Episode 4: Dealing with Relationships
Trent and Mystic Spiral are practicing in the basement of Casa Lane. The Baltimore trip had paid off well and they wanted to do it again. Maybe go up to New York or down to Atlanta. As soon as they had money for a hotel. The Zon paid every week but if they could make more they would.
They are taking a break when Jane yells down the stairs. "Trent! Lindy is here!"
Lindy bounces down the stairs with a new CD carrier. "I got it done last night!" She opens it and looks around. "Uh, do you have a CD player down here?"
"Yeah." Jesse points to it and Lindy walks over to it.
Max and Nick are confused. "What is it?"
Lindy puts the CD in and presses play.
Soon Mystic Spiral is stunned. It was them but better. "I used my computer to fix some of the outside noise from your Baltimore concert and added some overtone on the solos in a couple of your songs. I also tweaked the voice a little when you try higher notes and crack." She smiles. "I couldn't do any thing about the lyrics."
"Hey." Trent laughs and coughs. "Why?"
Lindy smiles as she presses pause. "I love music. I wanted to major in it for college but my parents refused to pay for school if I took some thing so frivolous. So I took Business Studies instead." She motions towards the band. "I'm not very good at playing or signing but I still love music." She presses play again and skips to the next song, Freaking Friends. "This one is actually really good. I only had to do a little work with it."
The band listens and agrees. "Isn't this a little like cheating? Using computers to make us sound better?"
Lindy looks at Max. "And all those models on the covers really look like that. Think of this, auto tuning, as airbrushing for music."
Jane leaves Lindy with the band and looks out the window. "Finally!" She sees Andrea's car pull up.
Jane grabs a bag and runs out to the car. "Thank you! The band has been practicing and working on a new song all morning."
"Morning?"
"They were up all night."
Andrea puts her car in to drive and takes off down the road.
Daria got through the week by calling Jane every day after school. Jane made sure she would be home for the phone calls. The weekend meant parties and parties meant people. People meant hell. According to Daria anyways.
Daria had worked on her assignment for Creative Writing and finished her Math and Physical Science homework and was going to take the weekend to veg out.
Lindsey had other ideas. "Come on Daria, Skaz and me are going to the place we ate at before. You can come with us! We won't, you know, be too kissy face." Daria did not want to go.
She had to deal with them trying to choke each other with their tongues for most of the week and wanted a break from it. "I am not leaving this dorm room unless a meteor is going to land on this exact spot and even then I probably won't leave."
"Come on Daria how do you expect to meet a new boyfriend if you don't go out and meet people? If you got a boyfriend then we could double date!" Why Lindsey thought that was a good idea Daria didn't know. "Come on Daria you went to the party last week why won't you go to the Pizza King?"
"I went to it and nearly got arrested when the cop pulled us over."
"You were not almost arrested. Skaz was driving and you weren't drunk. Stop exaggerating Daria, you had fun." Lindsey pokes at her.
"You had fun. You drank, a lot. You danced with Skaz, a lot. I stood in a corner and hoped no one would talk to me." The few who did she was able to turn away.
"Well that's why you didn't have as much fun as I did, Daria! You have to go out into the crowd and find a cute boy. Get his attention. How do you think you got your boyfriend, Tom, right?"
Daria did not want to talk about how she got Tom. Especially not to Lindsey. "It doesn't matter I'm not going anywhere this weekend. Maybe next weekend." The same thing she told Jane.
"Fine, party pooper." Lindsey had already changed and was waiting for Skaz to get there. "Well maybe after Pizza King we can come pick you up when we go to the movies. You don't have to sit anywhere near us but still get to see a movie." Lindsey didn't want Daria to sit around alone. She hated being alone and didn't think Daria would want to be alone all weekend either.
"No, I am sitting here and doing whatever I feel like. If I feel like doing nothing then I will do nothing."
"Come on Dars, please?" Lindsey tried batting her eyes at Daria.
