Twenty years after leaving Lawndale for college and never looking back, Jodie finds herself back for Lawndale High's reunion.
Her parents moved out after Rachel had graduated high school and Evan had turned four, her father having got a huge opportunity to increase his company and they moved to Connecticut and put Evan in the best private schools and sports programs imaginable. He never did become a football player like her dad had wanted, but he did become a doctor, which was just as good for her father. Rachel had struggled a bit more to figure out what to do, but she eventually settled on majoring in cosmetology and opening up a fairly successful makeup brand titled "Look Ravishing ! By Rachel Landon" (™).
Basically, she had no real reason to come back. Her parents were never too fond of this place and everyone she was relatively close to in high school had moved on to different places, even if not better things. She couldn't entirely blame them, Lawndale wasn't the worst place to live, but there were better options out there.
As years went by, Jodie was more often than not, working. Her father's connections made things slightly easier for her, but as a black woman, Jodie was still struggling to be taken seriously. She kept her promise to her parents and transferred to Crestmore after taking two years off at Turner (she didn't fully keep her promise, obviously… she didn't regret taking that extra year one bit though) and went on to get her master in business after a few mental breakdowns and discussions with her parents. She realized just a regular degree wouldn't cut it when she kept getting job offers that she didn't want. Two years after graduating from college, Jodie found herself working at the business side of a tech company in California, and she absolutely loved her job. She had a good support group there, and despite more than a few micro-aggressions and the occasional racist co-worker she had to deal with, Jodie didn't have too many complaints.
Eventually, more time passes than anyone had realized and it's already time to start preparing for their high school reunions. Jodie had kept in contact with a few students from Lawndale and most of those that she didn't have social media, so she made a Facebook group and put Lawndale's former graduates in it. She spends weeks working religiously with the past representatives in the student council she was in back in high school, and even some members of the class of 2002, like Daria's sister, of all people, offered their assistance, which was nice. Jodie did the bulk of the work though.
After months of planning, fixing the old school's gym, and making sure Li was willing to drop more than one hundred dollars (once she learned that the more famous and successful graduates would be attending, she was all for it), everything was ready. She took in a breath of air after she found a space in the largely full parking lot and adjusted the dress she bought specifically for this occasion. She hadn't had her high school style of braids in a while, often wearing her hair out in a fro like her mother or getting a silk press from time to time, but she felt like it was appropriate for today. She had also wore a purple dress and had her makeup done locally. She wished that her sister still lived in Lawndale so she could have done it for her, but she couldn't complain. She looked decent enough.
When she walked in, Jodie was surprised at the wave of nostalgia that overcame her. The school had a few improvements, obviously in the electronic department with its advancements over the years but everything else was still largely the same. The football field and display cases were notably larger, though.
The doors of the gym were already open, bright lights and loud music booming throughout the halls. Some who had already been watching the door yelled "Jodie!" which brought her to the attention of the entire room.
Her cheeks were warm, embarrassed but she walks around good-naturedly, smiling and hugging those who came up to greet her.
Mr. O'Neill had spent a good five minutes trying to catch up before crying. Jodie felt pretty awkward about it until he was led away by the still no-nonsense DeMartino (who hasn't retired yet… surprisingly), who gave a quick hello to Jodie himself. Ms. Barch praised her pretty aggressively, stating that only a woman could come up with something as creative as she did, and when Jodie tried to state that she wasn't the only person to thank, she was largely ignored. Li thanked her for such a wonderful soiree which honored her beloved Laaaawnnndale High and its graduates (even the less important ones) but not without patting herself on the back for also contributing. Even Andrea and Upchuck came up to her, and she was still shocked that they even remained together after her graduation party way back when. Upchuck didn't exactly radiate charm… or likeability at all really, but clearly, there was something in him that only Andrea could see for her to have remained with him for this long.
After excusing herself from all of those conversations, Jodie went to look for Mack, having kept in touch with him over the years. She had wanted to come with him, but they lived a few hours away from each other despite living in the same state so they just decided to meet up here.
Despite breaking up with Mack a little after she graduated college, he was still her best friend and they cared deeply for each other, seeing the other when she or he didn't get too caught up with work (he worked as a business analyst for Google after graduating from Vance). They had caught up with each other about two months ago and promised to meet again soon.
