Chapter 19: Better Luck Next Time

Don't close your eyes
You need to see it all
It's no surprise
That they break you down
At least they won't give you up

Stop tell me where you going
Maybe the one you love isn't there
You're going under
But you're over it all so you don't care about all that I had to see
I'd watch you wait until you come around

It's all wonderful
Living happily

Around 5pm

Irene was washing up the dirty dishes from their late lunch. Darien and Serena helping her, as Samuel was on his handheld computer game. Irene looked up at the calendar, knowing something about today was familiar.

"What's today?"

"Uh, 24th," Darien said as he put away a clean glass.

"24th, why does that sound familiar?" Serena shrugged. "Wait a minute, isn't tonight your last recital for ballet company?"

"I'm not doing it Mom."

"You always end the year with your solo performance."

"Not this year, Mommy."

"But this is your Senior Year!"

"Mom, I said no." Serena put her cloth down and went upstairs. Darien took over.

"Did you know she wasn't doing it?"

"Yeah."

"How could she do that?"

"She is too worried about her father and pleasing him to even have the desire to dance these days."

"Her father loves Serena's ballet. And I'll be damned if she throws away anything to please that stubborn old man. Go, get her costume."

"What?"

"Now!"

"I have a few words for Chief West." Irene left the kitchen. Sammy smiled.

"Uh oh, Papa." Darien smiled and patted Samuel's head. "You better hurry. Mommy is not happy." Darien left.

Serena was blindfolded as she was made to get into the car.

"What is going on!" Serena asked.

"An intervention!"

"About?"

"You will see." Darien pulled up to the high school and let Serena and her mother out the car. Serena was taken inside, still blindfolded.

"Mom, what are we doing here?"

"The show is just an hour away, you are performing tonight," Irene said.

"I said I didn't want to," Serena yelled taking off the cloth.

"Well, tough. I have paid thousands on your training for you to lose it all now."

"Mom, I am not prepared, I haven't trained in days…."

"Just muscle memory then. You can do it."

"Mom, I said…"

"No more, Serena. You are doing your final dance and Darien is performing with you."

"What?"

"He's doing the piano."

"But…"

"No buts." Serena's mother held up Serena's white tutu with white and blue ice top bodysuit design and her white ballet shoes. "Now, get dressed."

Serena stood backstage as Darien came up behind her with in his tux. The second to last act was just finishing up.

"Boo!" Serena jumped and turned to punch the person that just scared her.

"Don't do that!"

"Sorry, baby." Serena still punched him. "Ow! How do I look?"

"Darien!" They hugged. Serena fixed her headpiece before looking out to the crowd.

"Oh, you look good."

"Thanks. I don't see Mom or Sammy?" Serena asked.

"They are out there."

"Where?"

"You'll see. How are you?" Darien asked.

"Feeling a bit nervous."

"You never get nervous."

"I am now."

"Really?" She raised her hands and showed him how they were shaking. Darien took her hands and kissed them. "Your hands are sweaty."

"I told you." She shook his hands.

"You ready to do this?"

"Yes. You sure you want to do this, what if I look like I fool?" Serena asked.

"You won't. Be more concerned with me, that I don't stumble across the pages and ruin your brilliant performance."

"It's just one song and I'm sure you'll be fine."

"For you I will give my all, and do my very best."

"Thank you." They kissed.

"And now the final performance of the night…. On piano, Darien Shields with the final performance of this young lady's career in my company. You will be seeing her shortly, I assure in shows throughout New York City. The young, gifted and beautiful….Miss Serena Kingston West!" Darien took her hand and they walked out together. Darien and Serena bowed to the crowd, before Darien walked to the piano. Serena walked toward the middle of the stage. Serena gasped as her eyes locked with her father in his wheel chair on the opposite side where she stood, behind the stage. Serena's mother and brother were standing beside him, with their hands on his shoulders. Serena's father nodded with a smile. Serena smiled. Darien looked up at Serena, awaiting her signal. Serena walked to the middle with her eyes soaking up her final dance on this stage as an apprentice. A few tears formed in Serena's eyes. The crowd finally quiet from the clapping having enjoyed Serena's final shows of the year since she was 12, now a finished and fine dancer. Serena's head went down, as went into her stance with a nod to Darien. She closed her eyes with a silent prayer she mouthed. Darien started playing the piano softly.

Samuel was lifted into Serena's arms after she bowed to the crowd on her way out from another magnificent performance.

"Whoa! How many spins was that!"

"About 7."

"Better luck next time!"

"Ha!" Serena shook his hair out of place.

"You have done 8 before."

"Well, Papa…think I can make it in New York?" Serena asked as she stood before her parents.

"After that, I don't see why not?" Irene said.

"Papa?"

"You will be the greatest ballet dancer in the world." Serena put her baby brother down and hugged him. "Because you are already the greatest daughter a father could ask for. I was a fool to push you away, my babygirl. I will never do that again."

"I love you, Papa."

"I love you too."

About a week later
At around 2am, Darien woke to find Serena sitting up in the bed. She was stroking his arm across her lap.

