Spider Quinn 08 The Three Misfits: Part 3

 

Then there was an interruption

 

“Quinn!” It was Ted Dewit-Clinton, who had just entered the store.

 

“Ted?” both sisters asked at once.

 

“Hey Daria. Quinn. Ms. Li wanted me to talk to you about your project.”

 

“It’s called a project now?” Daria asked.

 

“Yes! Quite interesting,” Ted said.

 

“For the Lowdown?” Quinn asked, referring to the school paper.

 

“Yes. And for the yearbook. But for the Lowdown at first,” Ted answered.

 

“Oh,” Daria said.

 

“About, the project,” Quinn said. “It hasn’t had a good a start as I would have liked.”

 

“What do you mean?” Ted asked as he sat down.

 

Quinn then repeated what she had told Daria about Gerald running off.

 

 

“I see,” Ted said when Quinn had finished.

 

“But I still have Anna and Ben.”

 

“That’s true,” Ted said.

 

“So, you want to do an interview?” Daria asked.

 

“Not right now,” Ted said. “Tomorrow.”

 

“That would be best. Would after school be good?” Quinn asked.

 

“That would be good.”

 

“In any case. I want to be going. I need to think about things,” Quinn said.

 

“Sure,” Ted said.

 

“Are you sure?” Daria asked.

 

“I’ll see you at home,” Quinn said.

 

“OK.”

 

 

Quinn then got up and left.

 

“And how are you, Daria?” Ted asked. “I realise I haven’t talked to you since your father passed away.”

 

“I’m coping,” Daria answered with her usual slight smile. “But it’s my mother and Quinn I’m more worried about. Mom has thrown herself into work more than before. And as for Quinn, I’m sure you’ve heard about what happened with the Fashion Club.”

 

“Of course. But isn’t that a good thing for her, being away from Sandi?”

 

 

“In a way,” Daria responded. “But she’s also spending a lot of time by herself.” But what she didn’t want to mention to Ted was that she had seen Quinn sneaking out at night sometimes.

 

“I see,” Ted said. “Also, Jane isn’t here.”

 

“No, she isn’t,” Daria said. “She’s doing her own thing.”

 

“But you’re still friends, right?” Ted asked.

 

“Of course we are. She has stuck by me after what happened, happened.”

 

 

SpiderGirl swung away from the Pizza place, towards Dega Street. She had heard the beginning of Daria and Ted’s conversation. ‘I know you’re concerned, Daria,’ she thought. But there wasn’t much she could do about that. She thought about the situation with Gerald again. Daria did have some good ideas. ‘I’ll see if Ms. Li agrees.’ But whether it would be the Planetarium or something else. ‘I’ll find out tomorrow.’

She then saw Anna, or rather, Felicia on the street.

 

“SpiderGirl!” she called.

 

“Really?” SpiderGirl asked as she landed.

 

“Yes,” Feli said.

 

“What’s up?” SpiderGirl asked.

 

“Um, something unexpected. The principal has my friend and I in a peer support program,” Feli said.

 

‘Little does she know…’ SpiderGirl groused to herself. “Go on.”

 

“Like, completely unexpected!”

 

“But you think it’s a good idea?”

 

“Yes. But there’s another person, who flaked,” Feli added.

 

‘I see that she’s annoyed about Gerald too,’ SpiderGirl thought. “So, you think it won’t work?”

 

“It depends,” Feli paused. “On how the one running the program handles it.

 

“Well, I suppose that Li wouldn’t choose someone incapable.”

 

“But I don’t completely trust Quinn!”

 

“What do you mean?” SpiderGirl asked.

 

“I mean, she admits she was looking for an extracurricular. I would have trusted Daria more.”

 

“But would this other girl have done it?”

 

“I’m not sure,” Feli answered.

 

“There’s not much more I can say,” SpiderGirl said, feeling uncomfortable.

 

“Oh,” Feli said. “I guess I will just have to see how things go.”

 

“Yes. I’ll be off.”

 

“Wait!”

 

“What? Another lift?” SpiderGirl asked incredulously.

 

“Yes. I liked it yesterday.”

 

“Fine! But where?”

 

“Cranberry Commons,” Feli answered, referring to one of Lawndale’s Malls.

 

“Sure,” SpiderGirl said.

