"Why, Jane? Why? I don't make you run around naked at school- which
is the only thing that might have the same embarrassment value to you as
this does to me- do I?"
"No, but even if you did, I'd probably start out uncomfortable, then enjoy it- especially when all the guys ended up drooling and feeling stupid that they had never noticed my astounding beauty and radiance before."
"Yeah, but I don't think Trent's gonna start drooling. I could wade in with my skirt on. Wouldn't that be enough?"
"No. I want full exposure. Kinda." Her voice softened, knowing that even though Daria played it off with sarcasm, she probably really was freaked about Trent seeing in her in a swimsuit. "Besides Daria, you haven't got anything to be ashamed of. You know you basically look like Quinn underneath all those clothes. It's the only way anyone could ever tell you were related."
"This is one I'm not going to win, huh?"
"Nope. Get suited up for action, Private Morgendorffer."
"Fine," Daria grumbled as she crawled back out of the tent and reluctantly put on her one piece black bathing suit. She stumbled back out to find Jane, clad in a bright orange two piece suit with a halter top and boy shorts, digging for sunscreen in the trunk.
The boys came out of the woods wearing swimming attire, and they all looked at Jane. She eventually came up with two bottle of sunscreen and handed one to Daria. Then she looked at Jesse. "C'mere," she grinned, "lemme get your back for you."
Trent looked at them, then at the ground- then at Daria, who was rubbing sunscreen on her arms and looking back at him with something close to sympathy. He sighed and held out his hand. "Here, I'll get your back." She squeezed a tiny amount into his hand. "More. You don't want to burn. Burning sucks." She grunted an answer and squeezed too much into his hand then turned around and pulled her hair over her shoulders.
Daria shuddered when he started to rub the sunscreen on her back. "Cold!" she yelped, then relaxed again and let him rub her back while she retreated to a more blissful state of mind. It took him a really long time to rub in all the excess sunscreen- which Daria didn't mind a bit. He finally finished and she turned around to face his back, then squeezed sunscreen directly onto his back- making him shiver, too.
"Shit, that is cold."
She rubbed him down, blushing furiously, and then they both put some on their arms, legs, and face. Trent finished before her and looked over to see her rubbing some on her legs.
"Hey," he said, "you're bleeding."
"I know."
There were scratches all over her legs, and about five of them were bleeding. "You want a band-aid or something?"
"I'll be fine. As long as they don't attract the leeches."
"Okay." He stood up, about to follow Jane and Jesse into the water, when something hit him. "Wait," he turned back to Daria, "leeches?"
"Yeah. You know, those black slimy things that attach themselves to your skin then suck your blood out until they get too fat to hang on to your skin any more?"
Trent got a look of terror on his face that Daria had never seen before. "It's okay. There might not be any in this lake."
He didn't look any better.
"It'll be fine. Really."
Trent mustered his courage, knowing it was stupid to be scared of something as small as leeches. He calmed down, and headed back towards the lake.
Daria watched him go towards the lake, then sighed and removed her glasses. Last time she went swimming in a lake she had lost her glasses completely in the muck at the bottom of the lake; not an incident she felt like reliving, so she stood up, and attempted to adjust to her new blurry vision. She walked forward a few small steps. Seemed to be okay, so she walked a little more normally- keeping her eyes on the lake ahead of her. She was about ten feet from the lake when she stepped on a sharp rock, catching her off balance as she went tumbling to the ground with a small shout.
Trent turned at the sound to find Daria curled on the ground in a ball- reminiscent of her in the end of his dream. He shook his head to clear it of that image and walked over to her. "You alright?"
"Yeah- I just lost my balance."
He offered her his hand, but it seemed like she didn't see it. She just looked past it towards the lake, squinting. It was then that he realized she wasn't wearing her glasses. "You must have pretty bad vision, huh?" He reached down, picked up her hand, and helped her up.
"Uh, yeah," she said, blushing. "I never take off my glasses. But last time I went swimming in a lake I lost them completely."
"I see." He held onto her hand with his right and took her elbow in his left and led her down to the lake. "Well, once you get in the water- you won't have to worry so much about balance."
"Yo! You guys ever gonna get your bony butts in here?" Jane called from the lake.
Trent continued to steady Daria until they were up to their chests in the water, which was surprisingly warm. The bottom of the lake was gravel for a while, but soon turned into typical lake muck, and they swam out to where Jane and Jesse were.
"Aww, now that wasn't so bad, now was it, Daria?" Jane asked, winking at her friend before realizing there was no way Daria would be able to see her wink.
"I'm not dead yet, if that's what you mean."