"No, and call me Dars again I will…" Daria stopped herself. Lindsey took things too literally to say anything to. "My name is Daria."
"Fine, be here alone. See if I care." Lindsey did care. She wanted to be good friends with Daria since they were living together.
"Don't care. Have fun with Skaz." Just go away Daria thought changing the channels looking for anything but repeats. "I have to brainstorm on my Creative Writing homework and want to be alone."
"Well why didn't you just say so? Maybe I can help, what are you writing about?"
"I have to write an action story. I've gotten the first few chapters done." The teacher only wanted five pages but Daria was having fun with this. In High School she didn't get to do much writing for a grade. So now that she was she was going to write as much as she wanted. "I'm thinking one based off of Zombie Cannibal Holocaust so I can make it bloody." Daria also knew Lindsey didn't like violent video games so hoped this would keep Lindsey quiet.
"Oh well, why not a romantic action story? Like, um, Romeo and Juliet. They had a sword fight in it and that's action."
"No romance. I don't do romance." Daria knew her teacher would make her write a romantic story for the class. It would be the only bad grade she got since she'd turn in a blank piece of paper.
There is a knock at the door. "Oh that must be Skaz!" Lindsey walks over to the door and opens it. "Um, you must have the wrong dorm room."
"Daria? You sure have changed." The voice gives the person away.
"Jane? I said, I said you didn't have to come." Daria goes to the door and sees Jane, and Andrea! She motions towards Lindsey. "This is Lindsey, my room mate."
"Hello, which one of you is Jane?" Jane raises her hand. "Daria really misses you! She always says how she wishes you were here so she could talk to you." Lindsey turns to Andrea. "Nice nose ring. Did it hurt, um, what's your name?"
"Andrea, and no." Andrea looks over Lindsey. "What's with the outfit?"
Lindsey was wearing a black leather mini skirt and tight black tank top that stopped above her navel topped off with black high heeled boots. "I'm going out later." She turns to Daria. "If you had friends coming to see you and that's why you didn't want to come you could of said so." Lindsey sounds hurt.
"I didn't know they were coming." Daria lets the two in. "I told you I wasn't going anywhere this weekend." She really did want to work on her story.
"That's why we came up to see you. You're in college. You're supposed to go out and have fun and when you have the time go to classes."
Lindsey smiles at Jane's response. "I got her to go to a party last weekend but she says she has to do homework." Lindsey goes over to the mini fridge. "You want something to drink?"
"We're fine." Jane looks around the room. "Luxury at its finest. How much does the five star treatment cost?"
"Too much without a scholarship." Daria goes to her sock drawer and comes back with something. "Here you go." She hands Jane ten dollars.
"What's this for?"
"The gas you used." Daria sits down in a lawn chair.
"This doesn't cover that."
"I told you not to come so I'm not paying for all of it." Daria looks around. "We only have two seats, sorry." There is a knock at the door. "Not now."
Lindsey opens the door and Skaz sees the group. "Hey Lindsey, who are your friends?" Skaz waves to the two girls he didn't recognize.
"Those are Daria's friends, Jane and Andrea." She grabs him by the arm. "This is Skaz, my boyfriend."
"Big guy aren't you?" Jane looks up at him. "What are you, a basketball player?"
"Nope. They just grew me big in the lab." He smiles and winks at Jane. "I'm guessing Daria hasn't been too nice when talking about me."
Daria raises an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'd waste my time talking about you?"
"See?"
Jane laughs. "She's been nice, mostly. Says you get on her nerves with how you act around her and Lindsey."
"I guess being a gentlemen in today's day and age can be annoying. Women are taught to be empowered and independent so a guy who pays for food or opens doors is a bad thing." Skaz smiles at Daria. "I miss anything?"
"Aren't you and Lindsey going somewhere Alexandrian?" Daria uses his name to try and get him to leave.
"Sure, Lindsey, your chariot awaits." Skaz holds the door open for Lindsey and follows her out of the dorm room.
