Disclaimers: I do not own Daria in any shape or form. However, MTV and
Noggin do.
A/N: Hey! First off, thanks again for all of your reviews. Hecatonchires- your question will be answered in this chapter. Amanda- that was exactly what I was going for. Darkpride- I can only imagine how important glasses are to their owners. I always thought Daria had a great void in her heart for them. Anonymous-thank you! XxArEULoStxX- I completely agree! Rei Woo- I have an old Microsoft Word, but I'll get a new one soon. The length of this chapter should make you happy (. Wookie- a friend of mine goes by that nickname! And thank you very much.
And MANY thanks to Mere who pointed out that chapter four had been posted twice, and took the place of chapter three.
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~
Part 3
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*
Daria and Jane walked out and onto the sidewalk. The sun was bright now.it was after noon. Jane checked her watch.
"Ready for a pizza brunch? Then we can really catch up with each other."
"Sure."
"By the way, those glasses really suit you" she said with a smile.
Daria nodded. "Hey, remember when I had to write a story for class?"
Jane lifted an eyebrow. "How could I not? The story with me running off with Kevin was just too funny to simply forget."
Daria looked down the sidewalks at the little shops and such. She had to admit it was nice to be able to see again. "Do you know of a specific pizza place around here?"
Jane nodded. "It's just down two streets. We can walk."
They started walking down. Everywhere they turned, there was some sort of Christmas decoration. a little dancing Santa was behind one window, surrounded by toy reindeer. The smell of candy canes filled the air.
"Just gets everyone into the spirit of things" Jane commented.
"Especially the toy Rudolf whose nose lights up red at anyone who passes by. Christmas is too materialistic. No one really thinks about the origins of the holiday.just what present they'll get under the tree."
"But Christmas isn't just receiving, it's giving" Jane remarked. "Have you finished all of your shopping yet?"
Daria looked thoughtful. "Let's see. . .I bought my mom a nice stationary set, Quinn gets a nice outfit, you-I'm not telling," she said with a smile.
Jane smirked. "Of course not. You don't want to ruin the surprise. Who else?"
"Umm. . .I got Trent a gift card to a music store. My extended family I still need to shop for, except for my Aunt Amy. . .I got her a book. I just hope she doesn't have it yet," she said hopefully. "And the one person I've had the hardest time shopping for is my dad."
Jane frowned. "Why is that?"
Daria sighed. "Everything I've seen that would probably be a nice gift for him would at the same time remind him of his childhood. . .he's crazy enough as it is. I don't want to encourage it."
"Aww, but it's so funny when he goes nuts!" Jane said with a grin. Then her face went back to normal. "But seriously, I'll help you out. I need to shop for my parents. Everyone else is set. When are you going back to Lawndale?"
Daria shrugged. "In about two days. How about you?"
They entered the pizza restaurant. The smell was wonderful. . .Daria took it all in. She loved Italian food. This wasn't like the old pizza place she and Jane used to always eat at. This was a really nice place.
"In 3 days" Jane answered, pulling Daria out of her revelry. "Nice place, huh?"
They were immediately escorted to a booth. The setup was colored maroon, and the seats were very soft. They sat down comfortably while the waiter said, "Your waitress will be with you in just a moment."
Jane watched him walk away. "He was cute."
Daria shrugged at the comment. She really hadn't looked at anyone since she broke up with Tom, which was something she found to be a little odd, but that was just how she felt. She missed him. They had always gotten along so well. . .okay, so they did have some fights every now and then, but that was just their nature. They were both witty, and had the same opinions on most things. The real difference between them, other than the fact that they were opposite sexes, was that Daria was stubborn and Tom was more open to things. That was really why they were so perfect for each other. Tom didn't care about outward appearance, and they both thought mostly the same way. They had an understanding for each other.
Why had she been so stupid and blind to the truth?
Jane frowned at her. "Come on Daria. That guy was the reincarnate of Brad Pitt. I thought you liked Brad Pitt."
Daria sighed. "I've kinda given up men. I mean, what's the point? Look at me. I'm nothing special to look at or think about."
Jane looked at her. "Tom thought you were."
She sighed again. "You just had to bring him up, didn't you?"
"Come on. You two made sense. You had a perfect relationship. When you two were dating, and I thought back to how you liked Trent and all. . .well, I thought you had really found your match. Trent was not right for you. All he really cares about is his music. He's thoughtful, but not like you. And he never really has his priorities in the right place. But Tom really cared about you. And I know you really cared about him."
