Thank you so much to Light'by'day, James Birdsong (anon.), jessicam242, and stephumz for the absolutely wonderful reviews you've left! And to all those who have read so far! Please don't ever hesitate to let me know what you think! Your speculations and comments make my day!

-Chapter Two-
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
~Harold R McAlindon

"Thanks for picking me up." Mina smoothed her hands over her hair. "I'd drive myself, but, you know."

Serena nodded, pulling her backpack onto her lap. The parking lot hummed and buzzed with the steady drone of students. "I won't even make you pay for gas."

"Oh, thank you." Mina pulled down the visor to look into the mirror. "My parents said they got Jake a car because he was born five minutes before me. Whatever." She fiddled with the radio knobs while she dabbed at her lip gloss with a single finger. "But he likes to pick Raye up in the morning, and she is not a morning person."She shuddered. "Not fun share a car with her."

She smirked as she stuffed her keys into her purse and unbuckled her seatbelt.

The engine of a motorcycle split through their brief moment of silence, crimson red and glittering in the early morning light. It turned into the empty space beside her.

Serena turned away from her window. "My parents said they only got me a car so they wouldn't-"

The purr of the engine cut off her words.

Serena frowned. "...So they wouldn't have to-" The engine revved again, and she snapped her jaw closed. After a minute of quiet, she tried again. "Have to lug me around and-"

Mina slapped a hand over her mouth to hold back a bark of laughter as the engine gave a healthy rev. Serena moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, handing off her school bag to Mina as she twisted around.

Darien stood there, one arm against the roof of her car, a smile riding his lips.

She blinked, moving one hand to roll down the window. "You ride a motorcycle?"

He laughed, a rich, deep, pure sound, and bent back to place his helmet on the bike's seat. A light breeze played with his bangs. "Yeah. Are you surprised?"

Mina, with a sly smirk on her own face, pushed open the door.

"Well, yeah. I imagined you as more of a... sports care type... guy. I guess."

Mina closed to door with an almost silent click, stepping away and waving wildly to the boy opposite her. Darien's eyes flickered over to her for barely a second before he refocused back on Serena. "Then I guess I'm just full of surprises."

Even from twenty feet away, Mina could see Serena's blush.

Darien straightened to his full height, a towering six foot two inches, backing up a step to let her out. "You're not full of surprises," she recounted easily, reaching back into the car for her bag. "Mina, you-" She paused and stared at the empty seat. "Where did Mina go?"

"Oh, she left about two minutes ago."

Serena turned back to face Darien, and as she stared up into his face, she realized her mere five foot three was immensely short when compared to him.

She watched him shrug out of his leather jacket, peel off his gloves, run a hand deftly through his hair. To get away from the distraction that was so easily him, she turned back to her own car, fumbling with her keys. She locked it, locked it again, unlocked it. Darien was standing next to her, watching her play with the two buttons.

She finally decided that she would like her car locked, convinced with the uncomplicated thought that she probably looked like such a dork standing there. Embarrassed, she let her eyes wander. A few parking rows over, Raye was resting back against a red Mustang, one of Jake's palms pressed against the metal beside her neck. She looked undoubtedly upset.

Serena lifted an eyebrow.

The two of them fell into step as they made their way toward the school. Darien led her through an archway that opened into a quad, full with pallid stone tables, a dribbling water fountain, and a towering weeping willow. It was a strange set up, really, for a private school. A simple garden would have been pleasant enough, though.

Oh, but there was a butterfly garden. She had forgotten about that.

"You got rid of your pigtails."

Serena, startled by the sudden observation, lifted her hand immediately to touch the thick braid resting against her back. "I did." She chewed the inside of her cheek. "Mr. Devine said I needed it away from my face. So, I thought a braid..." She trailed off, decided that it was better not to let him know that the only reason she ditched the pigtails was because he liked them.

They both walked in silence, ears greeted with the fall of their shoes on concrete.

As they approached a set of doors, Darien pulled one open and watched her walk beneath his arm. The air was cool inside the school, and it tickled her skin. "The braid is nice, too, I suppose."

