Only her - chapter four
By Henra
HenraM@tuxedomask.com
PG rated
*smiles proudly* Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your emails! I
loved them all soooo much.
Oh...I wanna thank Alex. There wouldn’t be a chapter four if it weren’t for her
and her great ideas. Well, okay, fine...so there WOULD be a chapter four...but it wouldn’t
be the same. ^^ Thank you Alex! Soooooooo much!
And Shari-chan...thank you, too. Although I wasn’t able to find a great place to
use your suggestions--still, you took the time to write them! Thanks for that!
And then there’s also Kathleen I wanna thank, ChibiMars1, Moonieg17, Disha, Pam,
Missytales05...and many other people. Thank you for your suggestions! ^^
Chapter four
Serena stared at herself in the mirror.
She put a finger on her lips. Tears blurred her vision again, but she
closed her eyes, and forced them back. She touched her cheek, feeling the still
bruised spot where the guy had struck her.
*Close. It was too close last night.* Unwillingly, a tear
dropped on her pajama pants. She stood up from the dressing table, and walked over
to her bed. She flipped open the covers, and got inside. She turned off the lamp
on the nightstand with a click, and stared in the darkness.
*What would’ve happened if Rod didn’t choose that exact moment to show
up?* Serena squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself not to go beyond there. She
sighed. Her eyes opened again, for even when they were closed, they were filled
with pictures of what happened in the backyard.
She pictured the guy lifting her from the swing, pressing her close to
his body, and kissing her. She swallowed the little cry that she had up her throat.
Then, she saw Rod punching him, making him fall. Saw herself going up
to him, blocking his way. Saw him hit her, her falling to the ground. Serena let a
tear slide down her cheek. Again, she mentally pictured Rod catching up and giving
the guy a kick. She imagined the guy groaning in pain, and couldn’t hold back a
bitter smile.
... ...Suddenly, Serena sat straight up in her bed, flipping open the
covers, her blue eyes wide.
Hold on.
When did Rod have black hair?
His hair was light brown, wasn’t it?
So why did she suddenly have a flash of him having black hair kicking
the guy?
Serena frowned, confused by her own mind. She thought about it more,
and tried to figure out why she suddenly had that flash. But then, she gave up. She
lay on the bed again, pulling the covers back on her.
*Rod has light brown hair...Rod has light brown hair...It was dark...
I couldn’t even see him anyway...*
Serena’s eyelids felt heavier and heavier, and she slowly drifted into
sleep...
*Darien has black hair, though... ...*
*Come on, come on.* I looked at the clock on the wall on top of the
blackboard, and mentally focused on moving it.
Class was just so long and boring today.
I cringed. It was only first period, and I was feeling bored already.
I couldn’t hold back a small smirk. And to think I usually LIKED science...
Brrriiinnngg!
I almost jumped. Well, I wanted it to ring quickly, but it didn’t mean
that I was prepared for it. I gathered my books with one hand, and took my backpack
with another as I stood up from my seat.
“Hey, man, wait for me, will you?”
I turned around to find Josh dumping all his books in his backpack to
the far side of the room. I nodded and called out to him, “Hurry up! I need to
find S--”
I stopped, not wanting everyone who was in sight to know.
I waited impatiently as Josh strolled over to me, that same lopsided
grin on his face. “Hey.” We knocked fists.
“What’s going on? Who’s that Sssss you needed to find?” Josh asked as
we walked out of the classroom.
Well, wasn’t he direct? I allowed a small smile to form. “Serena.”
“Whoooo...” The grin on his face widened, as he looked at me up and down.
“Well, if you are planning to ask her out...you aren’t dressed for it.”
I was about to say I wasn’t going to ask her out, but stopped when I
heard his last words. I looked down to again acknowledge what I was wearing: A pair
of old khakis, a dark blue t-shirt with the collar buttons unbuttoned, showing a
little of the white shirt I had inside. I looked up again, at Josh, and asked,
confusingly, “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
He rolled his eyes, and shook his head. “Never mind. Where are you
off to?”
We were getting closer to room 204, which was the next class that
both Josh and I had. Unconsciously, my eyes skipped around to see if I could
try to find Serena. Or even Rod.
“I need an explanation from him,” I muttered to myself.
“What?”
I looked at Josh, and grinned sheepishly. “Oh, nothing.”
That knowing grin was back on his face again. “Aaahh...thinking something
about Serena, and wouldn’t tell your old buddy, huh? Suuuuure...I understand.”
I felt a warmth slowly making its way up to my cheeks...oh, god, I
wish I could just wipe that stupid grin off his face! “Listen...have you heard
about something that happened to Serena last night at the party?”
Josh looked at me weirdly. “What do you mean?”
Before I could reply, someone slapped me on the back, making me almost
jump for the second time in ten minutes. I turned around...and whom did I see but
Rod? At the sight of him, there were about a million questions bursting through
my veins, ready to jump out of my mouth at any moment. I forced them back, and
said, what I hoped, a normal greeting. “Hey there, Rod.”
He smiled nonchalantly, and nodded. “Hey.” He looked at Josh. “Hey,
Josh.”
“Hi,” Josh replied automatically.
I looked at Rod, and suddenly studied him, started comparing his looks
to mine. Did we look alike? Was it possible? Was that why Serena thought it was
Rod? But then, as I glanced at his light brown hair and big build, I decided
we didn’t have anything similar at all. I frowned, confused and frustrated as ever.
So why did Serena think it was him?
“Darien...you okay?”
I looked up, startled, and found Josh looking at me, a little concerned.
“Of course, I’m fine. Why?”
“Nothing. You just looked like you were off to the moon or something,”
Josh simply said, the concern on his face replaced by playfulness.
I grinned. “Nah.” But then, I let the grin slide off my
face, and unconsciously went into deep thoughts again. I looked at Rod, and
wondered if he knew who it was that actually saved Serena--or why he didn’t deny
the fact that Serena thought it was him, or how did he even bluff his way of
saying that he had saved her?
I sighed, suddenly shaking my head slightly. There were just too
many questions. I stared at Rod, studying him in a way I never had been before.
