Slowly

A Trent and Daria love story.

The next day Daria sat at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, her breakfast on a plate in front of her. Jake set next to her reading his paper, too. He was sipping his juice distractedly as he read something that horrified him in the paper. Helen paced around with the phone, talking to someone about Quinn's party, and Quinn herself was holed up in the bathroom in a cloud of foundation. Daria stared at the scene, and inwardly shook her head. Sometimes it was amazing how things just go back to normal.

"Oh, boy," said Daria flatly. Jake looked up from his newspaper.

"What?" He sounded alarmed. His eyes were frantic as they met his daughter's.

"I'm pregnant…with a boy." Jake's eyes bugged out of his head.

"A BOY?"

"No, Dad."

"Oh." The two went back to their respective newspapers, a hint of a smile on Daria's face, and Helen strolled past murmuring into her phone. Quinn came in and sat down. She looked expectantly around the table, waiting for attention.

"So, troops!" she began. She noticed Helen was still pacing. "Mu-um, I need you here! Big birthday celebrations, remember." She drew the word remember out painfully until Helen distractedly excused herself from her phone call.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I was organising things for your party," Helen tipped her head. Quinn ignored her, cleared her throat, and addressed her people like the queen she was.

"So! The party is on Saturday, of course, I mean anyone who's someone only has their parties on Saturday. Today is Wednesday, so that gives us four days, including the Saturday to get ready! I want to start with getting the hall ready." Quinn had rented a hall in town as the venue. "So, we'll all need to be getting decorations, and I just have no idea how long that will take. We're talking streamers, confetti, balloons, sculptures, balloon-sculptures, everything! I've already ordered some that just need to be picked up, but most will need deciding on. Of course, that will be my job, but I'll need help moving them. After we're set up, we'll need to get the juke box, Dad that's your job. After that, it's food, food, food!" Quinn's hands clapped together, a wide grin graced her face and she looked around excitedly. She was met with a less than anti-climactic response, but her face didn't fall. She just continued on. She handed a piece of paper to her mother. "Mum, this is a list of all the things that need to be picked up and where. They should fit in the car." She turned her sights on Daria. "You are helping with Trent and me. I'll be picking out new things, and it'll be your and Trent's job to take them over as soon as possible. We're on a time crunch here, folks." Daria finally spoke up.

"How did you manage to get Trent to help you anyway?"

"He came over in person to tell us he was coming and I think you'll find Daria, I can be very convincing," Quinn's hand shook dismissively as she spoke. "Now, he won't be here for a while, he has work until 10am but there's lots that we can get done before then. Now, let's move!"

x.x.x

Quinn's excitement was insatiable. At every new object, her 'ooh's were rekindled with the same extensive ear-piercing ability that sent dogs running. Standing at close range was somewhat difficult, but, Daria told herself repeatedly, it was almost 10, and Trent would soon rescue her. Quinn and Trent had pre-arranged to meet at a particular store at ten past ten, to give Trent time to get there. It was five to, and the seconds were clawing their way towards ten past. Daria's eyes flicked to her watch every few seconds because becoming interested in what Quinn was doing was just not an option.

"Oh, look Daria! Check out these glitter packs! There's a three for two deal! That's great!" She moved along, scrutinising the different glitter colours, approximating the sizes and potential slip/stick factors.

"Quinn, it's ten. Shouldn't we be going to the store to meet Trent?" Quinn's head tilted in the direction of Daria's voice, but her eyes remained stuck on the glitter. Quinn handed the bags of goods they'd already collected to Daria.

"He'll be at Party Stuff. Just go, and take what we've already got. I have decisions to make." Quinn excused her with an impatient wave of her hand. Daria almost ran to the door, bags swinging wildly, because she never took ten extra Quinn-free minutes for granted. Party Stuff wasn't far down the road, so Daria could afford to meander. She gazed at the cracks in the pavement, and viewed the graceful town around her. Sometimes she had to admit that Lawndale wasn't all that bad, it was just high school that made her feel that way. Daria felt calm, until she remembered that she was indeed going to meet Trent and it was probably going to be awkward. The dread lay in her stomach like a lead weight but she took some comfort in the fact that maybe he wouldn't even show. That's why as she rounded the corner and Party Stuff came into view, her stomach fell out of her butt into the pavement when she saw Trent already waiting outside the store. She approached slowly, and Trent glanced up. His face shifted automatically to a relaxed smile, and his hand reached half-mast for a lazy wave.

"Hi, Daria," he said, looking down at her. Why did she have to be so short? He looked behind her, confused. "Where's Quinn?" He continued to gaze behind her. It wasn't until after Daria spoke that he finally looked back at her.

"She's not coming. She's making important glitter choices, and she says for us to just take this stuff to the hall. I'm so glad." Daria's voice sounded normal, but it was through effort that she kept it flat. Trent was looking at her without an expression. He reached out, and took half the bags from Daria's hands.

"I brought the car, let's take it." He unlocked Daria's side of the car first, and he even opened the door. Daria's eyebrows rose in suspicion and surprise, but she slid graciously into the seat, placing the bag of goodies between her knees. They crinkled pleasantly at the slightest movement. Trent sat heavily in the driver seat, making the car shake a little, though that may have just been the instability of the car. Trent drove with ease, one hand on the wheel, the other sitting relaxed propped up on the car door. The radio played quietly, and it was easy to slip into the comfortable silence they used to share frequently. Daria gazed out the window, apparently at ease, but she was still focussed on the man seated next to her.

