A.N: Ok, so I lied about updating around New Year's…. I'm sorry!

I've rewrote this chapter like 5 times, I'm not even kidding! I have all these ideas in my head but it's so hard to get them all through on one chapter to where it makes sense.

I'm sorry! And thank you for being encouraging and loyal! And patient!

Hope everyone had a lovely, wonderful Christmas and New Year's!

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Chapter 15: Lectures

Serena stayed busy on her computer to try to get her mind off of Darien.

She felt horrible after he had left, getting angry with herself for yelling at him… she had no right to be angry just because he didn't return her feelings. She had acted like a child that didn't get the Barbie doll she wanted, and she hated that.

As she fumbled around online, her cell phone suddenly rang. She looked at it, wondering if she should pick it up or not, but then deciding to do so. As she glanced down at the flashing screen, she didn't recognize the number, so she answered with a frown.

"Hello?" she asked curiously into the phone.

"Ms. Serena Bryant?" Came a distinguished British voice.

"This is she," Serena replied, utterly confused.

"It's Nicholas," the voice said, sounding cheerful.

Serena smiled, remembering the model she had posed and danced with at the shoot just yesterday, "Nick!" she said surprised, "How did you get my number?"

"Oh, well I got a bit impatient with waiting for your phone call, so I asked my agent for yours," he chuckled embarrassedly over the phone.

Serena blushed timidly as she giggled. "I see."

"I'd like to know," His deep, gorgeous accent resonated, "If I'd get the pleasure of meeting you again soon, in the near future?"

"The pleasure is all yours," she replied happily. "When and what did you have in mind?"

He paused for a moment over the phone in thought. "When, I'm not quite sure…. I have a bloody packed schedule, but we could do whatever your lovely heart desires."

Aww… he's sweet, she thought inwardly. He definitely took her mind off Darien. For now. "We could compare schedules if you'd like," Serena thought as she went to her bag to pull out her agenda. She scribbled random things in there when she was bored, but she never really used it.

"Brilliant idea," he concurred.

They spent a little over an hour and a half on the phone before Serena heard a soft knock on the door, and told him she'd call him back later. He charmingly bided adieu, and hung up.

"Come in," Serena said loudly as she closed her phone and put it and the agenda off to the side as she spun around to look at the door expectantly.

Her petite mother walked through the door in a perfectly tailored black dress suite; her hair half-pinned up, letting the rest cascade down past her shoulders.

"Hey mom," Serena said with a smile.

Irene smiled as she reached her daughter. "What's with you not going to school today?" she immediately went into the issue.

Serena shrugged a she rested her hands in her lap delicately. "Just didn't feel like going today."

Irene nodded. "Just one of those days, huh?" she asked as she sat at the edge of Serena's bed to face her.

Serena smiled and nodded in response, but kept quiet.

Her mother waited for a moment, but when no other explanation escaped her lips, she began to talk. "Honey, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Of course," Serena replied.

"Okay," her mother said as she tilted her head. "I may be busy, but I'm never too busy for you or Sam."

Serena smiled affectionately at her mother. "I know, mom."

Irene wanted more than anything for her daughter to confide in her with her secrets, but she knew that would never happen entirely. She knew all to well what it was like to be a teenager.

She waited for Serena to say something, anything else… but when she didn't. She smiled lovingly at her daughter and got up. "All right, then. You know where I am if you need me," she said in defeat as she began to walk away.

Serena looked after her. "Mom…. "

Irene turned back around and looked at her daughter curiously. "Yes?"

"What do I do…. If I like someone, and they don't like me back… but then another guy comes along and likes me, even if I'm not over the other guy yet?" Serena blurted.

Irene smiled. "Boys," she said as her eyebrows went up. "Of course. Well… all I can tell you is to follow your heart. Your heart never fails," she winked.

Serena grinned, "Thanks, mom."

Her mother returned her grin and turned to walk back out again. When she was at the door, she paused and looked quickly at Serena. "Oh, and sweetheart… I know who he is."

"What?" Serena asked, her eyes going wide as her heart began to thump in her chest. "W-who, mom?"

"You know who," her mother said as she wiggled her eyebrows teasingly, and walked away.

Oh my God… she knows…

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"Mom?" Darien said as he entered the house he grew up in, closing and locking the door.

