Well, here's chapter two! Thank you all so much for the reviews, I really love the feedback! Enjoy!
Later that night I sat on my bedroom floor painting my toe-nails, trying to ignore Mina's prying blue eyes.
"So let me get this straight…" Mina began, drumming her fingertips against her chin. "You meet the guy of your dreams, he compliments your necklace, he orders your favorite meal, he starts to ask you for your number, and instead of telling the customer to shove it, you leave to get a lemonade and let Mr. Perfect get away?"
I rolled my eyes. "I was working! I couldn't just ignore the customer!"
"But you let him get away, Serena! I mean, when are you ever going to get to see this guy again? I would have chased after the bus if I were you!" She exclaimed.
"Well, I'm not as crazy as you are okay?" I said, exasperated. "And besides," I began, pausing to examine my handiwork, "the bus was already gone. I missed my chance, it's over."
"I don't know," Lita said, putting down the magazine she was reading. "He was totally hot. I wouldn't give up so easily."
"What am I supposed to do? Go up to the school and say: 'Hey, I'm Serena, that crazy waitress that couldn't stop staring at you! I think you were going to ask me for my number, but since you didn't get the chance, I'll just give it to you now!'" I sighed. "I'd look like a total freak."
There was a large silence, and I could tell the girls were disheartened by my response. But it was true! I had blown it, and I'd never see Darien again.
Our silence was broken with a knock on the door. Lita lifted herself from the bed and opened it only to find Amy standing outside in the hallway.
"Hey everyone!" she said sheepishly. "Your dad let me in, Serena, sorry I'm late." She began to set her stuff down. "This just hasn't been my day. I got my letter from Madison…"
"That's it!" Mina suddenly shouted from her spot on the floor. "You could go to Madison!"
"What are you talking about?" I asked, somewhat disgusted that she wasn't letting this go.
"You should apply at Madison's School for Girls!" Mina insisted excitedly.
"What's going on?" Amy asked.
"Mina's trying to convince Serena to go chase after that guy that came in today." Lita explained calmly, actually yawning.
"But Mina--" Amy began.
"Quiet Amy, this is good!" Mina interrupted. "You could apply there, and you would get to see Darien all the time!" She frowned at my shaking head, obviously not giving up. "Don't you get it? His school is right across the pond! You've got the grades for it, and you know we'd have no problem affording it. It's the perfect plan!"
"But Mina--" Amy began again.
"Wait a second, Amy." I interrupted. "I'm trying to think."
Mina, for once, actually made sense! I mean, it was true. Since my mom had died, my dad had become a perpetual workaholic. I think it was his way of grieving, but it had made our family very wealthy. Also, I did have the grades for it, and it would only be a matter of sending in an application…
But this was crazy! I didn't even know this guy! Why was I so willing to completely uproot my life for a chance to see him again? I couldn't do this!
"Don't think about it, Serena." My sister said quietly. I looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "You're always so cautious. Don't let this be one of those situations where you look back and think 'what if?' There's something special about this guy, I can feel it! Besides, you won't be alone-- Amy just got her letter and we all know she got in." She insisted.
"But you guys don't get it!" Amy finally broke in desperately. We all turned towards her and found her red-faced and almost crying. "Serena can't go to Madison!"
"What do you mean?" Lita asked. "Why not?"
"The school is full," Amy answered, biting her lip. "The letter I got today was a rejection. No one else is getting in."
We all stared at Amy, who was totally silent as tears flowed in twin rivers down her cheeks. Then, without another word I walked over and enveloped her in a tight hug.
"It's okay, Amy. Don't cry." I said softly. She hugged me back, then pulled away wiping at her tears and sniffling a bit.
"I'm not that worried about it; it was just something I wanted to add to my college application. I'm just frustrated because I worked so hard on the entrance essay, and I've never been rejected from anything in my entire life! It was just a blow to the ego, that's all." She said, smiling sadly.
"But it wasn't like they didn't want you." Mina piped in, throwing her arm around Amy's small shoulders. "They were too full, that's all." She paused for a second, a frown creasing her brow. "Well," she sighed, "if they won't let our Amy in, that puts a huge damper on our plans for Serena." She bit down on her full lip, knowing defeat was just around the corner. "I hate to say it, but we might have to let it go."
"It just sucks!" Amy suddenly exclaimed. "It's times like these I wish I was a boy! Madison's School for Boys has plenty of room. Most of the school's budget goes to lengthening their academic program, as well as the school's walls. I swear, women really do get the shorter end of the stick."
There was a huge break in our conversation, and in it's duration I sighed and fell back onto my bed. I covered my upturned face with my pillow and screwed my eyes shut, trying not to remember Darien's perfect smile, gorgeous blue eyes, and soft black hair…
"So Madison's School for Boys is still open?" Mina wondered, her words chasing away the fantasy I had conjured.