"I only broke up with him because we would never get to see each other," Daria said firmly. "Yes, I really did care about him. I cared about him enough to care about his feelings and not just mine. It would be too hard on the both of us."
Jane tilted her head. "I don't think that's it."
Daria frowned at her. "So then what is it?"
"I think you were scared. Did you ever tell him that you loved him?"
Daria stopped. Jane had a point. . .that wasn't something that made her feel better of course, but it was true. She shook her head in response. "But I-I did."
The waitress then came up to their table. She had her pen ready in her hand.
"Hey! I'm Pat. Would you like anything to drink?"
Jane looked up and smirked. "Two Ultra-Colas, please."
Daria couldn't help but smile herself as the waitress walked away. "I'll never forget Ms. Lee going crazy that day."
Jane nodded. "Ah, the good old days. So, Miss Morgendorffer, what's your excuse for not visiting me?"
Daria rolled her eyes. "You just wait until you get into college. You'll have your hands full then, too. I haven't even been able to visit my parents since I started going to Raft. Even during Thanksgiving. Besides, I talked to you over the phone, didn't I?"
Jane nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. It's not like I visited you for the past few months. Since I haven't started the second semester yet, I've just been traveling around, doing a bunch of different art projects. . .the goal is to get a scholarship." Then she frowned. "Say, how did you know where I was?"
Daria smiled. "About a month ago, I called your house. I guess I was lucky. . .Trent was awake. He said you were not there, but he said you should be in Boston in about a week or so, and he gave me your phone number."
"So, it was my brother that sold me out. Figures."
The waitress came back and gave them their drinks. After they ordered a huge pizza to share, she left the table and they resumed their conversation.
"So, do you have any big plans for the holidays?" Daria asked.
"My parents are in China or something. Trent has been practicing with the band, but his fellow players should be leaving soon to go spend the holidays with their families. I guess we'll just eat Chinese takeout."
"You should come over to my house for Christmas" Daria told her. "Both you and Trent. I really don't think my parents would have a problem with it."
Jane smiled gratefully. "That would be great. Who is going to be there?"
Daria made a fake smile. "It's going to be a family reunion."
Jane nodded. "Okay, moral support, dinner and a show. Sounds great."
~*~
Daria arrived at Lawndale. She smiled slightly at the sight before her. The first snow had come in, and the whole town looked like a frosted winter wonderland. She was eager to get home and meet her family, but she had the urge to go get her mother some flowers. She felt it would only be appropriate. If Quinn asked anything, she'd say it was for everyone.
She still remembered every little shop, every house, and every single detail about the place. 'I could walk around here with my eyes closed' she thought with amusement. She started down the sidewalk with her suitcase and almost immediately came to the floral shop. She stepped inside. The temperature wasn't much different. 'No kidding. The flowers have to live too. I'll just get some hot chocolate when I get home.'
At first she looked at the ready flower arrangements, but none seemed to appeal to her. They were all too holiday-oriented. It wouldn't show any thought behind it from Daria. She decided she'd be creative and make the arrangement herself. She was making sure she was being color-coordinated. 'Quinn would have an easy time doing this' she thought with irritation. 'I wish I had her color-sense right now. Dear God. What am I thinking?' She shook her head quickly to get the thought out. She kept looking down at the flowers, not really paying attention to where she was going.
BUMP.
Daria fell down and landed on her butt. Her glasses had gone askew, and she fumbled with them as she kept stuttering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." When she looked up, her eyes widened.
"You-you-"
"I'm not that awful, am I?"
Daria cheeks turned red. "Hey Tom."
He smiled. "Hey Daria." He held out his hand to her. She took it gratefully and pulled herself up. For a moment they just stood there, looking at each other. Tom finally realized what he was doing and decided to break the silence.
"Uh, need some help with that?" he asked.
Daria snapped out of it. "Uh, sure. That would be great."
They both started picking up the flowers. They were all still intact. Daria sighed in relief.
"They're for my mother" she explained. "I just got back from Boston for Christmas."
Tom nodded. "Actually, I was buying some flowers for my family too, but I can't seem to find an arrangement that isn't so.red and green" he said with a smile.
"That's why I'm making my own. Winter holidays are just so. . ."
