Quinn's Code (Daria AU): The Grounded Geek (Part 1)

[fardell24]

Quinn's Code
Story 7: The Grounded Geek
Lawndale, MD, USA
January 17, 2006
It was late at night, Daria Morgendorffer was late. It was the latest she had been out, in Lawndale or in Highland. She silently urged the driver to go faster. Eventually she arrived home. “Thanks,” she said as she emerged from the car. It then drove away. She checked her watch. Almost midnight. She tip-toed up to the front door. Or at least she tried to. Her sister, Quinn appeared to the side of the driveway. “Hold it, young lady,” she said.

“Funny, Quinn,” Daria responded.

“What are you doing out so late?”

“What are you doing out so late?”

“What do you mean? I'm always out this late,” Quinn answered.

Daria wasn't sure of the truth of that. “You want to tell me how to sneak in, don't you?” she asked. 'Of course she does.'

“Stop tip toeing around like a nerd! Gosh! Have a little dignity, Daria!”

Not wanting to wake their parents, Daria kept her voice low. “I have dignity, Quinn! I'm not going to let you try and teach me how to be cool.”

Quinn grumbled.

Then there was the sound of their father, Jake, saying from the parent's bedroom on that side of the house. “What's going on down there!”

Then their mother, Helen, saying. “More threatening.”

“Let me handle it. Darn it, what's going on down there!” Jake said.

“Jake, you sound like such a nerd!”

Turning her back on Quinn, Daria quickly unlocked the door...

She tried sneaking up the stairs but found her mother at the top. “And why are you out so late, Daria?”

“No comment.”

“You're not getting away that easily.”

'Of course not!'




January 18, 2006
Around dinner time, there was a family meeting in the living room. “Is this going to take long. I'm supposed to be somewhere,” Quinn said.

“Oh? Is there a games sale on at the Mall?”

“Don't start, girls. Your father and I are very upset that you broke your curfew last night.”

“Strange, I didn't know we had a curfew,” Daria said.

Jake spoke up. “Well, that's interesting, Daria; I didn't, either. But according to your mother... “

Helen interrupted. “Jake! The point is, you were out way too late, which is why tonight we're going to...”

Quinn then interuppted. “Destroy my social life with extra rules and regulations? I can't breathe! Mother, I can't breathe!”

“Don't be melodramatic. We just need to set some,” Helen paused. “Boundaries. And we'd like your input.”

“Well, late curfews can go to those who can use them. Like popular people who can respond to others' computer troubles late at night,” Quinn said.

“Who said that? Jefferson? Gates? Jobs? Torvalds? Stallman?”

“Dar-i-a!”

“It can't be Jefferson...” Jake pondered.

“Of course not! Jefferson predated even Babbage,” Quinn said.

Helen was annoyed at the change in topic. “All right, girls. Forget the input.” She then produced a couple of large tablets, in a similar design to the popular conception of the Ten Commandments. They were covered in various rules.

'Cool!' Daria thought. “Hey, does this mean we get to wander in the desert for forty years?”

“After much hard work, your father and I have come up with a set of guidelines I think we can all live by.”

“That's right! A lot of thought went into this.” He whispered to Helen. “Do I have to read these?”

“Later!” Helen whispered back.

“Wow, it seems interesting,” Quinn said. 'And rather annoying,' she thought to herself.

“Oh, brother,” Daria said.

“But right now, I have to go. I have a date,” Quinn said.

“You can't go out on a date. It says right here that we don't permit that on a school night. Rule Eighteen,” Helen said.

Quinn changed tack. “You're probably confused by the word 'date.' I have a date to meet, uh,” she paused as she came up with an excuse. “My Shakespeare study group.”

“Oh, well, that sounds okay,” Jake said.

Helen considered what Quinn had said. “All right. But as per the procedure outlined in Rules Twenty-One through Twenty-Six, make sure you sign in when you get back.”

“Bye. Don't wait up. You know how these study groups are...” Quinn said as she dashed off.

“Good for you, Quinn! Study hard!” Jake said.

“Am I the only one who sees what's going on around here?” Daria asked. 'I know Quinn isn't that interested in Shakespeare.'

“Rule Number One: persistent questioning of parental judgment is punishable,” Helen pointed out.



January 19, 2006
The next morning, as Quinn entered the kitchen Jake burst into song. "There she is, Miss American Bookworm." He then said “You really must have been burning the midnight oil last night.”

“What do you mean?” Quinn asked.

“I mean your Shakespeare study group.”

Her excuse from the previous evening had slipped her mind. “What are you talking about?”

“The study group you went to. The sign in sheet said you got back at eleven-thirty...” Jake paused. “But now that I think about it, I went to bed at eleven-forty-five. Hey, I thought you got that watch fixed?”

“A couple of times,” Daria said. Toast popped up. “Prepare to be busted! She said in a gloating tone.

Quinn then remembered the previous evening. “Oops!” she whispered.

“Quinn, were you at a study group last night or did you go on a date?” Helen asked angrily. She had thought that her younger daughter knew better...

“Don't you see how your new rules are strangling me? Yes, I went on a date, but he's interesting.”

“Interesting, you mean you're in love with him?” Jake asked.

“With whom,” Helen asked.

