Daria: The College Years
Episode 10: Like Candy
By: Farren O'Blivion
Trent couldn't remember the last time he'd watched a sunrise... Probably in that commune, before Janey was born.
In a detached haze, he watched the sky morph from an inky plum to smoky-grey before a green tinge appeared on the horizon, skimming the treetops across the road. Slowly, oh so slowly, it brightened to a chalky hue and then finally settled on a lovely robin's egg blue. Trent remembered that color from Janey's first paint set.
The skin around his eyes prickled but he did not blink. Instead, he reached over to the glove-compartment, cursing under his breath as his chilled fingers fumbled with the lever, and fished out a bottle of No-Doz. My new best-friend, he thought to himself, a caustic smile curving his lips. Caffeine's as good as any drug.
He popped a couple of the pills into his mouth and swallowed them dry as he leaned back into the seat to stuff the little bottle into his front pocket. A cream colored bird landed on The Tank's hood. It blinked and bobbed it's head at him for a moment before taking flight. He followed it with his eyes, at first, but turned his head when he saw it land in a tree by a second-story window; a window lit by the soft glow of a desk-lamp the room's occupant had opted to leave on.
Trent chuckled darkly. Afraid of the dark, little girl?
He reached into the glove-box again and extracted a watch with a broken band. 9:17 a.m. He stuffed it into his other front pocket and went back to watching the early birds root for worms in the medians that bordered the parking lot. A scrawny female managed to snag one but a larger bird rushed her with widespread wings and snatched it away from her; she scuttled away. Trent jerked the door handle open before he realized it.
"Hey!" he called as he stepped away from the vehicle, neglecting to shut the door. The cool morning air pierced his skin like burning pins but he ignored it. "Hey, you stupid bird!" He stooped down and caught up a handful of pebbles. "Bully bird!" he accused, flicking a few pebbles at it. It ruffled it's wings nervously and hopped a few steps away. "Fat, bully bird!" he said, flicking more pebbles. "Get lost!"
It hopped farther down the median, hissing petulantly. Trent paused in his assault as the little female darted forward and snatched up what was left of her original prize. She gobbled it down quickly and the large male flapped off in the opposite direction.
"Yeah, you better fly away!" Trent snapped, flinging another pebble after him just for good measure. "And if my van is covered in bird-shit later, I'll know exactly who's responsible!"
He dropped the rest of his ammo on the macadam. They made a light ski-skee sound as they hit and bounced. Trent stood there for a moment more and watched the shabby female resume her work. The morning air was soaking into him, chilling him to the bone, but Trent refused to shiver, refused to rub warmth back into his limbs. He took his last cigarette from behind his ear, the Zippo from his pocket and lit up.
Nicotine: my anti-drug, Trent mused, chuckling.
"What the hell are you doing, man?" A groggy voice called from behind him. Trent turned. Nick, half-wrapped in his sleeping bag, was hanging out the driver's side door of The Tank. "It's freezing!"
Trent stalked over to him. "The birds woke me up," he said, tossing his cigarette. "I was scaring 'em off." Nick moved over to the passenger's seat and arranged his sleeping bag more comfortably as Trent climbed in and slammed the door. He turned the key in the ignition and blasted the surprisingly functional heaters. Trent gazed at them distastefully.
"What time is it, man?" Nick asked, yawning. Trent dug into his pocket and tossed the watch over to him. Nick blinked blearily and peered at it. "Nine forty-two. Well, I guess it's time to get ready... We were going to that audition, right, man?" Trent nodded. "Sleeping Beauty still upstairs with the girls?"
"As far as I know," Trent managed to answer before his jaw tightened.
"Great. He'll be able to sneak us in."
"Some dude in a golf-cart was going around unlocking doors and turning off lights around nine."
"Cool," Nick said around his yawn. "I'll wake M—"
"Shut up!" Max exclaimed from deep in his sleeping bag.
"—ax." Nick grinned. "Wakey, wakey, Maxi-baby! We've got an audition." A series of curses and grumbles emitted from the sleeping bag as Max began extracting himself; Nick laughed them off.
"Hey, Max, get the bags," Trent said.
"'Get the bags, Max!' What am I, the roadie?" Max's shiny pate popped up between the seats. "Where are they?" he asked, kicking the rest of the way out of his bag.
"In the trunk, man," Trent answered as Nick tried to muffle his laughter.
"You'd make an excellent roadie, Maxi! Hey, Trent, we don't really need a drummer, do we?"
"Screw you, bass-boy." Max shot Nick a dirty look before scrambling to the very back of the van where all of their gear was stacked. The trunk, which they stored on it's end when not being used as a backseat, was shoved in the corner by the amps. Max pushed it over carelessly, ignored the resulting bang, and flipped up the lid. He extracted two small duffel bags and tossed them toward the front.
