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fardell2408 The Three Misfits
It was early evening at Lawndale High. Principal Angela Li was working late. There was a knock at her door. “Come in.”
The Vice Principal, Anthony DeMartino, entered. “Here’s a Preliminary report on the school this term.”
“Very good, Anthony,” Angela said.
“You’ll note that there are three students who are reclusive and not reaching their potential.”
Angela looked at the report. “Only three?” she asked.
“Yes. Despite their recent bereavement, both Morgendorffers are doing well academically.”
“I see that too, although both still don’t have extracurriculars after the dissolution of the Fashion Club.”
“I see you’re thinking,” Anthony said.
“Maybe Quinn could help those three.”
“Not Daria?”
“Daria is still, reticent, about participation in school outside of academics, whereas Quinn wants to continue such participation even after the Fashion Club was disbanded. That was due to something to do with Ms. Griffin.”
Anthony nodded. “Quinn it is then, but how?”
“Let me consider that.”
“Good.”
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Tuesday December 19, 2000
SpiderGirl averts another drug deal
It looked to be an ordinary day at Lawndale High School. Quinn Morgendorffer certainly thought so as she pulled on her usual clothes over her SpiderGirl suit. She had then emerged into a corridor. ‘Now, where are Stacy and Tori?’ she wondered. She started looking for them.
Elsewhere, three different students arrived at the school. Anna Coultard looked around for her friend, who she usually met as she arrived at the school. ‘Where are you?’ she asked herself as she usually did. However, she quickly found him near the door, and dashed over to him. “Ben!”
“Hi Anna,” he said.
“How are you today?”
“Oh! The usual,” Ben Harrod answered.
Anna knew what that meant. That his hypochondria was acting up. “What is it now?” she asked.
“I think I have the flu.”
“It just the winter.”
“It’s not just the sniffles. There’s fever too,” Ben said.
Anna placed her hand on Ben’s forehead. “Feels normal to me,” she said.
“Oh!”
“Come on, you don’t want to be late to homeroom, again.”
“Of course not!”
Elsewhere in the school, Gerald Brown got to his locker. He breathed a sigh of relief. No one had tried to talk to him. He preferred it that way. He opened the locker. “Gerald!” someone called.
‘Oh no!’ he thought. He made himself scarce.
Jenna Kingsley looked for Gerald again. She was sure he was there a few moments earlier. He hadn’t come to the Anime Club for a while. She wanted to ask whether he wanted to remain a member. “Another time,” she said to herself as the bell for homeroom rang.
The school day proceeded as it usually did for each teacher and student.
DeMartino tried and failed to teach Kevin Thompson rudimentary about the historical importance of the Great Depression and Daria Morgendorffer snarked to Jane Lane about it.
Sandi Griffin ignored a play O’Neill was trying to teach the class as she continued to plot revenge against Quinn and SpiderGirl for humiliating her.
There was one unusual event at the end of the school day…
“Quinn Morgendorffer, please report to the Principal’s Office.”
Quinn tensed up. It could be anything. From another death in the family, to one of Li’s cameras outing her as SpiderGirl, despite her avoiding them.
“Quinn?” Stacy Rowe asked.
“I’m fine, Stacy. It’s just that it could be anything,” Quinn responded.
“I can come with you,” Stacy offered.
“Sure,” Quinn said.
Quinn knocked on the office door.
“Come in,” Li said.
Quinn entered. “You called, Ms. Li?”
“Yes. I know you still haven’t got any extracurricular activities after the end of the Fashion Club.”
“I guess I haven’t been looking, what with Christmas coming up and all.”
“Yes. Mrs. Manson is available,” Li said. She shook her head. “But that isn’t why I called you in.”
Christmas. That was going to be difficult. But Quinn put it out of mind. “So, why?”
“Most of the students of this school are reaching their potential…” The Principal started.
But Quinn interrupted. “You want me to tutor Kevin?”
“Let me finish, Ms. Morgendorffer!”
“Sorry.”
“Apology accepted. That’s something your sister might do, after the holidays. Anyway, there are three misfit students you may be able to help,” the Principal then handed a page over.
Quinn read it. “Anna Coultard… Has a reputation for being weird. That she does.”
“Yes. Whatever the truth is. She isn’t reaching her potential. There are two others.”
“Ben Harrod. A hypochondriac. This hypochondria prevents him from interacting with most of his peers due to his fear of germs. Ugh. Probably still thinks girls have cooties.”
“That’s inaccurate. He is friends with Anna,” the Principal interjected.
