Chapter 14

"Thanks for the help. But I really can take care of myself."

"I know."

"Really?" Serena was surprised with the stranger's answer.

"Well, not really."

Serena frowned. 'This guy is weird.'

"You better get inside now. It's pretty late. I'm sure you still have school tomorrow, right?"

"Oh yeah. That's right. Thanks again. Good night umm..."

"Seiya."

"Good night Seiya." Serena bowed and turned to leave.

"And your name?" Seiya asked.

'Oh right.' Serena smacked herself.

"It's Serena."

Seiya smiled. "What a wonderful name. Good night Serena."

Serena nodded as she watched Seiya started his bike and took his leave. She was lost in her thoughts. That guy weirded her out. But not in a scary way. Just a bit mysterious. And she thought she was the only one who's strange. She was just glad they didn't have to fight those thugs.

"Hello Seiya. Any news?"

Seiya held out his cellphone with a smile. "I have a great news for you."

"Is that so?" It was a voice of a woman, silent and very mysterious.

"Yep. I finally found her. And this time, I'm sure it's really her."

"And how sure are you?"

"Very. She might have changed her name, but her appearance is still the same."

"Excellent. I'm glad to hear about that Seiya. Now, you know what to do."

"Understood."

And the line was dead, leaving Seiya with a victorious smirk.

'I got you now Serenity.'

Serena was running late for school again. Studying and working part time was beginning to worn her out. It's also been a while since she had this kind of life. She wasn't as a accustomed to it as she used to.

"Morning Serena."

The blonde stopped her running and was surprised to see who greeted her. It was the guy from last night, Seiya.

"Wow. I wasn't really expecting to see you again."

"Are you disappointed?"

"Well, no. Of course not. Just surprised." Serena explained with a smile.

"Good. Can I give you a ride to school then?" Seiya offered.

"No that's alright. I'm good with running."

"I insist. Besides, you'll get late if you just run. It's just near anyway." Seiya said as he offered the other helmet to Serena.

Serena thought for a bit. She didn't really have much of a choice. They have exams on the first period so she can't be late or she won't have a chance to improve her grades.

"Alright. Thanks." Serena said and accepted the helmet.

"I heard the basketball team is throwing a victory party tonight for winning the championship." Mina announced, excitement visible on her face.

"Yeah. I heard about that too." Mako added.

"I think it was going to be held at Darien's place."

"Are you guys going?" Ami asked.

They all turned their attention to the raven who was silently staring outside the window.

"Hey Rei." Mako called. "What's up?"

"Who is that guy?" Rei asked.

"Who?"

The other three girls also looked outside the window. At the parking lot, they watched as Serena walked with a guy they have never seen before.

"Sorry I failed to notice your uniform." Serena said, surprised to see that Seiya was going to the same school that she was.

"That's alright. I actually just transferred yesterday."

"Really? Welcome to our school then." Serena smiled. "That's a little weird for me to say that though considering that I'm just new here as well."

"How long have you been here?"

"Almost a month."

"I see. Well, we better get going then. We wouldn't want to be late." Seiya reminded.

"Oh yeah that's right!" Serena rememered their test. "Thanks for the ride. I really appreciate it. See you around."

"See you."

Seiya watched the blonde run towards the school building before going off to his own class.

"I haven't really seen him before. He's probably a new student." Ami said.

"He's cute."

"I have to agree with you on that Mina." Mako said as they all stared at him.

"How can Serena know a cute guy like him?" Rei exclaimed.

"Why not? She knows Andrew and he's cute." Mina defended.

"I'm just a little curious. Maybe I should go and get to know him a little." Rei said with her flirty smile.

"Oh I am so in." Mina agreed together with Ami and Mako.

The classroom door opened and Serena went in. She scanned the room and happened to meet a pair of purple eyes. She quickly turned away and looked for Molly. While walking towards her seat, she could feel Rei still staring at her for some reason she didn't know. Maybe Rei was doing it on purpose to make her feel uncomfortable. She had to admit it was working but she's not going to let the raven see that. She finally reached her seat which is unfortunately, just beside Rei.

"Hello Molly."

"Hey Serena. How's work?"

"Good. Just a little tiring but it's nothing I can't handle." Serena answered and stole a glance on her side to check if Rei was still looking.

'I hate it when she stares at me like that.'

"Hello again Serena."

Serena looked up from her lunch to see a familiar face.

"Seiya." Serena greeted and smiled.

"Mind if I sit with you?"