"Materialistic?" he finished. They had finished collecting up all of the flowers and were looking at each other again.
"Took the words right out of my mouth."
He smiled warmly at her. Daria felt her heart rate increase. 'Just be calm, and nothing will go wrong' she thought to herself.
"So, how long are you staying here?" he asked.
"A week and a half or so. You?"
"Same. Hey, could you help me pick out something? I honestly don't know anything about flower arrangements."
"Tom, look who you're talking to."
"But you're a woman. You have much more sense with these things than me."
'He called me a woman' she thought in wonder. 'He respects me. He's always respected me. God, was I an idiot. . .'
"Uh, okay. But let me finish arranging this first."
"No problem."
Daria put some more flowers together and then set it on the counter. She headed back over to Tom.
"So, what sort of colors did you have in mind?" she asked him.
"I was thinking light colors, like whites, baby pinks, and lavender."
Daria racked her brain. She started looking all around her, trying to picture the arrangement in her mind. After about a minute of thinking and looking, she had it all perfectly planned out. She grabbed the necessary amount of specific flowers (all of which she didn't know the names of except for the roses) and after a few minutes had created her masterpiece. She looked at Tom.
"What do you think?"
He smiled. "It's perfect. You know, you never give yourself enough credit."
"Only because I don't want my ego to grow bigger than me."
"I see your sense of humor hasn't changed," he said with a smirk.
They walked over to the register. Daria smiled back at him, then looked at her watch. Her eyes widened. "I'd better go. It's an hour over when I said I'd get home."
Tom nodded. "Okay. Uh, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go eat at the pizza place tomorrow. You know, to catch up on things." He looked hopeful.
Daria handed the clerk her money and smiled. "Sure. How about at one?"
"Sounds perfect."
Daria blushed slightly. 'I hope he didn't see that' she thought, irritated. "Okay. Well.see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
Daria walked out into the snow. However, she wasn't cold at all. . .she felt quite warm. 'Maybe coming back to Lawndale wasn't a total loss. . .' she thought as she walked down the road.
~*~
Please review!
A/N: Hey! First off, thanks again for all of your reviews. Hecatonchires- your question will be answered in this chapter. Amanda- that was exactly what I was going for. Darkpride- I can only imagine how important glasses are to their owners. I always thought Daria had a great void in her heart for them. Anonymous-thank you! XxArEULoStxX- I completely agree! Rei Woo- I have an old Microsoft Word, but I'll get a new one soon. The length of this chapter should make you happy (. Wookie- a friend of mine goes by that nickname! And thank you very much.
And MANY thanks to Mere who pointed out that chapter four had been posted twice, and took the place of chapter three.
Summary: Daria's life has been pretty boring since she graduated from Lawndale High. After a certain mishap with her glasses, she meets up with everyone she knew during high school. Chaos ensues. Her life has just been spiced up a little TOO much. Daria/Tom, amongst others.
~*~ Is My Sanity Gone Yet? ~*~
Part 3
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*
Daria and Jane walked out and onto the sidewalk. The sun was bright now.it was after noon. Jane checked her watch.
"Ready for a pizza brunch? Then we can really catch up with each other."
"Sure."
"By the way, those glasses really suit you" she said with a smile.
Daria nodded. "Hey, remember when I had to write a story for class?"
Jane lifted an eyebrow. "How could I not? The story with me running off with Kevin was just too funny to simply forget."
Daria looked down the sidewalks at the little shops and such. She had to admit it was nice to be able to see again. "Do you know of a specific pizza place around here?"
Jane nodded. "It's just down two streets. We can walk."
They started walking down. Everywhere they turned, there was some sort of Christmas decoration. a little dancing Santa was behind one window, surrounded by toy reindeer. The smell of candy canes filled the air.
"Just gets everyone into the spirit of things" Jane commented.
"Especially the toy Rudolf whose nose lights up red at anyone who passes by. Christmas is too materialistic. No one really thinks about the origins of the holiday.just what present they'll get under the tree."
"But Christmas isn't just receiving, it's giving" Jane remarked. "Have you finished all of your shopping yet?"
Daria looked thoughtful. "Let's see. . .I bought my mom a nice stationary set, Quinn gets a nice outfit, you-I'm not telling," she said with a smile.
Jane smirked. "Of course not. You don't want to ruin the surprise. Who else?"
