Daria
in
"The Next Step"
INT: Tom's car
Daria keeps her eyes out the window.
Tom: I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I realize we're not a couple anymore, and I'm not trying to be your boyfriend.
Daria doesn't respond.
Tom: But I still like talking to you, and I was kind of hoping we could still chat about things every once in a while, on the phone if not in person. I don't have any friends who I connect with as well as you.
Daria: Tom, I'm not opposed to the idea of us talking like friends. But it's too soon. There's still too much emotional attachment that we need to detach before we can relate on a different level.
Tom: So, you're still convinced that we should... detach?
Daria: (frowning) Tom, you're treading on very dangerous territory.
Tom: Okay, sorry, you can't blame a guy for trying.
Daria: Yes, I can! I didn't reach the decision to break up with you lightly. I thought about it for a long time before deciding it was the right thing to do. And it's not a decision I'm going to reverse just because you're lonely. I'm sorry that it hurt you, but in the long run it's better for both of us, and if you really think about it I believe you'll agree. So when you act like I might change my mind on the spur of the moment just because you're feeling vulnerable, it just shows me how little you really know me.
Tom: You're right. I'm sorry. It's just that... you're not easy to get over.
Daria: (gently) You will.
They pull up in front of Daria's house.
Tom: Call me later?
Daria: I'll think about it.
She gets out and heads into the house.
INT: Morgendorffer Kitchen
Jake is cooking something with tentacles. Daria walks in.
Jake: Hey, Kiddo! Ol' Dad's got a special treat for tonight! Calamari a la Antoine! With my own special touch!
Before Daria can respond, Helen comes in.
Helen: Oh Daria, have you taken a moment to fill out all those scholarship applications? If you hurry, you might still get some money for this year!
Daria: Dad: please don't make me eat that. Mom: I've just dropped off the forms at the Post Office.
Jake: You donāt like seafood?
Helen: Good for you, Daria!
Jake: Helen! Couldn't I have a little support here?
Helen: I meant it was good that she got those applications in. (She notices the tentacles coming out of the pot on the stove) Aahh! Jake, what the hell have you done now?
Jake: (proudly) It's Calamari a la -
Helen: I don't care what it is, it looks absolutely dreadful, get rid of it!
Jake: But Helen!
Daria: Looks like sandwich night.
Daria makes her way to the refrigerator and is about to open it when she notices a new note on the door. It syas, "Daria - Tom stopped by. Are you guys getting back together, or what? - Quinn"
Daria: Hey, how long has this note been here?
Helen: Jake, canāt you just cook hamburgers or something like everyone else?
Jake: Oh, you should talk! Every time itās your turn to cook dinner, we have frozen lasagna! Just how many of those damn things do we have crammed into our freezer, anyway?
Daria: (peeved) Did Tom stop by today?
Helen: Oh, and I suppose your Toilet Bowl Stew is any better?
Jake: Thatās Kitchen Sink Stew!
Helen: Thatās your opinion, buster!
Daria: Want to see my tattoo?
Jake: Fine, if youāre such the culinary expert, letās see you cook anything on Earth that didnāt come out of the freezer!
Helen: For your information, I am more than capable of putting together a recipe, preferably one that doesnāt involve tentacles!
Daria leaves them to their arguing.
INT: Dariaās room
Daria picks up the phone and is about to start dialing when she hears the tone indicating she has a message. She dials into voicemail to retrieve it.
Phone: Hey Quinn, itās Jamie. Want to get together someti ö
Daria skips it.
Phone: Quinn, itās Jeffy. If youāre not already busy a week from Saturday ö
Skips again.
Phone: Quinn? Itās Joey, I was ö
Skips.
Phone: Quinn? Itās - (skips) Hey, Quinn, I hoped ö (skips) Quinn, maybe we could ö (skips) Daria? Itās Jane.
Daria stops herself from skipping again and pays attention.
Jane: For some reason Tom just stopped by here looking for you. I didnāt know where you were, and frankly I probably wouldnāt have told him anyway, but I thought I should let you know so if he finds you you wonāt be caught off-guard. Call me, okay? Oh, and donāt worry if I sound pissed off, itās got nothing to do with you.