"Serena?" Darien groaned and turned off his stomach as he sat up. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"Just…thinking about my speech."

"For valedictorian?"

"Yeah. I don't want to mess it up, the last thing I do with high school."

"You have worked on that speech for months. It's been building for years. You'll be fine."

"I have no doubt in that. It's just…"

"You barely have a day to relax before it's your audition."
"Yeah."

"But you also shouldn't worry about that. You have trained with the best. Have the best program in history. What is there to be so concerned with?"

"Failing."

"You won't."

"How can you say that? You don't know that."

"I do."

"How?"

"I love you, that's how." Darien put his arm around her. "All my life I have been searching for that piece, that feeling of joy and happiness I lost with my parents. I thought I found with a few times, but that was foolish thinking. I haven't loved until I kissed you, until I had you in my life."

"Did you believe in love at first sight?" Serena asked.

"No. Not ever, then I saw you." Serena smiled. She pulled his head closer and they kissed. Serena moved to straddling his lap.

"You always know the perfect thing to say to get laid."

"I'm a man, what more can you expect from me?" Serena laughed as Darien smiled. "All jokes aside, I love you Serena."

"I love you too." She cupped his face and they kissed.

"I'll be yours forever."

"Forever? What if forever to me isn't enough?"

"Forever not enough? Well, baby, then I will have to make sure that that our love is for all eternity." Serena smiled, and they made love.

Morning sunshine filled the room, along with the ring of a phone. Serena groaned with Darien.

"Don't get it." Serena lifted the alarm clock.

"Who could be calling at 10 in the morning?" Serena muttered as she picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hello? Where are you?"

"Mols?"

"Serena you were supposed to be here 10 minutes ago!" Serena looked at the clock again and screamed.

"Ahhhhhh! We over-slept! Darien, move!"

Serena came rushing downstairs with her cap and gown in her hands. She was attempting to put her on her white strappy heels. Darien had knocked off the alarm clock in their heated passions, early this morning, making them late.
"My earrings!" Serena ran back upstairs. It was great that her Mols called 20 minutes ago waking them, of they would have slept straight through, Serena would have missed her valedictorian speech. Dressed in a white strapless dress with ruffle neckline, ruched bodice, empire waist with ribbon lace-up front, and short gathered two-tier flared skirt with Venice lace trim.

"Breakfast?"

"We don't have time!" Serena was putting in her earrings. Darien was fixing his tie. "We are so going to be late!"

"I will make sure that doesn't happen," Darien said putting on his jacket.

"We have to be there in 10 minutes, my school is at least 25 minutes away!" They rushed down. Serena gasped as she found a cop car waiting.

"I called for back-up. Your father sent them." Serena smiled and kissed his cheek. She looked up to the sky.

"Thank you Papa."

They got a police escort to the high school, going nearly 70 mph across the city to the high school. Serena came running into the gym just as the doors were closing.

"Wait!" The door opened.

"Cutting it close, Serena."

"Sorry Principal. I made it."

"Get in here." Mols and the girls waiting at the door, pleading for one more minutes. Then Serena arrived, to their smiles. They all hugged before finding their seats. Serena was helped into her cap, before Principal gave his pep speech to the graduating seniors. Darien was found Serena's parents and family in the crowd. They had saved him a seat.

"Running late?"

"You have no idea."

The graduates came walking on in a line. Serena's family giving the loudest cheers as Serena appeared from the lines of hundreds of seniors. She waved to them, blowing kisses with the rest of the seniors.

Commemorations started on time and several guest speakers for the class of seniors.

"And now, I have watched this young lady blossom into a beautiful, brilliant woman. It is my pleasure to welcome to the stage, Ms. Serena West." Serena smiled and moved up from the crowd of graduates to the microphone. She smiled. Serena went to pull out her speech and gasped. Darien gasped as well; it was his job to make sure she didn't forget it. Darien cringed as he saw Serena search for her papers.

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, teachers and administrators, as well as our honored guest. We stand, gathered together to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2006 Class of Grover High School. And as I say that, I have to laugh. Last official time being here and I forget the most important thing to bring, my speech." Everyone laughed. "Well, this might prove to be very interesting." Serena smiled. She looked down at the seniors.

"To my fellow classmates, we've made it. We've finally made it. We are graduating. Congratulations. Congratulations not only to us graduates, for achieving excellence in academics, athletics and the arts, both in school and out, but also congratulations to our teachers, parents, friends, families and administrators. Our success is your success, for you have given us the freedom to dare, the courage to excel and the belief that we can achieve our best. You have been there for us with support and care; you had faith when we doubted ourselves. For all these things, we, the Class of 2006, thank you. I like to thank my mother, my father, my baby brother, Darien, Nana, Pa, everyone here and not here, for sticking by me through everything. For loving me, and never letting me feel alone.

