Hey, let me know what you think of this new story. If you're a fan of my others check my profile, at the bottom of the page is a list of stries I'm going to delete. Check them out. It's more of an FYI. Anywho, REVIEW!

Aberrants

I don't know why it happened, just that it did. On my thirteenth birthday I discovered that I was special. It started simply enough, my alarm was buzzing incessantly and I was getting agitated. I didn't want to go to school that day and I imagined my alarm clock exploding. Imagine my surprise when it actually did! The poor thing, its delicate pink plastic shattered into a million… no billion pieces! Evidence of the violence had been scattered all around my room.

That was the first time I experienced the "symptoms" as they're called. Yes symptoms! Apparently telekinesis is a disease… well… any "powers" are some sort of disease in the eyes of others. I liken the ideology to the fictitious X-men. In the world of X-men people with special abilities were called mutants and rightfully so. The term mutant refers to someone who has a genetic mutation and therefore displays abnormal traits. We use the term mutant for little things… like a frog with two heads… usually the term mutant is used for things that look different from the "ideal" image of whatever it may be. For instance; clovers. Clovers are genetically coded to have three small green leaves however; the mutant clover is a sign of good luck. You know it as the four-leaf clover. Yes, the classic symbol of good luck is a mutant.

People like me aren't so lucky. Much like in X-men, people like me are feared… even hunted by "normal" people and "their" governments. We have been deemed Aberrants. The term comes from the dictionary, aberrant, which means, not normal or varying from the usual. They picked this term because the term itself instills a sense of separation between "us" and "them", Aberrants and the normal people.

I said before that people consider it a disease… well, allow me to correct myself. At first, it is considered a disease. If "symptoms" are discovered in a person then they are immediately quarantined. They have huge facilities that are similar to prisons. Suspected Aberrants are taken there to be examined, tested, prodded… all sorts of things are done to them in order to see if it's a fluke or something serious.

Many people are taken there and found to not be an Aberrant. Others are not so lucky. If you are found to be an Aberrant then more tests are done to determine what classification you are. There are ten levels in the classification system, cleverly numbered from one to ten. One being the least powerful, the least dangerous, for instance, an Aberrant who changes eye color when cycling through emotions is considered a level one. Level one Aberrants are harmless; they are the most common type, and because they pose no real threat to society they are allowed all the same freedoms as the normals save for the freedom to have children. If you are a confirmed aberrant you are immediately sterilized and given hormones to facilitate the "natural course" of puberty.

Level one Aberrants are generally the most obvious. As you move up the level classification you find more powerful, less obvious suspects. The lower on the level scale you are, the more physical traits you display. Abnormal hair colors, eye colors, things of that nature are a dead giveaway in low levelers. They aren't very conscious of their powers they're pretty much involuntary. That is partially why they aren't dangerous. People who look different get noticed and are watched. In the beginning they noticed that level ones were distinguishable because of their hair colors and as a result it is now illegal to dye your hair or wear a wig. There are also no colored contacts allowed.

If level ones are the most obvious and least dangerous, then level tens are considered horrendous. Level tens look just like everyone else. They assimilate into society without notice and it is they who are most dangerous. Level tens are the most powerful Aberrants and are very conscious of their abilities. There have been Aberrants who are so powerful that they can walk into the middle of Times Square and control everyone around them like puppets.

Of course, I think the thing that worries people most is that, the higher up on the scale an Aberrant is, the more power they have. They're not limited to one ability, they have many, and most can be used as weapons. It is for this reason that any discovered level ten is immediately killed and disposed of. Any Aberrant who is a level six and above is immediately killed for, that matter.

Like I said though, they blend into society, they are hard to detect unless they reveal themselves. When I displayed the "symptoms" I was alone. No one saw what was happening and as a result I wasn't taken away. As I experimented with my power I found that I was a little more… gifted than most. Not only did I develop telekinetic powers, but also telepathy, the ability to fly, the ability to absorb other Aberrant's powers, and I can create powerful energy attacks.

If you can't guess by now, I'm a level ten and I've never met another one in my life. It's scary really, to think that you may be the only one out there? I sometimes feel lonely but overall I know that I have friends that are much like me. The five of us are very close and I'm overly thankful.

