Chapter 2: Bad news

The door bell dinged just as Serena was bringing out the pie from the oven. There were two boxes of pizza on the table and the fridge had been stock full with drinks.

She checked her reflection in the living room mirror and fixed her hair. Then she ran to the door and threw it open.

"Surprise! Happy Birthday!" Her two best friends, Anderson and Tabitha, screamed in excitement.

Behind them was Olivia, Jericho, Jordan, Samantha, Natasha and Jayden.

"Thanks so much, you guys." Serena laughed, throwing her arms around them. "You're the best."

"Happy birthday, bestie." Tabitha hugged her tighter before pulling back. "Finally eighteen."

"I know, right." Serena grinned.

"We brought you gifts." One of the twins, Jordan, chipped in.

"I got you the best gift." His brother Jericho, elbowed him out of the way.

"That is so not true." Jordan sneered, and a playful argument began between them.

"Okay, shut up everyone." Samantha snapped, and the bickering reduced. "Today is specially for our queen bee as she takes a step into adulthood."

They laughed because everyone of them understood the joke. Serena was the youngest in their clique and she had always dreamed of the day she would turn eighteen.

"Well what are we waiting for? Jayden yelled. "Let's get this party started."

...

After partying hard all day, it finally ended at dusk.

Serena collapsed into the sofa after cleaning, completely drained. Her friends had told her to relax and let them help her clean, but she declined. Now the house looked spotless.

"Hey birthday girl." Jayden smiled as he joined her on the couch.

She looked up at him and smiled shyly. Her heart hammered within her when he took her hand in his. He was hot, and she had a massive crush on him.

"Hey." she whispered back.

"You look exhausted." He murmured.

"I am." Serena smiled. "But I had a wonderful time."

Jayden smiled back, causing her heart to flip. "I did too."

They were both silent for a while, gazing into each other's eyes. Then they spoke at the exact same time.

"I have something to tell you..."

"I think you should know..."

They paused, laughing awkwardly.

"You first." Serena said, feeling her face turn hot with a blush.

Jayden faced her and took a deep breath. "I've always wanted to tell you this, but I didn't know how to start."

"Tell me what?" Serena asked. Her heart felt like it would explode with anticipation.

"That I like you." He continued. "I really like you, and I want you to be my girlfriend."

Serena's eyes widened in surprise. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had dreamed of this day since she started crushing on Jayden.

"What took you so long to tell me?" She asked.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't have the courage. And I had to wait for the perfect time." Jayden shrugged innocently. "Your birthday seemed perfect to me."

He looked her straight in the eyes now, his fingers softly caressing hers.

"Will you be my girlfriend, Serena?" He asked nervously.

Serena smiled sweetly at him and nodded. "Yes. Oh yes, Jayden. I will be your girlfriend."

Jayden breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her into a hug. Soon they were both laughing and they leaned closer, about to kiss.

Suddenly loud cheers interrupted them from the hall way, and Anderson came out with the rest of their friends.

"I can't believe it took Jayden two years to ask Serena out." Olivia laughed.

"Wait, you all knew about this?" Serena asked unbelievably.

Tabitha sat down beside her, grinning happily. "Of course we knew. We didn't just want to ruin it for Jayden."

"And we knew you were crazy about him too." Anderson added.

Serena's face heated up instantly. "Would you shut up?" She groaned in embarrassment.

"We're so happy for both of you though." Natasha smiled. "That leaves Olivia as the only single one between us."

"I told you guys, I'm not ready for one." She laughed. "When I fall in love, I'll let you all know about it."

Olivia was the only one not in a relationship. She was a hard core kind of girl, the type that didn't want to be tied down in a relationship.

"You better."

As they lounged in the sitting room, chatting happily, a phone beeped. It was Jordan's.

"We have to head home now. There's a curfew." He said aloud.

"Nooo. I'm having so much fun." Anderson groaned.

"Why don't we go to the beach tomorrow." Serena suggested.

"That's a great idea." Tabitha agreed, and soon everyone was pitching in ideas. They all agreed and promised to meet the next day.

"Bye, you guys. See you tomorrow." Serena waved as she walked them to the door.

"Bye, birthday girl."

Jayden stopped beside her and his hand went around her waist.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." He murmured.

"I guess so." She smiled shyly

"I'll text you tonight, before you go to bed." He promised, then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"Come on already, lovebirds." Olivia drawled, and the others started teasing them.

Just as Jayden turned to go, Serena's phone rang out.

"Could you wait a bit?" she asked shyly. "Let me take this call."

"Of course." He nodded.

Serena put the phone to her ear and walked back into the house.

"Hello?"

"Am I speaking with Serena Williams?" A voice squawked from the other end.

"Yes, this is her." She answered and listened for a while.

Suddenly she screamed. "Oh God! Oh God, no, no. Where are they?"

Her friends felt something was off and they rushed back into the house to meet her.

Already crying softly, Serena nodded. "Thank you. I'm on my way, thank you."

The moment she ended the call, her friends surrounded her.

"What's wrong?"

"Yeah. Talk to us."

"I have to get to the hospital." She cried out. "My parents were involved in an accident."

"Oh my God." Olivia gasped.

"I'm so sorry, Serena."

Jayden suddenly looked serious. "Let's go. We'll take my car."

They all piled into Jayden's mercedes and headed straight to the General Hospital.

Serena cried all the way. Tabitha did all she could to cheer her up, holding her close and assuring her everything would be fine.

They arrived at the hospital in fifteen minutes and she rushed inside, her friends right behind her.

She grabbed the first nurse she saw. "I'm here for my parents..." She began.

"Miss Serena Williams?" The nurse asked.

Serena nodded, then her heart shattered when a sad look came over the nurse's face.

"I'm so sorry, but the doctors couldn't save them. They died on arrival."

Serena felt her entire body go numb and she slid to the floor in despair. Her friends crowded around her, their mouths moving, but she couldn't hear a word. There was a loud ringing in her head.

She heard someone screaming and she realized she was the one. The hospital ward started to fade off and she passed out.