll talk to you guys later." "Okay," said Raye. "Bye." Serena hung up the phone and began to sob. Darien set down the soda and took his future wife into his arms. "It's all right," he said cradling her in his arms. "Come lye down and relax." Darien led Serena to the bed and laid her down. He picked up a notebook that was on his side of the bed and opened it. With a pen he began to write in the book. "What's that for?" asked Serena. "It's so that I can keep track of your health. We don't want you getting sick on us now, do we?" he teased taking her pulse. "No," she laughed. "I like it when you take care of me, Darien." Darien smiled as he stood up. He handed Serena her soda and looked out he window. "You do know that they will try and get the address of this house from your family," he said. "I know," she said drinking her soda. "I've told mother to give it to them and call when she did." "But we won't be prepared for them to visit," he stated. "I'm going to get dinner started."
"Are you guys sure?" asked Raye as she finished her drink. "Yes, Raye," said Mina. "Darien was with another woman, and he asked Andrew to watch his place while he was gone." "That snake!" spat Raye startling Elizabeth as she passed them. "Keep down you guys," she said. "So where's Serena?" "She's out of town," said Amy. "Aw, and she didn't tell me," said Elizabeth. "How mean." "Serena's been really stressed for the past several months," said Lita. "Something's going on." "Well I'm glad that Mrs. Campbell gave us the phone number," Amy said. "We can call and keep an eye on her." "Let's go call her right now," said Mina. "Yeah," said Raye. The girls climbed out of the booth, paid for their drinks, and went to Amy's house to call Serena.
//What a beautiful day. I'm so glad that Darien and I came up here and got away from all of the stress. // Thought Serena as she walked down the sidewalk. //But I still miss them all. I should at least call Amy. She can tell the others that I'm okay and not to worry. // She passed for a moment and looked at the store before her. //I better not. Raye'll just get even madder at me and so will the others. Oh what am I going to do? // "Excuse me, miss," called a gentle voice. "Huh?" said Serena as she looked up. There before her was a young man with short wavy black hair and glassy green eyes. He was tall and handsome. A real looker and he was so muscular, also. "You look lost," he said with a warm smile. "Can I help you?" "I'm just lost in my thoughts I guess but you can't help me with that," she said. "What kind of thoughts?" he asked. "I just miss all of my friends. That's all," she said walking into the store. "Mind if I keep you company then?" he asked. "Sure," she said. "My name's Jay," he said as they entered the store. "What's yours?" "I'm Serena," she said. "So you're the new girl out here," exclaimed Jay. "I saw you drive through earlier." "Oh," she said. "I hate stores." "What do you need?" he asked. "Something for dinner," she said. "Darien should have come with me." "Oh so you're here with someone," Jay said. "So are you two dating or are you." "Oh we're engaged," Serena said holding her hand to her heart. There on her left ring finger was a ring with a heart shaped diamond in the center. "We've been through so much," she said. "It's amazing that we're still together at all and not dead." "What do you mean dead?" inquired Jay as Serena picked up a frozen pizza and looked at it. "Never mind," she said. "I didn't mean to say that last part out loud." "Is he abusive to you? Or is he even meaner than that?" Serena closed her eyes and shook her head. "Darien's a prince to me," she said with a smile. "He would never harm me in any way." Jay just stood there and couldn't believe that he had asked Serena if she was being abused by her fiancé. He felt like such a jerk. Serena chose a few pizzas that she and Darien would both like and turned to Jay. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm sorry about what I said. I should never have assumed that you were being abused," he exclaimed. "Here let me help you." "Oh it's okay," she said allowing him to take the pizzas. "My friends believe he's with another woman." "Why?" "My hair is usually up in two buns with the rest hanging freely, but today I did my hair like this." "Oh I see. So what else do you need?" "I don't know." "Serena," came a gentle voice. "There you are." Serena and Jay turned around and saw Darien walking towards them with a cart. He was now wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans with a pair of tennis shoes. "Darien," said Serena giving him a hug. "Did you finish everything already?" "Yes," Darien said. "I didn't know if you wanted me to put your things away or not so I just set the suitcase on the