Chapter 1 Date gone wrong

Hey everyone! I'm back, and with a new story! I hope you enjoy this one as much as you did the last, and for those of you who hated my last one, I hope you like this one better. I didn't get to say this, but because of the many wonderful reviews I got on my last story, I have much more confidence in my writing now. At first, I never thought that anyone would read something of mine, but now I realize that my writing really isn't as bad as I thought it was. Of course, if I were one of you guys, I wouldn't read...something...of....mine...Did that make sense? Well anyway, thank you, and I hope you like it!

Would all Duke lovers please leave the story. I really have nothing against him, but I'm just warning you now, he's a total creep. If your as obsessed with Duke as I am with Kaiba, you best leave this story now, because you'll just be flaming by the end.

This is a really bad night for Serenity, I'm just warning you now. And, as in my other story, To Win or To Lose, Joey and Serenity live in the same house.

Disclaimer: Look! This is my first disclaimer for my new book! Yay!....not. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Serenity sighed and stared down into her cup of french vanilla cappuccino. (Mm....cappuccino....) She had never felt so insecure in her life. Across from her sat the rich, handsome, and much sought-after creator of Dungeon Dice Monsters, Duke Devlin, and she had no idea what to say. He was trying to stare deeply into her eyes, but she wouldn't even look at him. This frustrated him. He was already miffed that they weren't already making out in the back of his car.

He ran his hand through his dark hair and flashed his pretty-boy smile. "You know, Serenity, you look simply stunning tonight." he said, hoping to get her to talk to him.

"Um..." She met his sea-green eyes, and he tried to stare deeply into them again, but she glanced back down at her drink. "Thanks..." She mumbled. Duke almost sighed with frustration, but caught himself and remembered to keep his cool. Instead, he smiled again and took her hand from across the small table.

"What's wrong, Serenity? Aren't you having a good time with me?" he asked making sure that his voice sounded sweet and sincere. Serenity smiled to herself. What was she doing? She was on a date with Duke Devlin! She should be having a great time! But she couldn't get over the feeling that she had to watch her every move, in case she did something wrong.

"I'm fine, Duke." She smiled back. "I'm really enjoying myself..."

"Good." he smiled again. "Listen, do you want to leave? There's a place I want to show you." he stood up, and Serenity took it as a sign that they were leaving. "I think you're going to like this."

Duke drove with the hood of his car down, even though storm clouds threatened to pour down rain. "Um, don't you think we should put the hood up?" Serenity asked, looking at the dark sky. Duke laughed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it!" he said, laughing softly. "If it starts to rain, I'll put the hood up. Don't worry, I won't let my girl get wet." he pulled of onto a dirt road, and Serenity realized she didn't know where he was taking her.

"Duke? Where're we going?" she asked, trying not to sound too alarmed. He smiled and put his arm around her as he drove.

"Here." He said, parking his car in front of a beautiful lake. The light of the full moon reflected in the water when the clouds passed it. Serenity's eyes widened in wonder.

"Duke...This is beautiful..." She said. Duke smiled. This place had the same effect on every girl he brought here. He used the arm he had around her to pull her closer to him.

"I hoped you'd like it..." A rain drop splattered on his shoulder. "Hm?" He looked up. Another drop hit him in the face. "I think we should put the hood up." He smiled.

"Nice job." Serenity said sarcastically, but she was just kidding. After putting the hood up, he leaned back. Serenity was suddenly uncomfortably aware of how close he was sitting to her.

"Serenity..." he said, leaning so close that his face was just inches away from hers, "I want you to know that I really care for you..." Then much to her surprise, he kissed her on her cheek. "You're so alluring..." He whispered. He was practically on top of her now, seeing that she was backed up against the door. "And I love the way you taste..."

He kissed her neck, and she didn't know what to do next. Part of her wanted to tell him to stop. If Joey found out about them, he would be furious. After the dog-suit incident, it was a miracle that he had even allowed them to go out. But then, another part of her loved what he was doing. It felt so good to be loved by him... But it was wrong! When she had pictured herself in a car with someone, allowing them to kiss her like he was, she pictured herself feeling...something other than this. But no, she felt nothing towards him.

"Duke...Duke, stop it." She said, trying to sit up.

"Mmm...Oh, but Serenity...you're so nice..." he practically whined. "Is it my fault if you're like chocolate? One taste, and I'm hooked!"

"Stop!" She said, shoving him off of her. "Look, I understand that you like me, but I just can't do this now. It just doesn't...feel right..."

"You don't like me?" Duke asked in a pouty manner. Serenity sighed.