 

 

Said Mall lay to the southwest of the downtown. It didn’t take the superheroine long to take the weird blonde there. She landed on the edge of the grounds, there being a dearth of trees around it. ‘I’ll have to figure out how to swing into it at some point,’ she thought. “This is as far as I can swing,” she said.

 

“What about around another way?” Feli asked.

 

“I tried that. If it was the Lawndale Mall, I can reach it from behind.”

 

“Oh, you’ve explored all the routes through Lawndale?”

 

“Not all,” SpiderGirl admitted. “But most. Seven Corners is another difficult spot. But I can get across the Creek and into the Business Park. But getting out of Lawndale is the difficult part.”

 

“Oakwood?”

 

“Yes. There’s a lot of farmland in that direction. The Interstate and the State Route don’t have many telegraph poles.”

 

“I see,” Feli said. “I’ll see you later.”

 

“Bye,” SpiderGirl said. She looked around before swinging away in the direction she had come from.

 

 

She headed back to the downtown. And just in time, as she saw a mugging in progress near a closed storefront on Third Street. “Oh great! Haven’t you got the message!” she quipped as she swung down.

 

“SpiderGirl!”

 

“That’s me. Protector of the innocents in Lawndale!” she said as she webbed him up. She turned to the would be victim.

 

“Thanks, SpiderGirl,” the girl said, a fellow student at Lawndale High, in Daria’s year. “A bit hard to believe this kind of thing is happening in Lawndale more. I thought it was safe!” she said vehemently.

 

“Unfortunately. It’s happening,” SpiderGirl responded.

 

“Do I know you?” the girl asked.

 

“You know who I am,” SpiderGirl responded.

 

“I do?”

 

“I’m your friendly neighborhood SpiderGirl!” she said just before swinging away.

 

 

Tananda Watts watched as the vigilante swung away. She wasn’t sure what to make of that exchange. She sighed. She would be more careful. She didn’t want to be in such a position again.

 

 

SpiderGirl thought more in the situation with Gerald as she patrolled. “I’ll ask him about the field trip idea,” she decided.

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Thursday, December 17, 1999

Is SpiderGirl a teenager?

 

 

Quinn got to school early after an uneventful early morning patrol as SpiderGirl.

 

She decided to talk to Ms. Li right away.

 

“Ms. Morgendorffer?” Li asked as they both came to the office at the same time.

 

“I started the mentoring, yesterday,” Quinn started.

 

“Something happened?” Li asked.

 

“Yes,” Quinn answered with a nod. “One of them ran off in the middle of the session.”

 

“Which one?” Li asked, as if she wasn’t surprised.

 

“Um, Gerald. The nerdy one.”

 

“Not surprising Ms. Morgendorffer. I will talk to him later in the day. But first, what about the other two?”

 

“They stayed, duh! I think it’s going well with them.”

 

“Good.”

 

“But I have an idea,” Quinn said.

 

“What is this idea?”

 

“A field trip. It will allow us to spend time together.”

 

“Really? Ms. Morgendorffer. Do you have any idea how much that would cost for just four students?”

 

Quinn sighed. “I suppose the Planetarium would be out of the question.”

 

“Yes. But why that idea.”

 

“Because one of the trio had picked a book on Astronomy.”

 

The Principal paused. “Let’s start from the beginning. You met in the library and then?”

 

“We introduced ourselves to each other and then I asked them to grab a book that showed what they were interested in.”

 

“I see. And what were they interested in?”

 

“Irish folklore, forensic medicine and Astronomy. And I chose a book on drawing and design,” Quinn answered.

 

“I can see who chose what. But why this field trip idea.”

 

“Because Gerald ran off when I was sharing and we started talking about recent events. You know…”

 

Li knew what she meant. “I see. I doubt a field trip would make him any more amenable to hearing about that.”

 

“I know. But it would allow the four of us to connect more.”

 

The Principal sighed. “Maybe not the Planetarium. But some other science related field trip will be acceptable.”

 

“Thanks Ms. Li!”

 

“I know you’re trying your best. I will call him in early in the day. I’ll let you know how that goes. Good Day, Ms. Morgendorffer.”

 

 

Angela watched the eager student go. She had meant it when she said that Quinn was trying her best. ‘It seems her grief has allowed her to turn a new leaf, as it were.’ She switched on her computer. As she waited for it to boot up she wrote down some notes on what she and Quinn had talked about.

