This is the second short story in my series covering Daria's senior year in college. It follows "The Bench" by a few weeks.

TGIF!

Daria picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Her last class of the week had ended just an hour ago. As a senior she had priority in registration and managed to schedule her classes to end before noon on Fridays. In the short time since the end of class she had managed to get back to her apartment, stuff all she needed into a backpack. Now with her peacoat on and the backpack over it she took a quick look at herself in the mirror. Her auburn hair framed an oval face. The round glasses she wore had been her trademark since high school, though now her glasses were wire rimmed and somewhat smaller. She looked back at her own brown eyes.

Daria thought to herself, 'Well here we go. I'm off to Newtowne to see Tom for the first time since we got back together. I just hope he won't hate me by the end of this weekend.' With that thought in mind she walked out the door and double checked that it was in fact locked.

Daria made her way from her apartment down to the "T," Boston's subway, and waited for the next train. She was starting to realize just how nervous she was. The connection with the train to Newtowne was tight, but very manageable. She had her ticket. This was a quick trip – out Friday and back Sunday. The Raft versus Bromwell football game was Saturday, though Daria didn't especially care about sports. Would they even go to the game? She knew that the real issue was what was going to happen over the weekend. What was Tom expecting from her? What did she expect from Tom?

The subway train arrived and Daria got on and found a seat. The ride to the station would not take very long. Once on the train to Newtowne she would listen to music on her new digital device – a Christmas present from Quinn. It was much more convenient than trying to use her laptop or an old cassette player, Maybe some music would help calm her nerves.

Each stop along the way seemed to drag on and on. Daria kept looking at the cover of her phone, which displayed the time. Everything was moving on schedule, so why did this ride seem to be taking forever? As the subway train moved on Daria sat and tapped her foot and drummed her fingers. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at the main train station. Daria sprang up and was the first one out of the doors.

Walking through the station Daria followed the signs to the tracks. She checked the display board and found that her train was leaving from Track 2. She made her way there. It seemed like a long walk down the platform to where the conductor stood by the door. As she arrived he greeted her and asked about her destination. When she told him it was Newtowne he told her which car she should sit in. Daria stepped up on the stool, walked up the steps and turned right into the car. There was a window seat about halfway down the aisle. She went and sat in it. By the time the conductor had called 'All Aboard' and closed the door Daria was listening to her music and staring out the window. She felt a lurch as the train began its journey. By the middle of the afternoon she would be in Tom's apartment. The very thought terrified her.

Just after the conductor checked her ticket Daria felt her phone vibrate. She looked at the display and saw that it was Tom calling. She answered, "Hey."

"Hey Daria." Tom asked, "Are you on the train?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I made it."

"I'm looking forward to seeing you. I'll meet you on the platform. OK?"

Daria deadpanned, "Sure beats taking a taxi." She hoped her nerves weren't audible in her voice.

"I was thinking of something even more romantic. Maybe an ox cart?" Tom retorted.

Daria replied, "My impression of Bromwell just declined. Is that all you 'Bromies' can afford? I would at least think a horse drawn carriage would be in order."

Tom laughed, "Good retort, Daria. You get the last word again. I'll see you in about an hour."

"Bye Tom," Daria said as she ended the call. She was still nervous, but the call had at least relaxed her a little bit. She tried to nap a bit as her music played.

….

Tom flipped his phone closed after talking to Daria. He looked around his apartment at the state of things. Kitchen cleaned- check. Floor vacuumed – check. Bed sheets changed – check. Deodorizer used – check. Trash taken out – check. Now all that was left was dusting and cleaning the bathroom. He would clean the bathroom first and then dust. Daria was not a 'neat freak,' but he did not want her first impression of his place to be that she had walked into a men's locker room or worse! It really wasn't that bad. He did keep the place reasonably clean.

As he put away all of his cleaning supplies Tom checked his watch. The train station was six blocks away. There was just enough time left to walk there and be about five minutes ahead of the train. He grabbed his jacket and headed out. The day had started out a little crisp, but was noticeably warmer now. It was supposed to be a great weekend for Bromwell's homecoming activities.

Saturday morning was the homecoming parade followed by the football game against Raft in the afternoon. Tom chuckled to himself remembering how he and Daria had been caught up together in the Lawndale High School homecoming parade in downtown Lawndale. What was that now, six years ago? Time seemed to fly. At least he had checked the toilet paper supply in the bathroom as part of getting ready for Daria's visit!

Walking along caught in his own thoughts Tom didn't notice the tall girl walking up behind him until he heard her calling, "Tommy, oh Tommy!"

Tom turned around and looked at her. The tall thin blonde was wearing a skirt that was really too short, especially for the coolness of this morning. It was getting a little cool for flip-flops as well. Of course being a little cold would highlight other features which she wanted to show off. He responded, "Hi Muffie. I didn't hear you and really I prefer Tom not Tommy."

"OK. Whatever," Muffie replied while rolling her big blue eyes. "Are you planning on going to Terry's homecoming party this weekend? It should be pretty wild."

"We'll see about that," Tom said. "I talked to Terry earlier in the week. My girlfriend is coming for the weekend. She may not want to go to the party. She is not a big partier."

"Bring her along anyway," Muffie replied. "It'll be fun. Where does she go to school?"

"Raft," Tom said.

"Oh. Well, I don't care how you got yourself involved with a Raftie, but bring her anyway. She can see that we really party at Bromwell. See you tomorrow night," Muffie said and walked off.

Tom turned around and continued toward the train station. It would truly surprise him if Daria actually agreed to go to a party. It just wasn't her thing. But, he would ask anyway.