“I guess,” Quinn said. “And the last one. Gerald Brown. A loner. I guess like Daria would be if she hadn’t met Jane.”
“Maybe,” the Principal said.
“So, you want me to help these people?” Quinn asked. “How?”
“Encouraging to join in. With each other at first. We’ll see how it goes.”
“I’ll do it!” Quinn said.
“Very good, Ms. Morgendorffer.”
“Do they know someone is going to help them?” Quinn asked.
“Not yet. I wanted to ask you first.”
“Right.”
“I will call them in first period tomorrow,” Li said.
“How did it go?” Stacy asked when Quinn emerged from the Principal’s office.”
“There’s no bad news,” Quinn answered.
“So, what was it?” Stacy asked.
“She wants me to help three misfits fit in.”
“Including me?”
“I don’t think you’re a misfit, Stacy,” Quinn said in a reassuring tone.
Stacy breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come, Tori is meeting us at the Pizza place,” Quinn said.
“Sure,” Stacy asked.
“Wait. Who are these misfits?” Stacy asked as they left the school grounds.
“Gerald Brown, Ben Herrod and Anna Coulter,” Quinn answered. “Wait?”
“Coultard?” Stacy supplied.
“That’s it.”
“That’s my neighbor.”
“I knew I had heard that name before,” Quinn said.
“She hasn’t fit in since Kindergarten,” Stacy said quietly.
“Oh,” Quinn said.
“There were many times when I tried to befriend her.”
“Really?”
Stacy nodded. “But it seems that she’s shy.”
“That doesn’t make her weird,” Quinn pointed out.
“Not by itself,” Stacy added. “There are other things too.”
“Such as?”
“Um…”
Quinn could tell Stacy wasn’t really sure, that she couldn’t put her finger on it, so she let it be. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll find out quickly.”
Stacy relaxed.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Pizza place.
Tori greeted them as they entered as she had been busy through the school day. “What did Ms. Li want?” she asked.
Quinn filled her in on about the three misfits.
“Oh, Anna. I heard that she’s into New Age stuff,” Tori said.
“That could be weird, but that’s what my parents were into, when they were younger,” Quinn said, her voice trailing off.
“Really?” Tori asked.
“They were hippies in college,” Quinn answered quietly.
“Sorry for bringing that up,” Tori said, as they came up to the counter.
“You couldn’t have known,” Quinn said. “What about the other two?”
“Ben gets freaked out by anything, not just insects. Animals and birds, some plants too,” Tori said.
“I see,” Stacy said.
“But Gerald, I haven’t heard much about him,” Tori said.
“That’s fine,” Quinn said.
As they waited for their pies, Quinn noticed Daria sitting by herself at a nearby booth, reading a book. ‘Isn’t Jane usually here with her?’ she wondered. She went over. “Daria?”
“Quinn?” Daria asked, with slight concern on the face. “Did the Principal have bad news?”
“She didn’t,” Quinn answered.
“So, what did she call you in for?”
“Join us and I’ll tell you?”
“Quinn?”
“I know you’re lonely, and that Jane isn’t here.”
“Sure.”
Tori saw Daria sit across from her. “Hi, Daria.”
“Hi,” she said.
“Tori.”
“Right. So, Quinn?”
Quinn then filled in her sister about the Principal and the three misfits.
“I see. I have heard about Anna, but not the other two,” Daria said.
“Right,” Quinn said. “Why isn’t Jane here?”
“She’s working on some art with her mother. Something she rarely gets to do.”
“Mrs. Lane is rarely home,” Tori said.
“Oh.”
The quartet talk for a while as they eat their pizzas, although Daria is the quietest.
What they didn’t realise was that Sandi was also at the Pizza place. She was also wondering why the Principal had called her into her office. “What is going on?” she wondered to herself. She had also seen Daria sit with the other three. ‘Of course she acknowledges that weird girl is her sister,’ she thought. She ate her Pizza in silence before stalking out of the store.
Quinn left the Pizza place ahead of the other three and changed to SpiderGirl behind some bushes. She then swung away from the strip mall where the Pizza place was towards Dega Street, where she was sure criminals were hanging out.
Stacy saw SpiderGirl swinging away as she left the Pizza place. “Oh!” she commented. “Where is she going?”
SpiderGirl saw some people scatter as she swung into Dega Street from Second Street. She swung down in front of one of them. “Hello!”
“SpiderGirl! I didn’t do anything!” a blonde girl said.
