Hey, all, I'm back! It's been a week since I've written anything! But now I'm back with a brand new and fun chapter of this great story. So here we go!!

Chapter 2:

If Only I Had a Nickel
On Tuesday, the girls and I all went to the arcade. They went to see who Darien was, and I just went to see Darien period. When we got there, Andrew was sitting at the counter talking to some weird looking guy, but Darien was nowhere to be seen. We all went up to the counter, and ordered milkshakes from Andrew, then went to the back and sat in a booth.

Unbeknownst to my friends, that guy who was talking to Andrew freaked me out. He kept looking back at me every five seconds, like he was dazed by me. Freaky. He had really cold looking eyes, kind of like gray steel, and light blonde hair. He was really lanky and tall, and in my opinion, the ugliest blonde guy I've ever seen.

Andrew came to the back carrying our milkshakes, and set them on the table. I reached for a chocolate one, and then turned to the adorable guy standing in front of us.

"Hey, Andy, who's that freaky guy you were talking to? He's creeping me out." I shivered, partly from the milkshake but mostly from the thought of Mr. Ugly.

Andrew shrugged. "I have no idea. He just came in and started talking to me. He is freaky looking, isn't he? Looks like a stalker. Watch out when you leave, girls, ok? If you leave around 5:00, I'll walk with you, but otherwise, just be careful." He nodded to us, grabbed the empty tray, and wandered to the front.

I was watching the sliding doors where we had come in, looking for a glimpse of Darien gliding in, but saw no avail. I sighed and turned to drink my milkshake and listen to Amy worry over the guy at the front. Mina was laughing, and Lita was bragging that she could take the skinny guy on, but Raye and I were silent.

Raye turned to me and smiled. "Sorry he wasn't here, Serena. Guess we'll meet him later. "

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess." I sighed, and started to slurp on the chocolate drink. I glanced out the window and gasped. "GUYS!!!!"

All four heads whipped around to face the window. "WHAT!"

"That's him! He's coming in here!" I squealed.

We all pressed our faces against the window and watched as Darien walked nonchalantly towards the arcade, no doubt coming from the park. He stopped and waited for the light to change and give him permission to cross the crowded street. He ran a hand through his hair as he glided across the street, and I noticed lots of female eyes stopping to give him a look. (Which pissed me off!) The sliding doors of the arcade opened and he journeyed through them. All five pairs of our eyes watched his every move, his every silent gesture and nod he gave to people he knew, his every single breathtaking step on this humongous glorious planet...aw, crap, sorry...I'm mumbling and droning on...you get the picture, though, right? He was amazing, and the girls furthermore agreed!

"Wow...you know how to pick 'em, Sere!" Lita whistled, patting me on the back.

"He's...he's..." Raye stuttered, blinking her purple eyes.

"Amazing, gorgeous, perfect, handsome...all of the above!" Mina exclaimed. "Ok, if there is a plan for setting Serena up with this guy, I am SO in!"

Ami nodded. "Usually, I surpass the notion of flirting and tarnished...'match making', but for this cause, I agree with Mina!"

I smiled dreamily. "I'm in love with him, and all I know about him is that he likes to tease the hell out of me, and he's gorgeous..."

"Well, c'mon, let's go get another milkshake...or at least pretend to!" Raye bounded out of the booth, and we all followed.

We had long since forgotten the freaky dude, but I noticed that he was still there, and his immoral eyes seemed to be stalking us. I shivered, and walked up in between Mina and Ami.

"Hey, Andy, can we have five more milkshakes?" Raye leaned over the counter and called to our blonde friend, who was making a drink for some little girl with pigtails.

"Sure! All chocolates?" He handed the Mountain Dew to the child and turned to the five of us.

"One vanilla!" Ami raised a finger in a gesture.

Andrew nodded. "Alright, four chocolates and a vanilla."

Lita sat on the stool next to Darien, who wasn't in the least paying attention, but reading a newspaper fixedly.

She shrugged, grinning at us.

I grinned back, and sat on the other side of Darien, and tapped him on the shoulder innocently.

His head shot up, and he looked at me, then turned and looked at Lita, then back at me. He grinned. "You want to sit here, don't you, Meatball head?"

I groaned and nodded all at the same time. "Yes, please, and don't call me that!"

Raye gasped and grinned. "Hey, I love it! Meatball head, Meatball head! Serena is a meatball head!"

I sighed. "Thanks, Darien, thanks a lot."

He stood and patted my head. "You're welcome, Meatball head." He stepped back gracefully, and let me take his seat.

I sat down, and turned to talk to Lita when he reached over my head and grabbed his newspaper and coffee. I looked straight up at him and stuck my tongue out at him. "You know, you could have don that when you got up."

"I know, but it's so much more fun to see you squirm while I lift hot coffee over your head." He winked.

I scoffed. "Whatever. How you can drink that stuff is beyond me." I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

He laughed and took the seat I had been occupying. "You acquire a taste for it, Meatball head."

"Yuck!"

Andrew walked up with the milkshakes and laughed. "I'm with you, Serena. Coffee IS disgusting. "

Darien rolled his perfect blue eyes at his friend. "How come you always take her side?"

Andrew grabbed me in an over the counter hug. "Cause she's just so cute!"

The girls giggled behind me as I swatted Andrew away. "Hate to tell you this, Andy, but, unfortunately, you have a girlfriend!"

"Yah, but you'd be my first choice if I didn't!" He winked and kissed my cheek.

