Author's Note:

Hey! Another chapter is up!! Well, you realize that but w/e I like to point out the obvious. This one is longer than others mainly because I didn't want to end the chapter without Darien/Serena incident. I'm trying to think of songs for later in the story that could be Serena and Darien's, any ideas? I'm thinking Joshua Radin music b/c I love him. Anyways, hope you like this chapter. It doesn't have too much Sere/Dare action but I think it is essential to understanding Serena's life/friends, etc. Comments are always welcome :)

Happy Reading

You Again?

Chapter 9

The rest of the week passed without much incident. Thursday night I watched TV until I fell asleep on my couch. Friday there was no Darien to pester me and I got a little of the peace I'm used to. But Friday I did get a call from Amy. It had been a few days since we'd last spoken.

Amy, Ray, Mina, Lita, and I have lunch every Sunday. It has been that way since we all became busy with college, etc. We've been keeping it going. There are very few excuses for missing Sunday lunch. For instance, Ray couldn't come one Sunday because her grandpa was sent to the hospital for heart issues- we all canceled that time and went to visit him. Amy canceled on our plans because she was scheduled to perform an important surgery. We all understood that one too- someone's life was at stake. A few times Mina was late because she'd slept in and ignored her alarm- we forgave her for that because it's Mina and she could have skipped altogether but she didn't. The rest of us- aka Lita and I- have never in the past decade missed the date.

But anyway, back to Amy's call. It didn't start with the usual "how are you"'s. My friends and I tend to skip those parts- they're boring. We begin conversations with the important news- why we called. If there isn't important news, there is always something more interesting than "how are you" to say. One time Mina called and began the conversation with "knock knock".

I'm not kidding you. It happened. I was rather confused but once again, it's Mina, what can I expect?

Precisely anything.

So, Amy's call.

It began with what could have been interpreted as a Hyena's screech.

I knew it was Amy because my cell had flashed a cute picture of her- black hair under a blue winter cap rounding her pretty face, dark blue eyes flashing joy, and smile bright with her excitement. (We'd decided to go ice skating after lunch and Amy had loved it. Amy loved anything to do with water- whether it was frozen or not.)

So if it weren't for the picture that gave her away I would have thought it was some wrong number- maybe a crazed mental escapee calling.

But then she started talking- so fast that the only words I caught were "Zach", "oh, my god"- which sounded more like "omygaw", and "happy".

Well, that sounded rather promising. The word "happy" was said so something good must have happened with- I'm assuming- Zach. I had let her go on for a while before interrupting. I didn't really want to trample her excitement. But eventually it got to the point where all I could make out was her breathing so I had to say something.

"Amy, honey, calm down please." I'd said. "Breathe deep breaths and tell me what happened."

Amy had done what I'd instructed and for a minute I couldn't hear anything over the line except her exhaling and inhaling air. That had gotten annoying too.

"Amy, can you please speak now?" I asked. "And not the Hyena language please. You know I can barely understand Piglatin."

And finally I got the story out of her- no hysterics this time. Amy has always been the calm one- which is why the beginning of this conversation was such a shock to me. Mina is more of the screeching type than quiet, debonair Amy is.

"Zach proposed!" She'd yelled- but intelligibly this time.

And that explained everything. I began jumping up and down and screeching with her then. I was so excited and it wasn't even my engagement.

Zach is a doctor that works with Amy at the Roseberg Clinc. He's actually from New Zealand but came here to help perform some risky new cardiothoracic surgery and loved it here so much, he decided to make it his home. I should actually say loved Amy so much that he decided to not move back.

It shouldn't have really come as a shock that he had proposed because we all knew he was head over heels in love with her. After all he had moved across the world (sort of) to be with her. Not to mention that he'd actually been invited to one of our lunches (a very rare invitation) and the whole time I could feel the adoration and love he felt toward Amy- it was almost tangible.