Should I say it? Should I confront him right now, right in front of Josh, where
almost everyone who was passing by could listen? A slight anger was building up
inside of me, when I suddenly had this picture of Serena sweetly saying her
gratitude to Rod, and Rod accepting it, without a second thought. Dammit, how could
Rod do that? And how could Serena do that? How could she even THINK it was Rod,
of all people, and not me? The anger in me rose to its highest point, I didn’t
care if anyone heard--Rod should be humiliated by what he did. I was definitely
going to confront him.
Before I could even open my mouth, though, the bell rang. People
started rushing by, I couldn’t even hear my own voice if I had spoken.
I sighed heavily, adjusting the backpack on my shoulder. Rod nodded
a goodbye to me and Josh, and started his way to his next class.
I stared after him, wondering why he even bothered to come up and
say hi to us. And was that--was that a hint of guilt that came across his face when
he had looked at me and nodded his goodbye? I narrowed my eyes as a thought started
to form in my mind.
Did he know it was me who had saved Serena?
Serena slammed her locker door shut, and raced after the tall young
man she just saw. She adjusted her backpack on her shoulder so it would not fall
off when she ran. “Rod!”
Rod stopped walking and turned around, hearing her voice. He watched
as she came to a stop before him. He smiled, noticing how beautiful she looked
when her face was flushed like that. “Hey, Serena.”
“Hey.” Serena gave him a bright smile. “I was hoping to catch you
before you leave.”
“Well, you did,” Rod replied, his smile widening. “What’s going on?”
“Rod, I--” Serena threw a look behind them, and started to walk toward
the school’s front door, down the hall. “I really want to thank you again--more
serious this time, to tell you how grateful I am.”
Rod took a few silent breaths, and looked down on the ground, not able
to look into the innocent blue eyes of Serena’s.
“You have no idea how terrified I was that night,” Serena continued on,
not taking notice of his silence. “I was screaming in my mind to have somebody
come and help me...and before things were taken too far--you showed up! I was really
surprised at first...but, the surprise passed as the seconds ticked by.”
“It was really nothing, Serena. You really don’t need to thank--” Rod
began.
“No.” Serena held up a hand, silencing him. “I do. I do need to thank
you, really, again. You were going to say that it was something you should’ve done,
right? Rod, I...” she bit her lip, feeling tears gathering in her eyes. “I don’t even
want to think about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t showed up...”
“Serena...” Rod put a hand on her shoulder, noticing her tear-filled eyes.
She lifted her head, and met his eyes. “Well, it’s already passed, so I
don’t want to think about it now.” She managed a small smile. “So...how can I thank you?”
Rod felt like there was a pair of accusing eyes staring at him from
behind. *That’s ridiculous.* He shrugged the feeling off, thinking it was just
his conscious. *After all...it knows that you haven’t saved Serena...* He narrowed
his eyes, shutting away the thought.
“Rod...?”
“Yeah?” Rod replied.
“Thank you. Thank you so much,” Serena said once again. Then, totally
unexpected, she hugged Rod, fitting her small form into his arms.
He was surprised, to say the least. At first he felt guilty, knowing
that Serena was only hugging him because of something she thought he did...which he
didn’t do. Then, as her scent and warmth swirled around him, he relaxed and hugged
her back, clutching her more tightly than intended.
*Augh.* Serena couldn’t help but think. *He smells like...sweat.* She
held back a giggle. *Wonder how many times he has worn this shirt.*
My mouth dropped open in shock.
I honestly did not want to believe the scene before me.
Rod. And Serena.
They were hugging each other. No--more like, wrapping their arms tightly
around each other and holding on. Or rather...Rod was doing that, and not Serena...
I closed my eyes, feeling jealousy shooting off from my veins. I
clenched my fist, and opened my eyes to glare at Rod. I somehow got the feeling
that if Serena knew it wasn’t Rod who had saved her, she wouldn’t be hugging him.
That Rod...how dare he? How could he? First lying about who really
punched Brad out, accepting all these grateful looks from Serena, and now, having
the nerve to actually wrap his arms around her! I cursed him silently.
That was it.
I was going to tell.
Not later, not some time.
Right now.
I smirked, and marched toward Rod and Serena, the anger building inside me.
Then...I noticed how Serena looked.
She was smiling. It looked like she was even struggling not to giggle.
I stopped walking, feeling my heart break. She was happy. Serena was happy that she
was in Rod’s arms...was she not? Well...if not, she was still happy. And somehow...seeing
her happy meant much more than to have my own anger taken out.
I sighed, and turned to walk away.
I was going to tell Serena...some time...but not now.
Not now. So much for my earlier determination.
I walked toward my locker, knowing too well that Andrew was waiting for
me. He always waited for me...it was like a no-need-to-be-said thing, he waits for
me after every basketball practice, and we would chat for a while...along with some
girls and other guys in the front lawn of the school.
When I spotted the sandy-blonde head of his, I grinned automatically,
and quickened my pace. I waved a little.
Andrew grinned back. He and I knocked fists, and he stepped aside to
let me work on my locker. I started to work on the combination.
“How was basketball practice today?” He asked, leaning against the
locker beside mine.
I shrugged. “The usual, ya know?” I pulled out the books I didn’t
need from my backpack, and stuffed them inside my locker. I fished around for
my apartment keys.
There. Found them. Pushed off to the corner. I took them out, and put
them inside the front pocket of my backpack. I looked at Andrew as I shut the
locker door. I considered again, seriously this time, before I made up my mind.
“Andrew,” I began, my face becoming serious. “I need to tell you something.
Something really...big.”
Andrew, noticing the change of tone in my voice, straightened up,
and looked at me, nodding, urging me to go on. “Tell me. You know you can trust
me, pal.”
Yeah, I could. I always could. Andrew was the most trustful friend
I had. “You know how the word has been going around that at that party of Matt’s
on Saturday night, Serena was attacked by a guy?”
“Yeah.”
“Well...” I decided that I would talk about something less-important
before I told him the most important part. “The guy was Brad.”
Andrew’s face became all scrunched up. “That bastard. Always up to no
good. I can’t believe that he would do this in the backyard of a house of partying
people.” He looked at me. “Hey--how do you know? Wait...Rod told you, huh?”
What?! I nearly exploded. “Rod? Why would ROD tell me? I’m almost sure
that he doesn’t even know.”
