a/n: Thanks as always for the favorites, reviews, and follows. Hope everyone had a good Easter. Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but here goes.
Darien shouted a curse and kicked a rock before heading back into the school nursing his burning cheek. Now he was angry. He tried to convince himself that he was angry at Beryl for getting him in this mess in the first place and that he was angry at Serena for provoking him, but he knew the truth. He was angry at himself for letting his temper get the best of him… again. Darien walked into the classroom and took a seat next to Serena who just glanced at him before concentrating on whatever she was writing. "Serena, we need to talk."
"You've said enough," she stated without looking at him.
Darien frowned. He heard the hurt in her voice and he could tell she was trying not to cry. He took out his notebook and other supplies just as the bell rang. "Good afternoon class," Mr. Peterson said. "Honestly I have a lot of work to catch up on so I'm not going to lecture today." Cheers filled the classroom. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that doesn't let you off the hook." He started passing out worksheets. "You'll have 2 weeks to make a final decision about the assignment on this worksheet, but today I want you all to brainstorm. You don't have to complete it right away but make sure you turn it in at the end of class or you'll both get a 0 for the day. So consider this a semi-free period and use your time wisely. Just keep the noise to an appropriate level and we'll call it a day." He took a seat at his desk.
Darien skimmed the worksheet, but he pushed it aside and focused on Serena who was still reading the worksheet. "Would you care to go over this assignment now or later?" he asked her. Silence. He waited a while then rolled his eyes. "Oh the silent treatment. That's a bit childish, don't you think?" This time she cut her eyes at him before she shifted her body so that her back towards him. Darien rolled his eyes and turned away from her as he got out another textbook to begin homework for another class. As he worked she eventually turned around to face forward and he thought she was going to say something, but she just took out a book he assumed was for another class and resumed her position with her back towards him. Darien couldn't really concentrate and he thought it was ironic. Each class whenever Serena tried to make small talk with him he always wished she would just leave him alone but now that she was giving him the silent treatment he was miserable. She had been so kind to him all this time and today he just had to go and ruin everything. She had every right not to talk to him but they still had a project to work on and even more than that he found that he wanted to be on her good side again. And he wasn't going to do that by continually cutting her down.
"Serena, can I talk to you?" She responded by turning a page. "I guess I'll talk and you can just listen. But if you want me to shut up then let me know." He waited a moment. "I'm just frustrated with this whole thing. I tried to be the good guy and chose not to embarrass you, but then Beryl made stuff up and you believed her instead of me so I blew up and ended up being the bad guy. I mean I guess compared to you I am a bad guy but…" He sighed deeply. "I don't know. I'm not good at this sharing my feelings thing, but the point is that I'm sorry, Serena. I'm sorry for not controlling my anger and taking all my frustration out on you. I'm sorry for saying all those horrible things about you because I know none of it is true. You're not a hypocrite, you're not stupid, you're not a crack baby, and you're not childish. If anything I'm the childish one because I'm an as… er, a terrible person. I know I hurt you and I'm sure you hate me, but I hope you know that I really am sorry." He waited for her to say something, but when she turned away from him again he gave up and tried to go back to his work. He didn't know what else to do because it just seemed like all hope was lost.
"I'm sorry too," Serena said quietly.
Darien looked up but her back was still to him. He wasn't sure he heard her correctly because she spoke so softly. "What did you say?"
She slowly turned her chair forward. She had put her book away and was now looking at him sadly. "I said I'm sorry. I know I hurt you too."
"Serena, come on. If I were in your shoes I would have smacked me too. I was entirely out of line."
"That's not what I meant. I mean yes I'm sorry I smacked you and left that mark on your face, but I hurt you by not being a good friend. I should have listened to you instead of assuming the worst and I shouldn't have acted so rude to you." She looked down. "And I'm sorry for making you think I hate you. I hate what you said to me and I hate that you hurt me, but I don't hate you and I don't ever want you to think that."
Darien couldn't believe it. He was the one who messed up yet she managed to turn the tables and consider his feelings in all this. He didn't deserve it and somehow he still earned her kindness. "I still think you're justified, but it's nice to know you don't hate me. Does that mean we can move on?"
Serena seemed to think it over. "It'll take some time, but yes." She picked up her worksheet and read it over. "So it looks like we have to spend some time living in each other's shoes, ironically enough. We have to interact in an environment that's most representative of each other."
"So that means I have to go to church since your faith is so important to you," Darien stated.
