Finding Serena

An Unexpected Stop

  It's been two weeks since the tornado. It was so scary. I've never been through anything like that before. At least Derek was there for it. Me and Derek sit in his car right now, heading back to Massachusetts.
"We should've taken a plane."
"Oh Serena, don't complain."
"Huh, fine."
All my bags are in the trunk and the third row of seats. His are in the row of seats behind us. I'm wearing a purple sundress with flip-flops and a pony-tail.
"I don't want to go back to school though."
"Ya. I don't either, but at least it's not high school. It's college!"
"I'm gonna miss you and April though! Wait, let me text her."
I take out my light blue phone with a panda sticker on it and text April.
Hey girl!
Hey S!!
So, you happy to be home??
For some things. I can't wait to go to college.
Me too! Harvard here I come!
Yale better watch their backs cuz April's comin' 4 'em!
Haha!
Gtg. C u l8er!!

I sit up.
"Are you gonna try out for football again?"
"Serena!"
"What"
"You're asking me if I'm gonna sign up for football?"
"Sorry Captain Allstar." I roll my eyes.
"Alright, alright."
We sing along to the lyrics of "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi as we ride down the highway.

I wake up, stretching.
"Finally your awake."
"Is it my turn to drive?"
"You don't have to."
"Come on, pull over, I'll drive, I mean, where are we?"
"Illinois."
"Derek!"
"What?"
"You should've woken me when we were in like, Nebraska!"
"Okay, okay. Chill."
  Derek pulled to the side of the road and got out of the car. I moved into the driver's seat and he took the passenger seat.
"Serena?"
"Ya?"
"Wake me when we get to New York. Like, right at the 'Welcome to New York' sign."
"Wow. So specific."
"Well..."
"Nighty night!" I said as I leaned over and kissed him.
"Goodnight, Serena."
He laid back in the chair and fell asleep quickly. I pulled over at a Dunkin' Donuts and got a coffee. I need the caffeine to keep me awake for the rest of the night and probably all day tomorrow. I look at the clock. 10 pm. I keep driving. New York is probably about eight hours away. I glance over at Derek. He's so cute when he's sleeping. I yawn and sip my coffee.

  We finally get to New York at six thirty in the morning. I pull over and I wake Derek up.
"Derek. Wakey wakey!"
"Are we at the 'Welcome to New York' sign?"
"Just behind it."
"Why do you seem so energetic?"
"I stopped at two places to get two coffees."
"What about me?"
"You were asleep!"
"Just kidding."
"Well haha."
"K Miss Sarcasm. Let me drive."
"Alright."
Again we switch seats and Derek takes the wheel.
"So."
"Oh no you got that devilish girl look on your face."
"Why did you make me stop at such a specific location?"
"You'll see." He chuckles. His smile makes me weak at the knees. Good thing I'm sitting.
"Alright. I guess."
I sit impatiently waiting to see what he has up his sleeves.
"Which of your bags has clothes in it?"
"All of them."
"Well grab the one with bathing suits and summery-ish clothes."
"Okay?"
I reach in the back seat and grab the bag with all my summery clothes in it. I keep it on my lap and wait.
"Also grab something nice to wear. A nice dress and shoes."
"Okay."
I, again, grab the items that he asked for without hesitation. I put those items in the bag with my summery clothes.
"Anything else?"
"Ya."
"What?"
"A jacket, long pants and sneakers."
"Is that it?"
"Ya, oh! And a blanket."
"Alright."
He all of a sudden pulls off the highway.
"Um, Derek, where are we going."
"Trust me. You're gonna love it. Oh one more thing you might want. Money."
I roll my eyes and grab my purse.
"Happy now?"
"Yes."
"Can you please tell me where we're going."
He laughs, "You'll see!"
We drive for another twenty minutes until he pulls into the parking lot of a building.
"Welcome to New York, Serena."
"What?"
"Ya. You're mom was cool with it. Since your nineteenth birthday is in three days, I thought I'd take you to New York for a five day trip."
"Oh my God!"
"Don't worry though, I booked us separate rooms."
"So that's why you wanted me to get my stuff."
I kiss him and we get out of the car. He grabs one of his two bags and I grab my bag and my purse. We walk into the hotel and we get our rooms. We have separate rooms with a door in between them, which we kept open. In the rooms we each had a bed, a TV, a couch, a small fridge, a sink and a bathroom. My room has a balcony as well.
I say on one of the two chairs on my balcony. I wore a long sweatshirt and shorts and was drinking a cup of hot coffee. I heard footsteps.
"Hi."
"Hey."
Derek sat down in the chair on the other side of the balcony.
"The sunrise is beautiful isn't it?"
"But not as beautiful as you, Serena. You still haven't taken off that necklace?"
"I don't plan to."
"So. For your first day in New York. What do you wanna do?"
"What were you thinking?"
"Well. There's Times Square. We could walk around there and go to the shops."
"Yay!"
"Let's go."
It was the end of summer so it wasn't very cold out. I walk into my room and put on denim shorts and a blue tank top with a denim vest and my black converse.
"Knock knock!"
"Yes Derek, you can come in."
"Okey dokey."
He opens the door and walks in. I grab my phone and shove it in my back pocket and pick up my wristlet.
"Let's roll."
We walk out the door to the elevator and go down to the lobby from the fourteenth floor, which in reality is the thirteenth floor because the floors go eleven, twelve, fourteen and so on.
"You look gorgeous."
"Well you look quite nice yourself."
He had on khakis and a red polo and vans.
We kiss and the elevator doors open. We walk out and hail a taxi. We arrive at Times Square.
"Wow."
I get out of the car and Derek comes around. A bird starts to walk towards me and I grab Derek's arm.
"What, you don't like birds?"
"I don't like things that can fly or flutter."
"What about airplanes?"
"Living things."
"Okay I'll protect you from any flying this."
We hold hands as we walk down the sidewalks of Times Square.
"Ooh the Hershey's store! Chocolate. But, then again there's also the M&M store! How do you choose?"
"Let's do both."
"Really?"
"It's your birthday trip. You decide."
We go to the Hershey's store first. When we walk in, a lady hands is both a Hershey's Kiss. I eat it and grab a whole bag of them. We go to the M&M store which was two floors and got our pictures taken in the M&M photo booth before grabbing a bag of M&M's and leaving.
"Okay we've got enough candy for an army."
"Oh shut up!"
We ride the Ferris wheel in Toys R' Us and Derek bought me a stuffed giraffe. We went to lunch at an outdoor place. We walked up a set of red steps that were a Times Square tourist attraction. We went shopping in a lot of the mini stores along the way and finally went back to our hotel.
We laid on my bed and starting eating.
"You love chocolate don't you."
"I do. And giraffes."
"Well I did buy you one didn't I?"
I hugged the giraffe.
"Yes..."
We both laugh as we think of some of the funny things we saw. There was a man in just his underwear playing a guitar and singing and he was known as "The Naked Cowboy." There were five of them that we saw. We also thought about some of the stores and how the stuff the sold was not nice. After talking and eating for ten minutes, we kicked off our shoes, laid down and started watching "Finding Nemo" We didn't bother changing. We're too lazy because of chocolate. We lay on our backs with his arm wrapped around my back. I finally fall asleep.