“What?” By now, Andrew was confused, I could tell.
I took a deep breath. “I said, Rod might not even know. ‘Cause...” I
stared at him straight in the face, to tell him that I was dead serious. “He’s not
the one that punched Brad.”
Andrew’s eyes widened just a little. “H-he’s...not?”
“No.” I decided to let the words hang in the air for a while.
He looked at me, looking impatient. “Well? Go on! How do you know that
it’s not him? He describes the incident very clearly! And Serena just confirms it--”
“Serena confirms the incident. The punches, the kick...but she’s not
really confirming who it is that really threw those punches.”
“But...but Serena thanked him! Rod told us!”
“Yeah, well...” I said quietly, sadly. “I don’t know why she doesn’t know.”
“Darien...?” Andrew’s voice sounded suddenly amazed.
“Yeah?” I said automatically.
“The one that really saved Serena...it was you...wasn’t it?”
I couldn’t help but smile. Andrew could tell. “Yeah.”
For a moment, he was still. He looked at the ground, his face still in
astonishment. “Wow. My god...I--how...how...” he shifted to look at me. “How come you
didn’t say anything?”
“I couldn’t find the right moment. But I’m telling you now.”
Andrew shook his head, slowly. He swallowed, and put a hand on my
shoulder. “So? Tell me. Everything. From the beginning.”
“I thought you already know the story,” I replied, half-smiling.
“Yeah, but that’s from Rod’s point of view...which we know is really
fake. I want to hear yours. It’s bound to be more realistic and more sense-like.”
“Andrew, how can you be sure that I’m not lying right now?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just got this feeling. When Rod was
telling the story, I had a little bit of doubt in my body, but I ignored it at
the time. But now, I know why,” he said.
I couldn’t help but give him a little punch on the arm. “You had doubt?
Why didn’t you say something?”
“What could I say? Everybody was confirming it was Rod!”
I sighed. Everybody...that’s because everybody’s afraid what Rod would do
if they disagree. I smiled bitterly to myself. Suddenly, I narrowed my eyes at Andrew.
“How come you had the doubt?”
“I don’t know. Something about the way he was telling the story...the
uncomfortable position he was in...”
Uncomfortable position? I stifled a snort. Yeah, right. Bet he was being
all high and mighty, enjoying the sudden attention on him. Especially enjoying
the attention given by Serena, the “hot” girl in our school right now. I could
feel myself stiffen.
“Anyway...come on! Tell me the story!” Andrew’s voice snapped me out
of my thoughts.
I looked at him, smiled, nodded, and began. “Well...I was just talking
to this girl, you know? It was really very normal, but then...I got this feeling
of...total panic...”
Raye’s eyes were round. She didn’t believe what she was hearing...yet...
she was hearing it. She knew Darien was telling the truth...he wouldn’t lie about
something big like this. And the way he was saying it...
*Oh my god. I can’t believe that DARIEN had saved Serena, not Rod.*
She thought to herself, her heart pounding in her chest.
Okay. So it was not perfectly fine to eavesdrop on conversations. But
Raye was sure glad that she decided to eavesdrop on this one.
She had been walking down the stairs from the second floor, when she
heard two voices. One had quickly gotten her attention, because it had sounded
like Darien’s. So, smiling that she could find him and talk, she had quickened
her steps down the stairs. The voices were coming from just beside the stairs
wall. Raye had imagined that Darien, along with another guy, was leaning against
the lockers by the stairway.
“The one that really saved Serena...it was you...wasn’t it?”
When she had heard that, she automatically assumed that they were
talking about Rod. But then--the guy talking wasn’t Darien, and there were only
two guys’ voices that she could hear. One was Darien...and the other one had to be
a close friend of his.
She had decided to crouch down by the bottom stairs, and listen to the
conversation. *After all,* she had convinced herself, *It has something to do with
Serena and Rod. There’s no harm.*
But then, she had no idea that what she was about to hear was something
like THIS.
*DARIEN had saved Serena? Why didn’t he say something before? How could
Rod lie about something as big as this?* Raye, by now, was getting angry. She couldn’t
believe that Rod led them all into believing that he was a hero.
*I knew there was something wrong with him being a lifesaver. He just
doesn’t seem like the type...or does he?* Raye stared at the ground, debating. *Wait
a minute, Raye. How do you know that Darien is telling the truth?*
*UGH.* She almost groaned out loud. She covered her mouth with a hand,
in case she had made a sound. She stayed still, but when she heard Darien and the
guy continue talking, she breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at the stairs.
*I need to get out of here to find Serena. To talk to Rod...* she involuntarily
grimaced. *Talk to Rod? I don’t want to talk to him...Or maybe I don’t have to…*
Being as quietly as she could, Raye started climbing up the stairs to
the second floor. She picked up her feet after every step, and paused slightly
before going for the next one. *There’s another stairs by the end of the long hallway
on the second floor...I’ll go out the school that way.*
Serena smiled to herself. *Rod doesn’t seem like a bad guy. I wonder
why I thought that he was a jerk. Well...maybe what he did to that little guy WAS
pretty heartless...but...maybe he just made that mistake one time.*
“Ugh...” She covered her face with her hands, feeling tired all of a
sudden. She adjusted the backpack strap on her right shoulder, and continued to
drag her feet along the streets toward her house.
*Mom’s not going to be home, Dad’s not going to be home, Sammy...* She
scoffed, *Sammy’s definitely not going to be home when I get there since Mom and
Dad are not home...* She stopped walking, taking a look at the environment around
her. *So quiet and breezy.*
“Serena!”
Serena turned around, startled, and found Raye running toward her. She
smiled, and waved a hand in the air. “Hey!”
Raye stopped in front of her, on her face was a mixture of emotions
too complicated to read. Serena smiled at her friend, “What’s up?”
“I--” Raye bit her lip, and managed a small smile. “Let’s walk to your
house together.”
“What about you?” Serena asked, her feet moving again.
“Grandpa doesn’t usually worry about when I’m coming home, since I
always do,” Raye answered confidently, falling into step beside her.
“Oh.” Serena walked, looking at her friend. “Is something wrong?”
“Why?” Raye’s eyes were huge. “IS something wrong?”
