“Hey, Daria.”  Jodie Landon looked around to make sure there was no one within earshot.  “Do you mind if I ask you something a little personal?”

“That depends.  If it concerns my family, you’ll have to clear it with the Federal Witness Protection Program.”

“It’s not about your family.”  She frowned.  “I hate to pry, but the other day I saw you, Jane, and Sandi Griffin in the Pizza King together.  What’s going on?”

“We were eating pizza.  Is there a problem?”

“Come on.  When you and Jane start hanging out with the President of the Fashion Club, something strange is going on.”

Daria sighed.  “Ex-President.  Sandi resigned so she could be friends with Jane.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I hope you don’t think I could make up something like that.”

“There has to be more to it.  I mean, it just doesn’t make sense.”

“Tell me about it.”  Daria shrugged.  “Jane ran into her by accident one day, they had a conversation, and…they like each other.  They’re practically inseparable.”

“How are you dealing with it?”

“Withdrawal.  Denial.  The usual.”

“Come on, Daria.  Seriously.”

“Seriously, she seems to like Jane better than she likes fashion.  And…well…she’s not quite as obnoxious to be around as I thought she’d be.”

“So she doesn’t treat you like a big loser any more?”

Daria shook her head.  “I think she thinks I’m cool because I’m Jane’s friend.”

“That’s seriously weird.”  Jodie shook her head.  “Jane’s not going to start wearing hair scrunchies, is she?  It just makes me think of that time she almost became a cheerleader.”

“Nothing like that is going to happen.”

“Are you sure?”

Daria’s expression changed to a worried frown.  “No.  But if it does happen, someone’s going to die.”

“What about Mrs. Griffin?  How’s she taking it?”

“I don’t even know if she knows about it.”

“Yeah…if I were Sandi, I sure wouldn’t tell her.”  Jodie frowned.  “I imagine she’s going to find out sooner or later, though.  Um…you might want to tell Jane to watch out.”

Linda Griffin frowned.  “It seems to me you haven’t been going on very many dates lately, Sandi.”

“I’ve been going on plenty of dates, mother.  I hope you don’t think I gave up my popularity when I resigned from the Fashion Club.”

“You haven’t been getting very many calls from boys, though.”

“I talk to them at school.  I prefer not to have them call the house ever since my brat brothers decided to start answering the phone and harassing them.  I don’t see why we can’t do something about that.”

“So you do have a date for this Saturday?”

“Of course.”

“All right then.”  Linda walked away.  Sandi looked after her, worrying about the conversation.  Linda had been asking about Sandi’s personal life more and more often, and Sandi understood perfectly well why her mother was concerned.  Worse, Sandi had lied; she’d been going on fewer and fewer dates, and spending more and more time with Jane and Heidi.  She could hardly tell Linda that.  And now she had to make a date for Saturday, and do it fast.  She hurried up to her room and called Quinn.

“Sandi! Hi! It’s great to hear from you!”

“Thank you.  Um, Quinn, I have a little problem that I was hoping you might be able to help me with…”

“You know I’d do anything to help you, Sandi.  Um…what is it?”

God, this is embarrassing. “I…was wondering if you could…help me get a date for Saturday.”  There was a prolonged silence on the other end.  “Quinn?  Hello?”

“Um…okay…are you really sure you need my help?”

“Well, it’s just that I’ve kind of lost track of who’s dating who, and I don’t want to unnecessarily embarrass anyone by asking out like their boyfriend or anything.  And you being the President now, you naturally have all that knowledge at your fingertips.  Of course, if you don’t want to help me…”

“It’s no problem or anything…I was just kind of surprised, that’s all.”

“All right, I’ll overlook it this time…” Sandi suddenly realized that she had fallen back into her standard Quinn-bashing mode.  “Oh God, Quinn, I’m sorry!  I’m just kind of not myself today.”  Or too much of myself!  “I really appreciate your helping me out in this matter.”

“Sure…what should I do?”

“Well, you know the kind of boys I find suitable for dating.  If you could just find one who’s free and let me know, I’ll take care of the rest.  Um…it’s probably better if you don’t call me here with the information.  If you could give it to me tomorrow morning at school, that would be good.”

“Sure, Sandi.”

“Thanks so much.  Um…I’ll talk to you later.  Bye, Quinn.”

“Bye, Sandi.”  Quinn hung up and unsuccessfully tried to figure out what had just happened.  All she could come up with was that it was really, really weird.

“Hey!  How is everything, Sandi?  It’s been a while since I’m seeing you.”  Heidi came down the hall, wearing a skirt and stockings instead of her usual slacks.

