When they got up to walking depth, Daria carefully walked up to the
picnic table and retrieved her glasses. When she got back, Trent was bent
over, staring into the shallow water. He looked up at her when she came
near.
"There's little fishes!"
Daria would have made a sarcastic comment, but the enormous grin on Trent's face dissuaded her. Apparently he hadn't been to very many lakes. He began to stoop down, trying to catch them, with the determination of an eight year old. Daria watched him fail to catch a fish eleven times before speaking up. "Would you like some help?"
"Huh?"
Daria turned without a word and went back up to the camp site- grabbing one of the hot chocolate mugs. She handed him the mug.
"Oh, thanks Daria."
She watched him try and catch fish for a while longer, before getting caught up in it herself. When Jesse and Jane came up, both Trent and Daria were squatting in the water, trying to herd fish into the cup. Before Jane could comment, Trent jumped up, holding one hand over the cup.
"We got one!" Trent turned around to find Jane and his best friend looking at him like he was nuts. "There are fish!" He carefully held out his cup for them to see. Daria was already on her way to get the other cups.
She handed one to Jane. "Get going, we've got a lot of these to catch if we want anything decent for dinner."
"Twisted. But not as twisted as that," she said, indicating to her brother- who was now whispering to his fish. "Something tells me he's not going to let you cook that one." They watched, captivated by the very unusual image of Trent acting like a four year old girl talking to her dolly. Eventually all three of them were watching Trent, and he finally noticed and looked up at them.
"What?"
His observers shrugged and returned to the task of trying to catch more fish. Trent sat down with his fish, spreading his legs out in the shallow water, sticking his finger in the cup and deciding what to name him. Milt? That might be okay. 'Zammer' was kind of a cool name, too.
Daria and Jane were transferring fish to a collective cup, a good half an hour's work, when they were hit with water and the sound of high- pitched, terror-driven screams.
"LEECHES!" Trent ran to Daria, completely hysterical, pulling her onto shore. "Get 'em off!!!! Get 'em off me!!!!" He was jumping and twisting to look at the three black lines that were stuck to the back of his legs. Jane was doubled over in hysterical laughter, and Jesse was laughing heartily. But Trent didn't seem to notice in his current state.
"Trent, you have to hold still." This was proving a very difficult task for Trent, he kept shuddering and muttering obscenities.
"Get them OFF!"
She stood up and faced him. "You're not supposed to pull them off. Do you have any salt?"
"Huh? Daria, just get them off!" The terror had yet to vacate his face.
Daria got an idea, and walked to the car- Trent right behind her. As she checked the glove compartment for salt packets, she thought of something. "Um, Trent, you might want to check under your shorts to see if there are more of them."
As she located a very, very old package of salt from Burger King, she heard more shrieking from behind her.
"EWWW! DARIA!!!"
As she tried to shake the thought of how much Trent sounded like her sister when he screamed, Daria turned to find him shifting his weight and jumping, holding his shorts bunched up around his butt. There were two on his upper left thigh.
"Relax, Trent." He continued to be jumpy. She emulated her mother's stern face. "TRENT. RELAX."
That seemed to get through, and his jumpiness became subdued. Daria kneeled in front of him, trying not to think of how this looked from Jane's point of view. She had never actually had to get leeches off of someone before, but this was the only idea she had. Daria carefully poured the salt into her left palm, then licked her right index finger and got some salt on it. She dabbed some onto the head of the leech farthest up on Trent's leg, watching in awe as it actually seemed to shrivel and writhe under the salt. She looked up at Trent, who was looking at the sky, squeezing his eyes shut and singing something under his breath, trying to keep himself distracted.
"It's working."
"Good. Make it work FASTER."
Daria gingerly took hold of the slimy parasite and gently pulled it off of Trent's leg, dropping it next to her on the ground. She quickly removed the other one. "Turn around." She saw why Trent had his shorts pulled up so high now. There was a really huge leech attached to the bottom of his ass. Daria attempted to choke back a laugh, without success. Normally she would have raised her eyebrow and made a sarcastic comment, enjoying the predicament from an aloof observer position. But something about the way she was nervous and weird-acting around Trent, or something about the way he had been acting like a six year old version of himself for the past hour. . . aloofness was completely past her. Daria found herself laughing out loud, uncontrollably.