Daria turns to the others. "Why did you come all the way up here Jane? You'll have enough time to go through Boston once you go to BFAC." Daria had wanted to relax after a week of classes but it looks like that won't happen. She sits down in one of the lawn chairs.
"We wanted to see how you were doing." Jane sits on the floor between the lawn chairs so Andrea can sit in the other lawn chair. "You could let your guest sit in the lawn chair."
"I didn't invite you, this time. What do you want to do?"
"Can we look around the campus? See what I'm not missing out on." Andrea looks around the room. "Where's your bathroom? Jane didn't want to make any stops on the way here."
"You walked by it on your way here. If you miss it again don't pee in my room."
"I hope this isn't your room Daria." Andrea had never been in Daria's room and didn't know what she would have.
"This is both of our rooms. So only about half of this is mine. Turn around and you'll find the bathroom."
Andrea leaves the room and walks down the hallway to the communal bathroom. Glad she staid at home while going to Community College.
"Nice, an artist." Jane had seen Lindsey's pictures. "These photos are really good. Why didn't you tell me she was an artist?"
"She takes pictures." Daria gets out of the lawn chair. "You probably shouldn't be looking at those Jane. Lindsey didn't say you could. She gets kinda touchy about touching her things."
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind one artist observing her art." Jane goes through some pictures when Andrea comes back from the bathroom.
"I'm ready, what are you doing?" Andrea walks over to Jane who was still going through pictures.
Daria was getting a little worried. "Can you stop touching her stuff? If you mess with anything she's going to be mad at me." Daria sees Jane and Andrea looking through a photo album. "Jane, put her album back."
"Ok, I'll ask her tomorrow to see some of her other work." Jane closes the photo album. "Come on Daria I want to see where you learn."
"The TV's in the living room, my computer is in my room. The fridge is in the kitchen. Of course they are all in one room." Daria smiles. She had missed Jane and the surprise after a hard week of school was needed. "Andrea, you're not going to college?"
"I don't consider Lawndale Community College a college."
"No dorms or room mates. No parties filled with idiots. Sounds better than here." Daria and the other two leave the dorm room and Daria gives them a tour of the campus.
After the tour the three get in Andrea's car. "You couldn't find a pink car you had to go with black?" Daria was getting use to Andrea. Her and Jane seemed to be good friends and Andrea never did get on her nerves so it wasn't that hard to be friendly.
Andrea looks around as they drive. "Daria, where's a good place to eat?" They are driving down a road away from the college.
"There's a Pizza King in Reno, about five miles west of here." Daria is in the back seat while Jane and Andrea are in the front seat. Jane leans over to Andrea and whispers something into her ear.
They get to the Pizza King and find it is almost empty. "Guess everyone else is out partying. Like you should be Daria. You're in college that's what you do in college."
"Did I ever party, willingly, in Lawndale?" Daria made sure to add the 'willingly'.
"You went to some of Trent's gigs, and you went to Jodie's graduation party." Andrea comes back after ordering a pizza.
"This place is almost empty." Andrea sits next to Jane.
"They're out partying like I told Daria. What do you think. If you go to college you go to college parties and have fun."
Andrea sips at her soda. "Sounds right to me. These people actually choose to go to school so they can't all be brain dead. You should get along with them Daria."
"How would you know? You go to a community college. You don't have to deal with these people all day. Especially Lindsey and Skaz. He's, I don't know what he is."
"Smart? Nice to you? Things you aren't use to guys being?" Andrea hears the bell ring and goes to get the pizza.
Daria waits for Andrea to come back with the pizza before answering. "Hey, Mack was nice to me, and he was smart and so was Tom. I don't know what it is about him that rubs me wrong." Daria grabs a slice. "He wanted to take Lindsey out to eat but she didn't want to go with him alone so she dragged me along. He offered to pay and I said no. He made a big deal out of it. He said he wouldn't let a lady pay. I told him what makes him think I'm a lady and he said, I quote, 'It'd be rude to assume you weren't'. Who says things like that?"
