DISCLAIMER: Daria and associated characters are owned by MTV. This is for entertainment purposes only and no money or other goods have changed hands. All original characters were created by Ognawk. Please ask for permission before using them in your own work. Thank you.

THE GREAT AND THE GOOD
By Ognawk

Part 2 – The Nouveau Riche

The following Monday morning, Tom and Elsie were being driven to school by their mother Kay. Tom wasn’t fond of still being driven to school now that he could drive himself, but his parents were insistent that, if he was determined to have a rust bucket of a car, he was not showing up to Fielding in it.

After being dropped off near the front gates, the Sloane siblings made their way inside. After a pretty silent car journey, the younger Sloane was the first to speak.

“So, Thomas, any idea of whom your date for this week is going to be?” Elsie asked with a smirk.

Tom was about to make some sort of defensive remark, but decided to lighten the mood a little instead.

“Well, I shall have to assess all the potential candidates,” he said in a faux upper class accent, miming like he was looking through a note pad, “Then I shall see who is suitable for the position of my escort to the dance.”

Elsie sniggered, happy to see his brother not taking things too seriously, and then replied in a similar voice “Well brother dearest, I hope you choose well and avoid those who would have questionable motives. And now I must take my leave.”

Tom watched as Elsie left to make her way to her first class of the day. He then heard a familiar voice behind him.

“Ah, Mr Sloane, I’ve been expecting you.”

Tom turned around to see his friend Ashley Winters. Ashley was a good half foot taller than Tom, with a slim, somewhat athletic frame; which was a result of all the running he did. His long, dark blonde hair was tied back in a pony tail and he was wearing his usual square framed glasses over his blue eyes and the traditional Fielding uniform.

“Morning, Winters.” Tom responded.

“So, any ideas of what you’re going to do about the dating issue?” Ashley inquired.

“Well, since you mention it, I have had an idea for something a little different. But I don’t have time to go into it now. I’ll tell you at lunch.”

“Very well, sir. We shall do lunch and you can tell me about your nefarious scheme,” Ashley said with a slightly wicked grin on his face.

Tom shook his head at his comment. “I’ll see you later, Ashley.”



After a pretty uneventful morning, Tom sat at a table in the lunch room, soon joined by Ashley, who looked like he was trying his hardest not to grin. Tom knew that look all too well.

“So, who did you offend this time?” Tom asked, almost dreading the answer.

“I asked Elaine Swinton out on a date,” Ashley replied, the grin not leaving his face.

“And she said no, of course,” Tom replied.

“Well, she didn’t so much say no as snort and look at me like I was covered in sewage.”

“She is one of the snobbiest girls in Fielding.” Tom said, “As far as she’s concerned, the ‘nouveau riche’ like you pretty much are covered in sewage.”

Ashley chuckled. “What can I say? There are people who look down their nose at me and I can’t help but wind them up.”

“And you wonder why you aren’t popular,” Tom said with a wry smile.

“I’m offended. Offended, I say!” Ashley replied with feigned indignance.

“I guess my work here is done then.” Tom said, rummaging around in his pocket for something.

“Seriously, though, I was unpopular in my old school before my folks won the Powerball,” Ashley explained, “Only difference in Fielding is that the students dislike me for my family’s newly acquired wealth rather than my intelligence.”

Finally finding what he was looking for, Tom pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “Now, on to business. I found this in the Herald last...”

“Look out,” Ashley said quietly, looking past Tom to a girl approaching the table, “Hemming at high noon.”

Tom turned to notice the girl he went on a date with the previous Saturday night, Cassidy Hemming, approaching. She was a petite girl with short cut, red hair in a bob and bright green eyes framed by oval rimmed glasses. She put her book bag on the table and sat down next to Tom, paying no attention to how close she got to knocking Ashley’s lunch off the table in the process.

“Hello Thomas,” she said with a sweet smile on her face “I had a good time last Saturday.”

“Yes,” Tom replied cautiously, “It was an interesting evening.”

“I just came over to see if you were busy on Friday night,” She asked, “I thought we could hang out, go bowling and maybe get something to eat?”

“Um. yeah. Yeah, I’m not doing anything,” Tom replied, “That could be fun.”

“Great!” Cassidy said, getting up with a grin, “I’ll see you then!”

As she walked away, Tom had a slightly concerned look on his face and Ashley started sniggering.

“And what’s so funny?” Tom asked his friend, eyebrow raised.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say One Date Sloane just agreed to a second date,” Ashley said, leaning back with a slightly smug expression on his face.

Tom bit back a response, before slapping the piece of paper he retrieved on the table. It was a cutting he took from the Lawndale Herald the previous night.

“I thought you and I could go to this place on Saturday night,” Tom said, “I thought it could be something different.”

Ashley looked at the paper, “Mister Sloane, are you asking me on a date? I didn’t know your bread was buttered that side,” He said, ducking to dodge a wadded up napkin Tom threw at him.

“Good one, funny guy,” Tom said.

“Honestly though, it should be interesting,” Ashley said, reading the scrap of paper, “It sounds like a couple of places I used to hang out in back in Swedesville.”

“Guess it’s settled then,” Tom proclaimed, “We’ll take my car.”

“Yeah, I’m sure your mother won’t complain about you taking the Rustmobile to somewhere like that.”

“She’d frown upon me going somewhere like that anyway, car or no car,” Tom replied, “Not that I’m planning on telling her where I’m going. I’m just going.”

“Fair enough,” Ashley said, steepling his fingers together, “It’s a plan.”