"No of course not. I mean, if it's alright with them as well." Serena answered, pertaining to Molly and Melvin.

"Sure no problem." Molly answered.

"Thank you." Seiya said and took a sit beside Serena.

"Guys, this is Seiya. Seiya, these are my friends, Molly and Melvin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Seiya said with a bow.

"Same here." Melvin replied.

"Are you new here? Coz I don't remember seeing you around before." Molly asked.

"Yes I am. I actually just transferred yesterday."

"How do you guys know each other?"

Serena and Seiya looked at each other, deciding who would answer the question.

"We just met last night." Serena said. "I was walking home and some guys cornered me. Thankully Seiya got there to scare those guys off."

"Oh my. That's terrible. Good thing nothing happened to you Sere. I told you to relocate. It's not safe there."

"I know Molly. But so far I managed to live there for almost five months."

"I'm pretty sure Serena can take down those bad guys."

"Aww...thank you for believing in me Seiya."

"You're very welcome Serena." Seiya answered back. The two of them talk as if they already know each other for a while.

Rei watched as Mina approached the new guy. She wasn't sure how the conversation went on with the two but she continued to watch him go to a table where Serena was sitting and sat beside her. Seemed like Mina got turned down. That's a shame.

"That jerk! Who the hell does he think he is anyway?" Mina complained as she sat down at their usual table.

"Aww...is Mina losing her touch?" Mako teased.

"Shut up."

Mako just laughed even more with Rei and Ami.

"Tsk...tsk... Looks like it's up to me." Rei said in her usual confident voice. 'I'll get him.'

"What are you planning to do?"

"Oh nothing. I just want to invite him over the club."

"What? Just like that?"

"Yep. Just like that."

"But he could be just a guy from around the street. Why invite him there?" Ami asked.

"Let's just say it's my way of messing around with that loser." Rei asnwered, looking at Serena.

Serena turned around and was surprised to see Rei approaching their table. 'Now what.'

"Hello there." Rei greeted, her attention towards Seiya alone.

"Hello Miss." Seiya politely replied.

"You're pretty polite." Rei commented.

"Yeah it's a habit."

"Anyway, I believe we haven't met. I'm Rei Nicholson."

"I know." Seiya answered.

"Really?" Rei asked, giving Serena a glance.

"It's hard not to know. You are the daughter of one of the richest man in Japan after all. It's hard to miss."

"I see." Rei said with a smile. "And your name is?"

"Seiya. Just call me Seiya."

"Alright Seiya. I would like to invite you to my club called the Inferno tomorrow night. I'm sure you're familiar with it as well."

"Of course. One of the most popular and exclusive clubs in Tokyo, right?"

"Correct. So what do you say?"

"I have no problems with that except I don't go anywhere without my friend here." Seiya replied, poiting at Serena.

"What?" Rei and Serena said at the same time, causing them to look at each other.

'This guy is impossible.' Rei thought. But it would embarass her more if she will withdraw her offer.

"That's fine with me." Rei answered and turned around to go back to their table. 'The nerve of that guy!'

Serena just kept staring at Seiya, not believing what happened.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That. With Rei."

"What about it?" Seiya asked innocently.

"I don't want to go there." Serena answered.

"That's no problem. Then we'll not go."

"But she might blame me for that."

"Why?"

"Just because."

Seiya chuckled. "You worry yourself too much. Don't worry. It's just one night."

Serena frowned, remembering how one night made her life miserable.

"It's fine. I'll be there too." Seiya reassured the blonde.

Serena just sighed, tired of worrying. As if Rei was going to pay attention to her at all.

The bell rang, signaling lunch is over.

"Pick you up at 8 tonight. Bye."

Serena just looked at the retreating back of Seiya.

"Tonight? What? Wait! Seiya!"

"Yep?"

"I thought Rei said tomorrow night."

"Oh yeah. I was talking about a different party. I got invited to the victory party tonight and I don't really want to go alone."

"And you expect me to come with you?"

"Yeah."

"Why is that?" Serena asked, her hand on her hips. This guy is starting to get too comfortable with her.

"Just because." Seiya shrugged and he was off.

"Wait!" Serena called but she was ignored. 'Damn!'

Serena silently sat at one corner of the room, an almost empty drink on hand. She watched as Seiya have fun and flirt with the girls. She just found out that he tried out for the basketball team and got in right away. He's probably a good player getting in that easily.

