Constraints: Around Esteemers.
Synopsis: Daria抯 school
history changes a little.
Hopeful New Start (Non-Gangland version).
Content: Hi, I抦 Psychotol,
your author. Some of the flashbacks will have violence and mild sexual abuse.
Legal: This was not done by
the actual writers of Daria, this is not an actual episode, and should not be
taken for one.
-~-
揘ow kids, I know that starting a new school can be difficult, but we抮e in a new town, with an opportunity to make a new start, can you please do your best??o:p>
Quinn stared at Daria for an
answer.
Daria maintained her silence.
Jake maintained his gaze on
her in the rear view mirror.
Daria eventually decided to ask 揑f I assure you I will make an effort, can you please refrain from making out I抦 lying??o:p>
Jake sighed, and said 揇aria, this is your last chance, you抮e out on license, you don抰 want this to be highland all over again??o:p>
Daria thought and said 揂 clusterfuck like that? Once in a trillion year event.?o:p>
揂nd could you please cut down on the swearing? Pleeeaaaassse??o:p>
揥e shall see.?o:p>
Jake let it drop and
continued to drive, they were almost there.
Quinn then said 揑f you ruin
things for me, I shall never forgive you,?before turning away from her.
Daria did not respond.
The silent treatment she gave
a lot of people was a strategy she had developed at her last high school. She
would not be goaded into anything because it could be a trap. If she felt
herself get angry, she抎 just hold everything in and keep any verbal responses
short and calculated, escalation of hostility was generally a bad thing.
On the other hand, if someone
starts a fight, you have to respond or you抣l lose something dear to you, like
an ear, a finger, an arm, an eye.
Of course, being deeply
unpopular makes it-
揇aria??asked Jake.
Daria glanced around, and
realised they were there, and Quinn was already gone.
Daria grabbed her bag and
alighted, closing the door and making her way around Quinn抯 audience to get
into the school.
She noticed this 40-ish
Korean woman in a grey office suit standing at the entrance as she approached.
The woman looked directly at
her.
The woman was also holding a
folder.
揗iss Morgendorffer,?said
the woman.
揝taff,?acknowledged Daria
as she stopped, assuming for now the woman wanted to talk to her about
something.
揕et me make a few things clear: I do not like you, you are not welcome here, the only reason you may enter is because I抦 required to give you a chance to put a foot wrong, and when you do, you are gone, this is a decent school, not whatever you need, so please, hurry up and do something.?o:p>
Daria didn抰 respond.
揑抣l even give you a spray can.?o:p>
Daria nodded.
She then looked down at her jacket lapel and said 搚ou get all that??o:p>
The woman almost turned
albino from fear.
Daria flashed a barely perceptible smile and asked 揇o I go to class now, or are there further procedures that need completing first??o:p>
The woman stiffly walked away
saying 揟his way Miss Morgendorffer,?in a wavering voice.
揝taff,?acknowledged Daria.
-~-
揘ow Daria, what do you see??o:p>
揑 see two rats about to get shivved.?o:p>
The shrink frowned, then
moved onto the next picture.
Quinn squirmed.
揇aria,?said the shrink as she showed Daria a picture of a litter of kittens suckling at their mother, 損lease be co-operative here, what do you see happening in this picture??o:p>
Daria knew she had one shot at a normal school, and yet she made that comment just now, it was like all her rage was spilling over, but she made this gigantic effort and said 揳 family of kittens ????about to ???star in a soap opera featuring live cats as characters, or something. I don抰 know, I haven抰 exactly been in a very nurturing environment for the past four years, okay? Until I live in the normal world long enough to get some nice memories inside me, most the results of these tests will just show pent up rage.?o:p>
The shrink nodded and took
down some notes.
揂nd I was sort of hoping I
would have that time.?Added Daria.
揗mmm-hmmm. We抮e done now.?o:p>
Daria and Quinn looked at
each other and a few seconds later they got up and left.
Quinn moved to gain as much
separation from Daria as possible as Daria headed to class.
-~-
Daria watched with some
amusement as the other students flinched at the history teachers emphasised words.
Her old school had teachers
that really knew how to scream, a lot of the time right down your ear hole.
揇ARIA, maybe YOU would have an OPINION on the debate surrounding the DEATH PENALTY!?o:p>
Daria said 揝taff, the death penal-?o:p>
揑T扴 MR DEMARTINO, NOT STAFF!?o:p>
揗y apologies, Mr Demartino, the main arguments for and against the death penalty revolve around deterrence. Getting killed for your crime is supposed to be a deterrent, whereas possibly seeing your suspect walk after having a life sentence overturned if you get it wrong is supposed to be a deterrent against sloppy police work. Another argument for the death penalty is public protection, dead serial killers don抰 kill anyone else, whereas the aforementioned sloppy police work allowed to secure a conviction if the suspect will be dead before a successful appeal allows the real killers to remain at large. Drumming up business and allowing officials to raise taxes to protect the public.?o:p>
Daria realised that her
presentation had emphasised one of her pet hates a bit, but it was irrelevant.
揤ery GOOD Daria, a little TOO good in fact.?o:p>
Demartino continued the
lesson.
His next question was about
who it was that supported legislation banning the death penalty federally.
Eventually he threatened the
class with double homework and a quiz tomorrow if he didn抰 get an answer.
Daria raised her hand.
揇ARIA, STOP SHOWING OFF!?o:p>
Daria shrugged and lowered
her hand, she was the only one in the class not flinching, and everyone was
looking at her funny.
-~-
揝o, as long as nothing bad happens,?said Quinn, looking pointedly at Daria, 揑 have full choice as to which school activities I want to sign up for, but I decided to go with the Fashion Club for now.?o:p>
揟hat抯 great Quinn. Daria,
how about you??asked Jake.
