The Torment Trilogy part 1: The Confrontation by Mitch wells17@gte.net It was a clear summer day. Daria Morgendorffer was in her room. Some time ago, she turned seventeen. She was thinking about something that had been on her mind for almost a year. She had been thinking about it, almost since she had moved to Lawndale, but lately it had been starting to bother her. She needed to take care of it soon and there was only one way to take care of it. First, she called Jane. "Hola, Lane homestead and Mystik Spiral mail drop and no, I won't tell you when I get off from work and no, I'm not the secretary around here." "Jane, it's me." "Oh, Daria. Nuts, I was hoping it was someone I could torment without feeling guilty later. So where are you? I haven't seen you lately." "I've been doing some thinking," said Daria, "can I come over?" "-Duh-! You know the door is always open for you. Now, for -Quinn-..." "I know. Is Trent going to be home?" "You're asking about Trent? Well, yeah. Say, your not going to...," "See you in five minutes."-click- Daria hated to hang up on Jane, but it she had something important to take care of today, and she didn't need Jane's matchmaker act for it. This had to be done while Daria was still psyched. ----- "So," said Jane at the door, "you finally gave in?" "Call it what you want," said Daria, "Where's Trent?" "In the basement, y'know, I've been waiting for this moment for..." "Just let me through, Lane." ----- Trent was practicing in the basement. He had been doing that all morning. It had been a dull day, even more than usual. Actually, it had been dull for quite some time. He was wondering why. Everything had been the same as always, except he hadn't seen Daria for a while. He wondered about that. The last time he saw her was at her 17th birthday. She looked great. Trent realized what he just thought and cursed at himself. Just because Daria was becoming a woman didn't me he had to think lustfully of her. Trying to get his mind off that, he wondered -why- he hadn't seen Daria around. He never asked Janey about it, but he wondered if she and Daria were still friends. He sure hoped they were! Janey needed a friend and Daria probably needed one too. Besides, Trent thought Daria was pretty darn cool and not seeing her again would hurt, no, crush him. After all, she never got that gift her got for her. Of course, the paperwork for it wasn't finished yet. He thought of all the adventures they had together last year, although it felt like four years. It wasn't anything someone would easily forget and he got to know Daria pretty well during that time. Sure, she started out pretty distant, but she opened up to him over time. Strange, he never found out -why- she used to be so stiff. Just then, the basement door opened and Daria entered. "Woah!" said Trent, "I was just thinking about you." "Really?" asked Daria." "Yeah. Basically, I was wondering why I haven't see you around her for a while." "Well Trent, I've been doing some important thinking about my life and...well...I'm afraid I have a bone to pick with you." "Wha...?" "I...I'm tired of you telling people that I'm your 'kid sister's friend'." "You are? Then...what do I call you?" "I...I want to be...-your- friend, Trent." "You do?" "Yeah." There was a heartbeat while Trent thought about it. "Sure." "You...you mean it?" "Yeah, I mean, we probably -are- standing each other for so long. And...I guess I -do- see you as a friend of my own. I guess I thought you didn't see me like that. Besides, I'm kinda afraid of what 'ideas' people might have about the two of us." "'Ideas'? Like..." "Like we're sleeping together. It's just that I'm in a band and bands have bad reps sometimes and I don't want them to think that I go around picking up teenage girls." "Well, you're always picking up Jane and me and, well, we -sorta- slept together once." Trent chuckled. "Yeah, but besides you cuddling to me in your sleep, I don't remember anything between falling asleep and waking up." Daria chuckled a little. "So, it's settled, we're friends?" "Yeah, by the way, we're having a Mystik Spiral anniversary party tomorrow night. Wanna come?" "Uh, sure." ----- The party rocked, maybe. Daria basically spent her time there sipping at punch and wondering why Trent hadn't shown up. Jane came to her. "So," said Jane, "you went to talk to him yesterday to get him to be your friend." "Yep." "Just that, huh?" "Well, what did you -think- I was going to ask him about?" "Well...never mind. By the way, have you -seen- Trent around here?" "Wait, you don't know either?" "Nah. He just drove off earlier. He didn't say where he was going, just that he needed to check on something." A ringing sound was then heard. "I'll get it," said Jane. She picked up the phone. "Hello, Lane homestead. Uh, no I'm his sister, not his wife. Uh huh. Yeah. WHAT? Yes, I heard you! Is he...oh. Okay. When will he...you don't know. Okay. Thank you. I'll be there." She hung up with a sad and serious look on her face. "What is it Jane?" Daria asked, almost whispering. "It...it's Trent. He's...it isn't good." To be continued...