“Good
Evening, Students of Lawndale High and other Coffee House patrons, I
have prepared this statement to tell you that Geeks are not welcome,
like as members of the popular cliques,” she began.
“Oh
dear,” Mr. O'Neill said, as he realised what Sandi was trying to
do. He hoped that not too many self identified geeks in the audience
wouldn't be traumatised.
'This
doesn't sound good,' Quinn thought as Sandi began. She listened in
disbelief as Sandi continued her rant against Geeks. 'Good thing I
came prepared.' She took the speech she had written the night before
out of her pocket, and gave it a look over. 'It will have to do.'
“You
are going to read that?” Cindy asked.
“I'm
going to have to,” Quinn said.
Kristen
nodded in agreement.
Sandi
came to a conclusion.
“And,
that is why I believe that Geeks should not be popular and that new
kids should not, like, rock the boat. Thank you for your time.”
She
then stepped off the stage, smiling.
“That
was great, Sandi,” Tori said.
“Thanks.”
Quinn
stood up as Sandi went to her seat. “Mr. O'Neill? Can I read a
rebuttal of Sandi's speech?”
Mr.
O'Neill lit up. “Sure, Quinn,” he said.
Quinn
went up to the stage.
“Why
Geeks can be popular, a general rebuttal of the previous speech. Good
Evening, Students of Lawndale High, and Lawndale and Glenfield Middle
Schools. Some shallow and yet popular students may take umbrage at
Geeks being popular for what may seem to be petty reasons. Why do
they do this, you may ask...”
Sandi
seethed as Quinn went on, rebutting most of the points of her own
speech. 'This cannot stand!' she thought. She turned to Tori. “Tori,
we need to rebut this speech!”
“How,
Sandi? We; and by we, I mean you, didn't plan for this occurring,”
Tori said.
“Then
I will have to, like, improvise.”
'I
hope Sandi's improvising skills are up
to the task,' Tori thought as she looked at the Coffee House patrons
taking in Quinn's speech.
As
Quinn continued her speech the Three J's smiled more and more in
admiration of her eloquence.
“...And
that is why Geeks can be popular amongst their peers. Thanks for your
time,” Quinn said as she concluded.
Most
of the audience stood up and gave a standing ovation, even Daria.
'What Sandi is trying to do is wrong,' she
thought.
Only
the Fashion Club didn't. Stacy started to, but was cut off by Sandi's
glare.
“Eep!”
“What
were you thinking?” Sandi asked.
Quinn
bowed, as she took in the adulation, before going back to her seat.
Sandi
then stood up. “Um, Mr. O'Neill. I would like, like to rebut
Quinn's rebuttal,” she said, with an edge to her voice.
“Oh,
a debate. Go ahead, Sandi.”
Sandi
then walked up on stage again. “My points from earlier are still
valid. Now, I'm like, going to explain them...”
She
struggled to rebut Quinn's points and the audience began to laugh at
her.
“Oh,
dear!” Mr. O'Neill said.
Sandi's
face hardened as she remembered some speeches that her mother had
made. The reminiscence allowed her to make a recovery, and thus she
continued.
“Uh-oh!”
Jennifer said.
“She's
weakening though,” Jane said.
“Probably
going to be close one,” Jennifer said.
“What
is up with her?” Quinn asked Kristen and Cindy.
“She
won't admit defeat,” Cindy said.
“I
agree,” Kristen said.
“I
will have to rebut her rebuttal,” Quinn realized.
“Good
luck,” Cindy said.
“I'll
need it,” Quinn said with a nervous laugh.
By
the end of Sandi's rebuttal most of the audience had given her their
rapt attention. Half of them clapped as she came off the stage.
“Oh,
dear! Quinn, would you like to come up for your rebuttal?” Mr.
O'Neill asked.
“Of
course,” Quinn said as she took up. Cindy, Kristen, Jennifer, Joey,
Jeffy, Jamie and Mack gave her encouragement as she passed them. She
said “thanks,” to each of them. The eyes of the audience were on
her as she went up to the stage...
She
paused briefly before beginning.
Again
the audience listened to Quinn attentively, even Kevin.
“Go,
Quinn. All right!” the QB shouted.
Brittany
sighed.
Quinn
rebutted most of Sandi's rebuttals, before stepping down once more.
Most of the audience clapped.