The corners of her mouth lifted into a small grin. Their shoulders bumped as they shifted to let a group of students pass. He smelled of a wild motorcycle ride and fresh, open air. She angled her head to the side, trying to place her finger on the scent, and she came to the conclusion that the wind favored him.

Darien touched her elbow, a silent goodbye, and he turned left, leaving her in the throng of students. She found herself looking back at him, watching him move, and Mina was right.

He did have a very nice butt.

She let her head swing back around.

The curious face of Nathan greeted her. "You're blushing again."

Serena touched her cheeks. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

His eyes were teasing. "We all know you like him."

She clenched her jaw, stopping at her locker. He pulled up to his, right beside her own, and dialed in his combination. "We all know you're nosy," Serena responded coolly, removing a stack of pictures from a sandwich baggy.

He opened his locker, watching her with an arched brow as she taped the photos to the door of her own. An elementary Serena and Mina with chocolate caked around their mouths, a moment captured with the gang at the beach freshmen year, a picture of a cat with a strange bald spot in the center of its forehead. His lips tweaked, just a bit. "I heard what he told you the other day, in chemistry." He batted his eyelashes. "I think your pigtails are cute. Oh, Serena, I love you so much. Serena, marry me!"

She turned on him, punched him hard in the arm. "Be quiet, Nathan. Nobody asked you for your input."

"True, yes, nobody did." He pulled out a spiral notebook, lips quirked. "But I do know for a fact that he gets a little stutter-happy when it comes to girls."

She didn't look at him. "What?"

The corners of Nathan's mouth softened. "You know, he gets nervous and shifty and tries to avoid questions, as surprising as that may seem. I mean, not to their faces, but when he talksabout them, boy, does his face get red."

Serena pretended to straighten a picture. "He talks about girls? As in, plural, girls?"

Nathan waved his hands in front of him. "No, no, no. He only talks about a few girls. And I think one of them is his cousin, so that's nothing to worry about." He paused, licked his lips and straightened his tie. "He talks about you, a lot. And I think his palms sweat whenever he's around you."

Serena resisted the very importunate urge to smile. "We have lit first period, right?"

"Yeah."

She looked in the mirror that rested in the middle of a cluster of photos, occupied herself by smoothing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Okay. Thanks."

She forgot to close her locker before she strolled away, so, with a small, humored shake of the head, he shut it himself.


"We need to do something exciting."

"Why can't we just go traditional?"

"Traditional is so boring, though. Let's do something crazy, like rent a rock wall."

Serena had heard enough. From her spot at the head of the conference table, she stood. "Let me just clarify something." She scratched at her ear. "You no longer want to go along with the homecoming routine of catering, dancing, and fun. Now you guys want to do something outrageous."

The group around her nodded vigorously.

She nudged Phoebe, the secretary. "Write down that we want to rent a rock wall."

She nodded and bent forward to grab a pen. "Rock wall. Got it."

Zane picked his head up from the table and groaned. "Is this almost over yet?"

Serena sighed and plopped back down into her seat. "Zane, if I have to be here and stay awake, then you have to be here too. So wake up."

"Coffee..." he groaned and reached for her Starbucks. "I need coffee..."

She pushed his hand away. "Nick, Demitria, do you think you guys could come up with some fundraising ideas? If we want this..." she paused to come up with an appropriate word, "...spectacular homecoming, we could use a little help."

Zane grabbed her wrist and gave a sharp tug. "Coffee..."

Serena sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Here." She handed over her cup.

He smiled victoriously. "Thank you." He sat up and put his feet on the table. "So is that the theme for this year?"

They all looked at each other.

"Spectacular." He lifted an eyebrow and sipped some coffee. "Is that the theme for homecoming?"

Serena glanced around. "What do you guys think?"

They nodded their agreement.

"Alright then. Spectacular." She smiled. "Phoebe?"

"Got it."


Raye pulled her blouse over her head, hair fanning out around her shoulders. "There's a distinct difference between datingand having sex." Her skirt was unbuttoned next. "It's really not that complicated, though. I don't know why girls get all caddy about it."

Serena furrowed her eyebrow and toed her penny loafers. "Is this directed toward a specific someone?"

She pulled her shorts on, rolled the waistband a few times. Her navel ring glittered beneath the fluorescent lights. "No one you know."

Serena nodded and tightened her hair band.