"It's NOT funny, Daria. GET IT OFF."
Daria tried her hardest to stop laughing, but the thing was literally hanging off the bottom of his butt. Eventually she quieted herself and blushed, preparing to remove the source of her laughter from the source of her blush. Daria eventually removed the thing, only to begin laughing again. "Oh, it left you a little kiss," she muttered, practically giggling.
"Huh?" Trent craned his neck and stretched trying to see, eventually giving up and looking at Daria, who was lying on the ground laughing. He had never seen her laugh like that before. But dammit, there were still black things attached to him, sucking his blood!
"Daria!"
She managed to control her laughter and quickly removed the other leeches, much to Trent's relief. He let go of his shorts and rubbed his legs till he felt less. . . creeped out? "I'm okay!" He said, standing up.
"I told you you'd be fine," Daria said.
In an unexpected wave of gratitude, Trent grabbed Daria in a hug. "Thank you."
"Uh," she managed to pat his back though her shyness returned. "You're welcome." Her breath quickened and she felt her cheeks redden as Trent squeezed her tightly into his bare chest before letting her go.
Trent smiled at Daria, then turned to the lake, where Jane and Jesse were making out. His eyebrows shot up, and he turned back to Daria. "I think I'm done swimming."
"Yeah, me too," she replied. Daria headed back into the tent after brushing the dirt off her and changed back into her normal clothes. She found a brush and took it outside with her, trying to brush out the tangles and lake water. Trent was starting a fire.
"Let's make dinner," he said.
"Okay," Daria replied, glancing at Jesse and Jane, who were still lip- locked at the edge of the lake. "Get a room, Jane!" Jane just glared at her from over Jesse's shoulder, then pushed Jesse into the woods. "That wasn't really what I meant. . ." Daria mumbled.
Trent just looked on impassively, suddenly no longer bothered by her sister's actions.
"There's little fishes!"
Daria would have made a sarcastic comment, but the enormous grin on Trent's face dissuaded her. Apparently he hadn't been to very many lakes. He began to stoop down, trying to catch them, with the determination of an eight year old. Daria watched him fail to catch a fish eleven times before speaking up. "Would you like some help?"
"Huh?"
Daria turned without a word and went back up to the camp site- grabbing one of the hot chocolate mugs. She handed him the mug.
"Oh, thanks Daria."
She watched him try and catch fish for a while longer, before getting caught up in it herself. When Jesse and Jane came up, both Trent and Daria were squatting in the water, trying to herd fish into the cup. Before Jane could comment, Trent jumped up, holding one hand over the cup.
"We got one!" Trent turned around to find Jane and his best friend looking at him like he was nuts. "There are fish!" He carefully held out his cup for them to see. Daria was already on her way to get the other cups.
She handed one to Jane. "Get going, we've got a lot of these to catch if we want anything decent for dinner."
"Twisted. But not as twisted as that," she said, indicating to her brother- who was now whispering to his fish. "Something tells me he's not going to let you cook that one." They watched, captivated by the very unusual image of Trent acting like a four year old girl talking to her dolly. Eventually all three of them were watching Trent, and he finally noticed and looked up at them.
"What?"
His observers shrugged and returned to the task of trying to catch more fish. Trent sat down with his fish, spreading his legs out in the shallow water, sticking his finger in the cup and deciding what to name him. Milt? That might be okay. 'Zammer' was kind of a cool name, too.
Daria and Jane were transferring fish to a collective cup, a good half an hour's work, when they were hit with water and the sound of high- pitched, terror-driven screams.
"LEECHES!" Trent ran to Daria, completely hysterical, pulling her onto shore. "Get 'em off!!!! Get 'em off me!!!!" He was jumping and twisting to look at the three black lines that were stuck to the back of his legs. Jane was doubled over in hysterical laughter, and Jesse was laughing heartily. But Trent didn't seem to notice in his current state.