Dariaās face creases into a frown. She dials another number.
Elsie Sloane, Tomās sister, picks up the other end.
Elsie: Hello?
Daria: Elsie? Itās Daria. Could you put Tom on?
Elsie: Hey, Daria. Are you guys getting back together or something?
Daria: (tightly restrained anger) Just put him on, please.
Elsie: Um, sure. One second.
A moment passes.
Tom: Hello, Daria?
Daria: (anger no longer so tightly restrained) What the hell is your problem?
Tom: What do you mean?
Daria: You know damn well what I mean! Am I going to have to get a restraining order against you or something?
Tom: Wait, Daria, itās not like ö
Daria: Look, donāt give me any more of your crap, all right? I know you stopped by here today and I know you went to Janeās house next. Just how long did you drive around town looking for me?
Tom: Daria, if youāll just let me ö
Daria: And by the way, is it possible that you happened to overhear my plans to go to the library that time you coincidentally showed up at Pizza Prince while I was there?
Tom: Daria ö
Daria: Get this through your head, nutcase! I am not your girlfriend anymore! I never will be again! And if you come within twenty yards of me, Iāll show you the kind of damage these boots are capable of inflicting. STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!
She slams the phone down hard, kicks her door shut, and throws herself onto the bed to stare angrily at the ceiling.
The Next Day...
INT: Janeās room.
Itās morning. Jane is asleep on the floor in front of a canvas that shows her mother and father in a large cauldron being cooked by cannibals.
The phone rings. She stirs, but doesnāt get up.
It rings a few more times, then the machine gets it.
Machine: (Janeās voice) Abandon all hope, all ye who call here.
Beep.
Amanda: (on phone) Hi kids! Itās Mom. I was calling to see if anyoneās seen Summerās children lately; theyāve taken another unannounced trip. We can be reached at... hmm, what did I do with that number... oh well, weāll call again in a few weeks! Bye-bye!
Jane: (suddenly awake) NO! Wait! (she grabs the phone) Hello?? HELLO?!? Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!!
INT: Lane kitchen
Jane stomps sullenly into the room and pulls up a chair next to Jesse, whoās eating cereal. She steals his coffee and starts drinking it.
The phone rings again.
And again.
Jesse: Do you want me to get that?
Jane: Grmblmbl...
Jesse picks up the phone.
Jesse: Trentās house. (pause) Oh, hi. (pause) Uh-huh. (pause) Nope. (pause) Cool. (pause) Iāll ask. Hey Jane, have you seen your sisterās kids?
Jane: (suddenly alert) Who are you talking to?
Jesse: Itās your dad, I think.
Jane: Gimme that!! (she grabs the phone) Hello? Dad? Is that you?
Vincent: Well hi, Penny! I didnāt expect youād be at home!
Jane: Itās Jane, Dad.
Vincent: Oh! Say Jane, have you seen Summerās kids? Theyāve run off again.
Jane: No. Listen, I need to ask you something really important. Do you know what happened to that college fund Mom set up for me and Trent?
Vincent: Trentās going to college?
Jane: No Dad, Iām going to college, or at least I will be if I can figure out what happened to the money thatās going to pay for it.
Vincent: Donāt you have to finish high school first, honey?
Jane: (scowling) Dad, I finished high school a week ago.
Vincent: Well, good for you! I always knew one of my kids would make it.
Jane: Yeah, fine, yay for me, do you know where the money is?
Vincent: Well to be honest with you, I had no idea your mother set it up. Let me see if I can find her...
Jane: Youāre not going to leave me on hold while you go look for her in Bangkok, are you?
Vincent: Oh no, sheās right around here somewhere... hold on a second, Jane.
Jane waits, fidgeting.
Amanda: Hello?
Jane: Mom! Iāve been trying to find you for days! Where are you?
Amanda: Hmm... I think weāre in Utah. It was pretty late when we got in last night.
Jane: Utah?! Iāve been calling every embassy, hotel, and prison on seven continents, and youāre in UTAH?