“Now,
Sandi will come and give her concluding remark,” Mr. O'Neill said.
Sandi
came out again, although she knew that most of the audience was on
Quinn's side. 'How could this go so wrong?' she thought. She
concluded weakly.
She
seethed as Mr. O'Neill asked Quinn to go up for her concluding
remark.
Quinn
once again rebutted the majority of what Sandi had said about Geeks,
and the reasons why they shouldn't be popular. She concluded the
discussion by saying; “...and that is why Geeks can be popular.
Thanks for your time!”
Mr.
O'Neill began the standing ovation.
In
the midst of that ovation, Sandi ran out of the Coffee House, holding
back tears. Tori followed her. 'I hope that she isn't too
devastated,' she thought.
Quinn
took in the adulation.
Sandi
ran from the Coffee House in the direction of her home.
“Sandi!
Wait!” Tori called as she exited the Coffee House.
“Why
should I, like wait! The Geekendorffer won!”
“Sandi,
she may have won now, but there is still a lot
of high school left! Besides not everyone was here tonight,”
Tori said.
Sandi
lit up. “That's right,” she said. She turned back to the Coffee
House. A stern expression came onto her face. “You may have, like,
won tonight, Morgendorffer! But I will have the last say, and I will
be more popular!”
“That's
the Sandi Griffin I know!” Tori said.
“Absolutely.”
She turned back in the direction that she was already
going in. “Come, Tori, we must prepare
for next month.”
Tori
groaned slightly. “Why Sandi? What are we doing next month?” She
asked.
“The
same thing we will do every month, Tori. Try to take over Lawndale
High,” Sandi said with a little humor.
“We
don't need to start planning now, and I would like to see what
performance was scheduled after your speech.”
“It's
only the Misanthropic sister of that Geek. It would be like, almost
as bad as Andrea's poem,” Sandi said as she led Tori away from the
Coffee House.
“It
might not be,” Tori said.
“Let's
go anyway,” Sandi said.
Tori
followed her away from the Coffee House, in the direction of the
Griffin residence.
Hardly
anyone saw Sandi, or Tori, run from the Coffee House; only Stacy and
Tiffany. Stacy took the opportunity to applaud Quinn.
“Where's
Sand-di?” Tiffany asked.
“Who
cares!” Stacy said as she applauded Quinn.
Tiffany
joined her.
It
took a few minutes for the adulation to die down once Quinn returned
to her seat. “Guys, guys, that's enough, thanks,” she said.
Once
the noise had died down, Jane said; “She was really good.”
“I
would never be able to do that,” Jennifer said with slight shake of
her head.
“She
was in the Highland Middle School debate team,” Daria said as she
grabbed her guitar.
“Oh.”
“Now
our final performance of the evening; a song by Daria Morgendorffer,”
Mr. O'Neill said.
Daria
started playing.
“Melody
reflected; What special agent could resist the opportunity to fill a
few Bolshevik cemeteries?”
Most of the audience wasn't sure what she was singing
about, but the tune was good...
Aleesha
Nibblett walked out of the Coffee House by herself. 'That was a very
interesting discussion,' she thought. She thought that Quinn was
interesting. 'Maybe we can be friends?' she pondered.
She
continued to think about the debate as she went home. 'Sandi is
becoming a megabitch' she thought.
Saturday, October 23, 2005
Jake
read from the Sun-Herald
as Daria and Quinn ate breakfast.
“'Cafe Lawndale is a success'. Isn't that the
coffeehouse you were working for?” he
asked Daria.
“It is, I have the extra credit,” Daria said.
“School
authorities have declared that Lawndale's new young adult Coffee
House is a success after an impromptu
debate against bullying of geeky students resulted in a few standing
ovations. 'The students who participated in the debate wish to remain
nameless,' explained Coffee House director Timothy
O'Neill, a teacher at Lawndale High."
Quinn smirked briefly
before taking another spoonful of cereal.
Helen entered the kitchen at a brisk pace; “Breakfast
meeting at the Royalton,” she said as she grabbed a snack and ran.
“But you haven't even tasted my soufflé,” Daria
commented sarcastically.
“'Cafe Lawndale will remain open to allow students to
maximize their potential,' O'Neill
said,” Jake read aloud as he continued to
peruse the paper.
“That's cool,” Quinn said.
“I'll say! It's great that they get a place to 'hang
out'.”
