I know, I know... I'm TERRIBLE with my updates! It's because of my new job (not that I'm making excuses), and because I started school again. I've been having to pick up shifts at work to pay for my Study Abroad trip to Italy this summer, and sadly, with school it hasn't left me any time to write. However, I've finally managed to scrape together a few moments and I have two--count em!--two chapters for your enjoyment! Thanks so much for sticking with me you guys, I know I can leave terrible cliffhangers for horrible lengths of time... anyway, read on and enjoy!
The movie ended about an hour later, but no one moved from their positions until the lights came up, and even they seemed to come as a surprise. I leaned closer into Darien's muscular shoulder, gently breathing in his soft scent, which was familiar, but somehow impossible to place. It didn't matter though, he smelled beautiful! I sighed softly and lifted my eyes to gaze up at his features, and I realized I didn't want to move from my comfortable spot as his side. It was as if we fit together, that we were a perfect match, and I had never felt so safe in my entire life. That magic moment was broken, however, when Darien suddenly shifted position, signaling to me that it was time to leave. I rose from his warm embrace reluctantly, and he politely offered me his hand as he stood to his feet.
"What time is it?" I asked, stretching my arms out as I rose into a standing position.
He smiled and glanced down at his watch. "A little after four. If we head back now, we should get there by six or so… There's usually a bonfire Saturday nights, do you want to go?" he asked hopefully.
I smiled, thinking about a chilly night in front of the bonfire cuddling with Darien and decided the answer to that was easy. "Sure," I replied, attempting a disaffected shrug, but I knew happiness was written all over my face by the way Darien grinned at me. He was about to say something else, when Mina's perky face popped into view.
"So!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "How did you guys like the movie?"
"It was okay," Darien answered. "Crappy dialogue, but the ending was a bit surprising."
I smiled, not wanting to tell him that I had suspected the actual killer from the beginning. I loved mysteries, and I was pretty good at solving them, so it took a lot to astonish me. However, I had to admit the movie had done a pretty good job of hiding the identity of the real killer... If I hadn't seen so many horror/mystery movies, it probably would have shocked me too.
"Did you think it was scary, Serena?" Mina suddenly asked, breaking me out of my thoughts, and I blushed.
"Yeah," I admitted. "I'm a big chicken anyway, but that stupid puppet of his freaked me out!"
Darien and Mina chuckled at my response, and we slowly began to file out of the theater. We nodded our heads at the bored-looking college students leaning against the concession stand, and made our way to the glass double-doors. We were greeted by the orange glow of the nearly setting sun, and I smiled at the pink tinge it gave to the fluffy clouds around it. I loved sunsets, and as I turned to see Darien and my friends staring at the same wonder of our planet, I questioned whether or not I had ever seen anything more beautiful. When my eyes settled on Darien's piercing blue orbs, however, I decided that I had.
"Well," Malcolm suddenly murmured, tearing everyone away from our moment. "It's about four-thirty right now. If we leave right away, we could make it back to Madison around six-thirty--seven o'clock or so."
"Just in time for the bonfire," Nathan said excitedly, rubbing his hands together like a mad scientist. Everyone laughed.
"You guys ready to hit the road?" Jarod asked, his arm comfortably draped around a grinning Raye.
We all nodded, but Mina suddenly stepped forward. "Actually, I was thinking we could switch up the ride situations," she put in. Everyone turned to look at her, and she blushed lightly. "I think the girls should ride in my car on the way back."
"Are you sure?" Malcolm wondered, not appearing to like the idea.
"Yeah," Mina answered, grinning slyly. "It's time for a little girl talk."
I rolled my eyes, once again cursing Mina's lack of subtlety, but I had to admire her brashness. Nothing drove a guy more crazy than knowing that a car full of girls were discussing him. Still... I did wish I could have another two hours alone with Darien, but Mina was right. It was time for girl talk, and I'm sure they had just as much to tell me as I had to tell them.