But it wasn't like he couldn't take his eyes off her- I find that behavior kind of rude actually (I feel like maybe the guy just likes the way a girl looks when he does that). It was all in his actions. He was holding her hand the whole time- like he wanted to feel her presence there always- but he was still paying attention to the conversations going on around him.

At that first meeting last year I'd discovered a few things about Dr. Barker aka Zach: He's funny, charming, intelligent (like anyone Amy would date wouldn't be- paw-lez), and most importantly- he's madly, irrevocably in love with one of my best friends.

Amy is of course whom I'm referencing if you had any doubts.

So Friday night mainly consisted of me babbling like a schoolgirl with Amy. She was back to her hyperventilating again after she'd spilled the news- I was no help since I joined in the hysterics. She'd also asked the second most anticipated question of my life.

"You'll be my maid of honor, right Sere?" She'd asked in a still hyper-excited voice.

It shouldn't have come as a shocker since the five of us had all settled the issue of maid of honor back in high school.

I would be Amy's. Amy would be Lita's. Lita Ray's. Ray Mina's. Mina mine.

Amy and Lita had already gotten their turns.

Lita married Kevin Gorbie the first year out of high school. They'd been best friends since childhood, began dating sophomore year, and sealed the deal right before college began. They'd known eachother so long that when they got married nothing really changed. Their whole lives they'd been acting like an old married couple so there was really nothing different about marital life- except for… you know (I will not go there).

Ray married Chad Johnson just last year. Chad had been the opposing attorney on a case Ray worked on a few years back. She had always claimed she hated him. Said he was the most annoying, stupid man to walk the Earth but from the start I knew there was something there. He kept asking her out- even when they were working on the case- she kept saying no until he finally made a bet with her. He bet her that if he won the case she'd agree to go on a date with him, if she won he'd never bother her with his presence again. Ray, being the hard headed and self confident person she is, couldn't back down from the offer. In the end though, she lost. She was furious. She'd only lost one case before that one. What was worse- she told me- was that Chad was a complete moron- "how could such an imbecile win?!" were her exact words I believe. So she'd had to go on a date with him- no matter Ray's flaws, she always kept her word. And after that date, she never complained about losing that trial again. Now she says losing was the best thing to ever happen to her- I'm presuming her client would disagree. So now she and Chad are in marital bliss. And just so you know, Ray didn't miss Sunday lunch with the girls even while on her honeymoon. She'd called from their hotel in Venice (I know! Venice!) and blabbed on with us, completely ignoring her new hubby. Chad understood though- which is why they make such a great couple. Ray has a temper and he knows how to handle it- he also understands compromise (which is essential when dealing with Ray).

So now, apparently, it's Amy's turn. And mine, in a way. I'm going to be maid of honor. I was flying high on that fact for the rest of the night, still chattering away with Ames about the various details of the wedding. She's already picked several songs that she insists be in the wedding. Among those choices are various Celine Dion classics and Michael Bublé. All choices I thoroughly approve of. Very romantic, very sweet, and very Amy and Zach.

By the time we got off the phone, sighing and smiling, I was thoroughly exhausted. And that night I fell into a deep sleep filled with dreams of lacy white dresses, pretty little flower girls, handsome grooms, true happily-ever-after love, and oddly enough Darien Shields was there the whole time smiling and laughing at my side. But when I woke up, I had no recollection of any of my unconscious thoughts.

It's Saturday morning and I'm waking up at an ungodly hour. No one should be up before noon on the weekend. There is no reason good enough to be awake that early.

But of course, this morning I have to.

I set my alarm to 9:30 AM so that I'd have plenty of time to prepare myself for the horrors of the day. Of course, setting the alarm for 9:30 insures that I won't be actually up for another hour. I hit the snooze button immediately when it began to ring that horrid, incessant sound.

But luckily, or unluckily (depending on one's perspective), I know myself too well.

Darn-it.

