Assumptions
We were sitting in my room one day after school talking when I first starting to suspect her of cheating. I was at my easle and she was indian style reading a book. It was the first time that she had been at Casa de Lane in about two weeks, something I was starting to attribute to Trent. I don't know why I connected her absence to him, it seemed to click.
"So, any special reason why you've been avoiding Casa de Lane?" I asked as I raised my paint brush.
"No, my mom's just on one of her "family bonding" trips. She's trying to make up for lost time I guess."
"Ahh I see. So how's Nick taking this forced family time?"
"Wouldn't know, we're not talking." Daria closed her book and leaned back on the palms of her hands.
"Again? Why now?"
"Quinn called him Trent on the phone."
"Huh? Why?"
"Dunno. He called one night, and Quinn called him Trent." Daria shifted uncomfortably on the bed.
"How would she know what Trent sounds like on the phone? And how could she not know what Nick sounds like? I'm sure he calls there enough." I set my paint brush down and pinned her with my eyes.
"Y-yea. You would think." She was fairly squirming on the bed now.
I was about to say something else when Trent stuck his head in. I seen him smile when he seen Daria on the bed.
"Hey Janey, Daria."
"Hey bro."
"Trent." Daria barely managed to squeak out.
"Janey can I borrow Daria for a minute?"
"As long as you return her on time."
"What am I a library book?" She butted in.
"No, if you were a library book then I would never get you back, they have a tendency to get lost in his room."
"Hmmmm. Why?" The last question was directed towards Trent.
"Nick's on the phone and he wants to talk to you."
"Oh." She got up from the bed and walked towards him.
"Fighting again?" He asked as they walked out the door and down the hall.
I sneaked to the door and watched them walk down the hall and into Trents room, his hand resting on the small of her back the entire time.
'Hmmm. I never heard the phone ring. He could've called him though.' I thought as I looked over at the phone on my night stand.
I never got to ask her about it though, about an hour later, to long to be on the phone, I heard someone run down the steps. I looked out my window and watched her run down the street. I went to my door and looked down towards Trent's room. He was standing in the door way with a flushed look on his face. I shut my door before he came out of his trance like state and caught me. I sat down on my bed and began thinking. After an hour and a half I walked down to Trents room and knocked on the door.
"Yea?" He answered the door in only his jeans.
"Can I borrow my friend back?" I asked as if I didn't know that she had ran out of here like a bat out of hell about two hours ago.
"She's not here."
"Where did she go?" I crossed my arms and looked at him hard trying to get a handle on the situation.
"Uh, her mom called awhile ago and told her to come home."
"I didn't hear the phone ring."
"She was, um, still on the phone with Nick and she beeped through." Trent started to fidget in the doorway.
"Since when do we have Call waiting?"
"I, uh, decided to put it on the phone this month. It, um, makes it easier to, um, yea whatever." He started to creep backwards into his room.
"Oh, cool. I guess I'll just call her later." I uncrossed my arms and started walking back towards my room, but not before I heard him sigh in relief.
'Oh I'll talk to her alright. I'm going to get to the bottom of this.' I thought as I entered my room and flicked on the t.v.
The next morning I was waiting for her on the front step. She looked like she hadn't slept all night, the dark circles under her eye's a dead give away. She stumbled towards the door and looked at me with disbelief.
"Jane are you feeling ok?" She asked.
"Uh huh. Why?"
"You're awake, and you don't have a cup of coffee in your hand."
"What about you? Why are you dragging? Nick keep you up on the phone all night?" I asked as we started to walk to school.
"You might say that."
"Hmmm?" I raised my eyebrow at her and waited for an answer.
"We made up last night after I, uh got done talking to him at your house." She said hurriedly.
"Really? So what were you two talking about to all hours of the night, and how did you get the phone away from princess grace?"
"None of your damn business, and Quinn was over at Stacy's last night. So she says."
"You believe that?"
"About as much as I'm a cheerleader in disguise."