“No! Don't put words in my mouth.” Quinn said. She paused. She couldn't quite remember his name. “Cliff, or Clint, is just a friend. That's all.”
“You don't even know his name, and you're in love with him!” Jake raged.

“You know what? You didn't listen to me! I said he's just a friend.”

Jake didn't let that deter him. “Do you have any idea how many of these rules you've broken?!”

Daria closed the tablets. “How many, Dad? And which ones?”

“Wha... what's that got to do with it?” Jake asked, confused.

Quinn gave in. “OK, ground me!” she directed.

“I wish it were that simple,” Helen said.

“Exactly,” Jake said. “What?”

Helen pointed to a point on one of the tablets.

Family Court

“You've got to be kidding me,” Daria said.

“That's not a good answer,” Helen said..


On the way to school, Quinn met with her friends, Cindy Brolsma and Kristen Bell. “What's up?” Cindy asked, noticing that Quinn was slightly out of sorts (in that she wasn't very talkative, and wasn't as bright as she habitually was.)

“Oh, If Mom just wants to ground me for being late two nights in a row, she should just ground me! Not institute some experimental 'Family Court'!”

“Family Court?” Kristen asked, curious.

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Quinn said.

“Sounds, strange,” Kristen said.

“You want to get grounded?” Cindy asked incredulously.

“Of course not! But I don't want it dragged out in a long 'process' either,” Quinn grumbled.

“I wouldn't either,” Kristen said.

“That would be annoying,” Cindy agreed.

“Tell me about it!”


Between classes Daria was at her locker with her friends, Jane Lane and Jennifer Burns. “So instead of saying, 'Don't come home so late,' now they've created some elaborate punishment system.
“You mean like a spanking machine?” Jane asked.

“I mean like Family Court,” Daria said.

“That sounds, weird,” Jennifer stated.

“Due process? Jane asked, rhetorically. “Yikes.”

Jodie Landon then came up. “Hey, you guys wanna buy tickets for the faculty-DJ roller hockey game?”

“We'll take three,” Jane said.

Jennifer nodded.

Daria was incredulous. “What? You're gonna pay to watch teachers skate around with DJs? Classic rock DJs?”

“You weren't here last year, Daria,” Jodie said. She launched into a description of the previous year's game...



Flashback – 50 weeks earlier
Roller Hockey Game
History teacher Mr. Anthony DeMartino contested with 'Rock & Roll Randy' for the puck.

Mr. DeMartino grabbed his chest. “Argh!” He collapsed to the floor.

Rock & Roll Randy was then in control of the puck. “Rock and roll, foreva!”

“Help... me.”

Language Arts Teacher Mr. Timothy O'Neil stopped next to his colleague. “Oh No! Anthony! Someone get the paramedics!”

Mr. DeMartino lay still on the floor.

End Flashback - Present


“Mr. DeMartino had to have an emergency angioplasty. He almost died,” Jodie explained.

“What are you saying?” Daria asked.

“You know how there are people who go to car races on the chance that they might see a crash?” Jodie asked.

Daria took out some money. “I'm in,” she said.

“Cool.”
“This is going to be great!” Jane said.


When school finished for the day, Jennifer found Quinn as she was leaving the grounds. “Quinn, I heard about the 'Family Court' thing.”

“Daria told you?” Quinn asked.

“Of course,” Jennifer said.

“Was she gloating?”

“No, she was complaining.”

“What about? She was only late one of those nights!”

“It seems whe is being subjected to the 'Family Court' too.”

“Duh!” Quinn said as she facepalmed.

“So, if you're not grounded, are you coming to the Roller Hockey game?” Jennifer asked.

Quinn hadn't yet heard of it. “What Roller Hockey game?”

Jennifer overcame her surprise and told Quinn about the upcoming Roller Hockey game and Mr. DeMartino's rivaly against Rock 'n Roll Randy.

“Interesting,” she said whilst in thought. “I think I would go regardless of what my parents say,” she decided.

“Cool,” Jennifer said quietly.

“Where would I get a ticket?”

“Jodie is selling them.”

“I'll buy one tomorrow.”


Later that night, at the Morgendorffer residence...

“What do those Supreme Court judges wear under their robes? Declassified government polaroids, next on Sick, Sad World.”

Helen entered the living room. “Hi, honey,” Jake said.

“Are you girls ready for your day in court?” Helen asked.

“Can't you just punish us? I'd like to get on with my life,” Quinn grumbled.

“Quinn! Your father and I want you to have a fair hearing. Then we'll punish you.”
“But a court procedure? Isn't that a little bureaucratic?” Daria asked.

“Bureaucracy is the price we pay for impartiality,” Helen quoted.

“Jefferson!” Jake guessed.

“Stalin,” Helen corrected.

'Stalin!?' Quinn thought.

“It's all about fairness, girls. That's why your father will make a terrific judge.”

“I get to be the judge?” Jake exclaimed. He then got up and pushed a large chair in front of the television.

“Look, someone once said, 'The most important thing in life is not to look like a dweeb.' Do you have any idea how dweebish all of this is?” Daria asked.

'I know you were going to say 'geek' and geeky,' Daria!' Quinn thought.

“That's it, Daria. All I can say is that I hope you have a darn good defense lawyer,” Jake said.

Daria thought for a moment. “A lawyer? Mom?”

“Sorry, honey, I'm prosecuting. And if I do say so myself, you're going down.”