Title: What a new beginning really means

Author: PrettyVchan

.:: Hey guys, this is my second fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy. It's fairly different from the first one since this one is A/U. Please make sure check out my fic "In Joy and Sorrow".

Hope you enjoy my story ::.

Chapter 2 – New contact

Darien was 6 years of age when his mother passed away in a car accident. The little boy was very attached to his mama spending every waken moment by her side. She used to call him her "Little Prince" and he was in fact treated as one. She would not let anyone touch her baby boy.

His life after her death changed drastically. His father wasn't around at all to watch his only son growing up. He had no extended family around, that he was aware of, only some aunts and cousins living in Europe. His father demanded respect and good behavior above all things and forced his son into a very strict discipline with hours of study and a little time to spare having fun. His father didn't like most of his friends other than Andrew – in fact, the old man didn't seem to like anyone very much and kept his heart closed to other women which Darien was somewhat thankful for. He wouldn't be able to deal with some skank trying to be his mother.

Darien learned fast what being a grown up meant and by the age of 16 he was already working not because he needed to support himself financially but because he wanted to be out of the prison his life was. His father didn't know about the fact his only son and heir of a fortune was working in a hotel cleaning bathrooms and making beds. It was only when he got into college that his father found out and he had immediately forbidden his son to work outside.

The young man then decided it was time for him to leave for college in Europe, leaving his dad heartbroken and alone. He was far too young to understand that his father suffered a great deal from his wife's death and became what he was because he was clueless of how to be a father.

The two didn't speak to each other for months after he left and when they finally did both seemed to agree – without admitting to each other – that they had nothing in common. They spoke a few times a year.

A few months ago, Darien got a phone call from a man telling him his father had passed away due to severe cirrhosis – his father had a drinking problem after all, what had turned him into an aggressive and unhappy man. It was the very beginning of his last school year so he had time to drop out of school, rent his apartment, quit his job and enroll into a school back in his hometown. Apparently, his dad has left a mess and he would have to spend a long time working on solving his problems.

As for his life outside his conflict with his dad, he tried to keep as normal as he could, although he had nothing ordinary about himself. Since a very young age he was perceived as very attractive to girls due to his great looks, deep voice and excellent manners. He was very quiet and polite. He and his best friend formed quite a duo. Andrew was blonde, had beautiful green eyes and was always happy and ready to entertain people. Darien had a very dark black hair, intense dark blue eyes and was very tall. He would be the quiet one, just observing, and would talk only to be sarcastic or a smart-ass. Still, he managed to make people like him, because he could be very sweet and amicable. He had made one enemy in his entire life. A girl.

The first time they met each other he was 15 and she was 11. Andrew and her would hang out at the Arcade playing video games; apparently he was her baby sitter or something like that. Many times Darien met the little girl either over at Andrew's or at the Arcade, the park, around the city. She and Andrew seemed to have bonded easily and he would protect her like an older brother. Darien didn't care at all about the young girl and until she reached the age of 13 they would barely talk. The older she'd get, the more she would cry. She could get in his nerves. She used to wear a really interesting hairstyle that he'd named: "the Meatball head hairstyle". He found himself having a lot of fun making the young girl cry and storm off of wherever she was when he'd pick on her. When he left, he didn't think much about her so he was very surprised with what he saw at the diner place. He found her to be very interesting and gorgeous looking; something he never thought would happen to her.

His life in Europe was intense. He would study hard every single day. He got a job at a nightclub and got heavily into drinking and partying. Still, he got an internship in an amazing Hospital and was one of the best students in the England.

He had never had a girlfriend. Not a real one. He had bedded some girls he thought were interesting. He would get infatuated for a few weeks but would get easily bored. His longest relationship lasted a month because the girl was psycho enough that he was actually scared to break up with her. Still, he wasn't a womanizer. He would not try to seduce as many girls as he could and he dated girls he really wanted.

Lying in his bed, at Andrew's apartment, he thought about the beautiful Raye and even though he was not looking for a relationship he thought she seemed too good to be wasted. He most definitely had to call her and ask her out, something he would do right after he was done with school tomorrow. And then he thought about school and felt some sort of nervousness. Not that we as scared of failing, but he was most definitely scared of the people who most certainly would judge him for his father.

'They'll think I'm where I am because of my position, not because of my own hard work." He thought to himself.

He tried to put these thoughts aside and tried his hard to fall asleep.

His dreams were full of darkness and he woke up several times. He had dreamt about his mother dying and about being rejected. It was very blurry and confusing. As his dreams had always been.

….

Serena and her friends attended to the same school, except for Amy.

Initially, Amy and Serena had become friends in middle school where she'd also met Lita. They were really close as well as their friend Molly, who lived out of town currently. Lita had met Mina sometime in High School and they became like sisters to one another. Serena and Mina had have bonded as well, in a really deep level, since they were pretty similar in many ways and looked somewhat alike. Raye attended to an all girl school her whole life and came to the picture during college. They all became good friends and when Raye wanted to move out of her house with her grandfather, she thought it was a good idea to move in with her friends Mina and Serena. Serena had known they would fight even more than they naturally did, would most certainly think twice before moving in with Raye. They were really different people and didn't seem to agree with a lot of things. Raye would behave like she was her mother even if she was only a year older than Serena and that really could get into her friend's nerves. Still, despite of Raye's anger issues they had a close relationship and really liked each other even if they only demonstrated that when something was wrong.