"Yeah, they always have room. Their campus is nearly twice the size of the one occupied by the girls," Amy murmured, sighing.
"Oh really?" Mina inquired.
My eyes suddenly opened. There was something in her voice that suggested maybe she hadn't given up after all.
"Maybe there is a chance Serena can still go to Madison…" Mina suddenly said, a hint of wickedness creeping into her voice. Uh oh…
"What are you talking about?" I asked, sitting up straight. "The school is full, end of story. Let it go!"
"The school for GIRLS is full, there's plenty of room in the other one…" Mina trailed off, an impish grin crossed her pretty features.
It took me a moment to realize just what she was implying. Then it hit me, and my mouth dropped open. "Oh no way! I will NOT do that!" I protested, my voice level rising. "You can just forget it!"
"But Serena," Mina pouted, "this is your one chance to get close to Darien. You can't let it pass by!"
"Excuse me, but how do we get Serena into this school?" Amy asked.
"We dress her up!" Mina said simply.
"Over my dead body! How the heck is he supposed to fall for me if I'm dressed as a guy?" I nearly shouted.
"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" Mina hissed. "It's just so you can get close to him."
"I dunno, Mina." Lita said, sounding doubtful for the first time. "I mean, normally I support your crazy ideas, but this would be hard to pull off."
"Why? We cut her hair, get her some new clothes, make sure her curves are covered… I don't see the problem!" Mina shot back, shrugging her shoulders.
"But I'll be a GUY!" I protested shrilly. "He's not going to fall in love with a guy!"
"And don't forget we have to create an entire identity for her," Amy cut in, completely ignoring my outburst. "She'll need a background: a name, medical records, transcripts, and proof of participation in clubs or sports. They do extensive checks on their applicants."
"Who cares about my background!" I insisted. "I WILL BE A GUY! I think it sort of defeats the purpose of me even going if I'm can't even use my feminine wiles on him!"
"Serena, do you want to get close to this guy or not?" Mina suddenly snapped, her blue eyes flaring. I sat back, my mouth closing sharply.
"Sure I do, but I don't think--" I began.
"We have no other choice," Mina interrupted. "Look at it this way, you are getting a chance to do something that no girl has ever attempted. You are going to get to know a guy on his own turf. Every girl knows that a guy never acts around her like he does when in the company of his friends. You'll get to see Darien in his home territory, and who knows, maybe he'll be as perfect as you seem to think, and maybe he won't. The point is, this is the only way."
"But Mina," I whined, "he won't know it's me. How will I tell him--"
"You'll find a way," she interjected. "Ten minutes ago you were telling me you couldn't even function in this guy's presence. Think of your new hair and clothes as a giant mask. You'll be more comfortable, and you'll get to know Darien in a way that no girl ever has."
"This is crazy!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air. "And it's dishonest. How would I tell him?"
"Cross that bridge when you come to it," Lita broke in. "Don't think about it now, just do it!"
"But you all are forgetting that we have to create another identity!" Amy persisted. "Sure we can dress her up, but it's extremely difficult to make a person out of thin air!"
"Wait a minute!" Lita suddenly exclaimed. "I've got it! Allen!"
"What?!" We all said together.
"Allen is a huge computer geek," Lita explained. "We could use him to create Serena's new identity. He could make transcripts, a history, a fake ID, you name it!"
"How do you know all this?" I asked suspiciously.
"Well…" She trailed off, blushing. "He sort of made me a fake ID once. It was back when I had a crush on a twenty-two year old guy, and I needed to prove I was legal to hang out with him…"
"Lita!" Amy cried. "You never told me about that!"
She shrugged. "It was only for three weeks or so, and then I figured out he was a big jerk. But anyway, Allen got me the ID, and it was real enough to fool every bar and club owner in New York City."
"You didn't do anything, did you?" I asked.
"Heck no! I was sixteen, but I wasn't stupid. I just wanted to be close to the guy." She smiled, and shook her head with embarrassment. "The lengths we go for love."
"Well," Mina said with a grin, "that erases our identity problem. How about it, Serena? It's your only chance."
I sat on my bed, letting the idea sink in. This was nuts! How was Darien supposed to notice me if I was dressed as a guy? It was totally dishonest!
But then again, Mina was right about the fact that I'd get a view on guys no other girl had ever gotten before. I wouldn't be as nervous around him, and I would be really close… But could I really pull this off? Could I look, talk, and act like a guy? I don't know if I could fool everyone, but this was my only chance… and if any guy was worth it, Darien was.
"All right," I finally answered. "I'll do it."
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