A Normal Teenager
By: Lillian
Chapter Five
It had only been a day since Raye's arrival, and already Serena knew the following days were going to be a bumpy one. Her supermodel best friend just wasn't cracked out to be a normal student, much less be the best friend of 'nerdy and super uncool Serena Claire'.
Accompanying her best friend during registration was almost as bad as those other times when Raye would spends hours at a single store, trying on various pieces of clothing, only to leave empty handed. The usual were involved, consisting of yelling at the secretaries, yelling at each other, and of course, yelling into her cell phone. Raye never could control that temper of hers.
The biggest problem was the fact that Raye wasn't expected, at all, to attend school. Her lack of transcripts would have been the first decision of kicking her out, if it weren't for the fact that she was The Raye Hino. No one messed with the young supermodel. If they did, they'd get bitched out by her. If they had thick skin and a shield of ice, they'd just get a call from daddy dearest. Having the secret service hassle you at your door was also an alternative to those deemed an 'annoyance' to The Raye Hino.
Hell, she was The Serenity Blair, but she would never go to those extremes. She never so much as sent her bodyguards after the paparazzi; no matter how many times those annoying people followed her and invaded her privacy.
"You don't seem to understand, Mah-rye-ah, I want to room with Serena Claire and no others. How hard can it be to kick that phony blondie out of her room so I could stay with Serena?"
She nudged her friend and frowned at the girl's use of name calling. Raye ignored her with a shake of her head. Her four inched BCBG Girl heal kept tapping against the marble of the office floor. Her arms were folded and she looked non-too-pleased.
"I understand that, Miss Hino, but that's against the rules. Now, we can offer you your own room instead of sharing with any of the other girls. Would that be more to your liking?"
"Just say yes," Serena said behind grinded teeth. "You know we wouldn't be able to survive if we lived together."
Raye seemed to ponder it for a moment before finally relenting. "Okay, fine. I guess that'll do. Now, about my schedule…." The lady smiled weakly at the two of them. You could practically smell the fear coming off of the poor secretary. "I want the same classes as Serena, here. Got that?"
The secretary slowly tapped the keys onto the keyboard and after a few minutes, wobbled towards the printer. Raye cringed in disgust. "They actually let women work if they're in that condition?" she hissed to her.
Serena shrugged. "She's only pregnant, Raye. It's not like the baby is zapping her brainpower or anything."
"I doubt that."
The very pregnant lady in her floral pattern shirt walked back to the counter and handed Raye several sheets of paper. "Alright, Miss Hino, let me be the first to welcome you here. Included is your class schedule, as well as other pertinent information. Feel free to stop by if you have any further questions. With a shaky hand, she handed over the documents.
Raye snatched it quickly from her and strode out the door. Serena meekly thanked the secretary and followed her wayward friend.
The matron was quick to show them to the new bedroom. Serena couldn't help but notice how much larger and nicer it was compared to her own. Raye tossed her suitcase next to what appeared to be a walk in closet and sank into the plastic chair provided to all the students.
"Man, what a day! All that yelling's made me tired." She yawned. "What's there to do around here anyway? I'm up for clubbin', or a chill lounge. I just want to meet a cute guy. I swear Chad has been driving me up the wall these past few days." She shook her head. "I mean, if he really liked me, he would've bought me a gift, like a diamond necklace or something. He can afford it. But no… you know what he does instead? He wakes me up at three fuckin' a.m. in the morning and starts singing, SINGING to me. He actually wrote me a useless song! Can you believe that?"
Serena sat down on the bed. "Um, isn't that a good thing? I'd be flattered if a guy wrote me a song. You can tell he's really into you."
"That's not the point, Serena."
"It isn't?"
"It means we don't click! You know… we're too different or whatever." She sighed. "So I decided I needed a break from all that drama and just watch you're life roll along."
"You didn't have to phrase it like that, you know. You could've just said you missed me."
"Whatever." Her stomach growled. "Let's get something to eat. I'm starving! What're the good restaurants around here?"
Serena never even left the school building. How was she supposed to know? Not that much time had passed for her to know the place. "There's the dining hall. I think Sloppy Joe's are today's special."