"Of course I like you, but you're rushing things. I just don't think I'm ready."

"Okay, I understand." He said calmly. But on the inside, he was seething with anger. No girl had ever resisted Duke Devlin. He could have any girl in the city, any girl he wanted! And yet, the one girl he was interested in, had just shoved him away.

He leaned in for what Serenity thought would be a small kiss. Instead, that creep Duke rammed his tongue down her throat! She pulled away from him and, with all the force she could muster, slapped him across his pretty-boy face, leaving a dark red mark on his pale skin for proof. He gasped and put his hand to his stinging cheek.

"Y-you slapped me!" He said, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"You deserved it." She said, glowering at him. She quickly opened the car door and stepped out into the rain. The mud sloshed under her shoes, and she suddenly regretted wearing high-heels. She was miles from her home, in the rain, on a dirt road, with no ride home. As she started walking away, holding the bottom of her dross so as not to get it dirty, she heard Duke scream "You'll regret this! You and I both know that in time, you'll come crawling back to me, and next time, I won't be so nice to you!" She rolled her eyes and kept on moving. Duke didn't follow; he was probably trying to gather up his shattered ego.

As she walked, the rain seemed to grow heavier. The mud sucked her shoes in, and finally, she gave up and took them off and carried them in her other hand. Grimy? Yes, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and Serenity was definitely desperate at this current situation.

The rocks on the dirt/mud road hurt her feet, but it was better than having to suffer from pulling her shoes out of the mud every step. As she walked, she almost laughed as she thought of what a sight she must look like: A seventeen year old girl in a pale blue dress, walking barefoot with her shoes in her hands, her feet cover in mud, in the rain down a dirt read. Instead, of laughing at the thought, she just started crying. When she had left, she had been too mad to think this through, but now, here she was, and what was she going to do? She could call Joey...if she just knew where to find a phone. She remembered that there was one on the counter of the coffee shop they had been in, but would they allow her in looking like this? She shivered. It was just early springtime, and the rain was still cold. Her dress clung to her legs, making it hard to walk, and she could barely see three feet in front of her because of all the rain.

"Well, Serenity, look on the bright side. It could be worse." Just then, where she thought there was road, was a small hole that her foot missed, sending her crashing down into the mud. Now she was covered in mud from the top of her dress to the bottom. Her hair came out of the bun it had been in and got mud in the bangs and on the tips. She stood up and looked at the ruined dress. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

Lightning struck not too far away, followed by loud, crashing thunder. Serenity jumped, her heartbeat quickening at the sound. She wondered if Duke realized what Joey would do to him if he found out that he had let her leave. Duke would need major orthopedic surgery to flash that pretty boy smile at anyone else. She smiled wickedly and decided she would tell him the minute she got home.

She cried out in a mixture of terror and rage as lightning struck again nearby. Oh, what she would give to be home, safe in her warm bed. If she had just listened to Joey when he told her about Duke, she wouldn't be in this mess. But, of course, she had to go and do things her own way. That was the problem with her: She just didn't know when to take advice, and when she finally did, it was the wrong kind!

Duke Devlin's car passed her, and she could vaguely make him out in the window. He smirked viciously as he drove past her, and he didn't stop to offer her a ride home, although she hadn't expected him to. She silently wished she could've been able to see her red handprint on his face one last time, though, just for a good laugh.

Finally, she reached the road. She would've gotten down on her hands and knees and kissed the pavement, but that would've looked even more ridiculous. It was only after she started walking that she realized there was nothing to celebrate about. It was still raining, and she was still a long way from her house. Not to mention the fact that she had absolutely no idea where she was. At least on the dirt road, she knew which way to turn.

"Hey-ya, hot stuff, what happened to you? You look like you could use a nice dry place to stay." Said a homeless man, patting the bare area of the box he was living in. Serenity swallowed and pressed on, trying her best to ignore the many rude comments all the men were making.

"Nice dress, has anyone ever told you you're very sexy when your wet?" One rather large guy said.

"I may not be much on looks, but the women say I'm good in bed." Another piped in

"Why don't you come over here, sexy? We can find ways of warming each other up." was her least favorite of all.

Serenity quickened her pace. The men groaned, but were too lazy to follow, not to mention the fact that they risked losing their box to another homeless person if they left.