Serena frowned slightly, confused as she answered, “No, nothing’s wrong.
But it looks like there’s something wrong, from the way you look.”
“Oh.” Raye smiled. “No, I’m just a little bit...stressed.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
They continued to walk, and Serena chatted happily about how relaxing
the afternoon was. Raye was half-listening. She nodded a few uh-huhs and yeahs but
her mind was elsewhere. *Should I tell her right now? Maybe I should, since she
apparently has SOME sort of feelings for Darien, but then...* Raye bit her lip,
thinking hard. *But then if she knew, would she totally go all softy on him like
she did to Rod? I’m not sure I want her to do that...* She quickly wiped away that
last thought. *And what about Rod?* She almost groaned out loud, her mind racing
a hundred miles per hour.
“...wanna?”
Raye snapped to attention, and looked at Serena. “I’m sorry, what did
you say?”
“I said do you wanna come inside my house,” Serena replied, smiling.
Raye dumbly focused her gaze on the house before them, and realized that
they already reached Serena’s home. She turned her gaze back on the smiling Serena,
and began to shake her head. “No, I can’t. Um, thanks, Serena, but I--uh, I have to
go home. I have lots of homework today.”
“Homework?” Serena wrinkled her nose, and rolled her eyes. “Why do you
even bother to do them?”
Raye couldn’t help but smile. “’Cause it’s required that we do them.”
Serena shrugged, but gave Raye a big smile. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow,
then?”
“Yeah...I guess.” Raye bit her bottom lip, debating whether or not to break
the news to Serena.
Serena began to walk away, humming happily to herself.
“Serena!” Raye blurted out before she could stop herself.
“Yeah, Raye?” Serena turned around, looking at her innocently.
“I--um...” Raye looked at the ground, swallowing. She looked up again, and
smiled casually. “Nothing.”
“Oh?” Serena seemed puzzled, and then her face cleared up, and she smiled
again. “Whatever. Bye, Raye!”
*Serena is just so cheerful.* Raye called out again, stopping Serena
one more time. “Do you--do you really like Rod?”
“What? Rod?” Serena seemed stunned for a second, and she quickly filled
the gap between her and Raye, and looked at Raye in confusion. “What makes you think that?”
“Think what?”
“Think I like Rod!”
Raye stared at her friend. “You mean--you don’t?”
“No!” Serena laughed, and looked at Raye amusedly. “You think I like him?
I’m being nice to him because he saved me from being ra---” The laughter died, and
her face fell. “From being...hurt.”
“Serena...” Raye said sympathetically, dropped her backpack, and put
her arms around Serena. “It’s okay. I’m sorry.”
“Nah, you don’t have to apologize, really.” Serena smiled at her friend,
breaking away from her. “So why did you ask that?”
Raye shrugged. “I--” She looked at Serena, her eyes serious. “If Rod
isn’t the one who had saved you, you still would think that he’s a jerk, right?
You know, since of the incident in the cafeteria and all.”
Serena looked thoughtful. “I--yeah, probably.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Why did you ask that, Raye? What, because you think Rod’s not the one
who saved me or something?” Serena joked, a smile spreading across her face.
Raye looked up in alarm. “What?!”
Serena was startled. She blinked. “I-I...I was just kidding, Raye.”
Raye’s eyes were wide as they searched Serena’s. “You-you’re sure?”
“Yeah...” Serena replied, her voice hesitant. “Raye...are you okay?”
“I--” Raye exhaled loudly, and brushed some fangs from her eyes. “Serena...
I’m fine. But--there’s something I have to tell you.”
“Okay,” Serena replied, staring at her friend, her eyes alert and focused.
“All right, it’s like this. I heard, when I was on my way down the
stairs today after the last bell rang, two voices. One sounded like Darien’s,
and the other...I didn’t recognize it, but now that I think about it, it sounded like
Andrew’s...Anyway, they were talking, and from what I could hear, they were talking
about you.”
“Me?” Serena automatically asked, feeling her heart flutter. Darien
had been talking to--probably Andrew--about her? “Go on, Raye.”
“Well,” Raye licked her lips. “Then I heard the most...incredulous thing...”
“Kidding. You have to be kidding.”
Raye shook her head, eyes focusing on Serena. “Why would I be kidding?”
“I don’t know,” Serena blinked, “But...”
“It’s Darien, Serena. Not Rod..Is that...” Raye concentrated closely on
her friend, “So...hard to accept?”
“No.” Serena shook her head. “No, it’s not. Actually...” She began to
smile, slowly and brightly, “it’s not hard to accept at all! I--Raye, Sunday
night...I had a flash of some sort. It flashed before me that the person who
saved me--Rod--had black hair.” Her blue eyes were shining brightly, happily, clearly.
Raye frowned. She was confused. “Black hair? Doesn’t Rod have--”
“Yep, he does! And that’s why the flash showed the guy who saved me
has black hair, because--it’s not Rod! And now, now that you’ve told me that it
is actually Darien,” Serena’s smile widened, “It all fits! Darien has black hair!”
Then, looking at her friend’s expression, she added, “Do you know what I’m saying
at all?”
“Yeah,” Raye replied, smiling hesitantly. “Yeah--I do.”
“Good!” Serena squealed, and she suddenly hugged Raye.
“What--Serena,” Raye broke out of the hug gently, smiling incredulously
at her friend’s sudden cheerful state, “Why are you so happy?”
“Because! Just think--Darien is actually my handsome knight in shining
armor.” Serena sighed dreamily.
Suddenly Raye’s face fell as she thought of something. She licked her
dry lips, touching her friend’s arm to get her attention. “Serena--are you going
to, like--do anything now that you know it’s Darien?”
Serena looked at Raye. “What do you mean?”
“I mean--like, are you going to--be all nice to him, and, and do what
you did with Rod when you thought he was your ‘knight’?”
Serena frowned slightly. “You mean, um, like hugging or something?”
“You hugged Rod?!” Raye suddenly exclaimed, forgetting what was really
on her mind temporarily.
“Yeah. It was totally unexpected,” Serena replied.
Raye was about to open her mouth to ask for more details, but then she
remembered what she had been trying to ask. “So, um--are you?”