A part of her regretted breaking up with him because she loved him. But she knew it was for the best. Working her way up the ladder on Firstfinity and becoming CFO wasn't easy, and things got complicated. They both got too caught up with becoming successful to engross themselves in each other as much as they had wanted, and it wasn't right to force something that wasn't working.
After looking for ten minutes, Jodie just figures that Mack was running late and goes to sit by a table to text and ask where he was.
Soon after, two people she hadn't spoken to in years walked in to not much fanfare. Kevin was chugging as much beer as he could muster and most people were crowded around him and encouraging him like this was a high school party, so no one really paid attention to the writer and artist.
To be fair though, Daria and Jane weren't exactly the attention-seeking type, so they were probably grateful for it.
Jodie was honestly more than a little surprised that they had even shown up.
Jodie kept in contact with Daria via email throughout college, but after the fall of AOL and the slowly dwindling use of Hotmail, she couldn't use her email anymore. She kicked herself for not asking for her number because she truly missed her and Jane's company.
Jodie had spent a considerable amount of time trying to find their socials but to no avail. When she asked Quinn if they had social media she said no, even though she constantly recommended Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, you know it to them. Quinn was the influencer sister in high school and even beyond, so Jodie wasn't surprised that Quinn had a much higher social media presence.
Sometimes Jodie would read an article Daria had written in the Huffington Post and would chuckle. Her sense of humor hadn't changed a single bit.
Jodie got up and decided to talk to them. Jane's hair and appearance had changed slightly, still recognizable but she had one-half of her head shaved and a white streak in her hair alongside some more piercings and a tattoo that Jodie couldn't quite make out. Daria looked largely the same, but her brownish hair looked more ginger now, more similar to Quinn's hair color, and she had square glasses instead of the usual circular Coke bottle-esque ones that she was associated with. Jane had a long sweater dress, leggings, and boots, while Daria wore a black turtleneck with a necklace, and plaid pants.
Jodie wasn't even sure if Daria or Jane would even want to talk to her, and she started to feel anxious at the thought. Her legs kept pushing her towards them though, and she decided that, what the heck? If they didn't want to see her they could always just tell her. One thing about those two was their incredibly direct attitudes. Besides, they had to know that she was largely behind organizing this whole thing, so she doubts that they would have come if they hated her.
The closer Jodie gets to them, the more that she notices. Their body language showed that they were immensely comfortable with each other. It was apparent since Jodie had even met them that Daria and Jane were important to each other and had a chemistry that they never recreated with anyone else, even the boy they both happened to date (the fact that they had even gotten past that showed the strength of their relationship), but this was different. It felt less… platonicthan it was back when they went here. Jodie had always suspected that something more would happen eventually with those two if she were being honest. The jealousy and angst they both exuded during the whole Tom thing just screeched that there was something more going on beyond the surface.
Clearly, Jodie's hypothesis had been correct, because now she notices that they were holding hands. Jane had leaned into Daria's ear and said something that made her do a full-body laugh, something Jodie had never seen from her the entire time she had known the both of them.
Jodie blinks at the sight.
She had to get to the bottom of this.
Jodie makes her presence to the two "lovebirds" known with a "hey guys," and a bright grin.
Daria and Jane look up and smile at her once they notice her. They don't shout her name, but surprise her with a quick hug and they pull her to sit at the table they were at.
"Jodie, how the hell are ya?" Jane says with a half smile, and Daria replies with her own hello.
"I'm doing great, especially with you guys being here!" Jodie says sincerely, still smiling. "How are you both? What are you doing here? I didn't think this," Jodie gestures to the now groaning Kevin, whose head was pounding from drinking too fast as his former teammates looked on at him, "would be your scene."
"It normally isn't," Daria replies, a faint smirk on her face. "But we would never miss an opportunity to watch Kevin make a fool of himself."
"What she really means is Quinn told us about it," Jane corrects. "Indeed. My sister told us we could rekindle old connections, or something to that effect, forgetting how little we had." Daria rolls her eyes and Jane snickers. "Oh, please. It wasn't nearly as tortuous as she's letting on," Jane whispers, putting a hand between her and her… girlfriend? "She was pretty excited to come back once she heard you were largely behind organizing it."
Jodie beamed at that revelation as Daria turned scarlet and lightly hit Jane on the arm, who just laughed.
"Really?" Jodie asked, and Daria nodded, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah, well. Yeah," she mumbles, flustered. "We knew something like this would be important to you. You made this gym I had abhorred into something actually presentable," Daria jokes, making a joke to distract from the sincerity of her statement.