She stopped for a breather in front of a store when she had gotten out of that neighborhood. She looked in the glass and didn't even recognize the girl that was staring back at her. He hair lay in limp, muddy strings, her dress was muddy, wet and clinging to her pale and shaking body, and her face was blanched of all color. Joey was going to have a fit when he saw her. She would probably get the lecture of her life, but she knew that inside, Joey loved her, and as soon as she got a good shower and into warm, comfy clothes, Joey would come in and apologize for yelling at her.

The traffic was light, considering how late it was. Most of the restaurants were closed for the night, and she started to wonder how long she had been walking. It seemed like hours, but more likely it had only been about thirty minutes. Of course, this did nothing to improve the mood she was in. She still had a long way to walk, and she had only a vague clue as to which way to go.

Finally, she came to an all night diner. Serenity decided to go see if they had a phone, and even if they didn't, it would be a good place to get out of the rain at least until she could figure out something to do. She put her shoes on and walked in, but the minute the cashier saw her he pointed to the door.

"Sorry, we don't take charity cases. There's a soup kitchen on the other side of the town. You can get a free meal there!"

"But I just-"

"I said get out!" He was shouting now. Serenity, no longer caring if it was raining, started to turn away, until someone grabbed her elbow. She turned around to find a young man about a head taller than her wearing a blue trench coat.

"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to him." he said, turning to cast a glare at the man at the counter, who was looking curiously at them. "You just stay right here." She said nothing, but nodded slightly. Who was this man? (As if you don't know!) And why was he standing up for her? With the way she looked, it was no wonder he thought she was a homeless woman. He leaned over the register and spoke too softly for her to hear, but what he said must've been convincing, because it left the guy with a panic-stricken expression. "You can stay. And you can have a meal on the house." he said, leading her to a booth. She sat down, and so did he.

"I'm not all that hungry." She looked over at the register guy, who glanced at her nervously, but looked away, pretending he hadn't. "Wow, you really scared him. What did you say?"

"Well," He smiled slightly. "I own this restaurant. I simply told that guy if he wants to keep his job, he'd better start being a little bit nicer to the customers. I've been watching him. Less people have started coming since he started working here. And now I see why. Not only is he scaring my customers away, but he has the I.Q of a garden hose. Anyone can plainly see that you're not homeless. That dress looks expensive, although dirty. And you appear to be...well fed..." He said, grinning. A blush crept across Serenity's face, but she chose to ignore his last comment. "So, why are you in such a shabby state?"

"Er...I don't...usually look like this. It's just that..." She sighed. "I really don't feel like talking about it."

"Oh, come now. You know you want to tell me." He said, smiling slightly.

"Okay...I was on a date with this guy named Duke and...well...he turned out to be a total creep. So I slapped him and decided to walk home." She shrugged.

"Well, that was stupid." he said bluntly. "What did he do to make you so angry?"

"He..." she looked down in her hands and spoke in a whisper. "Took advantage of me..."

The young man's eyes widened. "He didn't-"

"No, no, it's nothing like that...He just...didn't know the meaning of the word 'Stop'...or personal space."

"Ah." He nodded. "I understand. Look, do you have a ride home?"

"No...I'm actually looking for a phone so I could call my brother. He's going to be so angry."

"Why?"

"Well, he tried to tell me what kind of guy Duke was, but I didn't listen. Now he's going to have to come out and get me. Do you have a phone in here?"

"Uh, yes, but if you'd like a ride home, I could give you one."

"I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but after tonight, I just don't think I could ride in another car with a man again. At least for a while."

"Okay," he shrugged. "The phone's over there." He pointed to a hallway with a restroom sign hanging over it. She smiled at him.

"Thank you." She said, standing up. He nodded and stretched. It was obvious he wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. She walked over to the payphone, inserted a quarter, and dialed their number. The phone rang five times before the answering machine picked it up.

"Yo! This is Joey!"

"And this is Serenity."

"Please leave a message at the beep..."

"...and we'll be sure to call you back."

"See ya!" They both said in unison. Serenity chuckled at their little answering machine message, but then realized he must not be home from his date with Mai yet. She sighed and hung up.

"Um, sir?" She asked walking up to him. He had both eyes closed, but he opened one when she spoke. "Can I still take you up on your offer for a ride? My brother isn't home."

Okay, that's the end of chapter one. I was going to combine it with chapter two, but it would take like...four pages. And I know no one wants to read that much, no matter how absolutely wonderful my story is. (Lol, just kidding, but if you've read my first book, you can see how much my confidence has gone up!) Anyway, please review. The more reviews I get, the faster you'll get an update. I'm going to strive for twenty reviews per chapter, so get to reviewing, because if I get twenty per chapter, then by chapter 5, I'll have...(counts fingers) 100 reviews!