"Jesse, man- food's ready!" Trent called, and predictably, Jesse
came a runnin'. Jane stalked out of the woods behind him and into the tent
to get changed. Trent handed Jesse a stick with a hotdog on it, a bag of
potato chips, and two cans of soda.
"Thanks, man," Jesse said, already a third of the way through the potato chips. Jane re-appeared, pants in lieu of her gray shorts, and the four sat and had dinner around the campfire.
Jane noticed with amusement and satisfaction the behavior of her best friend and her brother. Over the course of their "meal," aka more hotdogs, chips, soda, and lots of marshmallows and s'mores, then some licorice Trent had found in the car, their actions kept catching her attention. Trent's actions and Daria's responses, more like. He directed more than half of his comments to Daria, and occasionally reached over and touched her; a hand on her shoulder, pulling her hand back from the fire. Daria had blushed through the entire meal, but didn't 'eep' or go wide-eyed when Trent touched her. They were subtle, but it was obvious to Jane that there now was something there that wasn't there before. 'Shit,' she thought, 'did my thoughts just come out in Disney lyrics? There is something terribly wrong with that.'
When the full realization of the situation hit her, Jane laughed out loud.
"What?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just figured something out." The others looked at her strangely. She tried to concentrate on the marshmallow at the end of her stick. Damn. Trent was 'attracted' to Daria! Jane was pretty sure that *he* hadn't realized it yet- but it was still true. He'd seen how he first acted around Monique, before he ever realized her liked her. . . God. She couldn't believe this was happening. Daria had liked him for so long, she had given up all hope- she just enjoyed putting her friend in embarrassing situations. But apparently it had worked.
"Uh, Jane?"
"Huh?"
"That marshmallow was done a long time ago. Not to mention that you will now be requiring a new roasting stick," Daria said, pointing to the twig in her hand. It was missing about five inches off the end that had slowly burned off while she was in thought.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, amiga. Why don't you come help me find one?" she asked, winking.
Daria looked at her, pondering, then got up and followed Jane into the woods, grabbing a flashlight on the way.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing."
Daria stopped and shined the light straight in her eyes. "Talk, Lane."
Jane stepped up to Daria and pulled the flashlight down. "I've just noticed something. A little attraction building. . ."
"Just stop it, Jane. We know I like Trent. This is not news. Now can you pick a stick so we can get back to the fire?"
"Not you, Trent."
"Trent what?"
"Trent likes you."
Daria stopped, looked at Jane, then slowly turned and walked away without a word. She was tired of this shit. She was finally coming to terms with just being friends with Trent, and she didn't need the other Lane screwing everything up.
"Daria, come back," Jane called after her. "I mean it."
Daria turned and marched angrily up to her best friend. "Jane, listen. I can't take your meddling anymore. I really am starting some kind of . . . friendship with Trent and I'd appreciate you not butting in." She stared at Jane coldly.
"I'm not trying to butt in this time, honest. I just thought you should know that it seems like something new is there."
Daria's shoulders slumped and she handed Jane the flashlight. "Fine," she said, and walk back to the campfire.
Jane sighed and searched in earnest for a new stick. She now had more appreciation for the boy who cried wolf.
Despite her earnest reasonings and cold dismissal of her best friend, a corner of Daria's brain now ticked with the notion that maybe, just maybe, after years of blushing and stammering in front of him, Trent was starting to take a hint. She studied his eyes when he spoke to her, trying to pull some hidden meaning out of them.
"Where's Janey?"
"I'm here," she said, emerging from the woods.
"Oh. Good. . . didn't want you to be eaten by a bear or anything." He sat up, yawning- they had talked late into the night and he was ready to be warm. Trent put his hand on Daria's shoulder to get her attention, "hey," he asked, "you done with that?" He pointed to her hot chocolate mug and she handed it back to him, face reddened by the fire.
