*~Chapter Six~*

“Why do we always shop until our feet hurt?” Lita said while sitting down with the five shopping bags, she had been caring still in her hand.

“Because our feet are the only things keeping us from shopping more.” Amy said with a sigh.

“Seriously girls I think we went a little bit overboard today.” Raye said flopping down in the closest chair.

“But Spring is just starting and we just have to start our new wardrobes.” Mina said very seriously.

“Serena you only have two bags! What’s wrong? You feeling sick?” Lita said while feeling Serena’s forehead for a temperature.

“Actually I only have one bag, the other one is Mina’s. I just didn’t see anything I really like.”

“Except that dress, which is beautiful.” Raye said.

“Where are you going to where it to?” Amy asked.

“I just thought I would get it. I was thinking about wearing it on the closing night of the play, unless something else should turn up.”

“Like a date with a certain tall, dark, mysterious, new boy at school?” Lita said with a wink.

“Why would you say something like that Lita?” Serena said with a questioning look.

“Come on Sere we all saw you last night. You two were all over each other.” Lita said.

“And your guys little ‘walk’.” Amy said.

“Not to mention that you were late, cause you had to ‘talk’ about something first.” Raye said still a little mad that Serena and Darien were late.

“Would you like to make a comment too, Mina?” Serena asked.

“I’m mad cause I didn’t get to play matchmaker.” Mina said disappointedly.

“Ok so Darien and I are getting a little closer. We were TALKing about something before we walked over to the bonfire. And I showed him that little hill, that when the moon is full, looks as if you can touch it. Mina, I’m sorry you can’t play matchmaker, but I don’t know, it’s different with Darien. We just sort of clicked at the dance, and things have only been getting better since then.” Serena said with a dreamy look in her eye.

All the girls were practically in tears since Serena’s life was so dreamy at the moment. She has a guy that seems to be perfect for her, and she isn’t pushing him away like she has done with all the other guys that ever shown interest in her. Their Serena is actually falling in love with this guy, and they were happy for her.

“So do you have a date with him tonight?” Raye said to be noisy.

“Yes as a matter fact I do.”

“Are you going to wear your new dress?” Amy asked.

“I don’t think so. I’m thinking of wearing just a simpler spring dress. Probably my light pink one.”

“Oh that will look so cute. What are you guys doing?” Mina asked.

“I’m not telling you guys anything. Cause if I do you all and the boys will end up there, and then we won’t be by ourselves anymore. And what’s the point of a date if my friends, though I love you all to death, end up there with me and the guy of my dreams?”

“Ok so you won’t tell us. That’s fine. But can you tell us about the night of the dance?” Lita said.

“No, cause I don’t have my money yet.”

“Serena you have, and I quote, ‘the guy of your dreams’, and you are choosing money over some gossip that just might be really great to spread.” Mina said.

“Um, let me think about this.......oh yeah!” Serena said with a devilish grin. “Plus I love leaving you guys in suspense. I got to go. Talk to you all later.” Serena grabbed her one bag and left the other four girls just sitting there.

“Ok so where do you think they are going?” Raye asked.

“Well they don’t really know to much about each other so they would go someplace where they would be able to talk.” Amy said.

“There’s the Carnival, wait that’s closed today. The movies?” Lita said.

“You don’t go to the movies to talk, you go there to make-out.” Mina said as if Lita was so stupid.

“Not if they went to the movie in the park. Serena loves taking a picnic and watching the old movies.” Raye said remembering.

“But would Serena take him there. That’s something she doesn’t usually even ask to see if we would like to go.” Amy said questioning.

“She took him to that hill on the beach. That’s where she goes to be alone. Why would she take him there, and not to the park?” Raye said.

“Raye has a point. I think that is the place our two little lovebirds are going tonight.” Lita said.

“So are we going to spy on them?” Mina asked.

The girls all thought about, looked at each other.

“It would be nice to know what they have been doing when they are alone.” Lita said.

“And it would be nice to get a little revenge on her for not telling us the whole truth.” Mina said.

They all thought about it again. It would be sweet, but was it really worth Serena getting overly angry, and they knew she would tell them about it eventually.

“Nah! I rather spend the night with my own guy.” Amy said sheepishly, but all the other girls agreed on it, and that they would get Serena and Darien back later.

~*~Serena’s House~*~

Serena was in her room getting ready for the night. She had just got done packing the delicious picnic for two with everything she loved. Hopefully Darien likes at least some of the same things she did, at least that was what she was hoping for.

As she was getting dressed, she decided to wear her spaghetti strapped pink spring dress. It went down to her knees, and was made of a light but warm fabric. She planned on wearing her white sweater too, so she would be just a bit warmer. Her hair was curled, and she braided the sides back until they connected in the back of her head. She wore little crescent moon diamond earrings. All was left was for Darien to pick her up.

Just as she was giving her make-up, which she had very little of on, one last look, she heard the doorbell. ‘Right on time’ She thought to herself.