She sighed and stood up. She's tired of waiting around. She doesn't even know why she was there in the first place. She swore this was the last time Seiya was ever going to drag her in to parties like this. She was about to get another drink when she heard some girls talking. She usually doesn't get into people's business but the mention of Rei's name caught her attention.

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

She knew that voice. It was Terry's.

"Of course. Just don't let Rei suspect anything."

It was a voice of some guy Serena was familiar with. From the introduction before the party starts, she's couldn't be mistaken. It was Darien, the captain of the basketball team and most popular guy in school. She had heard rumours about him and Rei and how their relationship didn't end so well.

"Fine. But if you got caught, I don't know anything about this, okay?" Terry said.

"Whatever. Just do it."

Serena watched as Terry took out some kind of small bottle from her pocket. She saw her poured a small amount of powder in to a cup of beer. She wasn't sure what it was but she had a bad feeling about it. Terry passed the cup to a guy Serena didn't know. Terry and Darien followed the guy and so did Serena. The cup was given to Rei who wasn't aware of what was going on. There was an exchange of looks between the guy, Terry and Darien, making Serena more suspiscious.

They watched as Rei drink the cup of beer. A few minutes later, Rei began to feel dizzy. Before she hit the ground, Darien was already by her side. He looked around to see if anyone was looking. Everybody seemed to be too busy to notice what he was doing.

Serena watched as Darien picked Rei up and went upstairs. She knew something's up and she's going to find out what it was. She tried to follow Darien but was blocked by two guys. She was pretty sure both of them were part of the team as well.

"But I really need to go to the bathroom." Serena insisted.

"Bathroom is over there." the guy pointed near the kitchen.

"But it's occupied and I really need to go."

"You're gonna have to hold it then."

Serena gritted her teeth. She knew what was going on. 'Oh I am so gonna kick that Darien's ass if he did something to Rei.'

She thought of asking Seiya but she wasn't sure if it was a good idea. Seiya's already part of the team. He probably knew something about this.

'Damn it. I need to find a way in there.'

She was getting desparate. Sure Rei was a bitch but she couldn't let anything happen to her. She just can't...deny her attraction to that girl.

She looked around the place. The living room was packed. Nobody would even notice what she was about to do. She doesn't have a choice. She had to move now.

Serena went back to the stairs and tried to pass through the guy.

"Hey! I said it's off limits!" The guy grabbed Serena's arm to stop her.

Serena turned and glared at him. "And I said I need to go!" She exclaimed and punched the guy straight to his face, causing him to fall unconscious. She looked around the room and nobody seemed to notice. She sighed in relief.

She hastily went upstairs and checked each room. She wasn't really sure where Darien took Rei, but there was only three rooms to choose from. She saw a dim light passing through at the bottom of the door in one of the rooms. It had to be it. She opened the door which to her surprise was left unlock.

"Hey! Get off her!" Serena exclaimed. Darien had already removed his shirt and was now on top of Rei who was left with just her bra and panties.

"You sick bastard!" Serena was so angry that she didn't give Darien time to recover from her entrance. She pounded at him, hit his face and kicked his groin. Darien moaned in pain as he fell on the floor. Serena looked at him in disgust and turned to Rei. She was half conscious but too weak to do anything. She picked up Rei's clothes and dressed her up.

"You bitch!"

Serena looked up and see Darien finally recovering. 'That was fast. I should've hit him harder.'

Darien was about to strike her but she dodged it and punched him on the stomach, this time she really hit him hard enough that Darien fell on the ground, kneeling. She clasped her hands together and gave him a blow on the back.

"Take that! You perverted asshole!"

Serena assisted Rei up, grabbed her purse and they were out of the house. She looked for Rei's car and remembered that she doesn't have a key.

"Rei, can you hear me? Are you alright?" she cupped Rei's face with both of her hands so Rei would look straight at her.

Rei only nodded.

"Where are your keys?"

"Purse."

"Got it. Come on. I'll take you home." Serena placed Rei at the back of the car so she could lie down. It was a good thing she was used to driving Rei's car.

*DING*

Nuriko woke up with the sound of the doorbell. She came to open the door and was surprised with the sight.

"Serena!" Nuriko exclaimed and then looked down at girl Serena was with. "And a drunk Rei."

"Yeah. She had too much I couldn't let her drive." Serena lied. She didn't want to be the one to tell Nuriko about what happened. It would shame Rei. She knew that for sure. She didn't like lying to Nuriko but she had to.

"Thank you so much Serena. You're too kind."