揥ell, no one started a fight with me, I wasn抰 made to submit a urine sample for drug testing in front of the entire class, and all the teachers are set on a low volume setting. So for me, it was a good day.?o:p>
揂nd you抮e going to make
sure it stays that way, aren抰 you??said Helen.
揚rovided I somehow get
popular enough that people won抰 lie to frame me-?said Daria.
揇ARIA!?barked Helen.
揙h, I抦 sorry, was I
contradicting Holy Scripture again??fantasised Daria.
Daria actually hadn抰 said anything since Helen had asked 慳ren抰 you??o:p>
Daria eventually said 揟hat抯 the plan.?o:p>
Around her family, sarcastic
comments over their misconception of the events that fucked her over were off
limits, they thought she did it, she knew she hadn抰, and the two twats that
had were angry she was getting the 揷redit?for it.
She ate in a rather
mechanical manner as she processed the same thoughts over her life for the
fuck-knows-how-many-ith time.
She also hoped nothing would
fuck this up for her before she could establish a good reputation.
揇aria? The psychologist said you have low self esteem.?o:p>
Daria glanced up from her food and asked 揵ased on what??o:p>
揟he test you had.?o:p>
Daria doubted a shrink of any level of competence would reach that conclusion, what she had revealed showed she was frustrated with how her life had been going, but low self esteem? Where the fuck had that come from? 揜ight. Well, then I have low self esteem. Hey, fits with your beliefs, 慿id turns self hatred outwards and hurts people.?so, this mean anything??o:p>
Helen scowled, and Daria
reprimanded herself for letting that comment slip.
Daria resumed eating, prompting 揥ell??o:p>
揧ou have to take a self esteem class.?o:p>
-~-
Daria walked into the
classroom.
There was one student from her
class that appeared to be sketching something on a legal pad, she glanced up
and looked at Daria, then looked back down at the pad.
No one else gave her any
notice.
Everyone else looked
depressed or nervous, except the girl with the paper, who just looked absorbed
in her work.
Daria picked a seat ahead and
left of the girl. Normally she抎 opt for a seat at the back of a room or at
least two desks away from anyone else, but that hadn抰 been an option so far,
and she was still alive, she felt a thrill at the fact she could now take these
risks, and hoped she could continue as she pulled a notepad and pen.
Low self esteem her wrongly
convicted ass.
The teacher entered and said 揼ood after-?until the papers he was waving at the students fell out of his hand ?err-?he bent over to pick them up, nervously placing some on the desk and organising the others 搊h dear, oh dear, errrr, errrm.?o:p>
Eventually he managed to take
a relaxed looking position sat on his desk, this was comical after his ten
thumbed handed entrance.
He then started 揂 teen, esteem, they don抰 really rhyme, do they? The sounds don抰 quite ?mesh.?o:p>
揅lose enough for a boy
band抯 lyrics,?commented Daria.
Everyone stared at her.
Daria ignored the stares saying 揷ontinue.?o:p>
揜ight, of course, errr, they don抰 quite mesh. And that, in fact, is often the case when it comes to a teen and esteem. But we are- oh hang o- ?oh, well, we are here to begin realizing your actuality.?o:p>
揝ta- ?O扤eill? What抯 an actuality??o:p>
揥hat??asked the teacher.
揥hat抯 an actuality? You know, for the purposes of this class??o:p>
揙h, errm ?Questions and answers are for later.?o:p>
揜ight,?said Daria.
換uestions are later,?said
the girl behind her.
Daria looked over to her and asked 搒o he hasn抰 a clue what he抯 on about. ?I wonder if I should be glad I still feel even a tiny bit surprised at that??o:p>
The girl laughed a little and
then in a
揑抣l tell you about it some time, maybe.?o:p>
The girl raised an eyebrow
then resumed her drawing.
-~-
揇on抰 suppose you could wait
a while??asked Daria as they reached the front door, interrupting their
conversation.
Jane approached asking 揧ou got a ride??o:p>
揧eah,?said Daria.
揥here do you live??asked
Jane.
揋len oaks,?said Daria.
揟hat抯 not far at all, your parents don抰 quite trust you to get home by yourself??o:p>
Daria knew Jane was teasing, it was a change that the teasing was friendly and not part of a harassment tactic and a means to muster forces against her, she let the exhilaration of not being under threat wash over her and said 搘ish I was kidding, but yes.?o:p>
Jane抯 expression changed to one of concern as she asked 搝e special treatment??o:p>
揧hhheah, we basically have issues, they don抰 trust me, and ?I can抰 stand them.?o:p>
Jane recoiled a little, commenting 揵ummer.?o:p>
揝o, how抯 it like having a
normal family??asked Daria.
揥ouldn抰 know, I seem to occupy the opposite extreme to what you occupy.?o:p>
揜eally??o:p>
揧eah.?o:p>
揌uh.?o:p>
After several seconds of silence, Jane asked 搒ooooo, why don抰 they trust you??o:p>
揟hink I did something. I didn抰, but mention that around them and they start accusing me of lying to them, start threatening to fuck me at the next parole meeting if I don抰 recant. I could kill them.?o:p>
Jane looked shocked now.
Daria eventually continued saying 揥ell, no, I don抰 honestly think I could, but I do look forward to my 18th birthday, because then I can fuck off and never have anything to do with them again.?o:p>
揜ight,?said Jane as she
relaxed a little.
Jane did remain fairly
agitated around her.
揥hat抯 with the
hyperactivity??asked Daria.