Through the door to the locker room, a whistle pierced the air. "Saddle up, ladies! Times a wasting!"

They all shouldered their way through the archway and into the gymnasium.

"How nice of you ladies to join us," Miss. Berkley eyed them as they plopped onto the floor. "Now that you're here, get in some stretching, and then we'll head out to the soccer field."

Serena groaned and pushed up to her feet. "I'm horrible at soccer."

"You're horrible at all sports," Jake came up to her and shoved her shoulder. "While you took your good old time changing, I volunteered you to be goalie."

She blanched. "Jake!"

Miss. Berkley glanced up at her shout. "Tayse! Stretch!"

Serena clenched her jaw and pulled her arm across her chest. "Why didn't you volunteer somebody else?"

He made it a point to consider the question. "Remember when me, you, and Mina all played soccer together in second grade?"

She began to stretch her other arm. "Yeah..."

"And remember when you tried to kick the ball and you fell flat on your face?"

She made a sound in the back of her throat. "You're making it seem like you're doing me a favor."

"That's because I am, darling," he ruffled her bangs. "You'll thank me one day."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll thank you when I've got a bruise the size of a grapefruit in the middle of my forehead."

He smiled. "I'll be looking forward to it."

Miss. Berkley clapped her hands together. "Let's get this party rolling people! Anderson, grab a ball! Everyone else, let's go!"

Jake smacked her bottom as he passed. "Good luck, buttercup!"

Raye snorted as she approached. "Well, this could be an entertaining forty-five minutes."

Serena glared. "Shut up."

0

She scratched at the back of her head, watching as the next kicker approached the ball.

"Alright, Tayse," Miss. Berkley encouraged, "you've got to stop at least one of these. You've got this."

Serena's frown creased her forehead. Concentration beaded across her lip in a fine sheen of sweat. The kicker winded up, kicked.

She screamed as the ball whirled toward her head, and she fell to the ground, arms covering her head in a protective shell. It glided into the net as laughter broke out throughout the class.

Miss. Berkley sighed. "Alright," she looked around. "Shields, you're a soccer player. Get in there and help her out."

He wiped his hands on his shorts before jogging toward her cowering body. "Uh, Serena?" He bent over and caught sight of the one eye peeking out from between her arms. "I'm here to save you."

She lifted her head. "Am I really that bad?"

He tried to keep a serious face, but a cough that sounded like laughter broke his face into a smile. "Yeah. You are."

He reached for her hand to help her to her feet. "How about we split the net in half? You cover the left side, and I'll cover the right."

She nodded and dusted the dirt from her hands.

Darien waved toward Miss. Berkley. She popped her whistle back into her mouth. "Get ready," he warned, and bent over, hands on knees.

The first ball he caught landed smoothly into his palms. When he threw it back, his grin dimpled. "You look shocked."

"You make it look so easy." She tore her eyes away from his as someone else kicked. He chuckled, knocking away the oncoming ball with a curled fist.

"That's because it is," he bent down to pick up the ball. She let her eyes trace down his backside and toward his legs. "You've just got to practice."

She snorted. "In case you haven't noticed, sports and I don't mix very well."

"Heads up now!" Miss. Berkley called. "One more until we have to head in!"

Darien rubbed his palms together. "Alright, Serena. I have a feeling this one is all yours."

That was because Jake had the ball trapped beneath his foot, a wicked smile curled across his face.

She gulped.

"He's going to try and fake you out," Darien said out of the corner of his mouth. "He's going to start left, switch to his right foot, and then aim for your head."

She turned terrified eyes toward him. "How do you know?"

"Oh please," his eyes were a deep blue beneath the sun. "Jake's as readable as they come. So just keep your hands ready and he won't take your head off."

Her stomach knotted."Am I supposed to be scared right now?"

When he didn't answer, she turned back to face Jake. He winked at her.

And then he kicked.

The ball was motionless in the air, arching high, eclipsing the sun before it began its quick descent. She bit her lip to keep in a yelp and stretched out her arms.

The ball bent her wrists backward, a brief stab of pain, before it fell lamely to her feet.

She peeled open her eyes. In a panic, she kicked the ball away from her. "Am I alive?"