"Umm. . .I got Trent a gift card to a music store. My extended family I still need to shop for, except for my Aunt Amy. . .I got her a book. I just hope she doesn't have it yet," she said hopefully. "And the one person I've had the hardest time shopping for is my dad."
Jane frowned. "Why is that?"
Daria sighed. "Everything I've seen that would probably be a nice gift for him would at the same time remind him of his childhood. . .he's crazy enough as it is. I don't want to encourage it."
"Aww, but it's so funny when he goes nuts!" Jane said with a grin. Then her face went back to normal. "But seriously, I'll help you out. I need to shop for my parents. Everyone else is set. When are you going back to Lawndale?"
Daria shrugged. "In about two days. How about you?"
They entered the pizza restaurant. The smell was wonderful. . .Daria took it all in. She loved Italian food. This wasn't like the old pizza place she and Jane used to always eat at. This was a really nice place.
"In 3 days" Jane answered, pulling Daria out of her revelry. "Nice place, huh?"
They were immediately escorted to a booth. The setup was colored maroon, and the seats were very soft. They sat down comfortably while the waiter said, "Your waitress will be with you in just a moment."
Jane watched him walk away. "He was cute."
Daria shrugged at the comment. She really hadn't looked at anyone since she broke up with Tom, which was something she found to be a little odd, but that was just how she felt. She missed him. They had always gotten along so well. . .okay, so they did have some fights every now and then, but that was just their nature. They were both witty, and had the same opinions on most things. The real difference between them, other than the fact that they were opposite sexes, was that Daria was stubborn and Tom was more open to things. That was really why they were so perfect for each other. Tom didn't care about outward appearance, and they both thought mostly the same way. They had an understanding for each other.
Why had she been so stupid and blind to the truth?
Jane frowned at her. "Come on Daria. That guy was the reincarnate of Brad Pitt. I thought you liked Brad Pitt."
Daria sighed. "I've kinda given up men. I mean, what's the point? Look at me. I'm nothing special to look at or think about."
Jane looked at her. "Tom thought you were."
She sighed again. "You just had to bring him up, didn't you?"
"Come on. You two made sense. You had a perfect relationship. When you two were dating, and I thought back to how you liked Trent and all. . .well, I thought you had really found your match. Trent was not right for you. All he really cares about is his music. He's thoughtful, but not like you. And he never really has his priorities in the right place. But Tom really cared about you. And I know you really cared about him."
"I only broke up with him because we would never get to see each other," Daria said firmly. "Yes, I really did care about him. I cared about him enough to care about his feelings and not just mine. It would be too hard on the both of us."
Jane tilted her head. "I don't think that's it."
Daria frowned at her. "So then what is it?"
"I think you were scared. Did you ever tell him that you loved him?"
Daria stopped. Jane had a point. . .that wasn't something that made her feel better of course, but it was true. She shook her head in response. "But I-I did."
The waitress then came up to their table. She had her pen ready in her hand.
"Hey! I'm Pat. Would you like anything to drink?"
Jane looked up and smirked. "Two Ultra-Colas, please."
Daria couldn't help but smile herself as the waitress walked away. "I'll never forget Ms. Lee going crazy that day."
Jane nodded. "Ah, the good old days. So, Miss Morgendorffer, what's your excuse for not visiting me?"
Daria rolled her eyes. "You just wait until you get into college. You'll have your hands full then, too. I haven't even been able to visit my parents since I started going to Raft. Even during Thanksgiving. Besides, I talked to you over the phone, didn't I?"
Jane nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry. It's not like I visited you for the past few months. Since I haven't started the second semester yet, I've just been traveling around, doing a bunch of different art projects. . .the goal is to get a scholarship." Then she frowned. "Say, how did you know where I was?"
Daria smiled. "About a month ago, I called your house. I guess I was lucky. . .Trent was awake. He said you were not there, but he said you should be in Boston in about a week or so, and he gave me your phone number."
"So, it was my brother that sold me out. Figures."
The waitress came back and gave them their drinks. After they ordered a huge pizza to share, she left the table and they resumed their conversation.
"So, do you have any big plans for the holidays?" Daria asked.
"My parents are in China or something. Trent has been practicing with the band, but his fellow players should be leaving soon to go spend the holidays with their families. I guess we'll just eat Chinese takeout."