"It's no problem." Serena answered. "Here are her keys. I better get going. It's pretty late."

"I'll ask someone to drive you."

"No it's alright. I can manage. Thanks. Good night Nuriko. It was nice to see you again." Serena bowed and turned to leave.

"You too Serena. Thanks again. Take care."

"Hey Serena." Seiya greeted with a warm smile.

"Hey."

"You sound very enthusiastic today." Seiya noticed the gloominess on the blonde's voice.

"I'm just a little tired with work and stuff."

"I see." Seiya nodded. "Didn't see you leave last night. Where did you went off to?"

"Home."

Serena doesn't plan on telling anything about what happened last night. Not even Molly. Things might get worse if people find out about Rei. Everybody knew how strong her character was and once they realized what happened at the party, who knows what they would think about her.

"You should have told me so I could bring you home."

"You were too busy. Besides, I'm used to going home alone. I don't need a bodyguard."

"Of course you don't." Seiya said and winked at Serena.

Serena rolled her eyes and sighed. "Come on. We're late."

"Alright. Don't forget about Inferno tonight, ok?" Seiya reminded her before turning to leave.

"I- " Serena was about to protest but Seiya was already gone. "Great."

Rei woke up that morning with a headache. She couldn't remember anything of what happened last night. She was greeted by Nuriko and was lectured of going home drunk.

'Good thing Serena was there to bring you home.'

Nuriko's statement made Rei remember much of what happened last night. She remembered dancing with one of the varsities. Then suddenly she felt light headed. The next thing she knew was that she was being carried by Darien to the rooms. Somehow it scared her. She had never been so afraid in a long time. She was helpless as Darien pushed her on the bed. She knew what was about to happen and she was helpless. She wanted to scream but she was too weak. She tried to struggle but Darien's grip was too strong. She was losing hope when she suddenly felt Darien got off the bed. She heard a female voice yelling at Darien. She tried to open her eyes to see what was happening.

Serena.

She couldn't believe it. Serena was there to save her. Of all people, it just had to be her. She couldn't remember exactly what happened after that. She remembered Serena talking to her and asking how she was. She didn't know how she got home or how Nuriko didn't seem to know anything about what happened.

Rei looked at Serena as she made her way towards the classroom. She couldn't even look at the blonde like she used to. Her confidence seemed to have been washed away just like that. How could she face her now? Serena had seen how weak and helpless she could be. She's probably laughing at her right now. She saw Serena looked at her and their eyes met. For the first time, it was Rei who broke the gaze. Rei gritted her teeth. She didn't even see anything on the blonde's face. No mocking smile. No judgmental look. No nothing. It was just Serena being...Serena. And for some reasons, it it irritated her even more.

'Damn it!

Serena didn't know how to react when she met Rei's eyes. Does she remember what happened last night? When the raven looked away, she already knew the answer to her question.

Rei made her way towards the men's locker room. One of the players tried to stop her but changed his mind when he saw the fire in Rei's eyes.

"Where's that good for nothing asshole, Darien?" Rei was really furious. She couldn't wait to get her hands dirty.

'That bastard is going to regret messing with me.'

The varsity pointed her towards the shower area. She spotted Darien with only a towel wrapped around his waist. She didn't care though. She was going to make him pay.

"Hello Darien." Rei said in her sweetest voice.

Darien looked up and was surprised to see Rie. 'Maybe she couldn't remember what happened last night.'

"Well, hello Rei." Darien put on one of his sexiest smile. He was leaning on the locker, staring at Rei's eyes.

Rei fought the urge not to show her disgust. What did she like with him again? She smiled innocently, slowly touching Darien's chest down to his stomach. She could hear the teasing from the other men in the locker room. Just as Darien was about to kiss her, she kicked him on the groin.

"Ohwff!" Darien exclaimed.

"I'm pretty sure you know what that is for." Rei said, her anger re-surfacing. "Hear this Darien. Never cross my path again or I swear to God you're gonna regret it for the rest of your college life!" With that, Rei left the room with the guys laughing at Darien.

"That's gotta hurt." Seiya said as he looked down at Darien. He doesn't know what was going on but he sure was glad it happened. The guy deserved it.

"Alright everyone. I have a very good news for you." Ms. H announced in excitement. "We are going swimming!"

The class cheered. Everyone became pre-occupied chatting with their friends on what to wear.

"Finally! It's about time to get a break."

"But school just started Mako." Amo commented.

"I was getting bored."