“Hi!”  Sandi smiled; she and Heidi had gone to the Pizza King only two days earlier.  “I guess it has been a while.  I’m fine.  I like your outfit!  It’s kind of a different look for you.”

“Thank you!  I’m trying a little bit different look.  You think it’s good?”

Sandi nodded. “It’s really cute.  I like your blouse, too.  The color is the perfect complement for your hair.”

“I’m inspired to pick out my clothes a little more carefully now.”

Sandi noted that Heidi was still wearing her clogs; she was surprised to find herself relieved.  “Um…you didn’t change your look because of me, did you?”

“Don’t you like it? You said you liked it.”

“I do like it, I mean, I would never lie about that.  I was just concerned that maybe you thought…um…that I didn’t like the way you looked before.  Because, you know, you were already really cute.”

Heidi smiled warmly.  “Thank you.  But I like a new look sometimes, too.”

“Okay.  And it is a really good look for you.  Did you get that at Cashman’s?”

“Yes, I’m going there yesterday to shop.”

Sandi chuckled.  “It’s so cute the way you say things sometimes.  Um…the next time you want to go to Cashman’s, let me know.  I’m like the Cashman’s expert.  I’ll be glad to go shopping with you.”

“All right, it is a date!”  Heidi smiled and walked off as Quinn came walking up.

“Hi Sandi, um, how’s your friend?”

“She’s all right…I guess.  It’s kind of hard to tell sometimes, you know, with her being foreign and whatever.”

“That’s a really cute outfit she’s wearing, except for—” Quinn managed to stop before the word “clogs” escaped her lips.  “Um, I mean, it’s like…”

“You don’t have to change your opinion of her footwear simply because I did.”  Sandi smiled.  “But thank you for taking my feelings into consideration.”

“Um…you’re welcome.”

“Did you have a chance to do that favor I asked for?”

Quinn nodded.  “After careful consideration, I narrowed it down to a choice between Stewart Lattimer and Gordon Parkhurst.”  She looked up nervously to see if these were acceptable; to her relief, they were.

“I’ll talk to Stewart.  Thank you so much, Quinn.”

“Don’t mention it.  Is…everything all right, Sandi?”

Sandi frowned, but then, to Quinn’s surprise, she reached down and clasped Quinn’s hand.  “I hope so.  Thank you for being concerned.”

Sandi’s parents were waiting up in the living room when she came home.  “Well, how was your date?” said Linda.

Oh, God, now what? “It was fine.”

“Stewart Lattimer, was it?”

“What are you doing, spying on me?”

“We’re just concerned about you.”  Linda turned to her husband.  “Aren’t we.”

Tom Griffin sighed.  “We just want to make sure everything’s all right, Sandi.”

She scowled.  “I told you everything was all right.  I don’t know why you don’t trust me!  Why don’t you come along on my next date and bring a video camera?”

Linda looked at her coldly. “I don’t appreciate that attitude.  Your father and I have legitimate reasons for our concern.”

“You don’t trust me.  You’re always concerned that I’m like going to embarrass you again, and I’m not!  I mean, how many years has it been?”

“This isn’t about us.  We’re thinking about you, and your future.”

“I’m touched.  It’s too bad you couldn’t show concern like that when I was lying in my bed puffing up like a balloon.  But I guess you don’t care if I’m the fat chocolate lady of Lawndale as long as I don’t go out in public!”  She stormed off to her room.

Linda turned to Tom. “Thank you so much for your help.”

“So your parents are like monitoring your dates?”  Jane shook her head.  “I can’t imagine what that would be like.  I’m still not sure if my parents ever even knew I was dating Tom.”

“They’ve started making a big deal about it lately.  I guess they’re worried that I’m spending too much time with my friends.”

“Weird.  Well, maybe we should get you a steady boyfriend.  That’d keep them off your back.”

Sandi scowled.  “I don’t think they’ll be satisfied until I’m married and have like a hundred kids and whatever.  And probably not even then.”

“Wow.  And I thought Mrs. Morgendorffer was giving Daria a hard time over Tom.”

“Helen would never treat her daughters the way my mother treats me.”  Sandi brightened a little.  “Maybe I could switch with Quinn.  I mean, she’d have to put up with my mother, but on the other hand my brothers would always be at her service.”

“You want to have Daria for an older sister?”

“I wouldn’t mind.”

“Whoa.  You really are pissed at your family.”