As she walked down the stairs she took him in. He wore nice kakie pants, with a dark blue polo shirt that brought out the blue of his eyes. His black hair was nicely combed, like always, and he had just a bit of hair in his eyes. He looked amazing, and she couldn’t believe that she was going to be spending the night with him.

Darien took Serena in as she walked down the stairs. And no matter how many times he has seen her in the last couple of weeks, every time she just seems to get more beautiful. He couldn’t believe that she was willing to spend time with him. Sure he has always had his choice of girls, but Serena was no girl, she was a full-grown angel.

“You are so beautiful, Sere.” Darien said softly.

“Thank you. You look handsome. I’ll go get the picnic basket, and we can be on our way.” Serena went into the kitchen. She came out with a huge picnic basket, which looked like it weighed a ton. Darien took it from her, and found out that it just didn’t look like it weighed a ton, but it did.

When they got to the car Darien first put the basket in the back seat, then ‘helped’ Serena in, but not before giving her a soft peck on the lips.

“What was that for?” Serena asked him as he got in the car.

“For being you. So what park are we going to?”

“Rose Park.”

“The one with all the rose gardens?”

“Yes, have you had a chance to walk through it?”

“I found time. When I was first moving in the park look amazing with the roses blooming, I couldn’t wait to go see it.”

“It is my favorite park in town. The rose gardens surround it, and the big open field and lake at hidden inside. The Gardeners set up the movie screen in the field, and as you watch the movie, you can smell the roses.”

“So what movie is showing tonight?”

“How to Marry a Millionaire.”

“Oh, that’s a good one.” Darien pulled into the park’s parking lot, which was about half full. He got out the basket as Serena got out of the car.

“Come over here, I always sit near the right side, so I can smell the roses in the breeze.” They walked about half to the screen, on the right side. Right when Darien was sitting down he felt a breeze, and indeed he could smell the roses.

Serena had laid out a red and white checkered blanket, and started unloading all of the food she had packed. She first took out two thermoses that held their drinks. Then two desert containers, which was finger Jell-O or cherry pie. Then she took out many different containers that held different types of fruits and vegetables. The last container she pulled out was quit bigger than all the others were, and had many different types of sandwiches stored in it. Serena really did not know what exactly to pack so she just packed small amounts of anything she could find.

Darien couldn’t believe how much she packed for just the two of them. “Did you plan on feeding an army Sere?”

“I wasn’t sure what you liked so I just packed everything I could find, that I liked.”

“So how did you find the best spot in the garden?” Darien asked as he pulled a turkey and cheese sandwich out of the container.

“My Grandma would take me her when I was a little girl on Sunday afternoons. We would go look at all the roses, then come right here to eat a small picnic lunch. Then about ten years ago they started showing the old movies, so Grandma would take me every Friday and we would sit right here and watch the movie of the week. When she died three years ago, I decided to keep coming. It always seems she is watching me here.”

“You Grandma seems like a very special women.”

“She was very special.” Serena started to eat a sandwich along with some fresh fruit. “So you know that my favorite color is pink and that I have a younger brother. What yourself?”

“I don’t have any siblings, and my favorite color is blue, especially the blue of your eyes.” Darien said the end with his little half smile, and seceded in making Serena blush. “Seriously though my favorite color is blue, with red coming in a close second.”

“How did you come to move here?” Serena asked seriously wondering.

“My Grandfather actually went here, and knew that the school system was still the best around and will help secede in getting accepted in the best of the elite colleges and universities. Only the best for his grandson.”

“So it’s your grandfather that I should be thanking right now?” Serena said with her only little teasing smile.

“He is the one that is paying for my apartment and schooling. He has taken care of me since I was a little boy, the only family I have ever remember having.”

They went on talking and eating whenever they thought of it. The movie started but they did not pay any attention to it.

“So what got you into acting Serena?”

“Well I just sort of started. We did this little plaything for our parents in Junior High, and I tried out for the lead. It wasn’t the best try out, but when I found out that I got the lead I practiced night and day to get everything down right. Ever since then I just try out and take what lead I received and work hard on performing it to my best abilities. The girls say that I tend to get lost in the characters and forget about the real world. Have you ever done that?”

“Yes.”

“You said that you have done some acting, but how did you get started?”

“Well my freshman year my school was going to but on a play. My Teacher’s in courage me to try out. I tried out got a secondary lead. The review said I our shinned the lead, and blew the audience away. After that I just do it. Acting is like my time away from reality and all the pressures on me. It gives me a chance to be somebody that has all of his problems work out in the end.”

“Funny acting brought us together, but I don’t feel like I have to act around you Darien.” Serena said as she looked into Darien’s deep blue eyes.

“Serena we will never have to act around each other, because when we are together everything is perfect.” Darien sealed his promise to her and himself with a kiss. He had finally found somebody that didn’t want him to be somebody other than himself. As for Serena she had found the best guy in the world give her loving heart to.