揘o offence, but could you move around a little more? You look like a statue for fuck抯 sake.?o:p>
揝orry, force of habit. Can you tell me if I should expect something royally unpleasant on this self esteem course??o:p>
揜oyally unpleasant? ?Hmm ?Stitches from laughing at your teacher ?Embarrassing conversation about body image ?What were you expecting??o:p>
揊ar, worse, shit, to come.?o:p>
揙kay ?On a scale of one to ten where a one is that death wank machine off of Barberella and ten is something that makes Uday Hussein feel queasy,?o:p>
揟wenty.?o:p>
Jane stared blankly at Daria.
揂ctually, more a four being realistic, but I don抰 want anything like that again. The last two days have basically been the best school days I have ever experienced, at least, of those I can remember.?o:p>
揙h. ??said Jane.
Daria was trying to get a
read on Jane, what was her interest? Gossip material? She tried to remember
what she saw Jane doing throughout the day in their classes, if she was
gossiping, if so, who with? The group dynamic in this school was definitely
different to that of her old school, everyone was visibly more relaxed, Daria
stood out due to how stoic she seemed, she just couldn抰 relax around these
people because she wasn抰 used to them not being a potential threat to her
safety.
About the only person she
could understand was the Principle, she viewed Daria as human garbage.
That抯 what Hope High was, a
landfill site for human garbage, the only place that would have her in the
Highland Area.
She just couldn抰 relax until
she KNEW she was safe, and right now, she didn抰 know she was safe.
She would have to wait and
see.
Eventually Helen pulled up
with a screech of the brakes and opened the door.
Daria checked her watch and said 揧ou realise I could have been halfway home by now??o:p>
揋et in!?said Helen.
Daria obeyed, nodding a
goodbye to Jane.
揝ee you tomorrow??said
Jane.
揧eah,?responded Daria
before she closed the door.
Helen then floored it out of
there.
揥ho was that girl you were
talking to??she asked.
?st1:Street w:st="on">
揝he looked strange, I don抰 want you around her.?o:p>
Daria was about to argue with
her, but just said 揜ight,?having hesitated only a few seconds.
慪eah, I抦 sure you can stop
me,?thought Daria as they drove home.
-~-
The room they had selected
for Daria had previously been a padded cell.
The previous owners had sawn
off the bars to sell the house, but then Helen and Jake had gone and replaced
them with a grill of 5mm bars spaced 50mm apart fixed on with nuts on threaded
studs that were then chiselled so that they couldn抰 be removed, and her door
was now locked from the outside when she went to bed at night.
These measures were only
introduced after a number of incidents the police had talked to them about that
Daria was suspected of involvement in, but this time, they couldn抰 pin them on
her, and the fact that there were no further fights or anything after they
started doing this made them think that this measure was what had done it.
Well, it was a relatively
minor humiliation, she could live with it for now.
It did annoy her that all the
other students presented their assignments as print outs from computers where
all she could offer was hand written, she considered her handwriting to be of
excellent quality, but she felt she was being cheated of something.
All she felt these days was
anger, she had been convicted more or less of something she hadn抰 done and any
time she had to defend herself, she was made out to be the aggressor, she had
to learn how to defend herself on the fly, and she did manage to achieve that
eventually, but everyone, even those that were normally victimised along with
her made out she had started it.
Could she feel anything else?
Well, if she stayed out of
prison and didn抰 get sent to another place like Hope High, possibly, but she
couldn抰 imagine it right now.
The lights were turned off.
Like her parents didn抰 trust
her to go to sleep on her own accord if she had control over her own room抯
lights.
Stupid selectively paranoid
unquestioning disloyal motherfucking bastards.
Daria got in her bed and
drifted off to sleep, visions of her family in the devil抯 centre mouth
entertaining her mind.
-~-
揌ere comes Jodie,?said
Jane.
Daria glanced over to the
black girl with the arm full of ring binders and leaflets who was approaching
students at random and asking them questions.
She felt amusement, at her
old place, you just don抰 approach students and start talking to them, that
usually invited an ass kicking. The only people that approached other people at
her old school were the bullies that exacerbated the situation.
Jodie then approached them.
揇aria,?she said, she then glanced at Jane saying 揌ope Jane hasn抰 poisoned you too much against school activities.?o:p>
揘ot successfully, I think that抯 more your job.?o:p>
揥ell, take a look at this list and see if anything appeals.?o:p>
揌mm ??Chess club, you play chess there right??o:p>
揜ight.?o:p>
揂ny catches? Hazing rituals? Klingon trial by combat type stuff??o:p>
Jodie chuckled, and eventually said 搉o, not really, but if you抮e good, you may end up having to play other schools.?o:p>
揟hink if I win, I抣l get the principal off my back??o:p>
Jodie looked a bit concerned as she asked 揥hy, what you do??o:p>
揟ransfer in from the wrong school.?o:p>
Jodie looked at Daria to
continue.
揕ong story, kind of personal, might tell you some time. Basically the principal hates me, tried to provoke a response the second I showed up so she could expel me.?o:p>
揙h. ???o:p>
揑 also like chess though, just hope I抦 not so rusty that I don抰 win enough to still enjoy it.?o:p>
揙kay then.?o:p>
Jodie noted Down Daria抯 name
and continued on.
揅hess club? You geek,?teased Jane.
揧ou ever play chess??o:p>
揑抳e drawn chess pieces occasionally, if you can get your parents to let you out I抣l show you some time.?o:p>
揚robably have to wait until
I抦 a legal adult. I have such grand plans for that day,?said Daria with an
evil smile.
Jane shuddered and said 揧ikes.?o:p>
-~-
The pair of them always
separated after self esteem class.
The purpose of this was to
avoid Helen seeing them together as they emerged from the building.