“Hug Darien?” The very thought made her heart pound with excitement and
nervousness. She swallowed. “I, uh--I don’t know.”
“Are you going to ask him out?” Raye blurted out, surprising both Serena
and herself.
“What? I didn’t ask Rod out...!”
“No, I mean--I know that you didn’t ask Rod out. But--you know, are you
going to ask Darien out?”
“I--no. Raye, what makes you think I will ask him out?” Serena asked,
confused again.
“I don’t know. Just...curious, I guess.”
“Oh. Okay.” Serena looked at Raye, more carefully this time. “Raye, if
there’s anything wrong--you need to tell me.”
“I--” Violet eyes met concerned blue ones and Raye couldn’t hold back
anymore. “Serena--I, I like Darien, okay? And, and--I, I don’t know--I just thought
that if you thought Rod was such a jerk before, and now you’re all nice to him
because you thought he is your lifesaver...you would do the same thing to Darien,
except you would be even nicer, since, well--you didn’t think Darien was a jerk,
and--and, as ugly as it sounds right now--I, I--don’t want you to!”
Serena was stunned. She was so stunned by her friend’s sudden display
of emotion that for a moment she didn’t know what to say. “Raye,” she choked out,
“Wh-what do you think I WOULD do to Darien, now that I know he saved me?”
“I...I don’t know. I just--know that whatever it is you are going to do,
I’m not going to like it.” Raye bit her lip. “Since Darien saved you, we can be
sure that he at least knows who you are now...and since it's like that--you already
grabbed his attention, and--and...you can...god, I’m so sorry, Serena. I thought--my
crush on him died a long time ago. But--after he asked me to go to that party with
him--there was a, a sparkling feeling inside me that I...I just couldn’t ignore.
“You see, there’s something about you, Serena. If you’re nice to someone,
he’s nice to you back. I know I don’t know you that long, but, I got the feeling that
if you set your mind to it--you can get any guy you want.”
Serena’s eyes widened. “What the heck are you saying?”
“I--I’m just saying...that...” Raye bit her lip. “Remember that first day when
we--five of us--played basketball together?”
Serena nodded, urging her to go on.
“Well, remember--I said that, I said that ‘A girl as pretty as you might
have a chance with him’, as in Darien, ‘someday’?”
“Yeah...what’s your point?”
“I don’t know!” Raye exclaimed, putting two hands flat against her
forehead. “When I said that, I was just...guessing, playing--but now, now--that might
become true.” She sighed deeply. “I-I just...I’m just saying all thoughts that
are going through my mind right now. Whether they make sense right now--I don’t care.”
“Raye...” Serena began quietly, slowly, still registering what her friend
just said. “I just thanked Rod for saving me, a lot of times, that’s all. I’m-I’m
just going to do the same thing to Darien. Don’t worry about it.”
“But you said you hugged Rod,” Raye reminded her.
*I hug you! I hug Mina! I hug Amy! That doesn’t mean anything!* Serena
felt like shouting. *Darien’s not yours.*
“I...” Raye sighed loudly. “God, you must think I’m terrible right now!”
“Not at all, Raye,” Serena reassured her, wondering if she was lying to
herself. “I’m just--a little confused right now, I guess. Raye...? All those times when
I said that Darien was cute--you...?”
“Oh...that was nothing. I didn’t feel anything, trust me.”
“Okay.” She nodded, numbly, it felt like. “So...right now--you don’t want me
to do--whatever with Darien.” It was a statement, not a question, and Serena couldn’t
help but notice the little flat note in her voice.
Apparently, Raye did, too, because her eyes began to get watery. “You
know what...forget it. I’m so sorry, Serena. Just forget everything that I just said,
okay? Please. I-I don’t want to end our conversation this way. Just please, promise
me that you did not just hear what I said...about you and Darien...whatever.”
Serena opened her mouth to talk, but closed it again, thinking. *What is
going on with her? First all blurting out to me about how she still has a crush on
Darien--and now, saying forget about it all?* She looked at her friend, her brows
knitted together. “I...”
“Please, no more. Forget it.” Raye tried to smile. “Pretend I just didn’t
say all those things about Darien. You can do whatever you like. Hug him--whatever.”
“Okay, then...I’ll see you tomorrow, okay, Raye? Bye.” She gave her friend
a small, hesitant hug, and turned toward the front door of her house, feeling tons of
emotions swirling through the inside of her body.
No matter what Raye said in the end, she couldn't just forget about it.
The first thing that she did when she walked to school that morning was
look for Darien.
Unfortunately, he was nowhere in sight.
Serena sighed dejectedly, and jammed her books in her locker.
“Hi.”
The voice she heard was male, and for a moment her heart began to speed up.
But when she felt the presence of the person, she knew who it was. She sighed again.
“Hey...Rod.”
“Hey.” Rod moved and was standing beside her, a smile on his lips.
“Morning.”
“Morning...I guess,” Serena replied coolly.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing,” she answered flatly.
“What’s with the cold attitude? Aren’t you suppose to be very grateful
and warm toward the person who rescued you?”
He was just teasing her, she knew, but with the tiredness she felt that
morning, on top of the stress that she had been feeling ever since yesterday after
school, she just couldn’t control herself anymore. “Warm? Why should I show you warmth,
Rod?” She whirled sideways to face him. “You are a liar, Rod Jeffskin, a liar. You
know it isn’t you who saved me--you lied.”
For a moment, Rod was in shock. Then, he realized, as his mind started to
function again, Serena knew.
Serena knew.
And before he knew what he was doing, he grabbed her by the shoulders,
and spoke directly to her face, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Serena slapped away his hands, and glared at him. “Forget it.” She turned
to go.
“Wait!” Rod called out, going after her, “Do you know who really saved you?”
“No,” she snapped, wishing he would go away.
“It’s Darien.”
Now she stopped walking so fast, she could almost hear the screech her
tennis shoes made. She turned to face him. “You...knew?! You knew it was Darien and
yet you STILL didn’t say anything?”
“I...” Rod looked down on the floor, his face masking shame. “Yeah, well...”
“Oh my god. You are SUCH a big liar,” Serena hissed, turning and walking
away again.