“Then why did you run?”
“There have been rumors going around school about you.”
“Really?” SpiderGirl asked. She could think of one source right off the bat.
“Yes,” the girl answered, looking away. “That you’re taking out your frustrations on the people of Lawndale.”
“Well. I’m not,” SpiderGirl retorted. “If I’m frustrated, it’s that people are getting murdered and the police are unable to do anything about it.”
“Oh. But I’m sure that they are doing something. Whether it’s enough is another thing.”
“I’m sure they aren’t.”
“I guess,” the girl said.
“Right. Be safe,” SpiderGirl said as she shot a webline.
“Wait!”
“What? I have to keep patrolling.”
“Could you take me somewhere?” the girl asked.
“Why?” SpiderGirl asked with curiosity.
“I’m running a little late,” the girl admitted.
“Sure. But where?”
“A friend’s place. It’s not far.”
“Hang on to me then,” SpiderGirl directed.
The girl nodded and threw her hands around the superhero.
SpiderGirl found it different than when she had done it with Brittany Taylor two weeks earlier and not not just because it was in the daytime. The girl was silent, whereas Brittany had chatted with her a little.
“Here we are,” SpiderGirl said, when they had reached their destination, a relatively small house in one of Lawndale’s older subdivisions four blocks away.
“Thanks,” the girl said,
“You’re welcome,” SpiderGirl said. “But what is your name?”
“I guess I know you’re SpiderGirl,” the girl murmered.
“Yes,” SpiderGirl said impatiently.
“You can call me Feli,” the girl said with a smile. “It’s short for Felicia.”
“Thanks,” SpiderGirl said in a cheerful tone, before swinging away.
‘Weird,’ SpiderGirl commented as she headed back towards the downtown, keeping an eye on the streets below on the way.
It was just after sunset when SpiderGirl arrived back at the red brick house in Glen Oaks Lane. She saw that her mother and sister were home. She still wasn’t sure what to make of that girl.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Wednesday, December 20, 2000
Editorial
Is Lawndale High Performing Well?
Quinn arrived at school early. She wanted to be ready to help those three students. Even though she had not slept much and had spent most of the night patrolling and had rescued two women from muggers just after sunrise. That and the thought of that girl was still filling her mind at times.
It was early evening at Lawndale High. Principal Angela Li was working late. There was a knock at her door. “Come in.”
The Vice Principal, Anthony DeMartino, entered. “Here’s a Preliminary report on the school this term.”
“Very good, Anthony,” Angela said.
“You’ll note that there are three students who are reclusive and not reaching their potential.”
Angela looked at the report. “Only three?” she asked.
“Yes. Despite their recent bereavement, both Morgendorffers are doing well academically.”
“I see that too, although both still don’t have extracurriculars after the dissolution of the Fashion Club.”
“I see you’re thinking,” Anthony said.
“Maybe Quinn could help those three.”
“Not Daria?”
“Daria is still, reticent, about participation in school outside of academics, whereas Quinn wants to continue such participation even after the Fashion Club was disbanded. That was due to something to do with Ms. Griffin.”
Anthony nodded. “Quinn it is then, but how?”
“Let me consider that.”
“Good.”
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Tuesday December 19, 2000
SpiderGirl averts another drug deal
It looked to be an ordinary day at Lawndale High School. Quinn Morgendorffer certainly thought so as she pulled on her usual clothes over her SpiderGirl suit. She had then emerged into a corridor. ‘Now, where are Stacy and Tori?’ she wondered. She started looking for them.
Elsewhere, three different students arrived at the school. Anna Coultard looked around for her friend, who she usually met as she arrived at the school. ‘Where are you?’ she asked herself as she usually did. However, she quickly found him near the door, and dashed over to him. “Ben!”
“Hi Anna,” he said.
“How are you today?”
“Oh! The usual,” Ben Harrod answered.
Anna knew what that meant. That his hypochondria was acting up. “What is it now?” she asked.
“I think I have the flu.”
“It just the winter.”
“It’s not just the sniffles. There’s fever too,” Ben said.
Anna placed her hand on Ben’s forehead. “Feels normal to me,” she said.
“Oh!”
“Come on, you don’t want to be late to homeroom, again.”
“Of course not!”
Elsewhere in the school, Gerald Brown got to his locker. He breathed a sigh of relief. No one had tried to talk to him. He preferred it that way. He opened the locker. “Gerald!” someone called.
‘Oh no!’ he thought. He made himself scarce.