"Trent, you have to hold still." This was proving a very difficult task for Trent, he kept shuddering and muttering obscenities.
"Get them OFF!"
She stood up and faced him. "You're not supposed to pull them off. Do you have any salt?"
"Huh? Daria, just get them off!" The terror had yet to vacate his face.
Daria got an idea, and walked to the car- Trent right behind her. As she checked the glove compartment for salt packets, she thought of something. "Um, Trent, you might want to check under your shorts to see if there are more of them."
As she located a very, very old package of salt from Burger King, she heard more shrieking from behind her.
"EWWW! DARIA!!!"
As she tried to shake the thought of how much Trent sounded like her sister when he screamed, Daria turned to find him shifting his weight and jumping, holding his shorts bunched up around his butt. There were two on his upper left thigh.
"Relax, Trent." He continued to be jumpy. She emulated her mother's stern face. "TRENT. RELAX."
That seemed to get through, and his jumpiness became subdued. Daria kneeled in front of him, trying not to think of how this looked from Jane's point of view. She had never actually had to get leeches off of someone before, but this was the only idea she had. Daria carefully poured the salt into her left palm, then licked her right index finger and got some salt on it. She dabbed some onto the head of the leech farthest up on Trent's leg, watching in awe as it actually seemed to shrivel and writhe under the salt. She looked up at Trent, who was looking at the sky, squeezing his eyes shut and singing something under his breath, trying to keep himself distracted.
"It's working."
"Good. Make it work FASTER."
Daria gingerly took hold of the slimy parasite and gently pulled it off of Trent's leg, dropping it next to her on the ground. She quickly removed the other one. "Turn around." She saw why Trent had his shorts pulled up so high now. There was a really huge leech attached to the bottom of his ass. Daria attempted to choke back a laugh, without success. Normally she would have raised her eyebrow and made a sarcastic comment, enjoying the predicament from an aloof observer position. But something about the way she was nervous and weird-acting around Trent, or something about the way he had been acting like a six year old version of himself for the past hour. . . aloofness was completely past her. Daria found herself laughing out loud, uncontrollably.
"It's NOT funny, Daria. GET IT OFF."
Daria tried her hardest to stop laughing, but the thing was literally hanging off the bottom of his butt. Eventually she quieted herself and blushed, preparing to remove the source of her laughter from the source of her blush. Daria eventually removed the thing, only to begin laughing again. "Oh, it left you a little kiss," she muttered, practically giggling.
"Huh?" Trent craned his neck and stretched trying to see, eventually giving up and looking at Daria, who was lying on the ground laughing. He had never seen her laugh like that before. But dammit, there were still black things attached to him, sucking his blood!
"Daria!"
She managed to control her laughter and quickly removed the other leeches, much to Trent's relief. He let go of his shorts and rubbed his legs till he felt less. . . creeped out? "I'm okay!" He said, standing up.
"I told you you'd be fine," Daria said.
In an unexpected wave of gratitude, Trent grabbed Daria in a hug. "Thank you."
"Uh," she managed to pat his back though her shyness returned. "You're welcome." Her breath quickened and she felt her cheeks redden as Trent squeezed her tightly into his bare chest before letting her go.
Trent smiled at Daria, then turned to the lake, where Jane and Jesse were making out. His eyebrows shot up, and he turned back to Daria. "I think I'm done swimming."
"Yeah, me too," she replied. Daria headed back into the tent after brushing the dirt off her and changed back into her normal clothes. She found a brush and took it outside with her, trying to brush out the tangles and lake water. Trent was starting a fire.
"Let's make dinner," he said.
"Okay," Daria replied, glancing at Jesse and Jane, who were still lip- locked at the edge of the lake. "Get a room, Jane!" Jane just glared at her from over Jesse's shoulder, then pushed Jesse into the woods. "That wasn't really what I meant. . ." Daria mumbled.
Trent just looked on impassively, suddenly no longer bothered by her sister's actions.