My four closest friends are Aberrants though they are all undiscovered level fives. I'll start with Mina. Mina is practically my twin, she has long golden hair that she wears half up with a large red bow. We tease her sometimes because she looks as if she came out of the fifties with that bow. Nonetheless, Mina is what we call a feeler. She has the ability to feel others' emotions. If anyone is around she knows what they're feeling and usually she can project her own emotions to sooth others. What makes Mina a level five is the fact that she looks like a normal girl but she has the ability to make energy attacks.

The next on my list is Raye. Raye is one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen in my life! She has long raven hair and deep violet eyes. Like Mina, her body is that of a supermodel. Raye has the ability to control fire and predict the future. Her predictions don't randomly come to her though, she actually has to focus on a single aspect in order to see anything. Raye tends to boss us all around, she likes it that way and we don't really mind.

Lita is another member of our group. She's called a sensor. Sensors know their environments, sort of like sharks in water. Lita's a really good one too, she's so aware of everything going on all the time that I've actually seen her stand up, walk out of the room we're in just to swat a fly that was "bugging her". She's a tall Amazonian looking girl, she stands roughly six two and has nut brown hair that she wears in a tight ponytail. Her green eyes always sparkle with excitement whenever boys come around. She's a bit of a pant-chaser but we love her, perhaps its because she can really cook… or maybe it's because she can electrocute us with her ability to control lightening and electricity.

Amy is the last but certainly not the least of our group. Amy is a quiet workaholic. She talks quietly and with a soft voice. In fact, people who have met her would never guess that she's an Aberrant who can control water and ice. By nature she has blue hair and blue eyes. When around other people she darkens her hair to look black but when we're all alone she lets the sapphire blue come back and she's quite breathtaking really. Amy is a detector, she detects other Aberrants and what their powers are. It's really helpful if you're dealing with an Aberrant who is potentially unstable.

Add me into the mix and you'll see that we have a very diverse group. I know I've been lazy and have yet to introduce myself so here I go… My name is Serena Tsukino. I'm eighteen and I have long knee-length golden hair that I wear in a rather peculiar style. My enemy thinks it looks like two meatballs atop my head with spaghetti hanging down but I don't know… two buns with pigtails that isn't … food-like right? Anyway, I have cerulean blue eyes and I stand a towering five foot three. I suppose I make up for my height with my figure though, I'm just going to say it… I'm damn sexy. I look like a runway model too save for my height.

Our group likes to hang out at the Crown Arcade. In fact that's where we are right now. We always sit in the same booth in the back corner and order the same thing. We all get chocolate milkshakes save for Amy who gets yogurt with granola in it. She claims that ice cream is bad for you and will impede you're ability to learn and study. Did I mention that Amy's a workaholic? I swear the moment that girl could open her eyes she started reading.

I'd like to pretend that we come here for the food, or even the videogames but the truth is that we come here out of tradition and for a certain blonde-haired owner. His name is Andrew, he's twenty-four years old and he is so totally hot! Amy's really the only one in the group who hasn't shown any sort of interest in him but then again it's because she's always doing something. So… Andrew, yeah, he has blonde hair and the sparkliest green eyes ever! He's kind of immature at times but we all love him anyway. He's really our only guy friend and he's so trustworthy that we've told him our secrets. He knows we're Aberrants and he's not afraid of us. He says he's known plenty of us to know that we're not out to get everyone else. Lately though I've noticed him acting a little differently towards Mina. Whenever he comes around she blushes like there's no tomorrow and smiles. I think they have something going on.

"Here we are! Four chocolate milkshakes and one vanilla yogurt with almond granola and blueberries. Is that all for you ladies?" He asks Mina more than anyone else but we all shake our heads, happy with the items in front of us. "So how are my favorite customers doing today?" We all looked at Mina to wait for a response.

"We're fine Andy… but… I've been wondering. When are you just going to give in and ask me on that date?" Mina smiled as he smirked and nervously laughed. "Well?" She prompted as he seemed to be searching for something to say, anything to say.

"I um… Mina, will you go out with me this Friday?" He blushed as she nodded her acceptance of the invitation. I swear he pivoted away so quickly that he must have gotten dizzy. We all laughed a bit and looked at Mina with approval. They would be good together, we all knew it.

"Finally he asked you! I'm so jealous!" Lita crossed her arms and pouted her lip. "Just as well I suppose. I mean… he does look like my ex boyfriend." I groaned along with the others at the table. Apparently every guy alive looked like one of her exes. "What? He does!"