"Seriously. You should feel proud of yourself. It looks great in here." Jane nudges her playfully and Jodie rubs her shoulder shyly, her cheeks warming up again.
"Thanks, guys."
"No problem," Jane says, and Daria nods as a way of saying her own "You're welcome".
"So, how have you two been? I've been trying for ages to find you both," Jodie asks, and Daria puts her wine down and shrugs. "We had MySpace and websites for a while, but when those shut down Jane made a Tumblr to post her art,"
"Daria has one too." Jane interrupts. "She used to post about movies she liked or hated and complained about them, or would liveblog new episodes of House and Supernatural,"
"Before the latter got bad," Daria points out. "Yes, before the latter got bad," Jane rolls her eyes. "The point is, we kind of use social media but not incredibly often. We don't use our names directly, hence why you couldn't find us... I was considering making an Instagram since my coworkers and Quinn keep bugging me about it, and Jane posts her art on there as well now."
"All in all, I can't complain. I really missed talking to you, though." Daria smiles, and Jodie internally lets out a breath of relief. At least her feelings weren't one-sided.
"Back to school stuff, I got my masters in creative writing and journalism, while Jane got her masters in fine arts after I convinced her to go back to school with the scholarship she got from BFAC," Daria smiles with pride and Jane puts a hand up. "Guilty. I worked for a few museums but kept working on my own stuff, and some pretty well-off people have bought some of my original works. A painting I had worked on for over three years got into the Metropolitan, and I'm working toward getting more other museums one day, but hey. What I'm doing now pays the bills, so I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Trent helps us from time to time since he moved to Queens with his band… even though more often than not we have to help him more than it is the other way around. I'm happy now, and I guess I have Daria's incessant nagging to thank for that," she teases fondly.
"Shut up," Daria responds playfully and continues. "But yeah, I was working for a newspaper for a while. You might have seen a few of my stuff…"
"I have!" Jodie excitedly interrupts, then gets flustered. "Sorry, but yes, I have, Back when you worked for Huffington. Your work consistently made me laugh," Jodie gushes, but Daria's mood seems to sour a bit at the mention of her old workplace. "I tried to get in contact with you, but your old boss didn't know where you worked…"
"Yeah, because he was a prick," Jane remarks to which Daria agrees. "He was a complete sexist and kept trying to get Daria to do lower-level stuff. Daria would always complain to me how much she hated her job."
"It's true. I hated working there." Her mood considerably got better as she continued talking. "But a coworker that I had liked who had also left due to the management had said that he knew a guy who could hook me up with Kimmel's head of writing team for his late-night show, so I applied as soon as possible. I was the only female writer on there for a few years, but things have gotten a lot better," Daria smiled. "Plus my salary isn't terrible, which is always good. I love making money as much as the next person in a capitalist society."
"That's great, Daria! And good for you too, Jane. I can't wait to see your work the next time I'm in New York," Jodie beams again. "I'm really happy for you both. You guys deserve all of the success you have."
"Hey, says you!" Jane replies lightheartedly. "Look at yourself! You're probably gonna become president in a few years."
"Oh, I don't know about that," Jodie dismisses, flustered by the compliment.
"Well, what do you do, Jodie? We've been chatting all about us this whole time, it's your turn to give us your life story." Daria questions, and Jodie hums.
"I graduated from Crestmore with my business degree and got my masters, I'm considering going back to school for a Ph.D., but I was lucky enough to get my job… I'm CFO at Firstfinity now. Took me ages of working my ass off there, but I got the job about a year or so ago after the previous one retired. Apparently, she really liked me and didn't want anyone but me to do it," Jodie shrugs. "But yeah, that's where I'm at now."
Jane and Daria both look stunned and after a few moments of silence, Jane puts a hand on Jodie's shoulder.
"Jodie. That. Is fucking insane, man." Daria is still wide-eyed but nods aggressively.
"Yeah. I mean, Jane wasn't very off, being president is pretty close to being the CFO of that company. Congratulations. You guys practically make basically everything we own, you know." Jane claps her hands once as if remembering something.
"That's right! Are you guys working on flying cars or anything? We'd love to test those out," Jane says with a smirk and wiggles her eyebrows, and Jodie laughs in response.
"Thank you, and we're leaving that advancement and the potential damage/lawsuits it may cause to Tesla." She jokes. "For now, we're just focusing on phones and some new desktops. I don't work too heavily with that department, though."