Rod stood where he was, staring after her. *Stupid idiot. You are such a
piece of crap. Why couldn’t you just tell her the truth from the beginning? If you
really wanted her to like you, the worst thing that you could do is lie to her.* He
groaned.
I rubbed my sleepy eyes.
And rubbed them again.
“Hey,” I heard someone whisper behind me, “Didn’t get enough sleep?”
I knew it was Andrew, and I whispered back, careful to speak without
moving my lips too much. “Yeah. I had a pretty tiring night.”
“Why?”
“Tell you later,” I replied. Then I leaned toward the front of my desk,
and stared at the text on the book opened in front of me.
I couldn’t concentrate.
At last, the bell rang, and everyone started to get up, stopping the
teacher in midsentence. He sighed and went to gather his things.
I stood up, closed my textbook, and stuffed it in my backpack. I slung
it over a shoulder, and strolled toward the door.
Andrew was right behind me. “Well?”
I turned around, and gave him a not-now look.
He shrugged, and placed hand on a strap of his backpack. “Math?”
I hesitated, staring at the floor for a while. Then, I said quietly,
“I think I’ll skip fourth period.”
Andrew did a double take. “Skip it? But--Dare, you can’t! This is our
senior year, man, we can’t go skipping classes like we did last year, or the years
before.”
I shrugged, rubbing my eyes again. “Even if I do go, it’s going to be a
waste of time, and I’d rather have the teacher think I have some sort of problem and
can’t come to class than have her think that I am too sleepy to concentrate on her
lesson. She hates it when people don’t pay attention, you know that.”
He nodded slowly, and I could tell he was thinking it over. At last he
grinned. “Whatever. What do you plan to do?”
I threw a glance outside, and smiled. “Maybe play some basketball, you
know?”
“All right. See you then.” Andrew gave a slap on the back and turned to
walk away.
I watched his back, and then started toward the side door. Hopefully
Mrs. Bruel won’t give me a great decrease in my points just because I didn’t show up
for class this once.
I pushed open the double doors, and walked out, feeling the fresh outside
air welcoming me. I smiled to myself. Coming out was right.
I walked toward the basketball courts, turning around the building. I
looked down on the ground, thinking as I walked along.
How would Serena react if I told her?
Would she believe me?
I was going to tell her, one way or another, so how could I do it? How
should I even START the conversation? God knows I only spoke, what, twenty words to
her through all this time?
Then, I noticed that the surroundings around me changed. I lifted my
head, eyes darting around, and that was when I noticed I had already arrived at the
basketball courts. I was about to grab the pen and the pad from the little basket
that held the balls, when I noticed that I was not alone in the area.
Somebody was playing by herself on a half court about eighty feet away
from me. I could hear the dribbling sound. I squinted and looked closer, but
couldn't really tell who it was.
I unconsciously walked toward her, trying to see what was it that was
familiar about her. Then, I caught her face when she turned toward my direction to
get the bouncing ball.
Serena.
My breath quickened, and I concentrated on not shouting for joy. She
wasn’t wearing her usual...’meatballs’ hair today. It was braided in two long braids,
hanging down on her back.
Then I frowned. Doesn’t she have class?
Ah, who cared?
I smiled, and picked up speed, being as quietly as possible. She just
kept on bouncing the ball now, not even shooting.
I wasn’t nervous now. I mean--when I first talked to her, even before I
talked to her--I was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof. But now--I felt totally
relaxed.
Well, of course, not TOTALLY. That image of her hugging Rod popped into
my mind, but I pushed it away, determined to actually have a friendly conversation
with her, without me being tongue-tied.
I stopped about ten feet away from her, with her back facing me. I
took a deep breath, and was about to call out her name, when she aimed her basketball
at the net, and made the shot. Then, the ball fell on the floor, bounced once,
before it hit a small crack on the ground, and made a totally weird angle turn.
Right toward me.
Serena immediately turned around--about to catch the ball, and her eyes
met mine.
I remembered to breathe. I smiled at her. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she spoke softly.
I stared at her, my heart pounding in my chest. “You, uh--you were playing
basketball?”
That had got to be the stupidest question ever. What was she doing on
a court with a basketball if she wasn’t playing it?
She didn’t seem to notice, to my relief. “Yeah. I, um, skipped class.”
She smiled, a little sheepishly.
Her smile was sooo adorable. “Me, too.”
Serena grinned. “Why?”
“Getting a little nosy, are we?” I teased, walking closer to her.
She smiled again, eyes staring into mine. She was blushing slightly.
I smiled, even though I felt like I couldn’t breathe normally. There was
something different about the way she looked at me just then...was that admiration?
I glanced at the basketball net behind her. “You, uh--wanna play one-on-one?”
“Sure!” she said enthusiastically. She immediately went looking for the
basketball. When she came back, a huge smile was pasted on her face. “Are you any
good?”
I grinned, and raised an eyebrow. “Good enough to beat you.”
She laughed. “Yeah. I’ll have you know that I was in my school’s basketball
team before. AND we won a championship.”
“Oh really?” I crossed my arms over my chest, still smiling hard.
“Yeah. Don’t underestimate me.” With that, she jumped up and made a perfect
three point shot. I shrugged, grabbing the bouncing b-ball.
My god. This was so cool. We were acting like actual friends! WHY the
hell didn’t we have this kind of conversation before? I thought back to the two
times--yes, TWO times that I had talked to her. First, it was by her locker in the
school, next--at the party of Matt’s. We exchanged about two sentences both times.
It was like I had an unbreakable record of some sort that limited me from
saying more each time I talked to her. Even though there were only two times.
Now, it was all going to change.
“Why don’t you go ahead and have six points first?” I suggested.
She looked at me, a challenged look in her eyes. “Why, ‘cause I’m a girl?
I don’t think so, mister. Why don’t YOU go ahead and have six points first?”
Whoo-hoo, she was one of a kind. I guess she didn’t know about my basketball
skills. I shrugged again, and effortlessly bounced the basketball with my right hand.
“You sure you don’t want a head start?”
“Affirmative,” she replied.
“All right. Why don’t you take out?” I threw the ball to her, and she
caught it easily.
She stepped behind the yellow line, and bounced the ball to me. “Check.”
She stepped inside, and I tossed her back the ball.