Amanda: Well, weāve been trying to help Summer ö
Jane: Track down her little delinquents, I know. Look, Mom, whereās the college fund?
Amanda: The what?
Jane: The college fund! The bank account you set up a few years back for me and Trentās college tuition!
Amanda: Oh Jane, donāt worry that. Your father and I prepaid the mortgage six months in advance last time we were there.
Jane: I donāt care about the damn mortgage, Mom! I need the college money so I can GO TO COLLEGE.
Amanda: Donāt you have to graduate from high school first?
Jane: MOM, I graduated from high school! And I got accepted into the Boston Fine Arts College! Now, I need to pay for it, and you told me the money was there! So, where is it?
Amanda: Well, let me think... Iām almost certain I set up the account when you started high school...
Pause.
Jane: (impatiently) Can you remember anything else?
Amanda: Hmm...
Jane: Can you at least tell me which bank itās in?
Amanda: Well, I remember it was a red brick building...
Jane: Mom, this is really important!
Amanda: Oh Jane, college isnāt as important as some would have you believe. Your father never got past ninth grade, and look at how well heās doing!
Jane: (very peeved) Look, Mom. If you didnāt want to pay for my education, thatās fine. But you told me the money was there, and I was counting on it. Now Iāve been through a lot to get here, and I donāt want to blow the whole thing because you canāt remember where you put a few thousand dollars!
Amanda: A few thousand? Oh Jane, it wasnāt nearly that much. I think it was around a hundred or so.
Jane: WHAT??!? You only put away a hundred bucks for both me and Trent to go to college?
Amanda: I would imagine that with interest itās a little more than that by now...
Jane: AARRRGGH!!
Jane shakes the phone in a strangling grip, finally pulling it out of the wall and throwing it across the room, where it catches Max on the head.
Max: Ow! Hey, that really hurt!
Jane ignores him and stomps into the living room, shoving Nick out of the way. He trips and lands on Trent, whoās sleeping on the couch.
Trent: (waking up) I didnāt know she was your daughter, officer!
Nick: Whoa, Jane, whatās the deal?
Jane: STUPID Goddamn parents! A hundred bucks for college? That wonāt even buy one freakinā BOOK!
Trent: You found a hundred bucks for college? Cool.
Jane: NO, Trent, I found Jack Squat for college! And thanks to our idiot mother, Iām probably not even going to be able to go! Well, congratulations, Trent, you got your wish! Looks like Iām staying here forever!
Trent: Whoa, Janey. Thatās kind of harsh. Itās not my fault...
Jane: Just leave me alone! And get this goddamn drum kit out of my way!
Jane is about to kick though Maxās drum set when he dashes over to it and valiantly grabs a set of cymbals out of her reach. She doesnāt even seem to notice, but instead just stomps out the door and slams it shut.
Jesse: Whoa.
Trent: Yeah.
Thereās a moment of silence. Suddenly, Jane bursts back in. She looks around the room slowly, taking in the clothesline hanging with Nickās laundry, the recently rescued drum kit, Jesseās amps stowed in the corner, and a number of boxes that have been stacked up against one wall.
Jane: (chillingly calm) Trent, just what exactly is all this stuff doing here, and why have these three guys been hanging around so much for the past week?
Pause.
Trent: Um... well, itās like this... see, I missed a kind of important gig a while back, and so the guys couldnāt make their rent payments, and, well, I kind of let them move in here to make up for it.
Dangerous pause.
Jane: I see.
Trent: Itās only for a few months.
Jane: Hm.
Trent: I hope youāre not mad.
Jane: (still icy calm) Mad? No, Iām not mad. "Seven Shades of Pissed Off", now that might be a better way to describe it.
Trent: Uh... sorry?
Jane turns and walks slowly out the door, closing it gently behind her.
Nick: I think that went over okay.
Jane: (from outside) AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!
Jesse: Maybe not.