"Lita… we don't care." Raye snorted and began to sip on her milkshake thoughtfully. "Mina, would you like me to predict your future with Andrew?" I looked at Raye then Mina excitedly. I always liked hearing Raye's predictions. She had gotten it down to a performance. Mina shook her head from side to side. "Why not? You don't want to know if there's an ending?"

"No, I don't. I'd rather live it and experience it myself. What's the fun of knowing everything before it ever happens? It makes life boring." Mina waved her hand and looked at Amy who hadn't touched her yogurt yet. She was so engrossed in the book in front of her that her hair had started to lighten. "Ames, you're looking a little bright today."

"Hmmm? Oh." Amy's hair went jet black as she blushed and looked around to see if anyone had noticed the change. "I really must stop doing that… thank you Mina." Amy closed the book and set it beside her to begin on the morsel in front of her. We all watched her begin to eat her yogurt then she stopped and looked outside and frowned. "Wonderful." She muttered and quickly finished her yogurt.

"Hey hey!" Lita smiled and perked up as the glass doors to the arcade slid open. "Hey Serena, you're best friend's here." I didn't even have to turn around to know whom Lita was talking about. She always perked up when he came into the arcade. Amy had apparently seen him out the window, Lita felt him enter the arcade, but I knew just by the positions of the hands on the clock that it was him. He was so predictable, to a fault even.

"Ten bucks says he wins today." Raye smiled and slapped down a ten-dollar bill. I glared at her angrily then checked myself to make sure I didn't cause her any harm. I'd gotten good at being angry at people and not hurting them but at times like these, when the inevitable daily argument between myself and him occurred, that I wanted to hurt someone.

"I disagree Raye, I'll bet twenty that Serena sends him out of here fuming." Amy quietly held up a pristine twenty. Ah Amy, how I loved her. She was always on my side. Raye thoughtfully mulled it around and nodded.

"You're on." Mina held onto the money and we all sat where we were. It always seemed like the girls knew something I didn't when it came to him. As if they actually liked him more than they liked me!

"So… how many shakes has meatball head downed so far today?" I heard the deep, silky, masculine voice drawl. Oh how I hated the way he sounded. He was so sexy but so aggravating! I heard Andrew say something but couldn't hear what. He was most likely warning his friend not to push me today. I wasn't really in the mood to argue with a conceited asshole. It was my eighteenth birthday and I didn't need him pissing me off. "What no comment?" I heard him call over to us but I ignored him. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of arguing.

I was busily eating my milkshake and hoping he wouldn't come over to where we were when he did. His strong, towering figure was opposite me at the table as he looked down at me. I continued to ignore him, even after he pulled a chair over to the table and sat down; thus reducing his six foot four figure to a considerably lower altitude. "Sort of bitchy today aren't you? What's the matter meatball head is it just that time of the month?"

If there was one thing I detested more than him himself it was him accusing me of having PMS. "Wouldn't you like to know?" I snapped and finally looked at him. I wish I hadn't, I really wish I had kept my cool because today of all days he looked so irresistible it was ridiculous. His jet black hair shone healthily under the fluorescent lights, the consequence of which was that his lightly tussled hair fell just over his eyebrows. Once your eyes trailed his bangs to their ends you were met with intense, midnight blue eyes that always seemed like they were piercing right trough you. His eyes always captured me… always held me hostage but the worst part about him was that he looked like a god. Seriously he looked like he was carved from the finest marble in the universe! He was tall, and muscular, his face was perfectly chiseled and I could only imagine the rest of him was the same.

That damn smirk spread over his face as he continued to stare at me amusedly. I wanted so badly to wipe that smirk off his face but I was determined not to let him get the better of me today. "Actually, I would." He pulled out his cell phone and started tapping at the touch screen. "You know, for future scheduling?"

That was it! Did he really think he could talk to me like that and get away with it? I mean… what an asshole! "It's none of your business what's going on with me today Jerkface! So why don't you take your stupid phone and shove it up your ass!" I was standing now, leaning over the table with my hands planted firmly on either side of me for support. "So get lost."

"Touchy… you know meatball head, you're going to have an aneurism one day if you don't learn to control that temper." He chuckled and tapped one last time on the phone before putting it back into the pocket of the ugly green jacket he loved to wear. I swear, he only had one outfit and it was ugly as sin. That stupid green jacket was worn over a black turtleneck and some off white… perhaps slightly bluish (or purplish) slacks.