"Well, I'm certainly looking forward to whatever new phone you guys make, especially for Daria. You know she hasn't changed her phone in nearly six years?" Jane whispers, her eyebrows raised.
"You don't have to make it sound so scandalous," Daria pouts. "Besides, why am I spending thousands of dollars on a new phone when my old one works just fine? Those companies only make it seem like you need a new phone by promising the bare minimum and slapping a thousand-dollar price tag for something that an older phone could also do for much cheaper while using fancy buzzwords and other nonsense. It's all just marketing to me, and I'm not very impressed by it," She closes her eyes and crosses her arms matter of factly, and when she remembers who's at the table with them her eyes widen comically. "Um, but no offense. I'm sure your finityx393 or whatever you guys are calling it is gonna turn out great." It would sound sarcastic coming from anyone other than Daria, but Jodie knows that she means well.
"None taken." Jodie laughs, then leans down to whisper to the both of them. "But between you guys and me, I haven't changed my phone in a few years either even though I'm supposed to... but keep it on the down low, okay?" Jane salutes as if getting a command from a military operative.
They sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes, chit-chatting about the food and the events that were gonna be taking place until Jodie sees one well-dressed guy with brown hair walk right past them. Then a random question enters her mind.
"Do you and Tom ever keep in touch?" Jodie blurts out before she can reconsider, taking a sip out of the watered-down wine Daria was drinking earlier that Li had purchased to ease the awkwardness. She stuck her tongue out and put it down. That one sip was more than enough for her, and she could see why Daria's cup was still half full.
"You talking to her or me?" Jane says slyly to lighten the mood, and Daria gives her a look before speaking.
"We tried for a while after moving to Boston, like I told you in some emails back then," Daria sighed. "But we just lost touch. We already barely talked because it was just so… ugh, you know?" She makes a disgusted face while cringing. "He got busy, I got busy, and emails went from once every few months to once a year to complete radio silence by the time I got my undergrad, so. Not really like I'm missing much, honestly. I wasn't the best girlfriend to him, but it took me some time to realize that he kind of sucked as a boyfriend too."
"Yeah, and he wasn't the best to me either… obviously. Not much has been lost in my eyes," Jane scowled and Daria's expression wasn't much brighter.
Touchy subject… time to pivot away from him and focus on something else.
Like the question that she had originally arrived here for that still needed to be answered.
"…Ahem," Jodie clears her throat and rests her head in her hand. "So, you guys seeing anyone else then? Got a husband… or a wife?" Jodie asks, and Daria and Jane blink before snickering.
"Nice segue," Daria gives Jodie a sly smile as Jodie shrugs with a shy one in return. Jane just full-on smirks but decides to enlighten her.
"Daria never got married. I did and we, mostly me for the majority of the time, lived in a loft in SoHo, but, well…" Jane looked off to the side but shook her head. "It didn't work out. We got a divorce, and ol' Daria here invited me to stay with her since she hadn't dated anyone in years." Jane uses her thumb to point to her, and Daria nods.
"I already lived in Manhattan and had room in my apartment, so I didn't mind having Jane crash until she got back on her feet since he kicked her out and Jane couldn't stomach being there anyway. It helped that Godzilla had already known Jane and loved her,"
Godzilla? Jodie thinks to herself, puzzled. Daria has a kid? Is that some kind of nickname?
Jodie's confusion must have been apparent because Jane clarifies. "She means her pet cat, which is now our pet cat," she smiles.
"I'm getting him if we divorce, though." Daria playfully claims, and Jane sticks her tongue out. "You wish. I'd take you to butt to family court so fast you wouldn't even know what hit you. He's my baby now," Jane fake sobs and Daria chuckles before remembering the conversation at hand.
"But anyway, he's a gem. You should meet him if you're ever near Hell's Kitchen, Jodie. We'd love to have you over," Daria smiles, and Jodie gets shocked for a second. Daria had considerably mellowed out over the years, or maybe she and Jane just enjoyed Jodie's company.
"I'd love that." Jodie grins back, and then Daria carries on.
"But anyway , we ended up getting a bigger condo that opened up in the same area as my old apartment since space had opened up, meaning Godzilla got to have a whole playroom for himself. That room was originally Jane's room, but… um…" Daria starts blushing and trails off, and Jane continues for her.