"Not necessarily. But just in case I do have the perfect thing for you. Now you could come to church with me on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night, but we have a less formal event coming up. It's kind of like a benefit function with the arts and our focus is raising awareness about human trafficking. We're going to have special displays, featured artwork, music, and other things going on and it'll all be set up like a gallery. You can come and go as you please and if you feel led to donate to the cause that would be appreciated."
"That sounds interesting," Darien said thoughtfully. It certainly didn't sound like any kind of church service he was used to and even though he was not too fond of the church scene it sounded like something he would want to attend. "When is it?"
"It's next weekend and it'll be on that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at 6pm." She opened her backpack to look for something and frowned when she didn't find it. "I must have left the flyers in my locker, but I can get it to you so you can have all the information just in case you decide you want to come."
"I'm not going to make a commitment just yet because I don't know my work schedule yet, but I promise to keep it in mind."
"Please don't think that's the only thing you have to do. I don't want you to feel obligated to come if you really don't want to. We could make it simple and you could just come over one night for dinner with my family or something."
"I don't know about that. If I decide to come over will I get hit again?"
Serena frowned. "Darien, I said I was sorry… I…"
"Serena, relax. I was just kidding. Do you think I can come over tonight? I just want to get it over with now so we don't have to worry about it later."
"Yeah that's fine."
"Ok," Darien said as he took notes. "My black belt karate tournament is coming up in a couple of weeks. Karate has helped me in a lot of ways and you're more than welcome to come to the tournament, but I don't know. It doesn't seem like you'd really get to interact with me in my environment if you're just watching."
"I'm sure it'll be fine. We can get creative since it seems like karate is so important to you." She took some notes. "Do you have any ideas about what we should do when we present?"
"Not really. I'd assume that Mr. Peterson wants us to incorporate something from each of these worksheets, but I'm not sure how." Darien shrugged. "We can always do a collage. It's hands on and we can add bits and pieces of the stuff we've been talking about."
"That's fine with me." The bell rang and they gathered their things.
Darien breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he and Serena were on speaking terms again, but he did notice how guarded she sounded. He couldn't blame her. If he were in her shoes he'd make sure to proceed with caution too. "Should I follow you to your locker or do you want to come to mine," he asked.
"For what?"
"The flyer for that thing at your church you were talking about."
"Oh, I was just going to wait until you came over tonight, but if you want it now that's fine. I'll bring it to you."
Serena turned a corner while Darien continued walking. He got to his locker and took out all the books he needed for the evening before Andrew and Mina appeared. "Hey," he said.
Andrew was staring at him. "What happened to your face, dude?"
"Long story. Are Rae and Chad coming?"
"They're on their way," Mina replied. "Beryl got detention for texting in class, surprise, surprise. I swear that thing is attached to her hip."
"Please shoot me if I'm ever on my phone as much as she is," Andrew said.
Mina smiled at him. "You'll never have to worry about that as long as I'm around."
Darien rolled his eyes and zoned out of the flirtatious comments his friends kept making. They continued chattering aimlessly and he didn't pay attention to what they were saying until they suddenly stopped talking. Darien looked up from his locker and saw Serena standing there. He was about to speak up until Andrew beat him to it. "What do you want, Fruitcake?" Andrew asked.
"Hi Andrew, Mina," she replied. "I came here to see Darien."
"What, are you officially stalking him now?" Mina asked.
"No, I just have something I need to give him before I leave."
"Is it another Bible? Or is it a love letter this time?" Andrew asked before laughing. Mina giggled and Serena frowned.
Darien could see she was getting frustrated and he finally decided to step in. "Last time I checked neither of your names are Darien," he said before stepping in front of them. "Do you have the flyer?"
She looked relieved. "Everything you need to know is on there," she explained as she handed it to him. All the information was printed on a black piece of paper marked with a see through red X and the words 'End It' in bold letters at the top. "If any of you want to come you're all welcome too. We're raising awareness about human trafficking and all the donations we receive will go to organizations actively working to end it. I know you aren't into the church scene, but I thought I'd mention it anyway."
"Human trafficking?" Mina asked skeptically. "I'm not sure if you're aware, but we live in the 21st century and slavery is a thing of the past."
"I wish you were right," Serena replied. "The truth is that there are still approximately 27 million people still enslaved here in America and around the world, but the good news is that more people are getting educated and more people are getting involved to help and…"
"Ok, ok," Andrew interrupted. "We don't need you to preach at us. We have things to do. Come on, Darien." They started walking away, but Darien was still looking over the flyer. "Darien?"
