All the dialogue in this story is the property of MTV and Noggin. The thoughts and emotions displayed by the characters are original however. My first Daria story, I hope you enjoy it. It may say 'Chapter One,' but this is a ONE SHOT story.
Chapter 1
Daria sighed, continuing the steps to her house. She didn't know what scared her more: Jane's freaky accusations about her liking Tom…or the very idea that she could possibly be right. She stepped up to her house, but something caught her eye. "Hey," Tom said, rather pleasantly, if not flirtatiously.
She wanted to say hi back, but she caught herself, Jane's accusations echoing throughout her mind. "What are you doing here?"
His attitude was casual, almost nonchalant. "I wanted to talk to you. Your sister said you weren't home, so I figured I'd wait out here."
He had a very attractive smile on his face. As soon as the thought entered her mind, she pushed it aside. This was her best friend's boyfriend. Besides, she couldn't see anything in him if she wanted to. Except for his smile, his face and hair, his wit, his cynical disposition…he was snobby, and he stole Jane from her!
Daria figured that while she wanted to deny any feelings she could possibly have for him, she still didn't have to be rude. "You wanna come in?" She murmured softly, her eyes shifting away.
But adamantly, Tom refused. "No! There are these girls in there, rubbing stuff on each other's cheeks," he made a circular gesture with his palm, mimicking the rubbing motion. "And making animal noise. I got kind of scared."
She shifted her eyes again, this time in empathy. "That's just the opening rites to the Blushathon. At least you got out before the rhythmic chanting."
Tom smiled before saying, "Oh, yeah, I think I saw that on the Discovery Channel." She felt tempted to smile at the comment, but the thought completely disappeared at his next words: "Why don't you get in the car?"
Daria froze, unsure of what exactly she should do. She promised Jane that she'd stay away from Tom. Although…didn't she mean that in the come-on way? What could he possibly have to talk about with her? Jane? Yeah, maybe he wanted to talk about Jane. If she really didn't have feelings for him, then why would it matter anyway?
Daria felt herself opening the door, silently wondering to herself why she seemed to be looking for excuses to get in the car. As she shut the car door behind her, she asked him, "Did you want to talk about Jane?"
Without the slightest hesitation, he said, "Nope," looking right in her eyes.
She suddenly found herself in an awkward situation. The car was getting warm, as if he'd cranked up the heat, hoping to melt her in her seat. "Oh. Then…what?"
"About our situation"
At those words, Daria cut him off, realizing she was getting defensive. "What do you mean? We have no situation. Leave me alone, I gotta go!" Daria reached for the door handle before Tom's hand stopped her, and she was forced to look back into his handsome face.
"Wait, why is everyone so mad at me?"
Insulted, and knowing for the first time in days she actually had an answer for something, she turned back to him on the attack. "Why? Why! Because I moved to this town and I knew immediately I'd be a totally outcast. And in the one moment of good luck I've had in my entire life, I met another outcast who I could really be friends with, and not have to feel completely alone. And then you came along and screwed the whole thing up!" Daria turned away from him, satisfied that she had spoken her piece.
But Tom had something to say too. "All I did was meet a girl I thought was cool, and I went out with her for a while. We started to get bored with each other. It happens all the time. It's nobodies fault." His voice ended in a soothing note, contradicting the patronizing tone he had begun with, almost as if he was telling her she had nothing to do with the situation Jane and Tom were having in their relationship.
Damn right she didn't! "Oh really? Would you still be bored with her if I weren't around?" She stared him down, knowing she could possibly come off as egotistical if she worded it wrong.
But he simply shrugged it off. "Probably. And more to the point, she'd be bored with me. It's got nothing to do with you."
Not sure whether she was relieved or offended, Daria turned her head away again, and said, "Good, because I'm not interested in you." Almost as an afterthought, as if she was saying it to herself, she murmured, "And I'd be stabbing my friend in the back if I even considered it!"
She was pleased to hear him agree with her. "Exactly. And what kind of a jerk would that make me?"
"Exactly."
"Alright then."
"Okay."
Just then, Daria felt Tom's hands land on her shoulders, and suddenly everything seemed to move in slow motion. She saw his lips come towards hers, and she was smart enough toe recognize his intentions by now. Horrified, Daria remained perfectly still, hoping he'd take a hint that she wasn't being responsive, and back off. But his mouth only moved closer and closer. What kind of a jerk was he? He was Jane's boyfriend, coming onto her, Jane's best friend.
His hands weren't just resting on her shoulders now, but were actually pulling her closer. It felt like her limbs were numb. She couldn't move, couldn't resist. She knew it was wrong, and she only had a few seconds to stop him.
Suddenly, his lips were on hers; smooth, firm, and hot. A rush of sensation went through her, like an electrical shock that she felt all the way down to her toes. Lost in the feeling, she felt herself lean in only a little bit, closing her eyes, wanting just a little more of what he was offering. It all felt so good: the warm feel of his lips, the protective hold of his hands, the thrill of the forbidden. Forbidden? What…JANE!
Daria's eyes snapped open, seeing his closed eyes. She pulled away before she melted from looking into that face, and she shut her eyes again, this time in self-disgust. "Damnit! Damnit, damnit, damnit!" She had liked it! Damnit!
Tom was back on his side of the car now, his eyes shut in what she hoped was dismay. But his words once again said the opposite of his expression. "I liked it too."
She didn't know what to say to that at first. Deny it, agree with it, until she saw the sparkle of amusement in his eyes. "That's not funny!" She scolded. But he only turned to her with that gorgeous smile. Gr she was already feeling like Jell-O.
"I know."
His voice was low, and he was still smiling. As if the situation didn't bother him in the least. As if he liked the fact that he just trashed two relationships. As if he…enjoyed it…
As if drawn by a magnet, Daria felt herself being pulled back to him, and he met her halfway, his arms going around her completely, and she responded in kind, putting her hands on the smooth expanse of his back. But his lips, his lips! They weren't overly rough, but they were still voracious. Good God, what was she doing!
But she couldn't stop kissing him, couldn't stop being kissed. The smooth touch too enticing to resist. She felt the wet tip of his tongue entering her mouth slightly, almost slowly, as if asking for permission. Delighting in the exciting wet touch, Daria opened her mouth, accepting his tongue warmly. Giddily, she felt him stroke over her mouth, the taste of him surprisingly nice. She edged a little closer, loving the wonderful experience, heat and electricity shooting inside of her.
Without warning, Daria felt Tom mentally pull back, and almost wondered why, until the one word in her mind had her pulling back as well. Jane…
Feeling dirty, disgraceful, and unbelievably two-faced, Daria pulled back, this time physically. She looked across the seats at Tom, who still had a slight shine of enjoyment in his eyes. Shock caused her to turn away, noting that as he turned, a frown was finally developing on his face. And once more, his words opposed his face. "That was definitely not funny."
Daria felt like crying, her heart ripping apart as she realized what she had done. She had kissed her bestonlyfriend's boyfriend. And…she liked it? Feeling her lip tremble, and her eyes water, Daria quickly said, "I've gotta go." And this time, she bolted out of the car, up to her house, then to her room of padded walls, where she tried burying her sorrows in a good book. By the time she was done with one chapter, there were tears on the pages…