Daria was unamused when Jane recounted the conversation to her.  “I’m really not sure which is more frightening - the thought of having Sandi for a sister or the thought that she would want to be part of the Morgendorffer clan.  I take it her mother still doesn’t know she’s friends with you?”

“Nope.  Is Ms. Landon still eagerly anticipating the fireworks?”

“I think she’s just concerned.  Um…I think I am, too.”

“I can handle myself.  I am kind of worried about Sandi, though.  It really could be bad, Daria.”

Daria grimaced.  “Uh…listen. If there’s anything I can do to help you…or Sandi…I’ll do what I can.”

“Thanks.  And don’t think I’m being an ingrate when I say I hope we don’t have to take you up on that.”

Sandi got up and opened the door to her room; to her relief, it was her father standing outside.  “Yes?”

“Can I come in for a second?  I just…I found this in a box of my old college stuff in the attic and I thought you might like to have it.”  He came in and handed her a book.  She read the title - EDWARD HOPPER - and looked up at him.

“You wanted me to have this?”

He nodded.

She started leafing through it; it was a beautiful book.  “I didn’t know you ever had a book like this.”  She looked up at him again.  “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.  Well…I’m sure you have things to do.”  In the doorway, he turned back to her.  “Sandi, I’m sorry about the other night.”

She nodded slowly.  “Okay.”

He glanced into the hallway and looked at her again.  “I think we should trust you.”  He sighed.  “But…”

“I know.  Thanks, dad.”

He stepped out and closed the door.

“I’m just saying, why do we always have to go to Cashman’s?  It’s not like the only store in the country.”  Brooke was somewhat taken aback by the stares she received from the other Fashion Clubbers.

“This is a Fashion Club tradition!” said Quinn.  “The Club was practically founded here.  Hey!  Maybe we should get like a historical plaque put in our dressing room.”

“That’s a really great idea, Quinn,” said Tiffany.

“Yeah!” said Stacy.  “Except…we’re not going to try to sell newsletters like the last time, are we?  That didn’t work out so well.”

“No, silly, we’ll ask Theresa to donate the plaque on behalf of Cashman’s.  I mean, we’re only like her best customers ever.”  Quinn’s eyes narrowed slightly.  “And I’m sure she wants to keep us that way.”

Stacy nodded enthusiastically.  “Quinn, you’re the best.”

“Well, I try.  But remember, I had a really great role model—”

“Sandi!” shouted Brooke.

“Well, of course,” said Quinn, “I mean who else—” She abruptly realized that Brooke had just seen Sandi in the store.

“Weren’t we like going to call her before we came here again?” said Tiffany, as Sandi spotted them and walked over.  “This is like embarrassing.”  But Sandi was smiling.

“Hey, how are you all doing?”

“Um, we’re all okay,” said Quinn.  “And how are you doing, Sandi?”

“I’m okay.”

“Are you like here by yourself?” said Tiffany.  “Ow.”  Quinn had deftly elbowed her.

“Actually, I’m here with Heidi.  I’m helping her pick out clothes.”

“Wow, that’s really nice,” said Stacy.  “Where is she?”

“Here she comes.”  Heidi emerged from a dressing room wearing a spectacular form-fitting red dress.  They all gaped at her.

“Is that like her natural figure?” said Brooke.  “Because I’d kill for hips like that.”

“Sandi,” said Tiffany, “she’s beautiful.”  Sandi was speechless.

“Hi!  How are you all doing?”  Heidi walked over, a little awkwardly, trying to get used to the feel of the dress.  “What do you think of this?  Is this too sexy?”

“It’s perfect,” said Stacy, with tears in her eyes.  “It’s so beautiful!”

“Sandi, what are you thinking of the dress?”

Sandi blinked and snapped out of it.  “It’s stunning.  I mean, God, you could be like a model or something.”  She looked away from Heidi.  “Um…I really need to go and sit down.  I’m kind of dizzy…from being on my feet too much.  I’ll be back in a minute.”  She sprinted away, leaving Heidi and the Fashion Club staring.

“That was odd,” said Brooke.  “You think she’s all right?”

“She’s not so used to giving compliments, maybe,” said Heidi.  “She’s…what’s the word?…shy?”

Shy? Sandi? No way! Quinn tried to guess what word Heidi could have been thinking of, but she couldn’t come up with anything.  Things were getting weirder.

Jane opened the door.  Linda Griffin looked her over.  “I suppose you’re Jane?  You don’t look like a Heidi.”

“Good call,” said Jane.  “And you are?”

“Don’t be cute.  Where’s Sandi?”  She stepped into the house.  “You live here?”

