Mysteries of Lawndale - The First Party - Part 4

 

The First Party Part 4

Daria and the others found Jane in the kitchen. “Welcome,” Jane said. “Ready to go?” she asked.

 

“Of course,” Daria said.

 

“Um, your brother’s car, is it safe?” Stacy asked.

 

Jane thought for a moment. “Mostly, Don’t worry.”  She answered. She added; “At least we won’t be stranded if it does break down.”

 

“How often would it break down?” Quinn asked.

 

“It varies,” Jane said.

 

“Is this such a good idea, Daria? We know we can walk there.” Quinn said.

 

“Let’s do it anyway,” Daria said.

 

 

“So, Crewe Neck, Cool,” Trent said as he started the car five minutes later. Jane was in the passenger seat, and Daria, Quinn and Stacy in the back. “I haven’t been there since a party in my senior year.”

 

“Ok,” Daria said. She hoped that Quinn didn’t see her blush.

 

“Directions?” Trent asked.

 

“Different from yesterday, Daria?” Jane asked.

 

“Yes,” Daria answered.

 

“Approach it from the direction of Sloane Hill,” Jane directed.

 

“Sure,” Trent said.

 

 

Ten minutes later, the car pulled up outside the main entrance to Crewe Neck.

 

“So what are we doing here?” Trent asked.

 

“A trial run for tomorrow, and taking note of the neighbourhoods we went through,” Daria answered.

 

“Sure,” Trent said. “So what now?”

 

“We go back, and discuss what we noticed about the areas of town we went through,” Daria answered.

 

“Sure, which way?”

 

“The same way,” Jane answered.

 

“Sure.”

 

 

They arrived back at Casa Lane to find Corey and Aleesha waiting in the yard. “Who are you?” Trent asked as he got out.

 

“Corey.”

 

“Aleesha. We’re also members of the Mystery Club.”

 

“You joined?” Daria asked.

 

“Yes,” Aleesha answered.

 

“That’s good,” Daria said.

 

“So you’ve been somewhere?” Aleesha asked.

 

“To where we went yesterday, by different routes,” Daria answered.

 

“Sure,” Aleesha asked.

 

“How did you know we’d be here?” Jane asked.

 

“I subscribe to Mystik Spiral’s newsletter. I knew that Jane’s Trent’s sister, simple,” Aleesha said.

 

Jane looked at Trent. “Spiral has a newsletter?”

 

‘Another mystery, Jane didn’t know that Trent’s band has a newsletter,’ Daria thought.

 

“Yeah, Jesse’s brother, Danny, puts it out.”

 

“Hmm, I haven’t met his brother,” Jane pondered. “Though why our address is on it, I’m not sure.”

 

“Our fans wouldn’t stalk us, they just have to go the Zon and McGrundy’s to see us when our gigs are on.”

 

“Let’s go in,” Stacy suggested.

 

“Sure,” Jane said.

 

 

“Do you have these newsletters lying around?” Daria asked Trent as they entered the kitchen.

 

“Daria, I’m in the band. I don’t need to read the newsletter.”

 

“I guess not. I suppose I would have to ask Jesse.”

 

“Yes.”

 

She turned her attention to Corey who was searching the Lane’s cupboards for a snack. “Did you notice anything unusual on Howard Drive?”

 

“Other than the sculpture in the front yard, nothing,” Corey answered.

 

Daria placed her hands on the table and glared across at Corey. “Then you didn’t look hard enough.”

 

Corey then appeared to be in thought. “I guess I was thinking of Quinn a little too much.”

 

Daria sighed. “When walking through Lawndale, focus,” she said.

 

“I’ll try,” Corey said.

 

Everyone sat at the table. Soon, they were discussing what they had seen that afternoon.

 

 

 

Saturday, 4 October 1997

It was 5 in the afternoon and Daria was looking in her closet, wondering what to wear to Brittany’s party that evening. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted to wear her usual outfit or to wear something else that would enable her to blend into the background. She sighed. ‘I suppose a green shirt would be an improvement,’ she thought. She grabbed one of those green shirts (behind all the mustard colored shirts).

 

 

Quinn was also wondering what to wear. Was her usual athletic look suitable, or did she go for something more, ‘cute’.

 

“Jeans, it is,” she decided. She also grabbed an angel t-shirt. ‘It’s very ‘cute’,’ she thought.

 

Once changed, she briefly wondered what to do with her hair. She looked at the time “5:40!” There wasn’t enough time to tame her usually unruly hair, so she decided to keep it in her usual two bun style. ‘I’ll still be one of the cutest ones there,’ she decided.

 

 

Jane however, just decided to wear her usual clothes. “Trent! We have to pick up the Morgendorffers,” she said from outside her brother’s room.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes, why else would Daria ask for practice yesterday?”

 

“I thought that was Mystery Club stuff,” Trent answered.

 

“It was that too, but it was also practice.”

 

“Are we taking Stacy too?”

 

“That may be up to Quinn,” Jane answered.

 

 

The Plymouth arrived outside the Morgendorffers at 6:05. Five minutes late. Both Daria and Quinn had been waiting for about ten minutes.

 

“Are we picking up Stacy? Trent wants to know,” Jane said once both sisters had closed the back doors.

 

“Yes, 324 Eichler Street,” Quinn answered.

 

“You know where that is?” Daria asked.

 

“Yes,” Trent answered.

 

“Good,” Quinn said.

 

 

Stacy was waiting outside when Trent pulled up. She looked as she always did. “Wow, Quinn, you look cute!” she said when she had climbed in.

 

“Thanks!”

 

 

Trent stopped outside Crewe Neck. “Don't do anything I wouldn't,” he said after girls had gotten out.

 

 

They approached the security guard. “We’re here for Brittany Taylor’s party.”

 

“Names?”

 

“Daria Morgendorffer.”

 

“Quinn Morgendorffer.”

 

“Stacy Rowe.”

 

“Okay, and you? What’s your name?”

 

“Tiffany,” Jane whisphered. “There’s gotta be one,” she said to Daria.

 

“Tiffany Hodge, Tiffany Duke, Tiffany Fairchild or Tiffany Blum-Deckler?” the guard said.

 

“Blum-Deckler is taken,” Quinn said to Jane.

 

“Tiffany Hodge,” Jane said to the guard.

 

“Strike! You're out. Tiffany Hodge has already entered.”

 

“Would you believe that there are two Tiffany Hodge’s in Lawndale?” Jane asked.

 

The guard just gave a look of disbelief.

 

“Oh... she's not on the guest list. She's been hired to draw our portraits. She's very talented,” Daria improvised.

 

“Yes, She’s terrific!” Stacy added.

 

“You have to see them to believe them,” Quinn said.

 

“And your name is Tiffany Hodge, huh?”

 

“What a coincidence?” Jane asked.

 

“These are some of her sketches from art class. They’re very lifelike.” Daria handed a book of life drawings that Jane had drawn the previous summer, over.

 

“Hmm. These are pretty hot. Uh-huh... hmm...”

 

 

Ten minutes later, the four Mystery Club members (not that Quinn was in officially, just unofficially) entered the Taylor’s mansion. Stacy and Quinn separated from Daria and Jane, saying that they would catch up later. “Interesting, Early African Jungle decor, like her father is trying to compensate for something,” Daria said.

 

“I suppose so,” Jane responded. “But it would make a great sketch subject,” she added.

 

“Certainly, but let’s observe our peers in their native environment. I will pick up on things I would not have otherwise.”

 

“Lead the way.”