"Hey!" Nick cried, rubbing the back of his head. Max fluttered his lashes innocently.
"Come on," Trent said, turning the van off and pocketing the keys. "There's a bathroom on the second floor. Let's get Jess and find some breakfast."
Daria awoke at the first bout of light taps on her door without really registering them. She sat up and donned her glasses, pushing a hand through her tangled mass of hair and yawning. She glanced around the room, frowning (something was off) before her eyes focused on Jesse and Jane. She'd found them like that when she'd walked in: positions switched, hands clasped.
Daria shook her head. Last night in the pub, Jane had related to her how she'd seen Trent and Jesse arguing outside, a rare occurrence between them; she didn't know what about exactly but she'd heard her name enough times to guess. Jane had laughed and told her, "Trent doesn't mind me hanging out with guys as long as he doesn't know them!"
Interesting, Daria thought. Is it that Trent doesn't trust his friends around Jane, or Jane around his friends?
Another few taps sounded on the door and she jumped, startled. "Who is it?"
"Daria?" a scratchy voice called from the other side of the door. Daria's eyes went wide. She glanced back at Jane and Jesse's intertwined fingers. "Daria, let me in!" Trent called again, rattling the knob.
She threw her covers back. "Erm... Just a second!" Quickly stepping over to the sleeping pair, she grasped each of their wrists, prying their hands apart. Both awoke, blinking dazedly up at her. "Guys, get up!" she whispered, tugging at her friend's arm.
Jane tried to push her away, turning toward the wall with a small grumble. Jesse crawled out of the sleeping bag and shot Daria a sheepish little grin. "Jane, get out of the bed!" Daria hissed at her. "Trent is at the door!" Jane immediately jumped up (Daria had never seen her move so fast in the morning) while Jesse kicked the sleeping bag over toward Daria's bed. They exchanged glances, then nodded for Daria to open the door.
Have they done this before? Daria wondered, narrowing her eyes at them. Jane smirked as if she'd heard her.
Daria turned to open the door and avoided making eye-contact with Trent as he stepped into the room. Instead, she looked beyond him, into the hallway where Nick and Max waited, two duffels at their feet. They nodded at each other in a brief greeting before Daria crossed to her side of the room and compulsively smoothed her rumpled sheets.
Trent's eyes flicked between his sister and best friend. "You've got some color back, Jess," he finally said. He gestured at the boots by Delaney's desk. "Come on, we've gotta go. Can you keep watch, Janey?"
Jane yawned and stretched as Jesse collected his boots. "Commandeering the showers, big brother?"
"Yeah, we've got that audition..."
Jane glanced at the clock. 10:03. "I thought it was at noon?"
Trent shifted from foot to foot, running a hand through his spiky hair. "Yeah, but we gotta shower, find something to eat, get there a little early to set up... you know."
Jane's brows had climbed as Trent spoke, almost disappearing into her hairline. "Wow... yeah, okay... I'll, uh, I'll keep watch then."
"Just make an 'Out of Order' sign for the door," Daria said. She pointed at her desk without looking at them. "Middle drawer: loose-leaf, highlighters and tape. Help yourselves."
Jane smirked. "Brilliant, Daria!" she trilled, gathering everything and scribbling out the 'warning' with an unnecessary flourish. "Already outsmarting the other students, and school hasn't even started!" She stuck the sign on Jesse's back as he passed by. He mock-scowled at her.
"Hey!" Max suddenly exclaimed from the hallway. "You're back!"
"Let me help you with those," Nick said and there was the sound of crumpling paper. "Max, get the other one." A moment later, Delaney appeared in the doorway holding a large paper sack, Nick and Max just behind her, sporting identical bags (Max sticking his tongue out at Nick's back). Trent and Jesse moved out of their way.
"Thanks guys," Delaney said and plunked the bag on her desk, Nick and Max following suit. She smiled around at them all. "Mornin' all! Who wants breakfast?" Four hands shot up; Nick, Max, Jesse and Jane. Delaney laughed as she removed her jacket. "Alright. Let me just get some water and we'll have eggs, toast and coffee."
Daria glanced over her shoulder at the group that had accumulated in her room and suddenly realized what had seemed off when she's woken. "When the hell did you do that?" she demanded, pointing towards the bookcase. The entire gang turned to look.
The appliances the boys had brought up the day before (and crammed by Delaney's desk) were now all un-boxed, the mini-fridge stacked atop the mini-freezer, the coffee maker and toaster crowning it. Daria spotted the camp-stove on the bottom shelf of the bookcase.
Delaney grinned at her. "Last night. Well, actually more like early, early this morning." Her grin widened at Daria's baffled expression. "Glad to see I didn't wake you."
"You moved all of that around by yourself?!" Max demanded. "Then why did we—" he broke off as Nick elbowed him in the ribs.
