Daria in the Background - Part 5

 Part 5

Lawndale High, October 19th, 9:42 AM

“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,” Mr. Timothy O’Neill said to his Sophomore Language Arts class. He looked at one of the other students.

 

‘As long as he doesn’t look in my direction,’ Daria thought, not for the first time.

 

“Charles. Charles did you hear me?”

 

“You mean, Kevin?” Kevin Thompson said.

 

Mr. O’Niell paused as he looked at his seating chart. “Kevin 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?”

 

“Um… Said?” Kevin responded.

 

“Are you asking me or telling me?”

 

“Angry?”

 

Mr. O’Neill looked to one of the other students. “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 said.

 

“That's how I feel!” Kevin interjected.

 

‘No, you don’t,’ Daria Morgendorffer thought.

 

“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!”

 

‘Oh, come on!’ Daria thought. O’Neill was just reading too much into it. She didn’t say that out loud as she didn’t want the attention.

 

O’Neill tried to continue to engage the class about the Cyber Café break in, but eventually turned back to Romeo and Juliet halfway through the period.