"Sounds like a guy who grew up without a father. His mom instills the fear of women into him so he treats all women like royalty." Daria stares at Andrea. "My cousin is like that. If a woman walks in a room he stands up. Was in New York City once and while riding the subway he refused to sit since there was one seat left saying if a woman got on it would save him time giving her the seat."
"Still creepy." Daria eats a slice when Jane leans over and whispers in Andrea's ear. Andrea shakes her head. "What's going on? Jane, what is it that you can't say in front of me?" Jane had done it in Andrea's car and now here.
"Well, can we wait to go back to your dorm? Too many people here." Daria looks around and sees two people, including workers.
"Bull, what is it? Jane, we're friends, you're my best friend, what is it? Did Trent die or something and you don't want me to break down in front of people?" She says this jokingly and doesn't like the response.
"Not exactly." Jane looks away from Daria. "How about we take the rest back to your dorm room? We'll tell you then."
"Not exactly?" Daria looks at Jane, then Andrea. "Andrea, are you pregnant with Trent's kid?"
Andrea rolls her eyes. "No, it doesn't involve Trent. It isn't even that big a deal except Jane thinks it is." Jane and Andrea get out of the booth and get a bag to carry the rest of the pizza in.
Jane goes back to the table. "Come on Daria." They leave the Pizza King and Daria follows.
"What is it? We're alone in here." Daria wants to know what is going on even before they get their seat belts on.
Jane breathes out heavily in frustration. "We'll tell you Daria stop being such a pain in the ass."
"If it's so important you drove out here then tell me. That is why you drove out here. It is too big to tell me over the phone."
"Well, one of the reasons but wait. I'm sorry she's acting this way Andrea."
Daria doesn't miss the nervousness in Jane's voice. "I'm right here. You'd act this way to if I had something big to tell you and wouldn't. If I drove hundreds of miles just to tell you something then didn't are you saying you'd sit and twiddle your thumbs?"
"I never twiddle my thumbs." Jane laughs a little. "Please Daria this is important to me. To tell you in person. Just wait." Daria sits back in her seat and remains quiet for the rest of the ride.
They get back and go to Daria's dorm room. Daria unlocks the door and they go in. "Ok, we're here, we're alone, what is it?" Daria turns around and sees Jane holding Andrea's hand.
"Well, um, Daria, I, well…" Jane can't say it.
Andrea rolls her eyes at Jane. "She decided she was curious and after hanging out with me found out I was curious too so she decided to do stuff with me. Now she acts like her whole world doesn't make sense and needed to talk to you about it. But she didn't want to do it over the phone so she had me drive up here to tell you." Andrea nudges Jane. "It isn't that embarrassing. You were able to tell Trent with no problems."
"Yeah but, he's my brother, he has to love me." Andrea rolls her eyes again.
"Wait, but, what about Tom? Or the guy who wore the Zoot Suits?" Daria is confused. "You told me about the artist who got fresh with you at art camp but you turned her down, right?"
"I did, but, well… I don't know. I mean, I never, would never, but then I thought hey, this might be fun. But then what does that mean for the past damn near nineteen years? I still like guys but uh, girls, certain ones, definitely not you, can be fun." Jane looks at the floor. "You don't hate me?"
"Why would I hate you?"
"Andrea's parents basically disowned her when she told them. And you're, you're not the most liberal person in the world. Since that incident at the art colony, I pushed it out of my mind, but when..." Jane continues to ramble.
Andrea takes over for the bumbling Jane. "It's nothing serious we just found the other one to be fun. Both artists, both smart, both having bad experiences with men. It isn't like we'll petition the governor to get married. Jane was making a huge thing out of these feelings but really it's just like having feelings for a guy."
"But, I," Daria sits down in a lawn chair. "That's it?"
Jane's voice cracks a little. "What do you mean that's it? I've been afraid of having my life turned upside down and all you have is that's it?"
