The DT Files

The DT Files
411 groped by an Angel
by SSJ04 Mewtwo

***

He couldn't sleep. This revelation would shock those who knew him, but what had happened was keeping his mind racing. Nick and Max got into a fight. Nothing out of the ordinary there, except this time Nick had enough of Max and decided to leave. The Spiral once again had no base player. They probably could play that gig at some high schooler's party without one, but after that was unclear. Then, the duck phone lets out its quacking. He picks up the phone quickly so that Jane's phone didn't wake her.
"Hello?"
"Trent?"
Trent's eyes bug out for a moment. It sounded like Daric, but the cell phone that he was using wasn't getting a good signal.
"Daric?"
"Yeah, it's me. Listen, I'm five miles from the city limits. You guys still need a base player?"
"Now more than ever, man." Trent replies.
"Good, and we need to talk about expanding the band to five."
"Five?"
"You'll see when I get there."

***

"Hope Trent's alright, he was bummed about that last fight you and Nick had." Jessie comments as he and Max rode in the Tank to Trent's.
"We're better off without that jackass." Max states.
"Woe, look at the car in the driveway." Jessie comments as Max pulls into the Lane driveway.
"Nah, it can't be." Max says and gets out along with Jessie. The two head inside and head for the basement. They hear a familiar base rift along with Trent's guitar and a keyboard.
"When the fuck did you get back Daric?" Max asks.
"Late last night, we've been down here playing since I got here." Daric answers.
"Trent, you sure we should be playing for LHS'ers?" Max asks. "They may not get what the Spiral is saying.
"Then I suggest we do our normal second set covers...,at least those covers we did when I still was in high school." Daric states.
"Can't do all covers...,Mr. Taylor wanted me to come up with a song for his daughter getting a 'C' average." Trent says.
"Good to see that LHS is holding their students to such high standards. I'm guessing that this is a cheerleader's party?" Daric asks.
"Yeah, but a gig's a gig. And we need the money." Trent says.
"Ok, I should be able to learn one new song before tomorrow, or I don't deserve to even look at my base." Daric responds.

***

"It's one of the universe's unanswerable mysteries. When he's not playing with them, they suck, but when he is they sound like a completely different band." Jane says as she and Daria listen to the Spiral.
"I still don't like the fact you drug me to this party." Daria complains.
"Hey, someone's got to support those bums over there playing music." Jane retorts.
"You call Daric a 'bum'?"
"He's an ivory tower bum. Went to Harvard but still decided to hang around that sleepy thing known as my brother."
"You're still mad about that project aren't you?"
"Yep."
"If I can suppress the blood lust I felt for Tom when you first started dating him then you can certainly let your anger about that project go. Besides, it was your idea in the first place to ask him for the music."
"Well, I thought it would give the two of you time to bond."
"You were risking your grade for your damn yenta act?"
"Hey, I enjoy being a suffering artist."
"Lane...,when I get through with you...," Daria begins, but they hear feedback from one of the amps and then the sound of crystal shattering. Then, the two see Angel throw a punch that connects with Quinn's left eye and she goes down to the floor.

***

"Ok, remind me never to piss off your girl, Daric." Max says as the band rides in the tank.
"Stupid cunt didn't get off of the sound board." Angel calmly states.
"Just where did you meet Angel anyway Daric?" Jessie asks.
"At a DragonForce concert." Daric replies.
"Hmmm, I've heard of them. Bit too fast for me." Trent states.
"If speed does kill then they've died several dozen times." Daric says and puts an arm around Angel.
"So, we rehearse the old stuff and you fix the new stuff before our next gig?" Trent asks.
"That's the plan." Daric replies.

***

Trent rubs his eyes as he makes his way back to his room. He had just finished having a talk with Daria about Tom. That hadn't gone completely as he hoped. Maybe he was sleep deprived. The return of Daric, while re-energizing, was also a slight curse. Lyrically, Daric was a thousand times better than Trent was. The problem was that Daric was a strict perfectionist. If something didn't sound right, he'd be almost unlivable until it sounded right. Fortunately, this only seemed to effect those songs that Daric had wrote. Anything that Trent wrote Daric would just ask one time if it sounded good or not. If 'yes', then they would move on, if the answer was 'no, then they would try to fix whatever Trent thought was wrong with the song. That was how it was during the first go around with Daric. Back then, it was nothing but high school parties and the occasional talent show. Now, Daric had helped Trent's newer stuff sound much better and they were back to playing those songs that Daric wrote during his LHS days. Trent's thoughts and slow progress to his room was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.
"You might ought to realize that the only reason she even gives you the time of day is because you're her best friend's brother."
"Just how would you know that, Tom?" Trent asks.
"Oh c'mon, you and her have absolutely nothing in common."
"Is that why you are about to move on to Daria then? Getting board of Janie?"
Those were loaded questions that the older boy had asked him. He would need to word his answer carefully. "If it looks like that my relationship with Jane is falling apart then I'll end it with her before I pursue anything with Daria. Why would you care about who she dates?" What happened next only took a matter of seconds. Trent had reached into his pocket and Tom now was staring at a sharp knife that was dangerously close to his left eye.
"I knew about my sister's meddling with that crush she had on me. I may not notice everything that goes on around me but I do tend to notice something that important. I was trying to wait for her to turn eighteen so that her mother wouldn't interfere. But, I messed that stupid project up for her and her opinion of me has changed. Fuck up one time Slone and Jessie will be the least of your worries. Unlike Janie, Daria has no relationship experience."
"And just how do you know that?"
"She was shy and unsure of herself around me. You do anything stupid and you'll be missing an eye."
"What would you constitute 'stupid'?"
"Kissing Daria before you break it off with Janie. I know I no longer have a shot with her, but I'll be damned if you fuck up their friendship because you wanted to listen to your hormones. Clear?"
"Crystal."
"Good." Trent says and withdraws the knife and heads to his room. Neither boy noticed a red head watching them.

