• 1-Sugar Suicide
• 2-Insignificant
• 3-Jealously
• 4-My Lullaby
• 5-Stones
• 6-Eternities still unsaid
• 7-Where Danger Lurks

~Friday~

7
in the morning and Darien was still up.
He’d kicked some people out during the night, and now was attempting to get the
rest out, though most were just dozed off about his apartment. He wasn’t really
focused on that though. Todd and Serena had disappeared somewhere during the
party, and no one knew where; no one that wasn’t wasted anyways.

Darien couldn’t deny, he had
been thinking about Serena all night. He just wished he hadn’t said what he did
to her. She, for once in a long time, said something nice to him, and he ruined
in. That wasn’t what was important though.

Where
was she?

Darien looked around at his
‘friends’, with a shake of the head. Half of them he really didn’t know that
well. In fact, and good 1/3 of them he probably couldn’t tell you their names.
He laughed at that.

He
heard a door fumbling open from down the hall, and he saw Todd going into the
bathroom, looking like shit.

“Hey
man,” Darien called to him. Todd
looked up, and grinned.

“Hey,
did you and that brunette hook up?” he asked, remembering that Darien had been seen talking
to a brunette sometime during the night. Darien rolled his eyes. Because Darien never took the time to
consider a girlfriend, everyone was all nosey anytime he even talked to a girl.
Fortunate for him, he’s never had to go through that with Serena.

“No,
but about Serena-“

“That’s
awesome man,” Todd blurted, “But dude, I gotta piss so…I’ll be back.” And with
that he wobbled into the bathroom, slamming the door shut. Darien rolled his eyes, but
then, he heard a soft moan from the door Todd had come out off. Cautiously, Darien approached it, and
peeked in the door.

Darien couldn’t hold back the
gasp in his throat. There was Serena, fast sleep on the spare bed. Her skirt
was hiked up just a little, and her shirt a little torn in the front.

“Serena?”
Darien inquired, walking over
to the small girl, and shaking her a lightly. She was freezing. “Serena?” he
said a little louder. Serena cringed a little, and then slowly opened her eyes.
The moment her sites laid on Darien, she yelped, and shot up in the bed. “Hey, it’s okay!” Darien insisted, careful not
to touch her, just in case that might alarm her. Serena looked around,
panicked, but quickly began to calm down. She brought a hand to her head,

“What
time is it?” She asked.

“Seven.”
Darien said, reaching down to
help her up.

“Seven?!”
Serena repeated. “Oh My God, I have to get home!” She abruptly sprung up from
the bed, but the second she took her first step, she stopped. She wanted to
fall on the floor and cry.

“You
okay?” Darien asked. Serena shook her
head.

“No
…” she mused. She fell to her knees, buckling her legs together. She couldn’t
remember completely the whole evening, but she knew good and well what she did
with Todd last night.

“Serena?
You okay?” D"'>Darien repeated. Serena looked
up at him, tears in her eyes. She wanted to tell him. She wanted him to know,
and do something about it. But she couldn’t; that’d be more than embarrassing.

Besides

“Why
do you care?” Serena spat. Darien sighed, though still helped her as she got up.

Ø      
Wish
I was too dead to cry

Ø      
My
self-affliction fades

Ø      
Stones
to throw at my creator

Ø      
Masochists
to which I cater

“You
don’t seem like you have a hang-over.” Darien murmured, “So what’s really wrong?” Serena
pulled away from him, practically limping to the door.

“It’s
none of your business.” From the way she moved, Darien’s room. Darien didn’t move or say anything. “What are you doing? That was
some crazy party you know. Hey, have you seen Serena?” he said, all in one
quick sentence. Darien still didn’t answer. “Darien?” he repeated. He
fisted his hand, his muscles visibly flexing, but Todd was too gone to notice.
“You in there-”

“You
Bastard!” Todd didn’t even see Darien turn before he felt his fist against his face. Darien pinned him down on the
floor, holding a hand at his throat, and with a fist up behind him.

“Man,
what’s wrong?” Todd struggled, terror obvious in his eyes.

“Stay
away from Serena.” Darien warned. Todd’s eyes
reflected a secret in them.

“What
do you mean?” he asked. Darien tightened his hold on
him a little more.

“Stay
away from her. I never want to see you around her again. Do you understand?” he
asked, when Todd didn’t answer, that only made him angrier. “Do You
Understand?!” he repeated, leaning down closer to his face. Todd frowned,

“Man,”
he said, seemingly not as scared anymore, “We just had a little fun.” Darien growled, getting off of
Todd, and punching him again. “Besides,” Todd continued, whipping the blood
from his lip, “She wanted it.” Darien charged at him again, but missed this time.

Todd
fought back after evading Darien, and got in a good punch to his abdomen. That didn’t stop
him though. Darien latched onto his
shoulders after the contact was made, then tackled him, slamming him up against
the wall. Todd slammed his elbow into Darien’s back, forcing him to draw back. Todd again
went to charge at him, but Darien saw it coming. In the corner of his eye, he also saw the
bathroom door swing open, and Serena stepped out, astonished. It averted Todd’s
eyes as well, giving Darien an easy opportunity. Darien nailed him, right in
the jaw, and Todd fell to the ground with a thud.

“Stay
away from her!” he said, one last time. Todd cursed, struggling to his feet,
and walking out the door. Theirtle tle scene had gotten the attention of most
of those in the house. They peeked in through the door, watching and waiting.

“Darien?” Andrew said, running
into the room. “What was that about?” He asked, helping Darien to his feet. Darien whipped a little sweat
from his brow, and sighed.

“Nothing,
can you get everyone out though?” he asked. Andrew nodded, and pushed all the
bystanders away. As they protested, Darien moved to help push them all out. He led them to
the living room, yelling at them to find some other place to crash at. As they
bickered at him, Darien didn’t notice Serena
was done with her shower, and in the door, redressed in her wrinkled and torn
clothes.

She
spotted Darien as she entered the main
hall, yelling at his friends. She also spotted Todd, who was hurriedly picking
up his things.

“What’s
up with you Darien?” One of his friends
asked. Darien glared at him angrily.

“Playboy
here is upset because I got a piece of ass last night that he wanted.” Todd
snapped before slamming the door behind him. Darien gritted his teeth as everyone looked
around at each other confused. Tears welled in Serena’s eyes, and she sprinted
across the apartment, grabbing everyone’s attention as she disappeared out the
door. Darien didn’t follow. What
could he do?

Ø      
Wish
I was too dead to care

Ø      
If
indeed I cared at all

Ø      
When
Darien didn’t answer, Andrew
walked away, knowing it was better not to press at this. Darien propped his elbows on
the counter as he sat, and he leaned his lips into his folded hands. He was
slumped over, and curled up almost. Something you would never see out of Darien
Chiba.