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Chapter Twenty-Five; In His Dreams

The citizens of Lawndale spent the next few days drenched in unseasonal rain – they rarely suffered any particular extremes, the suburb always maintaining a balance between light drizzles and passably warm days. However, in the dismal weather Daria found solace. Her mother didn't ask her why she wasn't outside, and she had an excuse to remain at Jane's house. And, with the barely hidden relationship between herself and Trent, Daria needed various reasons to remain over at Jane's house without raising suspicions.

Another bonus was the additional time she and Trent would spend tucked away in his bedroom away from the cold. Despite all their time together, Jane and Daria felt they had a balance. Fortunately they were never that concerned with how much time they had and hadn't spent together, but it was definitely a consideration Daria took into account. There would be nothing worse than letting a guy get between them as they had in the past; even if this guy was Jane's brother. And, on the matter, Jane and Taylor seemed to still be together, at least to Daria's knowledge.

'Can I ask you something?' Daria pre-emptively hummed under her breath, her eyes focused on the end of Trent's bed. They had been sitting there for the better part of the day, staring idly at the television that Trent had received from Jesse a few days back.

'No.' He paused, sensing Daria had taken him seriously. 'I was kidding, ask away,' he laughed. The girl turned a bemused look toward him before he sighed out a small apology.

'What're we going to do when I head off to Raft?'

Trent made a few confused and thoughtful noises, his eyes dropping to the guitar in hand. He discarded it for the moment to draw Daria closer. This was a topic he had put thought into, but this left him more concerned and depressed than reassured. He had, unbeknownst to Jane and Daria, reconsidered the agent. The two girls had persuaded him into the consideration, but he wasn't going to promise anything; hence his reluctance to reveal the very tentative contract.

Daria, in her own haste and misconceptions, found that the space between school and her induction to Raft was only a matter of time. It seemed as if she had been given the short end of the stick, so to speak. There was a few weeks left before her and Jane headed off toward their respective but close colleges. Each time this realisation hit, she would think of Trent. Little else meant much to her in Lawndale, especially with the passing weeks they'd spent awkwardly dancing around one another… whether or not all the lead up was wasted opportunities or moments to regret, Daria was unsure.

'Well? What will we do?'

'I dunno Daria,' Trent yawned, slumping back onto the bed and mildly dozing off.

Daria simply made an unimpressed noise and slipped off the edge of the bed, her hands tucked between her knees. She wondered to herself if it was worth pressing the matter anymore. She guessed Trent would probably suggest a long-distance relationship to be nice, but it would end with her running off with someone else, and Trent with another Monique. 'Trent, have you ever considered that sleeping all the time could be harmful to you?'

'Well… I did make an appointment to see a doctor about it once, like… four years ago.'

'And what did they say?'

'I dunno I missed the appointment because I slept in till four in the afternoon…' Trent paused, sitting up from his very momentary slumber. 'I guess I just like dreaming… I mean, you can do whatever you want, you don't have to work, you don't have to worry – I don't have to worry about what I stand to lose,' he added out of some odd poetic necessity that seemed lost on Daria.

'Dreaming all the time doesn't get you anywhere,' Daria said in a forceful sigh, her hand darting behind her ear to tuck her hair away. 'Doesn't matter though,' Daria shook her head and dismissed the topic. She slipped off the bed and sunk her feet into her boots. Trent seemed to watch in his own brand of surprise as she wandered out of the room and down towards the front door. Out of necessity, she yelled a goodbye and an excuse to leave.

'Hey, uh, wait,' Trent stumbled over the edge of the bed and walked as fast as he could manage. 'The agent, y'know the one I said no to – he wants Mystik to perform so a few of his colleagues can see us… I want you to be there.'

Daria slowed before her hand met the door, her gaze barely parting from the front door. 'Don't I always go to your performances?' she rhetorically asked with her Mona Lisa smile parting her lips. It felt nice to act as the confident one, rather than the bumbling teen girl of yesteryear.

'I thought you were mad,' Trent reproachfully stated as he descended the stairs.

'I'm not mad, I just wanted to see if you were willing to chase something rather than dream about it,' Daria mumbled a she leant back against the front door, one boot-clad foot swinging back to press against the door.

'… Deep, Daria.'

'No, cheesy. We're going to have to work on your lyrics before this performance.'

'So you're looking forward to being my proverbial arm candy then?' Daria peered up as Trent closed the space between them, slinging an arm across the door above Daria's head. It amused him she was so short, and this gesture always made her frown – he could tell she loved it to, it allowed her to feel some kind of girlish spark. She was always his mental superior, so his height allowed him something to hold over her – metaphorically.

The reality of the statement, however, hit Daria a few seconds later. Rather than smirking up at the older male, she frowned a little more. 'Jane told you? I hope she has fun trying to paint with a broken arm,' Daria sarcastically drawled. They both knew she could never physically injure someone, so the comment was more flippant than menacing.

'I think it's kinda cute though Dar.'

'Dar?'

'I'm working on a nickname… I'll get something eventually,' Trent shrugged, liking the nickname even if she didn't. 'And imagine all the hot outfits I could buy you.'

'Ignoring the conversation on cheesy one-liners we just had, in your dreams Lane.'

Trent gave a simple grin, bending down to peck the girl on the lips. They shared a momentary kiss and a gentle, amorous hug before Daria wandered out of the Lane household, fighting against overgrown grass and a stuffed mailbox. Trent had offered a lift, but Daria always liked to walk – especially in the light drizzle that continued to fall on her beloved Lawndale.

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