"Please say you're joking, right?"
"Uh… I'm joking?"
Raye unzipped her Gucci tote and pulled out her blackberry. "I can't believe you, Serena. You actually eat in the dining room with the commoners?"
Serena covered her face with her hands in shame. "I can't believe I'm friends with you." Raye stuck out her tongue. "Oh, really mature, Raye. Honestly, what are you doing now?"
Raye began dialing a number. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm calling takeout."
"From where? L.A.? Raye, we're two hours away from L.A.! Even I know that!" Raye tossed the phone back in her tote carelessly. "Seriously, Raye, if I can eat dining hall food and survive, then so can you."
Her stomach made another noise. "I guess my tummy agrees with you. Lead me to the food."
Serena rolled her eyes. "Yes, Miss Raye. Just this way, Miss Raye."
Raye smirked. "So glad you've learned your place after all these years."
"Whatever. I'm hungry. Come on." She yanked on the taller girl's arm. "Oh, and make sure you act civilly to the others, alright? None of that prima donna act you had going on before."
If the food fight between Raye and Mina was any clear indication, she knew she had to do something, and quick. Dinner had been horrifying; gaining the attention of everyone in the room as the famous Raye Hino treated nerdy Serena as if they were the bestest friends in the whole world. They were, of course, but she was supposed to be uncool! Maybe it was a sign that she just couldn't pull off being a nerd. A geek, perhaps. She did have a soft spot for comic books, after all.
She noticed beforehand that Darien wasn't in the dining hall. First class, now dinner. It wasn't like him. A scream startled her from her thoughts. Poor Amy, sitting back straight, appeared to have apple sauce dripping down from her bangs
"Sorry, Amy!" Mina said before quickly launching her peas towards Raye.
Her best friend wasn't playing innocent in the fight either. Grabbing her half full can of diet Coke, she splashed it onto a surprised Mina.
From there, the professors at hand rushed over the duo and were quick to assign detention. The rest of the group escaped their wraths and left for their prospective rooms. Raye shot her a pleading look. She shrugged in response. Nothing she could do about it.
Mina had arrived late last night, still dressed in her stained uniform. She grumbled something about "that evil bitch" before snagging her Pink pajamas and heading towards the showers. Serena couldn't help but feel horrible for the situation. What was she to do though? She slept, dreaming of flying food and a kiss shared between her Romeo. She couldn't help but smell the scent of roses. She cuddled the jacket she still had to return to its owner.
The next morning, she decided to give her agent a call. "Alright, Luna," Serena crooned into the phone, her voice sweet and suspiciously innocent. "You're going to explain to me why Raye's here, making my life miserable. Okay?" She fluttered her eyelashes for effect, even though she was talking to her over the phone.
"There's not much to tell, Sere," Luna said. She paused. "Why? Is she causing trouble?"
Serena leaned deeper against her pillows and sighed. "You could say that. She already found somebody to scream at."
"Somebody besides you?" she asked, amusement laced in her voice.
"Yes," she drawled out tiredly. "It's my roommate, Mina."
"You're kidding! Why's that?"
"Let's just say they met before." Serena skimmed over the room. She was forgetting something. "Oh crap! I got to go, Luna. I need to be at practice right now. Sorry for the short chat." She worriedly stared at her clock. "I'll talk to you in a little bit, alright? Bye!" She hung up before she heard a reply and jumped out of bed. She was still in her nightgown and still had to take her morning shower. Cursing, she shook a stubborn Mina awake and ran to the bathroom. She heard Mina moan. She probably noticed the time.
She stood in front of the mirror and ran her fingers through her wet, messy hair. With one final look, she scrammed out of the bathroom and ran all the way towards the auditorium. "I'll see you there, Mina!" she yelled out to her friend before she left, who was still in one of the stalls. Her stomach grumbled along the way.
The first thing she noticed as she stepped foot on the stage was Raye, sitting front and center. She had a bored look on her face, her head propped up with her hand. She wasn't alone. Meek Amy sat next to her, a science textbook out on her lap. Serena walked closer to the edge of the stage, then sat down once she was close enough. "What are you doing here, Raye? I know you'd rather be meditating or something wacko like that. Oh, hi, Amy," she said as an afterthought.