"Good. That means you can play a game. Anyone else who has escaped death is also included. So, bat girl," she said, swimming very near to Daria, "You're it." Quickly she swam away, laughing maniacally as Daria stayed in the same spot.
"What makes you think I'm gonna play this game?"
She swam back towards them, circling the group and making sure Daria could see and hear her as she went up to Trent and began to whisper in his ear. Daria's eyes went wide, and she lunged towards Jane, who quickly swam away. Daria chased her, and finally nicked her foot as Jane tried to splash into her face.
"Fine. Now you're it."
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Daria just swam back towards Trent and Jesse, who were still watching them in amusement. Jane dived under the water and came up right behind her brother, grabbing him around the chest and pulling him under the water. When they came up, grappling in a playful sibling type way, she managed to yelp out that he was now it- and he lay off, going after Jesse next. Daria and Jane watched them swim away, heading slowly towards the center of the lake.
"So, my vision challenged friend, how are things between you and Trent?"
"Well, after we spent the entire afternoon cuddling and making-out, we were planning on getting a little action in before dinner, but somebody just *had* to go swimming. And I was this close," she held up her fingers indicating about an inch, "to getting him to pop the question."
"He was gonna ask you if you had herpes? Really?"
"You know how perceptive he is. I just couldn't hide it."
Jane laughed at Daria, who seemed to be in an okay mood. Better to have Daria joking about Trent than biting her head off about it.
"You two seemed to be getting pretty cozy and buddy-buddy a couple of times back there."
"As much as I like him, he's also my friend, Jane. We talked for a while. It was nice."
"I bet it was."
Daria glared at her, getting tire of the game. "What's with you and Jesse?"
"I just wanna have some fun before I go off to college, Daria, what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, I guess. It's just making Trent go apeshit."
"I know," she said, still sounding a little peeved. "He could afford to go a little apeshit once in a while, ya know?"
"At least he's awake."
"Exactly."
Suddenly they heard Trent shouting at them. "Watch out! He's comin' up fast!"
They looked around frantically for Jesse, not seeing him anywhere.
"Damn," Jane said, "this is just like Jaws. . ." Then she suddenly disappeared beneath the water. She came up, kicking and gasping for breath; Jesse came up behind her laughing. "Bastardo!" She yelled, swimming after him.
Trent swam up to Daria, who was attempting to figure out how far from shore they were. "Hey, you wanna head back? I'm getting tired of this treading water stuff."
"No, but even if you did, I'd probably start out uncomfortable, then enjoy it- especially when all the guys ended up drooling and feeling stupid that they had never noticed my astounding beauty and radiance before."
"Yeah, but I don't think Trent's gonna start drooling. I could wade in with my skirt on. Wouldn't that be enough?"
"No. I want full exposure. Kinda." Her voice softened, knowing that even though Daria played it off with sarcasm, she probably really was freaked about Trent seeing in her in a swimsuit. "Besides Daria, you haven't got anything to be ashamed of. You know you basically look like Quinn underneath all those clothes. It's the only way anyone could ever tell you were related."
"This is one I'm not going to win, huh?"
"Nope. Get suited up for action, Private Morgendorffer."
"Fine," Daria grumbled as she crawled back out of the tent and reluctantly put on her one piece black bathing suit. She stumbled back out to find Jane, clad in a bright orange two piece suit with a halter top and boy shorts, digging for sunscreen in the trunk.
The boys came out of the woods wearing swimming attire, and they all looked at Jane. She eventually came up with two bottle of sunscreen and handed one to Daria. Then she looked at Jesse. "C'mere," she grinned, "lemme get your back for you."
Trent looked at them, then at the ground- then at Daria, who was rubbing sunscreen on her arms and looking back at him with something close to sympathy. He sighed and held out his hand. "Here, I'll get your back." She squeezed a tiny amount into his hand. "More. You don't want to burn. Burning sucks." She grunted an answer and squeezed too much into his hand then turned around and pulled her hair over her shoulders.
Daria shuddered when he started to rub the sunscreen on her back. "Cold!" she yelped, then relaxed again and let him rub her back while she retreated to a more blissful state of mind. It took him a really long time to rub in all the excess sunscreen- which Daria didn't mind a bit. He finally finished and she turned around to face his back, then squeezed sunscreen directly onto his back- making him shiver, too.
"Shit, that is cold."
She rubbed him down, blushing furiously, and then they both put some on their arms, legs, and face. Trent finished before her and looked over to see her rubbing some on her legs.
"Hey," he said, "you're bleeding."
"I know."
There were scratches all over her legs, and about five of them were bleeding. "You want a band-aid or something?"
"I'll be fine. As long as they don't attract the leeches."
