The Loneliness of Alex - Part 1
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fardell24Monday, September 15, 1997
Alex Griffin arrived at Lawndale High as she had usually over the previous month. She walked as quickly as she could towards the buildings. However, as she approached, she noticed two unfamiliar teens emerging from a blue Lexus.
The first was a very perky redhead. 'One of those popular girls,' Alex thought. Not interesting at all.
Quinn Morgendorffer exited her father's car. “Don't be surprised that it takes them a while to warm up to you,” he said. She mentally sighed. He was completely clueless. “Hi, what's your name?” a girl with her hair in twintails asked.
“Quinn Morgendorffer,” she answered.
“I'm Stacy, Stacy Rowe,” the girl said.
“Cool,” Quinn said.
“Will you go out with me?” a boy asked.
Alex shook her head at that exchange. She then noticed Quinn's sister, making a beeline for the school buildings. Her style, from the Doc Martin boots, up to the 'manstopper' glasses seemed to say. 'Leave me alone!'
'There's someone who I might befriend,' Alex thought. She thought again. 'Or maybe not, she'll just tell me to go away!'
She watched her go into the school.
That evening, Quinn's mother asked; “How was school, sweetie?”
Quinn launched into a description of her day. “Then they asked me to join the pep squad. They said I didn't have to try out, but I said, 'Look, I'm new here. Give me a chance to get used to things.' I met a couple of other girls, Stacy and Tiffany, we're going to look into forming some kind of club to talk about Fashion, or something like that.”
“Sounds like a well thought out decision, honey,” her father, Jake, said.
“As long as you can join the pep squad later, if you want. Never know how much we can handle until we try though,” her mother, Helen said.
“What about you, Daria? How was your first day?” Jake asked his other daughter.
“Well, my history teacher hates me because I know all the answers, but there are some interesting idiots in my class,” Daria answered.
“That's great!”
“Jake!”
“Daria, your father's trying to tell you not to judge people until you know them...” Helen began.
Several streets away, Alex was having her own dinner. She arrived in the dining room at the usual time, 7:00 PM on the dot. As usual, her mother had set the table, the usual food for Monday night was waiting. She sat down and waited for her mother to ask how school was.
“How was school today, Alex?” her mother asked.
“The usual,” Alex said in her usual quiet tone.
“I received another call from Ms. Li tonight. It appears that they still think you have low self-esteem. You're in that class again from tomorrow afternoon.”
Alex nodded, knowing that her Mom would raise her voice if she didn't respond.
“This should be the last time!” her Mom said, raising her voice slightly.
That took Alex aback. “Mother?” she asked.
“You don't have low self-esteem. There's a mistake! You will pass out of that class, and find an extracurricular activity that I know you can achieve at.”
Alex thought. Her mother was always trying to get her to do an extracurricular activity. But she had always said that the Self Esteem Class had taken up her time. Now she wanted her out of the class? 'I have to find something!' she realized. “Yes, Mother,” she said in a dispassionate voice.”
“And you will find a friend,” her Mom said.
“Yes, Mother.”
“Stop repeating that!”
“I will pass out of the self-esteem class,” said, no less dispassionately.
“Good,” Linda Griffin said, seeing that her daughter was steered onto the path she wanted her to go on.
The rest of the dinner was spent in silence. Both, mother and daughter were absorbed in their own worlds. Linda was planning what she would do at work the next day. Alex was beginning to panic about how she would exit the self-esteem class. Mr. O'Neill's New Age mumbo jumbo was impenetrable. 'I mean, what does 'to realize your actuality,' mean anyway?' she wondered. She also wondered what extracurricular activity she would take up.
Tuesday, September 16, 1997
When Quinn Morgendorffer arrived at Lawndale High for the second time, she looked for her new friends, Stacy Rowe and Tiffany Blum-Deckler.
She quickly found them. “Hi, guys,” she said.
“Hi-ii,” Tiffany said.
“Hi,” Stacy said. “What are we doing today?”
“I'm going to ask about forming a club,” Quinn answered.
“I've been thinking about that,” Stacy said as she and the other two walked towards the school buildings.
“Oh?” Quinn asked.
“Does it have to be just about fashion?” Stacy asked.
“Of course not, Stacy,” Quinn said. “What else do you want to talk about?” she asked.
Stacy paused. “...no you would think it's silly,” she murmured.
Quinn looked at her new friend with concern. What would she find 'silly'? “Stacy, whatever it is. I don't think I'll find it silly.”
Stacy breathed deeply as they approached the doors. “Japanese cartoons?” she asked slightly louder than before.
Quinn considered as she took in what Stacy had just said. No it wasn't silly, even if it sounded like something Daria would be interested in. “It isn't silly,” she repeated.
“You don't like the idea?” Stacy asked, having picked up on Quinn's hesitation.
“I have to think about it. I'll get back to you at lunch,” Quinn said.
“Japanese tea clothes? Would that make me look fat?” Tiffany asked.
The bell rang, cutting off Quinn and Stacy's reactions to Tiffany's question.
The three friends met again at lunch. “So, the cartoons?” Stacy asked when they were seated after they had got their food.
“Sure,” Quinn said. She had to admit, she knew nothing of any cartoons from Japan. 'I'm sure the designs are cute,' she thought.
“Cool!” Stacy squealed.
“But what to call the club? If we're talking about Japanese cartoons as well as Fashion?” Quinn asked. She had pondered the same question as she had walked between each class.
“The Club of Cool Things,” Stacy suggested.
“Cute Club?” Tiffany pondered.
“Wait!” Quinn paused. “The Club of Cute!”
