"And where do you think you're going, young lady?" Jessica asked, in a faux interrogative tone
"To hang out with a bunch of Communists" Daria replied "I got an email that said they're having a meeting tonight, so I thought I'd check it out"
"You're just doing this to wind me up, aren't you" Jessica said, mildly annoyed, but also slightly playfully
"Not just that, I've always been interested in Communism. The Soviet Union has always been particularly fascinating to me"
"I should report you to the House un-American Affairs Committee"
"Have you no shame, Senator?" Daria replied with a degree of faux outrage, and they both giggled a little.
"Okay, have fun and don't stay out too late"
"Yes, mom" Daria momentarily realised how lucky she was to have Jessica for a roommate, and not some Quinn clone, but then pushed the thought out of her mind. Why couldn't Jane be her roommate. Maybe one day it would happen.
La-la-la-la-la
When Daria entered the meeting room, she was asked to sign in by a young man in a pale red t-shirt that showed off his arm muscles, which Daria definitely didn't notice. When Daria wrote down her name on the sign in sheet, his eyes lit up, but Daria didn't notice that either.
"What should I put for organisation/union?" she asked, looking up the list and seeing things names that again reminded her of the Life of Brian. Things like People's Front of Judea, Judean People's Front and Popular Front. Things like that, but not exactly that.
The actual entries included Communist Party USA, Socialist Party USA, Socialist Alternative and ISO (International Socialist Organisation).
"You can leave it blank" he said. After a moment, he added "Daria, its me"
Daria was confused
"I'm Joe, Jason's brother" he explained "We spoke on the phone, the night of..." he trailed off
"Of course, the brother. But wait, haven't we met before. In person?" Daria asked, and it was Joe's turn to be confused.
"Yeah, now I remember. It was at the protest at the beginning of semester"
"Oh right. So, have you given any more thought to joining the class struggle?" he asked, sounding like a salesman
"I have, and I'm still thinking about it. So, remind me. What is the purpose of tonight's meeting?" she said, glancing at the books on the table, books about the Soviet Union, Vietnam War, the troubles in Northern Island, history of class struggle in the United States, all subjects that interested her. She then glanced at the prices and realised she couldn't afford any of them.
"We're trying to bring together all the left wing groups on the campus to put together a joint ticket for the student elections next semester"
"Sounds exciting" Daria said, honestly not knowing if she was being sarcastic or not, but revelling in the ambiguity
"Not really. Its probably going to be really dull and bureaucratic. I think you picked the wrong night to be introduced to Socialism" Joe said, somewhat dejected
As it turned out, the meeting wasn't actually that dull. Mainly because one group (ISO, was it? Daria thought) kept dominating the floor with their long, childish rants. Nothing of substance, just them throwing their weight around while everyone else, especially the meeting chairs, tried to keep their cool and remain diplomatic. After the meeting, Joe offered to walk Daria back to her dorm, which she accepted.
La-la-la-la-la
The night was cold and they shivered the whole way there. Daria zipped up her coat up all the way for once, and was wearing stockings, but her legs froze anyway. Joe too was wearing a few more layers than earlier. Daria kept looking over her shoulder, as though she was being followed. Joe noticed, but said nothing.
"I'm sorry you had to see that" Joe said, feeling quite embarrassed
"I actually thought it was quite entertaining. But I was just a spectator. Its not like I was an active participant"
Joe then tried to once again sell Daria on socialism, using his best salesman voice, but her cynicism and pessimistic attitude towards human nature was too strong. As they spoke, icicles began to form around their nostrils.
"What if I told you that is all social conditioning?"
"It wouldn't change anything. Nature, nurture, the end result is the same"
His tone was starting to seem, flirtatious to Daria, so she decided to change the subject. She finally decided that this would be the moment to ask the question she'd been wanting to ask all night.
"So, is your brother feeling better?"
"Oh boy, I didn't tell you did I?"
"Tell me what? You said was he was in hospital" Daria said, as they entered the dorm building.
"Well, that's the truth, but its not the whole truth"
"And what is the whole truth?"
"The reason he was there. He was in hospital because..." Joe took a deep breath. Daria realised this was weighing heavily on him, but was not prepared for what came next.
"Try to understand this wasn't your fault. It was just a coincidence that it happened the night of your date"
"That what happened? What wasn't my fault" Daria was both annoyed confused
"The night of your date, he attempted suicide"
Daria felt sick, but didn't show it. It didn't matter that it wasn't her fault. She was now a part of this now, and was overwhelmed by the implications. However, her stoic facade never faltered.
"Where is he now?" she asked
"In the Psych ward"
"Is he taking visitors?"
"Yeah, I'll add you to the list"
As they reached Daria's dorm room, Joe pulled out his cell phone and texted Daria the details.
"Thanks" she said
"I'm sure he'll appreciate seeing you" he said, and they parted ways.
When Daria went in, she said nothing, but Jessica knew something was wrong. It was like the night of her date, but much, much worse. She also sensed that Daria didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't push it. Daria would talk about it when she was ready.