Daria got in the car and as they started off, Helen asked 揥hat did I tell you about hanging out with that girl??o:p>
揟hat I shouldn抰.?o:p>
揂nd yet I hear you have.?o:p>
揥e go to the same school, and besides, there抯 nothing wrong with her.?o:p>
揝he has almost no parental supervision, the rest of her family look like bums, she抯 a bad example.?o:p>
揧eah, well, I抦 bad at following examples, this is the first time I抳e actually made a friend in my entire life, just give us a chance will you??o:p>
揘o, I want you to make better friends. Friends that will keep you in line.?o:p>
揕ike who??o:p>
-~-
揟WO, FOUR, SIX, EIGHT,
揋ooooo, child emancipation,?said Daria as she approached the group of cheerleaders in her new uniform,
carrying her pom-poms.
-~-
揥ell, that抯 nice,?said
Jane as she read the note.
Dear Jane.
My parents have sources
within the school that have reported
my association with you and
they don抰 like you, so we抮e going
to have to communicate like
this for now.
I hate to be so cloak and
dagger about this, but I really want to
keep you as a friend. The
problem is my mom抯 a skilled lawyer
who could make things extremely
difficult for you and your
family.
I don抰 want to bring any
shit your way, this is my problem only.
I hope I haven抰 scared you
off, I really need you, I hope I don抰
sound too clingy but I do
(not in the gay way, I really don抰 make
friends that easily).
Daria.
Jane reviewed what she knew
of Daria.
Daria had an apparently sucky
past, parents that acted like prison wardens, a sister that denied any relation
to her, and was hated by the principal.
Daria抯 body language made
her look really tough, but as soon as she started opening up to Jane, it was
obvious she was really scared and lonely all the time.
Acted like Sandi, feared like
Stacy.
Jane started drafting a
reply, aside from feeling sorry for Daria, she was also curious about her.
-~-
Daria held up the chess
trophy as she started her victory speech.
揥ell, what can I say? ?Oh,
I know: Victory is mine, mwua-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa. ?Anyway, I抎 like to
thank anyone who supported me in this game, and hope we can do this again
sometime,?she glanced at the Principal as she fumed.
The interschool chess
tournament didn抰 really draw that much of a crowd, but still, it was too high
profile for what Angela Li wanted. To her, Daria was a huge blot on the
Lawndale High landscape, and having her on the cheerleader squad also annoyed
her. Although Daria didn抰 really like cheerleading, the fact she was pissing
off Angela almost made up for it.
Daria walked off to meet her
parents.
As she arrived, she said 揥ell, everyone抯 watching, guess you should pretend to like me for now.?o:p>
Quinn just scowled from under
her huge sunglasses and Hijab, she really didn抰 want to be seen as being in
Daria抯 family.
-~-
Several weeks had passed
since the chess tournaments, and Daria抯 cheerleading career had been reduced
to 慍heerleader Manager? where she managed logistics.
That meant she carried their
kit around for them.
Daria really had tried here. She
knew it would be shit, but if she had been a successful cheerleader, it would
have gotten her parents off her back and given the principal a fatal aneurism,
and Daria a fatal case of happiness.
Had that happened.
But it hadn抰, so all that
happened was Angela was less annoyed with her but still enough to hate Daria.
She got to her locker and
opened it, finding a note.
She opened it and found the
handwriting was not that of Jane.
She then noticed the content
of the letter.
Dear fag girl.
Around here, we do not
tolerate lesbians, this is
your only warning to clear
out before
consequences occur.
Yours sincerely: A servant of
god.
Daria felt a laugh well up
inside her.
揘ever heard you laugh
before,?said someone behind her.
Daria turned around and saw
this girl in a grey tee shirt and black ankle length skirt, she had eye makeup,
and looked slightly chubby.
揑 know it抯 a long shot, but
does this handwriting look at all familiar to you??asked Daria as she handed
the girl the note.
The girl read it and said 揾uh ?It looks like Sandi抯 handwriting, but I抳e never known anyone to use homophobic terms.?o:p>
揘ot Sandi Griffin by any
chance??asked Daria.
揧eah, you know her??o:p>
揙f her, one of Quinn抯 friends.?o:p>
揜ight. Well, Sandi normally hands out compliance notices to those who aren抰 fashionably dressed, like she has some sort of authority over everyone else in this sense, it抯 pathetic really.?o:p>
揟he compliance notices or
this-s-s-s-s-s-s?Daria started laughing again.
揃oth I guess. What you gonna do??o:p>
揑 don抰 suppose you can get me a blank report card could you??o:p>
揑 suppose, why??o:p>
揑抣l show you when we抮e
ready,?said Daria as she took out a red pen and started writing on the letter.
-~-
Quinn looked up and felt
dread wash over her as Daria approached them.
揧ou okay Quinn? You look
scared or something, was it something I did??asked Stacy.
Daria got there and put a
sheet of paper down in front of Sandi and said 揑抳e marked your work, and
frankly, well ?it抯 shit really, that抯 all I can say. If you keep this up,
you抮e going to flunk psychological warfare. If you want to insult me, you have
a goldmine of personal information right there,?Daria gestured at Quinn who
cowered out of fear of social embarrassment.
揝ee, homophobic insults
stopped having an effect at the twelve year old level, and I抦 used to people
speculating about my sexual orientation, that some thing like this, well,?she
pointed at where she wrote 憏awn?under the passage.
揌ow did I attract your attention in the first place anyway? I don抰 think we抳e even exchanged eye contact since I got here.?o:p>
Sandi eventually said 揟he principal wants you gone and threatened to disband the Fashion Club if I didn抰 help her do that.?o:p>
Daria抯 expression changed
from clearly amused to deeply thoughtful.
揟his isn抰 going to achieve
that, and this conflict is going to escalate. I need to have a word with her.
Anyway, thanks.?Daria then left the fashionable four to their own things.
