Hey, minna! Here's a brand new chapter to a great story! Wow! This is the first time I actually like one of my stories and not think that it needs to be changed! Well, I hope you enjoy! Please remember to review and if you want to, drop me an email!

Chapter 3:

If Only I Had A Nickel

Three days after Darien had been really nice to me, Mina and Raye had formulated a plan for getting us together. Now, wait, I know what you're thinking. You're saying, "Wait, you said earlier that your friends said to give it up, and that they were sick of your hopeless crush?" Well...I'll get to that! You just have to be patient! Don't worry; I'm not contradicting myself, even though it may look like that.

Anyways, Monday rolled around and Raye had called us all to the temple with a plan for getting Darien and me together. I was really excited about it, too. So excited that I ran out of the school before the bell had even rung. Bad idea. Miss Haruna gave me a twenty-minute session of detention. It made me so mad, because now I would be late! Twenty minutes seemed to drag on forever, but finally, she let me go. I ran the entire way to the temple, but wasn't expecting one thing that I really knew in the back of my mind was bound to happen.

WHAM! I felt my nose go numb as I hit something incredibly hard. I fell backwards, and hit the paved sidewalk below me. I looked up and saw that the temple was two feet away, and then I felt really stupid. See, I have a bit of a problem. My mother calls it self-esteem. I call it stupidity. When I run, I never look up. I just run, and if I hit something...well...you'll find out...

"Meatball head, why are you always in such a hurry?" My eyes rose up towards the sky and I saw Darien looking down at me with a grin on his handsome face.

He offered me a hand up, and I gratefully took it. "Sorry, I WAS in kind of a hurry. Two feet from the temple and I fall on my butt! Sheesh...maybe I should take a class on how to walk...much less run! Sorry for that, Darien, but I'm already twenty minutes late! I have to go!" I waved to him, and then started to sprint up the stone steps. I saw him watching me climb up the tall hill of stairs, so I turned and called down to him. "By the way, quit calling me Meatball head!" Then, I bounded up the stairs.

I nearly broke my leg jumping into Raye's room, but when I got there, I noticed that Ami and Lita were there, but Raye and Mina were nowhere to be seen. I asked Ami where they were, and she said they were late. I was happy that I wasn't going to be yelled at by Raye, but kind of worried. How could she be late getting to her own home? It was weird, but my fears were relieved when I saw Raye walk in with Mina right behind her, carrying a carton of milkshakes from the arcade and a fold out brochure.

Ami passed out the drinks, and turned to Raye. "What's that, Raye?" She nodded to the paper in Raye's hand.

"The answer to our match making problem. Mina and I were worried that we wouldn't come up with a good plan, but then I saw this. It was sitting on the arcade counter. Perfect, don't you think?"

She spread the brochure out on the table and let the rest of us take a look at it.

"A cruise sweepstakes brochure? Raye, are you crazy? We can't send Serena and Darien on a cruise! It...well...her parents would freak!" Lita shook her head and sat back, not approving of it in any way.

"She's right. My dad would freak. Anything else?" I sighed and grabbed a milkshake.

Raye looked upset. "Crap! No, nothing else! Guys, what has happened to me? I used to be so good at this! I'm losing my touch!"

Mina patted her arm. "Aww, it's ok, Raye. You'll find your edge again. Just try to relax. I have the answer to all of our problems! The Museum of Sciences right here in Tokyo! I saw Darien there today when my class was there. He works there! I asked our supervisor about him, and works from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m. Mondays thru Thursdays!"

I rolled my eyes. "No way am I going to skip school to go to a museum! Yuck! He has a really bad job!"

"Well, what else is there for you to do? You have to! Besides, I have a plan! You won't go to the museum as the gangly teenage girl Serena, but as a sophisticated young woman. All I need is Raye's make-up kit, Ami's wardrobe, cause she's got all those suits she wears to benefits at the hospital, and Lita, I really need those hair stick things you put in your hair sometimes. We'll twist her hair up."

"Mina..." I started to say.

"Whoa, hear me out! Listen, you may go as someone else, but once Darien gets to know the sophisticated girl, you'll reveal whom you really are. Hey, Ames, can we use your glasses?"

Ami shook her head. "No, Mina. I won't let you hurt Serena's eyesight by making her wear my reading glasses. I'll make some with glass lenses. Just give me till tomorrow."

"Ok, even better." Mina stood from her place at the table and grabbed my hand. "Let's get to work! Raye, grab your kit, and let's get over to Ami's. She's got the clothes. C'mon!"

She started to drag me out the door. I really didn't like this plan, but it had potential, so I went along with it.

