Chapter 3

Daria slammed her Creative Writing book shut in frustration. She couldn't concentrate on studying with all the noise one of her roommates, Taryn, was making. Taryn was at her desk, watching a DVD on her laptop. Granted, she had headphones plugged in so she wouldn't disturb Daria, but Taryn's raucous laughter broke through the would-be silence of their dorm room.

Daria sighed, grabbed a chair, and headed over to where Taryn sat. She sat in the chair and said, "I give up. Let's watch the movie."

"Now you're talkin'!" said Taryn, as she unplugged the headphones.

The sounds of the movie filled the room. On screen, a handsome young actor held a teenage starlet in his arms. They both sat in a faded, rusty, old car and gazed up at the stars.

"Oh, Kristenique," sighed the actor. "I love you."

"And I love you, Matthew," answered 'Kristenique'. "I've loved you from the moment I first saw you."

"I thought you were watching a comedy," said Daria confusedly.

"It might as well be," laughed Taryn. "This is so corny."

"My love for you is deeper than the deep blue sea," continued Kristenique.

" 'My love for you is deeper than most of my thoughts' ," added Taryn with a laugh.

"I must tell you, Kristenique…." Matthew began. "When I saw you attacked at the rock quarry, I thought I would never see you again."

"I didn't think I'd see you again either," cooed Kristenique.

"Kristenique, I could never bear to see you die… never bear to see us part…."

Suddenly, like a flash, Daria remembered……

Daria opened the passenger door to Tom's car and slid in next to him. "Hey," she softly greeted.

"Hey," Tom answered, frowning a bit as he started up the car again. "You're OK, right? I mean, Mom said that you were alright after… the accident, but are you OK?"

"I'm fine," she assured. "Except for that whole 'six months to live' thing, but other, than that, I'm just peachy."

Tom let out a brief chuckle. "Good to know. Anyway, sorry I wasn't home when you called. And I'm real sorry you never made it up there, although I think that last checkers game between me and my uncle is still going on."

"Hey, you had no way of knowing I was gonna want to drive up."

"I mean, if I'd had any idea that you'd end up in a horrific multi-car crackup, whispering my name over and over in a desperate bid not to slip into a coma…"

"Horrific crackup? I spun out on the shoulder," corrected Daria.

"You tell it your way, I'll tell it mine," joked Tom. They smiled at each other for a moment, then Tom turned somber. "Listen… I… uh… I'm glad you're not dead."

"Well that's good to know." She turned to look at him, then frowned slightly. "What's the matter?"

"It's just… for a brief second… when your mom was calling my mom to say you weren't coming after all… I heard her talking about how you got in an accident, and I---- "

"You got scared."

"….well…yeah."

She smiled for a moment, then leaned over and gave him a kiss on the check. "I'm OK, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

They rode in silence until they reached Lawndale High. After saying their goodbyes, Daria got out of the car, closed the door, and watched as Tom drove further and further away.

Daria was brought back into reality with a jolt. "Daria? Daria! You awake? What did you think of what just happened there?"

Daria shook her head to try to clear it. "Oh, um, I… uh… wasn't paying attention."

"Is something wrong?"

"No," Daria answered a little too quickly.

"Yeah right, come on. Tell me." She grabbed a smiley face pillow off of her bed. "Or else I attack with Kevo here."

Daria sighed, giving in. "Fine. That movie just…. it made me think of my ex-boyfriend."

"Oh." Taryn backed down. "Well, we'll just fast forward through this scene, then."

Neither of them saw a winged, blonde holiday sneak out of their window and down the fire escape.