Jenna Kingsley looked for Gerald again. She was sure he was there a few moments earlier. He hadn’t come to the Anime Club for a while. She wanted to ask whether he wanted to remain a member. “Another time,” she said to herself as the bell for homeroom rang.
The school day proceeded as it usually did for each teacher and student.
DeMartino tried and failed to teach Kevin Thompson rudimentary about the historical importance of the Great Depression and Daria Morgendorffer snarked to Jane Lane about it.
Sandi Griffin ignored a play O’Neill was trying to teach the class as she continued to plot revenge against Quinn and SpiderGirl for humiliating her.
There was one unusual event at the end of the school day…
“Quinn Morgendorffer, please report to the Principal’s Office.”
Quinn tensed up. It could be anything. From another death in the family, to one of Li’s cameras outing her as SpiderGirl, despite her avoiding them.
“Quinn?” Stacy Rowe asked.
“I’m fine, Stacy. It’s just that it could be anything,” Quinn responded.
“I can come with you,” Stacy offered.
“Sure,” Quinn said.
Quinn knocked on the office door.
“Come in,” Li said.
Quinn entered. “You called, Ms. Li?”
“Yes. I know you still haven’t got any extracurricular activities after the end of the Fashion Club.”
“I guess I haven’t been looking, what with Christmas coming up and all.”
“Yes. Mrs. Manson is available,” Li said. She shook her head. “But that isn’t why I called you in.”
Christmas. That was going to be difficult. But Quinn put it out of mind. “So, why?”
“Most of the students of this school are reaching their potential…” The Principal started.
But Quinn interrupted. “You want me to tutor Kevin?”
“Let me finish, Ms. Morgendorffer!”
“Sorry.”
“Apology accepted. That’s something your sister might do, after the holidays. Anyway, there are three misfit students you may be able to help,” the Principal then handed a page over.
Quinn read it. “Anna Coultard… Has a reputation for being weird. That she does.”
“Yes. Whatever the truth is. She isn’t reaching her potential. There are two others.”
“Ben Harrod. A hypochondriac. This hypochondria prevents him from interacting with most of his peers due to his fear of germs. Ugh. Probably still thinks girls have cooties.”
“That’s inaccurate. He is friends with Anna,” the Principal interjected.
“I guess,” Quinn said. “And the last one. Gerald Brown. A loner. I guess like Daria would be if she hadn’t met Jane.”
“Maybe,” the Principal said.
“So, you want me to help these people?” Quinn asked. “How?”
“Encouraging to join in. With each other at first. We’ll see how it goes.”
“I’ll do it!” Quinn said.
“Very good, Ms. Morgendorffer.”
“Do they know someone is going to help them?” Quinn asked.
“Not yet. I wanted to ask you first.”
“Right.”
“I will call them in first period tomorrow,” Li said.
“How did it go?” Stacy asked when Quinn emerged from the Principal’s office.”
“There’s no bad news,” Quinn answered.
“So, what was it?” Stacy asked.
“She wants me to help three misfits fit in.”
“Including me?”
“I don’t think you’re a misfit, Stacy,” Quinn said in a reassuring tone.
Stacy breathed a sigh of relief.
“Come, Tori is meeting us at the Pizza place,” Quinn said.
“Sure,” Stacy asked.
“Wait. Who are these misfits?” Stacy asked as they left the school grounds.
“Gerald Brown, Ben Herrod and Anna Coulter,” Quinn answered. “Wait?”
“Coultard?” Stacy supplied.
“That’s it.”
“That’s my neighbor.”
“I knew I had heard that name before,” Quinn said.
“She hasn’t fit in since Kindergarten,” Stacy said quietly.
“Oh,” Quinn said.
“There were many times when I tried to befriend her.”
“Really?”
Stacy nodded. “But it seems that she’s shy.”
“That doesn’t make her weird,” Quinn pointed out.
“Not by itself,” Stacy added. “There are other things too.”
“Such as?”
“Um…”
Quinn could tell Stacy wasn’t really sure, that she couldn’t put her finger on it, so she let it be. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I’ll find out quickly.”
Stacy relaxed.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at the Pizza place.
Tori greeted them as they entered as she had been busy through the school day. “What did Ms. Li want?” she asked.
Quinn filled her in on about the three misfits.
“Oh, Anna. I heard that she’s into New Age stuff,” Tori said.
“That could be weird, but that’s what my parents were into, when they were younger,” Quinn said, her voice trailing off.
“Really?” Tori asked.
“They were hippies in college,” Quinn answered quietly.