bed." "Okay, thank you," she said. "Oh, Darien, this is Jay. We just ran into each other a couple minutes ago." "Hello," said Jay. "Hi, thanks for looking after Serena," said Darien holding out his hand. "She's very important to me." Jay shook Darien's hand and said, "It was no problem. I was just helping her find something for dinner actually." "Oh I see you've chosen pizza," Darien said with a smile as he took the pizzas from Jay and putting them in the cart. "Maybe we'll get some ice cream also." "Okay," Serena said. "Can we get some soda?" "I guess, but not a lot," he said. "We've got to go. Hope to see you around, Jay." "Bye, Jay," said Serena as she and Darien walked down the aisle. "Bye," said Jay as he went the other way. "So what kind of soda do you want?" asked Darien. "Only two." "Um.cola and sprite," she said. "Okay and how about some chocolate ice cream," he suggested. "Yeah," she said. They continued shopping for another half an hour until they had all of the basic necessities for living. When they arrived back at the house, Darien put away the groceries and turned on the oven for the pizzas. Serena went upstairs and put her belongings away. She sat on the bed and brushed out her hair and then tied it back in a high ponytail. Her attention was pulled to the window that looked over the back yard. //Why did I leave you all? Why did I leave my only friends? // Serena put her hands on her stomach. //I'm sorry, guys. But I had to. // Ring. The phone rang a couple more times before Serena looked at the call ID. It was Amy. Why was she calling the country house? How did she even get the number? "Well I better pick it up," she said answering the phone. "Hello." "May I please speak to Serena," said Amy politely. "This is her," said Serena as she sat on the couch with the cordless. "Hi, Serena, it's Amy," she said. "How are you?" "I'm fine, Amy," Serena said looking out the window. "How did you get this number?" "You mother gave it to us," answered Amy. "Why didn't you tell us you were going out of town?" "I don't know," lied Serena. "So who all's there?" "Everyone, even Luna and Artemis are here," she said. "Even Raye's there," said Serena. "Yes and we're all worried about you," she said. "Mina wants to talk to you." "Okay," said Serena as Amy handed the phone over. "Hey, Serena," said Mina sweetly. "How are you?" "Yeah I'm fine," she said. "Is Raye mad at me still?" "A little, but all of us are," stated Mina. "You just left us without a single word." "Look guys I'm sorry, but you would have told me to stay," she pointed out. "Plus you guys gave me the cold shoulder last night, except Darien." "Serena, we've got some bad news about Darien," said Mina. "Amy and Lita saw him with another woman earlier today after you left. Plus they were going out of town." "I know," lied Serena. "That's also why I left to come up here for a while. He told me that he was taking her home and leaving her for good." Darien came into the room looked at Serena with confusion. He brought her a soda while he checked up on her. She saw him and smiled. "Lita want's to say something to you, Serena," said Mina as she passed the phone. "Hey, Serena," said Lita. "Look we're really sorry for giving you the cold shoulder last night. Do you forgive us?" "Of course I do," she said. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. "Hey look, Raye want's to say something," said Lita. "So I hope you come home soon." "Okay, I'll try," Serena said. "Hey, Serena," said Raye nicely. "I'm really sorry for what I said last night. I shouldn't have been so mean to you. We should have let you explain yourself, before jumping to conclusions." "It's okay, Raye," said Serena. "Hey listen. I've got to go. I'm really tired and plus I need to eat something before I pass out. So I'll talk to you guys later." "Okay," said Raye. "Bye." Serena hung up the phone and began to sob. Darien set down the soda and took his future wife into his arms. "It's all right," he said cradling her in his arms. "Come lye down and relax." Darien led Serena to the bed and laid her down. He picked up a notebook that was on his side of the bed and opened it. With a pen he began to write in the book. "What's that for?" asked Serena. "It's so that I can keep track of your health. We don't want you getting sick on us now, do we?" he teased taking her pulse. "No," she laughed. "I like it when you take care of me, Darien." Darien smiled as he stood up. He handed Serena her soda and looked out he window. "You do know that they will try and get the address of this house from your family," he said. "I know," she said drinking her soda. "I've told mother to give it to them and call when she did." "But we won't be prepared for them to visit," he stated. "I'm going to get dinner started."