"I eventually just started sleeping in Daria's bed a few months after we moved in. For the first few times, it was an accident. I'd just end up falling asleep there after we'd talk for hours upon hours," Jane says fondly, "and then we just started moving my wardrobe there little by little. We were practically a couple without even realizing it."
"Jane would make me breakfast and send me off to work with all but a kiss on the cheek. She really became my little stay-at-home wife, since she would often stay working on prints while I went off."
"…Minus the kiss the cook apron and slight resentment towards you, of course."
"Of course. It took you a few months to finally buy that apron," Daria laughs, and Jane does the same. Jodie watches this exchange with a fond smile. They were honestly meant for each other.
"So, bear in mind that Hell's Kitchen has one of the gayest populations in New York. Statistically, but we could back it up with our own two eyes.," Daria explains, clearly about to tell an extensive story. "Most if not all of our neighbors were either gay, trans, lesbian, et cetera et cetera. We were fine with this of course, but it took some kid we also have as a neighbor to ask if we were both together one day, after years of being asked this, mind you, for us to have a serious conversation and get our shit together. A ' what are we ' type deal," Daria sighs and runs a hand through her hair. "I don't know. I've known I loved Jane for a long time, since undergoing a sexuality crisis in college, but if we're being honest I've liked her since high school, especially back when she was dating Tom. Hell, even before that . But I was always too scared to tell her after I had finally realized what my feelings were, and I'd always watch her find someone while I stood there, always envious of him or her." Daria frowned, but then her expression brightened. "But I got tired of standing. So when I got home that day, thinking about what to say on the way home from work and with a plan in mind, I walked into the apartment, ready to raise hell. You know, in a good way."
Jodie wanted to ask if she had been afraid of rejection, but Daria was two steps ahead of her. "Yes, I was terrified of what Jane could say. What if this ruins everything? What if she thought I was being weird about us sleeping in the same bed? What if she wants to move out and never see me again? But this had been a long time coming. Nearly twenty years coming. I wasn't gonna let this slip from my fingers. So when Jane and I made eye contact and she told me she made chicken alfredo for dinner, the first thing I said in response was, 'I love you,' and Jane stared at me."
Daria stops after looking at Jane, who had seemed incredibly eager to speak for about five minutes. She takes a deep breath and speaks.
"Before I continue what Daria was saying, let me give some background from my side. I had a thing for Daria since we moved to Boston, but I didn't know how she would react so I just never told her, and continued dating boys and some girls as well. Even after Daria had come out to me as a lesbian after college, I still didn't know if that meant I should take the risk and ask her out despite me telling her that I was bi before we graduated from here. So, I got stupid and eventually met my ex, and when he proposed I said yes. But I knew I didn't love him and he didn't love me, our relationship was just out of convenience. The opposite side of the bed was warm for both of us. After catching him cheating I decided that pretending wasn't worth it anymore. So we divorced rather amicably, I stayed with Daria and started feeling even more mushy inside toward her. I contemplated telling her constantly but I always chickened out. But I kept thinking about what that kid had told us as well and decided I'd suck it up and tell her no matter what," Jane explains animatedly, and Daria takes a sip out of a smuggled juice box that Jane had handed to her.
"I was gonna tell her after dinner, but Daria, the speedy gal, got around to it first." She smiles cheekily again. "I responded less than stellar,"
"You specifically said, ' Hey, that's my line! After a few seconds of silence'" Daria used her fingers to make air quotes with a raised brow, and Jane huffed.
"Well, it was!" She puffs her cheeks out and Daria just waves her off.
"Anyway. Jane corrected herself but turned away from the stove, walking towards me, and…"
"I kissed her."
"Yeah, she did. A lot that night." They share a warm look as Jane interlaces her fingers with Daria's.
"Then the rest is history. We've been together ever since, and that was over a year ago now," Jane beams.
"Jane loves to tell that story over and over again, if you couldn't tell," Daria fondly rolls her eyes.
"What can I say? It's a good story!" Jane grins and Daria just scoffs lovingly.
It takes everything Jodie has in her not to swoon. "…You guys are so adorable, it actually hurts. My god," she whispers, and the two women laugh.
Another question suddenly pops into Jodie's head. She was more engrossed in their relationship than she had anticipated, but she couldn't help it. She was truly happy for both of them.
"How'd your families take it?" Jodie asks next. Jane and Daria both shrug at the same time.