Quinn eventually said 揧OU CALLED MY SISTER A FAG GIRL? ??ARE YOU INSANE????o:p>
揝sssisssssteeeerrrrr? ??Iiiiiii thhhhhooouuuughhhhht shhhheeeee waaaaassssss yourrrrrr cousssssiiiiinnnnnnn.?o:p>
Quinn clasped her hands to
her mouth with a squeak.
揂nd why is calling her that
so insane??asked Sandi with her arms crossed.
揃ecause she has this history
of violence,?admitted Quinn.
-~-
揑f you抮e prepared to use these kinds of measures, I can only assume that you抣l keep escalating until either something works or you hoist yourself on one of your own petards. Now, are you afraid I抣l do something to embarrass this school, or is this just out of hatred??o:p>
Angela looked like she had to
think about this.
Eventually she said 搕hat is none of your concern.?o:p>
揜ight, because all you抳e done is declare war on me, not my concern at all. Look, I have no interest in ruining this place or anything like that, all I抦 trying to do is get graduated and get out, can we just call a truce until then??o:p>
Angela then leant forward and asked 揳nd what if I don抰??o:p>
揟hen you抣l get fired,
jailed, or whatever else what you do does to you. Just because I came out of
that
They stood there in silence
for the next few minutes, and then the bell for the next class rang.
揙kay, think about it??asked
Daria as she left to get to class.
-~-
Daria was on her way to the library when she heard someone ask 揂nd how are you feeling today my strange but beautiful Daria??o:p>
Daria glanced over at the hyperactive ginger haired boy and said 搘ell, mostly.?o:p>
The boy known as Upchuck then said 揂ny chance your parents could let you out if I promise to have you back by 9??o:p>
Daria then said 揂fraid you抮e a bit strange, they hate strange with a vengeance, made me disassociate myself from the only close friend I ever made.?o:p>
揌ow am I strange??asked the
boy.
揟he way you seem to over dramatize everything you say. I find it entertaining, but everyone else seems to find it irritating to outright alarming.?o:p>
Upchuck then looked pained as he asked 揳re you being serious here??o:p>
揥ell, yeah ??Daria
suddenly realised that so was Upchuck.
揃ut this is supposed to be suave and cool.?o:p>
揈rrm ??it抯 not.?o:p>
Daria watched as Upchuck
seemed to go through some kind of grief.
揗y condolences??asked
Daria.
Eventually she turned away
and continued onto the library.
The boy eventually caught up
with her as she selected some books.
揅an you help me??asked
Upchuck.
揑 suppose, I can probably make you tolerable, but I don抰 know anything about making you the life of the party.?o:p>
揥hat are you reading there??o:p>
揑 want to rig my locker with a camera that records still, or moving if possible images of anyone accessing it, the camera needs to be completely silent.?o:p>
揥ell, most micro cameras are, I use them myself to ?errrrrrrrrrr ??o:p>
揇oes that mean you got one
ready made??asked Daria, barely caring that he could have images of her
showering after numerous PE lessons. Voyeuristic tendencies were nothing
compared to what Hope High had to offer.
揧eah.?o:p>
揙kay, can you get it by tomorrow morning break and meet me here again??o:p>
揧eah. I抣l help you install it too.?o:p>
揜ight, I抣l need to make sure it goes in without anyone around me noticing it, I抣l have to know how to do it myself.?o:p>
揑 can teach you that.?o:p>
揝weet.?o:p>
-~-
Daria was on her way to her locker when Stacy stepped in front of her and asked 揇aria? Are you still mad at Sandi? You抮e not going to hurt her are you??o:p>
揌urt her over what??o:p>
揟he letter she wrote??o:p>
揝tacy,?o:p>
揃ecause I don抰 think she really hates lesbians, I mean, she might not like them either, but I抦 sure if she thought about it, she抎 realise there抯 nothing wrong with that sexual orientation.?o:p>
揝tacy,?o:p>
揂nd then there抯 the fact she didn抰 really mean it, I-?o:p>
揝TACY!?o:p>
The entire hallway turned and
stared at them.
揑 don抰 have a problem with Sandi, I抳e been through far worse, I抦 not going to kill her over a nursery school level taunt, okay??o:p>
揙hhhhhhhh
thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthanky,?said Stacy as she did her impression
of a boa constrictor on Daria.
Daria broke out of Stacy抯
hold shoving her back.
揈EEEE!?said Stacy just
before she legged it.
Daria suddenly realised how
she looked.
揝hit,?she said as she
relaxed into a normal stance 揋ood one Daria? She then continued onto her
locker.
-~-
揂nd then she just flipped,
she looked like she was going to kill me right there!?concluded Stacy.
揥hoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,?commented Tiffany.
揑t抯 okay Stacy, it抯 over
now,?said Sandi.
揑抣l handle this,?said
Quinn as she headed off.
揕et me help Quinn,?said
Joey, Jeffy or Jamie.
揑抣l Protect you Quinn,?said Jeffy, Jamie or Joey.
揝he won抰 even look at you
funny,?said Jamie, Joey, or Jeffy.
-~-
Helen entered the principal抯 office and asked 揥hat抯 going on? What happened??o:p>
揑抦 afraid your daughter was seen assaulting a student.?o:p>
Helen looked like she was
about to have a heart attack.
Daria just felt like it.
揑抦 still waiting for more information to get back to me, but if it turns out to be true, then I will have no choice but to expel her from school.?o:p>
揇aria??asked Helen.
揝tacy hugged me unexpectedly and I panicked, I broke out of her hold and pushed her back before I could think, and she fucked off before I could apologise to her.?o:p>
揑s that everything??asked
Helen.