"Just leave me alone jerk face! It's my birthday and I'm not going to let you ruin it." I said it with such conviction I was even impressed. I wasn't going to let him ruin it for me.

"Oh! Well happy birthday." He smiled warmly then a impish spark appeared in his eyes. "So how old are you now? Twelve right?" I'll admit, my jaw just about detached itself from my face. I couldn't believe him! Did he really think I was THAT childish and immature?

"You! You… you… ugh!" I couldn't help it. I couldn't speak let alone know what to say so I did what any normal girl would do. I pushed my friends out of the booth and leaned over him, jabbing my finger at his face. "Why can't you just leave me the hell alone? I HATE you!" His eyes darkened as they sky seemed to dim with oncoming clouds.

"Really?" He bit nastily as a rumble traveled through the clouds. "Here I thought you were madly in love with me." I jerked backwards and straightened my back. I could admit I was attracted to the man, but not in love with him… no… definitely NOT in love with him! That was such an absurd thought! "It's the truth." He challenged as lightning flashed and Andrew stepped over to the table.

"Calm down Darien… I think you're getting a little… carried away." Darien seemed to snap out of whatever thought he was in and looked outside. The girls looked at him with reservation, all but Amy who was shaking her head.

"Whatever. I even had a present for you meatball head but… since you hate me so very much I don't feel like giving it to you." Darien stood and looked down at me. Something in his eyes made me feel guilty, but at the same time not really. He'd been making my life hell for the longest time.

As he was walking out I couldn't help but turn and look at him. He was so damn sexy… why couldn't I stop fighting with him and just embrace him? His beautiful eyes locked onto mine as he paused at the door and I couldn't help but pry. I let my mind pierce through to his thoughts and gasp. Why can't she see how much I care? With that thought he shook his head and walked out. "Wow…" I slowly sunk into the chair he'd just left and felt myself wither a little. He cared about me? What did THAT mean? Should I go after him and find out? No… no that wouldn't be good… not good at all. A flash of lightning hit the ground then it started to rain harshly. "Oh man! I have to walk home!" I moaned and put my head in my hands. Today was turning out to be a terrible day!

"Hey, we're going with you remember doofus?" Raye rolled her eyes and looked out the window with a disapproving sneer. "Stupid Darien… I can't believe I lost." Raye watched reluctantly as Mina handed Amy the winnings of the bet. Amy happily took the money and folded it into her pocket before looking at me with pride shining in her eyes. "Well, we'd better get a move on then if we're going to make it to your house with enough time to get cleaned up and ready for your stupid party."

"Stupid party?" I raised an eyebrow and looked at Raye pointedly. The girl always loved coming to my house and I knew she was trying to hide that fact but still. How could she not know that she wasn't fooling anyone? She simply shook her head and slid out of the booth. Andrew waved as we left and hurriedly ran down the sidewalk. The rain pelted us as we rushed like hell to get to my house. I thought I could hear Amy complaining about the possibility of her books getting wet but to tell the truth I wasn't really listening. I was instead, thinking about a certain, overly sexy, confusing guy who had so easily given up today.

It wasn't like Darien to relinquish victory over anything, much less one of our arguments but today had been different. Today felt as if I had torn his arm off or something… and what had he meant when he thought about caring? I was so distracted that when Lita pratically tackled me to the ground I was unclear as to where I even was. "Serena! What were you thinking? You almost ran into the road!" Lita had landed atop me and was now looking down at me angrily. "Do you have some sort of death wish or something?" I blinked and looked around at the girls who had since gathered around us and were helping Lita up.

Mina finally offered me her hand and as she pulled me up she gave me that all knowing look of hers. The one that told me she knew more about what I was feeling than I did. Just face it Serena… you love him and you feel guilty about your argument today. Her thoughts were so clear it was hard not to read them. I shook my head in denial. I was not in love with him! Why was everyone so hung up on he and I being all lovey dovey?

"Thanks Leets, I wasn't thinking. I was just so excited about my party." I took a quick survey of the girls around me and saw that not one of them believed the lie I had just provided. "Okay fine! I feel bad about jerk face. I didn't want to hurt his feelings but he hurts mine all the time! I think I deserve some sort of amnesty here!" The girls exchanged looks before Amy smiled slightly.

