fardell24

In between classes, Mr. O'Neill took Daria aside. 'Why me?' Daria wondered. “Yes?”

“I have noticed that Quinn and her friends have been acting weird while Ms. Lane and Ms. Burns were filming her. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing to be concerned about,” Daria answered bluntly.

“Oh dear!” O'Neill said in response to Daria's blunt response.

Daria changed tack. “Don't worry. It's more like, improvisational theatre,” she explained.

O'Neill relaxed. “That explains it then.”


And so between periods, the students of Lawndale High were treated with the entertainment of the 'Geeky Trio' acting like exaggerated versions of themselves. (Of course, only those students who shared the route they took saw the entertainment, but still more of the student body heard of it.)

Among those who heard of it was Tori Jericho. After leaving the Fashion Club she had stopped hanging around Sandi and had found other pursuits. She watched with interest as the three geeks performed for the Art Chick. “Interesting,” she murmured.

( Lunch was different. )

Timothy O’Neill wasn’t sure why he had come out to the café. He still a lot of work to do planning the next few days of classes. Maybe it was because Janet had been forced to resign and to leave Lawndale. He shook his head. He didn’t want to think too much about that. But then there was the loneliness, that gnawing loneliness.

“Mr. O’Neill?” Summer Lane asked again.

“Sorry, I was thinking of something,” he said with a shake of his head. “Please, call me Timothy.”

“Sure, Timothy,” Summer said with a smile.

“So, what have you been up to after school?” Timothy asked with a slight laugh.

“Mostly being a Mom,” Summer answered.

“I see,” Timothy said with another laugh.

“A single mom.”

“Oh!” Timothy said with a blush.

“Would you like me to get another coffee?” Summer asked.

“No,” Timothy answered. “Chai Tea will do.”

“Sure,” Summer said with a smile.


Jane dropped Quinn at home. “Thanks,” the latter said. “I hope it goes well with Summer.”

“Well, we never had as much of a rivalry as you and Daria.”

“That’s good,” Quinn said with a smile.


Helen saw her younger daughter come inside. “How was it, Quinn?” she asked.

“It was as usual, Mom, except that her sister, Summer, came home.”

“She’s the older one, isn’t she?”

“Yes. Her two older children had come to Lawndale again.”

Helen sighed. “I see. They didn’t distract you from your work did they?”

“Not really.”

“Good.”

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. )

( 31st )

Total: 485

( 20th )

Total: 471

( 17th )

Total: 695

( 1st )

Total: 477

( 27th )

Total: 462

( 17th )
Total: 455

( 8th )
Total: 539