Miss. Berkley blew her whistle, arms thrown up into the air. "Hallelujah, praise the Lord!"

Serena's cheeks flushed. "I blocked it?" A scream of excitement bubbled out from her chest. "I blocked it!"

Beside her, Darien laughed and caught her as she jumped into his arms.

They were still laughing when she picked her head up from his shoulder and caught his eyes. Their noses brushed together.

He released her, and they shuffled away from each other.

"I... ah..." Serena pulled down the hem of her shirt. She turned sharply on her heel and darted toward Raye, where she stood waiting, arms crossed over her chest and one slim eyebrow raised. "I'll see you later," she called over her shoulder. But she couldn't will herself to look back at him.


"I can't go in there." Serena hugged her pass book to her chest, backside pressed to the counter. "I can't. He's my lab partner. What if he says something?"

Mina's finger tapped against her forearm. "You know, I'd love to hide out in here with you for the rest of the day, but I have lit right now, and it's Kennedy's turn to read his summer essay, and it's my duty to make faces at him."

Serena's cry came from somewhere in the back of her throat, words stretching out in a voice that caught on the last word. "I need you though!"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Alright, alright. Explain to me again what happened."

She shuffled her feet, staring dumbly down at the white floor tiles.

"Serena!"

"We hugged!" She threw her book down onto the counter, bit her lip as her throat tightened. "I blocked the stupid soccer ball and he smiled that stupid smile where it looks like he's about to make fun of me, but instead I just jumped him and he smells really good even when he's sweating, and his arms are like rocks, Mina, rocks! And you're totally right because he's butt is really, really nice and I don't even know if he likes me like that." She paused, inhaled, and Mina ran over to clamp a hand over her mouth.

"I think I've come to my diagnosis."

Serena's eyes were two wide orbs of tearing blue. Her words were muffled against Mina's palm. "What?"

"You love him."

Serena jerked away with a bark of laughter. "That's ridiculous. How can I love him if I-"

"Excuses, excuses, Serena," she fixed a wild ruffle in her skirt. "Come find me when you think you know what you're talking about."

And she left her standing there, trembling and fingers curled into fists.

Serena blinked and turned to stare at her reflection in the mirror. She clutched the edge of the counter, closed her eyes, and didn't move.


Zane cornered her at the top of the staircase, between the railing and the water fountain. "Where were you fifth period?"

Serena tried to resist the rolling of her eyes. "You're way too nosy. Now move." She attempted to step around him, but he took another step forward and forced her against the wall.

"Mr. Devine was asking about you. Said he saw you earlier today and wasn't sure why you weren't in class." He clucked his tongue. "Where were you?"

"You sound like my mother." Serena clutched her books against her chest. "I wasn't feeling good, okay? I had a pass."

His eyes, green and curious, had golden flecks dotted around the pupils. His mouth tightened. "You're lying."

"I'm not." She elbowed him in the gut, and he dutifully stepped aside.

Before she could get far, he caught her arm. "You worry me," he said. "I'm like a legitimate worried mama bear right now, because I know something's up." His fingers tightened on her arm; silent recognition. "And by the way, Mr. Devine said he wants to see you after school so he can relay the class notes and help you with the experiment."

Serena jerked away from him. "Thanks, Zane, really. But you don't have to worry about me."

He raised an eyebrow. "If you say so."

"I know so." She turned around sharply, pressed into the crowd of people. She felt his eyes on her the entire way.

Zane tucked his free hand into his pocket with a sigh. "If you say so."


She didn't go to Mr. Devine's class after school.

Instead, she sat on the top row of the bleachers, legs crossed and phone balanced in the dent of her skirt.

On the field down below, Kennedy tossed a football to Nathan. The tryouts were at four, she still had half an hour to kill and homework up to her eyeballs. But she couldn't draw the inspiration, the energy, to reach down into her backpack. She couldn't draw enough energy do anything except stare blankly down at the field, watching as the footballers gathered into a huddle for a quick discussion, as the cheerleaders, at the far end of the field, practiced their cartwheels and backhand springs.

One of the girls stumbled in her landing, fell onto her bottom, and Mina ran over to pull her to her feet. A few yards over, Raye rolled her eyes and tapped her foot.