"Serena… none of us said you did anything wrong." I was floored. It was true, the only one who was making a big deal about it was me. I was adding to my own guilt by scolding myself for bothering him so much. "Now, I really don't want my books to get wet so can we just hurry up and get to your house? We can talk about this there." Amy added and linked arms with me. Good ole, sweet Amy. She always had a way of putting things that made me feel better about my internal ramblings.

When we finally got to my house we were soaked right down to our skins and Amy was desperately checking her bag to make sure it had sufficiently protected her books. "Where have you girls been it's raining like the…" My mom came out of the kitchen wearing her apron and holding a spatula. "Oh dear… stay right there! I'll get towels… I mean it, don't any of you move off of that tile." She waved her spatula at us then disappeared into the hallway to get us some towels.

"I think you should call him and apologize if you feel that badly." Mina whispered as the other girls nodded. I thought about the possibility of calling him but a few things halted the idea. For one, I didn't have his phone number, and two, why should I apologize for his feelings being hurt? It wasn't my fault he chose to react to my words like that.

"Okay girls… here we are." Mom came back with five large towels and began to gather our things from us. "Now, I don't want any of you walking around my house in wet clothes so you'll each go up and change. Bring your clothes to me and I'll wash them so you'll have them to wear for tomorrow… you are all staying over right?" She paused as she realized maybe the girls wouldn't be staying.

"I think we're all staying Mrs. Tsukino." Amy offered politely and paused to allow the other three to nod. "That is… if it's all right with you and Mr. Tsukino." I smiled to myself as my mother fell over herself to assure the girls it was okay for them to stay overnight. It was a tactic that Amy used often to affirm her assumptions. "Thank you." She finally smiled and we all went up to my room to change.

"I think Mina's right… you should call him." Lita grinned. "Invite him over for the slumber party. We can leave if you want." I turned on the tall Amazonian with surprise. What the hell was going on with everyone lately? "What? You know you want him. Besides, I hear he's used to inducting girls into adulthood if you catch my drift." Lita winked as Mina giggled.

"What the hell's the matter with you Lita? I'm not in love with the guy and frankly… that… the fact that you know that… bothers me!" I couldn't help but raise my voice. I mean come one, who just randomly throws that out there? Lita was implying that Darien was nothing but a man-whore… maybe he was, but that wasn't the point. "How would you even know something like that?"

"I hear things… plus, Raye dated him for a little while remember?" Suddenly I couldn't help but stare at Raye wide eyed. Raye simply rolled her eyes and began to strip down. I could see why Darien would date someone like Raye. She was, in my opinion, the sexiest girl I'd ever seen and I wasn't even a lesbian! She continued to ignore our stares until she had stripped down to her bra and panties.

Finally she turned her violet eyes on us and let out a disgruntled sigh. "What?" She placed her hands on her hips and seemingly challenged each of us with a stare. "So I dated the guy for a little while. You all know that."

"Well yeah… but that was before we knew he was so… hands on." Mina grinned and ran her eyes over Raye as if appraising her. "Did you two um… you know?" I stared at Raye wide-eyed. A part of me wanted her to say no but another part of me wanted to hear details. The most I had ever done with a guy was kiss… and not even the real type of kissing. I was overly curious about the possibility of one of my best friends and Darien getting hot and heavy.

"I suppose you'll never know." Raye smiled and reached for her overnight bag just as Lita pulled it away from her. "Oh come on! You can't detain my clothes!" Raye protested and tried for a short time to retrieve her bag from Lita and Mina who were playing keep away. "Give me my bag!"

Amy and I stood off to the side, changing as we watched the amusing game. "No, not until you spill the beans. Did you do the naughty with Darien?" Lita finally held the bag high above her head and smirked at Raye triumphantly.

"Why do you care?" Raye jumped for the bag. She tried unsuccessfully to acquire the bag and only after she had tried to tackle Lita did she realize she would have to talk about her relationship with Darien. "No okay! God now give me my bag." She snatched it from Lita's now lax arms and unzipped it angrily.

"Really? So… the rumors aren't true?" Mina continued on the subject as we all watched Raye yank on her clothing. I wanted so badly to read Raye's thoughts but I didn't. I couldn't invade her like that. Not while we were on this topic.

"Look… I don't really want to talk about it okay? We didn't do it. End of story." Raye finished yanking on her outfit and started to pull a hairbrush through her long raven trusses. Everyone had grown silent and it was clear that Raye was unhappy with the way things had ended between her and Darien.