Serena faced the net, her face alert, and bounced the ball with her right
hand, shifting weight from one foot to another. I faced her, my hands hanged down
either side of my body, guarding her carefully. Her blue eyes danced into mine, and
the challenging smile on her face brought a smile to my lips also.
Suddenly she made a move toward my left, and I immediately prepared to
dive toward the ball, but then, quickly she moved back to her normal place, and
without me blocking her, she bounced and ran toward the net, and made a jump shot
straight aiming the inside of the ring. It fell through. She turned to me with a
triumphing smile, and I felt my insides melt.
“All right, all right,” I said, going after the bouncing basketball.
“That was a lucky shot.”
“Hmm, I wonder, how many times have you said that when one of your friends
made a shot?” Serena asked, placing the tip of her index finger to her chin,
pretending to be thinking deeply.
I gave her a smirk. “Countless times.” I was standing outside the line,
and threw her the ball while saying a small “check.” She bounced the ball back to me
when I stepped in again.
My left side faced the net, and I extended my left arm straight, bouncing
the ball with my right hand. Serena was, of course, by my extended arm, eyes totally
on the basketball. I didn’t look at her, I was focusing, with the corner of my eye,
on the net, and the distance between it and where I was standing.
Serena suddenly made a dive for the b-ball, throwing a hand over my
left arm, her body turning around it. Instantly I turned right, and I felt her bump
into my back. Quickly, I took two steps toward the net, and at the third step, I
leapt up on my left foot, and threw the ball over my head toward the ring. It, as I
knew it would, fell straight through the net with a gentle ‘whoosh’ sound.
“Lucky shot,” Serena said from behind, imitating my tone.
By now, the score was 48-45, with me leading three points.
Okay, I admit it--Serena was GOOD. She caught up with me, and she was...a
girl. Guys like Josh trail behind me with a loss of at least ten points sometimes.
With the knowledge I gained by playing with her so far, I knew Serena was
terrific at making perfect three point shots. If she made one now...she would catch
up...and if she makes another later, she would be leading...
Serena dribbled the ball, heading for the outside of the half circle,
turning carefully yet very quickly around me and my blocking arms. I immediately
snapped out of my thoughts, and raced up to her. Before I could reach her, she had
already had her hands over her head, holding the basketball.
Before I knew what I was doing, I jumped up, and totally swat the ball
out of her hands, making a little noisy contact with her hands. The basketball fell
down to the ground, bouncing.
Serena was totally surprised, I could tell. She released a small gasp,
and before I could totally balance myself from the jump I made, she began to fall
toward me. Her head landed on my chest, and I struggled to support both of us.
But, when I stepped back a step with my left foot, it landed on top of
something slipper, and before I could register the fact that I was slipping, I fell.
I fell painfully on my back, a breath knocked out of me as a small
thud was heard. Serena fell heavily against my chest, her hands clutching tightly
to my shirt, her legs intertwining with mine.
I smelled her baby shampoo hair, her sweat, her skin, the faint fresh
smell of apple body spray...and then she raised her head from my chest, her blue
eyes staring straight into mine. They were full of hope, full of surprise, full
of...admiration? No...full of...gratitude.
I smiled. “You are lucky because you were cushioned.”
“Does your back hurt?” Serena asked, her eyes full of concern now.
I shook my head. At least, I tried to in the situation I was in. “I’m
okay.”
Almost as if she sensed my uncomfortable position, she quickly scrambled
off of me. I wanted to pull her back on me again, but I got up also, brushing dirt
off my pants.
That was when I noticed that she was blushing. I couldn’t help but grin.
The pink spots on her cheeks were too adorable.
“Why did you do that?”
I was dumbfounded for a minute. “Do...what?”
“Hitting the ball away from my hands, making me lose my balance, making
me...fall on you,” she replied, not looking at me.
“I swatted the ball away because I didn’t want you to make the shot,” I
answered easily, smiling, “I didn’t make you lose your balance--I didn’t do it on
purpose, and I certainly didn’t MAKE you fall on me.”
Serena looked up then, her eyes twinkling. “I see.”
“Continue the game?” I asked in a--what I hoped--casual voice.
She stared at me for a moment, not saying anything. And then her face
cleared, and she blurted out, “Oh! Sure! Of course! I still have three points to
score!”
I smiled, began to get into position again, and then I realized that the
basketball was nowhere in sight. I turned back to look at her, a puzzled expression
pasted on my face. “Where’s the ball?”
She seemed to just realize it, also. She looked around.
Just then, we heard the bell ring.
“Uh-oh.” Serena began to panic. “I borrowed that basketball from the
school! Now what am I going to do?”
“Don’t worry,” I began, “next is lunchtime--right? So, we can skip lunch
and look for the basketball.”
“Damn that crappy ball. I am hungry, though,” Serena complained, wiping
a bead of sweat across her forehead.
I couldn’t help but grin. “Don’t curse. We’ll find it.”
She rolled her eyes at me, smiling. “And what do we do, oh-mister, about
my growing hunger?”
I stuck a hand in my pants pocket. I took out a stick of gum. “Here,” I
handed the gum to her, “chew on this.”
Serena stared at it, and then stared back at me. “Thank you.”
I knew she was thanking for the gum, but somehow I got the feeling that the
‘thank you’ went deeper. Then, I shrugged off the feeling, and began to look around.
“It must’ve rolled off somewhere, maybe into the bushes by the building or something.
We should look there.”
“Good idea.” She tore away the wrapping, and stuck the gum in her mouth.
I smiled. Hope she liked the cinnamon flavor.
Serena and I went ahead toward the only near bushes that the ball could’ve
rolled off to, and I bent down, surveying the thick green layers.
She crouched down beside me, and her left arm touched my right. I felt
my heart pound.
“There it is! Do you see it?” Serena turned to look at me, pointing with
a finger toward the back of a bush.
I squinted my eyes, and spotted a flash of dark orange. I smiled, and
stood up. I walked to the end of the bush, and tried to stick a hand in to get the
basketball. I touched it with a tip of my finger. I reached farther, trying to see
through the thick bush. Finally, my whole hand covered an area of the basketball.
I rolled it toward the opening.
