Spider Quinn 08 - The Three Misfits Part 2

 Almost immediately after homeroom ended, Li called the first of the three to her office. “Anna Coultard, please report to the Principal’s Office.”

 

“Oh!” Anna said. She had wanted to get to History as quickly as possible. “Great!” She added as she changed direction.

 

 

It didn’t take her long to reach the Principal’s office. “Ms. Li? What’s going on?” she asked.

 

“Welcome Ms. Coultard. Please, take a seat,” Ms. Li said.

 

She took a seat. “So…”

 

“It has come to my attention that you’re not reaching your potential.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You’re not involved in any extracurricular activities and you also have B+ average,” the Principal answered.

 

“I’m not interested in extracurriculars,” Anna responded.

 

“And you don’t have many friends,”

 

“I can’t argue against that,” she said quietly.

 

“So, you and a couple others will be mentored by another student,” Li said.

 

“I see,” Anna said. “Who will that be?”

 

“Quinn Morgendorffer.”

 

“Quinn?”

 

“Yes. She was looking for another extracurricular activity after a previous one had ceased,” Li said.

 

‘That’s one way of putting it.’ Anna thought. There were many rumors about what happened to the Fashion Club and she wasn’t sure what to believe. “I agree.”

 

“Very good, Ms. Coultard. I will inform her later today.”

 

“OK,” Anna said.

 

“Here is a hall pass.”

 

 

Anna then rushed to History and heard the next call.

 

“Ben Harrod, please report to the Principal’s office!”

 

That wasn’t surprising to Anna. ‘I doubt Quinn would be able to help with the Hypochondria.”

 

 

Ben was worried. Why would the Principal call him? Was it to do with why Anna was called? But he was sure that they didn’t do anything wrong.

 

 

The two took different paths through the school, and so missed each other.

 

 

“Sit, Mr. Harrod,” the Principal instructed.

 

“Why am I here?”

 

Li then told him the same thing she had told Anna.

 

 

“I see,” Ben said. “But Quinn might have something.”

 

“Nonsense Mr. Harrod, other than her recent bereavement, Ms. Morgendorffer is healthy.”

 

“Right. I suppose I can use help with some of my studies.”

 

“Very good. I’ll let her know later today.”

 

“Cool,” Ben said.

 

“Here’s your hall pass.”

 

 

“Gerald Brown, please report to the Principal’s Office!”

 

Gerald was heading to Mathematics when he heard the call. “Why now?” he groused. He didn’t want to miss Mathematics. He jumped as he turned. He noted several others staring. “What are you looking at.”

 

 

“What?” Gerald said. “What do you mean I’m not reaching my potential?”

 

“Your grades in Science and Math are very good, but your other grades are low and you don’t have any extracurricular activities.”

 

“There aren’t any good science related clubs.”

 

“The point is, I’m offering a mentor for you and a couple others,” Li said.

 

“Who?” Gerald asked.

 

“Quinn Morgendorffer.”

 

“Don’t you mean Daria?”

 

“No, Mr. Brown. I mean Quinn. She was looking for an extracurricular activity after her previous one had ended,” Li responded.

 

The rumors surrounding the end of the Fashion Club were impossible to avoid. “She just wants to stay popular.”

 

“I think she does want to help,” Li said.

 

“How do you think this will help?”

 

“It will help you make friends, and broaden your horizons.”

 

“Friends…” Gerald said. He doubted it would work, but it was worth a try.

 

“What is your response?”

 

“I’ll do it.”

 

 

Ms. Li sent Quinn a message during lunch saying that the three students would be waiting in the Library after school.

 

Quinn didn’t know what to expect, but she certainly didn’t expect Anna to be the girl she had helped the previous afternoon as SpiderGirl. ‘Then why did she give her name as Felicia?’ she wondered. “I’m sure the Principal has told you who I am,” she said.

 

“Yes,” one of the boys said.

 

Anna nodded.

 

“Quinn,” right, the other boy answered.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Please introduce yourselves,” Quinn said.

 

“Anna Coultard.”

 

“Ben Harrod.”

 

“Gerald Brown,” the last one said quietly.

 

“What do you want to get out this?” Quinn asked.

 

“Not sure,” Anna said.

 

“The same,” Ben said.