Amy nodded briefly, then went back to her textbook. Raye, however, just smirked. "I want to see how badly you'll mess this up," she fibbed to her friend. "How many times did you trip on stage already? Fifty times?"
Serena huffed. "I'll have you know that I didn't trip once yet."
Raye laughed. "We'll see about that, Ser-en-a," she said teasingly.
Serena rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Raye. Whatever. You guys eat breakfast yet? I totally had to skip and I'm starving!"
Raye shrugged towards Amy. "We met up at breakfast, actually."
She heard a clap further down stage. "Alright, people, let's get ready now." Serena slowly got up and faced the director. Professor Winthorpe smiled at her rising star and walked over towards her. "Miss Claire, our fair Juliet, what scene have you memorized up to?"
It had only been a day, but Serena took her acting job seriously. "I've already finished, Professor Winthorpe."
The director looked amazed. "Really now? Well, let's put your memorization to the test." She looked around at the crew. "Hmm, scene VI seems about right to me. Into your positions people! We only have two hours of practice after all before lunch."
A few students looked slightly confused, their fingers skimming through their lines, trying to find the right scene. Mina was one of those people, but instead of looking inside her own script, she walked over to Serena.
"Hey," she whispered. "What's scene VI again?"
"That's the scene when you find out I dumped the guy you wanted me to date," Serena replied back smoothly. "That's also when I decide to leave my family and run off with Romeo."
Mina nodded her head. "Thanks. It's hard, having to learn new lines again."
Serena smiled sympathetically. "At least we don't have to worry about anyone being the understudy for Juliet's part. You're perfect for the job."
"Yeah," Mina said lamely. "Well, I better get into position." She strode off towards a blond haired boy who was playing Juliet's father.
"Did you really memorize your lines that quickly?" A new voice said close to her ear. His soft breath tickled her neck.
She frowned. "Why, don't believe me?" She turned around to face Darien. "What are you even doing here? You aren't in this scene."
"I have a note to give to Professor Winthorpe," he said cockily as he gave her a wink. "Congrats on the role of Juliet. I sure missed a lot yesterday." He sidestepped her and went up to the director. They whispered hurriedly to one another, then the director shooed him away. Darien walked back to Serena and smirked. "I wish I could stay and chat longer, Serena, but I'm excused for today's rehearsal."
"Why?" she asked curiously.
He shrugged. "Don't feel like rehearsing. I'll see ya tomorrow. Don't forget our date tomorrow." He gave her a heart melting grin.
"I wouldn't call a tutoring session a date." Serena frowned. It wasn't like she cared about where Darien was going or anything. She wasn't even sure she could classify him as a real friend. "Where are you going?"
The smirk remained. "Why, wanna go with me?"
She raised an eyebrow. Before she could protest, Darien gently grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her towards the director. "I forgot to add that I'll be taking Miss Claire with me, Professor."
Professor Winthorpe bit her lower lip, as if holding back the true words she wanted to say. "Fine," she gritted out. "Mr. Shields, Miss Claire," she nodded her head at them in dismissal. "And I do hope this will not become a… trend. We're behind schedule as it is."
"There's no need to worry, Professor. I've mastered my lines, and I'll be sure to help the new girl memorize hers as well."
"Jerk, I already memorized them," Serena said. Darien shrugged. "Come on Serena, let's go?" He dropped his hold on her immediately after they exited the stage.
"I'll see you later, Serena," he gave her a backwards wave as he strolled down the empty hallway.
Serena was flabbergasted. "Just wait a second. I thought I was going with you." She quickly strode over to him. "After all, that is what you said." Serena began to imitate Darien's facial expression at the time. "'Wanna go with me?' That's exactly what you said, you dumb ass."
Darien raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright? Do you have a fever?" He placed his warm hand against her forehead. She slapped his hand away.
"Talk about a 180," Darien grumbled. "Your personality just totally changed."
Serena looked at him like he was an idiot. "Huh?"
"I'm serious." He rubbed at his head. "Are you always this loud and obnoxious?"
"WHAT?" she yelled. "You're the obnoxious one, you jerk." Serena said as she hit his upper arm.