I'd also set the alarm to ring for 10 o'clock then again at 10:05 and again and again in equal intervals. I woke up by the 10:05 bell. Groggy, sleepy, and annoyed.

Amy had kept me up past two in the morning last night. We'd lost track of time and although at the time I was fine with it, right now I wish I'd gotten more beauty rest. Key word being beauty.

I'm looking at the mirror and what I see is definitely not promising.

Not at all.

I have a date—I mean meeting- with Darien Shields. I have to look my best. I can't give him any more ammunition. And right now, looking at my reflection I am not pleased with what I see. I have dark circles from lack of sleep under my eyes and my hair is in a messy disarray around my too pale face.

So I went through my routine. Shower and shave then put on my eau de toilette or perfume as we Americans prefer to call it. After that I was once again back to staring at my very unhappy and unattractive reflection.

Again, with my routine I went through the monotonous process. Mascara, eye liner, lip stick, and foundation/bronzer to rid me of my perpetual paleness. I could pass for nineteen today. That was pretty good. I smiled at myself (with the accompanying thumbs up of course) and went to work on my hair but in a whim I decided to just leave it down. I didn't blow dry because if I do that without straightening, my hair turns into something akin to an afro.

I know.

You think I'm exaggerating but I'm really, really not. I'm just going to go naturelle this morning. At least with my hair. When I let it air dry it gives off natural waves down to my waist- not perfect but they're okay.

And then came the hardest part of all. Attire.

What do I wear on a date—I mean meeting, it is a meeting—with Darien Shields?

I, for one, have no idea.

I mean, back in high school I would have assumed that anyone out with Darien Shields would have to dress in some sort of Cosmo formalwear outfit… Because back in high school I would have assumed Darien usually wore GQ-type suites everywhere.

But now, I have a feeling I know even less than I'd previously thought about Darien Shields.

Now I think that Darien Shields would probably take out his dates—I mean guests or co-meeters or whatever—to casual places, wearing regular, casual things.

But… Now that I think about it, it doesn't matter either way. It doesn't matter what Darien expects of his dining companions. I'm only doing this to be diplomatic as he'd put it. It's just a meeting. Just like any other meetings I've had with potential authors.

I picked up an old pair of jeans, a cami, and a sweatshirt. It is lunch after all. What else can he expect me to wear? We'd chosen to meet at the Noodles a few blocks from where I work.

At first I wasn't sure about that. I wanted to pick somewhere close to my apartment so I could walk over- I don't have a car right now remember? But I didn't know how to explain that to him- mainly because I didn't want Darien to know I didn't have a car and had to use a bus (something he thought was unfathomable if our earlier conversation was any indication).

So anyway, how fancy can he possibly dress if we go there? Not very. It's Noodles.

Yes, sweatshirt and jeans is fine.

I picked one of my favorite and consequently one of the cutest camis I have. It's pretty plain but I like it. It's white with little frilly things on the bottom and top. The sweatshirt is a zip up hoody. It's a light shade of blue that complements my eyes. It has Bugs Bunny on one side, eating a carrot and on the other it says, "What's up Doc?" in a pretty font.

I know- it is childish but I love this sweatshirt. It's so cute! I love bunnies. And I also think it sends the right message to Darien. It tells him, "Hey, I'm casual. Hey, I don't care what you think. Hey, I just threw this on in five seconds and yes I naturally look this fabulous."

Well, I hope it sends that message.

If I'm lucky.

Anyway, Darien can't tease me today. I might as well take the situation to my advantage and make him work at. Let's see how much restraint Darien Sheilds really has.

By ten fifty five I was ready. Which is good since the bus comes around the corner in about five minutes. I'd looked up the bus route there and back last night so I would actually be able to get there and back without worry or fear of getting stranded and stuck.

When I got on, as usual, there were some very creepy people. It is New York, what do I expect?