INT: Morgendorffer Living Room
Quinn is on the phone
Quinn: Of course, the green one was better ö not that the blue one wasnāt nice too... (pause) No, of course Iām not just agreeing with Sandi! Iām just saying, I donāt think she was trying to talk you into getting a bad outfit. (pause) Stacy, could we maybe talk about something else? (pause) Like, I donāt know, what are your plans for the summer? (pause) Isnāt there something other than shopping? (pause) Oops, is that my call waiting? I have to go, bye Stacy!
Quinn hangs up with a sigh.
A moment later, the phone rings. Quinn picks it up.
Quinn: Hello? Oh, hi Sandi! (pause) Actually, I was just talking to her. (pause) Why would I have said that? I was actually telling her how I thought the blue one was nice. (pause) Sandi, isnāt there something else we could talk about? Like... what are your plans for the summer? (pause) Besides that! (pause) Sandi, I have to go.
Quinn hangs up a little more forcefully.
Thereās a knock at the door. Quinn gets up and answers it. Itās Jane.
Quinn: Thank God, someone normal.
Jane: Excuse me? All that shouting I was doing must be affecting my ears.
Quinn: Itās just that I was afraid you were one of my friends wanting to go shopping.
Jane: Yup, Iām definitely hearing things. Look, is Daria here?
Quinn: No.
Jane: Figures. Iāll try back later.
Quinn: Wait! Um... why donāt you wait here?
Jane: (taken aback) Okay, this is going well beyond auditory hallucinations and extending into true insanity. Do me a favor and keep sharp objects away from me, okay? Despite the way theyāre behaving, Iād like to keep my ears.
Quinn: I just want someone to talk to!
Jane: I donāt know anything about clothes, fashion, boy bands, or whoās dating who.
Quinn: Thank God! Have a seat, Iāll get you a drink.
Quinn heads for the kitchen. Jane doesnāt move right away.
Jane: Oh, yeah Jane. Weāve lost it.
A few minutes later, Janeās sitting with Quinn in the living room sipping coffee.
Jane: Howād you know I like black coffee?
Quinn: Well, youāre one of those artistic types. All artistic types like black coffee. Itās, like, a thing.
Jane: So... what did you want to talk about?
Quinn: Whatever you want, as long as itās not something you think I want to hear.
Jane: (raising eyebrow) Ooookay. Well, shall I tell you about the Hell my life has become lately? Iād love to vent about that for a while.
Quinn: Sure!
Jane: Well, it all started about a week and a half ago when Daria and I were shooting the bull at Pizza Prince, and Tom comes in ö
Quinn: Whatās with him lately? I mean, he shows up here, he shows up at the library, heās calling all the time. Didnāt she dump him?
Jane: Wait, go back for a minute. When did he show up here?
Quinn: Yesterday. I sent him to your place. I figured he picked Daria up there. Mom said he dropped her off here while I was out.
Jane: He dropped her off? But Daria wasnāt at my place. How did she end up in his car?
Quinn: Whatever it was, she couldnāt have had a good time. She was sitting in her room alone listening to that orchestra from Siberia through headphones. She only does that when sheās, like, really pissed off.
Jane: I donāt like this. Tomās apparently been stalking her all week, he finally gets together with her, and she gets upset and now suddenly sheās gone. (she frowns) Can you borrow your momās car?
Quinn: Sheāll never know about it, sheās out with some clients all day. What are you thinking?
Jane: We need to go talk to my ex.
Quinn: What about all that venting you wanted to do?
Jane: Not to worry. Yelling at Tom has always been one of my favorite stress relievers.
INT: Sloane house
The doorbell rings. Tom goes to answer it, and is startled to find Jane on the other side.
Tom: Oh, hi!
Jane: (threateningly) "Oh, hi!" Go to hell!!
Tom: Eep! (slams door shut and locks it)
Quinn: What was that?
Jane: Couldnāt resist.
Quinn: Let me do most of the talking from now on, okay?
Jane: Havenāt you always done more talking than anyone else?
Quinn knocks on the door.
Quinn: Tom? Itās Quinn! We need to talk to you!
No answer. Quinn knocks again, louder.
Quinn: Tom!
The door opens. Elsie is there.
Elsie: Jane? What are you doing here?
Jane: Scaring Tom out of his wits.
