The Lane That Would Never Return
Jane sat next to Daria during the graduation ceremony. A slight smile on her face because one, she knew her time at Lawndale High was over, and two her acceptance letter from BFAC had arrived that morning. Granted, she wouldn't be starting until January, but she got in, and that was all she cared about. She had yet to tell Daria the good news, she decided to wait until Jodie Landon's graduation party that night to tell her amiga.
Staring briefly into the stands, she watched Mr. and Mrs. Morgendorffer sit down on the bleachers. Seeing Jane looking at them, Jake smiled and gave her a thumbs up, which made the smile on her own face widen. A few moments later, she saw Quinn, doing her best Jackie O impersonation, sit down beside them, pretending not to pay attention to the students sitting on the field below. Jane turns to Daria, whose expressionless face saddens her a little.
You should be the one smiling instead of me. Instead, you're looking down at the ground. At least your family showed up to your graduation. The only person from my family who showed up was Trent. Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised. If I remember correctly, I was the only one who went to Trent's graduation. I told them before they left in March to be home in time. Jane drew a long deep breath and sighed. The sound coming from her best friend made Daria lift her head and turn towards her. Seeing the genuine look of concern on her best friend's face, Jane gave a slight nod in the shorter girl's direction. The silent conversation between the two was broken up by Daria being called to speak in front of the class.
As she listened to Daria on stage, she watched Daria shoot her a slight smile as she talked about having one good friend and a supportive family. Jane returned the smirk before her thoughts turned back to her own family. She rescanned the crowd, hoping that they had arrived late. Instead, there sat Trent, alone, sitting near the Morgendorffers.
After the ceremony, the Morgendorffers and Trent gave both girls hugs before they headed for pizza. The two friends parted so that they could get ready for the Landon's graduation celebration. Jane held her breath in hopes that her family would be home. Much to her unsurprised disappointment, the only car home was Trent's. They sat quietly as they each ate a slice of the congratulations cake Trent had bought. That night, at Jodie Landon's party, Jane told Daria about being accepted to BFAC. The smile on Daria's face at the news almost erased the pain she was feeling about her family.
As the summer rolled by, Jane prepared for Daria's departure. Although Jane would be joining in five months, it still hurt Jane to realize that one of her primary support figures would be more than just a five minute jog away. After Daria left, the two emailed each other daily and talked on the phone at least twice a week. Jane worked two jobs to earn enough to get her through her first year. Every holiday Daria was off was spent in Lawndale hanging out with Jane. Then came Christmas break and the fact that this time when Daria headed for Boston, Jane would be going with her.
Jane had packed up most of her belongings a month in advance and had been counting down the days. The night before they were scheduled to leave, Daria arrived in her mom's SUV and the loaded up Jane's things. Daria asked if Jane wanted to stay at Schloss Morgendorffer that evening, but Jane opted to hang out with Trent instead. Daria told her that she would pick her up at noon and waved as she left the house.
The next morning while Jane was in the shower, she heard the sound of the front door opening and closing several times. Much to her shock, her parents were home and looking for her. She quickly got dressed and headed downstairs.
"We finally finished etching several Mayan temple carvings how is school going, Jane?" Amanda asked.
Vincent followed, "Yeah, any idea of where you want to go to college? You know we have a fund set up for you so you can take your pick."
Jane looked at the two of them in shock and disappointment. "You're joking me right? I told you back in March that I was graduating IN JUNE! I begged you guys to make sure you would be home in time - but no. All of my other classmates families were in the stands - where were you - Belize or Honduras or wherever in the hell you were! Hell where were you when I needed you period? When I was struggling with my math grade, when I was in that boating accident or when I came home after being caught on a mountain in a snowstorm! WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT MY BOYFRIEND HAD CHEATED ON ME WITH MY BEST FRIEND? I ****ing needed you and neither of you were around. The only person who was around for me was Trent," Jane said as she pointed to her brother who had walked in during her tirade.
She walked over to him and gave him a big hug. He could see the hurt, pain, and tears forming in her azure eyes. A couple of moments later she heard a knock on the door. She stuck her head out and asked Daria to wait out by the curb. After closing the door, she turned back to her family staring at Trent.
"Trent - you can come visit me anytime you want in Boston. Daria found us a great two bedroom apartment and our couch is on permanent reserve for you. I love you," She gave him one more hug before turning to her parents. "As for you two and the rest of my siblings, who are god knows where doing god knows what, I don't want a thing to do with you. I have been working my ass off to save up enough money to walk out this door and never come back. I won't be like Wind or Summer or even Penny. This WILL be the last time I walk through that door." Jane grabbed the duffle bag with the last of her belongings opened the door and left, never looking back.
End