"Ohhh! I'm so excited! I'm gonna have to go shopping for new bikinis!" Mina exclaimed as expected from the blonde.

Rei just sat silently. Strangely enough, she didn't pay much attention to what was happening. She would usually get excited with these kinds of activities. But for some reason, she just didn't care. She felt like she's not being herself since the incident that night. She found herself thinking about it more and more. Not that she was traumatized, but the fact that the nobody seemed to know what happened. Usually rumours would have spread by now...That is IF Serena told somebody. Which probably didn't happen much to her surprise. But why? She's so sure the girl despised her.

"We have already made reservations to the hotel. Each room will have two students each. We will decide who your roomate will be once we get there." Ms. H reminded the students before resuming class.

Rei caught a glimpse of the blonde beside her. She silently looked at her. She had always known that this girl wasn't like the average college girl. She's not like the type to ruin someone's name for fame. Or humiliate people for fun. Or try to get people's attention. No. Serena wasn't like that at all. She may have a young girl's appearance, but her eyes showed differently. It was as if she had lived longer than her age. And she hated it. She hated how amused she was with the blonde. How Serena seemed to make her curious about her. She tried to mess with her to prove that she's just like other girls. But instead of getting mad and plotting her revenge, Serena just kept silent. Was it too childish for Serena? Does she think she's too immature?

But then again, why would Rei care what Serena think of her? When did she even care about other people's thoughts anyway? Rei let out an exasperated sigh. Maybe she does need a break and swimming was just perfect to cool off.

"Wow. This club is more amazing than I had imagined."

Seiya was impressed with Inferno. He thought it was just like other clubs but he was wrong. Now he understood why so many teens were dying to come here.

"Yeah I know right."

Serena didn't know how Seiya managed to make her come to this place again. She wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Oh come on Serena! Lighten up! Stop being so uptight."

"Whatever."

"Hey there. Never thought I'll be seeing you here again."

Serena looked up to see Alex approaching them.

"Yeah. Well I never thought I would come here again."

"Aww..Did Rei treated that bad?"

"It wasn't really like that."

The trio turned to see Rei, wearing one of those daring clothes again. "I've been nice to her compared to the others."

Serena tried not to make face.

"Anyway, I'm glad you were able to come."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Seiya answered.

"Have fun then. You two."

Rei turned to leave followed by Alex. When they reached the VIP room, Rei looked down at the crowd, looking for a certain blonde. Serena tied her hair in a ponytail again. She was wearing a simple black tank top and baggy pants. Rei could tell she wasn't fond of dresses. On the corner of her eyes, she saw Seiya going in for the mic.

"Good evening everyone."

Seiya got tired of asking Serena to dance and have fun so he thought of a better idea. He grinned as the crowd went silent.

"Are you guys having fun?"

"Yeahh!"

"Well, sorry to interrupt but I have a friend over there and she said she wanted to sing for us. Is that okay with you guys?"

The crowd went wild.

"Alright then. Here she comes! Serena!"

Serena almost choked with her drinks as her name was mentioned. The spotlight went to her and everybody was chanting her name.

'Oh my God. Seiya you jerk!'

"Come on up Ms. Uptight!"

Serena couldn't believe what was happening. She felt someone tugging her arms and pushing her towards the stage. Her heart was beating so fast. She had never sing in front of so many people before!

The keyboards played the first chords and Serena took a deep breath. 'I guess there's no turning back now.'

How can you see into my eyes like open doors?
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb
Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold
Until you find it there and lead it back home

It's been a while since the last time she sang and it was nostalgic.

Wake me up
(Wake me up inside)
I can't wake up
(Wake me up inside)
Save me
(Call my name and save me from the dark)

Wake me up
(Bid my blood to run)
I can't wake up
(Before I come undone)
Save me
(Save me from the nothing I've become) Serena turned to see Seiya beside her. She nodded at him and smiled. She had to admit this guy could sing.

Now that I know what I'm without
You can't just leave me
Breathe into me and make me real
Bring me to life

From the VIP room, Rei and her friends watched as Serena and Seiya enjoyed their spotlight.

"Wow. That girl could sing well." Alex commented.

Wake me up
(Wake me up inside)
I can't wake up
(Wake me up inside)
Save me
(Call my name and save me from the dark)

"Yeah. I think I'm starting to like her." Mako agreed.

"She's not so bad."

Wake me up
(Bid my blood to run)
I can't wake up
(Before I come undone)
Save me
(Save me from the nothing I've become)

I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life

Everybody looked at Rei as if she had grown a second head.

