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fardell24Blue Screen of Sherman Part 2
Later, Daria had also seen Sherman interact with Kevin and Mack, and disliked him even more. She was surpised to see him blocking her locker. She glanced at her friends, thankful for their presence. She didn't know what would happen if she was alone. “Excuse me,” she said.
“You're kidding, right? You think I'm going to talk to you?” Sherman said in reply. He looked at Jane. “You, maybe. Like, four hours into a kegger.” He looked at Jennifer. “Similarly.”
“Perhaps after I vomit on your shoes,” Jane said.
“No way!” Jennifer said, forcing herself to be audible.
“I don't want to talk to you!”
“Yeah, right. You said, 'Excuse me.'”
“You're on my locker!”
The Jock straightened up. “Do you know who I am? Tommy Sherman?”
“I know the whole school's turning itself inside out because of some egotistical football player, and I've seen you insult or proposition just about everyone you come across, so my guess is that you're the football player guy. Congratulations, you must have worked very hard to become such a colossal jerk so quickly,” Daria said.
Jane snickered.
“You know what Tommy Sherman's going to do now? He's going to go out onto the field and check out his new goal post. He's going to read the plaque and think of all the people who admire him. But you wouldn't know anything about that. You're one of those miserable misanthrope chicks, always moping about what a cruel world it is, making a big deal about it so people won't notice that you're a loser.” He walked away.
“I don't think he likes you.”
“That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that jerk is going to be treated like a hero for the rest of his life.”
“Well, maybe he won't live that long,” Jane said.
“Come on. You know wishes don't come true.”
Suddenly there was a loud crash from outside. Kevin's voice came loud with a tone of shock! “Oh, my God! The goal post fell! Tommy Sherman's dead! He's dead!”
Jane, Daria and Jennifer looked at each other in total shock...
An hour later, the faculty and students of Lawndale High gathered in the Hall for a memorial assembly...
“How does one make sense of a tragedy so... tragic,” Ms. Li said.
The sound of Kevin blubbering was clearly audible.
“A young man, our hero, struck down in a freakish accident by the very goal post that was being put up in his honor. What lesson can we take from all of this... other than not to leave heavy goal posts in sharp edged wooden crates leaning precariously against the bleachers.” She glared at a group of nearby janitors. “The lesson is to spread joy, spread light! Make it your goal to make others feel good. And when you reach that goal, you keep running until you reach the goal post. You hit that goal post hard, and that's what this young man did, and that is the legacy he left to you, to me, to Lawndale High.”
Afterwards...
“It's weird. One minute he's standing there calling me a loser, the next minute he's dead,” Daria said.
“Yeah,” Jane said.
“Yeah,” Jennifer said.
“I mean, the guy Ms. Li was talking about didn't bear any resemblance to the guy we met. But still...”
“Listen, I'm going home to change and then I think I'm going to go for a run.”
Daria glanced at Jennifer “I'll walk with you.”
“Actually, I think I'm going to walk by myself for a little while. See you later.”
Jennifer watched Jane leave, and then turned to Daria herself. “Actually, I'll drive home by myself,” she said. She quickly left.
'This is strange,' she thought.
Kevin soon walked up. “Hey, Daria? Can I talk to you?”
“Why?”
“Well, you know, Tommy. I'm really bummed out.”
“Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Kevin. But I don't know what to tell you. I only met him right before the accident.”
They walked out of the building. “Me, too! But I mean, it really makes you think. Got any, like, words of wisdom or whatever?”
“Like what?”
“I don't know. I figure you think about depressing stuff a lot. You're that type, you know?”
“No, I don't know!”
Kevin saw that Daria was annoyed but continued asking her anyway. “I mean, the guy was a hero. A really good quarterback, everybody liked him, kinda hunky, you know. Not that I would notice something like that. And now he's just, like, the dead guy.”
“Tell me, Kevin, did he remind you of anyone?”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe his death hit a little too close to home?”
“I get what you're saying. But I don't believe in ghosts, Daria.”
“What?”
“You're saying he got hid on his head out there in the football field, the team's home. And now it's going to be cursed or something, and we're going to lose all our games. I'm a little surprised, Daria.”
“That not what I meant!” Daria said as Kevin walked away. She saw his girlfriend approaching from the other direction.
“Daria?” Brittany asked.
“Brittany?”
“Daria, I've got to talk to you.”
“About...” Daria prompted, although she was sure it was about...
“Tommy Sherman!” Brittany said with confusion and grief in her voice.
“Maybe you should talk to Kevin.”
“I can't talk to Kevin!” Brittany then whispered. “Tommy Sherman was a jerk!”
“You know, no one else seems to realize...”
“Oh! I can't believe I said that! I called a dead guy a jerk!”
“So, you are upset about what happened?”
“That's just it. I feel terrible. Why did that jerk make me hate him? Now he's dead and I feel bad but I don't feel that bad so I feel terrible! It really makes you think. I mean, you're used to being all gloomy and depressed and thinking about bad stuff...”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Well, I guess what I'd say, Brittany, is that here's this guy who really wasn't very nice, and you didn't like him at all. You're sorry that he died...”
“I am!”
“...but you don't think you're sorry enough, and you're worried that you're not as nice a person as you thought.”
“Yeah! It's like, I feel bad, but I think I should feel worse, and not feeling worse makes me feel bad all over again.”
“The truth is, Brittany, is that you are nice, or you wouldn't be feeling bad at all right now.”
“So... you're saying that feeling bad about not feeling worse is good?”
Daria paused to let that last comment sink in. “Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.”
“Thanks, Daria!” Brittany said as she ran off in the direction that Kevin had gone.
'That would be a great lyric' “Feeling bad... not feeling worse... good.”
