Simple Sweetness

Chapter 13

"Hey." Darien nodded, moving to lean his more muscular frame, lazily against the trunk of a near by oak tree in the front yard. Folding his arms over his broad chest. As a stiff cold wind gusted through yard, tossing his dark hair over his temple.

"Hey." Andrew acknowledged curtly, scanning the roving crowds milling about the grass with a calculated eye.

"Daniel?" He intoned obviously.

"Yep." Andrew responded.

"Seen the picture?" Darien sighed.

"Nope, got to experience the live action performance, don't need to see it." he commented darkly, his blue eyes filled with cold fury.

"We need his phone destroyed." Darien instructed.

"If I catch up to him first. Consider it done." Andrew growled.

It was the quiet sniffling that drew Darien's attention away from the darkly brooding Andrew. Ducking around the oak tree, he found his girl hiding in the shade of a fellow fall shrouded tree a few feet away. He gave Andrew a brief encouraging smack on the shoulder before excusing himself.

Moving slowly across the open yard towards the neighbouring elm a few meter's away. Watching curiously as she picked at the dry grass around her with a lost reflective air. The morning sunlight warming the golden tint of her hair, yet that was the only fragment of light to be seen. With her head downcast, and lithe body bowed in sorrow. She looked utterly defeated, hiding miserably in the shade of the tree absently destroying the lawn.

"Hey, beautiful?" He asked softly, sitting himself down beside her.

"Hey, Mamo-chan." She responded mildly with her own endearment for him.

"Your crying?" He asked, bleakly wondering if she had seen Lita's picture and was upset by it.

"Yeah...Simon did abandon me. Loser freaked out, when the storm hit. He got a ride into the city with Randy of all people." She shivered with pent up hurt, her heart betrayed once again.

"I figured as much." Darien slid over, closing the gap between them, wrapping a protective arm around her shoulder and giving her a comforting squeeze.

"Even worse is Amelia's in the hospital, and the twins are dead." She blurted out, twisting into him and finally succumbing to her tears.

"Oh..." Was all he could say, holding her close and quietly comforting her. His hand rubbing small circles up and down her back as he slowly absorbed the tragic news. All lot of people had died in that storm. He never truly expected it to hit so close them. A few minutes later she calmed herself, and she reluctantly drew away from him. Wiping the rest of the moisture away from her cheeks with her finger's.

"They were trying to get away from the 'Rocks' that night, like everybody else. But they just weren't as lucky. They say Amelia made a wrong turn on the grit roads leading back to the Highway and drove right into one of the Tornado's. " She struggled to finish her story as a new wave of sorrow washed over her.

"Come, here. Sweetness." He called lovingly, cradling her head tight to his chest. It was the first time he had used his personal endearment for her. But it suited her in that moment then ever before. Crying over the tragedy that had befallen her worst enemy, and two girl she barely knew. She truly was the sweetest creature he had ever known.

Amy had found Raye and Mina visiting near the High Schools large black metal and glass billboard. The raven haired girl had her hair up in a french braid, feeling a bit depressed over the outcome of the storm. Wearing a pair of black corded over alls and wine red long sleeve shirt that hugged her curves. A dark grey hoody was tied around her waist with black sneaker on her feet. Leaning casually against the side of one of the billboards wide metal legs. Casting a disinterested air about the crowds surrounding her. She was resembling a living storm cloud both in colour and attitude as she acknowledged Amy's approach with a slight disgruntled nod. Mina as well wasn't in the most cheerful of moods, in jeans and a elegant navy wrap style shirt with long white flowing sleeves. She stood in somber silence, nudging a dirt clod with the toe of her white sneaker lost in bitter thoughts. Amy quickly drew them aside explaining heatedly what had happened to Lita and the plan of attack against Daniel. Raye and Mina were soon on the prowl for Daniel, wandering through the crowded front yard when they found Darien holding Serena instead. Raye took a moment to absorb the tender sight of the two friend-emies so close. It looked like they had made up, they seemed back to how they used to be. A tentative truce, in which both tenderness or temper's could erupt at any moment. Mina was happy about the outcome of them making up, while Raye was cautious she honestly was quite tired of their on and off again relationship and was now feeling it was quite unhealthy.