The five of them, along with Andrew and Molly (when she was around) were like a close family, never seeming to get tired of each other. It was part of the routine for them to have both lunch and dinner together almost everyday. Amy and Lita would be over at the other girl's apartment all the time and they had no secrets to each other - at least, most of them thought so.

Serena felt, sometimes, like she didn't really belong to the group. It was a kind of irrational feeling since she never shared this thought to anyone and therefore never had a chance to really confirm her suspicions. The truth is that, being known a very funny and outgoing person; she would hide her true feelings and fears and never expose them. She felt very lonely around everyone because she would never let her guard down. In that way she and Raye had a lot in common even though no one realized that: Raye would act angry and annoyed so people wouldn't get too close for her comfort; Serena would act lovely and silly so people would think they were really close, but they weren't in fact.

Still, lately, she was dealing with a lot more than people thought so and that made her isolate from the group. She and Raye were fighting more than usual, and she was avoiding Mina because she felt like she wasn't able to talk to anyone, even her best friends. She never really acted like this before. Sure she would keep a lot to herself, but she would usually make an effort to hang out with people and try not to think about her problems.

….

A new day started and it was a big day for Darien since it was his first day in school back in his hometown after four years. He couldn't help to wonder whether he would meet some childhood acquaintances again and if they would remember him.

The morning went on smoothly and he was very surprised with the amount of people who not only recognized him but also actually greeted him. Most of these people said they were sorry about his father passing away and seemed very interested in talking about his family, which he certainly didn't appreciate.

He left class and thought of what he should do next since he didn't actually needed to be anywhere at that moment and thought about calling Raye and asking her out for dinner. As he walked to the school's exit he saw a girl he would recognize from a distance due to her unusual hair color.

"Hey, Amy!" He greeted, getting closer to the girl. She seemed surprised to hear her name and looked back to see who was calling her out.

"Oh! Hi Darien! Good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too. So, we're going to the same school…"

"So we are! That's good!" She smiled shyly

He grinned. "Did you have a nice day?"

"It was great!" She said, excited "We had the best lecture about fungus related diseases, it was very interesting!"

"It seems like it" He wasn't as excited as she was, of course. "Look, where are you heading to?"

"Well, I have to get lunch and then I'll go to the Hospital where I work as an intern at… you know, the Starlight Hospital"

"No kidding, huh? I start to work there next Monday"

"That's is great! You must be really smart, they only hire like the best people!"

"I bet, if you work there" He winked

Amy blushed furiously when she realized how cocky she sounded.

"I-I mean…it's only an internship and…I got lucky…and" She seemed to be really embarrassed making Darien laugh.

"You're entitled to think you're smart if you really are Amy, no biggie. Would you like to have lunch with me?" He hoped she said yes, since he didn't have company that day.

"I am going to have lunch at Andrew's restaurant, if you want to join me… I mean, I already told the girls I would come and I guess they wouldn't mind if you came along."

"That'd be great, thanks for inviting me," He said honestly.

The both walked to Andrew's talking during the whole way there. Amy seemed to be a great company, since she was calm and quiet but very smart and had a personality beneath her frail and shy exterior. She knew a lot about a lot which was very appealing to Darien and he felt like they could be good friends.

Amy wasn't sure of how to behave around Darien since she didn't know how to act around boys. Andrew was her only male close friend and still they weren't very close. Anyway, she found the man to be very interesting, not only beautiful, but a very intelligent person and that made her feel happy. He was the first person in school that came to talk to her and she felt glad she had a friend outside her usual group of peers.

They got at Andrew's before everyone else did and sat at a big booth. Andrew came to talk to them and get the orders ready and soon enough Serena, Mina, Lita and Raye got there. They were all surprise to see Darien but Raye seemed to be happy and even behave like a delicate person for once in her life.

They had a fun time together. Darien had time to learn a lot about the girls. Andrew joined the group after making sure their food was ready and they all talked for a long time. Amy was the first to leave, because she had to work. Lita started her shift immediately, freeing Andrew for the afternoon. Mina and Andrew talked animatedly about going out to some club or something while Darien and Raye talked about music.

Serena, he noticed, seemed to be out of it. Since she got there, she barely responded to his teasing and although she tried to fake some smiles and talked some nonsense occasionally, she seemed to be caught up on her own thoughts.

"Hey, Meatball, is that something up with you today?"

"What?" She asked, more like she was taking time to sync the question in. "Oh, no it's nothing, really"

"She's like that because she got another C- as usual. Give her like 15 minutes and tons of sugar and she should be fine" Said Raye dismissively, which Darien thought, was a little bit uncalled for since Serena actually seemed upset.

"Is that true?" He asked, seriously

"C'mon, are you also going to tell me I am stupid and retarded? I don't need that, okay? Keep your mouth shut."