“Mother!”  Sandi came running down the stairs.  “What do you think you’re doing?”

“No.  What the hell do you think you’re doing?  ‘Why don’t you trust me?’  Because I knew what you were up to!  God, Sandi, how stupid do you think I am?”

“You’re wrong.  Jane’s my friend.  That’s all.”

“There’s no point in continuing to lie about it.”

“Um, Mrs. Griffin, she’s not lying.”

Linda ignored Jane.  “And you promised, Sandi.  That’s the part that hurts the most—”

“You’re not listening to me.  I kept my promise—”

“Don’t treat me like an idiot.  Do you really expect me to believe that you’re just friends with this—person?  For God’s sake! Where did you find her, anyway?  Turning tricks on Dega Street?”

Sandi’s hand hit Linda’s face with a crack like a tree limb snapping.  Linda staggered back and dropped into a chair.

“Listen to me,” Sandi said quietly.  “I don’t care what you say about me, but you never say anything like that about Jane.  Is that understood?”

Linda nodded.

“Good.  Now get out.”

Linda got out of the chair, her eyes full of terror, and walked to the door without taking her eyes off Sandi.  She managed to open it and escape without turning around.  Sandi watched the doorway for a few seconds, went to the couch, sat down, and began to cry.  Jane came over and sat down next to her.

After a minute or so Sandi turned to her and said “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” said Jane.  “I understand why you hit her.”

Sandi shook her head.  “I’m not sorry about that.”  She turned away.  “I’m sorry you had to find out…about me.  I didn’t ever want you to know.”

Jane ran the scene over in her mind.  Her eyes widened.  “She thought that you were…and with me?  How the hell did she ever get that idea?”

Sandi turned to her slowly.  “I guess I should tell you.”  She took in a deep breath.  “It was back when we lived in Glenfield.  There was a girl named Renee…she was like the coolest person I ever met.  She was really beautiful.  It turned out she was…and…I guess I…” She closed her eyes and started crying again.  “We didn’t go out on like dates or anything…but we used to meet a lot.”  She stopped for a minute, trying to calm down.  “We never really did anything except kiss.  I guess we’d hold each other.  But people found out about it…” She looked at Jane again.  “It was just a horrible scandal.  So my parents decided to move here, you know, where nobody knew who we were or anything.  So I promised Linda that nothing like that would ever happen again…so I had to go out on dates with boys all the time to prove that now I was like normal.”  She shook her head slowly.  “But…I just don’t care about any of the boys I go out with.  But I promised.  I don’t know.  I guess you probably want me to leave or something.”

“No!  I don’t want you to leave.  God, I don’t care if you’re…” Jane had a horrible thought.  “You weren’t…I mean, you and me…?”

Sandi shook her head.  “I like you, but, well, not like that.  And, I mean, I know you’re not like that.”

“All right.  I mean, I really don’t care if you’re gay, but that would have been awkward.”

“Mm-hm.”  Sandi looked at her curiously.  “I thought you’d like hate me if you found out the truth.”

“Why would you think that?”

“I didn’t think you were like prejudiced or anything, but I lied to you and stuff.  Well, I mean I didn’t actually lie, but I was pretending that I liked boys and everything.  It wasn’t honest.”  She stared at the floor. “I’m like a really bad friend.”

“Come on!  Don’t beat yourself up.”  Jane took Sandi’s hand.  “I don’t see how you could have been any more honest than you were.  It’s not the kind of thing that you just go around announcing to people.  And you were trying to keep your promise.  Jeez!  I feel bad they ever made you make that promise in the first place.”

“It was mostly Linda’s idea.  I don’t think I can really hold my father responsible.”

“Well, unless he tried to stop her, I don’t think you can let him completely off the hook.”

“I guess not.  But she’s really not an easy person to deal with.”  Sandi glanced down at her hands.  “Maybe I shouldn’t have slapped her.  But she should never have said that about you.”

“Like I said, I understand why you did it.  And I have to admit that I was at least a little bit glad that you did.”

“So was I.  That’s really terrible, isn’t it?”

“I’d say it’s more like really human.”

Sandi managed a half-smile.  “I’m glad you’re my friend.”  She sighed.  “I guess I should probably go back to my house.  I mean, I’m going to have to do it sooner or later.  Could you just like walk with me?  You don’t have to come in or anything, but…I really don’t want to walk all the way over there by myself.”

“Of course.”

Sandi said very little as they walked, but she held Jane’s hand tightly.  At last they arrived at the Griffin house.  Sandi stopped on the doorstep.  “I’m really not sure I can do this.”