 

“Friendship?” Gerald asked. “But I’m not sure that would work.”

 

Quinn sighed. She wasn’t sure what to do. ‘What does Ms. Li expect?’

 

“What now?” Anna said.

 

Something came to Quinn. “Go and grab a book on a subject you like, and then come back. I’ll do the same.”

 

“Sure,” Anna said, perking up and smiling.

 

“Certainly,” Ben said.

 

“Of course,” Gerald said.

 

Quinn did the same. She wasn’t sure where to go at first. ‘Is it comic books? Or a book on the history of Lawndale?’ She wasn’t sure. She then found that she had wandered into the Art section. ‘This will do,’ she thought as she picked up a book about sketching. The process of designing her SpiderGirl suits had awakened something in her, such that she wanted to sketch things, and not just clothes. She wanted to improve her technique before going to Ms. Defoe about extracurricular lessons. ‘Would Li allow that?’ she wondered.

 

 

Anna found herself at the end of the 200 section. ‘Pagan mysticism’ she considered. But she knew her reputation for weirdness and wasn’t sure what Quinn would think of her reading such a book. She thought for a moment, before veering into the 300 section and then picked up a book on Irish folklore.

 

 

Ben couldn’t help it. He found himself in the Medical section. ‘616. Something,’ he thought with a sigh. He stepped aside ‘614… forensic medicine. He knew that he wanted to put his medical knowledge to some use, but knew he wasn’t cut out to be a doctor. He grabbed such a book. But he knew what Anna would say.

 

 

Gerald knew what he would get. A Science book. But which science? He wasn’t sure. ‘Which one?’ He wondered as he looked about the 500 section. ‘Astronomy!’ He then grabbed a book on the planets of the Solar System.

 

 

Quinn and Anna came back to the table at the same time. “Irish folklore, interesting,” Quinn commented.

 

“Yes. I find it interesting,” Anna said. “It seems I like all those old stories.”

 

“I admit I haven’t really read them,” Quinn said. “Like, Leprechauns look so, creepy, ugh!” She added with a shudder.

 

“Well, there’s more to it than Leprechauns,” Anna said.

 

“Of course,” Quinn added.

 

“I suppose that I have been interested since I saw Darby O’Gill and the Little People when I was young.”

 

“Is that a movie? I haven’t seen it.”

 

“It’s an old Disney movie,” Anna explained. “It has Sean Connery in it. I think it was before he was Bond, but I’m not sure.”

 

“OK,” Quinn said.

 

It was at that moment that Ben came back. “Oh! That Connery film again, Anna?”

 

“You’ve seen it?” Quinn asked.

 

“Too many times,” Ben groaned.

 

“I see,” Quinn said.

 

“But it is worth seeing once,” he added.

 

“I’ll consider it,” Quinn said. ‘In between everything else. School, being SpiderGirl, watching Anime with Stacy, dates, now this mentoring thing…’ She shook her head and saw Gerald approaching.

 

 

Gerald sat and saw that Ben and Anna were already familiar with each other. ‘Of course they are. I can see that they’re going to be a clique and Quinn’s going to focus on them.’ He knew that such things happened all the time.

 

 

“Now, Anna started talking earlier about Irish folklore,” Quinn said.

 

“Not just Irish,” Ben said.

 

“Oh?” Gerald said in an annoyed tone.

 

“Celtic stuff in general,” Anna said.

 

“So, Welsh and Scottish too?” Quinn asked.

 

“And Galicia in Spain and Brittany in France,” Anna added.

 

 

As Anna  continued to tell of how she became interested in Celtic folklore, Gerald felt uneasy. He was sure that he didn’t want to open himself up to three others he barely knew.

 

 

Anna finished.

 

“That’s good, Anna,” Quinn said. She turned to Ben. “Ben. I know you are hypochondriac, but that’s not a fair description.”

 

“It isn’t. But It has lead me to be interested in medical related topics,” Ben said.

 

“That’s certainly true,” Anna said with slight laugh.”

 

“So, forensic medicine?” Quinn asked with slight interest.

 

“Yes. The sciences of investigating the causes of trauma or death,” Ben explained.

 

“I knew it was something like that,” Quinn said. “Before my father died, he had had a heart attack and I had looked at medical texts during that period.”

