Finding Serena

Choices

  Clark gets up and walks toward me.
"Don't you look cute."
"Thanks, Clark. So what are we doing?"
"You'll see!"
"I hate surprises! C'mon, tell me!"
"Nope. Come on."
  We link arms and walk down the path towards an area of the school I hadn't been before. We went past the boys' dorms and there were huge rocks. We climbed on top of them.
"Well, we're here."
"Oh..."
"Not what you were expecting."
"No. What's in that bag?"
I noticed he carried a large bag with him. He reached in, pulled out a blanket and laid it on the ground. He sat down.
"Sit." He said and patted the seat next to him. I sat down.
"So..."
"I'm not done yet."
He pulled out food. Sandwiches, and juice boxes.
"A picnic at night, Clark?"
"That's not all. I, want to be a scientist. I want to show you the stars."
  He pulled out a telescope.
"I know, seems kinda nerdy, but I love it."
"It's not nerdy. If anyone's a nerd, it's me. I still play Minecraft, and I'm in college."
We both laugh.
  "Anything in particular you would like to see?"
"The Big Dipper."
"Sure."
  He adjusts the telescope and tells me to look through. I see it.
"Wow."
"I know, they're gorgeous."
  My stomach growls.
"Someone's hungry."
We both laugh. We return to the blanket and sit. We each eat three sandwiches and two juice boxes. We lay on our backs, and look up at the stars.
"I wish..."
Clark turns to me.
"You wish what?"
"The world was as peaceful as the stars. Calm, quiet, beautiful, too late for that now though. Humans have just destroyed it."
"Yeah. I wish."
I turn to him. He turns to me.
"So, besides science, what do you like to do?"
"I'm into basketball."
"That's cool. I want to be on a swim team, but I don't think this school has one."
"Doesn't mean you still can't be on one. Bet ya you could find one off campus."
"Yeah. Where are you from?"
"California."
"Cool."
"You?"
"Here, Massachusetts."
"I always wanted to go there, and now I'm here."
"I've always wanted to go to California."
"I could make that happen."
He leans over and kisses me. I kiss him back. I pull away.
"I'm so sorry, I have to go."
I get up and run back to my dorm. When I get into the building, I looked at my phone and realized it had been over an hour. I walk into my room, Maybelle is sitting on her bed.
"Where have you been?"
"I told you, with Clark."
"I know that but I didn't think you'd be gone for that long."
"Sorry, how was your date?"
"It was cool. Colin's super nice. We had dinner and talked about where we're from, what we wanna do with our lives. Stuff like that."
"Think you'll see him again?"
"Probably."
"That's a good thing."
"How was your 'date'?" She asks putting air quotes around "date".
"We kissed."
"But you're-"
"I know! I'm dating Derek, I just... What do I do, Maybelle?"
"Talk to Derek."
"I might. I think I'm just gonna go to bed. Classes tomorrow."
"Yeah, don't wanna be late."

  It's been three days since I've talked to either Clark or Derek. Derek's mad at me and it's just been awkward between me and Clark. That's my life.
  I walk to my first class, sign language, and sit in the middle. Clark walks in and sits next to me.
"Hey, Clark."
"Hey, Serena."
"I didn't know you took this class."
"Well, if I'm gonna be a pediatrician, and I get a deaf child, how else will I communicate?"
"Oh..."
"I've missed you, Serena."
He puts his hand on my thigh. I smack it away. I sigh.
"I've missed you too, Clark."
We hold hands under the table. We're both super early for the class so no one else is here yet.
"What've you been up to, beautiful?"
"Derek is mad at me because we kissed, and I thought you were-"
He kisses me, more passionately this time.
"Serena, is it wrong to say that, I love you?"
"No, I love you too."
  People start to file in so we release each other's hands, look at each other, smile, and face the teacher.
 
  Class lasted a full hour, and I couldn't be happier to get out, I loved the class, but I wanted to hang out with Clark. We walk to the bench near the fountain and sit down.
"I honestly don't know what to talk about." I say and laugh.
He laughs.
"Well for one, do you want to come to my place tonight and watch scary movies with my roommate and his girl?"
"Sure, what time?"
"Eight work?"
"Yeah."
My phone buzzes with a text from Derek telling me to meet him at his dorm in five minutes.
"I'm so sorry. I have to go. I'll see you tonight."
I kiss his forehead and leave.

  I get to Derek's dorm. He's waiting on his bed.
"Hi, Derek."
"Serena, I'm so sorry."
"It's okay."
Clark's name runs through my head."
"To make it up to you, would you like to come to dinner at six o'clock."
I think, if I go with him at six, I could be out by seven or seven thirty, which would give me time to run to my dorm, change into more casual clothes, and go to Clark's.
"Earth to Serena."
"Of course. I have to be back by seven thirty though. I want to get to bed early."
"Okay. I guess I'll see you then."
"Okay."

  At six, Derek arrives at my dorm.
"You ready?"
"Yeah."
We arrive at the restaurant. It's a nice place and it looks expensive. Most of the dinner was quiet. Him getting chicken parmesan and me getting shrimp with pasta. We leave at seven thirty and I'm at my dorm by seven forty-five. I change quickly and run to Clark's dorm.
  I knock. A blond boy answers.
"Hey, you Clark's friend?"
"Yeah."
"C'mon in. Have a seat on the couch."
I sit and Clark comes in with a bowl of Cheetos and sits next to me. There is a girl on the other side of me. She has long brown hair and she looks at me.
"Hi. I'm Alesa. I'm Tom's girlfriend. You are?"
"Serena." I say and Derek nods at me. "I'm Clark's girlfriend."
We watch Scream and Nightmare On Elm Street. I loved old horror movies. I went back to my dorm exhausted and realized that I'm lying to both of them. I disappointed myself. I had to choose and it had to be soon.