Jane nodded. “I’ll come in with you if you think it’ll help.”

“You don’t have to.  I’d never forgive myself if anything happened.”

“Hey.  I think I can take care of myself.”  Jane paused for a moment.  “She doesn’t own a gun, does she?”

“I don’t think so.  Um…was that a joke?”

“I’m not sure.”

Sandi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door.  To her surprise, her father came running up.  “Sandi, have you seen your mother?”

“Isn’t she here?”

He shook his head.  “Sam and Chris said she’d gone over to your friend’s house…I take it this is your friend?”  Jane raised her hand tentatively.

Sandi blinked and tried to regain her bearings.  “This is Jane…um…yes, she’s my friend.  Jane, this is my father, Tom Griffin.”  She turned back to him.  “She hasn’t been back here since then?”

“Not as far as I can tell.  Did you see her?”

Sandi nodded slowly.  “I guess I’d better tell you the whole story.  Um…perhaps we’d better go and sit down first.”  They went into the living room.  With help from Jane, Sandi haltingly described her last encounter with Linda.  As she got to the end, she started crying again.  “I’m really sorry.”

After a moment Tom got up, came over to her, and took her in his arms.  She started sobbing.

“God,” he said quietly, “what did we do to you.”

Jane frowned slightly.  “So you’re seeing a counselor?”

Sandi nodded.  “It’s just for the whole anger thing.  I mean, I guess I need it.  But you know, about the other thing, my dad says I need to be who I am.”  She shook her head.  “I wish he didn’t sound so much like Mr. O’Neill.”

“I can understand that.  How’s the counseling going?”

“Well, it’s kind of too early to say, but so far I guess it’s going all right.  If it works I’m going to see if they can help my brothers.”

“You think they need anger management?”

“Brat management.”

Jane took another slice of pizza off the tray.  “So is Linda speaking to you yet?”

“More or less.” Sandi smiled thinly.  “I think she’s kind of like afraid of me now.  I suppose I should feel bad about that.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Thanks.”  Sandi sighed.  “I feel really weird now that I don’t have to pretend I like boys any more.  I just don’t know how other people are going to take it.”

“Like Quinn?”

“Exactly.  But I have to tell her and stuff.  I don’t want her to find out from some other person.”

Jane shook her head.  “I can see where you wouldn’t be looking forward to that.”

“No.”  Sandi sipped from her drink.  “Anyway, I decided to tell Heidi first.  Seeing as how she’s foreign and everything, I’m hoping she’ll have an enlightened attitude.”  She frowned and looked at her watch.  “Actually, she was supposed to be here by now.”

“You’re planning to tell her here?  Tonight?  In public?”

“Well, it would be kind of weird if I took her off in private to do it.  She might think…I don’t know.”  Sandi blushed brightly.

“I get the picture.  Anyway, here she comes.”

Heidi came up to the table, smiling brightly.  As she sat down Jane thought she caught a whiff of perfume.

“I’m sorry to be so late!  You know, sometimes it takes a long time to get ready.  So, what is it that’s the big important thing you have to tell me?”

Sandi steeled herself.  “I’m afraid I’ve kind of been lying to you, Heidi.”  She could hardly look into Heidi’s innocent blue eyes.  “I hope what I have to say won’t like completely freak you out or anything.  Um…I know you thought that I was like normal and stuff, but I’m not really.  I’m…um…well…I like…girls.  Instead of boys.”

Heidi stared at her.  “This is it?”

“Mm-hm.”

“But I already know this.”

Sandi’s mouth dropped open.

Jane turned to Heidi.  “How’d you figure it out?”

“I’m thinking that’s why she chased me around in the first place.”  She turned back to Sandi.  “I thought when you said you had a big thing to say, you finally would ask me to be your girlfriend.”

Sandi stared at Heidi in shock, registering for the first time that she was wearing an obviously-new dress, a dress in Sandi’s favorite color, aubergine; that she was wearing pearl earrings and a silver necklace, and she’d put on perfume and had her nails done—all for someone whose girlfriend she obviously wanted to be.

Sandi reached across the table and took her hand.

Note: Daria and its characters and settings were created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn. Daria and all related characters are trademarks of MTV Networks, a division of  Viacom International Inc.  This story was written for non-commercial purposes and is not to be reproduced without express permission of Corvus Marinus, who may be reached at corvus-marinus@home.com.

If you’d like to comment on this story, please feel free to send E-mail to me at corvus-marinus@home.com.  Thanks!