***

"What the hell...," Trent groggily says waking up two hours later. He opens his door to hear an argument between Daria and her mother.
"Did you just expect me to sit in the same room with Quinn and her fashion crazed friends? Neither Quinn nor I wanted that. And don't even say that I should have come to you because Quinn would have moaned and complained and you would have crumbled probably just like your mother does with aunt Rita." Daria spits out. Helen bites her lip. Her daughter had delivered a blow that she couldn't counter.
"I find it disconcerting that my daughter is in a house with no one to supervise her." Helen calmly states realizing that losing her temper would do her no good.
"I'm seventeen(1) now, mother. I better get used to being on my own since I'll be trying to go to school as far away from this town as possible."
'Seventeen!? Man, I should've just asked how old she was.' Trent thinks.
"I don't like the fact that you've been staying under the same roof with someone that can easily take advantage of you." Helen retorts.
"Take advantage of me? Had he wanted to do that he would have done that during our trip to Alternapaluza(SP?). Am I more helpless around boys than Quinn is?" Once again, Daria had brought up a point that Helen was struggling to counter.
"You don't have the experience that your sister does." Helen shoots back.
"Quinn's 'experience' consists of her dating anything that looks good, has enough money to blow on her and has the right plumbing to be male. My standards aren't anywhere near hers."
Helen sighs. This was a losing battle. It was best to withdraw and pick another battle to fight. "Alright, you better be home tomorrow morning though. And don't you pull another stunt like this again."
"Tell that damn thing known as my sister to start recognizing me as her sister and not be so concerned with her fucking popularity that she has to refer to me as 'her cousin' or anything else that makes me nothing or almost nothing to her." Daria says and walks back into the room she was staying in. Helen bites her lip. She had just seen her husband's temper come roaring out of her eldest daughter. Her whit, intelligence, and her father's temper...,it was a combination that made Helen wish to be facing the best defense lawyer in court instead of her eldest daughter

***

Trent was listening in on a conversation his sister and Daria were having. Apparently, Jane wanted to dye her hair but Daria was reluctant in giving her friend her help. He quickly retreats to his room hearing Jane coming towards her door. Hearing the bathroom door shut, Trent makes his way back to Jane's room. He quietly enters the room and sees Daria laying on her stomach with her head facing towards the end of the bed.
"It's official, my sister is crazy."
"I won't hold it against you." Daria replies. Trent laughs and starts another coughing fit.
"So, what did your mother do after you got back from staying with us?"
"Nothing, at least to me. I think my sister got a chewing out though."
"I never would've guessed you were seventeen."
"Why?"
"Just thought they would try to skip you ahead as many grades as possible. I thought they would think that you would be too dangerous to be kept in their system."
"You shouldn't have said yes you know."
"I guess my male ego got in the way. Guess I wanted to impress you even if I was in a funk."
"You might be right."
"About?"
"Tom. If Jane feels like she needs to dye her hair to keep him then it's over."
"Is Tom what you want?"
"Even though we've got things in common, he dated Jane first. It would make things awkward at best and overly complicated at worst."
"Then, what do you want?"
"Besides world domination...,someone that enjoys my sense of humor and knows when I'm joking and when I'm being serious. Someone who'll have patience with me and my lack of experience."
"Have anyone in mind?" he asks now on his knees at the front of Jane's bed directly facing Daria.
"Not off hand...,and don't you dare go into your sister's yentaing."
"Wouldn't dream of it, but...,he says and leans forward and kisses her right on the lips. Warmth spreads across her cheeks even after when Trent pulls away from her. "I'd like to try."
"I think I might be convinced to let you try...,if you can kiss me like that again." she says saying the last bit in a whisper. Trent responds by kissing her again.
'Damn, I didn't think he had it in him. Oh boy, better stop them before I have to burn the sheets.' Jane thinks coming into the room still smirking. Maybe she would back off on the dye thing.

***

Author's Ramblings

I went into 412 and 413 just to lengthen this one shot. My reviewers deserve a long part for waiting for so long. Keep reading and reviewing and give me episode alterations.

1. Her age was revealed in 'Lane Miserables'. If I'm correct, it's during a conversation Jane has with Jake, but I could be wrong.