"Wow, you must move like a cat. I didn't hear anything," Jesse said. Daria detected a hint of uneasiness in his voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jane shift uncomfortably.
"Neither did I," Trent muttered. Everyone but Delaney turned to look at him curiously but he didn't seem to notice.
Jane stalked over to the window, plopping down on Daria's dresser with her arms crossed. "You know," she finally said, glancing over at Trent. "You've been acting rather strange lately."
"Hmmm." He watched as Delaney unpacked the paper bags: bread, eggs, a cannister of coffee, a small bag of sugar, peanut butter, strawberry jam, a small frying pan and a black plastic spatula... A clear plastic bag of what looked to be granola, a tub of butter, a packet of plastic utensils and a mesh-sack of mixed fruit... Gallon of milk, gallon of orange juice, coffee filters and two bottles of flavored creamer.
"Disappearing all the time..." Jane continued. "Erratic hours that don't coincide with your previous erratic hours... Dark circles under your eyes!" She turned toward him, frowning. "I can't remember a time when you had circles under your eyes!"
"Squares, perhaps?" Delaney quipped. She began to stock the mini-fridge with her purchases.
Daria finished fluffing her pillows and glanced around at the guys. Nick and Max were trying to sidle out into the hall, staring in opposite directions, while Jesse was pondering the tips of his boots.
What the hell is going on? Daria thought to herself. They seem almost frightened. But frightened of what? Her eyes immediately snapped to Trent, but she scoffed inwardly at herself for such an off-the-wall assumption. Then she remembered the way his eyes had glittered so strangely by the fountain. Trick of the light. The barren look in the pub. Overactive imagination... The look in his eyes now. Paranoia!
Daria shook herself out of her musings, glancing over to Jane. She was watching her brother as closely as Daria had been. "Have you been sleeping, Trent?" she asked suddenly, sounding confused by her own question.
Trent laughed, a deep rumbling laugh, before he began coughing convulsively. He turned to her, a manic grin splitting his face, onyx eyes over-bright. Daria suppressed a shudder. "No, Janey, I haven't been sleeping," he confessed, half-glancing at Delaney. "In fact, I've been popping No-Doz like candy all night!"
Jane frowned sulkily at him, bristling at his tone. "I saw you fighting with Jesse last night..." she muttered, arms still crossed. Trent and Jesse both stilled. "What were you arguing about?"
Delaney ripped open the package of filters and began preparing the coffee-maker. Daria watched Trent's eyes flicker strangely, like he was forcing himself not to look away from his sister. "Jane's Addiction," he finally said. "The band. Any other private matters you'd like to nose in on, princess?"
Daria stared at him in shock; she'd never heard Trent talk like that to anyone, let alone Jane. Neither had any of the guys, apparently, as their expressions all mirrored Daria's.
Jane glared at him, her face clouding in anger. "You don't have to be such a jerk about it, Trent," she snapped.
"You don't have to be in on everything, Janey!" he retorted, near snarling at her. He spun on his heel abruptly and stomped out, Nick and Max jumping out of his way.
Delaney grabbed the coffee-pot and followed after him. The guys seemed at a loss as to what to do. They all glanced fleetingly at Jane, who'd turned away to stare out the window. Jesse looked to Daria, his face somber, and inclined his head toward Jane. Daria, her eyes wide, nodded vaguely. Jesse backed out into the hall, pushing Nick and Max with him, and gently closed the door.
Daria waved a hand weakly after them. "Okay, tell me the truth... Has Trent been taken over by a pod-person?"
Jane jumped to her feet. "He's morphed back into the real Trent, that's all," she huffed, frown still in place. "No wonder he was fighting with Jess."
Daria was confused. "The real Trent?"
"Trent was... He had issues," Jane said, rubbing at her eyes. "He used to get into some pretty nasty fights at school. When he was twelve, the cops wanted to send him to juvie for vandalizing the water-tower. Jesse, too." She picked at some lint on her leggings. "His dad had just walked out on them. Danny was only four. I was barely seven but I remember the day it happened." She sighed. "Jess showed up on our doorstep, hid out in Trent's room all day until Gloria, his mom, came and got him. The next day, Trent moved out into his tent."
She glanced up at Daria. "They met Nick in the principal's office the next year. Nick had slammed a boy into the lockers, broken his nose. Tommy Sherman's first, actually," she said with a dark chuckle. "Anyway, Max moved to town later that year. They formed Mystik Spiral soon after... And then everything changed. Trent didn't fight anymore; Trent didn't do anything anymore. Just slept a lot and... and nothing.
"I figured it out after a DARE officer visited my class, what he was doing. Figured out where he was getting it, too." A twisted half-smirk stretched her mouth. "Only thing our parents ever provided, I suppose."