Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ If Only ❯ Butterflies Make All The Difference ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

AN: I didn't think I was coming back with another one, but here it is. Things have changed, as they do for all teenagers. An emotional roller coaster with out any one at the controls.

*Butterflies Make All The Difference- Prologue
By: Someone
Rated: PG-15(complex situations)

"You'll never guess what happened!" He was dying on the other end to tell me..
"What?" I said while trying to study for year end finals.
"Andrew broke up with Rita!"
I gasped, "Omigod! You can't be serious!" They had gone out for so long I never saw it coming at all.
"Yeah, Andy told me."
"Why would he break up with her Dar?"
"Well, after they took their relationship to the next level, things I guess got weird, and they were just fighting too much. So he broke up with her."
"Well, I guess he did what he thought was right. So how you doing with Raye?" I thought I would be daring and dabble there. It had been about 5 months since everything had happened with her. I was still in Hawaii and anxiously awaiting the trip home until I heard what he had to say next.
"I think I'm gonna ask her out again." I almost let a tear through the barriers I had put up during the past few months. I had to stop crying over frivolous causes. My efforts were futile, so I had to stop. I sighed greatly, making sure that he heard me. "Oh shuddup, I know." He retorted, "I'm gonna wait a little bit, she's been talking and flirting with me more. Those are the right signals right?"
"Usually, but with Raye you never know." I rolled my eyes thinking about it. 'Prove him wrong girl.' I thought to myself. "Why, has she been talking to you? Has she been finding you, or have you been finding her?"
"Both."
"Well, do what you want to, good luck." That was mean to say cause when I talked to Amy she had talked to Raye. Raye said that Darien was nice, but he was too serious about a girlfriend, and too needy sometimes. She told Amy that she would never go out with him again, cause he was looking for a way long term thing, and Raye. . . well, Raye being herself, is never looking for anything of the sort. "Hey, I gotta go, I'll call you in two days." I murmured.
"Oh, can't; I have finals too."
"Okay, well then I'll talk to you when I get home okay."
"Do you still like me?" Whoa! That came from outta nowhere. Caught me off guard, but I got my bearings strait and gave him an answer.
"Yup, sorry."
"Talk to you later."
"Bye." We both hung up. And I took a deep breath. "no need to be alarmed, he'll ask her out, she'll say no, he'll be upset, I'll comfort him, he'll get over it, AND if I'm lucky he'll realize that I'm a pretty cool girl, and he'll ask me out!"
*
"Don't get your hopes up." Mina brought me back down to ground level.
"A girl can dream."
"But she shouldn't as much as you do." She chuckled.
"You're sleeping over when you get back aren't you?" Lita asked.
"Sure." I twirled the phone cord. "I gotta go; Celia's family is taking me out for dinner cause I'm leaving on Friday."
"Make sure that you study for your finals." Amy wasn't about to let me slip up after she worked so hard on me.
"Of coarse." I assured her.

*Butterflies Make All The Difference-Part 1: Patience Is a Virtue Most Don't Have

"I asked her out." He confessed the next day.
"I thought you were gonna wait Darien?" My heart leapt out of my chest. "So what did she say?" I tried to calm down.
"She just wants to be fiends." He sounded upset. I wasn't; but hey, he was my friend, and I should support him. . . right?
"So what now?" I asked trying to sound sympathetic. "I mean what are you looking for in a girl exactly?" I tried to pinpoint his weaknesses.
"Well, I want a girl that's close by, and not that busy so we can do stuff together." Double check so far for Serena, "Being friends before hand would be cool." Woo Hoo, three points, I'm beating the competition down with a stick!, "And someone who's a nice person." Ding Ding Ding, who's the winner?! OH it's: "Rita likes me."
Shit Shit Shit, he just doesn't quit. I was ready to hit my head against the wall. "Rita?" I questioned.
"Well her and Andy have had a lot of problems, and she got help from me I like her too, but I never said anything cause she was going out with Andy."
"Well, whatever you wanna do, I have to get going, so I can pack." I lied. (I packed 2 weeks ago!)
"Okay, see ya soon."
"Bye." We hung up. See him soon, One look, and I'd be sold, can't do it this time.

*Butterflies Make All The Difference-Part 2: The Surprise Around The Corner

The plane trip was nothing compared to the tension that I felt.
When I got back I not only learned that my mom had signed me up for a stupid Tennis camp, but that Darien and Rita were going out.
They had been going out for two weeks when he called me. We'd talked on and off, but I still had been "too busy" to do anything with him.
"She cheated on me!" He sounded amazed, and kinda in shock.
"Omigod!?" No really: OMIGOD!!!!!!!, "How did you find out?"
"Well Lita's friends with Andy, and she said that he told her seriously that they slept together two days ago." He sounded disappointed, "I called her and asked, and she said that she was sorry."
"So what did you do?" I could see that the surprises weren't going to end anytime soon. There was a new one around every corner I looked at.
"I broke up with her." He stated.
"Well, I'm sorry." I mean eventually it had to end on it's own, or with my help, but I wasn't planning on anything like this happening.