"Darien?" he heard his mother's voice from the kitchen.

As he was about to make his way there, she popped out from behind the door. "Sweetheart," she said in surprise, a happy twinkle in her eyes as she came up to him to give him a hug. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be working today," she said as she gave him a squeeze.

"Serena decided to not go today," he explained as they parted, Paula quickly leaving him to run back into the kitchen.

"I'm making apple pie," she said joyously over her shoulder. "It just got done. I'll let it cool off a bit and we'll have a bite," she said happily.

He nodded as he took his usual seat at the table. He took off his blazer and placed it on the chair next to him. He still wore his earpiece and microphone with him, just in case.

"Now," Paula said as she wore her mittens to take the hot apple pie out of the oven, "What have you been up to?"

He smiled at his mother. "Nothing, just work. I stopped by to visit dad for a bit, and then came here."

She nodded, "That's good. I walked up there earlier today to give him fresh flowers," she confessed with a smile.

"You walked? Mom… that's a far walk, you shouldn' t-"

"Oh, you hush," she said as she waved a hand in front of her, "I am perfectly fine walking to and from the cemetery. It's good exercise," she lectured.

He chuckled heartily as he shook his head in disbelief.

She watched as he laughed, taking her son in and noticing how much he's changed, and how much he looked like his father.

When he noticed her staring at him, he suddenly frowned in worry. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied with a simple smile. "Just looking at you," she said as she reached a hand out to pat his cheek tenderly. "You look so much like your father."

He smiled, knowing how much she still missed him.

She kept her hand there, looking at him through loving eyes, until she remembered something else. "Oh! How's Serena? How is she doing?"

At the mention of Serena's name, he immediately looked down. "She's good," he answered quickly.

Paula squinted at her son, knowing there was something more to the story. She could read him like an open book; there was no use in him lying. "And?" she added for him.

He looked at her and sighed. "And nothing, mom," he said tiredly.

She shook her head at him. "You two had a fight or something?"

"No," he lied, "Why would we fight?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "That's why I was asking."

After about thirty minutes of more questions and interrogation, Darien finally bursts. She knew he would, it only took time.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted.

She smiled as she got up, walking over to her apple pie to cut it.

"No suggestions or advice?" Darien asked when she didn't say anything.

She cut the pie and put it on a plate and walked it over to him. "I can only voice what I think, Darien… but when it comes down to it, it's all up to you. When it comes to matters of the heart, you can't take anybody's advice but your own. The only thing I'll say is it's not that hard to get a job, nor succeed in it… but it's hard to find love and receive it."

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Ken sat behind his desk and buried himself in ceaseless amounts of paperwork and contracts. His spectacles sat low on his nose as he peered through them and concentrated on reading every sentence on every paper, making sure he didn't skip a single thing. It was about five in the afternoon and the sun was slowly beginning to set.

As Ken signed something and set it aside, his office door swung open, and in walked his daughter. He looked at her surprised and took off his glasses.

"Serena," he greeted as he leaned back in his chair.

She smiled and walked over towards his desk and sat down facing opposite of him. "Hey, dad. What are you doing?" she asked curiously as she looked at all the different paperwork that covered his entire desk top.

He sighed tiredly and ran a hand over his face, "Just work, sweetheart."

She nodded and looked at him tenderly. "You're tired, aren't you?" she said quietly.

He smiled and sat back up in his chair as he rested his arm on his desk, intertwining his fingers together. "Always," he replied honestly. "So, Agent Shields tells me you didn't feel like going to school today," he said as he cast his gaze towards her accusingly.

"I didn't feel like it," Serena responded, resting her hands in her lap.

"So whenever you don't 'feel' like doing something, you're just not going to do it?" Ken asked, his tone switching into lecture mode.

Serena frowned, "No… I just had a really bad day yesterday."

Ken exhaled loudly and shook his head. "I have bad days almost everyday, Serena. You don't see me resigning."

"I know," she mumbled as she looked down guiltily. "But it also wouldn't hurt if you took a week or two off to just rest either."

"You know I want too," he said softly. "I don't have a week or two to spare right now. If I were to take a break right now, it would set everything back and make things more difficult than it already is," he explained.

Serena looked back up at her father, sympathizing for him. It just wasn't fair… she hated that he worked so hard and seemed to get so little from it.