"Don't be silly, Ser-een-ah," a new voice taunted her. Up ahead stood Raye, and just behind her Amy, holding the same textbook as last time.
Raye eyed Darien, a smirk forming on her lips. "Who's your friend? I'm Raye by the way." She moved closer towards Darien and held out her hand.
Darien accepted and grinned. "Darien Shields. Nice to meet you."
"Pleasure's mine."
At the corner of her eye, Serena could see Darien checking her friend out. She huffed. "Honestly Raye, what about Chad, huh?"
Raye puffed up her cheeks. "What about him?" she replied.
Darien slowly backed away from the glowering girls. "I'll be off then." He nodded in their direction before quickly walking out the school doors.
Serena looked at him, and then back at Raye. "Just leave me alone for a few minutes, OK? We're gonna have a serious chat later. Bye!" she waved and quickly ran after the retreating figure.
"Darien! Wait up!" Serena yelled. She squinted out in the sunlight, spotting Darien easily enough. He paused and waited for her to catch up.
"Ditched your friends for little 'ol me, huh? That's not nice, New Girl," he taunted.
She puffed out her cheeks and clenched her fists tightly to her sides. "Well, I was curious. That's all. I want to see where you're going and what that note said. I mean, I just don't get how you have this power over all the professors. It doesn't make sense to me."
They walked towards a large oak tree in the middle of the field. Darien sat down and leaned against the old bark. Serena stared dubiously at the long grass before sitting as well. The grass was itchy, but she kept from scratching at her legs. Darien plucked a few grass strands and began to break them into little bits.
"Don't you ever just get fed up with it all?" Darien said, out of the blue.
Serena shrugged. "I guess. School can be a pain."
"Not just with school. With life."
"Well, I'm not about to go kill myself, if that's what you mean," she said sarcastically. She quickly looked up at him. "Why, you're not one of those suicidal types, are you?"
He laughed and shook his head. "Nah, nothing like that."
"So anyways… why are we out here again?"
He grinned. With his large, tanned hand, he reached out to the trunk of the tree and patted it as if it were a pet. "This is my thinking tree. I come out here every once and awhile to get away from it all." He placed his hands behind his head and leaned onto the tree. "It gets tiresome being Mr. Popularity all the time. It may not look it, but I need my alone time too."
Serena quickly got up. "I'm sorry to intrude then! You should've just told me—"
Darien grabbed her thin wrist and pulled her back down. She nearly toppled onto his lap. "I don't mind the company, New Girl," he teased. His face was so close to hers. His dark blue eyes mesmerized her. All she had to do was lean forward and…. He quickly stood up, making her land on the hard ground.
"Hey!" she yelled at him. He chuckled.
"How 'bout we get outta here?" he asked. He held out his hand which she hesitantly accepted. He pulled her up with ease.
Smoothing out her skirt, she asked, "Go where?"
"Out on a date of course."
Darien Shields, the academy's most hottest guy, just asked her out. She was beyond shocked. She was dressed like a nerd. Hell, she was wearing glasses for god's sake, yet he still asked her out. "Why?" she asked, stupefied.
He stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It could be fun. We'll go into town, see a movie." He winked. "Then you can tell all those friends of yours about it later."
"Don't be so cocky. I didn't even agree to it yet." This had to be a joke. Darien didn't go out with nerdy girls like her. He'd go out with the beautiful model-like people. People like Raye, or her real self. "You don't like me though."
He raised an eyebrow. "If I didn't like you, Serena, I wouldn't have asked you out. Now come on, just say yes and let's go."
She bit her lip. Luna would want her to say yes. It's all part of the learning experience. "Okay," she said hesitantly, "but if you try to pull anything funny, Mister, I will have to hurt you."
He laughed. "Alright, then. Let's go!"
Author's Note: Man, I seriously have to lay off the designer brands, but they just keep popping up in the story. Silly materialistic me. Haha! But they're all supposed to be rich teenagers so I guess it's okay to mention just a few brands. I really want the Louis Vuitton speedy 30 bag now that I think about it… not like that has anything to do with this story. –cough- Coming up next, The Date. :D Review please! I just love reviews!