I waited for her say more and wasn't too surprised when she didn't. We finished walking to school and was at our lockers when I noticed the mark on her neck. I wouldn't have seen it if she hadn't of flicked her hair over her shoulder. I didn't say anything but made a note of it in my trapper. During the day I noticed that she seemed spacey, something I would have never associated with her. We were in Mr. Dimartino's class when she was called down to the office. She picked up her books and left the class, I didn't see her again before the bell rang. I walked out of class and to the lunch room, fighting my way through the student body. After I entered the double doors I looked around, but she was no where to be seen. I was still standing there when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
"My, my. Are we by ourself today my lovely Ms. Lane?" I turned around and looked down at Upchuck, figuratively and literaly speaking.
"Depends. Have you seen Daria?"
"Hmmm, she was in the parking lot with a brown haired guy."
"Thanks Upchuck."
I ran off through the halls and out onto the campus. Sure enough Nicks' car was in the parking lot and they were sitting on the knoll, under the shade of a tree. She was laughing at something he said and he was staring at her like there was no one else on earth. I crept closer and took the disposable camera from my pocket and snapped a few pictures. I made a mental note to add them to the ones I was painting. I crept away and was walking back to the school when I also noticed the Tank in the parking lot. I walked over and looked inside, Max was curled up in the drivers seat, his head leaning against the window. A slow smirked played across my face as I opened the door, causing him to fall out of the van.
I laughed as he hit the dirt, beacuse no sooner than he was down he jumped up and was looking around for the person who did it. His face turned three shades of red when he finally noticed I was standing there.
"Hey Jane."
"Hi, Max. What are you doing here?"
"Uh, um, A criminale doesn't need an excuse to be anywhere."
"So why are you sleeping in the parking lot?" I tried to keep the smile from my face. He really was cute when he was flustered.
"Felt like it."
I just laughed and looked back over to Nick and Daria, they were still wrapped up in their own little world. I looked back at Max and caught him staring at my butt. I raised my eyebrow and watched as he blushed again.
"See something you like? Or just browsing?" I smirked as he groped for words. I was about to say something else when the bell rang. I smiled at him and walked back to the building. I paused at the door and blew him a kiss. I laughed as he scrambled into the van and revved the engine. I had just walked into the building when Quinn pulled me to the side.
"Jen or whatever." She started in annoyance.
"It's Jane, what do you want?" I started to look around for a way out.
"What-ever. I just want you to tell your brother to stop comming over every other night, and calling the nights he don't. He and Daria are keeping me up."
"Missing out on your "beauty" sleep gracie?"
"Yea, not that I need beauty sleep mind you, but-"
"I wouldn't be so sure. Is that a wrinkle?" I asked pointing to her forehead.
"WHAT?!?!?!?!?" She screamed before she took off down the hallway in search of a mirror.
I doubled over in silent laughter before my brain started to process the conversation. Something weird was going on here, and I was starting not to like what I was suspecting.
For the rest of the week I watched the way Daria and my brother interacted. On the outside it looked like they were acting the same way they always did, but then there would be instances where they would share a look that said that they knew something no one else did. I would catch him touch her in some way or another, a hand on her shoulder, or the small of her back. One day I was in my room when I heard the phone ring. Knowing that my brother probably wouldn't be up to answer it I picked up and was about to say Hello when I heard his voice.
"Hmmmm?"
"Trent?" Daria asked.
"Yea?"
"I'm starting to get worried. I don't know if I can keep this up." Her voice sounded strained, which in turn set off bells in my head.
"Don't worry. Soon everything is going to be alright."
"Trent I don't like to keep secrets. Especially this sort, they just sorta eat away at my soul."
"Look Daria, I know that this is getting to you, all the secrecy and the lies, but when we let everyone know next week, it'll be worth it. I promise you." Trent's voice was barely a whisper.
"Hmmm, I guess you're right. But it still bothers me, you know."
"You want me to come over for awhile?"
"No, Quinn and the Fashion Fiends are here."
"So why don't you come over here?" A note of hope entered his voice.
"Maybe, I really haven't spent much time with Jane, what with everything going on."
"Yea, she's been missing you lately. So see you in a bit?"
