As the boisterous
gatecrashers entered the living room, Quinn and Jeffy stopped
dancing. “Um, Quinn, it looks like there is going to be some
trouble here,” Jeffy said.
“You're right. It's about
time to leave,” Quinn said. Kristen, Cindy, Joey and Jamie also
stopped dancing as the gatecrashers proceeded to interrupt dance
routines and conversations.
“Time to be going!”
Cindy said. 'This is definitely not something I want to be involved
in,' she thought.
“I agree,” Kristen
said. They then began to leave.
Brittany and Angie could be
heard yelling at the gatecrashers in the background.
“Why did you have to
crash my party!”
As they walked out of the
estate, Daria, Jennifer and Jane saw a couple of police cars scream
past them towards the party.
“Are you sure that Quinn
will be alright?” Jennifer asked. 'I don't want to know why the
police would be going there,' she thought.
“She is too savy for
that,” Daria said.
“So you think that she
would be leaving as a result of those college aged crashers?”
Jennifer asked.
“Yes,” Daria said.
Quinn, her friends and the
Three Js left the mansion via the back door and went towards the
adjacent woods.
“Are you sure its safe?”
Joey asked. 'That Metalmouth story involved some woods on the edge of
town...'
“It's a gated estate,
of couse it's safe!” Quinn said.
Cindy looked into the
woods. She could see some of the street lights on the other side.
“Let's go,” she said and lead the group in.
Ten minutes later, they
emerged from the woods near the gatehouse, where Daria, Jane and
Jennifer were encamped. Daria and Jane were quizzing the estate
residents as they arrived home from whatever activites they had
attended. Jennifer was looking on with mixed amusement.
“What are they doing?”
Quinn asked.
“They are asking the
estate residents rather, embarrassing questions. Like old ladies
their age,” Jennifer explained.
“That's to be expected, I
guess,” Quinn said, in response. 'At least its better than what she
did to those two things back in Highland,' she thought. The
group sat down next to Jennifer and waited for the other two to join
them.
Sandi, Tiffany and Tori
slipped out of the Taylor's mansion whilst the police were talking to
Brittany and Kevin.
“This party is a bust.
This is a case where, like, it would be better for the parents to be
at, rather than not,” Sandi said.
“How are we getting
home?” Tiffany asked.
“We ask someone for a
lift!” Sandi said.
“There's Robert!” Tori
said.
“Yes, Tori dear, ask
him,” Sandi said.
Tori sighed and walked up
to Robert Korleski, as he approached his car.
'At least its a good car.'
“Robert? Could you give me and a couple of friends a lift home?”
she asked.
“Sure, Ma'am,” Robert
said, politely.
“Cool,” Tori said, and
waved Sandi and Tiffany over.
“You can sit up front,
Ma'am,” Robert said as Sandi and Tiffany approached.
“Thanks!” Tori said as
she quickly got into the front passenger seat.
Sandi grumbled as she got
in behind Robert, but otherwise said nothing. She knew she would have
done the same in her place.
As people stopped entering
the estate, Daria and Jane turned to the group. “What are your
plans about getting home, Daria?” Cindy asked, knowing that Quinn
didn't want to ask.
“We wait for someone
leaving the party who is willing to take us home. Otherwise we walk,”
Daria said.
“I suppose,” Cindy
said, remembering the discussion she, Kristen and Quinn had had that
afternoon. She settled down to wait.
She didn't have to wait
long. Robert's car with the Fashion Club came roaring out of the
estate.
“Keep driving,” Sandi
directed.
Robert looked at her in the
rear view mirror. “Yes, Ma'am,” he said, even though he felt that
there was enough room for one of the other girls or for one of his
team mates. 'Next time will be different,' he thought as he drove
past.
“Ooh, that Sandi!”
Quinn exclaimed.
“We can get the next
car,” Kristen said.
“Yeah, we can,” Quinn
said, calming down.
A few minutes later, Jodie
and Mack pulled up in Mack's white Plymouth Valiant.
“Anyone need a lift?”
he asked.
“Sure, Mack,” Jeffy
said.
“Sure, Mack,” Jamie
said
“Sure, Mack,” Joey
said.
Before any of the girls
could object, the Three Js piled into the back seat.
Jodie saw that there was
room in the front for another person so she undid her belt and moved
over next to Mack. “There is room for one more.”
The girls all looked at
each other. Daria didn't particulary want to go with any male
admirers of Quinn. Quinn thought that seeing Cindy and Kristen home
would be a good idea. Jane thought that Daria needed her company.
Cindy decided to wait. So did Kristen. So it was Jennifer who ended
up sitting next to Jodie in Mack's car.
“Bye,” she said,
waving. “I'll see you tomorrow, Jane,” she said as she got in.
“Just not too early,”
Jane said, with a smirk.
“Of course not, it will
be Sunday,” Jennifer said, with a small smile, before closing the
door.
Mack then drove off. The
Three Js continued waving out of the windows at Quinn until Mack had
driven out of sight.
“There will be a few more
cars, I guess,” Jane said.
“There's no doubt about
that,” Daria said.
“We will take the next
car,” Quinn said.
“It would depend on who's
driving,” Kristen said.
“Maybe,” Quinn said.
A minute later, another car
came along. Upchuck wound down the passenger side window and said;
“You ladies in need of a knight in shining armor?”
“Can't we just take the
armor and ditch the knight?” Daria asked.
“Hey, it's a package
deal, Toots!” Upchuck said.
'Like we would have taken
his car and just left him here,' Quinn thought. She turned to her
friends. “Let's go.”
Cindy moved to get into the
back seat, but Kristen objected. “Ride home with Upchuck! Really?”
she said, with scorn in her voice.
“If you're worried about
him finding out where you live, Kristen, you can come to my place,”
Quinn said.
“Would you risk having to
ride home with Kevin?” Daria asked.
Kristen thought for a few
moments. 'Both are very good points,' she thought. She definitely
didn't want to drive home with Kevin. 'And I don't want to walk home
alone.'
“You don't have to look
at him,” Jane said, as she sat in the front, and trying to ignore
Upchuck's grin.
“You do have a point,”
Kristen said to Daria.
“Let's go,” Daria said.
“I'm coming,” Kristen
said, as she got in behind Jane.
Quinn, Cindy and Daria got
in the other side, with Daria behind Upchuck. “We're ready,”
Daria said.
Upchuck drove away from the
Estate.
“Where to first?” he
asked.
“1111 Glen Oaks Lane,”
Quinn said.
“Good street,” Upchuck
said. A few moments later he went back into 'tour guide mode'; “To
your left, the home of the town director of public works, built on
unstable landfill. To your right, a flattened squirrel. Straight
ahead, the future!”
“Stuff a sock in it,
Upchuck!” Daria said.
Upchuck growled his usual
flirtatious growl. “Fiesty!”
'It really was a good
party. That dancing was great. I don't know what to make of Jeffy
though,' Quinn thought.
Finis