To my best friends, my sisters, thank you. We're all here together. Together for the last time, we stand poised at the very edge of graduation, looking towards that bright future. Soon each of us will go forth, in his or her unique direction, seeking to make a mark upon the world. Four years ago, I was sitting at my computer, hours away being a high school freshman, writing this very speech as my "Personal Statement" if I ever was valedictorian. That 200 to 500 word "essay" that you use to describe who you are, what you wish to accomplish in your 4 years, and where you plan to go afterwards. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I had no idea this would be it.

There was so much going through my mind and no way to organize it for a speech." The crowd laughed. "The scariest thing in my life was thinking about the future, my future. Not much has changed. The future still is a very frightening idea, but I no longer fear it! To get this far, we have had to toss aside the idea of fate, and create our own destinies. And that's not going to end here. In fact, life has only just begun. In the years to come, we will all be given the chance to see our sacrifices and hard work pay off. I can tell by looking at all your faces that your mouths are literally watering to get out there and pounce on life. We have got to jump in there head first, confident of our potentials to achieve greatness. And there is not a doubt in my mind that every person in this crowd has that potential.

That's a funny thing though. What is greatness? We all aspire to be great, but really only a handful of people know what it is, and fewer actually achieve it. So on this day of graduation, where can we go from here? What is this greatness that we aspire to? To most of us, however, including myself, greatness is right now. But I submit to you that greatness is more than just the aspirations of any one individual. Greatness is built upon a foundation cemented with experiences and relationships. Relationships not solely with parents, family, or faculty, but more relationships with each other. Isaac Newton once said that the only reason he could see farther than others is because he has stood on the shoulders of giants. On no other day than today do these words ring more true. The only reason we have the potential to be great is because we've stood on each other's shoulders. We've helped each other work through problems, meet deadlines, study for tests, we've helped each other get through life these past few years. These powerful relationships should not be weakened or severed, but should become stronger than they ever were. We are all connected through your actions and experiences, and it's these experiences that bind us in some way to every individual around us. And I challenge you to cherish and use these experiences to comfort you in the years ahead.

So get out there and take hold. Grab on to the ladder and climb until you reach your happiness, or your greatness, whatever that may mean to you. And if that ladder isn't high enough, then stand on the shoulders of your friends, your experiences, your giants, and get there. I know you will, because I definitely am. Thank you, and congratulations to everybody. We join forth now, in hope and inspiration, all of us sharing our common legacy, all of us, proud Tigers. All of us, members of the Graduating Grover High School Class of the Third Millennium!

With Grover Pride, May We Go Forth to Prevail! ROAR!" The crowd jumped up to cheers.

A few days later

Serena was practicing her solo performance for the audition critics one last time the night before the big audition. Darien was sitting there with Samuel watching her. Their parents out for the night on a romantic dinner first one in months. Serena slipped from her split jump. She sighed and went back to the start. Sammy yawned. They had been here for 2 hours.

"You're just trying too hard and it's late." Darien stood at the stage.

"I have less than 12 hours before my audition! I can't falter like that! You guys go, get some dinner. I'll be fine here."

"We're not leaving you."

"I'm hungry," Samuel said.

"Go, Darien. Really. I need to be alone." Darien shook his head.

"You are never alone." Serena smiled and got down on her knees before him. They kissed.

"Thank you. Bring me a salad and yogurt back when you and Sammy are done."

"Okay." They kissed again. Serena watched them walk out. Madame Sokolva passed them on her way into her studio. Serena was in a split, stretch out her thighs, she felt a little tightness.

"Serena you are still here. You should be home, getting some sleep."

"I know, just another hour and I will leave."

"I know you, my dear. You are filled with so energy, so much fire, and you think training to get that emotion out. But let me tell you, something. It won't let the jitters go."

"I couldn't sleep if I tried."

"Why? You were made for ballet. You have one of, if not, the greatest mind and body for ballet. You were a dull rock when I first saw. Ambitions, desire to be a dancer, but you were so young and look at you now. An adult finally. I see your skills, your ability, and I am amazed. Amazed, Serena. Never before in all my years, and I am 64 years old, I cannot believe your poise, your demeanor, it is well beyond an 18 year. You will are a gem and I have been honored to have walked with you through this." Serena shook her head. She stepped off the stage and walked to Madame. They hugged. "I cannot wait to see those headlines, my Serena, staring on Broadway." Serena smiled as she cupped her face. "Now, I want you to pace yourself. After the morning session, you still have one more dance with the group before your solo. That's 3 dances in one day, and you can't give too much to just one. They want to see consistency, and greatness. I have ensured you are in one of the first morning sessions. They will weed you down to about 30 in a room to show basic steps to check your form and grace. You must look confident, light, during that. And then you are put into groups of 6 individuals to do a choreographed piece for them, smile and you will be fine."

"Thank you for everything."

"It was my pleasure."

Just one more to go gals and guys...Yes, the speech was my very own valedictorian speech, a mock one I did back in high school...I want to take this time tocommend to all the reivewers that took the time to leave something, anything..Thanks to you all...this story has surpassed 20 thousand hits...first for any of my stories...thanks again for not hating it so much..:P...until next time

babyee!