 

 

Quinn sighed in relief after she left the Principal’s office. She hoped that some kind of field trip would be allowed.

 

 

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

 

“What now?” Gerald asked himself. ‘And straight after leaving Homeroom again!’

 

This time he powerwalked towards the office as fast as the crowds of fellow teens allowed.

 

 

“Come in, Mr. Brown,” the Principal said.

 

“What is this about?”

 

“It’s about you leaving the peer mentoring program early yesterday.”

 

“What did Quinn say?” Gerald asked.

 

“How do you know that it was she that said anything?”

 

“I don’t think the other two would have complained to you about it.”

 

“Yes, it was, Ms. Morgendorffer!” the Principal said. “She said you left the ‘icebreaking’ activity while she was talking about herself.”

 

“It was uncomfortable, her talking of her father passing away,” he breathed deeply. “It reminded me of one of my grandparents passing away a few years ago. It wasn’t as sudden, but it was still a shock.”

 

Li nodded. “I see. In any case, Ms. Morgendorffer has suggested a science related field trip. I cannot sanction one to the Planetarium, but something else can be arranged.”

 

‘Of course the Planetarium is out of the question given how stingy she is!’ Gerald groused to himself. “I see,” he said.

 

“You will catch up with Ms. Morgendorffer and the others later today.”

 

“Of course!”

 

 

Gerald left the Principal’s office annoyed. It was like both the Principal and Quinn were conspiring against him! ‘A field trip, but not the planetarium. Why can’t I just be alone at school? Is that too much to ask?’

 

 

Quinn found Anna and Ben at Lunch. “There you are!” she said.

 

“What’s up?” Ben asked.

 

Quinn noted that he was nibbling his plain sandwich very carefully, while leaving most of it wrapped in the tin foil. “Just letting you know that I talked to Ms. Li about what happened yesterday.”

 

“Oh,” Anna responded.

 

“So, what did she say?” Ben asked.

 

“If we are going on a field trip, it wouldn’t be to the planetarium,” Quinn answered. “And that she would be talking to Gerald sometime today.”

 

“Right,” Anna said.

 

“But that means it would be outdoors!” Ben groused.

 

“I’ll figure something out,” Quinn said.

 

“I hope so!” Ben said.

 

“So, what’s next?” Anna asked.

 

“We’ll see if Gerald comes to the library this afternoon,” Quinn said.

 

“OK.”

 

 

The rest of the school day went as usual. The Principal let Quinn know that she did talk to Gerald. Thus she entered the library at the end of the day hoping that reclusive boy would be there.

 

She saw Anna and Ben, but not Gerald. Anna had another book of Irish folklore and Ben had another text on forensic medicine. “I looked for one on Welsh folklore, but the school doesn’t have one,” Anna said.

 

“I guess that happens,” Quinn said. She knew that Daria would have an opinion on that.

 

“He’s coming,” Ben said.

 

Quinn turned and saw that Gerald was coming in.

 

“I apologise for what happened,” he said quietly.

 

Quinn wasn’t sure that apology was genuine, but she would take it. “Apology accepted.”

 

“Ms. Li said something about a field trip?” Gerald said.

 

“Yes. Any field trip, just not to the Planetarium,” Quinn said.

 

“I can see why,” Anna said.

 

It was then that Ted entered the library. “I haven’t come at a bad time have I?” he asked.

 

“Not at all,” Quinn said.

 

“Wait,” Gerald said.

 

“What?” Quinn asked.

 

“This is for the Lowdown?” Gerald asked.

 

“Yes,” Ted answered.

 

“No!” Gerald said.

 

“Oh great!” Quinn groused.

 

“I’m not getting interviewed,” Gerald said.

 

“I see that is a bad time,” Ted said.

 

“Not at all,” Quinn said. “I’m sure Ms. Li just intended for you to interview me about it.”

 

Ted looked to be in thought for a moment. “That’s true.”

 

“Right,” Gerald said. It didn’t look like he relaxed, but it didn’t look like he was about to run off either.

 

“But first we’re talking about field trip ideas,” Quinn said.

 

“Oh,” Ted said.

 

“So, grab a map of Lawndale and it’s surrounding areas from somewhere?” Anna asked.

 

“Good idea, Anna,” Quinn said.