"27 million?" Darien asked seriously. "I didn't know it was that bad."
"It shocked me too," Serena said sadly. "But the more people know about it, the more help we can get to fight it. Like I said, all the information is on the flyer and you don't have to feel obligated to come. I'll see you later." She started walking away before they had another chance to crack another joke.
"Serena, wait." She turned to face him while he looked at the flyer again. "Do you think we can use some of this information in our presentation? More people might be interested in getting involved."
Serena smiled. "That's a great idea. It can be like a little public service announcement symbolizing something we came together on. I like it."
"Me too. We can work out the other details later. Thanks for the flyer."
"You're welcome. Text me if you have any questions. I'll see you tonight." Serena waved and walked away just as Chad and Rae arrived giving her funny looks behind her back.
Darien closed his locker and felt Andrew and Mina's eyes on him. He hoped to keep his dinner with Serena tonight a secret, but he knew it'd come out sooner or later. He just wished it was later. "What was that about?" Rae asked as she watched Serena leave with her brother.
"Darien is in love with Fruitcake the Stalker," Andrew said as they started walking out of the school. "And apparently they have a date tonight."
"Don't exaggerate, Drew," Darien said agitatedly. "We were just discussing plans for homework and I have to go over there because Mr. Peterson wants us to interact in each other's environments or whatever. You know I can't pass the class without her."
"I don't know," Mina said. "The Love Goddess senses a connection since you were so eager to push us aside to talk to her."
"My Love Goddess is never wrong," Andrew said cheekily. Mina giggled as he kissed her cheek.
"Get a room," Chad said with a fake cough.
"Seriously," Rae said as they entered the Crown. "Couples like you make me wanna gag."
"As opposed to the passive aggressive relationship you and Chad have?" Mina asked as she took a seat next to Andrew.
Darien listened to Mina and Rae bicker about their love lives and breathed a sigh of relief glad that the focus was off of him for a bit. He had to admit that there was some kind of connection between him and Serena, but implying that he was in love with her was taking it much too far. He frowned when he saw Beryl come in; he was still unhappy about the stunt she pulled at lunch. "What are you doing here?" he said coldly.
Beryl gave him a look as if threatening him for asking such a question. "I talked my way out of detention as usual and came to hang with my friends," she replied addressing the group. "What'd I miss?"
"Love is in the air," Mina said in a singsong tone. "Rae and Chad are jealous of me and Andrew's public displays of affection…"
"Jealous of all the gag reflexes it causes?" Beryl interrupted.
"Ha!" Rae said. "That's exactly the point I was making."
Mina rolled her eyes at the commentary and then smiled as she continued. "And Darien is in love with Meatball Head."
"I am not," Darien insisted. "The only reason I have to spend time with her is because of the project."
"I'm starting to think that's your cover, Darien," Rae said skeptically. "You blew us off to have lunch with her today and then ditched us to go talk to her in the courtyard."
"And let's not forget how you totally defended her at your locker when she personally invited you to that church thing," Mina added.
"And don't forget about your dinner date at her house," Chad added. "I'll see you tonight, Darien." Chad batted his eyes at him and everyone in the group laughed except Darien and Beryl.
"What date?" Beryl asked with a scowl on her face. "I thought she hated you by now."
"Well she doesn't and I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to 'help' me again, Beryl."
"And what does that mean?"
"It means you need to mind your business. We aren't a couple anymore and you don't have the right to interfere in my other relationships."
"So you admit you're in a relationship with Meatball Head?" Mina asked.
Darien rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant and you know it. God, you guys are blowing this thing way out of proportion. We're partners for a project and that's all there is to it. So shut up, stop talking about it, and get your heads out of the gutter!"
"Dude, chill," Chad said. "They're girls and they blow everything out of proportion."
"Hey!" Mina, Rae, and Beryl exclaimed together.
"Says the guy who just batted his eyes at Darien," Andrew added as everyone except Chad laughed. "But let's just move on before Darien throws a hissy fit and breaks something."
"Andy, I love you, but no one says hissy fit anymore," Mina said. The group laughed and moved on to another topic of conversation while Darien put the flyer away. What is that girl doing to me he wondered to himself.
a/n: Thanks again for reading. I have a basic direction for how I want this story to go, but if you think of any ideas feel free to PM me. Next up: Dinner at Serena's house.