Quinn's Code - Cafe Geekdale - Conclusion

“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'.”