*Butterflies Make All The Difference-Part 3: The Stupid Genius

"I wanna give her a second chance."
Oh god shoot me now, I just spazed, "Darien she slept with her ex-boyfriend while she was going out with you! How can you just forgive her like that?!"
"I don't know, she comes back from her vacation in three days, so I've got until then to decide."
"Fine bye." I was pissed. What a stupid genius!
"Bye."
How could that asshole just give her a second chance? Oh well, in a week I was leaving for stupid Tennis camp. At least it would get me away from that dolt. Ugghhh, shoot me please, no seriously. I told the girls everything, and they of coarse sided with me.
Time was winding down on camp and of coarse Darien asked Rita out, then really funny thing happened. He called me, and told me he had broken up with her one day after he had re-asked her out. His excuse: 'I just decided that I didn't want to go out with anyone at this time.'
Least he finally came to his senses, but now the problem was I was leaving for a 4 day Tennis camp. (Gag me) So no time to comfort him, and knowing him, he'll be frolicking with some other girl by the time I get back on Friday. Is this the end for our heroine? Of coarse not, nothing's over till it's over!

*Butterflies Make All The Difference-Part 4: A Change In Variables

It wasn't until the second day that I started to enjoy myself. My assigned roommate wasn't too bad, her name was Keri. She had a lot of friends there that usually hung out in our room, but I didn't mind. Sometimes I completely forgot about Darien all together. Especially when I started talking to some other guys. This one in particular. His name was Parker, and he was attending the same camp. He would sit next to me at lunch, and walk with me to the courts, or the dorms: where we were staying. He was what I needed in my life right at this time. And for the first time in a long time, I started to think that I was getting over Darien.
We did everything together, he even invited me to come chat with him and some of his buddies on the guys floor. (Girls weren't allowed to be on the guys floor, and vice versa.) We'd talk about anything. Except Darien. Which made all the difference. I had found someone who could make me smile just by looking into my eyes. He was the first guy I had ever met that flirted with me as much as I flirted with him.
My roomie, and all her friends would always make little comments when he wasn't around saying that I was ditching them for him. Which I didn't mind, there was something about him, that I just fell in love with. The third day we were there, I started to understand things from Darien's point of view more.
Parker and I were sitting alone at a lunch table together, and just chatting. He would periodically take his cap off of his head and run his hands through his blonde hair, then replace it in the same backwards position. "So you're afraid of being alone in the dark?" He smiled at me.
"No," I flirted, "I said that I didn't want to walk all the way back from the dorms alone in the dark. I mean it's a long way. And who knows what weirdoes hang out on the campus after dark." I ate some of the peas that sat in front of me.
"Oh, well, I suppose that's different." He laughed, which made me smile back, and well, just plain feel good. We finished eating and walked to the courts together.

*Butterflies Make All The Difference-Part 5: Fragments of Hope

"Just so that you all know there will be an outing to a dance club tonight for those of you who want to go. If not there will be some snacks in the basement of the dorm building. Have a good night people, see you in the morning."
"Hey, are you gonna go dancing Serena?" Parker ran over to me.
I wanted to but the truth was I really wanted to get down my serve if we were gonna have a competition on the last day of the camp, which was. . . tomorrow, that couldn't be. "Sorry Parker, I kinda wanna practice my serve, and my instructor said that she'd stay for a little and help me get it down for tomorrow." I winced.
"C'mon Parker!" A different girl yelled to him. She was often around him. She had short black hair and blue eyes.
"I'll catch up!" He yelled back, then looked at me, "I can wait for you." He smiled.
I smiled back to return the gesture, "Naw, you go have fun, I'll just see you tomorrow morning. Thanks though." I reluctantly gave one last look and smile over my shoulder towards him. Then I proceeded to walk to the courts to practice with my coach.
*
"You really got that serve down, I hope you do well tomorrow Serena." My coach nodded her head. She picked up two balls on the way to her car, then quietly drove off.
It was a beautiful night outside, and noone was around because everyone had already left to go dancing. Up ahead I spotted someone by a tree, and I just prayed nothing would happen as I walked past. I recalled the conversation I had had with Parker at lunch.
As I got closer I realized that it wasn't a stranger at all. "Hey Serena." Parker smiled.
I grinned back so pleased that he had stayed. "I was practicing for at least a half hour, why did you wait for me?" I was a bit confused. "Didn't everyone leave for dancing?"
"Yeah, but I didn't want you to have to go back to the dorms alone, I don't mind missing dancing. The time was nothing." I blushed, no guy I had previously known would ever do that for me. We strided towards the dorms.
"Thanks Parker." While walking I couldn't grasp this strange feeling that I had when I was around him. It was like I had butterflies in my stomach. Just thinking about him, and there they were. This new sensation just overwhelmed me. I had never ever gotten butterflies with Darien before. It made me wonder if I was really over him. In a matter of four days, and with the smile of one guy. . . everything that had happened with Darien seemed to vanish in the haze.

