Like a Circle in a Spiral
?005 The Angst Guy (theangstguy@yahoo.com)
Daria and associated characters are ?005 MTV Networks
Feedback (good, bad, indifferent, just want to bother me, whatever) is appreciated. Please write to: theangstguy@yahoo.com
Synopsis: Mystik Spiral hits it big梑ut not in the way they had always expected. This post-IICY tale spins off from the Daria episode, 揝peedtrapped.?/p>
Author抯 Notes: In April 2005, Richard Lobinske and I took part in a fanfic-writing competition on PPMB, overseen by Isa Yo-Jo. As part of the competition, one of the three judges, Isa, set the following guidelines for the first round.
I want you to write
a short (between 1,000 and 2,000 words) fic about Mystik Spiral post-IICY?
Here抯 the catch: You must write it in the style of your
opponent. TAG, I wanna see happiness and glurge abounding. RL, I want it
dripping with angst.
牋牋牋牋牋?This
story was my entry. Daria fans might recall Mystik Spiral抯 situation from 揝peedtrapped,?when they had to do a little public service for a county sheriff. The title is
borrowed from the lyrics of the song, 揟he Windmills of Your Mind?(which
most people remember was sung by Dusty Springfield on her 1969 Dusty in
Memphis album). The lyrics were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and
Michel Legrand.
Acknowledgements: Isabelle Young-Johnson and Richard Lobinske have my gratitude for forcing me into doing this story. Thank you!
*
牋牋牋牋牋?揗y daughter just loves your CDs,?said the hyperactive rail-thin blonde with sunglasses perched on top of her head. Trent Lane opened the songbook she had handed him and lifted his purple pen as she went on. 揅ould you make that out to Carene, like 慘aren?but with a 慶?instead of a 慿?and an 慹?on the end??/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揝ure.?Trent thought, then wrote, To my Icebox Woman, Carene, from Trent梇ou抮e my angel! on the title page of the songbook. 揟hanks,?he said as he handed the book back.
牋牋牋牋牋?揙h, my God, she抯 going to absolutely flip when she gets home from school!?said the rail-thin blonde when she read what Trent wrote. She stuck out a hand and they shook. 揟hank you so much,?she said, and she held on to Trent抯 hand a little longer than necessary and winked at him and grinned.
牋牋牋牋牋?Trent nodded and kept smiling, having seen this reaction a thousand times before. Another woman cleared her throat behind the rail-thin blonde, who had to let go and move out of the way. By leaning over to one side, Trent could see that the line of book signers ran all the way back through the Books by the Ton Megastore and out the front entrance, then off down the main hall of the Northland-Southfield Mall. He wondered if signing books and CD cases for all these people would give him cramps for life. Thank God Monique had found that deep-heat hand lotion; it really helped.
牋牋牋牋牋?揌i!?squealed the brunette with the flower-print dress, handing over an open songbook. 揅ould you sign the page with 慒reakin?Friends?for my twins, Aleesha and Gennifer? That抯 A-L-E-E-S-H-A and Gennifer with a 慓.?They are so crazy about you and your group! This is so exciting!?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Even as tired as he was, Trent couldn抰 help but smile. His purple pen hovered over the book, then lowered?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?梐nd right then, the brunette asked The Question. 揌ow did your group ever get started doing children抯 music, anyway??/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Oh, no. Trent kept up his smile, but he had answered The Question so many times, he couldn抰 think of an answer anymore. He even forgot what he was going to write to the twins.
牋牋牋牋牋?揑抣l field that one,?said Monique, sitting on Trent抯 right. She was wringing her hands, trying to get the feeling back into them. The small boy in front of her, waiting for her to sign an 8-by-10 color glossy photo of her in her black leather band outfit, looked at her in awe and adoration. 揑t all started with Melissa, Nick Campbell抯 little girl.?She looked down the long table to her left past Trent, where the rest of Mystik Spiral chatted and laughed with fans as they signed.
牋牋牋牋牋?揟he little girl sitting in that man抯 lap, the man with the really bright red hair??asked the brunette.
牋牋牋牋牋?揧up,?said Trent. Relieved, he lowered the pen again. To Aleesha and Gennifer, my best freakin?friends of all, from Trent. He handed the songbook back to the brunette, who stepped aside for the next woman in line but hung back, listening to the story.
牋牋牋牋牋?揘ick brought Melissa along one night when Spiral was playing at McGrundy抯, this place in Lawndale, and Trent here棓 Monique smiled and elbowed Trent sharply in the ribs, making him grunt 摋called me up and asked if I抎 watch Melissa while the band played, like I was the official band babysitter or something.?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Trent sighed. Monique was never going to let him forget that gaffe.
