( 12th )
Total: 622

“I just wanted to make sure your visit to Lawndale High has been everything you hoped it would be,” the Principal said.

“This place rocks!”

“Also, I was wondering... what's Garth Brooks really like?”

“Don't know him -- but check out Skeet's underwear spread in my next issue.” Val said. “We're talking hot. How do you want yours signed?”

“Oh, any old way. ‘To Angela Li. To my friend, Angela Li. To a good friend and a great educator, Angela Li.’”

“Cool,” Val responded. “Andrea, you’re taking notes, right?”

“Yes, Andrea, this is an educational opportunity for you.”

“Oh, I’m definitely learning!” Andrea said in a sarcastic tone.

Val’s phone then rang. “Excuse me.”

“Go ahead, you got Val. Oh, hey, Nonie, honey. What? What? He what? With Gwynnie? That slut! Are you sure? No, of course you had to tell me.”

Andrea didn’t care, although it seemed the Principal did. “Everything all right?”

“I am Val, as in Val. I am Val, as in Val. Fine... fine.”

She certainly didn’t seem it, but Andrea remained silent. She was close to her limit of tolerance. She was certainly going to write something that night. Something the Principal didn’t expect.

“Now, you'll note the school spirit evidenced by the blue and yellow outfits. Where does that school spirit come from, you say? In my years as an educator...”


( Li was interrupted... )

Daria arrived at Lawndale High the second time to find Scarlett waiting for her. “Scarlett?”

“I thought I’d meet you out here,” Scarlett responded.

“Sure,” Daria said with a smile.

“Today will be good.”

“Huh?”

“Wait and see,” Scarlett responded.

‘Something’s certainly happening,’ Daria thought.


They entered the school and saw that most of the students were wearing the school colors, yellow and blue. “So, what’s happening?” Daria asked.

“Someone won a contest that they were entered into by Mr. O’Neill,” Scarlett answered.

“I see,” Daria said. “But that’s not all, is it?”

“No. They were entered into the contest without consent, and now they have to play host to a vapid magazine editor visiting the school,” Scarlett explained. She looked around. “Here they come now.”

Daria saw the magazine editor immediately. She was wearing clothing entirely inappropriate for her age and had dyed blonde hair. That was in contrast to the student she was accompanying, who was wearing dark clothing and Eye of Horus makeup and looked quite annoyed.

The student ran up to Scarlett and Daria, the magazine editor powerwalking behind. “Scarlett!” she said.

“Andrea,” Scarlett said. “This is Daria, she started here yesterday.”

“Hi, Daria, I saw you in class, but I was preparing for Val’s visit,” she said in apology as she indicated the magazine editor who had caught up with them.

“Hey, Drey, introduce me to your friends, would you,” the magazine editor, Val, requested.

“This is Scarlett, and that’s Daria.”

Val put out her hand to take Scarlett’s. “Hi! I’m Val! As in Val!”

‘Great! She named the magazine after herself,’ Daria thought. “Hi.”

“Are you Drey’s friend?” Val asked.

“No. I just started here yesterday,” Daria answered.

“I see,” Val responded. “Do you like it so far?”

“It seems rather like a cookie-cutter suburban town, typical of this region of America.”

“I see,” Val said. She turned to Scarlett. “You’re Drey’s friend, right?”

“Yes,” Scarlett answered.

“Jiggy!” Val exclaimed.

Andrea groaned at that.

“So, I think our strategy should be we basically just hang, and I'll come up with some ear candy, and you'll write about your day with me, Val, and I'll write about Val's day with you, and we'll really get at the hidden heart of high school. Are you with?”

“Certainly!” Andrea said in a sarcastic tone.

“Question, why are most people wearing blue and yellow?” Val asked.

“It’s school colors day,” Andrea said. “A random event brought up by the Principal to inspire school spirit. It definitely doesn’t have anything to do with your visit.”

“You should have told me! I want to fit in while I'm here,” Val exclaimed as she took out her phone.

“Just one difference between us!” Andrea murmured.

“George, I'm going to need a wardrobe change. Pull something yellow and blue and jiggy. I don't know -- call a courier or ask the concierge.” She then hung up. “I hope no one acts differently around me, but you'll let me know, right, Andrea?”

Andrea sighed.

( Daria saw Brittany approaching... )

( 17th )
Total: 482

( :5th" )

Total: 602

Daria was seeing red. Kristen's mother had let everyone else in! “I will find out what is going on!” she decided. 'Maybe Andrea could be helpful.'