Elsie: Cool. You should come over more often.
Quinn: We really need to talk to him, could you tell him Quinn is here too?
Elsie: Quinn who?
Quinn: Morgendorffer!
Elsie: As in, Daria?
Quinn: Yes. Iām her sister.
Elsie: Daria has a sister? Funny, she never mentioned it.
Quinn looks a little taken aback.
Jane: Turnabout, Quinn. Turnabout.
Quinn: Look, we really need to talk to Tom, could you get him for us?
Elsie: Sure, come on in. You can wait in the library. (She lets them in, then goes off shouting) Hey, Tom! Get out from under your bed and get down here, youāve got company!
INT: Library (Sloaneās)
Jane is looking at some titles on the shelf, Quinn is standing in the middle of the room looking around disdainfully.
Quinn: Why would you ever want a room like this in your house? Itās just weird.
Jane: But just think of the closet space they must have.
Quinn: Hm. Well, I suppose you take the good with the bad. Listen, try not to scare him again when he comes in here, okay? Let me talk.
Jane: Go ahead. Iām just gathering evidence.
Before Jane can explain her remark, Tom walks in, a little shaky.
Tom: You didnāt come here to beat me up again, did you Jane?
Jane: Well, that depends on what you did to piss off Daria so much.
Quinn: Jane! I said Iād do the talking!
Tom: Quinn? Why are you here?
Quinn: Sit down, Tom. We need to discuss something.
With a last glance at Jane, Tom sits.
Quinn: Tom, we need to talk about Daria. Something you did has her really upset, and now we donāt know where she is.
Tom: I donāt know what I did to piss her off so much!
Jane: Oh, cut the crap, Tom! Youāve been following her around all week. First you show up at the pizza place and donāt buy any pizza. Then you tail her to the library ö
Tom: I was looking up stuff on Bromwell! I didnāt know sheād be there!
Jane: Donāt give me that! Thereās an entire wall of Bromwell publications right behind you, and if you try to deny it I swear Iāll dump the whole shelf over your head!
Quinn: Jane! Let me handle this!
Jane fumes, but says nothing.
Quinn: So you made sure you were at the library when she was, youāve been calling, you stopped by the other day looking for her, and you apparently found her after a lot of trouble because you drove her home. I donāt know what happened after that, but something got her really mad and I know when a girl is upset over a guy.
Tom: I havenāt been following her!
Quinn: I also know when a guy is lying. Start telling the truth, Tom, or Iāll leave you to Jane.
Jane cracks her knuckles behind his head.
Tom: I... oh, dammit, I have been following her.
Elsie: You jerk!
Everyone spins around. Elsie comes in, having obviously been spying at the door.
Tom: Elsie, this is none of your business!
Jane: Never stopped her before...
Elsie: Donāt you know how scary it is for a girl when thereās a guy stalking her? How could you do that to Daria?
Tom: I wasnāt stalking her!
Elsie: What else would you call it?
Tom: I didnāt mean any harm! I... I want her back.
Jane: Fat chance of that now, pal.
Tom: I know that! But I thought, if I could just spend some time with her, maybe sheād remember what it was like. All I wanted to do was get her to give us another chance! I mean, we could be seeing each other the whole summer, it doesnāt have to end now.
Elsie: You never know when to quit, do you?
Tom: Stay out of this, Elsie!
Jane: No, sheās got a point. What if weād broken it off earlier, instead of trying to keep something alive that just wasnāt? Maybe it wouldnāt have gone so badly in the end.
Quinn: Look, Tom. I happen to think you and Daria made a great couple. But I know my sister, and if sheās decided itās over, itās over. Sheās not going to change her mind unless something happens that changes why she broke up with you in the first place.
Tom: I donāt see how thatās going to happen. Sheās still going to one school, Iām still going to another, and thereās the whole so-called social class crap.
Quinn: So, what happens when school is over, and youāre on more even ground?
Tom: We could be two completely different people by then! It would never work!
Quinn: Tom! Listen to yourself! Listen to what youāre saying!
Tom starts to speak, but then doesnāt. He hangs his head, and seems to be desperately trying not to cry.
