SpiderGirl
was listening to Lawndale on the Sloane mansion’s roof. It was the usual for a
late Wednesday evening. She then got a message.
Talon:
I’m going to be a while. We can catch up later at the Bridge?
Spidey:
I knew that was going to happen. I’ll see you at dawn.
Talon:
Sure! See you then.
“I
better get home. I don’t usually take this long on a Wednesday,” SpiderGirl
murmured after reading Ninja Talon’s reply.
Brittany
put the phone away as Kay came back into the room with the cocoa.
“You’re
concerned about what Osborn may be up to?” Kay asked, as she handed the cocoa
over.
“You
were listening in?” Brittany asked.
“Not
really,” Kay answered. “But I did hear his name.”
“Right,”
Brittany said as she sipped the cocoa.
“I’m
also worried about what Osborn might have been after, but Angier hasn’t said
anything.”
“So,
he’s not saying.”
“No, but
then he’s always reticent about talking about work.”
“So, you
have been interested in Shakespeare for a while?” Kay asked.
“Quite a
while. I read Romeo and Juliet early,” Britany answered. “Despite the
tragedy, it is romantic.”
“So that
lead to his other plays?”
“That’s
right.”
“Mom,
stop with the fifty questions,” Tom said.
“What?
You have hardly talked about the other people in the play, other than saying
that they are good at acting for teenagers.”
“Because,
that’s all you needed to hear,” Tom responded.
Brittany
gulped more of the cocoa. She didn’t want to be involved in another family’s
drama. “I better be going.”
“Are you
sure?” Kay asked. “Tom usually doesn’t talk about things much. I usually hear
of issues second hand.”
“Oh,”
Brittany said as she twirled a pigtail.
“Sorry
about all that,” Tom said after show Brittany back to the back door about ten
minutes later.
“It
happens,” Brittany said with a shrug and pigtail twirl.
After
Tom had closed the door, Brittany looked to the northeast towards where her
mansion was. ‘I can take time. Ashley-Amber knows I am out some evenings,’ she
thought before heading behind one of the Sloanes’ outbuildings to change to
Ninja Talon to patrol for a short while.
After
only four hours sleep, as was usual for a weeknight, Quinn waited beneath the
Jefferson Bridge as the pre-dawn light grew brighter.
It
wasn’t long before Brittany arrived as Talon and unmasked.
“Turns
out I didn’t stay all that long,” she said.
“Oh?”
Quinn asked.
“Mrs.
Sloane was nosey. It could be that she’s thinking I might be into Tom!”
Quinn
could see otherwise. “It’s not long after Kevin.”
“Exactly,”
Brittany said before explaining about the fad being at Fielding and what Tom
and his mother had said about Osborn being at Grace, Sloane and Page.
“Not
much to go on,” Quinn commented when Brittany had finished. “It’s not
surprising that the fad is at Fielding.”
“And
Angier not sharing work stuff with Kay is similar to Dad not really sharing
work stuff with Ashley-Amber.”
“Really?”
Quinn asked, as her grief welled up as it usually did when she thought about
her father. “Because Daddy used to complain about not getting many clients all
the time.” She wiped a tear.
Brittany
placed a hand on her shoulder in a reassuring way. “He probably was different;
more likely to share.”
“That
makes sense,” Quinn said as she looked at the brightening dawn.
Brittany
waited as Quinn composed herself. It was obvious that Quinn’s grief was still
quite raw.
“Right,”
Quinn said. “We still don’t know what Osborn is up to, using the Glider to
scout out the Country Club.”
“Or the
hostile takeover.”
“Somehow,
I don’t think the Landons are in the Country Club either.”
“That
may be something to look into,” Brittany responded.
“Along
with everything else,” Quinn said with determination.
Lawndale
Sun-Herald
Thursday,
March 15, 2001
Page
2
Why
Are Students Talking About Favorite Animals
Daria
looked at the byline. Melinda Parris. ‘Of course,’ she thought. It had to be
that particular journalist, not Penelope Jericho, nor any of the others. She
closed the paper and went to the counter.
Jane was
waiting for Daria outside the convenience store. “There was a time when we
bought the paper after school.”
“I feel
like I need to know earlier in the day,” Daria answered. “How did it go with
Kevin
last night, by the way?”
“Oh, we
managed to talk him down. It was mostly Stacy and Dafoanairi.”
Daria
was then in thought. “But I’m sure he’s still fixated on the idea.”
“Oh
absolutely.”
As they
arrived at school, Lawndale High’s students barely mentioned their favorite
animals, having had talked it out over the past two days.
“It’s
gone,” Stacy said to Quinn after met near one of the front doors.
“Not gone,”
Tori said as she came up. “Just subdued.”
“Good
point,” Quinn responded. “But we still have to deal with the assignment.”
“Oh
yeah!” Stacy said. “But at least I succeeded in stopping Kevin from doing
something stupid last night.”