Andrea's house was only two blocks away. Andrea came in response to her knock.”Daria?”

“Hi,” Daria started.

“I see that you're angry at something.”

“Not at you.”

“I know that,” Andrea said.

“Can I come in first?”

“Sure.”


Andrea listened as Daria explained. “So, she threw you out?”

Daria nodded.

“Why come here?”

“You can help me.”

“Oh!” Andrea considered. “You want me to hack into the Leung-Bell household?”

Daria nodded.

“Are you sure that's wise?” Andrea asked,

“Maybe not,” Daria mused. “But I want to know what's happening anyway.”

Andrea sighed. “Come in.”


Daria followed Andrea into her room. The dark décor took her surprise, although she had been there before. Andrea woke her computer from hibernation. “This is going to take time. I don't want to be caught by them.”

“I see,” Daria said. She did see the need for caution. She hoped that she wouldn't be too impatient about it.

Andrea started the first of many tasks.

Andrea entered Jane's room after some hesitation. She saw that there were many art supplies. “But is there a large tub of paint?” She started looking, being careful to put stuff back where she found it.


The area of the yard between the house and the gazebo was starting to get crowded, Daria noted as she noticed Angie lead Robert out of the house. She took a sip from the punch. 'At least it hasn't been spiked yet.' She then decided to go see if more people would come soon.


Charles knew it might be a bad idea but he approached the Fashion Club with his usual grin and a soda.


Quinn saw him coming. “Upchuck at 2 o'clock!”

“Wha-at?” Tiffany asked, oblivious, as Stacy started hyperventilating.

Sandi turned to the approaching menace.

“Hello beautious maidens.”

“Charles! You had best turn away before something happens,” Sandi said.

“Feisty!” Upchuck said, but didn't move.

Sandi glared at him as Quinn put herself in a fighting stance.

“Feisty!” he said before leaving.

“He shouldn't be bothering us!” Sandi declared.

“We can probably do something, that will humilate,” Quinn pondered.

Sandi had an idea. “Something...” she said with a smirk.


( Daria opened the door. )

Café of Contention
“Class, I thought today we'd take a break from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to discuss the real-life tragedy that happened last night here in Lawndale. Let's share our feelings of violation following the loss of our beloved cybercafé, alt.lawndale.com. Who would like to start?” Timothy O’Neill said. He pointed to one of his students. “Charles? Charles? Did you hear me?”

“You mean, Kevin?” Kevin said.

O’Neill checked his seating charts. “Kevin, heh. I'm sorry. You uh, look like somebody else. What do you have to say about last night's horrible event?”

“I was home all night. You can ask my parents. Besides, I already have a computer.”

“No, Kevin. I mean, how did the theft make you feel?” the teacher asked.

“Um? Sad?” Kevin answered.

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

“Angry?”

O’Neill decided to ask a different student. “Jodie, how about you?”

“I think the cybercafé served one very particular segment of the community, but it still pisses me off when people take what isn't theirs,” Jodie Landon answered.

“That’s how I feel!”

“Thank you, Kevin. Jodie, about that word, "community." Isn't that the whole idea of a cybercafé? To jack us into the global community? I think what's most disturbing about this crime is the symbolism involved. Don't you agree, Jane?”

“No,” Jane Lane said.

“Suddenly, we're cut off. We can't hail our friends across the globe and say, "It's a beautiful day in the cyberhood." They didn't just take a few computers. They took the symbol of our virtual community. To visit alt.lawndale.com was to come together with the planet!”

“O come on!” Daria Morgendorffer objected.

“Yes?” the teacher asked.

“Come together with the planet? By staring at a screen for hours? Sitting in a room full of people you never say a word to?”

“Hmm,” O’Neill said, thinking on what she had said. “Interesting point, Dorian.”

“It’s Daria.”

“Uh, Damn Spiders,” the teacher murmured. “Daria, you believe that while connecting Lawndale citizens to our global neighbors, the café was alienating from each other?”

“I’m saying that if you really miss the place, put a Mr. Coffee in the computer lab.”

“So, in your opinion, what we really need is a return to the traditional coffee house of yore, where you'd watch some performers and share a cup with your friends, face to face.”

‘That wasn’t what she was saying at all!’ Brittany Taylor thought.

“Right here and now, let's pledge to make Daria's dream a reality,” O’Niell said.

“Would that qualify as an extracurricular activity?” Daria asked.

“Of course.”

“Then I'd like to register as a conscientious objector.”


( Brittany joined her family for dinner. )

( 17th )

Total: 695