"Well, I'm not religious or anything Jane. You're my friend. If you do, that, then I'm not going to hate you or anything. I have some questions, like when, how, who? You said you and Andrea became friends after what happened between you and Tom and me, then?"
"No, I was too pissed at everything. Andrea wasn't even like this then, well, she was, she just didn't, you know."
"Real literary master isn't she?" Andrea's joke eases the tension.
"She listened to me rant and rave about you and how much I hated you and Tom. When we patched things up I kind of ignored her. But then the thing with, you know, and then, well, Andrea?"
Andrea responds. "Jodie's party was the straw that broke my back for at least a few months. Damn Upchuck. I was amazed he actually hit on me." The three laugh. "But really I just didn't feel anything. I thought it was him but I tried with another guy and nothing. Then Jane called me while you were busy getting ready for College and we started hanging out again. We could talk, we could listen to the same music, do the same things, it just sort of happened."
"This isn't some elaborate joke, is it?" They shake their head. "Wow, but Jane, you've never, I thought we were good friends."
"We are Daria but I didn't want to tell you. Don't worry I never felt like this about you."
"Oh great I'm so ugly neither man nor woman feels attracted to me." They laugh at the joke. "Not that I could. Women are too crazy. It's enough dealing with PMS once a month not to have to deal with it again when the person I'm with goes through it." They laugh some more. "You really thought I'd hate you?"
"She said the same thing about Trent." Andrea is still holding Jane's hand. "See, she thinks the same thing. It isn't that big a deal. It will be the year 2001 in a few months. And it isn't like we're forever. Once you go off to college you'll meet plenty of cute guys. Or girls. I'm sure if I gave some of the people at LCC a chance I'd find a cute guy or girl too."
Daria is still a little shocked. Both that Jane was at least curious about, that, and that Jane thought she would hate her for it. "Jane you're my friend. If I hate you then I'm dead in the water. Who am I going to call when Lindsey annoys the hell out of me? Or her and Skaz are trying to choke each other to death with their tongues?" They laugh again.
"I feel stupid now." Jane looks up from the floor at Daria. "Thanks Daria."
"What do your parents think?"
"I'll tell you when I find them. My mom left a note on the counter saying something about moving rocks in Death Valley. Not sure when she left it though. It could be old. Last I heard my dad was in Japan taking pictures of Mount Fuji."
Daria was still a little confused. Or a lot confused. "So, are you gay, or bi, what? I thought you really liked Tom."
"I did, and still do, he's a good friend. And I admit that Skaz guy is cute, and I did feel about Tom like I do about Andrea. So maybe it doesn't matter? If they're cute, funny, and smart then I like them? I'm still trying to figure it out myself."
Daria sees the concerned look on Jane's face. "So, uh, where are you staying tonight?"
Jane scratches the back of her neck. She was still nervous Daria would say or do something. "Um, I was wondering if we could crash here tonight. It's a long ass drive and I don't feel like driving back."
"Like you can drive a stick." Andrea nudges her in the side. And laughs.
"I guess. I don't think there is anything against the rules about it. You'll have to sleep on the floor though." They laugh. "What?"
"Never mind, bad joke." Andrea looks around. "What's there to do in Boston on a Friday night?"
"I was going to relax and not do anything while Lindsey was out with Skaz but if you two want to go do something I can probably find where Lindsey is. She said it was at the same place the party was last week."
"Its ok Daria we can stay here. Don't tell Lindsey though, about us. I want to see some of her work without her…" Andrea interrupts Jane.
"Jane, it's not the Dark Ages. The church isn't in control anymore. They're too busy molesting eight year old Alter Boys to persecute people like us. I doubt Lindsey will come at us with a cross and a bottle of holy water if she knew." Andrea turns to Daria. "Thanks for letting us stay here Daria. Didn't want to waste money on a hotel."
