Daria FF

Daria has returned to Lawndale with her best friend in tow a year after their senior year (and the end of the series) to attend her sister's graduation and to celebrate her parent's 25th Wedding Anniversary. Daria has only been away for a year and not much has changed but will the dawn of a new century and a year of college experiences lead Daria to discover more about herself than she ever thought possible? And will seeing old friends change Daria for the better? Or for the worse?

Chapter 1

A black 1991 Honda Civic sputtered to stop in front of a two story brick home. It could have been anyone's home in any suburb in any WASP neighborhood. And it was until a girl squeezed out of the berated passenger door that had refused to open more than a foot and a half since winter. The whole atmosphere of the house seemed to shift. Daria Morgendorffer didn't notice as she pulled a heavy military style duffel bag through the groaning door. Her best friend Jane pushed as best she could from her spot in the driver's seat. With a combo shove/pull the girls managed to work the bag out of the car, Daria stumbling back and tripping over the street's curb landing with a whump on the concrete sidewalk.

At that time the front door of the house opened and a young girl with strawberry-blonde hair stepped out, one hand on her hip the other covering her eyes against the setting sun.

"Oh, it's just Daria," Quinn Morgendorffer piped. Her voice squeaky and bored.

"Great," Daria muttered her own voice low and expressionless. She stood up and brushed gravel from the back of her legs and poked her head into the car. Jane Lane sat strumming her fingers on the driving wheel to a tune only she could hear. Her black cropped hair hung longer and shaggier than it had back in high school but she sported the same dark makeup.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Hey, man it's not like you hitched a ride. We have plans for pizza later still right?"

Typical to Daria's nature she chose to nod as she stepped away from the car instead of vocally commit.

"Cool. I have to go to town later for some art supplies but I'll meet you there." Jane turned the key to start the engine. The metal death-trap whined in protest the first two turns but reluctantly sputtered to life the third. "Hey-hey! It lives!" Daria heard the dark haired girl exclaim as she began to pull away from the curb.

Daria turned back around to find to her surprise, not that it showed on her face, her little sister Quinn standing on the driveway beside the lawn hefting the duffel bag over one of her slender shoulders.

"Careful there, you might break a nail, and we'll have to rush you to the emergency room." Daria mocked absently rubbing a sore spot on the back of her thigh.

"Don't be so melodramatic Daria," Quinn replied throwing a playful sneer over her shoulder. Due to some bad whether the past winter Daria had been unable to come home for Winter Break. This was the first time she had seen her sister since moving to Raft College. She seemed taller to Daria and more filled out, especially around her upper half. Still she sported a familiar pink top and perfectly combed hair that swished back and forth as she walked.

The door to the house had been left open and Daria shut it behind her as she followed Quinn inside. This house had been her and Quinn's home for three years before Daria graduated a moved downstate. The high ceilings felt closer than they had before and there was a spark of something akin to relief in the pit of Daria's stomach as she took in the surroundings. Same couch, same television, same pictures hanging on the wall. It was as if she had never left.

A sharply dressed woman came into the living area from a doorway that lead to the kitchen. Helen Morgendorffer was on her cell laughing at someone's attempt at flattery when she caught Daria's eye.

"Listen Mark I gotta let you go my daughter just got back from school. No the one in college. Call me tomorrow morning 8 AM sharp for that adjuster's meeting." Helen had the same high pitched voice worn to a slightly softer key that the younger Morgendorffer sister had inherited.

"Daria! It's so good to see you. How was your trip?"

Daria attempted to answer when she was interrupted by a string of incoherent shouts from another room.

"Oh that will be your father," Helen explained rushing off to help calm down whatever tantrum Daria's father Jake had managed to work himself into this time. "I'll be right back with your father. Get settled in and then we'll talk."

Daria snapped her jaw close and made her way from the living room down the well-known path of the house that led to her room. Quinn had disappeared but had left Daria's bag perched against the closed door. Daria turned the knob cautiously and let the bag fall onto burgundy colored carpet. This time she felt a noticeable wave of relief. Her mother had been threatening for three years to redecorate the room that better resembled a cell. Daria had been sure Helen would have taken Daria's escape to Raft as prime opportunity to change everything. The only difference Daria could see was the lack of clutter on the ground and an almost empty bookcase, Daria having chosen to take most of her books with her when she left.

Ignoring the duffel bag she fell on top of the twin-size bed and buried her face into the soft fabric of her comforter. It spelled like the same detergent Helen used on all of the clothes. Daria couldn't afford the same brand and let the memories flood her as she closed her eyes. Nine months Daria had been away from home. Nine months was all it took to push aside three years of wanting to get out and replace it with being glad to be back.

Not that school had been horrible it just hadn't been... home. Still, Daria thought as she rolled onto her back studying the patterns in the ceiling, as much as she liked being back home she could already feel the darkness of her teen years creeping back in. All the hormones and angst. At only 19 she wasn't clear of the battlefield by a long shot but she was aware this wasn't where she was meant to be; stuck in a middle-class suburb. In a rare moment of solitude Daria practiced her best "Welcome to the Neighborhood smile" but the muscles in her cheeks couldn't hold for long. She sighed and let her face relax once more.

A voice startled her from her thoughts and she shot up from the bed.

"There's my little girl!" Jake Morgendorffer shifted nervously from the doorway. She had just gotten there and he was already unsure how to treat her.