"What happened… he didn't hurt you did he?" Amy ventured and moved to Raye. Amy's gentleness caused something in Raye to relax and finally, she looked at each of us. "Raye… did he do something wrong?"

"No… no it's nothing like that." Raye shook her head and sighed as her eyes finally fell to the ground. "The truth is… I don't know what happened. Everything seemed to be going fine… we had gone out to dinner and a movie… I'm not sure how it happened but we wound up in his apartment. I couldn't believe it at the time… I mean… wow! I was so in love with him… well you guys know how I was. Anyway, I wound up in my bra and panties, I'd gotten his shirt off and when I reached for his pants he suddenly pulled away from me." She was still staring at the ground and seemed to be oblivious about the fact that we were oogling her. "I was so embarrassed… he was leaning against the wall watching me as I got dressed and as I walked past him to leave he said it would be a good idea not for us to see each other anymore. I guess I just wasn't good enough for him."

Amy shook her head and put her arm around Raye as the ebony haired beauty looked up with tears in her eyes. "I just don't get it you know… I mean, I know he's been with a lot of girls and all but… I was in love with him… I didn't care whether or not I was just a notch on his belt. I just… I thought…"

"He didn't give you any reason at all for just… dumping you like that?" Mina was beginning to turn red with anger. If there was one thing we did as a group, we looked out for one another. The fact that someone… no, not someone, Darien, had made Raye cry… well that was war.

Raye shook her head and smiled. "No… he just said that he'd made a big mistake." Lita was shaking and sparks were beginning to lift off of her skin. "Calm down Lita… I mean… I guess it's for the best. I still have my virtue and we can still talk to one another. He'll stop me every once and a while to check up on me and see how I'm doing so I know he doesn't hate me."

"Still! What sort of jerk just up and ends it like that? I mean… If it wasn't Serena's birthday I'd go over there right now and pound him into the ground!" Lita growled and ground her fist into her hand as if to accent her point.

"Lita. Raye, have you ever ask him why he did what he did?" Amy asked softly as she tried to settle the storm that seemed to rise in the room. I was rather intrigued by this story. What type of guy pulls away from a girl he practically has in bed with him? What was Darien's reason?

"No." Raye shook her head and shrugged. "I just figured he didn't want me. He's used to messing around with supermodels and stuff… why would he want me?" Raye smiled. "I'm okay with it I guess but it still hurts to know that I was rejected."

"Call and ask." I finally spoke up. I wanted to know the reason he hadn't carried through. Of all of us it was my opinion that Raye was the most beautiful and if Darien didn't want her then… what type of girl did he want?

Raye looked at me thoughtfully and smiled. "I don't know Meatball head… I don't know if any of us really want to know the reason." Lita crossed her arms and glared at Raye determinately. "You really want me to call and ask?"

"Yeah!" Lita shouted as we all nodded. We weren't really pushing this for us, rather for her. She needed closure and obviously she hadn't gotten it.

"Fine. I'll call." Raye nodded and dug through her bag for her cell phone. When she produced the item she pushed a few buttons before taking a deep breath and holding the phone to her ear. We all watched in suspension as she waited silently for him to pick up the phone. "Hey Darien… it's me, Raye." She pause for a minute and smiled whole-heartedly. "I figured you would have deleted my number." I looked at Mina who was staring at Raye with her eyebrows furrowed together. "Look, I called to ask you something… remember the day we broke up? I was just wondering why you…" She suddenly stopped and seemed to listen to her phone carefully. "No Darien… you've told me that before. I want to know the real reason. Is it because I'm not pretty enough?" She listened until her eyes widened. "Are you joking around with me? You're serious?" She questioned and stood up immediately. "Wow I… I… totally get it! Okay… thank you. I'll talk to you later okay? Okay… bye." She hung up the phone with a broad smile on her face. "He said it wasn't because of me. He told me it was really hard not to just do it but he said he couldn't let himself do that." She hugged herself. "Hah! I'm totally hot enough for him!"

"Well? Why didn't he just screw you?" Lita crossed her arms in a huff. Mina smacked Lita's arm and looked at Raye with a smile as if to tell her that she didn't need to say anything more.

"Girls! It's time for dinner and birthday stuff! Hurry down!" My mom called up to us and so we rushed downstairs for the party. If Raye still wanted to talk about Darien then we would do it later. I was just glad that she was okay.