The next morning I was scared out of my mind. It was Tuesday, and the girls and I had met at the temple so they could put the finishing touches on my costume. Ami slipped glasses on my eyes, and Mina made me change shoes. I had been wearing clogs, but she made me out on stiletto heels. They were actually very pretty shoes, but they were hard to walk in. They were about three inches high, and were made of black leather. My dress was really nice too, or I guess I should call it Mina's dress. Yeah, I know. I thought we were going to use one of Ami's dresses, too, but Mina had other plans. She thought all of Ami's skirts weren't short enough, which made Ami mad. (She's very conservative) So, instead we used a suit of Mina's that she had never worn because she never had a purpose for wearing it, and then we added my own set of pearl earrings, a strand of Ami's pearls, Raye's make up expertise, and then Lita took two black chopsticks and wound my hair up. I looked a lot older, yes, but I still didn't think it would work. I didn't tell Mina, but I thought the dress was a little too tight. Or maybe it was supposed to be...anyways, it had a black, very conventional button up jacket that I wore open with a white blouse, and a really short black skirt. It went up past my thigh! But Mina still thought I should wear it, so I was stuck with it.

So, after the girls plucked and trimmed at me for about half an hour, I was ready. They walked with me until I got to the museum, then Mina gave me strict instructions about how to act and whom I should tell Darien I was, and then they turned and walked off, leaving me across the street from the museum, carrying a small black purse, and all the dread in the world. I was very anxious, and scared. I really didn't want to do this. He would see right through me, I knew. But...you only live once. So I went on.

I carefully crossed the street, making sure I walked slowly. I was still very wary about the stupid shoes. I walked up the steps leading into the massive building, and then reached in my purse for the ten dollars I had with me. It sucks when you have to pay to get into a place you hate.

After I paid the man at the front desk, I walked through a room that had the intention of looking like a diagram of the human heart. I almost threw up at that point. It was disgusting! It showed all kinds of crap I did not want to see! I was about to turn and walk out when I saw him. He was pointing out certain parts of the room to a cluster of little kids. I smiled and stood back to watch. He was really fantastic with them, calling up volunteers to do little things like touch a button to make a red liquid spill out of the aorta. I supposed it was supposed to represent blood. But I was too caught up with watching him to care. At one point, he looked up and noticed me watching. I was surprised. He had no clue regarding who I was, because all he did was smile and nod his head and turn back to a little boy holding a plastic figure of a vein.

I was happy he didn't know who I was, but disappointed that he had to leave with the group. I turned around and walked in the opposite direction, and into a room where it looked like a bunch of basketballs bouncing around in a sealed container, but I learned it was supposed to represent an atom, which freaked me out. I instantly walked out. I hated the study of atoms so much that I failed physical science.

Ok, so I was definitely not expecting what happened next to happen. It freaked me out, really. I turned around to walk into another room, and there he stood right in front of me. He smiled at me, and startled me when he spoke.

"You know, Meatball head, this was a pretty lame idea for skipping school."

I was shocked, amazed, baffled! I had no idea that he knew who I was! I stood there speechless, with my mouth wide open.

He raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at my silence. "No fiery response? No temper snaps? What is up with you lately, Serena? We haven't actually fought in ages? I'm getting kind of worried. "

I still just stood there, trying to find the words I needed to say. Finally, after a long moment of silence, I cleared my throat, and tried to speak.

"How...How...How did you know it was me?" I whispered hoarsely.

He grinned. "The disguise doesn't fool me, Serena. You did a good job on it, but I think when I saw you trip over your heel it kind of gave it away. Who should I blame? Mina, Raye, Lita? Please don't tell me Ami was in on this."

"She...She was...kinda... "

He shook his head sadly." You girls are crazy, you know that? Why'd you sneak in here of all places?"

"I...um...well..." At that point, I turned and fled. I heard him call my name, but I was too scared to turn back. I ran the entire way home, and halfway there I tripped on the heels, so I took them off. I ran in the house and up to my room, and boy was I glad that my mother was out shopping. I would have gotten an earful about skipping school, and I wasn't in the mood.

That afternoon when I was running to Raye's house, I was fearful that I might have seen him on the street, so I went the back way, through the woods. I had three stings from thorns to prove it, too. I climbed the back wall, and swung over the short cherry tree in the back garden where the sacred dragon sat.

I walked into the temple, down the hallways past the kitchen, then went outside and walked into Raye's room. I saw Ami sitting munching on a candy bar, which surprised me, cause she usually won't eat them, and Raye and Lita throwing a paper ball back and forth. They all jumped up when they saw me.

"Serena. How did it go? You weren't at the arcade and we got worried!" Ami ran up and grabbed me in a hug. I broke down and started to cry.

While sniffling I told them the whole story, and when Raye offered me a tissue and a candy bar, I grabbed the chocolate and stuffed it in my mouth. Whoever said that a teenage girl craves chocolate all the time was 100% correct.

Mina walked in and Raye filled her in. The blonde sighed and put an arm around me. "Sorry, Sere. All is not lost, though. We'll just go to plan B."

"What's that?" I asked tearfully.

"I haven't thought of it yet."

I burst out in tears again.

Well, that is all for the moment. Hope you'll remember to review! Bye for now!

Right now my best friend's grandfather has just gotten over a heart attack.
Please remember them in you prayers!
Thanx!
Luv U All And God Bless!

LunaGirl