Apologies for the wait. Hope people had a good Christmas.

Hands thumped against the steering wheel in frustration as Jane sighed and gave up. Doing a thousand-point-turn was not going to work in getting out of here and there was no way she was going back into that clown house to find the knuckleheads who owned the two beaters keeping her boxed in. The artist sighed and folded her arms. At least the car had enough gas to keep the heat on otherwise she'd end up like Jack Torrance; but more attractive and with clean teeth.

Sitting here, she got to thinking. Just thinking about things; the winter holiday, the fact this was her final year of high school and that she would soon be applying for colleges. College was something Jane had thought a lot about. She and Daria used to- damn it!

Why did every train of thought find its way back to Daria? Did she sprint from station to station in a desperate attempt to catch the fleeting locomotive as it tried and tried to get away from her? Jane sighed and sank in her seat. There was a tightness in her chest that would not go away. Why did she still think about her?

Jane stared out of her foggy window in thought. Maybe she should try to call Daria; even if it achieved nothing she just wanted to talk to her again. Maybe she could call and claim for it to be a wrong number; wait no Daria wasn't Quinn, she would never fall for that. She did not know if Daria even wanted to talk to her! The girl was very loose-lipped when it came to her feelings and made them evident through her wit; but she was a weird creature in that she kept so much to herself despite this. What was it that was stopping Daria from approaching her? Did she even think about Jane at all? Jane sighed and shut her eyes. Maybe she could get some forty winks until someone moved. It was not like her sleep schedule was in any way intact at all…

…

Daria's fingers drummed anxiously against her cup as she looked around the kitchen. Jodie had dragged here and had practically chained her arm to hers and would not let her out of her sight. Things were getting fully underway. The music was louder, the lights more blinding and the people were jumping. Everything felt so… slow. Slow like the processing power of their brains. Jodie was talking to Brittany, who was chirping away like a budgie about some boy drama that meant nothing to Daria. Behind the blonde, some guys were huddled together and laughing. Even Jodie was chuckling a little.

They were laughing in her direction. Why? What was so funny? Was she getting that stress rash again? Why would they laugh at that of all things?! She had to get to a mirror. Now.

She grunted and tried to pull away from Jodie, who instantly turned almost in alarm.

"What's wrong? You going to be sick?" She asked in her blunt but friendly way- one Daria could not appreciate right now.

"I'm not drunk!" Daria grumbled with a sniff, wiping her nose with a tissue, "I just- I need to go to the bathroom." Jodie blinked a few times.

"So… you do think you'll be sick?"

"I'm not going to be-!" Okay that laughing was getting on her nerves, she whipped her head around to the group of boys, "Stop laughing!"

The group stopped and looked at her, but they were still laughing?!

"STOP IT!" Daria barked, that finally got them to stop. Jodie jumped at this outburst, having never heard her snap like that before. Something was wrong.

"Daria what is wrong with you?"

"What?! They were laughing at me!"

"No they weren't, relax-!"

"You're laughing at me right now!"

"What?" Jodie put her hands up defensively, "Wait- oh you think we were-? No! No look!" Jodie pointed to another party-goer trying to chat up one of the cheerleaders. Unbeknownst to him, somebody had drawn something… phallic on his cheek that the cheerleader clearly noticed as she furiously blinked in an attempt to not stare at it. Daria blinked a few times and turned back to Jodie.

"See, we weren't laughing at you."

Daria folded her arms and looked around. Something still felt wrong. Her skin felt prickly and itchy and it seriously looked like everyone was looking at her. Why? Because she wasn't supposed to be here and was a pity invite? She already knew that she was a loser she didn't need reminding! Why were they STILL LOOKING!? Daria grinded her teeth anxiously and rubbed her arm.

"…Do you want to get some fresh air?" Jodie's voice floated through one ear and out the other. Everything still felt so slow as Daria could only nod heavily. What was going on? She allowed Jodie to take her hand and pull her through the crowd. The journey to the door was a short one but the smear of colours and noise made her feel like Bowman being carried across vast distances of space, while viewing bizarre cosmological phenomena and strange landscapes of unusual colours- made it feel like an eternity.

Finally, they got to the door and the sweep of cold air almost knocked the wind out of Daria's system. But as she looked outside, her eyes widened at something she had not been expecting; Jane asleep in her car!?

"Eep!" Jodie was caught guard by Daria's yelp as she was yanked back through the door, back into the mess of lights, noise, and unwanted chaos.

Daria's heart was racing as she tried to grapple with her sand-like thoughts slipping through a kitchen sieve. Jane was still there! Why?!

"Daria are you okay-?" Jodie asked but she was swiftly faced with a very angry Daria.

"Did you know she was there?!" There was a sharp growl intertwined within her monotone voice that caught Jodie off guard. She took a step back.

"N-no I didn't!"

"This is just a big scheme to try and get me to talk to Jane isn't it?!"

"Daria no I wouldn't do that-!"

"Oh of course this party had to happen on the night that Jane went to-to damn what's his name- Wind's house! I don't need you or anybody's help to-!" Jodie cut in before she could continue, which Daria was partially thankful for. It was as if her mouth was falling down a flight of stairs!

"Right this is getting ridiculous, something is wrong with you!" Jodie spoke up, "Why would I ever do this?"

"Oh I don't know! Maybe it's because I'm a rigid, unrealistic, unforgiving self-righteous jerk who can't hold on to a friend?!" Daria spat; anger layered on top of her sarcasm like oobleck.

"What I never said that-!"

"You said I was racist for choosing you over Jane-!"

"What?! When on earth did I say-?"

"That stupid loan assignment last spring-!"

"I never said you were I just-!" Jodie sighed and rubbed her temples, trying to remember exactly what had happened. It was so long ago now, why on earth did she bring it up? "I was upset- I shouldn't have said that about you but-"

"But what?" Daria growled, rubbing her arm more vigorously, why was this music so loud?! Her heart was going like a drum and it becoming impossible to keep anything together in her head "That I'm so much of an obnoxious herk that I can't hold onto Jane so I have to…" she trailed off, her eyes widening an upsetting thought assaulting her mind. Jodie noticed this shift and her eyes softened.

"Daria?"

"You… You hate me too."

Even with the thumping music, Jodie felt everything go quiet. She opened her mouth but before she could do anything, Daria had turned around, a hand on her head. It all made too much sense. She already knew it was her fault for what happened with Jane. What else could explain her lack of friends?

"What are you talking about- I don't hate you!"

"…I." Was everyone looking at her!? "I-I need the bathroom."

"Wait!" Before Jodie could stop her, Daria took off through the crowd. "Hold up!" But she had already vanished. This was becoming too much for her to handle.

"Mack!" Jodie called over to her boyfriend, who had been stomaching Kevin's story about how tried to run into the goal post like Tommy Sherman for the fiftieth time so was relieved to be pulled away. But his relief quickly shifted to concern at the worry on Jodie's face.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Something's wrong with Daria, she just ran off to the bathroom. She's been acting really weird all night and I'm getting worried." Jodie gave him a gentle push on the back, "Go check on her. I'll be right back!" she added as she began to leave.

"Wait!" Mack called, "Where are you going?"

Jodie stopped briefly at the door, she did not want to do this given what Daria had just said but what else could she do?

"Getting Jane!" And with that, she swiftly left. Mack, bumfuzzled could only do as she asked and headed to the bathroom.