Jane: Wow Quinn, you are good at this.
Quinn: I think weāre done here. Come on, Jane, letās go.
Elsie: (looking uncomfortable) Iāll, um, walk you out.
EXT: Sloane House, front porch.
Jane: Well Elsie, itās been real. Take it easy. (she heads to the car)
Quinn: Nice to meet you, Elsie.
Elsie: Hang on a second. Can I ask you something?
Quinn: Sure!
Elsie: How did you get so smart?
Silence.
Elsie: Quinn?
Quinn: Sorry, I just never thought Iād hear anyone ask me that.
Elsie: What do you mean?
Quinn: Never mind, I donāt want to go into it. What can I say, Iāve dated a lot of guys, and I know what makes them tick. Thatās the great thing about being girls; weāre much harder to figure out than they are.
Elsie: I wouldnāt know.
Quinn: Well, youāre what, sixteen? I think you need to apply a little pressure to the parents to let you start dating. I mean, you need to get in on the ground floor, or you spend all your energy catching up later.
Elsie: Well, unless they change some fairly major rules at the Fielding Preparatory School for Young Women, Iām more or less single until college.
Quinn: Bummer. Maybe you should just go to Lawndale instead. Anyway, gotta go, bye!
Quinn leaves. Elise is left on the front step, looking thoughtful.
INT: Helenās car
Quinnās driving, Janeās in the passenger seat.
Quinn: I wonder where Daria is today?
Jane: Iām not worried about that anymore. She can take care of herself. Listen, could you drop me off someplace?
Quinn: Sure, I guess so. Where do you want to go?
Jane: The mall.
Quinn: The mall?
Jane: Yeah, you know, big, sprawling building in a sea of parking lots, filled with overpriced merchandise and morons?
Quinn: Okay, but if Daria asks were you are, Iām not going to tell her. Sheād never believe me.
Jane: Do tell her to give me a call, okay?
Quinn: Sure, Jane.
They pull into the mall parking lot.
Quinn: Say Jane, would you really have beat up Tom over this?
Jane: Nah. Iād decided against that before we even got there. (she gets out of the car) The coin came up heads.
Quinn shakes her head, and drives away as Jane heads into the mall.
Two Days Later...
EXT: Morgendorffer House.
The sun is just coming up. Tomās getting into his car. He takes a long look up at Dariaās window, then sighs and drives away.
INT: Morgendorffer Living Room
Itās at least two hours later. Daria comes down the stairs in her sleepwear. She opens the front door and picks up the newspaper. As she does, she sees a note on the front step. It says "Daria".
Daria: Tom.
She takes it inside and reads it.
Note: Dear Daria,
Iām writing this letter to you because I know youād get upset if I stopped by again, and frankly I could stand to live without getting kicked in the throat.
Iām sorry for everything. Iām sorry I followed you around, Iām sorry I lied about it, and Iām sorry for making you uncomfortable. I still donāt think we had to break up, but Iām trying to come to terms with your decision.
You wonāt be hearing from me again for a while. I need to get over you, and I canāt do that if Iām always wondering whether Iām going to see you around, or knowing that youāre so close by. Iām moving in a week or so, to a condo my father owns near Bromwell. The address is on the envelope if you want to write.
I hope that you can forgive me, and I hope that someday we can get together like we talked about, and see if maybe thereās something still there worth holding on to.
Love,
Tom
Daria: (whispering) "Love, Tom".
INT: Cranberry Commons
Quinn and her friends are back at the mall. Quinnās walking a little behind them, obviously not entirely happy.
Stacy: Anyway, once I got them both home, I tried them both on and studied them really carefully, and I decided the blue one was better after all.
Sandi: Iām glad to hear we agree on this, Stacy. We mustnāt be torn apart by baseless arguments at the start of the summer. It could ruin the entire season.
Stacy: (a little miffed) "Baseless"?
Sandi: Did I say that? I meant to say, er... "minor, but entirely justified".
Tiffany: But, that doesnāt even sound the same...
Quinn: (sigh)
Sandi: Sorry, Quinn, what did you say?
