Disclaimer: Daria and associated characters are owned by MTV. This is fan fiction written for entertainment only. No money or other negotiable currency or goods have been exchanged.


Richard Lobinske

A Choice


Her first semester exams complete, Daria Morgendorffer stared out the window of her Raft College dorm room. The setting sun lit the bald soil and tuffs of faded, brown grass that poked through the dirty remains of snow on the Quad. A few students braved the driving, cold wind crossed it on critical errands as they prepared to leave campus for the winter break.

She turned to look at the empty bed of her roommate, already on her way home. Toni wasn't a horrible person, or even bad. She and Daria just didn't mesh well and spent most of the semester in respectful silence. Not friends and not enemies, just coincidental inhabitants of the same room.

Sadly, she went to her computer and vacantly stared at the screensaver as she thought of the last few months. Unfortunately, she had found that many of the students were shockingly ignorant, those that weren't even more fashion-obsessed than her sister. The prized athletes were praised and protected more than her old principal, Ms. Li, had ever considered protecting star quarterback, Kevin Thompson. The faculty were disinterested in teaching and the entire school seemed geared to generating more funds. Too often, her freshman classes were bulk sessions with hundreds of students. Half of those were taught by grad students and not faculty. The content was dry, uninspired and rarely new.

"Why did I bother?"

As darkness fell outside, Daria never made the effort to turn on a light or change clothes. Almost without though, she crawled into bed and fell asleep.




Daria saw a small hospital maternity ward and two newborns in adjacent cribs. A nurse stopped at the cribs and briefly played with each child. After she examined charts for a few moments, she smiled at both and went to the nurses station. She returned a few minutes later carrying two ID bracelets, saying. "Time for your parents to know who belongs to who." Daria could see that one read, "Morgendorffer - Girl."

Daria watched as everything stopped. She didn't know how, or why, but she knew that she could change the bracelets and nobody would be the wiser. With one simple act, she would go to live with another family and never be subjected to a life filled with so much loneliness. She would not live in a town called Highland. She would not grow up where the other children called her Diarrhea. She would never hear her own sister call her cousin. She would never move to a town called Lawndale. She would not find herself cold and alone in a dorm room.

One simple act. It was her choice to make. She made it.




Daria awoke to the sound of ringing. She picked up her sleek cell phone and sleepily said, "Hello?"

"Yo! Morgendorffer. Change of plans. I'm picking you up at the airport."

"Huh?"

"I talked your Mom into it. Hey, I haven't seen you in almost four months."

"Jane, that sounds great. I can't wait to see you."

An angry and ferocious blast of wind hit the window, rattling and threatening to break it.

Daria looked out the window and seemed to hear a frustration in the howling wind and thought, I made the right choice.



May 2005