"All right then," Malcolm agreed reluctantly. "But let me give you my cell number in case anything happens. If we get separated and you girls get stuck somewhere, things could get crazy. I don't want to worry about you," he confessed.
"Awwww!" Mina cooed. "My hero!" Then something happened that I had never seen before... Icy Malcolm actually BLUSHED! The guys appeared just as surprised as I did, and Nathan even gave Zach a little nudge.
"Well, just take it down okay?" he muttered, looking quite embarrassed. "And give me yours too..." Mina grinned, but they exchanged numbers quickly.
"Well," Raye sighed, "I'll see you in a couple of hours then." She leaned over and gave Jarod a quick peck on the cheek.
"Drive safe girls," Zach urged, his soft green eyes falling on Amy, who smiled brightly at him.
We all nodded, and started away, but a chuckle erupted from my mouth as I heard Nathan crack a joke about Mal's rude attempt to get my sister's number. I looked back for a moment only to see Darien's eyes still following me. When he noticed me staring back at him, he suddenly blushed and started back towards the others. I smiled, totally giddy now, and turned back around only to see that Mina and the girls had formed a circle around me.
"What?" I squeaked out.
"Spill." Mina commanded.
I laughed and pushed through Amy and Lita, heading towards Mina's green Civic. "There's nothing to tell," I teased. "We had a good talk in the car, listened to good music, and..." I trailed off, feeling my cheeks heat up.
"And what?" Raye asked, a devious smile gracing her pretty features.
"And then we cuddled for an hour in the theater!" I cried, throwing my arms around myself and hugging tightly.
The girls laughed and started screaming out the typical "oooo's" and "ahhhhh's" that only girls can do in between their fits of giggles.
"It was so wonderful!" I gushed. "It was like a dream!"
"Oh please!" Lita joked, rolling her eyes. "Can I shoot her now?" She asked the girls, and they laughed in response.
"Hey!" Raye protested. "The Shields' are great cuddlers! It runs in the family!" she insisted with a wink.
"Well," I exclaimed, "whatever it is, it was wonderful. But enough about that for now! What is going on with you girls?" I asked, rounding on a surprised Amy, Mina, and Lita.
"I don't know what you mean!" Amy insisted, suddenly appearing quite shy.
"Nothing!" Lita replied in a voice that would have made Napoleon Dynamite proud.
"Oh give me a break!" I cried, rolling my eyes, glad to finally be on the offensive. "Amy, you've been making goo-goo eyes and having plenty of intellectual discussion with Zach since you got here! You can't take your eyes off of Nathan, Lita... and Mina!" I whirled on my sister, who tried desperately not to look as trapped as I'm sure she felt. "What's up with you and Malcolm?"
She smiled. "He's nice, and he's pretty cute..." she trailed off, and attempted a disaffected shrug.
"Pretty cute?" Raye asked incredulously, opening the car door. "That guy is the biggest eye-candy Madison has to offer next to my brother--and Jarod of course!" she added quickly, before slipping inside the dark recesses of the auto.
The rest of the girls followed suit, and I admit, I got quite a kick out of the pink that stained Mina's pale cheeks before her head disappeared from view. We all buckled up once inside the car, but the conversation resumed when Mina started the engine.
"So what is the deal, Mina?" I asked again. "Do you like Mal, or what?"
"Why aren't you bugging Lita and Amy?" she asked suddenly, sounding slightly irritated.
"Because I KNOW they're into Nathan and Zach... they're way too easy to read. You and Mal are a little more tricky. You flirt with everyone, but I can tell Mal is into you."
"Really?" she wondered, sounding interested for the first time. "You think so?"
"Duh," Raye muttered, and I laughed.
"Okay, fine!" Mina exclaimed, giving up. "I like him okay? I mean, it's not the heart-thumping love you probably feel for Darien, but I like him. He's a nice guy, and he's gorgeous, and well... I guess I haven't been around that in a while."
"Aw, Mina that's so cute!" I squealed, reaching over and giving her a tight squeeze.
"Stop it!" She shouted, laughing as she pushed me away. "You'll run me off the road!"