"We could watch Sick Sad World. I saw in the TV listings they have a three hour run going. When Aliens Get Caught Using Drugs At the Olympics, sounds good."
The three hang out watching TV and talking before going to bed. "If she isn't coming home you could stay in her bed so you're not on the floor."
"Yeah and have her walk in hammered dropping on us. Daria we'll just sleep on your floor."
"She's probably getting hammered by Skaz." Jane laughs at Andrea's joke, Daria doesn't. "Daria it's what college kids do. If you aren't going to live like a college student you can go to Lawndale Community College and I'll go to Raft."
Daria is getting a little annoyed. "I came here to learn not get drunk or have sex. My scholarships mean I need to keep a B average or higher and I won't waste my time on that, other stuff." Daria grabs her sleeping clothes and goes to the bathroom. She brushes her teeth, does the usual going to bed stuff, and then changes. She goes back to her room. "Stop that!" Jane and Andrea were on the floor kissing.
Andrea rolls on to her back. "I was just kissing her good night. It was a long drive here and I'm tired." Daria closes the door and goes to her bed. She leans over and turns her lamp off.
"If I hear anything you're sleeping in your car." The two on the floor laugh but soon fall asleep.
Lindy and Quinn watch Mystic Spiral playing. "So you know Trent? Through your sister?"
"Yeah. He's ok, I guess." Quinn looks over at Lindy. "Why?"
"I've been hanging out with him and his band. He seems pretty cool. And I love the goatee."
The band ends their song and Trent grabs the microphone. "Thanks for listening, again. That was the second set."
Jesse shouts. "There is no third set!"
Trent continues. "Uh, yeah. No third set. So we'll pack up and leave."
Lindy turns to the bar. "Five beers." Quinn clears her throat. "Oh, right, only allowed three a night. So uh, four beers."
Quinn was getting more and more concerned. Lindy said she didn't have a problem but she'd finish her three shots and three beers faster and faster. "Lindy, maybe next week we could try a limit of two?"
Lindy picks up the four beers. "I don't have a problem." She stumbles a little. "Could you grab one? I can't hold all four any more."
Quinn takes one and walks with Lindy to meet up with the band.
Lindy and Trent walk out to her car, alone. "So," Lindy waits for Trent to say some thing else but he doesn't.
"Uh, you were good tonight. I think with a bit more practice and better lyrics you could actually be good enough to play at a bar that has doors on the bathroom stalls."
"I meant this." He puts a hand on her car and leans closer. "I am an artist. I'm sensitive to vibes. I can feel the vibe coming off of you." He laughs a little before coughing.
Lindy smiles and puts a hand on his arm. "Can you feel this?" She kisses him on the mouth and then pulls away. "The goatee tickles."
"Yeah, it does." Trent smiles. "You're pretty cool. Thanks for doing the CDs for us. We almost doubled what we usually make."
"At this rate you'll be able to buy a van that was made during the Clinton Administration."
Trent looks back at the Tank. "No way. The Tank has been good to us. When it doesn't break down."
Quinn sees the two talking and holds back. "Hey!" She turns around when some one bumps in to her. "Stacy?"
"Hi Quinn!" Stacy looks at the ground. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm with my friend Lindy. What are you doing here?"
"I, uh, no reason. Um, could you not tell Sandi or Tiffany?"
"I guess." Quinn is confused as Stacy walks off. "What was that about?" She looks back at Lindy and Trent as Trent walks away from Lindy.
Quinn walks over to the car. "You ready to go Lindy?"
"Sure!" She fumbles with the handle a couple of times before opening the door and getting in.
She reclines the seat and stares at the ceiling. "Maybe I should cut back to two." She closes her eyes and starts to snore lightly as Quinn drives out of the parking lot.
A/N Last time I focused 99% on Daria and butchered the Jane/Andrea thing. So glad I found Dariawiki and TV Tropes and other stuff to research the various characters so I could try and expand upon them. Again, I hope you like this and if you have the time, review!