Education is a state-controlled manufactory of echoes. - Norman Douglas
~lalaLAlala~
Fall, the first day back at Lawndale High for the new scholastic year, but you wouldn't know by the mercury readings. It was damn hot out.
Ms Li, naturally, started the year on a very sour note.
"Welcome back students," she declared over the PA system. "Please be aware that the school nurse is in, and waiting to collect your voluntary urine samples. Show your Lawndale High spirit with a gift of urine!"
Throughout the school, even the most cynical and disaffected were saying 'ew' after that announcement.
Daria knocked on Mr DeMartino's door before the bell for classes was due to sound.
"Come in."
"Hello Mr DeMartino," Daria greeted.
"Daria," he answered, and actually seemed to be surprisingly calm. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"
"I don't know if you've looked over class lists yet, but I think my sister is in your history class this year," Daria said. "I wanted to let you know that she's been studying hard all summer, so if you start losing faith, she'll have answers. I know you were lamenting squandering your potential by becoming a teacher before the summer break."
Anthony sighed. "Thank you Daria," he said. "I have actually had an enjoyable summer, and my desire to teach restored. Your consideration is appreciated, however."
Daria nodded. "You're my favourite teacher in this whole hell-hole of a school," she admitted. "Of course, if anyone asks while I'm still attending this hell-hole, I'll deny I ever said that."
Anthony chuckled, amused. "Of course," he agreed. "And thank you, Daria. As good as I feel about my chosen career right now, I doubt it will last long into my first class with Kevin."
~lalaLAlala~
No one in education felt very good for long. Shortly after the school year began, budget cuts were announced – and for once, not by Ms Li. No, this set of budget cuts were handed down by someone much higher in the food chain, and Lawndale wasn't the only school to suffer. Every school in the county, and indeed the country got to 'enjoy' the latest budget cuts. It was up to the schools themselves to come up with the funding for anything they needed.
Unfortunately, Ms Li didn't care all that much about supplying funds for the academia. The photocopier was so old that everything it produced was illegible, and there was no money for the books the students needed. Mr DeMartino was given the excuse that, as a history teacher, he didn't need anything more recent than V.E. Day, and when a colour of paint ran out... well, it wasn't replaced with any alacrity.
Ms Li only agreed to take action in regards to acquiring more school funds when it was brought to her attention that even the football team was suffering.
"Attention students," Ms Li said, very quietly, over the PA – after the bell letting students out of their final class had rung. "An acute paper shortage prevents us from an announcement about the -" and here her voice dropped into practically a whisper, "- school review meeting. Please remind your parents that it's on the thirtieth at six o'clock. Thank you."
Daria took a moment to process that as her peers filed out of Ms Barch's class.
"Since when are school review meetings held on Sundays?" Daria questioned.
"Who cares?" Jane asked. "It's not like we're going. We have plans."
"True," Daria agreed.
They were going to go bowling with, or more accurately, against Trent and Jesse. It was Lane and Friend against Lane and Friend, and incidentally, boys against girls. They were avoiding the Superbowl.
"Hang on," Daria said shortly as that registered. "She's arranged a school review meeting on Superbowl night, and I'll bet she doesn't actually want anybody at that meeting."
"Suspicious," Jane allowed. "But, again, we have plans. You're not disrupting them so that you can find out what Ms Li is plotting ahead of the game. If it will make you feel better though, we can probably send my mom. It's not like she watches the Superbowl, and since Trent's the one who owns the house now, she's a lot more open to suggestions coming from us kids."
"Thanks," Daria said sincerely.
~lalaLAlala~
The results of their bowling night, after each of them had somehow survived ten frames, were that Trent and Jesse had a combined score of two-hundred-and-fourteen, which meant they won by five points. In other news, the results of the school review meeting (that Amanda had agreed to attend) were soon in evidence throughout the school.
Vending machines appeared in every corridor, when there had only been two in the whole school before. Coca-cola brand vending machines, with all their different flavours, were in the central building and cafeteria. Vending machines full of bottled water in the library. Gatorade dominated the gym.
"Well, now we know Ms Li's latest grab for more money," Daria stated, a little unhappily. "Still, it could be worse."
"Yeah," Jane agreed. "It could all be one brand, one flavour, and posters promoting that brand all over the place. As things stand, we're just paying double the normal price for whatever flavour soda we want, and we aren't being forced to buy them either."
"It could be a lot worse," Daria amended. "And you know what? I think we actually have your mother to thank for that."
"Mm," Jane assented with a nod.
Actually, Amanda had just pointed out that it wasn't likely that every student liked the same flavour sodas. Ms Li had figured out without any further prompting that offering as many different options as possible (at a slightly elevated price) would be more profitable than getting a single, exclusive contract.
The school also got a sizeable, regular fee from a brand called 'Ultra Cola' for painting their brand on the roofs of the school buildings. It was less than ideal, but, as already noted, it could have been a lot worse.
~lalaLAlala~
"Are you Miss Morgendorffer?" asked the man who'd rung the doorbell. He had a very large bouquet of roses in his arms, and the logo of a florist on his hat.
"Daria or Quinn?" Daria asked. "We've got two that answer to that title."
"These are for Quinn," the man said, and handed over the flowers. "You must be Daria," he added, and held out his hand – expecting a tip.
Daria bent to look at the proffered palm. "Hmm. It says here that people keep closing doors in your face," she noted, and promptly suited actions to words.
The roses were lovely, Daria would grant that to whoever it was that had sent them to Quinn, and Daria pretended for a moment that they were for her, from Trent, before she shook off the stupid daydream and took them in to the kitchen.
Quinn was there, setting another bunch of flowers into a vase.
"You seem to be getting a lot of flowers and chocolates," Daria observed. "And it isn't even your birthday. Did you come down with some debilitating illness and forget to share the good news?"
"Funny," Quinn quipped back as she made sure the flowers were all pointed in the right direction as they sat in the vase. "They're anniversary gifts. I didn't ask for them, though," she added with a smirk. "I never ask guys to buy me gifts. I only suggest."
Daria rolled her eyes. "Right," she said sarcastically.
Quinn shook her head. "We're teenagers Daria," she pointed out. "And at this point in our lives, we are fairly well able to judge how much a guy cares according to how much of a fuss he makes about the important dates. Dates like anniversaries."
"Uh-huh," Daria allowed, though she had no intention of falling into that for herself, nor of demanding (or making suggestions to) Trent in that vein. "Well, while you get flowers and chocolates from boys you don't really care about for anniversaries of trivial occasions, I'm going to remind you that the anniversary of my birth is approaching once more."
"I haven't forgotten," Quinn dismissed with a wave. "But forgetting anniversaries is a sign that you're being taken for granted, according to Sandi. I can't really speak from personal experience on that one."
"And I'm not in a relationship that will offer anniversaries to be remembered or forgotten," Daria countered. She and Trent couldn't be in a relationship until she got passed her next birthday – after which point, her birthday would also be their anniversary. Nice and easy to remember.
"Not yet," Quinn riposted. "But you will be someday Daria. If you ever crawl out of your protective shell long enough to admit having feelings for a guy."
Nice to have confirmation that not even Quinn had caught on to her burgeoning romance with Trent.