Serena lifted an eyebrow as words were exchanged and the girl, a freshman, headed back over to try again.

Her landing was smooth, graceful, and Mina jumped into the air, clapping her hands like a maniac.

The sun dimmed as a thin cloud passed over its stretching rays, and the sudden change of light had her resting her elbows against her knees, her chin in her palm. The leaves of the towering trees just on the outskirts of the field rustled gently as a breeze drifted across the yard and wrapped around her like a tender cradle.

Her eyes began to droop.

0

She jerked upward as someone grasped her shoulder, keeping her from tumbling down the bleachers. She wiped at the corners of her mouth, eyes wide as the lingering sun pierced through the lasting remnants of sleep.

"Whoa there, Sere," Kennedy released her, pale eyebrows lifted and body silhouetted in a stretching shadow. "Have a nice nap?"

"What time is it?" She was already hefting up her backpack. "How long was I asleep?"

"Well, it's six o'clock, so you were out for about two hours, maybe two and a half." He followed her down the bleachers, duffle bag flung over one shoulder and cleats clonking against metal.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

He was a step behind her, hair freshly cut and glistening with sweat. "I was trying to, you know, try out for the football team and all."

She was suddenly thankful that she had thought of moving her car to a closer parking space. As she fumbled with her keys, he appeared before her, forearm pressed against the door to keep her from opening it.

"Mina told me what happened between you and Darien."

Serena froze, key half turned in the lock. She kept her eyes on her hand, stiff and pale against the dark paint of her car. "What are you talking about?"

Kennedy sighed, dropped his bag to the ground. "I want you to be happy, Serena. I really do." He lowered his arm to allow her to climb in. His hand held the door, keeping it open. "Are you sure he's the right person for you?"

She revved her engine, kept herself focused by playing with the radio knobs. "Is this really any of your business, Ken? I mean, first Zane thinks he can interrogate me, and now you?"

He shrugged one indignant shoulder. "No, not really. But you're my cousin, and since you don't have an older brother, it's my duty to look after you. He closed the door for her and waited until she rolled down the window. "Darien's... well, he's Darien. He has goals in his life that are set pretty high."

Serena put the car into reverse. "So..." She began rolling the window back up. "What you're saying is that you don't think I'm good enough for him?"

"I'm not saying anything. Just think about what's best for the both of you, that's all." He offered a smile. "Tell Aunt Ilene I said hey."

She nodded and began pulling away, knuckles white where she was gripping the steering wheel.


She bit into her jelly doughnut, caught the dripping filling with her finger. There was nothing better than a Saturday morning spent at the Kane Bakery.

Lita, apron knotted around her waist, carried over a tray of milkshakes. "Here you are, ladies," she smirked at them and deposited the three sweating glasses onto the table. "A generous tip is greatly appreciated."

Mina reached into her pocket to withdraw a mint. "This is all I have on me."

"Ha ha." Lita threw the candy at her face. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Serena licked the jelly from her fingertips. "Are you hiring?"

Lita hugged her waitressing tray to her chest. "I can talk to my grandparents," one brown eyebrow lifted. "You don't strike me as a waitress type of person."

She shrugged. "What can I say," she chewed on the edge of her straw. "I'm a shocking person."

Lita shot her a strange look. "Alright then." The entrance chimed as a new customer entered. She lifted her tray in farewell.

Serena used her straw to dig out a cherry. "Waitressing can't be that hard, can it?"

Raye scooped a spoonful of milkshake out of the glass. "It requires balance, strength, and the ability to walk in a straight line." She licked the back of her spoon. "All of which you don't have, and are completely incapable of doing."

Serena felt her lip snare as she pulled the stem from between her lips. "Thank you, really. I appreciate your support."

"What can I say," Raye popped her own cherry into her mouth. "I'm a supportive person."

She rolled her eyes and reached for her purse as her phone buzzed. "Oh gosh," she sighed and pressed it to her ear. "Hi, Zane."

Mina reached over to take Serena's doughnut, watching with a smirk that had Raye snorting milkshake from her nose.

She glared at them and pressed her other hand against the shell of her ear to block out the noise. "Yeah, I know it's Saturday." She snatched her doughnut back and shoved the rest of it into her mouth. "Plans? No, not at the moment. But if you think I'm going to... Zane? Hello?" She made a sound in the back of her throat. "I hate him."