"Don't worry about me," he said when he saw her crestfallen face. "Just worry about yourself right now. This is your senior year, Serena; enjoy it while you still can."

She smiled and nodded reassuringly. "I will," she promised.

He smiled as he picked up his glasses and set it back upon his nose. "I'll see you at dinner. I have a lot of work to do and I'm not even close to being finished," he huffed as he looked around his desk in exhausted defeat.

Serena began to get up, "Okay. I'll see you later, dad. Love you," she said as she walked around the desk and kissed him quickly on his forehead before leaving her father to his never-ending pile of work.

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As Serena walked back towards her room, she walked slowly, taking her time to admire the history behind the walls of the White House; it's marbled perfection and brightly lit hallways.

She rarely ever appreciated living in the infamous and grandeur White House, but she knew she should.

As she walked, she saw Darien eventually, a couple of paces in front of her, not noticing her at all.

"Darien," she said aloud, making him turn around and look at her in surprise.

"Serena," he said as he looked at her curiously.

She paused where she was and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want to apologize for earlier… it was completely-"

"No," he cut in, "You had every right to be angry with me."

She bit her bottom lip and released it nervously. "But I didn't have any right to yell at you because you don't return my feelings," she fixed.

But I do… he wanted to say, but couldn't will himself to do so.

"But while we're here, I'd like to speak with you about the Presidential Ball," she said as she brought her blue eyes up to look into his, "You don't have to escort me anymore, Nick will."

Darien was a little taken aback, "Oh…" he said quietly. "Nick…"

"Nick Poynter… he was the model I worked with yesterday. But anyways, he can escort me, you don't have too," Serena said again.

Darien nodded, as he looked at her with unreadable eyes.

She forced herself to smile. "But that's all. I'm gonna go see what's up with Sam, so I'll see you later," she waved as she walked away from him.

Darien watched her go, and then turned his head to look down at the ground, clenching his fists.

It was his fault…. He had no one else to blame, but himself.

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When Serena reached Sam's room, she knocked softly as she heard music blaring in his room through the door. She smiled to herself, knowing Sam rarely did anything without music. If he didn't have it blaring for the public to hear, he'd have his earphones on and connected to his I-Pod.

She knocked again, but figured he couldn't hear her, so she opened the door and peeked inside.

He sat on the ground, his legs spread open as a book was sprawled out in the middle, paper lying on the ground everywhere. He had one hand on the ground as the other one rested on his head in thought. His pencil balanced between his lips as he frowned at something he was reading on his worksheet. He had on a pair of black-rimmed reading glasses, which only added to his appeal.

Serena walked in, and when he noticed her, he parted his lips, letting the pencil fall haphazardly on the ground, smiling up at her.

"Hey," he practically yelled over the music.

Serena grinned, "Hi… you wanna turn down the music?" She pointed at the stereo.

He frowned in confusion, but then understood, quickly hopping up and going to turn down the music.

"Sorry 'bout that," he said as he walked back towards his mess of homework.

Serena shrugged as she bent down to look at his paper. "What are you working on?"

He took his seat on the floor again and made an annoyed face. "APUSH… AP U.S History… it's kicking my ass," he mumbled, running a hand through his messed up blonde hair.

Sam usually always did his homework on the ground, he felt he had unlimited space. Working at his desk felt too much like… detention.

Serena laughed, taking a seat next to him on the ground and picking up a paper. "I had this class. I'll help you," she said as she picked up a pencil.

As she began jotting down things on the paper she knew, Sam watched her with a smile. It's not often that they got to spend brother-sister time with one another anymore. They went to school together in the same car, but then they always parted their separate ways once they got on school premises, and after school was a whole different story; they had to head to photo shoots and interviews separately.

After awhile, Serena stopped and looked at him. "You know… I said I'd help, I didn't say I'd do ALL of it for you," she joked, making him laugh as he picked up a pencil and began to work with her.

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Darien sat on the edge of his bed, looking at the photo he cherished; his family photo with his father.

He could think of, literally, nothing but Serena. Especially after the encounter a couple of minutes ago.

Nick was going to escort her to the ball now… and where did that leave Darien? In a corner, watching them with envious eyes.

Darien sighed as he looked away from the photo.

"…it's hard to find love, and receive it," His mother's word echoed in his mind.