I rolled my eyes. "You're almost as impossible to get rid of as that weird guy over there!" I thumbed to the weird guy who was STILL string at me. "He's been eyeing me for the past hour!"

Lita grabbed my shoulders. "Want me to sick 'em?"

"Down, girl...I don't know what to think of him..."

Andrew frowned, and Darien turned to glance at the peculiar man who was sitting two seats away from him, sipping at a coke. He turned back to the girls and me. "You be careful when you leave here, ok?"

I nodded, touched that he cared. "We will...besides, we have Lita to kick his ass if he tries anything!"

"Still...he looks familiar..." He shrugged, and turned back to the paper he was reading. He gulped and gestured to Andrew. "I think I know why he looked familiar. Girls, one of you got a cell phone?"

"I do..." Raye raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Andrew gasped when he saw what Darien was pointing at. "Never mind, I have a phone in the back. I'm calling the police." He ran to the back, the man still sitting there, deaf to everything around him.

"Girls, why don't you all head home, or go hang out at one of your houses? "Darien nodded to us to leave.

"Why? What are you and Andy getting worked up over?" I grabbed the newspaper from him and saw a large bold picture on page 3.

"OH MY GOD!! THERE"S A RAPIST AND A CHILD MOLESTER IN HERE!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, terrified out of my mind.

Darien groaned. "Serena, you idiot! Andrew was going to call the cops...all you had to do was leave and you'd be safe, but, no, you had to be yourself! Stupid and.... oh, crap. We do not have time to argue about your idiocy! He's getting away!" Darien scolded at me, then lunged out of his chair and tackled the guy to the ground. I stood, stunned, clutching the newspaper, as I watched Darien punch the guy out.

Andrew ran out front and pushed everyone out the door he could, then turned to help Darien hurl the guy on a chair to await the arrival of the police. At that point, I don't remember what happened, because, according to what Lita told me later, I passed out.

Wednesday and Thursday flew by and I didn't see Darien either days, mainly because I stayed in bed with a really bad cold that many allergies had helped to develop. It was one of those, too weak to be the flu and yet enough to keep you in bed for two days. I had gotten over the shock of seeing a criminal, but I still would not watch the local news, because his eyes still scared the crap out of me. I was eagerly waiting for Friday to come, though, because I was dying to talk to Darien. I had recently become obsessed with trying to find the right words for thanking him for carrying me home after I passed out, but so far I had none. So there I sat, miserable, going over a million different thank you speeches, preparing for that fateful moment when I would see him.

When Friday afternoon came, I ran out of the school before Miss Haruna, my teacher even had the chance to give me detention for sleeping in class. I had been on time that morning, just so I wouldn't run into Darien. I wanted to talk to him this afternoon, and no sooner!

I skipped the entire way to the arcade and when I walked in and saw Darien already sitting at the counter, I almost fainted. He was looking especially good today. He had on a tight navy blue sweater, because it was getting a bit colder out, and khaki pants. C'mon, I was in long sleeves when it was the beginning of September! It was now, what, September 26? Sweaters were perfect for the weather...especially TIGHT sweaters...

I walked to the front and gave my order to Andrew, who in turn began to make me a coke. I sat down nest to Darien, and turned to speak to him when I lost all those precious rehearsed words when I saw him smiling at me.

"Feeling any better, Meatball head? The girls said you had a cold. Too many cold milkshakes, I presume. Please don't tell me that you ate ice cream while recuperating."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course I didn't, loser! I'm not that stupid, like you tried to point the other day before I passed out! You're so mean!"

He flinched. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean it that way, but you know, what you did was pretty stupid. I got a very nice bruise on my chin thanks to you."

I blushed. "Sorry...I was...um...shocked? I guess... I really don't know what came over me...maybe it was just the fact that a stalker and rapist had been watching me, and it kinda freaked me out..."

He smiled sympathetically. "You had a right to be freaked out." He stood. "I'd better go or I'll be late. I have a physics class on Fridays. Bye, Serena. I'll see you tomorrow." He smiled again at me and turned and walked out.

I was in shock again, I think. Andrew walked up with my coke and I was still staring out the door, wanting to ask him to come back.

Andrew raised an eyebrow and waved a hand in front of my face. "Serena? Are you there?"

I shook out of my reverie and nodded. "Yah, I'm just...I don't know what to call it...I'm at a loss for words when it comes to that man. I can't describe it...He's just so..."

Andrew looked confused. "You mean Darien? I thought you hated him."

I gasped. "HATE HIM!! Are you insane!"

"Oh, I get it. You like him...maybe more than like him. IS that why you came in earlier the other day with the girls and why you came in early today? So you could see him?" Andrew leaned on the counter, looking right into my eyes, as if he was trying to spot a lie.

I smiled dreamily. "Yeah...I can't deny it...I'm in love with him, Andy. But...even though it seems like he's going to start being nice to me, I'll never be anything but the annoying 16 year old girl that likes to call him jerk to him. "

"I don't know, Serena. He pays to much attention to you for him to think that. I know him very well, I'm his best friend, and I've never seen him show interest to any of the girls that come in here, until you came along."

My eyes perked up. "Really? You think he may like me?"

He grinned. "Maybe. But it makes me mad, cause I saw you first." H winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I love you, too, Andy, but I gotta go! My mom said to be home by four. The stalker has her freaked out lately. He's in jail again, but still she worries. Bye, Andrew!" I turned and hopped happily out of the arcade.

Well, there you go. Chapter 3 is comin soon!

Luv u all and God Bless

LunaGirl