"You should come over to my house for Christmas" Daria told her. "Both you and Trent. I really don't think my parents would have a problem with it."
Jane smiled gratefully. "That would be great. Who is going to be there?"
Daria made a fake smile. "It's going to be a family reunion."
Jane nodded. "Okay, moral support, dinner and a show. Sounds great."
~*~
Daria arrived at Lawndale. She smiled slightly at the sight before her. The first snow had come in, and the whole town looked like a frosted winter wonderland. She was eager to get home and meet her family, but she had the urge to go get her mother some flowers. She felt it would only be appropriate. If Quinn asked anything, she'd say it was for everyone.
She still remembered every little shop, every house, and every single detail about the place. 'I could walk around here with my eyes closed' she thought with amusement. She started down the sidewalk with her suitcase and almost immediately came to the floral shop. She stepped inside. The temperature wasn't much different. 'No kidding. The flowers have to live too. I'll just get some hot chocolate when I get home.'
At first she looked at the ready flower arrangements, but none seemed to appeal to her. They were all too holiday-oriented. It wouldn't show any thought behind it from Daria. She decided she'd be creative and make the arrangement herself. She was making sure she was being color-coordinated. 'Quinn would have an easy time doing this' she thought with irritation. 'I wish I had her color-sense right now. Dear God. What am I thinking?' She shook her head quickly to get the thought out. She kept looking down at the flowers, not really paying attention to where she was going.
BUMP.
Daria fell down and landed on her butt. Her glasses had gone askew, and she fumbled with them as she kept stuttering, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." When she looked up, her eyes widened.
"You-you-"
"I'm not that awful, am I?"
Daria cheeks turned red. "Hey Tom."
He smiled. "Hey Daria." He held out his hand to her. She took it gratefully and pulled herself up. For a moment they just stood there, looking at each other. Tom finally realized what he was doing and decided to break the silence.
"Uh, need some help with that?" he asked.
Daria snapped out of it. "Uh, sure. That would be great."
They both started picking up the flowers. They were all still intact. Daria sighed in relief.
"They're for my mother" she explained. "I just got back from Boston for Christmas."
Tom nodded. "Actually, I was buying some flowers for my family too, but I can't seem to find an arrangement that isn't so.red and green" he said with a smile.
"That's why I'm making my own. Winter holidays are just so. . ."
"Materialistic?" he finished. They had finished collecting up all of the flowers and were looking at each other again.
"Took the words right out of my mouth."
He smiled warmly at her. Daria felt her heart rate increase. 'Just be calm, and nothing will go wrong' she thought to herself.
"So, how long are you staying here?" he asked.
"A week and a half or so. You?"
"Same. Hey, could you help me pick out something? I honestly don't know anything about flower arrangements."
"Tom, look who you're talking to."
"But you're a woman. You have much more sense with these things than me."
'He called me a woman' she thought in wonder. 'He respects me. He's always respected me. God, was I an idiot. . .'
"Uh, okay. But let me finish arranging this first."
"No problem."
Daria put some more flowers together and then set it on the counter. She headed back over to Tom.
"So, what sort of colors did you have in mind?" she asked him.
"I was thinking light colors, like whites, baby pinks, and lavender."
Daria racked her brain. She started looking all around her, trying to picture the arrangement in her mind. After about a minute of thinking and looking, she had it all perfectly planned out. She grabbed the necessary amount of specific flowers (all of which she didn't know the names of except for the roses) and after a few minutes had created her masterpiece. She looked at Tom.
"What do you think?"
He smiled. "It's perfect. You know, you never give yourself enough credit."
"Only because I don't want my ego to grow bigger than me."
"I see your sense of humor hasn't changed," he said with a smirk.
They walked over to the register. Daria smiled back at him, then looked at her watch. Her eyes widened. "I'd better go. It's an hour over when I said I'd get home."
Tom nodded. "Okay. Uh, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to go eat at the pizza place tomorrow. You know, to catch up on things." He looked hopeful.
Daria handed the clerk her money and smiled. "Sure. How about at one?"
"Sounds perfect."
Daria blushed slightly. 'I hope he didn't see that' she thought, irritated. "Okay. Well.see you tomorrow."
"Bye."
Daria walked out into the snow. However, she wasn't cold at all. . .she felt quite warm. 'Maybe coming back to Lawndale wasn't a total loss. . .' she thought as she walked down the road.
~*~
Please review!