"Okay." He stood up, about to follow Jane and Jesse into the water, when something hit him. "Wait," he turned back to Daria, "leeches?"
"Yeah. You know, those black slimy things that attach themselves to your skin then suck your blood out until they get too fat to hang on to your skin any more?"
Trent got a look of terror on his face that Daria had never seen before. "It's okay. There might not be any in this lake."
He didn't look any better.
"It'll be fine. Really."
Trent mustered his courage, knowing it was stupid to be scared of something as small as leeches. He calmed down, and headed back towards the lake.
Daria watched him go towards the lake, then sighed and removed her glasses. Last time she went swimming in a lake she had lost her glasses completely in the muck at the bottom of the lake; not an incident she felt like reliving, so she stood up, and attempted to adjust to her new blurry vision. She walked forward a few small steps. Seemed to be okay, so she walked a little more normally- keeping her eyes on the lake ahead of her. She was about ten feet from the lake when she stepped on a sharp rock, catching her off balance as she went tumbling to the ground with a small shout.
Trent turned at the sound to find Daria curled on the ground in a ball- reminiscent of her in the end of his dream. He shook his head to clear it of that image and walked over to her. "You alright?"
"Yeah- I just lost my balance."
He offered her his hand, but it seemed like she didn't see it. She just looked past it towards the lake, squinting. It was then that he realized she wasn't wearing her glasses. "You must have pretty bad vision, huh?" He reached down, picked up her hand, and helped her up.
"Uh, yeah," she said, blushing. "I never take off my glasses. But last time I went swimming in a lake I lost them completely."
"I see." He held onto her hand with his right and took her elbow in his left and led her down to the lake. "Well, once you get in the water- you won't have to worry so much about balance."
"Yo! You guys ever gonna get your bony butts in here?" Jane called from the lake.
Trent continued to steady Daria until they were up to their chests in the water, which was surprisingly warm. The bottom of the lake was gravel for a while, but soon turned into typical lake muck, and they swam out to where Jane and Jesse were.
"Aww, now that wasn't so bad, now was it, Daria?" Jane asked, winking at her friend before realizing there was no way Daria would be able to see her wink.
"I'm not dead yet, if that's what you mean."
"Good. That means you can play a game. Anyone else who has escaped death is also included. So, bat girl," she said, swimming very near to Daria, "You're it." Quickly she swam away, laughing maniacally as Daria stayed in the same spot.
"What makes you think I'm gonna play this game?"
She swam back towards them, circling the group and making sure Daria could see and hear her as she went up to Trent and began to whisper in his ear. Daria's eyes went wide, and she lunged towards Jane, who quickly swam away. Daria chased her, and finally nicked her foot as Jane tried to splash into her face.
"Fine. Now you're it."
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
Daria just swam back towards Trent and Jesse, who were still watching them in amusement. Jane dived under the water and came up right behind her brother, grabbing him around the chest and pulling him under the water. When they came up, grappling in a playful sibling type way, she managed to yelp out that he was now it- and he lay off, going after Jesse next. Daria and Jane watched them swim away, heading slowly towards the center of the lake.
"So, my vision challenged friend, how are things between you and Trent?"
"Well, after we spent the entire afternoon cuddling and making-out, we were planning on getting a little action in before dinner, but somebody just *had* to go swimming. And I was this close," she held up her fingers indicating about an inch, "to getting him to pop the question."
"He was gonna ask you if you had herpes? Really?"
"You know how perceptive he is. I just couldn't hide it."
Jane laughed at Daria, who seemed to be in an okay mood. Better to have Daria joking about Trent than biting her head off about it.
"You two seemed to be getting pretty cozy and buddy-buddy a couple of times back there."
"As much as I like him, he's also my friend, Jane. We talked for a while. It was nice."
"I bet it was."
Daria glared at her, getting tire of the game. "What's with you and Jesse?"
"I just wanna have some fun before I go off to college, Daria, what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, I guess. It's just making Trent go apeshit."
"I know," she said, still sounding a little peeved. "He could afford to go a little apeshit once in a while, ya know?"
"At least he's awake."
"Exactly."
Suddenly they heard Trent shouting at them. "Watch out! He's comin' up fast!"
They looked around frantically for Jesse, not seeing him anywhere.
"Damn," Jane said, "this is just like Jaws. . ." Then she suddenly disappeared beneath the water. She came up, kicking and gasping for breath; Jesse came up behind her laughing. "Bastardo!" She yelled, swimming after him.
Trent swam up to Daria, who was attempting to figure out how far from shore they were. "Hey, you wanna head back? I'm getting tired of this treading water stuff."