Tequila and Tattoos Don't Mix

The stare down between Jodie and Michelle Landon was heading to epic proportions. Jodie had drawn her line in the sand, Michelle was refusing to back down, finally the silence was broken.

"Mom-you said after I help the congressman clean up his mess last summer that I could have this spring break to do whatever I wanted."

"I know but you could still do a little charity......"

"Mom, Ive already logged in over 200 hours and its only April. Its not like its going to help my college applications that are already sent off."

"I Know but-"

"Mom if your worried about me and Mack, don't. He has to work for his father to pay for prom."

Michelle knew she had just lost her argument, not being able to use the Mack card, she relented.

"If you can find something to do this week, go do it."

Meanwhile...

"What do you mean your mom's not letting you go to Cancun."

"The battling Barksdales are at it again. I tried to talk some sense into my mom but it didn't work."

"Dammit, Daria we made our reservations during Christmas break. Your mom knows I can't go if she doesn't pay for the hotel."

"Jane, I told my mom that. She said if you could find someone else to go with you she would still pay for the room."

"Who am I going to get? Trent has a gig in Leeville, and I'm sure as hell not asking my ex/your current!"

"I'm really sorry. Care to drown your sorry in some pizza."

"Sure"

As Daria and Jane are eating their "pissed off at the world" pizza, Jodie and Mack enter and sit in the booth behind them. Jodie can hear the discussion behind them getting heated. Recognizing the voices, she makes her way to Daria and Jane's booth.

"Hi Daria, Hi Jane, whats wrong?"

"Daria and I made plans to go to Cancun for spring break and now her mom isn't letting her go."

"That sucks."

"Tell me about it."

"What about you Jodie? What are your great community service plan for spring break?'

"None, my mom promised me that I could do whatever I wanted this spring break."

A light flashed in Daria's eyes, as she smirked "Jane I think we need to make my mom eat her words."

Jodie looked confused. Jane chimed in. "Daria's mom said if I could find someone to go with me, she would still pay for the hotel."

"Well, I do have a passport...." Jodie remarked "and you don't drive me crazy like Brittany does."

Jane looked at Daria and then at Jodie. "Are you sure Daria..."

Daria waved it off. "Look its not your fault, my family doesn't get along. You two have a good time. Be at my house tomorrow morning, I want photos of my mothers face, when she has to call the hotel."

After talking with Helen, Jane and Jodie left to pack. Their flight would be leaving the next day at noon. Mack drove them to the airport and stayed until their flight was called. They spent the flight talking and sleeping. Jane woke up and stared out the plane window. Jane sighed as she wished that Daria was going. Jane and Jodie got along, but they weren't amigas. Jodie, however, was a people person and there would definitely be a lot of people there. Daria wouldn't want to meet any guys, especially with Tom still in the picture. What am I saying? Jodie has Mack-but she won't blow a gasket like Daria would if I met someone. This might just be for the best.

Jane woke Jodie up shortly before the plane landed. After going through customs, Jane hailed a taxi. During the drive to the hotel, Jane carried on a short conversation with the driver in Spanish.

"Gracias." Jane said as they exited the taxi.

"How long have you been speaking Spanish?"

"My sister Penny has been living all over South America and Mexico for years. My dad is a freelance photographer. They taught me basic Spanish in case I ever wanted to join them."

After getting checked in, they headed to room 648. They went out onto the balcony and stared out over the beach and ocean. The sounds of latin music blared through the air. The smells from the restaurants below caused their stomach to growl. They headed down to one of the hotel's eateries for dinner.

After downing a couple of burgers, they headed to the beach. The sun was setting. They headed to the outdoor night club attached to the hotel. Jane listened to the band while Jodie danced with some college students. They headed back up to their room at around one. The next day, Jodie talked Jane into parasailing. Neither had ever tried it before, but both enjoyed it greatly. That night, they hit another club along the beach.

The rest of their vacation was spent enjoying the beach. Jodie spent a lot of time talking to other students. Jane flirted with a couple of guys, but lost interest quickly. This disappointed her greatly. They tried wake boarding and snorkeling. Jane took an underwater camera and got some great photos. Jane sketched several pictures of the sunsets. Jodie and Jane hit a different club every evening. Both were having a great time. Thursday night hit before they knew it. They were happy that they had a good time but sad that they had to leave the next day. At first, they were going to stay in the room to get a good night's rest. They quickly changed their minds and hit the hotel's club one last time.

Jodie turned to Jane. "So.. did you enjoy yourself this week?"

"Yes.. I still wish that Daria could have came."

Right after she said that, a man in his early 20s with glasses came up to them. "Did you say Daria? I know a Daria.. she wrote some papers for us our freshman year. If it wasn't for her, I would have never gotten through econ."

"Do you go to Middleton?"

"Yes I do. We must know the same Daria. I'm Doug." He turned around. "Hey guys.. they know Daria!"