Later, Daria had also seen Sherman interact with Kevin and Mack, and disliked him even more. She was surpised to see him blocking her locker. She glanced at her friends, thankful for their presence. She didn't know what would happen if she was alone. “Excuse me,” she said.
“You're kidding, right? You think I'm going to talk to you?” Sherman said in reply. He looked at Jane. “You, maybe. Like, four hours into a kegger.” He looked at Jennifer. “Similarly.”
“Perhaps after I vomit on your shoes,” Jane said.
“No way!” Jennifer said, forcing herself to be audible.
“I don't want to talk to you!”
“Yeah, right. You said, 'Excuse me.'”
“You're on my locker!”
The Jock straightened up. “Do you know who I am? Tommy Sherman?”
“I know the whole school's turning itself inside out because of some egotistical football player, and I've seen you insult or proposition just about everyone you come across, so my guess is that you're the football player guy. Congratulations, you must have worked very hard to become such a colossal jerk so quickly,” Daria said.
Jane snickered.
“You know what Tommy Sherman's going to do now? He's going to go out onto the field and check out his new goal post. He's going to read the plaque and think of all the people who admire him. But you wouldn't know anything about that. You're one of those miserable misanthrope chicks, always moping about what a cruel world it is, making a big deal about it so people won't notice that you're a loser.” He walked away.
“I don't think he likes you.”
“That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that jerk is going to be treated like a hero for the rest of his life.”
“Well, maybe he won't live that long,” Jane said.
“Come on. You know wishes don't come true.”
Suddenly there was a loud crash from outside. Kevin's voice came loud with a tone of shock! “Oh, my God! The goal post fell! Tommy Sherman's dead! He's dead!”
Jane, Daria and Jennifer looked at each other in total shock...
An hour later, the faculty and students of Lawndale High gathered in the Hall for a memorial assembly...
“How does one make sense of a tragedy so... tragic,” Ms. Li said.
The sound of Kevin blubbering was clearly audible.
“A young man, our hero, struck down in a freakish accident by the very goal post that was being put up in his honor. What lesson can we take from all of this... other than not to leave heavy goal posts in sharp edged wooden crates leaning precariously against the bleachers.” She glared at a group of nearby janitors. “The lesson is to spread joy, spread light! Make it your goal to make others feel good. And when you reach that goal, you keep running until you reach the goal post. You hit that goal post hard, and that's what this young man did, and that is the legacy he left to you, to me, to Lawndale High.”
Afterwards...
“It's weird. One minute he's standing there calling me a loser, the next minute he's dead,” Daria said.
“Yeah,” Jane said.
“Yeah,” Jennifer said.
“I mean, the guy Ms. Li was talking about didn't bear any resemblance to the guy we met. But still...”
“Listen, I'm going home to change and then I think I'm going to go for a run.”
Daria glanced at Jennifer “I'll walk with you.”
“Actually, I think I'm going to walk by myself for a little while. See you later.”
Jennifer watched Jane leave, and then turned to Daria herself. “Actually, I'll drive home by myself,” she said. She quickly left.
'This is strange,' she thought.
Kevin soon walked up. “Hey, Daria? Can I talk to you?”
“Why?”
“Well, you know, Tommy. I'm really bummed out.”
“Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Kevin. But I don't know what to tell you. I only met him right before the accident.”
They walked out of the building. “Me, too! But I mean, it really makes you think. Got any, like, words of wisdom or whatever?”
“Like what?”
“I don't know. I figure you think about depressing stuff a lot. You're that type, you know?”
“No, I don't know!”
Kevin saw that Daria was annoyed but continued asking her anyway. “I mean, the guy was a hero. A really good quarterback, everybody liked him, kinda hunky, you know. Not that I would notice something like that. And now he's just, like, the dead guy.”
“Tell me, Kevin, did he remind you of anyone?”
“What do you mean?”
“Maybe his death hit a little too close to home?”
“I get what you're saying. But I don't believe in ghosts, Daria.”
“What?”
“You're saying he got hid on his head out there in the football field, the team's home. And now it's going to be cursed or something, and we're going to lose all our games. I'm a little surprised, Daria.”
“That not what I meant!” Daria said as Kevin walked away. She saw his girlfriend approaching from the other direction.
“Daria?” Brittany asked.
“Brittany?”
“Daria, I've got to talk to you.”
“About...” Daria prompted, although she was sure it was about...
“Tommy Sherman!” Brittany said with confusion and grief in her voice.
“Maybe you should talk to Kevin.”
“I can't talk to Kevin!” Brittany then whispered. “Tommy Sherman was a jerk!”
“You know, no one else seems to realize...”
“Oh! I can't believe I said that! I called a dead guy a jerk!”
“So, you are upset about what happened?”
“That's just it. I feel terrible. Why did that jerk make me hate him? Now he's dead and I feel bad but I don't feel that bad so I feel terrible! It really makes you think. I mean, you're used to being all gloomy and depressed and thinking about bad stuff...”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?”
“Well, I guess what I'd say, Brittany, is that here's this guy who really wasn't very nice, and you didn't like him at all. You're sorry that he died...”
“I am!”
“...but you don't think you're sorry enough, and you're worried that you're not as nice a person as you thought.”
“Yeah! It's like, I feel bad, but I think I should feel worse, and not feeling worse makes me feel bad all over again.”
“The truth is, Brittany, is that you are nice, or you wouldn't be feeling bad at all right now.”
“So... you're saying that feeling bad about not feeling worse is good?”
Daria paused to let that last comment sink in. “Yes. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying.”
“Thanks, Daria!” Brittany said as she ran off in the direction that Kevin had gone.
'That would be a great lyric' “Feeling bad... not feeling worse... good.”