"What?" Rei asked, a bit irritated that she accidentally said her thoughts out loud. She was just too pre-occupied staring at the blonde on the stage.

Frozen inside without your touch
Without your love, darling
Only you are the life among the dead

Serena had to admit, she was actually having the time of her life. It's been a while since she felt like this. She have Seiya to thank for.

All this time, I can't believe I couldn't see
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems
Got to open my eyes to everything

Serena looked at the crowd and her eyes moved towards the VIP room. She could see Rei and her friends watching but she didn't care if they were enjoying the show or not. All tha matters was that she was having fun.

Without thought, without voice, without a soul
Don't let me die here
There must be something more
Bring me to life

Rei met Serena's eyes. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Serena turned her attention to the crowd. She could see how Serena was actually having fun. She never expected that from her.

Wake me up
(Wake me up inside)
I can't wake up
(Wake me up inside)
Save me
(Call my name and save me from the dark)

But then again, she never really knew Serena. She never took the chance to know the her despite of how mysterious she think Serena was. It's just not her to show interest in other people. It was supposed to be the other way around. It had always been that way.

Wake me up
(Bid my blood to run)
I can't wake up
(Before I come undone)
Save me
(Save me from the nothing I've become)

I've been living a lie
There's nothing inside
Bring me to life

The duo finished the song with a bow. They thanked the band and went down the stage.

"That was fun!"

Serena was overwhelmed. She didn't think she would enjoy it that much. Maybe Seiya was right. She was too uptight because of everything that was happening to her. She couldn't seem to focus and all she could think about was Rei. She just realized Rei didn't bug her that day. Even in class, she was quiet. It was very unusual of her. Was it because of what happened at the party? Rei never approached her regarding the incident. Not that she was expecting it to come anyway.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. You should do that more often. You know. Losen up a bit."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

"I think I'm gonna go get something to drink over there."

Serena watched as Seiya went towards the bar and talked to a girl. She rolled her eyes. She saw that one coming. She shook her head and decided to go home. She had enough fun for tonight. She gathered her stuff and left.

"Nice performance."

Serena was walking along the parking lot when she heard that familiar voice. Serena's heart beat went fast. She never imagined hearing that voice talk to her directly again. She turned around and met purple eyes.

Silence.

Rei was leaning on her car. She was about to leave when she saw Serena walked out of the club. Rei felt awkward. Though she was used to being stared at, this one was different. Serena was just looking at her as if she didn't know her. It was kind of offensive. She should've exploded in anger by now but she didn't for reasons she didn't know.

"Is there something on my face?"

Serena finally snapped. No, this wasn't a dream.

"Oh...no. Nothing. Sorry." She stammered. "I was just-"

"Surprise?" Rei continued for Serena. "Yeah. I can see that."

"Right. So, are you here to sue me for having fun?" Serena asked, pertaining to her performance. And no, she wasn't being sarcastic.

Rei laughed and Serena was bewildered.

"I'm sorry. Maybe we started out wrong. Let's try to do this again."

Serena was even more perplex. 'Is this really Rei I'm talking to?'

"So what do you say?"

"Umm...I don't know. I think I've heard that line before."

Rei smiled, remembering the day when they cornered Serena in the classroom.

"Of course. I'm really sorry about that one. It's just something I've gotten used to."

"What? Messing people's lives?"

Rei stared at the blonde's eyes. It was looking at her as if it was judging her. Telling her that everything she did was wrong and senseless. And for the first time, she felt ashamed for what she did. She looked down on the ground unable to meet Serena's eyes.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that." Rei said silently. Of course, did she really expect Serena to just say 'Oh it's alright. Let's all be friends.' She turned around and went for her car. "By the way, thanks for last night."

Serena nodded.

'Sometimes you're going to have to accept the fact that not everybody's willing to kneel down before you, Rei.' Rei told herself and drove off without even looking back at Serena.

Serena just stayed there for a while, contemplating on what happened. She won't deny she acted kind of bitchy but Rei deserved it. It was for her own good. She needed to be reminded of some things. And now, she just made it even more impossible for Rei to talk to her.

"Very smooth, Serena."

Author's note:

Yey! Finally another chapter done. It's a long one too. I hope it's still worth reading. I had to read the first 13 chapters to make sure I was still on the right track. I noticed a lot of errors too. Lol. Anyways, thanks for all the reviews and encouragements. I really appreciate it guys. Until the next chapter!