"Hey Dad," Daria said getting up coming over to him. The Morgendorffers were not a hugging family so there was never an awkward pause as she walked up to him and started down to the living room. Jake walked along her reassuring her how happy he and Helen were to see her again.

"We left you some gifts in the closet of your room, kiddo. Socks, notebooks, things like that we thought you might need. So, how's campus life treating you?" They had reached the living room and the four family members took their normal spots, fitting into old habits. It was nice to see they hadn't changed too much since she had left. Some change would be nice around here though, Daria thought.

Jake and Helen looked expectantly towards Daria and Quinn began filing her nails. Well this is it, time to bring out the tiny symbols and perform.

"You know, they're fine." She began. Helen nodded encouraging her to continue. Might as well get all the talking over with at once before they start pestering for details. "Jane's classes are only about ten minutes away by bus. I'm doing well in my classes. The professors are much better than the teachers at Lawndale so I have to pay attention. My roommate is nice but spends most of her time out with her friends. So things are kind of normal you know?"

"Well that's good to hear kiddo. That's real good to hear." Jake said his mind already beginning to wander onto some sports game, his eyes focusing on the television.

"What about boys Daria?"

"As if Mom," Quinn answered. And even though it was delivered at a higher octave Daria had to admit it was exactly what she was thinking.

"Too busy," she mumbled, reaching for the remote control on the coffee table. Jake's eyes lit up and even though she immediately turned it to Sick Sad World it was enough of a distraction that even he wouldn't protest.

"Well okay, I've got to make a few phone calls before the night office closes but we'll need to talk about graduation tomorrow and our travel plans."

Helen started to walk away when she turned and asked, "Oh and Daria there's some left over lasagna in the fridge if that's alright. Quinny has her last meeting with the Fashion Club tonight and Jake and I aren't up to cooking, isn't that right Jake?"

Jake grunted from the couch absorbed in a tale about alien abductions.

"I'm meeting Jane for pizza tonight." But Daria spoke to thin air as Helen had already walked away.

"I'll drive you."

"What?" Daria turned to her sister.

"You heard mom I've got to meet the girls tonight at Sandi's house. You remember Sandi right? Well I'll just drop you off okay?"

"Uh, okay."

Daria really felt uncomfortable letting her little sister drive her around but didn't have much a choice.

–

Thirty minutes later Quinn was getting into a white sedan Daria had failed to notice sitting in the driveway.

She didn't say anything but Quinn talked all the way to The Pizza Place. "Mom and Dad didn't want me to get a car, but with all the money I saved from babysitting I convinced them I was responsible enough. I'm not allowed to have any boys in it for more than ten minutes as punishment for staying out all night with John. Oh you never met John he was nice I think he went to that school your friend goes to. Anyway it's been nice but of course Sandi has to go on about how long she's had her car and that her's is nicer. Are you listening to me?"

"Does it matter?" Daria blurted.

"Whatever, your my sister, so anyways as I was saying..."

Daria looked out the passenger window and watched the sun draw closer to the horizon as they drove paying only half attention to what her sister was saying. She hadn't changed much but of the three of them Quinn had definitely changed the most. She used a slightly better vocabulary and even though she appeared to be dating a lot of guys still she didn't seem to be dating as many losers if what Daria was half-hearing was true. It was surreal thinking that her little sister would be walking the stage at graduation the next day. Daria was never the over-protective big sister figure but she had to say she was glad Quinn had at least made it to graduation.

"Okay we're here." Quinn had stopped on the opposite side of the street from the pizza parlor and Daria could sort of make one of Jane's boots under one of the booths. If it was her there was someone else sitting across from her but Daria couldn't make out more than a different pair of black boots.

Quinn drove off almost as soon as Daria stepped out of the car. She looked both ways before crossing the busy street. The night before graduation was a busy one for the small community. Daria was concentrating on getting across the street alive and through the crowd of people, focusing on making as little physical contact as possible that she didn't notice who was sitting with Jane until she was already in the parlor.

Had it been up to her she would have turned around right then and there and walked home but she had already been spotted. A guy's tanned face lifted up from observing the menu and a half-smile spread over a dark patch of hair on his chin. Dark eyebrows arched naturally over dark eyes. One of the eyebrows quirked sending an unspoken message to the girl sitting across from him. Jane turned away from her brother and spotted Daria.

"Hey, over here! We haven't ordered yet."

Daria put on her best blank face and willed the blood to stay away from her face as she started to make her way to the table. Jane slid over to make room for her but as she began to sit down a body slammed into hers and knocked her to the sticky soda-covered floor.

Trent Lane sat up to see if she was alright as Jane grabbed one of Daria's arms protectively.

"Watch it!" She snapped at the figure who had rammed into Daria.

"Sorry I slipped on some soda," the guy apologized wiping his hair out of his face. For the second time in less than two minutes Daria felt her heart jump into her throat. This time Jane's face expressed Daria's horror for her.

"Oh!" The guy had just realized who it was he had hit and who she was with.

Tom Sloane scratched his neck and looked away clearly uncomfortable. "Hey Daria, hey Jane."

The only one who seemed oblivious to the mounting tension in the surrounding area was Trent. But looks can be deceiving and Jane silently prayed to multiple gods that her brother wold remain unaware.

The gods were not with Jane.

"Hey your that dude that dated my sister right?"

Not even a full day back home and Daria felt like running back to Raft. This was going to be a long summer.