An older man (forties maybe) who appears to be a beggar if his dress is any indication kept eyeing me for the duration of the rid. My glimpse of him had revealed what appeared to be a missing eye. Where one eye should be, there was only a mass of black. I kept my eyes down after that first sneaking glance to confirm my suspicions (that he was staring- with the one eye) was true and I kept my arm snapped in a vice around my purse. All skills I'd learned in the many years I'd been living in New York. You can never be too safe here.

When the ride finally ended and I got off at my stop I was so relieved to get away from creepy beggar, staring guy that I nearly ran off the bus.

To my great disappointment, not to mention distress, creepy beggar, staring guy got off on the same stop and he was soon standing mere inches from me. I could feel his eyes on me- I still wasn't looking at him.

I walked away from the stop quickly and nearly sprinted to the doors of Noodles. I looked around wildly for a second, hoping against hope that Darien had shown up early like me.

When I found him sitting in one of the corner booths tapping his fingers on the table I nearly collapsed in my relief.

I never thought I'd say this but I am incredibly relieved to see Darien Shields at this moment in time.

My smile when he looked up to find me staring at him was completely genuine- because of my relief of course, nothing else.

He smiled his brilliant smile at me too but his smile seemed nervous for some reason.

Then I realized why.

I was just standing there, smiling at him like a maniac. Not moving.

I was creepier than creepy, beggar, staring guy.

I forced my smile to stay in place despite the shiver that ran through me at the thought of the creepy guy then I forced my legs to move careful steps forward- I'm clumsy enough without fear and relief paralyzing me.

Darien stood as I came over and smiled the still nervous smile. I pushed my hand out to shake his in greeting.

"Hello Darien." I said and we both sat down.

"You okay?" He asked. His smile was now completely gone. Now he just looked nervous- but more from worry.

"Oh, fine, fine." I replied and oddly enough, now that I was inside a familiar place with a familiar (although annoying) person, I knew the words were true. I was fine now.

"You sure?" He asked again but the worry lines that creased his forehead before had dissipated slightly. I guess my nerves had cleared from my expression.

"Oh yeah. Just some creeper with one eye following me." I replied absently with a wave of my hand.

Apparently those were the wrong words to ease his nerves because his worried expression made a quick and sudden reappearance.

"What? Who?" He said and looked around.

I rolled my eyes at that. Yeah, like he could find the creepy guy sitting across from us or something.

"No one—" I began but quickly choked on my words as creepy beggar guy entered. "That… that's him." I choked out and Darien looked up to where I was staring.

But… creepy guy went straight to the register and now that I'm actually looking at him I realize that… he isn't actually that creepy and he definitely is not a beggar… and he definitely has both eyes. He'd taken off his scruffy hat and scarf that had made him mysterious and enigmatic and creepy and appear to be eyeless before and his dusty trench coat was on his arm. Underneath he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt that would in no way fit a beggar's budget. A woman came to greet him from across the room. They hugged intimately and smiled at eachother.

I blushed crimson at my very, very wrong assumptions.

"Um.." Darien said with repressed mirth. "Meatballhead, are you having pirate hallucinations now?"

I stumbled to find the right words.

"He totally looked like he was missing an eye before!" I whispered a shout- an oxymoron I can pull rather well. "And he was staring!"

Darien smiled and a laugh came out despite his best efforts- which, of course, frustrated me. And I can't be sure but I think he might have said, "well that's no surprise."

But I have no idea what that could possibly mean. What is no surprise?

"Oh, shut up." I mumbled. Then I looked up at him as a realization hit. "Weren't you supposed to refrain from making those kinds of comments today? Wasn't that the purpose? Remember rule number one? Already on your first strike and we haven't even ordered yet."

"Sorry." He said but he looked anything but. He was smiling broadly. Apparently I amused him.

Surprise Surprise.

We'd just begun and already I wanted to smack him. Could I really last another hour or so? How much more of Darien Shields could I possibly endure?