 

“Oh!” Anna said.

 

“I’ll say something more about that. That I’m still deep in grief,” Quinn added.

 

Gerald had had enough. If Quinn was going to pour her heart out. “I’m going…”

 

 

“Wait!” Quinn called after Gerald.

 

“Sorry, I can’t do this,” Gerald said as he left at a rapid pace.

 

“Great,” Quinn said, as she turned back the other two. “We’ll continue.”

 

“Are you sure?” Anna asked.

 

Quinn nodded. “Anyway, Daddy died and I found myself drawing and sewing more.” That it was mostly SpiderGirl related, she kept to herself, but she did have other pictures she had drawn and clothes she had made. It wasn’t something she hadn’t told Stacy and Tiffany (as well as Tori) either.

 

“Do you have any of these drawings here?” Ben asked.

 

“One or two,” Quinn said.

 

She took a couple of her bag. One was of SpiderGirl, but the other was a sketch of the house from the rear. The gave the first to Anna and the other to Ben.

 

“This is very good,” Anna said. “You must have seen her yourself.”

 

“Yes,” Quinn said carefully. “More than a few times.”

 

“Where is this?” Ben asked.

 

“At home,” Quinn answered.

 

“So, it’s a view of your house?” Anna asked.

 

“From the back, yes,” Quinn responded.

 

“This is good too,” Ben said.

 

“Thanks!”

 

“So, is it true?” Anna asked.

 

“What is true?”

 

“That you fell out with Sandi?” Anna answered.

 

“It’s more that she fell out with us,” Quinn answered. “It was just a long time coming. It’s just that me being in grief brought it about.”

 

“Grief does change people,” Ben added.

 

‘There’s something there,’ Quinn thought.

 

 

They talked for another ten minutes before Anna had to go and Quinn grew antsy.

 

“See you later,” Anna said as she left.

 

“I better go too,” Ben said.

 

 

Soon, SpiderGirl left Lawndale High from above the library. She headed to the south, towards downtown. She wasn’t sure what to make of Gerald leaving when he did. What was it that he refused to hear? She wasn’t sure. ‘But what can I do to connect with him and to help him connect to Anna and Ben?’

 

She needed a second opinion. She paused and turned to the west, to head towards the Pizza place.

 

 

Daria was alone at the Pizza place again, when Quinn entered. “The same?” she asked as she came up to her sister.

 

“Jane was here, but she had to leave early,” Daria said.

 

“Oh.”

 

“But that isn’t why you’re here, is it?”

 

“No,” Quinn admitted.

 

“Was it to do with those ‘misfits’?”

 

“Yes. It’s going well with Ben and Anna, but not Gerald.”

 

“What happened?” Daria asked.

 

“Like I did an icebreaker thing, meeting them in the library and asking them to find books they were interested in.”

 

“You got one on fashion?”

 

“Close,” Quinn said with a slight giggle. “One on drawing.”

 

“Got it,” Daria said. She saw that Quinn was shifting her interests.

 

“But that wasn’t the problem.”

 

“One of them didn’t want to share.”

 

“Oh, he shared,” Quinn said.

 

“When you shared,” Daria said.

 

“Yes.”

 

“I see.”

 

“It hurt too, because I was about to say something about my grief,” Quinn said.

 

“How did that come up?” Daria asked.

 

“Ben is interested in forensic medicine and I brought up how I was looking at medical texts after his heart attack.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“So, he then dashed off!” Quinn said in a sad tone. “What can I do?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Daria admitted. “What was he interested in?”

 

“He had a book on the Solar System,” Quinn answered.

 

“So, either science in general or Astronomy in particular.”

 

“From what I got. I’m not sure.”

 

“Then I’m not sure how to help. If he doesn’t want help…” Daria said.

 

“Or maybe he thought I was unloading on them.”

 

“There is that too,” Daria said. “But I could suggest some kind of field trip, if Ms. Li would allow it.”

 

“Maybe she would. But where?”

 

“If Astronomy in particular, the planetarium.”

 

“Oh! Duh!” Quinn said.

 

“But if science in general. There are forests around Lawndale as well as the Zoo and arboretum.”

 

“All good ideas,” Quinn said as she took notes.