“I’m
sure you did very well,” Tori said.
Timothy
O’Niell saw that his first period Sophomore Language Arts Class was… subdued.
But then he himself was subdued, as he had tried to ‘succeed at failing’
something.
“Hello,
class. Um today we're going to do...not do anything. Why bother? Who knows what
damage I might do this time? I just want to say that...” he paused as he
sobbed. “I'm a failure as a teacher, as a mentor, nay, as a human being. Don't
waste another minute listening to my misguided drivel, for I realize now, that
my only talent lies in leading youth astray. Please, go.”
“Alright!” Kevin said. He paused and added. “I’m still
going to ask out SpiderGirl!”
The
class stayed, but talked, mostly about their assignments.
Brittany
went up to Mr. O’Neill. “Don’t you want to hear about how we did?”
“Why
bother?” O’Neill asked.
“Because
that’s your job,” Brittany said.
“Uh,
good point,” O’Neill conceded. “I may as well evaluate the damage.”
“No
damage.”
“Are you
sure?”
“Not to
me. I am learning the science stuff with Daria’s help,” Brittany answered.
“That’s
good,” O’Neill perked up. “Attention everyone. If you have had a positive
experience, feel free to share, starting with Brittany.”
“That
was unexpected,” Jane said.
“Brittany
is putting the effort in to her studies now,” Daria responded. “And I see that
you have a positive story?” she added looking at Jane’s conventional clothes.
Jane
shrugged. “We’ve been talking about change. I’d like to see you this
conventional phase goes. I’m still an artist. I’m still hanging around the
Historia, helping with the set design.”
“I
wasn’t questioning that part,” Daria responded as she subconsciously touched
one of her hairclips.
“Who
else would like to share?” O’Neill asked once Brittany had sat down. “Kevin?”
“I
haven’t met SpiderGIrl yet,” Kevin said.
Jane
stood up. “But we had a talk about that last night.”
“Um, we
did,” Kevin said.
“Let,
Kevin tell his story, Jane. I’ll ask you later.”
Over the
next several minutes, O’Neill got the broad strokes of what had happened on the
Historia’s rooftop the night before.
“You got
to meet Dafoanairi, the apparent snarky one. That has to count for something,
right?”
“I
suppose,” Kevin responded.
“See,
you did succeed.”
“I don’t
think so. The fourth vigilante also rescued me, but I don’t have a crush on
her.”
“Right,
but did you talk to Dafoanairi?” O’Niell asked.
“Maybe.”
“Then
you talked to a vigilante.”
“But not
SpiderGirl,” Kevin insisted.
“Oh
dear!” O’Neill said. “Anyone else.”
Jane
stood up. “I have been dressing more conventionally.”
“And
you’re happy about that?” O”Neill asked.
Jane
shrugged. “I’m expressing myself a little differently, but I’m still me.”
“Well,
that wasn’t much of a class,” Jane said to Daria after the period had finished.
“Unfortunately,”
Daria commented. “But we have history next. DeMartino will be as usual.”
“That’s
obvious.”
O’Neill
wasn’t as subdued when the sophomore class started. “I know it only has been
two days, but I would like to know if anyone has anything positive to say about
the assignment.”
Quinn
raised her hand.
“Quinn!”
O’Neill said. “What do you have to share.”
“I chose
as my assignment to read a classic novel,” Quinn said as she stood.
“May I
ask which novel?”
“Little
Dorrit by Charles Dickens,” Quinn answered. “Daria recommended it.”
“Well,
Daria has good instincts,” O’Neill responded.
“I
haven’t read much of course, but the story of Arthur and Amy is interesting so
far.”
“I would
be happy to hear how you found it when you finish.”
Quinn
sat.
“Anyone
else.”
Sandi
saw that most of the class was dissatisfied. She knew that she was. She had
been unable to chose one activity from the list of extracurricular activities.
‘But maybe I’m overthinking it! I could just try one and see how it goes,’ she
thought.
O’Neill
was getting depressed again. Quinn was the only one who had volunteered her
experience.
Stacy
noticed this and drew Quinn’s attention to it.
“What
can we do?” Quinn asked Stacy.
“I’m not
sure either,” Stacy answered.
“We
could encourage him,” Tiffany suggested.
“I know,
but how?” Stacy asked.
Quinn
tossed one of her pigtails. “Not sure. Maybe talk to, you know…”
“Barch?”
Stacy asked with a shudder.
“Someone
may ask her,” Quinn said.
“You
probably can’t help the teachers the way you’re helping Anna and Angie,” Stacy
said.
“Maybe,
but I have to try,” Quinn said.
Lunch
was as usual in the school’s cafeteria, except that Kevin was standing on one
of the tables. “I know that not everyone is here right now, but I know
SpiderGirl is a fellow student.”
“Get off
there, Kevin,” his team mate, Michael ‘Mack’ Mackenzie, said.
