Quinn's Code - Cafe Geekdale - Part 8

“I'm sure you're wondering why I called this meeting today?” she asked.

There was brief muttering among the members.

“It has to do with the Coffee House.”

The members looked at each other in confusion, what did the Coffee House have to do with anything that the Programming Club did?

Quinn raised her hand.

“Yes?” Andrea asked.

“What about the Coffee House?”

“I am reading a poem there and I would like an opinion,” Andrea said.

'Weird,' Wolfang thought.

“Really?” someone asked.

“Yes,” Andrea said.

“Let's hear it,” Quinn said, wondering what it would entail...

Quinn left the Programming Club meeting slightly annoyed. “Andrea didn't need to call a meeting for that!” she murmered.

“I agree,” Wolfgang said as he followed her out of the room.

“And I don't want to think about that poem of hers. It's quite creepy and macabre,” Quinn said, with a shudder.

“Remindes you of her house, doesn't it?” Wolfgang said.

Quinn nodded.

“She invited me over alone once when we were in middle school. That's a day I wouldn't ever forget.”

“Don't tell me!” Quinn said with hands raised.

“I wasn't going to,” Wolfgang said quietly.

“Good,” Quinn said relieved.

“We can talk about what else may be performed at the Coffee House.”

“Sure.”

At her house, Cindy was talking to one of her cousins on an instant messenger progam.

Brols_trekker: So how's your new friend?”

Cindyquil: She is settling into Lawndale well, although one of our classmates has taken umbrage to her becoming popular.

Brols_trekker: Oh?

Cindyquil: The school has set up a new Coffee House and Quinn has received a mysterious email which says that someone wants to use the Coffee House to destroy her popularity.

Brols_trekker: That's not good!

Cindyquill: It definitely isn't

At the Lane house, Daria was playing the song for Jane in the basement. She had plugged her guitar into Mystik Spiral's equipment.

Trent came down the stairs, curious about the unfamiliar song which was coming up from the basement.

Daria suddenly noticed that Trent was there and fumbled with the guitar, dropping it into a nearby pile of clothes.

“Woah!” Trent said.

“Yes, Daria is a musician,” Jane said, having neglected to tell her brother that possibly pertinent information.

“Hi,” Daria said as she blushed.

“Wow, you're really good, Daria,” Trent praised.

'He does have an effect on her,' Jane thought.

“Um, thanks,” Daria said, quietly.

Jane took Trent aside. “Could you go and get us some water?” she asked.

“Sure, Janey.”

After Trent had gone up to the ground floor, Jane said “Wow, you do have a crush on him, don't you?”

Daria grumbled and picked up her guitar. She started playing from the point where Trent had interrupted her.

'Amazing. She is definitely a lot better than all four of them combined.' Jane thought as she continued listening.

When Brittany arrived at the Coffee House with Kevin, she noticed that there were almost no seats left. “I told you we should have come earlier, Kevie,” she said.

“There are few seats left,” he said.

'He doesn't get it,' she thought “Oooh, but they are not where I wanted to sit!” Brittany said.

Kevin winced as Brittany's voice squeaked higher than usual. “Sorry, Babe!” he said. He didn't like it when she hurt his ears.

The audience applauded as Quinn stepped off the stage after reading her Ghost in the Shell review.

“Thank you, Thank you,” she said, as she gave a bow.

Sandi seethed. 'You won't be so cheerful for long, you Geekendorffer!' she thought.

“That's not how one should treat their guitar!” Daria said as the boy on stage started throwing it around, after he had caused some feedback.

“I didn't care for his song either,” Jennifer said.

“All he was saying was 'I loathe you',” Jane said.

“No, there were other lyrics...” Jennifer pointed out.

Brittany was on stage, performing a scene from Romeo and Juliet. “Oh Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?”

“I'm right here, babe!” Kevin said, also on stage, holding a skull.

Some football players cheered Kevin on.

“Deny thy father and refuse thy name! Or thou will't not be but sworn, my love, and I'll no longer be a caplet!”

“Hey! Yo! I'm down here! Check it out!”

Brittany was rather annoyed. “Check it out? You promised to learn your lines, you, you clown! And what's that skull supposed to be?” She stalked off stage, giving off vibes of barely contained anger.

“The skull's cool,” Kevin said, his usual oblivious self.

'You don't get it,' Jennifer thought with a slight shake of her head.

Andrea was up on stage. “I'm here. But where are you? Sure, I see your body. Anybody home in that rotting bag of flesh?” she said as she concluded her poem.

“See? You don't want to do poetry for this crowd,” Jane said.

“You think it's too late for me to learn juggling?” Daria asked.

“Yep,” Jane said.

Mr. O'Neill walked up to the stage. “Thank you very much, Andrea. It takes a lot of courage to expose your raw emotions that way.”

As a spotlight focused on her table, Andrea put the bottle that she had been drinking behind her. She didn't want to get caught drinking at a school related event.

“And now a commentary on social relationships at Lawndale High, by Sandi Griffin.”