"You two are best friends."

Serena tossed her phone onto the table and slurped up more milkshake. "Totally not best friends."

Mina crossed her arms behind her head. "You'll probably pick him to be your maid of honor at your wedding."

"I hate you, too," she dug through her purse for money. "I'm leaving. Bye." She climbed over Raye as Mina made lame attempts to stifle her laughter.

"Bye beautiful!" Mina blew kisses and waved.

Serena waved over her shoulder and pushed open the door.


The driveway was littered with little economy cars, and as Serena parked by the curb, she could see through the window a group of pregnant women practicing aerobics. She trudged through the middle of the yard and shouldered open the front door.

The furniture in the living room was shoved up against the walls, and an instructor in yoga pants that showed her underwear line was busy jumping about.

Ilene, face pink and shiny with sweat, waved at her. "Hey, pumpkin! Want to join? This is a great workout!" All the women nodded and motioned her over.

"No thanks, Mom." She deposited her bag onto the coffee table that was upside down on the couch. "Do you know where Dad is?"

"He's hiding out in the bedroom." She brushed dark bangs away from her sticky forehead. "Probably watching some sort of game."

Serena nodded and backed away from the room and toward the staircase. The instructor began clapping her hands in time with the music that poured out from her boom box. "Alright mamas, reach for the sky. Yeah, good!"

She skipped steps and rounded the corner to her parent's room. The blinds were drawn, the ghostly glow from the television draped the room in white, and her father lay with arms crossed behind his head. She knocked on the doorframe, "What are you doing."

Kenneth turned drooping eyes toward her. "Watching the History Channel." He patted the mattress. "Join me?"

Serena toed her shoes before she padded across the carpet and climbed up next to him. The screen displayed a documentary of some ancient war. "Why do you always watch this channel?"

"It's either this or the Military Channel." He stretched his arm out and offered her into the little cradle. As she settled against the crook of his elbow, he angled his head down to kiss her temple.

She stared blankly at the screen for a few lingering minutes, and then her vision began to blur.

Her father was whispering something about the program, but the world around her was beginning to darken and fade dangerously.

She couldn't remember when she fell asleep, but she did.

0

"Wake up!" The mattress jerked wildly, repeatedly, and she floundered about like a beached catfish.

A pillow smacked her in the face, and then again, until a body fell on top of her.

"Hello, anyone in there?"

Serena groaned as the mattress began to shake again. "What time is it?" She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hands. "And what the heck do you want?"

A hand gripped the corners of her mouth and squeezed. "It's like four-thirty and I'm here to sweep you away to Candy Land where we can frolic in our tutus and shove lollypops down our throats."

"Zane?" She peeled open her eyes and stared into his smirking face.

"Right-o." He sat back, still on top of her, and pulled out his phone. "I've got plans for us tonight. Let's go. I already called everybody and this shit is about to go down. "

She pushed him off. "How did you get in here?"

He looked around her parent's room, and then back down at her. "Well, I rang the doorbell, your mom answered, I complimented her, and then she told me you were in here." He turned his phone around and mashed his mouth against her cheek. Serena made a face and tried to pull away.

The phone clicked as it captured the photo and Zane let her look at it. "This is a keeper." He pulled her from the bed. "Go get changed. Something comfy. But still look like your sexy little self." He followed her down the hall, into her bedroom, then to her closet. "I called Mina like two seconds after you, and she told me you were being a little puss. Apparently you don't think we're best friends?"

Serena pulled out a pair of skinny jeans and held them up for him to examine. He nodded, so she turned back in to search for a top. "Apparently whatever I say gets broadcasted across the face of the universe for everyone to know."

"Of course it does." He leaned against her dresser and watched her head toward her bathroom. She locked the door behind her, so he walked over to stand in front of it. "You're life is just so interesting, we can't help ourselves." The water ran, and he crossed his arms.

She pulled open the door, toothbrush dangling from her mouth. "Where are we going anyway?"

He lifted a blonde eyebrow. "That's a surprise."

She paused, turned to stare at him. Toothpaste dribbled down her chin. He laughed. "Hurry up, will you? The faster we get there, the better."