“Sorry for bringing that up,” Tori said, as they came up to the counter.
“You couldn’t have known,” Quinn said. “What about the other two?”
“Ben gets freaked out by anything, not just insects. Animals and birds, some plants too,” Tori said.
“I see,” Stacy said.
“But Gerald, I haven’t heard much about him,” Tori said.
“That’s fine,” Quinn said.
As they waited for their pies, Quinn noticed Daria sitting by herself at a nearby booth, reading a book. ‘Isn’t Jane usually here with her?’ she wondered. She went over. “Daria?”
“Quinn?” Daria asked, with slight concern on the face. “Did the Principal have bad news?”
“She didn’t,” Quinn answered.
“So, what did she call you in for?”
“Join us and I’ll tell you?”
“Quinn?”
“I know you’re lonely, and that Jane isn’t here.”
“Sure.”
Tori saw Daria sit across from her. “Hi, Daria.”
“Hi,” she said.
“Tori.”
“Right. So, Quinn?”
Quinn then filled in her sister about the Principal and the three misfits.
“I see. I have heard about Anna, but not the other two,” Daria said.
“Right,” Quinn said. “Why isn’t Jane here?”
“She’s working on some art with her mother. Something she rarely gets to do.”
“Mrs. Lane is rarely home,” Tori said.
“Oh.”
The quartet talk for a while as they eat their pizzas, although Daria is the quietest.
What they didn’t realise was that Sandi was also at the Pizza place. She was also wondering why the Principal had called her into her office. “What is going on?” she wondered to herself. She had also seen Daria sit with the other three. ‘Of course she acknowledges that weird girl is her sister,’ she thought. She ate her Pizza in silence before stalking out of the store.
Quinn left the Pizza place ahead of the other three and changed to SpiderGirl behind some bushes. She then swung away from the strip mall where the Pizza place was towards Dega Street, where she was sure criminals were hanging out.
Stacy saw SpiderGirl swinging away as she left the Pizza place. “Oh!” she commented. “Where is she going?”
SpiderGirl saw some people scatter as she swung into Dega Street from Second Street. She swung down in front of one of them. “Hello!”
“SpiderGirl! I didn’t do anything!” a blonde girl said.
“Then why did you run?”
“There have been rumors going around school about you.”
“Really?” SpiderGirl asked. She could think of one source right off the bat.
“Yes,” the girl answered, looking away. “That you’re taking out your frustrations on the people of Lawndale.”
“Well. I’m not,” SpiderGirl retorted. “If I’m frustrated, it’s that people are getting murdered and the police are unable to do anything about it.”
“Oh. But I’m sure that they are doing something. Whether it’s enough is another thing.”
“I’m sure they aren’t.”
“I guess,” the girl said.
“Right. Be safe,” SpiderGirl said as she shot a webline.
“Wait!”
“What? I have to keep patrolling.”
“Could you take me somewhere?” the girl asked.
“Why?” SpiderGirl asked with curiosity.
“I’m running a little late,” the girl admitted.
“Sure. But where?”
“A friend’s place. It’s not far.”
“Hang on to me then,” SpiderGirl directed.
The girl nodded and threw her hands around the superhero.
SpiderGirl found it different than when she had done it with Brittany Taylor two weeks earlier and not not just because it was in the daytime. The girl was silent, whereas Brittany had chatted with her a little.
“Here we are,” SpiderGirl said, when they had reached their destination, a relatively small house in one of Lawndale’s older subdivisions four blocks away.
“Thanks,” the girl said,
“You’re welcome,” SpiderGirl said. “But what is your name?”
“I guess I know you’re SpiderGirl,” the girl murmered.
“Yes,” SpiderGirl said impatiently.
“You can call me Feli,” the girl said with a smile. “It’s short for Felicia.”
“Thanks,” SpiderGirl said in a cheerful tone, before swinging away.
‘Weird,’ SpiderGirl commented as she headed back towards the downtown, keeping an eye on the streets below on the way.
It was just after sunset when SpiderGirl arrived back at the red brick house in Glen Oaks Lane. She saw that her mother and sister were home. She still wasn’t sure what to make of that girl.
Lawndale Sun-Herald
Wednesday, December 20, 2000
Editorial
Is Lawndale High Performing Well?
Quinn arrived at school early. She wanted to be ready to help those three students. Even though she had not slept much and had spent most of the night patrolling and had rescued two women from muggers just after sunrise. That and the thought of that girl was still filling her mind at times.