揌mm ??When Stacy was gone I congratulated myself in a facetious manner. ?That抯 it.?o:p>
揇ARIA, THIS IS NO TIME TO BE FLIPPANT!?o:p>
揙h yes it is, this situation is going to be twisted a whole bunch of ways into something that makes me out to be the next Vincent Jones, you抣l believe everyone else over me, game over, so I see absolutely no incentive what so ever to suck either one of your clitorii.?o:p>
揇ARIA!?barked Helen.
揙h, I抦 sorry, did I offend you? I meant to make you suicidally depressive instead, hmm let抯 see what else will work. I know, how about your performance as a mother? Let抯 see, you, with the resources at your command, the ability to get other investigators in, decided against lifting a finger to have the case looked at properly in spite of my until then spotless record, IN SPITE OF MY YEARS OF EXCELLENT BEHAVIOUR, YOU COULD HAVE CLEARED MY NAME AND PREVENTED ALL OF THIS! INSTEAD, I HAD TO PRETEND I DID IT TO KEEP OUT OF JAIL, SORT OF, BECAUSE THE LAZY ASS COPS COULDN扵 CARE LESS ABOUT WHAT THEY VIEWED AS A CASE NOT WORTH THEIR TIME!?o:p>
揇ARIA, YOU WILL STOP THIS TIRADE RIGHT NOW!?o:p>
揙R WHAT? WHAT CAN YOU POSSIBLY THREATEN ME WITH??o:p>
Helen really had to think
about this.
And she couldn抰 think of
anything.
揑 watched two years of my life disappear at that training prison, I just hope I can repay you for that experience somehow.?o:p>
Helen was now crying as she
calmly stood up straight.
She then left.
Daria then said to Angela
with a relaxed cheer 揥ell, I guess your dreams just came true, you got your
excuse, have a good one,?said Daria as she stepped out.
Angela then smiled at her
victory.
-~-
Daria waited in her room.
Helen had locked her in there
the instant they got back, and now she was waiting for the inevitable arrest.
She would always end up in
prison.
That抯 what that school抯
staff had told her.
-~-
揋roup one, period three,?intoned Daria.
The rest of the class
obviously weren抰 interested in chemistry.
They might be if they knew it
was what made explosives.
揙KAY, YOU KNOW WHERE SODIUM
IS, WHAT ABOUT THE FACT THE SYMBOL扴 MADE OF LETTERS NOT IN THE WORD SODIUM??asked Sergeant Bowie.
All the teachers were former
drill instructors.
All of them seemed to be
there for little more than to torment the students.
Daria was the only one to
make an effort, and that seemed to draw their wrath.
揟he symbol Na comes from Natrium, it seems the discoverer of the metal, who by the way also named Potassium Kalium, hence the K in the next period, couldn抰 quite make up his mind. Of course 1807 was long before substance abuse was as frowned upon, so the good professor Klaproth could also have been experimenting with a certain herb too.?o:p>
揂RE YOU ADVOCATING THE USE OF DRUGS DARIA??o:p>
揘o, not outside a genuine medical emergency anyway.?o:p>
揥HAT ARE YOU UP TO THEN??o:p>
揅urrently, learning chemistry at twelve million decibels.?o:p>
揧OU SEE ME LAUGHING DARIA? DO YOU THINK YOUR CONSTANT WISECRACKS ARE IN ANY WAY AMUSING TO ANYONE BUT YOURSELF??o:p>
揘ever really bothered to find out.?o:p>
揟ELL YOU WHAT, WHY DON扵 WE MAKE IT A HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT!?o:p>
揙kay Staff,?said Daria as she turned in her seat to face the majority of the class 揌ands up those who think my remarks are always funny.?o:p>
No hands were raised.
Daria noted 慫ero always funny.?o:p>
Daria then proceeded to ask
for numbers of people who thought she was usually funny, occasionally funny,
and never funny.
慒orty never funny.?o:p>
揥ell, I could run an experiment that assures voter confidentiality, as I have concerns about voter intimidation here, but the quick poll indicates never funny.?o:p>
揑 CAN扵 BELIEVE YOU扲E
TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY!?screamed the teacher.
揇oes this mean the
assignment抯 been cancelled??asked Daria.
揇ON扵 YOU GET IT DARIA? YOU
ARE DOOMED! YOU ARE HERE BECAUSE YOU ARE UNCONTROLABLE, AND THEREFORE
COMPLETELY WORTHLESS TO THOSE AROUND YOU! AS SOON AS YOU STEP INTO THE
揑抦 going to prove you wrong.?o:p>
-~-
揥ell, they were right,?commented Daria with a laugh 揃etter remember to call them when I get to priz.?o:p>
Daria was considering
smashing up the meagre furniture in her room.
Not like she was going to see
it again.
She approached her writing
desk and cocked her open hand ready to strike downwards right in the centre of
the span over the leg space.
She then found she couldn抰.
She eventually stepped back.
Why?
It would piss Helen off if
the room was trashed, a final 慺uck you?from Daria as she was arrested.
But she couldn抰.
This room had grown on her.
She may have been confined
here, but during her stay in
Well, there went that last
bit of potential fun.
She sat back on the bed and
then lay back.
Last fucking hours of not
being in prison proper and she couldn抰 think of anything to do.
-~-
Helen entered the room, Daria
was stood at ease.
揑 take it my ride抯 here.?o:p>
Helen nodded.
揥ith or without restraints??asked Daria.