"Yeah, thanks Trent." She watched him as he took everyone's cups back to the picnic table, then stood up and started brushing off the blankets Trent and Jesse had used the night before, throwing them in the tent. Jane came and watched.
As Jesse and Trent came up behind her, she launched her great warmth plan. "I say we split the blankets again, make two big beds. That way we get twice as many blankets- including more big thick ones; all of the sleeping bags can be zipped all the way open."
Her companions shivered and nodded in agreement, and Daria and Jane stumbled into the tent to rearrange the blankets. When they had it all lay out, they quickly changed into sleeping clothes, then got out so the boys could change.
"Your turn," Jane said.
"To do what?" Jesse asked.
"Change into sleeping clothes." She realized this was a stupid idea as the boys stared back at her blankly.
"Sleeping clothes?" Trent asked.
"Yes, pajamas and such. Nevermind." Jane rolled her eyes and took off towards the lake to get water to put the fire out with, Jesse close at her heels.
Daria looked at Trent for a moment, then her and Jane retrieved their toothbrushes, and the extra toothbrushes they had brought for Trent and Jesse.
Jane handed a toothbrush to her brother.
"Thanks, Janey."
"Anything to save myself from the pungent aroma those hotdogs would have afforded me in the morning when I woke up within 100 feet of you two."
After they had finished brushing their teeth, Daria climbed into the tent and began to tuck herself in next to the wall when Jane started shoving her.
"What?"
"Move it, Morgendorffer. Big brother commands that Jesse and I sleep on opposite sides of the tent, and so we shall," Jane said, pointing Jesse into the other wall, "scooch."
Trent was zipping up the tent door when he looked back at Daria. "It's ok, I don't bite. If I start snoring just slap me upside the head or something."
It was pitch black by now, so no one could see Daria blushing, yet again. "Oh, get over it," she told herself. She tucked herself into the blankets as tightly as possibly, already infinitely warmer than she had been when she woke up that morning, mildly aware of all the movements of the non-female body next to her.
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To all of you waiting patiently, IM SORRY. Deeply apologetic. Just had awful writer's block. Next chapter soon.
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"Thanks, man," Jesse said, already a third of the way through the potato chips. Jane re-appeared, pants in lieu of her gray shorts, and the four sat and had dinner around the campfire.
Jane noticed with amusement and satisfaction the behavior of her best friend and her brother. Over the course of their "meal," aka more hotdogs, chips, soda, and lots of marshmallows and s'mores, then some licorice Trent had found in the car, their actions kept catching her attention. Trent's actions and Daria's responses, more like. He directed more than half of his comments to Daria, and occasionally reached over and touched her; a hand on her shoulder, pulling her hand back from the fire. Daria had blushed through the entire meal, but didn't 'eep' or go wide-eyed when Trent touched her. They were subtle, but it was obvious to Jane that there now was something there that wasn't there before. 'Shit,' she thought, 'did my thoughts just come out in Disney lyrics? There is something terribly wrong with that.'
When the full realization of the situation hit her, Jane laughed out loud.
"What?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just figured something out." The others looked at her strangely. She tried to concentrate on the marshmallow at the end of her stick. Damn. Trent was 'attracted' to Daria! Jane was pretty sure that *he* hadn't realized it yet- but it was still true. He'd seen how he first acted around Monique, before he ever realized her liked her. . . God. She couldn't believe this was happening. Daria had liked him for so long, she had given up all hope- she just enjoyed putting her friend in embarrassing situations. But apparently it had worked.
"Uh, Jane?"
"Huh?"
"That marshmallow was done a long time ago. Not to mention that you will now be requiring a new roasting stick," Daria said, pointing to the twig in her hand. It was missing about five inches off the end that had slowly burned off while she was in thought.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, amiga. Why don't you come help me find one?" she asked, winking.
Daria looked at her, pondering, then got up and followed Jane into the woods, grabbing a flashlight on the way.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing."