牋牋牋牋牋?揝o I came over,?Monique went on, 揳nd Melissa was just the cutest thing you ever saw, so we watched the band play two sets, and the next day Melissa sang some of Mystik Spiral抯 songs in school to her friends, and it kind of caught on from there.?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揅an you sign this to Cherice??asked the next woman in line, looking nervously at Trent as she handed over a color photo of Mystik Spiral waving. 揝he抯 my niece and she抯 had a lot of problems going on in her life lately, but it抯 not her fault, it抯 her mom and my stupid jerk brother, and I thought maybe you could write a little something to her and tell her things will be okay. You know, whatever, just something.?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Trent nodded. 揝ure,?he said. 揌ow do you spell 慍herice??/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揧ou just started writing children抯 music from there??asked the brunette, unwilling to let the earlier conversation go.
牋牋牋牋牋?揙h, no,?said Monique, handing the signed photo to the shy little boy and motioning for the next one in line to come up. 揥e had to talk about it, first. I wasn抰 in the band then, but Nick and I started talking and thinking, hey, if children are the wave of the future, shouldn抰 someone be trying to communicate with them about the world? You know, kind of hold their hands and lead them along a little??/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Trent nodded, purple pen hovering over the songbook. And Monique and I had that six-hour fight in which she yelled that the lyrics for Mystik Spiral songs were so awful, only children could love them, and I said that抯 not true, and she brought up the time the Fremont sheriff made us play at his daughter抯 birthday party to work off a traffic ticket, and then she dared me to play some of our songs for some kids to see if they liked them, and I did, and they did, and Monique and I broke up but after we got together again and had about three hundred more fights before Mystik Spiral had its first concert for kids at an elementary school, and the kids went crazy and screamed for more every time we tried to leave, so we played for almost the whole freakin?day, and the school made us their official rock band and Monique called a recording company and Max quit the band twenty-one times and Jesse got his younger brother Danny to be our press agent and Monique will never let me live it down. Never.
牋牋牋牋牋?He lowered the pen. To Cherice桰f your heart is like an open wound that reads the tea leaves of its doom, then let your dreams and hope and love surround you like a heat-proof kitchen glove. The meter was decidedly off in the last line, but the message was clear. He signed his name and passed the book back. The woman took the book, read the inscription, burst into tears, and had to be guided away by one of the security guards.
牋牋牋牋牋?揕ooks like you抳e still got that special touch,?murmured Monique, signing another photo of herself for a boy wearing coke-bottle glasses who stared at her with an open mouth, as if he抎 just met his future wife.
牋牋牋牋牋?揌mmm,?said Trent, embarrassed.
牋牋牋牋牋?揑 heard from Jane and her friend Daria,?said Monique, handing the photo back to the boy. 揟hey want to take us to dinner when we get to Boston.?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揙kay,?said Trent, taking a lyrics booklet from a CD case. He couldn抰 remember if they were even scheduled to go to Boston, they had so many stopovers on this tour. 揥e should take them out, though. Somewhere with pizza.?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揟hat抯 probably what they were hoping for,?said Monique. 揧ou know how those two are.?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揅an you sign it for Brandi, with an 慽??asked the woman who handed the booklet over. 揝he likes 慒rom the Futon.?We had to go out and buy her one, can you believe it??/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揧ou抮e not mad at me for poking you in the ribs, are you??asked Monique.
牋牋牋牋牋?Trent shook his head. It was impossible to stay mad at her. They shared too much. He found a space on the 慒rom the Futon?page. For Brandi桵y soul calls out for more, but will my cry get through? Give your futon a hug for me. Love, Trent. 揔ids just want someone to tell them they抮e loved,?he said, handing the booklet back梐nd he blinked. Why had he said that?
牋牋牋牋牋?Monique stopped in the middle of signing another photo of herself, and she turned to him. 揑n that case,?she said in a husky voice, 揑抎 better let you know that you are loved.?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Everyone within earshot laughed. Trent blushed, knowing he抎 walked right into that one. Monique leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, catching his right hand in her left. He looked down at the golden ring on her finger. Taking leather-clad pictures of her for their signings would get more difficult in the months ahead. Girl or boy, he thought, stealing a peek at Monique抯 expanding abdomen, you will always be loved.
牋牋牋牋牋?揔eep up the great work!?said Danny Moreno, clapping a hand on Trent抯 shoulder and breaking into his thoughts. 揙nly two hundred more fans to go before lunch!?/p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揅ool!?called his older brother Jesse.
牋牋牋牋牋?Everyone laughed again, even Trent. He gave Monique抯 hand an extra squeeze and thought of the future. 揅ool,?he said, and he raised his pen.
Original: 08/05/05
FINIS