Quinn: Oh, nothing...
Stacy: Oh my God! Look at the Cashmanās window!
Collective gasps from all around, except Quinn, whoās not looking.
Quinn: What, did they put the clunky shoes on the mannequins again?
She looks up, and is instantly as stunned as the rest of them.
The window has been completely worked over. Two undressed mannequins, painted black, are picking through a pile of dismembered mannequin parts. Some of them are full torsos which wear various shirts and jackets, others are pairs of legs that wear pants and skirts. There are severed hands wearing bracelets and heads that have hats or sunglasses. The scene is backed by a mural that shows blazing furnaces, giant gears and cogs, and steam-venting pipes.
Stacy: What... what have they done?
Sandi: This is outrageous! Come, ladies. Weāll get to the bottom of this!
The foursome heads purposefully into Cashmanās having to squeeze past a considerable crowd to do so. Quinn hangs back for a moment to look at the window more closely, and smiles.
EXT: Cashmanās
The same walkway where Quinn and Theresa hung out before. Quinn opens the door and steps out.
Quinn: I thought it might be you!
Jane: (sitting on the bench) What do you think? I hope you donāt mind I snatched that application I found in your Momās car, but I find myself suddenly in need of a well-paying job. Sure, itās not the Guggenheim, but Iāll take what I can get.
Quinn: Sandi practically threw a fit. She threatened never to come back, and the manager told her she wouldnāt be missed. Thereās enough of a crowd out there to more than make up for any extra business we bring in.
Jane: Ha! Thatās icing on the cake, Quinn. So, does this mean you girls are doing your shopping on Degas Street from now on?
Quinn: Nah. Even with the gruesome window, this place still has the most fashionable clothes in town. Sandi will come around.
Jane: What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were over the whole shopping thing.
Quinn: Well, in the end, it was the only thing my friends and I could find to do together. Although, it looks like now weāll have other things to talk about if we keep coming here.
Jane: Glad to be of service.
Quinn: Oh, just one thing? Your third mangled body from the left is mixing two different blacks. Thatās a definite fashion donāt, you know.
Quinn leaves while Jane chuckles.
INT: Pizza Prince
Daria and Jane are splitting a pie.
Jane: So where were you all day?
Daria: I went down to Degas Street and kicked around for a while. I just wanted to be somewhere I knew Tom wasnāt.
Jane: Are you going to see him before he leaves?
Daria: Iām still thinking about it. Iām still mad at him, but I donāt want him to think Iāll never forgive him. Maybe Iāll just write him a letter in return.
Jane: Nah, let the boy suffer.
Daria: Howās your situation?
Jane: (sighs) Frustrating. I mean, the Cashmanās gig isnāt bad, but even if I stay there through December, it only barely covers room, board, and tuition for the first year ö and thatās assuming I cut my art supplies budget in half and donāt go up to visit you at all. Not how I wanted to spend the summer or the fall.
Daria: I donāt even know what Iām going to do with my summer. I mean, I suppose Iāll work somewhere, but I have no idea where. And Iāll have to pick something fast to keep my mother from doing it for me.
Jane: You know, Iāll bet Nutty Nutty World would hire you back in a New York minute.
Daria: I donāt want any employer that would hire Kevin. Incidentally, how are things at home? You know, living with the band.
Jane: Eh. Itās not really a problem, I only flipped about it at first because it was just one more thing I didnāt need. As long as they practice only when Iām at work, I can handle it.
Daria: Thatās good.
Jane: Of course, there are some other ground rules. Like Jesse isnāt allowed to sleep with me anymore.
Pause.
Daria: Someday, explain that to me. I donāt think Iām up for hearing the explanation now.
Jane: You know, a week ago I felt like we had this pretty well sorted out. I mean, there were some question marks, but I felt like we were more or less in control of things and all ready for the next step.
Daria: Someone once told me that things never really are under our control. We just tell ourselves otherwise so we can function.
Jane: Thatās a stupid rule.
Daria: Well, be that as it may... (she lifts her cup) To the next step?
Jane: To the next step.
END