After they had finished eating, the three friends went to the office to get the paperwork.
Alex Griffin arrived at Lawndale High as she had usually over the previous month. She walked as quickly as she could towards the buildings. However, as she approached, she noticed two unfamiliar teens emerging from a blue Lexus.
The first was a very perky redhead. 'One of those popular girls,' Alex thought. Not interesting at all.
Quinn Morgendorffer exited her father's car. “Don't be surprised that it takes them a while to warm up to you,” he said. She mentally sighed. He was completely clueless. “Hi, what's your name?” a girl with her hair in twintails asked.
“Quinn Morgendorffer,” she answered.
“I'm Stacy, Stacy Rowe,” the girl said.
“Cool,” Quinn said.
“Will you go out with me?” a boy asked.
Alex shook her head at that exchange. She then noticed Quinn's sister, making a beeline for the school buildings. Her style, from the Doc Martin boots, up to the 'manstopper' glasses seemed to say. 'Leave me alone!'
'There's someone who I might befriend,' Alex thought. She thought again. 'Or maybe not, she'll just tell me to go away!'
She watched her go into the school.
That evening, Quinn's mother asked; “How was school, sweetie?”
Quinn launched into a description of her day. “Then they asked me to join the pep squad. They said I didn't have to try out, but I said, 'Look, I'm new here. Give me a chance to get used to things.' I met a couple of other girls, Stacy and Tiffany, we're going to look into forming some kind of club to talk about Fashion, or something like that.”
“Sounds like a well thought out decision, honey,” her father, Jake, said.
“As long as you can join the pep squad later, if you want. Never know how much we can handle until we try though,” her mother, Helen said.
“What about you, Daria? How was your first day?” Jake asked his other daughter.
“Well, my history teacher hates me because I know all the answers, but there are some interesting idiots in my class,” Daria answered.
“That's great!”
“Jake!”
“Daria, your father's trying to tell you not to judge people until you know them...” Helen began.
Several streets away, Alex was having her own dinner. She arrived in the dining room at the usual time, 7:00 PM on the dot. As usual, her mother had set the table, the usual food for Monday night was waiting. She sat down and waited for her mother to ask how school was.
“How was school today, Alex?” her mother asked.
“The usual,” Alex said in her usual quiet tone.
“I received another call from Ms. Li tonight. It appears that they still think you have low self-esteem. You're in that class again from tomorrow afternoon.”
Alex nodded, knowing that her Mom would raise her voice if she didn't respond.
“This should be the last time!” her Mom said, raising her voice slightly.
That took Alex aback. “Mother?” she asked.
“You don't have low self-esteem. There's a mistake! You will pass out of that class, and find an extracurricular activity that I know you can achieve at.”
Alex thought. Her mother was always trying to get her to do an extracurricular activity. But she had always said that the Self Esteem Class had taken up her time. Now she wanted her out of the class? 'I have to find something!' she realized. “Yes, Mother,” she said in a dispassionate voice.”
“And you will find a friend,” her Mom said.
“Yes, Mother.”
“Stop repeating that!”
“I will pass out of the self-esteem class,” said, no less dispassionately.
“Good,” Linda Griffin said, seeing that her daughter was steered onto the path she wanted her to go on.
The rest of the dinner was spent in silence. Both, mother and daughter were absorbed in their own worlds. Linda was planning what she would do at work the next day. Alex was beginning to panic about how she would exit the self-esteem class. Mr. O'Neill's New Age mumbo jumbo was impenetrable. 'I mean, what does 'to realize your actuality,' mean anyway?' she wondered. She also wondered what extracurricular activity she would take up.
Tuesday, September 16, 1997
When Quinn Morgendorffer arrived at Lawndale High for the second time, she looked for her new friends, Stacy Rowe and Tiffany Blum-Deckler.
She quickly found them. “Hi, guys,” she said.
“Hi-ii,” Tiffany said.
“Hi,” Stacy said. “What are we doing today?”
“I'm going to ask about forming a club,” Quinn answered.
“I've been thinking about that,” Stacy said as she and the other two walked towards the school buildings.
“Oh?” Quinn asked.
“Does it have to be just about fashion?” Stacy asked.
“Of course not, Stacy,” Quinn said. “What else do you want to talk about?” she asked.
Stacy paused. “...no you would think it's silly,” she murmured.
Quinn looked at her new friend with concern. What would she find 'silly'? “Stacy, whatever it is. I don't think I'll find it silly.”
Stacy breathed deeply as they approached the doors. “Japanese cartoons?” she asked slightly louder than before.
Quinn considered as she took in what Stacy had just said. No it wasn't silly, even if it sounded like something Daria would be interested in. “It isn't silly,” she repeated.
“You don't like the idea?” Stacy asked, having picked up on Quinn's hesitation.
“I have to think about it. I'll get back to you at lunch,” Quinn said.
“Japanese tea clothes? Would that make me look fat?” Tiffany asked.
The bell rang, cutting off Quinn and Stacy's reactions to Tiffany's question.
The three friends met again at lunch. “So, the cartoons?” Stacy asked when they were seated after they had got their food.
“Sure,” Quinn said. She had to admit, she knew nothing of any cartoons from Japan. 'I'm sure the designs are cute,' she thought.
“Cool!” Stacy squealed.
“But what to call the club? If we're talking about Japanese cartoons as well as Fashion?” Quinn asked. She had pondered the same question as she had walked between each class.
“The Club of Cool Things,” Stacy suggested.
“Cute Club?” Tiffany pondered.
“Wait!” Quinn paused. “The Club of Cute!”
After they had finished eating, the three friends went to the office to get the paperwork.