Arriving at the platform, Tom could just hear the train's horn in the distance. It was certainly not more than a minute later that the train was pulling into the station. As several people got off he started looking for Daria. When he saw her he walked quickly toward her, embraced her and gave her a big kiss.

Just touching Daria made Tom tingle. The feel and taste of her lips and the smell of her hair filled his entire universe with warmth and goodness. He could think of absolutely nothing better than holding her in his embrace.

"Hmmm," Daria said pulling away just slightly and looking up into Tom's gray eyes. "Hi there. Do I know you?" It was nice to see his chiseled face again, too.

Tom chuckled, "I'm Tom. Want to come up to my place?"

"Only if you are really nice to me."

Tom kissed Daria again and said, "I promise."

"OK. Let's go then." Daria left Tom's embrace and the two started toward his apartment.

"Would you like me to carry your backpack?" Tom asked.

"I'm good," Daria replied. "It is not that heavy. All I brought were some clothes, my laptop, and my toiletries."

The two walked toward Tom's apartment. They chatted about being done with classes for the week and what was coming up in next week's classes. Once in the apartment Daria put her backpack by the couch in the living room and hung her coat on a hook behind the front door. Then she actually took a moment and looked around the apartment.

"Nice place, Tom," Daria remarked as she looked around his apartment in the old Victorian house. It had one bedroom, a living area which was more like a great room with the kitchen as part of it, and a bathroom. The woodwork had been restored and was quite nice. Certainly it had more character than Daria's campus apartment. Though very functional, in comparison to Tom's apartment her place had the décor of a nondescript motel.

Tom responded, "Thanks. I really like it. It is right by the campus and convenient to everything I think I need. Should we go and walk around the campus?"

"Sure. That sounds good after bouncing around on a train. Let me use the bathroom and then we can get going." Daria went off and was soon back putting on her peacoat. She and Tom started walking through the Bromwell campus, portions of which were sporting decorations for homecoming.

As they walked along Daria asked, "So, what were you planning for this weekend?"

"Well," Tom replied. "I was thinking that after a nice walk we would try the best pizza around here. It is a place called Luchesi's Pizzeria. It has been around and in the same family since before my parents were students. They also serve Newtowne's craft beer. It is pretty good stuff. The name of it is Bromwell Barrell Brewery. Locals call it 'B Cubed'."

"Wonder why," Daria commented in her total deadpan.

"This weekend the brewery and the local restaurants are featuring 'Bromwell Bottle Blonde' just for homecoming."

Daria asked, "Does that come with a picture of a cheerleader on the bottle?"

"I don't know. But, we shouldn't have a problem getting a seat if we eat a little early, say around five or five-thirty."

"OK."

"Then I thought we could either go to the homecoming film festival in the arts center or if you prefer there a couple of current movies playing downtown."

Daria asked, "What is playing at the film festival?"

Tom reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a brochure. Reading from it he recited, "They have three different films going on at the same time and three shown over the evening for a total of nine. There is a Franco Zeffirelli track with 'Taming of the Shrew,' "Jane Eyre,' and 'Tea with Mussolini.' On the second screen they have a Mel Brooks track with 'The Producers,' 'Young Frankenstein,' and 'Space Balls.' The third screen is a mix of films by German directors including 'The Marriage of Maria Braun,' 'Nosferatu the Vampyre,' and 'Kinski Paganini.' At midnight there will be a showing of 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show.' The first showing is at 6:00 pm."

Daria deadpanned, "I think I can guess which ones will be the most popular."

"We can go to any one you want," Tom said with a note of excitement. Then he went on, "The alternative is to just hang out in my apartment and watch something. I wouldn't mind that if it is what you would like to do. Tomorrow is homecoming. I am assuming you are not interested in the parade."

Stopping and turning toward Tom Daria said, "You've got that right. I've had enough of homecoming parades for one lifetime. While I have to admit I enjoyed being with you that afternoon, nevertheless I loathed the parade. I especially loathed being accosted by Mr. O'Neil dressed in that stupid lion costume. What is Bromwell's mascot? I hope it isn't the Bromwell boa constrictor or some such loathsome animal."

"Actually, it is the Bromwell Bison," Tom said.

Still looking at him and holding his hand Daria came back in her total deadpan with, "Well, my plan for the weekend involves enjoying the time I spend with you. However, I am not getting gored."

Looking at Daria's intense stare Tom said, "OK. Message received." The two continued walking. "Tomorrow's weather ought to be really nice. It will be perfect for the football game. I thought we would go to that. We can then hit a couple places for drinks and dinner afterward. Also, a friend of mine is having a party. It should be fun."

"I'll go to the football game," Daria said. "I'm not much of one for sports, but sometimes watching the crowd is more fun than the game. Did you get us tickets in the student section?"

"Actually, no," Tom remarked. "We are in the alumni section. My Dad buys two season tickets every year, but rarely if ever uses them. I have used them as a student and sometimes relatives will want to go to a game. But for the most part they are simply a donation."

Daria commented, "Well at least it will reduce the likelihood of someone who is drunk vomiting on me or trying to pass me up the stands, though I'm not pretty enough to warrant that attention."

Tom stopped, looked over at her and replied, "I think you are pretty hot." As he said that he leaned over and kissed her hair.

Daria replied, "Thanks Tom, but I think you should get your eyes checked. Accountants can develop bad vision from adding all those columns of numbers, you know. Let's start heading toward that pizza place you mentioned. Once we have some food we can decide on a movie."