Raise your hand if you're a big fan of this story! I'm in a rambling mood so forgive me if I tend to stray from the topic. By the way… you guys are awesome! Such polite, nice and wonderful reviews!

Thanks to: MoonPrincess568: (hehe thanks for that! Yeah I had to look up his name.. the things we all do for fanfiction…), kay (wow… lucky I added that line in at the very last minute then!)bubbles05, cosmos star(if you think THAT's a cliffhanger…evil grin) nessa (Sorry, I should've cleared that up a little more), Bradybunch4529(aww thanks for your politeness!), Lady Dark Angel, Redroses, Moon-Daisuke, Geminigirldani, heaven-sent-angel1 (Lucas sure is gonna have a part in this story! Hey I just realized… you're a NSW girl! ME TOO! Well a NSWer at heart!), koldy and Alicia Blade (I'll try to weave your suggestion into this chapter)

Title: Mystery Girl
Author: Crystal Saturn
Rated: PG 13
Chapter: 7- Serena's Secret

-Ring, ring. Ring, ring-

"Hello?"

"Hi Serena." Oh great. I'm trying to avoid him so what does he do? Call me up! Why is he calling me anyway? I'm Serena the geeky, low-life, nerd remember? I'm not some social butterfly that actually RECEIVES calls.

"Hi… Darien. I umm… I'm kind of busy at the moment…" I lied.

"Oh… alright…" He was disappointed; I could hear it in his voice.

"Why don't you call up Chad or one of the other guys" I rolled my eyes, trying my hardest not to sound sarcastic.

"But you're fun to talk to!" I glanced over to his bedroom window to see him pouting at me with puppy dog eyes and I couldn't help but laugh. He's so cute. In his own way, of course. Not quite Lucas cute but still adorable.

"I can't talk to you…errr right now… maybe some other time ok? I have this English exam I need to study for and I'm failing so-"

"I can help you study for it!"

"No no... It's ok. I can handle it. See ya later ok?" And with that, I hung up and pretended to concentrate and read the blank piece of paper on the desk in front of me. You know, I actually don't know why I'm doing this. Why am I listening to the 'almighty-king-of-the-universe' Chad? Usually I'd do the opposite of what he says just to spite him but this time, I don't know what happened. I AGREED to his terms and conditions. Am I totally nuts? Why am I avoiding Darien? I mean, he's sweet and nice and kind and he's well… pretty much my only friend other than my pot plants I sit and talk to every afternoon. But wait a minute! If Chad and Darien are friends, then why is Darien still being nice to me and why is Chad… well… being Chad? There's something strange going on.

But any who, I can't go back on my word now. I have to keep avoiding him! For the sake of all that I truly believe in and for the sake of my dignity. I can't go back on my word! Although, I do miss my afternoon chats with Darien. He's the only one of my peers that actually sees me for who I am and not for who I pretend to be. Yes, pretend. I know it might sound really strange to you all, but I in fact, pretend to be a nerd. It's not that I like getting picked on, it's just that, well, since my best friend passed away when I was a child, it's been really hard for me to fit in anywhere. Everyone these days is so superficial. Does anyone just hang out and do stuff because it's fun anymore?

And so I choose to live a sheltered life. I've disguised myself as the everyday school geek and I've pushed away anyone that's tried to get close to me, mainly because of a fear of getting hurt again. I am alone in life and that's how I like it. The scars of losing one friend is enough to last a lifetime and I don't want to go through that again, and if I try to mould to the stereotypes, if I try to fit in with the girls at my school, I know they'll back stab me and I'll get hurt again. I don't want to be just like them. I don't want to risk being hurt or hurting someone. So I have a barrier around me and I am determined not to let anyone get to me and if that means a life without trust, friendship or love, then so be it.

:::::::::Darien's Point of View:::::::::

2 Weeks Later

You know, I think Serena is trying to avoid me, and I don't know why! She doesn't even drop off any cookies anymore and every time I try to talk to her she's busy or tired. Something's going on and I want to know what it is. I must know what it is! I'm desperate people! Help me out here! So I decided that in order to save the fragile, delicate remains of whatever sanity I had in the first place, I'd get a job. Besides, I needed the money anyway. So where does a respectable, honest, loyal, suave, smart, good looking guy like me get a job at?

"Welcome to Sand Bank Juice Bar, how can I help you?"

How degrading. Must I wear this stupid green, red and yellow hat? It makes me look corny. REALITY CHECK DARIEN- you're working at a juice bar! You're only ten steps away from the burger joint. Yeah ok, so it's not too bad. The staff members are nice and the work isn't hard. Pay could be better but I'm not complaining… much. But still, as the days pass, I get the feeling Serena's trying to avoid me more and more, and I wish I knew why. So I strolled along the beach, the waves lapping up against my ankles and I breathed in deeply, savouring the smell of the sea. I gazed over to the horizon and knew that if I looked straight ahead of me, I would see her. I gave her a few more seconds before I turned my head. Sure enough, there she was. As beautiful as ever. Her captivating golden locks shimmered in the slight breeze. She had a stick in one hand and was writing in the sand. I was determined not to let her out of my sight this time. So I gradually picked up my pace and walked towards her. My heart began to pound in my chest as I slowly got closer and closer before-

-POW- And everything went black.

Slowly, my senses were coming back to me. I could faintly hear the sea whispering in my ear, calling me back to consciousness. I could feel the cool sand under me. I could smell the sea salt that drifted in the air, and I could feel the pain. Oh yes… the unmistakable pain of being hit on the back of the head. It was then I realized my purpose. My eyes were closed! I lost sight of the girl! In my moment of panic I sat straight up and-

-SMACK!- Ohhhh more pain.

"Oww man… what the hell?" I groaned and looked around to see Chad sitting on the sand rubbing his forehead.

"Damn! Man, warn me the next time you go all 'crouching jack-in-the-box, hidden brick head' on me ok?" Chad frowned "Ohh that'll swell." He carefully rubbed where I had accidentally head butted him.

"Karma." Greg laughed, holding onto a football. "You hit him with the ball and he helped extend your skull capacity."

"Where is she?" I looked around frantically.

"Where's who?" Chad looked at me.

"Her! The girl! You know, the one I've been looking for. With the long gold hair and… the beach girl-"

"Dude maybe we should hit him in the head again." Greg raised an eyebrow and looked at me as though I was a total screwball.

"She was over there!" I pointed to merely a few feet away. "She- she had a stick in her hand and... the sand... and…" I stood up abruptly looking around for her frantically.

"Woah there big guy! Take it easy! You're gonna knock someone out with that hard head of yours." Chad backed up a little. I ran over to where she was standing and sure enough the waves had not quite washed away everything that was written.

"Passion dazzles lovers. Love unites them forever."

It was written in delicate cursive with a few little hearts around it. It was a sign! I know it! I'm dead set convinced it's a sign. She has dazzled me and love will one day unite us. Beside the words, there was a handprint in the sand. Her hand. Her small fragile handprint in the sand. I bent down and gently examined the print with my finger. Her hands were smaller than mine. They looked perfect. I was about to press my hand into the print before a wave stretched across the shore and washed away the last remainder of her presence.

Damn it, just my luck.

Alrighty well there's another chapter. I go back to school in exactly… ::unfolds calendar.. drops it a million times.. picks it up and flicks the pages.. accidentally rips out May:: in 9 days! So I'll be up til midnight (which is 40 minutes away... so probably longer) writing up chapters in advance just in case it gets extra busy. I don't want to disappoint you guys with late chapters and such. I hope you liked this one. Please review!

Crystal Saturn