She ran a hand through her hair as Zane led her through a tangled pathway of underbrush, one finger hooked through a belt loop of her jeans to keep her close. The sun teased the horizon, blanketing the sky in an aurora of pink and yellow. Ahead, a fire crackled as someone poked it with a stick, coaxing it until its orange flames grew tall and wide. People chattered noisily about, loud and careless.

They broke through the trees, and someone handed them two red cups. She sniffed it.

She drew away sharply, eyes watering. "What is this stuff?"

Zane shrugged and took a swallow. It burned down his throat and made his cheeks tinge pink. "Who knows? But then again, who really cares." He untangled his hand from her jeans. "Time to let loose, baby."

He called to someone across the clearing, leaving her to fend for herself. She looked around aimlessly, hand wrapped around the cup, and then someone was waving her over.

Serena blinked as Raye elbowed a boy out of her way. "Well it's about time you got here," Raye grabbed her free hand and tugged her forward. "These people are boring me to death." She dabbed at the corner of her eye with a fingernail. As they moved away from the group, Raye motioned back at them. "Intellectually, they're all about as dumb as a pile of nails."

Someone backed a truck up and parked it between the trees; the trunk was open and loud, pounding music filtered out from the stereo system.

"And I swear," she continued as she waved away a cup that someone offered to her. "If one more idiot tries to get with me because their sloshed, I'm going to dropkick them so hard, they won't even..." Her voice trailed off as Serena came to a jerking stop beside her. "What?"

Serena shook her head. "Nothing."

Raye bent forward to follow Serena's eyesight. She squinted hard, then straightened back up. "Oh."

"Yeah." She continued to stare, right at Darien, who was gladly allowing Adrianna to hang against his shoulder. Her hair slid across her face as she bent against his cheek to whisper into his ear.

"Maybe it just looks fishy." Raye stepped in front of her to cut off her line of vision. "Like Jake totally thought I was letting some guy grope me once, but it was actually one of my gay friends just getting a piece of hair that was stuck to my sweater." She nodded vigorously, as if that would prove her point. "He nearly had a conniption and was so close to punching him in the face, but luckily I..." She clucked her tongue as Serena stood on the tips of her toes to peer over her shoulder. "It's nothing. Darien's not like that."

"He can be however he wants to be. It's not like we're dating or anything." She looked down at the cup still in her grasp, and then lifted it to her lips and drank half of it. "Let's go have some fun."


She had never drunk before. Never tasted alcohol that wasn't a sip from her mother's wine glass. And so, after three and a half cups of mystery drink, she was giggling uncontrollably and bouncing around in some unknown boy's lap.

At some point, Mina had come over to check on her, but she couldn't quite remember what she said. She didn't really care, either, because the boy was mumbling delicious things against her neck and she had never quite felt so free in her lifetime.

She twisted around until her knees slipped forward and clanked against the back of the metal chair, threw her arms around his neck and tugged him against her.

"Do you want to go?" he whispered against the crook of her neck.

She hiccupped and drew back to stare into his face. "Go where?"

His lips twisted into a small grin. "Why don't I show you?"

The two of them shifted uncomfortably until he finally slid out from underneath of her. He grasped her forearm, and she tried to concentrate on the stripes of his shirt, but her vision was distorting rapidly, so she just settled for stumbling along behind him.

It turned out to be his truck that was providing the music, and a few stragglers lingering around the trunk dispersed as he waved them off. He pulled open the back door and she peered inside. It took her a minute to realize that he wanted her to climb in. "Oh," she laughed out loud and jumped up onto the seat, shimmied over so he could follow her in. "So what do you want to show me again, because I can't really remember and..." She felt his hand pressed against her thigh, and she stuttered to a halt. "Oh!" She giggled. "I see what you're doing."

He nodded as he nudged her onto her back, covering her body with his own.

"There's just a little bit of a problem," her head tilted as his lips brushed across her neck. "I...ahem." His hand crept beneath the hem of her shirt, smoothed over her stomach. "I don't know your name."

He chuckled against the dip of her shoulder, and the muffled vibration sent shivers down her arms. He pulled away, letting in a burst of cool air that filtered in through the cracked windows. "It's Sean."

