The Only One
(Part II)

By GOST


"Dammit, Jane!" thought Daria as she looked at the empty seat next to her. Jane was convieniently absent from school on a day that a joint assignment was due, and Jane had their whole paper at her house.
"I'm very much looking forward to reading your fiction assignments. I hope that working with a partner didn't create any awkward writing situations," Mr. O'Neill said as he started around the room to collect papers. Daria slid down in her seat. Mr. O'Neill approached her desk. "So Daria, where's Jane today? Weren't you two working on this project together?"
"Yes, but apparently she was struck down with a severe case of the Mongolian flu," said Daria, trying to somehow buy time. Mr O'Neill's brow furrowed.
"Oh dear!" he gasped. "I hope she's alright."
Just then heads turned as the classroom door was quietly opened a crack. A familiar spiky head poked through the opening and Daria had the urge to slide down even farther in her chair.
"Is uh....Daria Morgendorffer in here?" Trent asked.
"Yes, young man, she's right here," said Mr. O'Neill.
"Can I see her for a second?" Trent requested. Mr O'Neill glanced at Daria nervously.
"I think this may be about that paper we were talking about," said Daria. "Could be kind of important."
"Go ahead, then..." said Mr. O'Neill.
Daria stood and joined Trent in the hall. "Hey Trent."
"Hey Daria. Thank God I found you. That was the third classroom I tried."
Daria involuntarily slapped her hand to her forehead. "Oh jeez..."
"Well, here you are. It's from Janey. I hope I got it to you on time," Trent pulled a folded paper from his back pocket and handed it to Daria.
"Miracles do happen," said Daria as she looked over the paper. Thankfully, it was the assignment that was due. "Thanks Trent, you saved us."
"No problem," said Trent.
"What's wrong with Jane anyway?" asked Daria.
"I don't know, she said something about inexplicable pains."
"Maybe an impending math quiz was stabbing her spleen."
Trent began to laugh but it quickly dissolved into a hacking cough. "You're funny, Daria. I like that."
There was a moment of silence, then Trent put his hands in his pockets. "Well, I better get going. I'll see you around."
Daria turned and walked back into the classroom, placing the paper in Mr. O'Neill's hands. As she sat down, Brittany leaned over and squeaked, "Daria! Was that your boooyfriend?"
Daria slouched down in her seat once again. It looked like it was going to be one of those days.


When she got home Daria immediately went up to her room and switched on "Sick, Sad World". Somehow, Fish Brain Robots didn't seem very interesting to her today. She lounged on her bed, daydreaming a little, until the jarring ringing of the phone startled her out of her reverie.
"You've reached the winter of our discontent," Daria said in a monotone. Jane's perky voice greeted her on the other end.
"So my girl, did you enjoy your little visit today?"
"I had a feeling that was no Mongolian Flu," said Daria.
"Hardly," said Jane. "But hey, we artists appreciate a mental health day now and then. You got the paper, I trust?"
"Yeah, thanks for getting it to me. But really, Jane, if you think that somehow having Trent be my delivery boy will bring us closer..."
"Have patience, my dear Daria, have patience! You have not yet witnessed the extent of my influence!"
"If you say so..." said Daria.
"Speaking of which, could you come over tomorrow night? I thought we could hang out and watch movies."
"Alright, promise you'll get Kafka?"
"Anything you like. I'll stop by the rental place, and I'll meet you at my house at 7:00."
"See you then," Daria said.


Daria headed over to Jane's house at the prescribed time, and when she got there she was unsurprised to find herself greeted by Trent.
"Hey, Daria. Janey's not here yet. Come on in."
"Um, thanks Trent. Do you mind if I get a soda?"
"Go ahead," said Trent, closing the door behind her. Daria walked towards the kitchen, but was startled to hear Trent following her. She stopped and turned to look at him questioningly. He stopped too, and looked nonchalantly at the ceiling. Unfazed, she got her soda and began to walk to the TV room. Trent followed her.
"Can I help you?" asked Daria, turning to face him once more.
"I...um..." Trent mumbled. "Now this is weird," thought Daria. "What could Jane have possibly have pulled....?"
"Yes?" Daria asked Trent expectantly.
"Well Daria, I read that paper that I took to you today. I hope you don't mind."
"Um...should I? It was just a fiction assignment for school." Daria was nervously wondering where this conversation was going.
"Well, Janey told me that you wrote most of it, and I really liked it. It spoke to me, man."
"Uh, thanks?"
"Yeah, well, I was wondering if maybe you could help me out. See, I'm kinda stuck in this song that I'm writing..."
"How did Jane put you up to this one?" asked Daria, sure that Jane's "influence" was all over Trent's bizarre request.
"Huh?" Trent looked genuinely confused.
"You mean...Jane didn't ask you to ask me to help you?"
"No way, man, I've barely even seen her today."
Daria was truly surprised. It seemed too good to be true that Trent would want to talk to her, let alone ask her to help him with a song.
"Well, what do you have so far?"
"It's pretty good, but it really needs something. Here goes:

'Love's always seemed so hard to find
I felt like I was goin' outta my mind
You'll never know how hard it's been
To have looked at you and never seen
There's no one quite like you
All I need is to get a clue
Although I've hunted and hunted--'

"You're the one I've always wanted," said Daria quietly.
"What?" said Trent, looking up at her.
"It's not a true rhyme, it's a bit of a slant rhyme, you know, "hunted/wanted", but it works."
"Yeah," said Trent softly. "Yeah! 'You're the one I've always wanted'. Thanks, Daria."
"No problem," Daria said.