"Sure."
They said their good byes and hung up. I stared at the phone in shock as I put it back on the receiver. What was going on here? I stared at my bedroom wall and was going over the strange happenings of the past week and barely heard the knock on my door.
"Come in."
"Hey Janey, whatcha ya doing?"
"Thinking. Who was that on the phone?"
"Jesse. He asked if I would let his little brother Danny sit in with the band next week for the gig at McGrundy's."
"Ohh. So did you want anything in particular bro?" I asked getting up off my bed, taking note of how easily the lie came from his mouth.
"Hmmm, I can't remember now. Maybe I'll think of it later." I watched him amble out the room and heard him go down the stair case.
No more that five minutes later I heard a knock on the door. I stood at my easle and started painting random lines. I acted like I didn't hear her come up the stairs, it was hard. I really wanted to greet her without turning away from my painting, it would freak her out if I did. I only looked up when she cleared her throat.
"Oh, hey amiga, long time no see."
"Hey, yea I'm sorry about that."
She looked alittle nervous as she walked into my room. After looking around the room she seated herself on the edge of my bed.
"So, uh, what have you been doing?"
"Working on a new painting." I lied.
"Really? Can I see it?"
"It's not done yet. So what have you been doing?" I set my brush in a cup of cleaning solution and set down next to her.
"Helping my mom with something." She said.
"Hmmm, more forced bonding?"
"Oh yea." Daria smirked at me and reached down on the floor my t.v. remote and switched the t.v. on.
I waited for her say something, anything else, when it seemed like she wasn't, I stood up and went back to my easel. So we were both lost to our own little worlds, it seemed almost normal.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hey DariaM here. First of all iggy the "it's the last of this series." that's written on the first chap. I borrowed the note from one of my other fics and forgot to erase it. Second, yes Daria and Jane are out of character in this chap, but I think that her being with Nick has changed her. Not alot, but enough to make her act out of Character. Now with that said. Is Daria Cheating? Is Jane really crushing on Max? Guess you'll never know if you don't read the next one.
We were sitting in my room one day after school talking when I first starting to suspect her of cheating. I was at my easle and she was indian style reading a book. It was the first time that she had been at Casa de Lane in about two weeks, something I was starting to attribute to Trent. I don't know why I connected her absence to him, it seemed to click.
"So, any special reason why you've been avoiding Casa de Lane?" I asked as I raised my paint brush.
"No, my mom's just on one of her "family bonding" trips. She's trying to make up for lost time I guess."
"Ahh I see. So how's Nick taking this forced family time?"
"Wouldn't know, we're not talking." Daria closed her book and leaned back on the palms of her hands.
"Again? Why now?"
"Quinn called him Trent on the phone."
"Huh? Why?"
"Dunno. He called one night, and Quinn called him Trent." Daria shifted uncomfortably on the bed.
"How would she know what Trent sounds like on the phone? And how could she not know what Nick sounds like? I'm sure he calls there enough." I set my paint brush down and pinned her with my eyes.
"Y-yea. You would think." She was fairly squirming on the bed now.
I was about to say something else when Trent stuck his head in. I seen him smile when he seen Daria on the bed.
"Hey Janey, Daria."
"Hey bro."
"Trent." Daria barely managed to squeak out.
"Janey can I borrow Daria for a minute?"
"As long as you return her on time."
"What am I a library book?" She butted in.
"No, if you were a library book then I would never get you back, they have a tendency to get lost in his room."
"Hmmmm. Why?" The last question was directed towards Trent.
"Nick's on the phone and he wants to talk to you."
"Oh." She got up from the bed and walked towards him.
"Fighting again?" He asked as they walked out the door and down the hall.
I sneaked to the door and watched them walk down the hall and into Trents room, his hand resting on the small of her back the entire time.
'Hmmm. I never heard the phone ring. He could've called him though.' I thought as I looked over at the phone on my night stand.