"My brother was cool with it, which I knew he would be. I don't talk to my parents or other siblings much, but they also didn't really care when it came up in conversation one day," Jane takes a sip of another juice box she smuggled in her purse (seriously, how many did she have in there? And the security Upchuck had appointed was terrible!). "Daria's family reacted more funnily, though."
"God ," Daria says, putting her head in her hands. "Jodie, my mom was practically doing backflips off the wall when we told them. She had always loved Jane, but I think she was also really, really glad I finally found someone. Even though we technically always had each other. But she was so enthusiastic it was overwhelming. She calmed down eventually, luckily."
"Her dad was confused at first, but he got it eventually. You know how Jake can be," Jane adds, and Jodie nods. She had only met Mr. Morgendorffer a few times, and while he was sweet, he wasn't… the most perceptive person she had met. Daria lets out a breath before continuing. "Yeah. Quinn was incredibly annoying about it, saying stuff like ' finally ,' and, ' I knew it all along, it was soooo obvious ,' and, ' so, when are you guys having kids ?'" She rolls her eyes as Jane snickers. "She thinks having an extended family vlog would be good views for her channel, even though I told her countless times that family vlogs are a terrible idea... and before you ask, me and Jane will absolutely not be having any mini versions of us running around anytime soon. I'm not even sure how my sister would be able to handle her own kids if she didn't have her girlfriend around to help her..." She sighs and rubs her temples as Jane shrugs with another smile.
"Told you it was funny," Jane says cheekily, and Jodie laughs again.
"But again, enough about us, Jodie. Are you with anyone at the moment?" Daria asks, and Jane agrees.
"Yeah, where's Mack? I haven't spoken to him since we ran into each other at a Walgreens one time when Daria and I came to visit our families before Trent moved," Jane puts a finger to her chin, reminiscing.
"He's on the way," Jodie says, looking back at her phone. Mack still hadn't responded to her texts, so she was assuming he was either driving or still on the flight here. The reunion festivities were supposed to go on for two more days, so she knew he would turn up eventually.
He promised her he'd make it.
"But me and Mack, uh… broke up. Years ago, in fact. Too many things got in the way, you know?" Jodie shrugs sadly. "I've seen a few people since, but I've never dated anyone for longer than a few months."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Daria says with a frown, and Jodie shakes her head.
"Mmm, don't be. I'm happy where I am, truly. We're still great friends and see each other a few times a year, so I can't complain about the way things are. I just want him to be happy," Jodie smiles slightly strained, but the two of them smile back.
"That's admirable, Jodie. You really should be proud of how far you've come. You always worked your ass off, so we're both really happy to see you become so successful." Jane says comfortably, and Daria nods her head in agreement.
"I agree, and honestly, it's good that you didn't force it if the spark was no longer there. You could have had a real nasty divorce… case in point," Daria nudged towards Kevin's direction who was making yet another scene while arguing with his ex-girlfriend, Brittany, over his drinking habits-
"See, this is why I knew we wouldn't work out, Kevvy!" Brittany puffed her cheeks out but helped him stand up and get into a chair. Her kindness didn't dwindle over the years. "You never know when to stop!"
"But babe , it was a dare! You know I don't back- huck -down from a dare!" Kevin hiccuped, and Brittany crossed her arms, still unimpressed.
"That's not a good reason! We're in our thirties now, Kevin! And what have I told you about you still calling me babe? We haven't been dating for over ten years!" Brittany scolded as Kevin looked apologetic.
After graduation, Brittany had become a successful model after graduating from Great Prairie and became a coach for other models on the side after a few years. Kevin stayed at home after finally graduating from Lawndale after being held back for two years instead of the one that was originally planned, working at Pizza King and eventually going to community college which he eventually dropped out of (English 1010 was too difficult for him) and he started working as a postal clerk. He had really improved at jobs that involved serving the public, and the Lawndale post office was never too busy which was good for him. He never knew how to handle rush hours.
"Oof. Did those two even get married?" Jane scrunches her face, and Jodie sighs while shaking her head.
"No, and thank god for that. Brittany would call me practically every day complaining that Kevin wanted to get back together with her, and when I told her to just ignore him she never listened to me," she recounts, annoyed. "They had tried to make their relationship work over and over, then breaking up over and over again for years. When Brittany got her first real big break and left for France to work with an influential designer though, she was done. Kevin thought she meant a break, but she meant…" Jodie makes a cutting noise and puts a finger to her throat and slices it, and Daria and Jane make a face and look at them.