"You know where the hall is?" Daria questioned. Trent nodded, and drummed his fingers. Daria couldn't stay silent, and brought up the first topic she could think of. "Why'd you agree to help? I know that you don't always have lots to do, but there's always lots to do that's better than hanging with Quinn," quipped Daria. Trent smiled.

"It wasn't Quinn I wanted to hang with, Daria," Trent smiled, but he was nervous, and felt sweaty. He'd decided that today would be the day! He was going to tell her! He glanced at Daria from the corner of his eye, gauging her reaction. Daria sat ramrod straight in her seat, staring at the oncoming road. She was so embarrassed! Here she was, a grown woman, and this man reduced her to this…puddle! It was as equally frustrating as it was exciting. Daria cleared her throat, while she tried to think of a response. Just in time, they arrived at the hall, saving her. The hall was one of the nicer, modern buildings in town. Its design was simple, but elegant. Inside it had rich wooden floors and the walls were covered in photos of town events: official town opening, centenary celebrations, hot-dog eating contests, y'know, the usual. There were tables lined up along one edge of the room on the far side, brought in by Helen and Jake, Daria assumed. As Daria and Trent walked, their shoes clacked loudly and echoed around the room, and made Daria feel as though there was a giant magnifying glass pointed on the two of them. They placed their bags on the tables. "Now what?" said Trent.

"Now nothing. We just have to wait for Quinn. So we have…all this time to ourselves," Daria's voice trailed awkwardly. Great. Now that they had exhausted the easy topics, surely last night was going to come to the table. Daria waited, ill at ease.

"Daria, I wanted to talk about something." Oh, and here it is. Daria looked up at Trent, who appeared uneasy. "Will you go with me to the party?" Daria relaxed.

"We are going, Trent. Remember, your invite is an extension of mine?" Daria smiled at him comfortingly, unsure why he seemed on edge. Trent cringed and turned directly to face Daria.

"No, that's not what I meant," he rushed, well, it was rushing for Trent. By anyone else's standards, it was still slow. Now Daria's heart leapt. Trent stepped forward and Daria's heart leapt again. It was now sitting more in her throat than her chest. She looked away. Trent's hand was gentle when it touched her face, turning her face to his. He stared into her eyes. Daria's heart almost stopped, and her breathing actually did. "Will you go with me? As…a date?" His hand stayed on her face, warm, which was nice because the heat in Daria had flooded outward, her body mostly cold, though his hand excited some heat in her lower abdomen. When she found her voice, she really didn't know what to say. Really, she wasn't even sure what was happening.

"Trent…I don't know." She finally managed to gaze down at her feet. Her voice was barely a mumble. "I'm only here for a few days…" The response made no sense at all to her, but that was what her mouth had come up with. Trent moved his hand, leaving Daria's face aching. He placed it on the table instead, leaning. He was silent. Staring at her feet, Daria's mind grew crazy, not knowing what was happening above her laces. Her breath was ragged, and the floor seemed to revolve a little. She wanted to look up. The spot where she knew Trent's face was called to her.

"Daria, I just want to say something," said Trent. Despite that, there was silence for several more seconds. Trent stared at her bowed head, considering his best course of action. Daria waited, eyes clenched closed so that she could not look into his eyes. It was then that Trent's lips brushed hers, just briefly, ever so swiftly and softly. Her eyes flew open and her head snapped up. Trent was looking at her. "I just need you to know…before you…go...again…y'know?" He paused, and his head cocked the side, and he nodded slightly. Daria recognised this face as 'hey, those could be song lyrics.' He looked away then, and put his hands in his pockets. Gobsmacked, Daria couldn't even process thoughts. She stared at Trent with her mouth open like a goldfish, and occasionally looked like she tried to say something. Trent looked a little amused. "It's okay, Daria. I'm not expecting anything to happen. I just need you to know, and now you do." He turned to the bags on the table. "Let's unpack these shall we?" His hands were already shuffling through the bags and he took out party blowers and hats. Daria worked on the next bag with numb fingers that really weren't working too well. Her mind was a whirlwind of partially completed thoughts and action plans. From the corner of her eye, she considered Trent. The situation was overwhelming, and Daria couldn't handle it.

"I have to go," she breathed and she ran for the door. Trent didn't watch her go; he just stared at the meaningless things in his hands. His mouth had dipped in the corners, and his eyes were heavy lidded with remorse.

Daria Morgendorffer had never run so fast in her life. Her hair trailed out behind her but the problems in her mind stayed firmly lodged in her cerebellum. Damn you Trent, she thought. The sidewalk whizzed by, and she bumped into people, but she couldn't care. She couldn't, because he'd finally taken it; her heart. It had been there the entire time, and he'd finally taken it. Damn you, Trent, damn you. Daria huffed and puffed as she ran, and she damned Trent Lane.

(A/N) Once again, reviews appreciated/preferred to nothing! Show me some love, guys :P

Have a good one guys.

R-COTA