"She means it you know," Raye suddenly broke in. "Mal is totally into you, and that's a rare thing. Mal may be one of the hottest guys at Madison, but his interest in women is pretty limited…" "Yeah, I know his standards are pretty high," I muttered, remembering our conversation on the definition of the "perfect woman."
"But enough about me and the girls!" Mina insisted. "This entire fiasco has been about you and Darien… So spill the beans! What have you guys been talking about, and what was that dance like?"
"Oh Lord!" Raye moaned with a laugh. "Don't get too cheesy with me okay? Remember, this guy is my brother!"
I laughed, but shrugged my shoulders, feeling the butterflies begin to swirl within my stomach. "I don't know," I murmured. "I've been wishing for this day since I came to Madison, and I would feel incredibly corny if I tried to express how happy it's made me…" I sighed, and lifted my arm to support my chin as I gazed out the window at the passing trees growing dim as the sun sank lower on the horizon. "To say that today has been perfect would be the understatement of the century. I've gotten everything I've wanted… well, almost everything," I finished, smiling a little.
"No action yet, huh?" Lita said dryly.
"Lita!" We all shouted, and she laughed.
"I swear, she's worse than I am!" Raye said, grinning.
"Get used to it sweetie. I just say what everyone else is thinking!" Lita quipped.
"So how is this all going to end, Serena?" Amy wondered, and we all sobered a bit. "Are you going to tell Darien eventually, or are you hoping Ren will disappear without him noticing?"
A long silence ensued, and in the middle of it, Amy let loose an embarrassed chuckle. "I didn't mean to ruin the mood," she apologized, "but I do think the issue should be addressed."
"You're right, Amy," I replied softly. "And to answer your question, I haven't decided yet… I don't really don't know what I'm going to do." I turned to glance back at Raye, whose violet eyes glowed beautifully in the shadows that were growing inside the car. "You know him best, Raye. What should I do?"
"I've never been in this situation, Serena," she answered truthfully. "I know my brother doesn't like liars, but I also know that Ren has become a huge part of his life. With me, honesty is always the best policy… but I can't guarantee that it'll keep him around."
A strong, and terrible fear gripped my heart at her last words, and the car was silent for a long time afterwards. I watched the sun sink below the gentle sloping mountains in the West, and as the stars began to blink out in the darkening sky, I was reminded of Darien's gentle touch and intoxicating scent. Today had been just like a dream, just like heaven, but was it meant to last? How would he react if I told him the truth? What would he do if he found out one of the few people he trusts isn't real? When I thought about what I would do in his position, I realized I had never been more afraid in my life. Tears threatened to spill from my eyelids, but then I felt a soft touch at my shoulder. I turned to see Raye's beautiful face, a soft smile gracing her full lips.
"Don't worry, Sere…" she whispered quietly. "Love conquers all."
I trembled at her tender words, and fervently hoped that what she said was true… Lies were not the strongest basis for a relationship, and I couldn't keep mine up forever. Sooner or later, Darien would have to know the truth. The question was whether or not he'd be able to accept it, and love me afterwards.
An hour and a half later, the mood had finally shifted to a happy one. Lita had admitted to her growing crush on Nathan, and Amy had blushingly confessed her blooming affinity towards Zach.
"He's very intelligent," she confided, smiling to herself. "I've never felt more comfortable with anyone, and it's never been so easy for me to keep up a conversation."
"Zach is easily the smartest guy in school," I commented. "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be passing Calculus right now." I smiled, and turned to Lita. "Nathan's a big goof though… He can drive me crazy sometimes, but deep down he's a really sweet guy."
"I know! He's so exciting!" Lita gushed, her emerald eyes sparkling. "Whenever I tell a guy I know karate, they immediately become intimidated and try to cover it up with some joke about how they have to watch out for me now… Nathan was totally different, and completely into it! He even invited me to be his sparring partner!" She giggled, and tucked a stray strand of auburn hair back into her ponytail. "I don't know, I found it sort of sexy."