Serena was there, and grabbed it as it rolled out. She held it up, and a
triumphed smile was lit on her face. “Got it!”
I grinned, and hit the palms of my two hands together to wipe away some
of the dirt the bushes left on my hand.
“Thank you!” She beamed at me, chewing on the gum, making little clicks of
noise.
“You’re welcome,” I answered automatically.
We just stared at each other for a moment, breathing quietly and slowly.
Then she glanced around, and her smile slowly faded. She looked at the
basketball in her hands, and then when she looked at me again, her eyes warm. “Darien...”
From her tone, I knew she was about to say something serious.
Uh-oh. I straightened up, and walked closer to her. “Yeah?”
She bit her lip. “I...I know.”
I frowned, a little confused. “Know what?”
“That...” She looked away. “That you saved me,” she said quietly.
I was hyperventilating.
I had wanted to tell her, and now, TOTALLY unexpected, she just blurted
it out! How did she know? I took a deep breath. A very deep breath. “Did...did Rod
tell you?”
“No.” She shook her head. “But that’s not important. The important thing
is that...that I had been wrong.”
I kept my mouth shut.
“And I’m sorry.”
I looked at her, and her beautiful blue eyes stared back at me, pleading
for me to forgive her. I smiled. “It’s all right.”
“How come you didn’t say anything?”
“I just never found the right time,” I answered, picking my words carefully.
She smiled gently. “That’s understandable.”
“So...?”
“So?”
“So what happens now?”
“Well, first I need to thank you a thousand times.”
“Go ahead.” I crossed my arms in front of me, grinning.
Serena rolled her eyes. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,”
she said in a flat voice.
“Um, wanna make that just a teensy bit more grateful sounding?” I teased.
She put on a huge smile. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you,
thank you!”
“That was, what...um--nine? You still need nine hundred and ninety-nine
more.” My voice, I had to admit, really did sound serious.
Her eyes went round.
I laughed. “Just teasing you.”
Her shoulders relaxed.
“What, Serena? You really believed me?” I asked incredulously, uncrossing
my arms.
“Well, you ARE really...popular, Darien.”
I frowned. “So? What does that have to do with anything?”
“It has to do with EVERYTHING!” Serena threw her hands up in the air,
staring at me. “If you were super unpopular, I probably would have the nerve to
actually walk up and talk to you a long, long long time ago, all the while being
very casual and friendly.”
“And?”
“And! Right now, because you’re popular, I can’t just walk up to you and
start a conversation easily, and even--miracles of miracles--if I do get the nerve to do
that, I will be all fidgety and nervous the whole time!”
I felt a small grin, thought I had no idea why. “Fidgety? Nervous? Why?”
Her face reddened. “Because you’re popular.”
The grin spread wider on my face. She thought that if she tried to talk
to me, she would be nervous? Boy--wait till she heard how I felt when I even THOUGHT
of talking to her.
Wait.
No, she wasn’t going to hear it.
Because I wasn’t going to tell her.
“You know, you’re pretty popular, too--right now.”
She raised a thin eyebrow. “Really?”
“Oh, come on--you know, ‘cause of your ‘outfit’ and all,” I reminded her.
“Oh. THAT.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“No, what?”
“It’s just that--I feel like if I hadn’t wore that outfit, no one would
even know me,” she finally answered, slowly and carefully.
“It doesn’t matter HOW people first know you, Serena, it only matters
that they DO get to know you after they had met you.” I paused, studying her
expression. “Did that make sense?”
She giggled. Her blue eyes danced with laughter. “Pretty much.”
“Good.”
“Hey--Darien! Mind if we borrow that basketball?”
I turned my gaze away from Serena, and concentrated on the young man
standing several feet away from us. I didn’t recognize him--but he knew my name.
“Yeah, sure--” I threw a look toward Serena to see that she was also
nodding, “We don’t need it anymore.”
She tossed the ball to him, smiling a little. “Here you go.”
The boy blushed. “Thanks.” Then he ran off with his friends.
“He was probably a freshman.”
She looked at me. “How so?”
“You can tell by the way he acts,” I replied easily.
“Hmm.” Was her reply.
I glanced around. I mean, REALLY glanced around. There were many people
out now, playing b-ball, talking in a group of friends. I smiled. “I didn’t even
notice the crowd.”
“Me, neither,” Serena answered, her voice extra soft.
I looked at her, taking in her beautiful face. Her eyes, so sparkling
blue; her nose, so cute; her lips, so...kissable. Her skin, so smooth... On impulse,
I reached out and touched the back of my fingers to her cheek.
She didn’t flinch, or stare at me in surprise. She just continued to
look at me, her face calm and innocent. I traced her small jaw, and then, somehow,
my fingers hovered around her lips. Then they took hold of her chin.
Then, without breaking eye contact, I leaned toward her, ever so slowly.
I felt her tremble, but her gaze never wavered. That was all the
encouragement I needed. I closed all gap between us with a big lean, and my lips
brushed hers.
Oh boy.
I kissed her, deeply and passionately, feeling her soft lips against
mine, treasuring the feeling. When she gently pressed back, I felt like exploding
with happiness.
But, of course, I didn’t. Instead I deepened the kiss, wrapping an arm
around her waist, pulling her closer to me.
I felt her hand clutching the back of my shirt, and her warmth flowered
from there through to the rest of my body.
If my mouth weren’t on hers, I would be hyperventilating right now.
Honestly, the feeling was too incredible. Like, like fireworks were popping
everywhere inside my body. I didn’t even hear the noise going around us-I felt
like we were alone in the entire world.
Lost in our own little world.
Somehow, the hand on her chin had found a way to lock with one of
Serena’s. I squeezed it gently.
Somewhere in the real world, I heard a little gasp going off behind me,
and then a trail of footsteps, running heavily away from us.
Then, before I knew what was happening, Serena had pulled away from me,
and I mean, REALLY pulled away. She put a good four feet between us. I looked at
her, confused. “What--what’s going on?”
Her face was pale, her blue eyes were wide with shock as they gazed
into mine. She muttered only one word. “Raye...”
__________________________________________________________
Ehhh...how was that?
Once again, thank you so much, Alex, girlfriend!
Email me!
It’s like, one in the morning right now, you know. *yawns* I’m sleepy.
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