"You know Meatball…" He drawled "I won't take this personally because I can tell you're disturbed, but I would never call you stupid or retarded, I just want to know what's going on with you, know if I can be helpful in any way"

She blushed to the idea of him caring for her but then dismissed the thought, after all, why would he care anyway?

"It wouldn't be the first time you've insulted me"

"Yeah, but I am not going to insult you anymore, so tell me, what's wrong."

Raye felt uncomfortable with the way he seemed to be so worried with Serena.

"Yeah, Serena let us help you." She said, not really knowing if she meant it or not.

"Huh, since when do you care Raye?"

It was Raye's time to blush.

"Well, yeah, I got another C-, Darien… and I'm really bummed out by that and I feel kind of terrible." Serena confessed, looking down. He felt sorry for the girl.

"Why do you feel terrible? It's not like it's your first time getting a C-!" Raye interfered, annoyed.

"You know what? Screw this! Fuck you, Raye! I don't know why I've humiliated myself by talking to you guys!" She screamed, getting up, and leaving, finally getting Andrew and Mina to pay attention in something other them themselves.

"What just happened?" Asked Mina

"Oh nothing really, just Serena being childish as usual." Raye responded, not seeming interested.

Darien was a bit shocked with what just happened. He almost gave up on the idea of going out with Raye after the way she'd treated Serena. He withdrew for a while during the rest of their time together but didn't know how to say 'no' when Raye herself asked him if he wanted to have dinner and watch a movie that evening.

He tried not to think of Raye's relationship with Serena, they might have their reasons to act like this to each other, he thought. Raye was in fact very sweet towards himself and the other girls and he really didn't have anything better to do.

…..

Darien got to the girl's apartment exactly at the time he and Raye had set up. He found himself really anxious with that date, more than he usually would get. He took a few breaths before knocking on the door. He heard steps and soon someone opened the door. He was a little surprise to see it was Serena.

She looked adorable with her oversized pink sweater, hair held in a messy bun and grey leggings. He notice how small she was and thought to himself he would like to hold her. That thought felt weird since he was going out with her roommate.

She was holding a teacup and seemed like she had been napping.

"Oh, you!" She said, not really excited.

"Hey… is Raye ready?" He really wanted to leave soon because for some reason Serena's presence seemed to overwhelm him.

"She's upstairs changing, she asked me to tell you she would be here soon and you can make yourself at home" She said it quickly, clearly repeating what Raye had said. "Come in, you can watch TV if you want or whatever." She walked back to the apartment and sat at the couch. Darien walked slowly, observing the place. It was a girl's apartment all right. Fairly organized, girly decoration and lots of flowers spread around. He sat down at the couch, not very close to Serena.

She seemed depressed still, sitting at the couch and clearly uncomfortable with his presence.

"So, you guys are going out, huh? Sounds like fun," She said after a few minutes of awkward silence between them.

"Yeah… we're going to the movies and then have dinner somewhere."

"That's nice" She smiled a bit.

"Serena… About earlier today… I'm sorry you didn't do well in your test." He said seriously, looking at her.

She looked down, clearly sad.

"It's okay, I'm used to it." She murmured

"Well, you don't need to get used to that. You just need to study harder."

"I know…it's just, I don't seem to be able to focus lately. And besides, I used to study with Amy and now she doesn't have much time left for this."

"You know... I could help you out." He said, touching her shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.

She held her breath when he touched her and blushed.

"You really don't need to. It's really too much to ask."

"I enjoy tutoring Serena." He smiled beautifully "I would love to help you out. Specially since I won't start work till next Monday."

"Well, I will think about it." She said, really embarrassed for some reason she couldn't exactly figure out.

They heard footsteps coming from upstairs and Raye appeared, smiling widely. Darien retreated his hands from Serena's shoulder immediately without realizing why.

"You look great, Raye" He said, getting up. She really did look great. He long black hair was braided in a louse but beautiful way. She wore a black dress that stopped in her knees and not very high heels. Her make up was light and he could tell she had a very nice body.

"Thanks, you look great yourself" The girl blushed. He wore a black dress shirt and black pants.

"I think we should get going, we are already a little late."

She agreed. He looked at Serena, who had her eyes glued to the TV but seemed a little flushed.

"Can I come by tomorrow after lunch, Meatball Head?"

She just nodded, her face becoming very red, not daring to look at Raye who she knew wouldn't be happy to know she had plans with her "boyfriend"

"See you tomorrow then, take care!"

And they left, not before an annoyed Raye let Serena know she would be back late and remind the girl to tell Mina they had to be up earlier than tomorrow due to some sort of lecture they had to attend.

.::A/N: Hey guys, so what do you think of the story?

I'm really excited about this one. I haven't abandoned the other story okay? I'll update it tomorrow or the day after (the only reason I'm not sure it's because I have a tight schedule tomorrow.)

Thanks for your reviews and private messages.

I read all of them and it inspires me so much.

Keep R&R

I can't stop writing this story, so I may update the next chapter very soon.::.