The Difference a Year Makes (Pt. 3)
Even though Jane knew that Brittany's party was bound to get busted by the cops, she and Tom found themselves at an utter lack of anything else better to do.
"You sure that we can't just go back to your place gross your sister out with fake making out sounds?" Jane asked Tom as they got their first look at the snack table, with two kinds of potato chips.
Tom shook his head, "I wish, but my cousin Tristan's in town."
"And that's bad, how?"
"You remember that one stuffy, upper crust party I took you too during the summer?"
Jane shuddered silently, that night had been nails on a chalkboard even with the help of Trent's 'special stash'.
"Tristan is pretty much that all year round."
Jane didn't say anything, but she did grab herself a heaping helping of potato chips to fortify herself.
"Yeah," Jane drawled, "I think we should party hearty here, and then go back to my place once we're certain that Trent and Monique have passed out and my mother is safely in the basement at her kiln."
Tom smiled slightly, "Well I didn't think you'd want to try and match Trent and Monique's record, but I'm willing to give it my college best."
Jane laughed, "Easy future Bromwell alumni, I didn't mean it like that... I mean it's not like I'm not interested or anything but..."
"It's ok Jane," Tom reassured her, "I was just joking."
"Oh, ok then." Jane replied, still embarrassed.
Tom just smiled and kissed her on the cheek.
Then nearby the sleazy voice of Charles 'Upchuck' Ruttheimer III drifted their way.
"Why, hellooo my lonely damsel, my name is Charles Ruttheimer the third..."
A flat, monotone replied, "And to what do I owe this dubious pleasure?"
"Oooh, feisty!" Charles growled as was his way.
Tom and Jane turned to watch Upchuck's latest attempt at picking up a "fine, luscious lady", which unusually for a party like Britt's was a girl in an ugly green coat, combat boots, and huge glasses.
"How'd she get an invite?" Jane pondered aloud.
Tom snarked, "She probably dissected Brittany's frog."
Upchuck in the meanwhile had asked the girl for her name, and was given the answer of 'Esmeralda'.
"That's not it," Jane said quietly, "But lets see if Upchuck jives to that fact."
The answer to that question however was ambiguous, since Charles then offered 'Esmeralda' a tour of the house.
"If I wanted to tour anything with an annoying kid with a pompadour haircut, I'd have stayed in Highland." the girl answered harshly before walking away from a momentarily dejected Charles.
However true to form, he shook it off and then spotted the two of them.
"Sloane!" Charles exclaimed, "My old pal, what brings you here among the plebs?"
Tom indicated towards Jane, "We wanted to see the future of Middle Class America up close."
"And the takeaway is, the country is screwed." Jane added.
Charles laughed, "Oh, your wit always brings joy to this young Don Juan's heart Ms. Lane."
"Well how did Don Juan get into the party this time?" Jane couldn't resist asking.
At that Charles seemed to deflate a bit and answered in a more normal voice, "I dissected Brittany's frog."
That made both of them chuckle.
"Then how did Daria get invited?" Jane asked between chuckles.
"I think she did Brittany's art project for her." Charles answered.
"I'm surprised," Jane replied honestly, "She doesn't seem like the time to help someone for a party invite."
Charles shrugged, "Who knows? People can surprise you in the most bizarre ways."
Jane would have responded to this but all three of them heard a high pitched screech that didn't belong to the hostess of the event.
"Darrreeeaa! Here's some cash, just get away from me! You're making me unpopular!"
"And whining about it isn't?" Tom quipped as pretty much everyone did their best to see what was happening without seeming to do so.
At the center of the tableau was that girl again, and she had clearly been talking to those three guys that everyone just called 'the Three J's' since they hung out together and all had the same first letter in their names. The screecher was a red-headed girl in trendy clothes that Jane knew had just moved to town and was becoming the most popular of the Freshman girls.
She just couldn't for the life of her remember the girl's name.
"Are they related or something?" Tom found himself asking.
Jane shrugged as Daria accepted a surprisingly fat wad of cash, "Dunno. I don't really know them."
"Yeah they are," Charles answered as Daria made a beeline for the door, "During the assembly for the Self-Esteem graduates, ("I skipped that." mouthed Jane) Daria thanked that girl, Quinn for her sisterly support."
"Those two are sisters?!" Tom exclaimed with disbelief, "I don't see it."
"There are weirder families out there." jane reminded him with a nudge to his side, "And speaking of which, mine should be all nice and distracted by now, so what do you say we blow this popsicle stand and go to Casa Lane?"
"Sure." Tom replied.
"Feisty!"
Tom and Jane just looked at Upchuck for a minute before Jane tsked, "What are we ever going to do with you?"
Charles began to open his mouth, no doubt to say something at least semi-sleazy, but he was interrupted by the front door bursting wide open and an irate old man barging in with a cop in tow, yelling about the noise.
"Whatever it is, it'll have to wait until we escape Johnny Law." Tom answered quickly as they began backing away from the now panicking crowd.
"I've got a car," Charles spoke up, "I can drive you lovebirds away."
"We'll take it." Tom replied.
Jane shrugged, "Works for me. Now follow me, I know a way around the back."
As she then began to lead them through the Taylor's tacky nouveau riche mansion, she found herself thinking that she hadn't quite expected the night to end like this.
"I thought that they party would have been busted sooner," Jane thought, "Much less that Upchuck would be here."
But during those rare times when she and Tom bumped into him together, Jane was willing to admit (if only to herself) that the kid was more tolerable.
"If he would just drop the act and behave more like a human being, he'd get further with the girls." Jane found herself thinking once again as they reached that handy side door and found it unlocked.
"How'd you know this was here?" Charles asked as they stepped out, the sounds of the police arresting protesting teens in the background.
"I was here for the party before this," Jane answered, "Siobhan showed me the escape route when we were forced to flee."
He thought that over as he in turn began leading them to his Cadillac, "Oh right, Chipmunk and Britt have been friends on and off since preschool."
Jane nodded and added, "Don't call her Chipmunk. She hates it."
"Then why does she put her hair up into those buns?" Charles asked as they reached the makeshift parking lot.
"I've never asked." Jane admitted as they found the poor Cadillac that Charles had painted pink and altered into 'fashionable pimp'.
"And as we make our escape," Charles began in a mock-tone, "Shall I give you the guided tour of the twisted place that is otherwise known as Lawndale?"
"Oh what the hell, it'll make the night more interesting." Tom replied as he and Jane climbed into the back.
As the three of them began to drive away Charles began with, "To your left, the home of the town director of public works, built on unstable landfill. To your right, a flattened squirrel. Straight ahead, the future!"
"And whatever I can work up the nerve to try." Jane thought to herself, feeling her stomach do flip-flops at the notion she was toying with putting into motion with Tom.
For a fleeting moment Jane thought she saw a flash of green on the sidewalk due to the headlights, but dismissed it.
Especially since her attention was then taken up by Tom resting his hand on her knee and her debating on if she should let him keep it there or not.
She settled on yes.
Note: And this marks the conclusion of this particular AU.