揥ithout,?said Helen, she then asked 揅an you forgive me??o:p>
Daria waited a few seconds and then said 揘o. ?I抳e given this a lot of thought, I was hoping to be free to leave when I turned 18 so I could get Jane over with a cam-corder to record me taunting you, Dad and Quinn with my freedom and autonomy, before leaving never to return, except to shit on your grave. The last bit might still be possible if I don抰 get done for a capitol offence while defending myself. ?Or get shivved in the showers or cafeteria. ?Or kill myself after being held down and molested one too many times. ?Or volunteered for the old 慉 Clockwork Orange?treatment.?o:p>
Daria then looked around the room and asked 揝o, what抯 this room going to be used for? Now I抦 transferring out??o:p>
揧ou抮e not going to prison
Daria,?said Helen.
Daria took a few seconds to
process this.
揑抦 not??asked Daria.
揘o you抮e not.?o:p>
A few more seconds later Helen continued 換uinn lied about the situation because she feared ostracisation if she didn抰 go along with what the others were saying.?o:p>
Daria eventually asked 換uinn admitted this? ?She actually has a conscience??o:p>
揧es ?And Stacy eventually cleared your name, it seems she didn抰 realise you were terrified, she thought you were angry and about to kill her.?o:p>
揂nd Angela just accepted the correction, just like that??o:p>
揘o, but the football team and cheerleaders went on strike.?o:p>
揈h??o:p>
揟he cheerleaders love you Daria, and the football team love the cheerleaders, and Angela overturned her decision to get them back to work, so you抮e free.?o:p>
Daria stared hard.
Eventually she said 揑 can抰 levitate.?o:p>
Helen looked at her funny.
揑抦 certain I抦 dreaming, you抮e contrite, Quinn抯 come clean, people like me, some dreams I抳e been able to levitate and fly around, but I can抰 seem to here.?o:p>
揥akey wakeeeyyyyyyy,?said a
familiar voice from the hallway.
Jane entered.
揘ow I know I抦 dreaming, Helen hates you.?o:p>
揘ot any more, something about being grateful for getting you back in school.?o:p>
Daria looked even more
amazed.
Jane looked at the door to Daria抯 room in more detail and said 揝oon, this door will open from within too.?o:p>
揑n two years,?said Helen.
Both Daria and Jane looked at
her.
揇aria, pack your things, you and Quinn are switching rooms.?o:p>
-~-
Daria entered the Pizza
Prince staring at everything in bewilderment.
The place was packed with
other LHS students and they all cheered her arrival.
揌oly shit,?said Daria as
she felt her face ache from the involuntary smile.
揓ust remember to look where
you抮e going when you enter hazardous situations,?said Jane.
After the pair of them had
procured a large spicy BBQ chicken pizza, they sat down and began to eat.
揝tacy told me you looked absolutely terrified. She didn抰 think too carefully about it, but when I pointed out that if you had wanted her dead she would have been dead that instant, she thought a little more carefully.?o:p>
Daria nodded and said 揑 spent practically every day at that place at war. Staff there take out their frustrations by screaming emotional abuse at the students, they almost never intervened when the assholes picked on the other students, it would have to get pretty serious for that to happen.?o:p>
揌ow serious??asked Jane.
揝erious or life threatening injuries, anything they can potentially get sued for. Unless in class where most of them give the impression that they are studying, and barely even that, disrupting a class usually results in detention. And unlike normal schools, you are detained in a cupboard, they had these .4 by .6 by 2m cells, nothing extravagant, just a small space you can barely move in and not leave without someone outside opening the door for you. First time I ended up in there was after a couple of boys tried to feel me up got their asses kicked by me.?o:p>
揝o, they goosed you, you
slapped them-?started Jane.
揂ctually they sat down at
the table I had picked in lunch and started talking to me, friendly as you
like, then the one opposite me grabbed my hands and the ones next to me slipped
their hands under my top and felt my tits. I told them to get off three times
real loud, this was in full view of a number of members of staff, who just
stood there as if this were normal.
揂fter the third warning went unheeded I punched my heels into the feet of the boy in front and used elbow strikes to knock the two beside me off the bench, turning around, I kicked one in the chest hard just to keep him down while I stepped away, staff then approached and had a go at me for defending myself. I was then escorted out to the room where they had the cells and stuck me in one, I later worked out I was in there for two class periods.?o:p>
???Oh.?Said Jane, this
was shocking to her.
揂nd that was my first day at
Hope High,?said Daria with sarcastic enthusiasm.
揝uddenly I抦 not all that
hungry,?said Jane, putting down her slice of pizza.
揥ell, I got an allowance
now, so I should be able to pay you back for the Pizza tomorrow or next week,?said Daria.
揙kay, cheer me up, how did
Quinn react to her new living arrangements??asked Jane.
-~-
Daria settled back in the
four poster bed in the sickeningly pink room.
The sickeningly pink room she
could leave when she wanted.
She felt glad, and free, and
triumphant.
...
...
And guilty.
?o:p>
?o:p>
As she was involved in more
skirmishes, her normal reaction of ever escalating violence towards attack
seemed to keep the assholes back, but she had ended up being subjected to a
number of reprisals.
The school kept it抯 students
in dormitories during the week, she only went home on the weekends, and there
were no half term breaks, summer was one month not two, and only Christmas and
independence day would close the school, so she had to gauge weather or not she
was going to be attacked as the students went to sleep around her, examples of
such attacks included various substances being poured on her face in the middle
of the night, hair being glued to the pillow, she had to cut it off, but
reacting in the middle of the night meant she had to find a way to sleep
propped up against pebble dashed walls and a studded door.
The dormitories were
segregated, can抰 have any pregnancies in what is supposed to be a strict
environment, but most of the girls were heroin or crack addicts and were in a
weakened state, making them the bottom of the pyramid, so having Daria stand up
for herself and pissing off their higher ups really pissed them off.
Daria could, of course, have
swallowed her pride and fitted in just like the rest of them, but her anger at
having been so thoroughly fitted up by two of the stupidest individuals on the
ENTIRE PLANET, just overwhelmed any possibility of doing that.