I never got to ask her about it though, about an hour later, to long to be on the phone, I heard someone run down the steps. I looked out my window and watched her run down the street. I went to my door and looked down towards Trent's room. He was standing in the door way with a flushed look on his face. I shut my door before he came out of his trance like state and caught me. I sat down on my bed and began thinking. After an hour and a half I walked down to Trents room and knocked on the door.
"Yea?" He answered the door in only his jeans.
"Can I borrow my friend back?" I asked as if I didn't know that she had ran out of here like a bat out of hell about two hours ago.
"She's not here."
"Where did she go?" I crossed my arms and looked at him hard trying to get a handle on the situation.
"Uh, her mom called awhile ago and told her to come home."
"I didn't hear the phone ring."
"She was, um, still on the phone with Nick and she beeped through." Trent started to fidget in the doorway.
"Since when do we have Call waiting?"
"I, uh, decided to put it on the phone this month. It, um, makes it easier to, um, yea whatever." He started to creep backwards into his room.
"Oh, cool. I guess I'll just call her later." I uncrossed my arms and started walking back towards my room, but not before I heard him sigh in relief.
'Oh I'll talk to her alright. I'm going to get to the bottom of this.' I thought as I entered my room and flicked on the t.v.
The next morning I was waiting for her on the front step. She looked like she hadn't slept all night, the dark circles under her eye's a dead give away. She stumbled towards the door and looked at me with disbelief.
"Jane are you feeling ok?" She asked.
"Uh huh. Why?"
"You're awake, and you don't have a cup of coffee in your hand."
"What about you? Why are you dragging? Nick keep you up on the phone all night?" I asked as we started to walk to school.
"You might say that."
"Hmmm?" I raised my eyebrow at her and waited for an answer.
"We made up last night after I, uh got done talking to him at your house." She said hurriedly.
"Really? So what were you two talking about to all hours of the night, and how did you get the phone away from princess grace?"
"None of your damn business, and Quinn was over at Stacy's last night. So she says."
"You believe that?"
"About as much as I'm a cheerleader in disguise."
I waited for her say more and wasn't too surprised when she didn't. We finished walking to school and was at our lockers when I noticed the mark on her neck. I wouldn't have seen it if she hadn't of flicked her hair over her shoulder. I didn't say anything but made a note of it in my trapper. During the day I noticed that she seemed spacey, something I would have never associated with her. We were in Mr. Dimartino's class when she was called down to the office. She picked up her books and left the class, I didn't see her again before the bell rang. I walked out of class and to the lunch room, fighting my way through the student body. After I entered the double doors I looked around, but she was no where to be seen. I was still standing there when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
"My, my. Are we by ourself today my lovely Ms. Lane?" I turned around and looked down at Upchuck, figuratively and literaly speaking.
"Depends. Have you seen Daria?"
"Hmmm, she was in the parking lot with a brown haired guy."
"Thanks Upchuck."
I ran off through the halls and out onto the campus. Sure enough Nicks' car was in the parking lot and they were sitting on the knoll, under the shade of a tree. She was laughing at something he said and he was staring at her like there was no one else on earth. I crept closer and took the disposable camera from my pocket and snapped a few pictures. I made a mental note to add them to the ones I was painting. I crept away and was walking back to the school when I also noticed the Tank in the parking lot. I walked over and looked inside, Max was curled up in the drivers seat, his head leaning against the window. A slow smirked played across my face as I opened the door, causing him to fall out of the van.
I laughed as he hit the dirt, beacuse no sooner than he was down he jumped up and was looking around for the person who did it. His face turned three shades of red when he finally noticed I was standing there.
"Hey Jane."
"Hi, Max. What are you doing here?"
"Uh, um, A criminale doesn't need an excuse to be anywhere."
"So why are you sleeping in the parking lot?" I tried to keep the smile from my face. He really was cute when he was flustered.
"Felt like it."
I just laughed and looked back over to Nick and Daria, they were still wrapped up in their own little world. I looked back at Max and caught him staring at my butt. I raised my eyebrow and watched as he blushed again.