"Yikes. I almost feel bad for the guy," Jane says with pity, and Daria concurs. "Yeah, but it was obviously for the best. Can you imagine a few more Kevin and Brittany's running amok if they stayed together?"
The three of them shudder at the thought. Two of them were more than enough.
Speaking of the devil, Jodie gets an alert from her phone from Mack, telling her that he's outside and is on his way in now. A wide grin spreads across her face and Jane glanced at her with a sly smile.
"Mack's finally here, huh?" She asks, and Jodie's cheeks burn once again.
"Yeah. He said he's-"
Suddenly, Brittany seems to notice Jodie after happening to miss her when Jodie had first entered and practically sprints toward them while waving frantically, twenty-inch heels click-clacking on the floor and all.
"Jodie," Daria leans in and whispers to Jodie while forcing a smile with the other half of her mouth, still waving. "We'll distract her while you meet up with Mack."
"Is that really a good idea?" Jodie whispers back, mirroring Daria's movements. "Are you both sure you're up to the task?"
"Don't worry," Jane adds, "we used to deal with her here. We're basically equipped for anythin- Hi , Brittany!" Jane says with a full-on smile, blocking Brittany's view of Jodie.
"Jodie, go now. If you talk to her now she'll never let you go. You can always catch up with her later, just hurry up and get Mack!" Daria whispers frantically and stands up straight next to Jane.
"Hi, Brittany," she adds, her voice as enthusiastic as her monotone would allow. Jodie takes the opportunity to leave the area, but not without overhearing their conversation.
"Hi, Daria! Hi, Jane!" Brittany chirps brightly, It's nice to see that her voice truly hadn't changed one bit.
"Where's Jodie?" Brittany looked around the both of them frantically. "I could have sworn that I saw her here just a second ago!" Jane replies rather cryptically, "Neither of us knows… the last we heard she had gone to a magical land. We may never see her again."
"What!? Oh no!" She squeals, just as gullible as ever. Jodie sighs, she'd come back and scold Jane for messing with Brittany's head like that when she got back.
Jodie runs through the hall for a few moments before accidentally ramming into Mack's chest.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry," they both said at the same time, until realizing who they were talking to.
Jodie runs through the hall for a few seconds before accidentally ramming into Mack's chest.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry," they both said at the same time, until realizing who they were talking to.
"Mack?"
"Jodie?"
They both blinked and then smiled brightly.
"Jodie!" Mack lifted her up and spun her around in a hug, and Jodie squealed while laughing. "I missed you!" Mack says, and Jodie just rolls her eyes but doesn't stop beaming. "You saw me a few months ago, dummy," She says matter-of-factly, but Mack just huffs and puts her down.
"Well, it's not the same you big goof. How are you?"
"You know, work, sleep, work, sleep. How about you?"
"You know, work, sleep, work, sleep." Mack parrots and Jodie laughs again before gasping.
"Where the hell have you been?! The reunion is nearly over!" Jodie demands, and Mack rubs the back of his neck.
"Oh, it's Jess, you know, the girl I've been seeing?" Mack sighs. "We got in a huge fight before I had to leave because she didn't want me to come, even though I told her thousands of times that she could come with me. I told her that I was coming no matter what so I could support you and she got so mad she broke up with me," Mack recounts sadly.
On the one hand, Jodie felt terrible that Mack had to deal with that.
On the other, Jodie was incredibly glad that they broke up because Jessica was pretty insufferable from how Mack described her, and just the way she presented herself the few times she came with Mack when they'd hang out always rubbed Jodie the wrong way. She seemed controlling and overly jealous, especially when Jodie was in the mix.
"I'm so sorry," Jodie comforted, but Mack shook his head. "I'm not. You've been working on this for months, J. I wouldn't miss it for the world," Mack says firmly, and Jodie finds her cheeks warming up and she averts her eyes.
"Thank you, Mack. That means a lot to me, really." Jodie says quietly. "Don't mention it," Mack responds, and they continue on their walk to the gym.
Before they turn the corner to go in, Mack stops Jodie by grabbing onto her hand.