Three years in, she was
informed by one of the students before one weekend that the individuals at the
top of the pyramid were talking about killing her, and they sounded serious.
She couldn抰 get any
specifics on it, and her imagination came up with way too many ways to slot
someone, even in there, and get away with it, that she just couldn抰 ignore the
rumour.
She had gotten the full names
of the individuals by then, so she could go through the phonebook and ask to
discuss the sons of whoever answered, that would give her addresses, and she
could then neutralise them.
Shops were closed at night,
and besides she didn抰 want witnesses to her weapons procurement, so she had to
use what was at her home and what was at theirs.
Without leaving or keeping
anything that could connect her to the kills.
This was before her parents
had decided to lock her in at night, so she could get out easily enough, she
used disposable gloves from the garage, binbags from the kitchen, any utensils
from the kitchen or tools from the garage would have to be disposed of.
X-ray one was Fred Vines,
single story stud wall house, easy access under the basement.
Daria located his room and
set up the device under it.
Sodium chlorate from the
garden shed, pulverised and mixed with diesel from a number of trucks she could
steal it from, trowel from the X-rays garden shed or other local source to dig
out some soil, length of hose filled with the diesel/sodium chlorate connecting
to the surface, one foot candle next to that for a delay fuse shielded with a
modified soft drinks carton, the mix would burn to the main charge and that
would cook off shortly after.
Bang.
If the white butterfly effect
didn抰 kill him, getting thrown half a cherub skywards and freefalling back down
from that would.
X ray two, same job.
X-ray three, same structure,
except for piss poor security, only a screen door separated her from the
inside, obtain weapon from kitchen, sneak in, stab X-ray through brainstem,
speed kill, no fucking about.
?o:p>
?o:p>
?o:p>
She didn抰 know she was
lingering until she saw him stir a little.
She checked her watch: 01:22.
She was losing time.
She had to remind herself
that he was planning to kill her.
She then cocked her arm with
the knife pointed forwards, and punched it in through the boys neck.
The sound of the knife going
in wouldn抰 have disturbed her if it was not connected with the sight of the
knife entering his neck, his body convulsing slightly, his eyes searching.
She felt sick.
She desperately held it back as
she carefully withdrew the knife and left the house.
She held the vomit back as
she got as much distance from the target as possible.
She found a drain and puked
into that.
Once she was done barfing,
she continued on, if she stopped now, the remaining X-rays would definitely
kill her.
X-ray four, crap security,
break in, no smoke alarms, kid smokes, piece of piss, cigarette for a delay
fuse, that ignites a load?of tracksuits
near the bed, room fills with really toxic smoke, killing X-ray four with carbon
monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.
She found X-ray five wasn抰
home.
Shit!
Return later?
Yeah.
If he抯 still out when she
returns, she抎 re-evaluate her options.
X-ray six, also absent.
Damn it!
X-ray seven, was in the back
yard of his property, six and five was with him, they were smoking drugs.
This could be a problem if
she gets the drugs on her.
She fell back to the front of
the property.
She then felt a shockwave
enter her feet from the ground.
Followed by an echoing
explosion.
揥hat was that??asked one of
the X-rays.
Daria ran to the open top car
parked in the driveway and she just got around it before the three remaining
X-rays got there.
The next one then went off.
揕et抯 get over there,?said
one.
The three of them got in the
car, apparently not seeing Daria.
Daria waited as they drove
off.
She then got up and went
around the back of their house.
Their drugs were still there.
As were the bongs with their
prints on them.
She entered the house and
dialled 911, and made a croaking noise into the phone, she then, using a bass
voice, said 搘ho are you calling, bitch? Come back and die.?Some distance from
the phone, she then used the same voice close up and said 揝orry, wrong
number,?and hung up.
That should get them sent to
prison, or send them on the run when they see cops here, either way, they were
now neutral.
Job done, go to disposal
site, incinerate evidence suit, then return to base.
-~-
揝even people are dead, two
got blown up, one was stabbed through the neck, one was killed by an arson
attack, and three were somehow incited to exchange fire with a number of police
officers and had to be shot. We know you did it, Daria,?said the detective
sergeant.
揇id not,?said Daria.
揇on抰 get smart, if there抯 even the TINIEST piece of evidence, we got you, and then you抮e going down.?o:p>
揥ill it get me out of Hope
High??asked Daria.
The dopey defence lawyer had
nothing to say.
-~-
After she had killed the
threats, the atmosphere of the school changed.
No one dared fuck with her.
She stopped getting involved
in incidents.
Being scary was good for your
health at Hope High, but now she needed friends she could open up to, and she
didn抰 know how Jane would react to Daria if she knew Daria had killed people.
Would she ever be able to
open up to Jane?
She hated having to lie, she
had to pretend she had done one thing and that she hadn抰 done another.
Just because those idiots
Beavis and Butthead had seen someone paint someone抯 face in a cartoon they
decided to try it on Stewart, and when they saw Stewart go into respiratory
arrest, they legged it, colliding with Daria, who ended up with the cans of
paint in her hands.
They continued on, and
everyone who saw this hated Daria for whatever reason, and made out she had
done it.
And now she was saved by
popularity.
She was a manipulative two
faced killer.
But that was to survive.
But that made her into just
about everything she despised.
But she was alive to despise
herself.
It didn抰 matter.
?o:p>
?o:p>
Yes it did.
?o:p>
?o:p>
?o:p>
No, it really didn抰.
?o:p>
?o:p>
?o:p>
Daria drifted off to sleep as
her rational side started it抯 normal bitch fight with her emotional side.
She chuckled a little as she
imagined the two sides personified appearing on the Jerry Springer show.
-~-
End.