*Butterflies Make All The Difference-Part 6: Traces of Glitter

"Parker, I thought you were going to come dancing with us!" The girl that I was sure was the president of his fan club walked over, obviously annoyed, especially seeing me there next to him in the basement. We had come there after we got back to the dorms. We just sat, and talked, and had some of the snacks. It was an enjoyable night. Until she came. Taking a hint I walked over to the soda machine to get one, secretly listening to their conversation.
"Sorry, I didn't really feel like going dancing."
"Is that girl your girlfriend or something." She wondered.
"No." He answered quietly. I started to walk back over with my Mountain Dew, he looked at me, and said to her, "I'm not really looking for one anyways." His eyes told me a different story though. It seemed as if he wanted to say, 'I'm certainly not looking for a girl like you, but I would be interested in finding someone who *was* my type.' I don't want to put words in his mouth though.
*
"And the award goes to Jenna Denkerman." An instructor announced. It was the last day, and awards were being given out. I yawned, I didn't think I was going to get one anyways.
"You tired?" Parker asked next to me.
"You can say that again, I'm gonna take a nap as soon as I get home." My eyes felt heavy.
"You can rest your head on my shoulder." He offered. So I took him up on it. Truth be told, I had never been this close to a guy before. I might flirt a lot, but I had never been that touchy feely. . . until now.
Thinking that it was over, I just, I didn't want to leave. This had been everything to me, and there was barely any time left. I was about ready to cry. It would have been the first time in at least a year that the tears weren't for Darien. Which was strangely comforting.
Soon, I would be at home, wondering what had become of Parker. The guy that got me off Darien. To me, Parker was the most wonderful man in the world. Parker was two years older than me. Meaning that he was going to be a senior, while I was going into the high school as a sophomore. The difference was noticeable, but not that big of a deal. As I saw it, nothing was going to get in the way of at least the friendship that we had. But now I had to go, and leave behind the traces of glitter Parker had given me. The butterflies. . . would I ever feel them again?

*Butterflies Make All The Difference-Part 7: A Light At The End Of The Tunnel

On the way home I cried. I didn't want my mom to see, but I had the best time there. I had gotten Parker's phone number, and my roomie's e-mail address. But I didn't think I was ever going to have as much fun as I did in the past four days.
As soon as I got home, I napped as I told Parker I would. When I awoke, I thought I would call Darien. I wanted to meet with him and tell him that I had met someone else, and he didn't have to worry about me liking him anymore. I guess it was too much to ask on my part though. "I wanted to tell you something Darien. Can you meet me at the arcade?"
"No, I don't really want to go out today." He snapped.
I didn't understand what was wrong, "Why not?"
"I just don't." He growled.
Then I snapped, "You know what!? I'm sorry I called you, and I'm sorry that I was stupid enough to be friends with you in the first place." I hung up with out another word from him. If he just would have met me, I could have told him that I was over him, that I had found someone else.
Sometimes I felt that I was Darien's only friend, the last person he trusted. And when I hung up on him, sure I was angry, but I didn't want him to go on alone. Somehow he had to learn though that people won't stay with you if you're a jerk. And I hope that if he ever finds out, I'll be the first to know.
*
A change was in order for me. I cut my hair to just below shoulder length. Darien and I didn't talk for the rest of the summer. He knew I was mad at him. When I saw him, I looked away, and walked past as if we'd never met. It was up to him to apologize this time. Though I don't know what good a sorry would have done this late. What did his apologies mean anyways, I had gotten too many for then to have any meaning.
I talked to Parker three or four times a month, and boom with out warning school was here. I was I have to say a bit intimidated at the high school, but it didn't last.
"Hey Serena, I didn't know you went to Crossroad's High School?!" Parker ran up to me, and gave me a hug. So things aren't so bad after all. And with any luck Parker and I will soon be more than just friends. During this past summer I learned that butterflies make all the difference. You'll know when you get them, and when you do, you'll know that the person you're with is something special.
As for Darien, I hope he understands what he's done. He's lost one of his last friends. And when you've got nobody, the world's a pretty lonely place. At least I still have my butterflies, and that's something that I'll never let go of.

*The End

AN: 'Darien' and I still are not talking at this moment. And if he reads this I want him to know that my phone lines are open any time if he wants to call me. I just wish you would have met me when I came back so I could have told you that I was okay. And that my feelings for you were not as strong as they were when I had left for camp. And yes, there really is a 'Parker' in my life. Good things happen you just have to wait for them. And I'm sorry that 'Darien' never realized that, because I still want to be his friend. . . if he'd just go on one walk with me. . .