"See something you like? Or just browsing?" I smirked as he groped for words. I was about to say something else when the bell rang. I smiled at him and walked back to the building. I paused at the door and blew him a kiss. I laughed as he scrambled into the van and revved the engine. I had just walked into the building when Quinn pulled me to the side.
"Jen or whatever." She started in annoyance.
"It's Jane, what do you want?" I started to look around for a way out.
"What-ever. I just want you to tell your brother to stop comming over every other night, and calling the nights he don't. He and Daria are keeping me up."
"Missing out on your "beauty" sleep gracie?"
"Yea, not that I need beauty sleep mind you, but-"
"I wouldn't be so sure. Is that a wrinkle?" I asked pointing to her forehead.
"WHAT?!?!?!?!?" She screamed before she took off down the hallway in search of a mirror.
I doubled over in silent laughter before my brain started to process the conversation. Something weird was going on here, and I was starting not to like what I was suspecting.
For the rest of the week I watched the way Daria and my brother interacted. On the outside it looked like they were acting the same way they always did, but then there would be instances where they would share a look that said that they knew something no one else did. I would catch him touch her in some way or another, a hand on her shoulder, or the small of her back. One day I was in my room when I heard the phone ring. Knowing that my brother probably wouldn't be up to answer it I picked up and was about to say Hello when I heard his voice.
"Hmmmm?"
"Trent?" Daria asked.
"Yea?"
"I'm starting to get worried. I don't know if I can keep this up." Her voice sounded strained, which in turn set off bells in my head.
"Don't worry. Soon everything is going to be alright."
"Trent I don't like to keep secrets. Especially this sort, they just sorta eat away at my soul."
"Look Daria, I know that this is getting to you, all the secrecy and the lies, but when we let everyone know next week, it'll be worth it. I promise you." Trent's voice was barely a whisper.
"Hmmm, I guess you're right. But it still bothers me, you know."
"You want me to come over for awhile?"
"No, Quinn and the Fashion Fiends are here."
"So why don't you come over here?" A note of hope entered his voice.
"Maybe, I really haven't spent much time with Jane, what with everything going on."
"Yea, she's been missing you lately. So see you in a bit?"
"Sure."
They said their good byes and hung up. I stared at the phone in shock as I put it back on the receiver. What was going on here? I stared at my bedroom wall and was going over the strange happenings of the past week and barely heard the knock on my door.
"Come in."
"Hey Janey, whatcha ya doing?"
"Thinking. Who was that on the phone?"
"Jesse. He asked if I would let his little brother Danny sit in with the band next week for the gig at McGrundy's."
"Ohh. So did you want anything in particular bro?" I asked getting up off my bed, taking note of how easily the lie came from his mouth.
"Hmmm, I can't remember now. Maybe I'll think of it later." I watched him amble out the room and heard him go down the stair case.
No more that five minutes later I heard a knock on the door. I stood at my easle and started painting random lines. I acted like I didn't hear her come up the stairs, it was hard. I really wanted to greet her without turning away from my painting, it would freak her out if I did. I only looked up when she cleared her throat.
"Oh, hey amiga, long time no see."
"Hey, yea I'm sorry about that."
She looked alittle nervous as she walked into my room. After looking around the room she seated herself on the edge of my bed.
"So, uh, what have you been doing?"
"Working on a new painting." I lied.
"Really? Can I see it?"
"It's not done yet. So what have you been doing?" I set my brush in a cup of cleaning solution and set down next to her.
"Helping my mom with something." She said.
"Hmmm, more forced bonding?"
"Oh yea." Daria smirked at me and reached down on the floor my t.v. remote and switched the t.v. on.
I waited for her say something, anything else, when it seemed like she wasn't, I stood up and went back to my easel. So we were both lost to our own little worlds, it seemed almost normal.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hey DariaM here. First of all iggy the "it's the last of this series." that's written on the first chap. I borrowed the note from one of my other fics and forgot to erase it. Second, yes Daria and Jane are out of character in this chap, but I think that her being with Nick has changed her. Not alot, but enough to make her act out of Character. Now with that said. Is Daria Cheating? Is Jane really crushing on Max? Guess you'll never know if you don't read the next one.