"Okay," she smiled into his blue eyes and drew his head down for an open kiss. "Nice to meet you."

He ran his fingers down her sides, moving his mouth along the line of her jaw.

Her world was spinning, a window of candied lights that glinted with the dancing flames of the fire just a few feet away. Sean was getting edgy, frisky and touchy as he groped her fully, knee slipping between the crest of her legs.

She was twining her fingers through his hair when a distant sound, the car door opening, registered in the cloudy recesses of her mind. His lips made a suction noise against her neck as someone tore him off of her. His knee jabbed her sharply in the side, and she sat up with a wince, shoving hair away from her face as she twisted around to stare into the clearing.

Her vision sharpened in time to see Darien's fist catch Sean's jaw.

People around turned to stare, mouths hanging open as a silence passed over the clearing. They all took a step closer to watch.

"What the fuck, Darien?" Sean rubbed his jaw where a rosebud bruise began to bloom. His own hand curled into a fist.

Serena's eyebrows furrowed. Darien looked over at her quickly, barely a glance at all, eyes narrowed with piercing anger, then refocused back to Sean. He lunged forward and caught him by the collar of his shirt, knuckles white. "Don't give me that shit, Sean. What the fuck do you think you were doing?" His teeth were gritted, jaw set as he tugged him a step closer. "She's fucking drunk!" He shook him fiercely, released him to draw back another tightened fist.

Sean took him out, shoulder to stomach, and they fell to the ground in a cloud of dirt and dust. They struggled for a moment, flying fists and bodies rolling, until Darien caught him cleanly across the nose, and blood was suddenly everywhere.

Serena ran toward the thickening crowd, shoved her way through. "Knock it off, Darien!" She picked up a stone and threw it toward them. She nearly lost her balance though, and she caught herself on someone standing nearby. "What the hell are you doing?"

Her voice caught on the last word, and she grappled for the back of his shirt. "Get off him!" Another fist flew, and she pounded her own against his back. "You don't have any right to be acting like some kind of barbarian!" She kicked at the dirt, sending a plume into the air. "Stop it right now!

Sean's face was caked in running blood, Darien's knuckles were cut and oozing with his own blood, or Sean's, and she was starting to cry.

"Stop it!"

Sean caught Darien in the side, but he had his hand around Sean's throat, nails digging in, and everything was happened so quickly, and then Serena's face paled.

It was two boys who finally pulled them off of each other, but they didn't stop clawing until Serena gagged once, twice, and then doubled over and hurled onto their sneakers.


Thank you to all who have read, whether you've stopped by for the first time or are returning! Leave me a note in the reviews letting me know what you think or any guesses you have about what might happen in the next chapter! Any reviews are greatly appreciated and, as I said before, make my day!

-Chapter Three-
Preview

"Whoa, you look like shit."

Serena groaned. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Alright," she crossed her arms over her chest. "My grandparents decided to give you the job at the bakery."

Serena touched her forehead to the cool metal of the locker and let the news sink in. "I don't know how to waitress."

"Think of it like this, then." She patted her shoulder soothingly. "You won't have any free time to go and screw up your life at random parties on weekends anymore."

She frowned and shrugged until Lita dropped her arm. "You heard about that."

"I'm pretty sure everyone heard about that." Then, when Serena shot her a withering glare, she smiled sheepishly. "Nathan called after it all went down and caught me up."

Serena made a whimpering sound.

Lita pursed her lips. "It really isn't that big a deal, if you analyze the situation. I mean, you guys were all drinking, right?" She paused and gave Serena a second to answer, but when she didn't, she clambered on. "Darien was probably totally wasted, like you were, and just acted on emotion. Get what I'm saying?"

"Thank you, Dr. Kane. Now why don't you tell me some good news."

"Okay," she switched her books to her other arm. "Here comes Darien right now."

Serena pulled open her locker door and stared into her mirror. There he was, a wavering image over her shoulder. He definitely didn't look like he had been drinking. "Lita, I can't-"

Lita was busy hurrying herself in the opposite direction.

"Oh thanks, Lita! Really, I appreciate it!"

He cleared his throat behind her, and she gritted her teeth.

"We need to talk."