"Is this girl as bad as she appears to be?" Raye managed through her laughter. "Or is this just an act?"
"I'm beginning to wonder…" I cracked, and we all started laughing.
"Oh come on!" Lita insisted, a pretty blush creeping into her cheeks. "You gotta admit, the thought of tussling a cutie like Nathan is appealing!"
"Tussling?" Mina repeated. "Dang Lita, I think we need a cold shower up in here!"
That cracked us up again, and Lita finally admitted her defeat between giggles. "I'm not as terrible as I seem," she insisted, smiling at Raye. "But someone's got to keep these girls on their toes, and at the very least, I keep them laughing!"
"Jarod's a cutie though, good job on that one Raye," Mina said with a grin, doing a swift subject change. "How long have you two known each other?"
"Since I was in eighth grade, but I didn't go to school with him until my freshmen year. Jarod lives in California, so I didn't meet him until he came to Madison, and even when I did, he was nothing more to me than Darien's cute friend…" she smiled in remembrance. "He was so handsome, funny, and cocky as hell, even back then. When Darien first introduced us, it was pretty disastrous. It was summertime, and the boys and I were on a picnic at my uncle's estate in upstate New York. We were having a good time, the boys were teasing me of course, but good-naturedly--Darien would never let them go too far." She laughed, and shook her head. "Anyway, we were walking in the woods, and we passed this old abandoned crate. The boys stopped because they thought they could hear bees inside."
"Oh no," Mina moaned. "I can see where this is going…"
Raye giggled, and nodded. "Well, you know guys, they always have to stir something up, so they decide finally that they're going to kick it and run like hell…" We all started to laugh at the absurdity of this logic, but Raye continues on through her giggles. "The only problem was that none of them wanted to do it! However, Jarod--being as cocky as he is--finally steps forward and declares that 'he'll do it!'" She smiled, and shook her head. "So he did, and we all ran away as fast as we could with a whole slew of them buzzing behind us…" She paused, and grinned again.
"Now I had been against the idea from the start! I have a 'live and let live' policy with bees, and when Jarod kicked that hive I felt bad for the poor things. It figured I turned out to be the only one that got stung!"
"Oh no way!" I squealed. "It was their idea, and you got stung!"
"Five times, and I'm allergic to insect bites. My hands and arms started to swell up like balloons, and one had even gotten me on the cheek. I looked so horrible, and I was so embarrassed that Jarod was seeing me like that…" She shuddered.
"And you still liked this guy?" Lita asked incredulously. "I would have thought he was a first-class jerk!"
"That's just the thing though," Raye insisted. "While I sat there on the forest floor crying my eyes out, Darien and the boys ran back to the house to get help. Jarod felt so terrible, he refused to leave my side, and remained with me until my uncle arrived with medicine," she laughed again. "He must have apologized a thousand times before they all showed up, and he didn't let go of my hand until my uncle lifted me up to take me home." She sighed. "That was it for me, I was totally hooked. He can be completely brainless sometimes, but when it comes down to it, he is the most kind and steadfast individual I have ever known."
We all let loose a loud sigh as she finished, envying the romance of that first encounter.
"How cool of a story would that be to tell your grandchildren someday?" I murmured softly, and Raye laughed. "I mean, the jerk gets you stung by an army of bees, and you forgive and forget. And then you're all swollen and miserable, and the guy still falls head-over-heels for you… It's like something out of a movie."
"Yeah, well I hope I never see a movie that inflicts that much pain," Raye quipped, and we all laughed again. "Besides, I think I like your story better…" she murmured. "How many people can say they met their one true love in a diner, and then dressed up as a boy to be close to them?"
I smiled softly, and shook my head. "I don't suppose any could."
"It's pretty romantic though," she pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess it is," I replied.
"We're here!" Mina exclaimed suddenly.
"What?" I asked, lifting myself up in my seat.
"We're here!" She repeated. "We made it back!"
"Short trip," Lita muttered.
"In the right company, time does fly," Amy commented.
"You said it, sister," Raye murmured.
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