Daria stopped and shined the light straight in her eyes. "Talk, Lane."
Jane stepped up to Daria and pulled the flashlight down. "I've just noticed something. A little attraction building. . ."
"Just stop it, Jane. We know I like Trent. This is not news. Now can you pick a stick so we can get back to the fire?"
"Not you, Trent."
"Trent what?"
"Trent likes you."
Daria stopped, looked at Jane, then slowly turned and walked away without a word. She was tired of this shit. She was finally coming to terms with just being friends with Trent, and she didn't need the other Lane screwing everything up.
"Daria, come back," Jane called after her. "I mean it."
Daria turned and marched angrily up to her best friend. "Jane, listen. I can't take your meddling anymore. I really am starting some kind of . . . friendship with Trent and I'd appreciate you not butting in." She stared at Jane coldly.
"I'm not trying to butt in this time, honest. I just thought you should know that it seems like something new is there."
Daria's shoulders slumped and she handed Jane the flashlight. "Fine," she said, and walk back to the campfire.
Jane sighed and searched in earnest for a new stick. She now had more appreciation for the boy who cried wolf.
Despite her earnest reasonings and cold dismissal of her best friend, a corner of Daria's brain now ticked with the notion that maybe, just maybe, after years of blushing and stammering in front of him, Trent was starting to take a hint. She studied his eyes when he spoke to her, trying to pull some hidden meaning out of them.
"Where's Janey?"
"I'm here," she said, emerging from the woods.
"Oh. Good. . . didn't want you to be eaten by a bear or anything." He sat up, yawning- they had talked late into the night and he was ready to be warm. Trent put his hand on Daria's shoulder to get her attention, "hey," he asked, "you done with that?" He pointed to her hot chocolate mug and she handed it back to him, face reddened by the fire.
"Yeah, thanks Trent." She watched him as he took everyone's cups back to the picnic table, then stood up and started brushing off the blankets Trent and Jesse had used the night before, throwing them in the tent. Jane came and watched.
As Jesse and Trent came up behind her, she launched her great warmth plan. "I say we split the blankets again, make two big beds. That way we get twice as many blankets- including more big thick ones; all of the sleeping bags can be zipped all the way open."
Her companions shivered and nodded in agreement, and Daria and Jane stumbled into the tent to rearrange the blankets. When they had it all lay out, they quickly changed into sleeping clothes, then got out so the boys could change.
"Your turn," Jane said.
"To do what?" Jesse asked.
"Change into sleeping clothes." She realized this was a stupid idea as the boys stared back at her blankly.
"Sleeping clothes?" Trent asked.
"Yes, pajamas and such. Nevermind." Jane rolled her eyes and took off towards the lake to get water to put the fire out with, Jesse close at her heels.
Daria looked at Trent for a moment, then her and Jane retrieved their toothbrushes, and the extra toothbrushes they had brought for Trent and Jesse.
Jane handed a toothbrush to her brother.
"Thanks, Janey."
"Anything to save myself from the pungent aroma those hotdogs would have afforded me in the morning when I woke up within 100 feet of you two."
After they had finished brushing their teeth, Daria climbed into the tent and began to tuck herself in next to the wall when Jane started shoving her.
"What?"
"Move it, Morgendorffer. Big brother commands that Jesse and I sleep on opposite sides of the tent, and so we shall," Jane said, pointing Jesse into the other wall, "scooch."
Trent was zipping up the tent door when he looked back at Daria. "It's ok, I don't bite. If I start snoring just slap me upside the head or something."
It was pitch black by now, so no one could see Daria blushing, yet again. "Oh, get over it," she told herself. She tucked herself into the blankets as tightly as possibly, already infinitely warmer than she had been when she woke up that morning, mildly aware of all the movements of the non-female body next to her.
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To all of you waiting patiently, IM SORRY. Deeply apologetic. Just had awful writer's block. Next chapter soon.
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