"Why did she stop writing papers? I could have used her for some English papers last year." A guy said in the background.

"She was burned out.. that and her mom stopped her. I'm Jane.. this is Jodie."

"Can we get you two some drinks..?" Doug asked.

"Umm.. I don't know..." Jodie said.

"Absolutely." Jane said as she lightly elbowed Jodie. "Come on.. it's our last night here and we have some college guys wanting to get us drinks. Let's enjoy the evening."

Doug returned with two shots of tequila. Jane and Jodie looked at each other and clinked glasses. The warmth of the alcohol hit them. As the night progressed, so did the number of drinks. The rest of the evening soon became a blur.

Friday morning, Jane was awoken by a strange pain in her side and a headache that wouldn't quit. She headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. When the water hit her side, she winced. That is when she decided to look down. Her scream woke Jodie up.

Jodie, still in full-blown hangover hell, ran to the bathroom. "Jane are you okay?" Her side was bothering her as well.

Jane opened the bathroom door. She moved her towel to reveal tattoo of a black and yellow butterfly with her initials interwoven in the wings. "How and when in the hell did I get this?"

Jodie looked at it for a second and then she moved her pants down to reveal a matching tattoo. Jane quickly got dressed then headed to the kitchen. As they sat there trying to piece together the events of the evening, they looked up at the clock. Panic set in. They had less than an hour to be packed, checked out and at the airport. Quickly, they started gathering clothes. The line at the front door to check out was huge. Time kept ticking away from them. Thirty minutes had passed before they made it to turn in their keys. When they finally were out the door, they watched the last of the nearby taxis leave. Jane and Jodie sat on the steps in front of the hotel. Jodie went back inside and called the airline. Their next available flight home wouldn't be leaving until tomorrow night. Jodie decided to call her parents to see if she could the money wired to her. As she was about to pick up the phone, a slightly familiar face approached her carrying luggage.

"Hey Jodie. Wasn't last night wild! I still can't believe you and Jane got tattoos as well." Doug smiled as he and his frat brothers showed off their matching tattoos.

That was when everything started to be remembered. The tequila, the conversation, the all night tattoo parlor. I thought you couldn't get a tattoo if you were drunk. Apparently at 3 in the morning, they don't really care as long as you have the money for it. Jodie began shaking her head. Her thoughts were broken when Doug began to speak.

"Is there something wrong? You look a little upset."

"Jane and I missed our flight back home. Now we have to figure out how to get back to Lawndale."

"You can ride with us. If we all take turns driving, then we won't have to stop except for food and gas. We can get you back to home. Besides, I would like a little more time to talk to Jane." Jodie could hear the three other guys behind him give a slight chuckle.

"Thanks. Let us call our families. That way they know not to come get us." Jodie called her mom. Her parents were furious but were glad she was heading home.

Jane watched as Jodie came out with the guys they had partied with the night before. They grabbed the girls' luggage and brought it to their Jeep. She made Jane go inside and call Trent. He mumbled something she couldn't understand. She went back outside where the others were waiting for her before they headed home. On the way home, Doug was able to fill in the events from the night before. Jane and Jodie continued to shake their heads in disbelief. Doug then got up the courage to talk to Jane. They conversed the entire time it was his turn to drive. When it was Jodie's turn to drive, Jane stayed up front.

"My parents are going to freak out when they see this tattoo."

"You mean if they find out about the tattoo. I won't tell if you don't. It's not in an obvious place."

Jodie looked at Jane. "You're right. It's not like I go parading around nude. What about your parents?"

"They are never home and Trent has several. I am going to keep this my little secret. Every time I see it, I will remember the trip when I found a new good friend and the after effects of alcohol. What about Mack? Will he see it?" Jane gave a slight laugh.

"I doubt he would ever notice it." Jodie grinned.

A flat tire and busted brake pad early Saturday slowed them down. They had to wait for a garage to open. It took the mechanics hours to repair the work. The group took the opportunity to eat and relax. Jane and Doug continued to talk. Before they left the shop, they exchanged phone numbers and set up a date for the following weekend. They did not arrive in Lawndale until 5am Sunday morning. Jodie and Jane were dropped off at Jane's house. They crashed there until Mack picked Jodie up in the middle of the afternoon.

Monday morning, Jane, Jodie and Daria were gathered at their lockers. Jane and Jodie still looked like buses had hit them. Daria shot them a half smile.

"How was your week?" Jane asked Daria.

"Well, the renewing of Erin's wedding vows turned into a "Sick, Sad World" moment but watching my mom knock out Aunt Rita was worth the price of admission. You look like you were drug through the ocean by a fishing vessel. Did you enjoy Cancun?"

Jodie and Jane turned to each other. They were smiling. "It was unbelievable."

"Well, I hope you didn't do anything I wouldn't do."

Jane closed her locker. "We would tell you but then we would have to kill you."