"Wait," Mack says, and Jodie stops and looks at him. He's biting his lip and he looks incredibly nervous. "Jessica mentioned something before she left. How I always put you first and how much I care about you. And she's right,"
Seeing where he's going with this, Jodie shakes her head and sighs. "Mack…"
"Just let me finish, Jodie," Mack asks seriously, and Jodie complies. "I know part of the reason we broke up is because you were worried we were only dating because the school pushed us together since we were already close as kids and were the only two well-known black kids here. But I didn't ask you out just because of societal expectations. I asked you out because I genuinely liked you," Mack said, putting his hands out. "It's okay if you didn't like me back, and it's okay if you don't like me now! I don't want to put you in an uncomfortable position or make you feel like you have to respond to me, you know?" Mack shrugs. "I just felt like I should tell you, but I'm more than content with just remaining best friends. You mean the world to me and I don't want to lose that," Mack finishes, and Jodie stays quiet for a while.
Before Mack can put his hands back down, Jodie puts her hands in his. "I'm not uncomfortable, Mack… I'm just, I don't know…" She trails off, looking down at their intertwined hands. "I kept dating people but I'd keep comparing them to you and the fun we'd have together, and I'd keep justifying the lack of connections I had with those people by saying I was just really focused on work. But I think I just missed you," Jodie admits as she moves her thumb across his. "I did like you. I do like you, and a part of the reason we broke up is the fact that we were both scared of that. I'm still scared, Mack. So please, just give me time? Let me process everything, first. I think I need Li's cheap alcohol to remove itself from my system before I can give you a concrete answer." Jodie jokes, which earns her a laugh.
"Okay," Mack says, taking all of this information in. "Okay. But just know again, don't feel the need to spare my feelings at all. I'd remain your friend for as long as you remain comfortable with that," He states, and Jodie nods.
"We can talk about it more when we leave. But 'I'll think about it' doesn't mean a 'no', Mack," Jodie smiled and gives Mack a kiss on the cheek. She doesn't allow him to respond, pulling him into the gym.
Everything seemed to finally be dying down, because Li was on a podium in the front messing with the microphone as everyone either gathered around her, while some of the wallflowers stayed in their dining seats.
"How the hell does this thing work? These damn new microphones," Li grumbles to herself, seemingly too distracted to realize everyone could hear her already. "Ah, here we go!" She gives her best warm smile, "Hello, graduating class of 2001!"
The crowd erupts in applause which seems to annoy Li, who glares at them, and once they notice the look on her face the applause quickly dwindles to a few awkward claps and coughs.
"Thank you," Li smiles again in approval. "With festivities drawing to a close for tonight, I'd just like to thank everyone who was able to make this and the events of the next few days possible; like me! If we could all give a round of applause to that…"
The crowd gives a few claps, but most were unenthused. Li didn't seem to notice or care.
"I'd also like to thank Jodie and the rest of the student council… but mostly Jodie, for organizing such an incredible event,"
Now the crowd erupts in full-blown applause, and Li seems to be slightly annoyed at this, but she doesn't interrupt this time.
"Yes, yes. Let's all bring Jodie, our class valedictorian up for a quick speech! Where is she, anyway?" Li asked, looking into the crowd. Someone had already noticed and pointed at her, making the light shine on Jodie who had a deer-in-headlights look. "Oh, there she is! Come on down, Ms. Landon!" Li instructed, and Jodie nearly declined until noticing the expectant looks on everyone around her.
"Well, they're waiting for you, Valedictorian ," Mack smirks and holds a hand out to the stage. Jodie glares at him lightheartedly, but she lets him hold her hand and walk her up to it.
"Hey!" Brittany shouts, not too far away from them, "I thought you said that Jodie got transported to Narnia or something!" Brittany huffed and Jane laughed as Daria shook her head at the sight. Jodie couldn't help but do the same.
"Hey, Mack Daddy! How's it hanging?" Kevin then yells, which makes the entire gym erupt in laughter. Mack sighs but doesn't respond, and the comedic moment eases Jodie's nerves as she walks carefully up to the podium. Li moves out of the way and goes to sit at a chair near the microphone, as though protecting it.
"Go get 'em, J." Mack smiled, and Jodie smiled back and nodded as she cleared her throat and stepped closer to the mic.
Jodie looks at the crowd of smiling faces, getting memories from her speech from graduation twenty years ago. Jane gives her a thumbs-up while Daria holds a hand out as if waving. Mack has his arms crossed with a smile of his own, and Jodie can't help but feel pride swirl up in her chest. She was incredibly glad that she was able to see these people again.
"My fellow constituents," Jodie starts with a bright smile, "we have gathered here today…"