Spider Quinn 22 Attractions of Lawndale - Part 13

 

“Thanks for letting me know about Kevin,” Peterson said when SpiderGIrl was finished. “You’re right to be concerned. Obsessions like that can lead to trouble.”

 

“But what about the other issue?” SpiderGirl asked.

 

“We will have to pursue our enquiries, but you know that Osborn will deny involvement,”

 

“Of course,” SpiderGirl responded. “I’ll be on my way. Get some sleep before school.”

 

 

Lawndale Sun-Herald

Friday 16^th March, 2001

Favorite Animal Fad? Melinda Parris

 

Daria picked up the paper from next to the mailbox. “Why is that the headline?” she wondered. ‘Even Ted wouldn’t let any of the students write such a frivolous headline.’ She was sure of that. She turned back to the house, where her mother had already left for work. ‘I would have liked to have her advice.’

 

 

Quinn was having breakfast when Daria entered the kitchen and placed the paper on the table. She read the headline. “Uh, she’s probably going on about some conspiracy theory.”

 

“Most likely,” Daria commented. “But at least it’s not the failure assignment, or some propaganda from Oscorp disguised as a press release.”

 

“Good point. But there has to be other articles.”

 

“Of course there are. Mostly about what the council is doing and reports of the vigilantes intervening in crime.”

 

“How much of the latter would there be?” Quinn asked.

 

“Not all that much. Today, it’s the usual sightings of SpiderGirl around the Historia and otherwise downtown. There are also a few about Dafoanairi, also on Main Street.”

 

“It’s like they want to be seen,” Quinn commented. She knew that she did as SpiderGirl. ‘But why would Daria as Dafoanairi?’

 

“I think so too. The others are more content to be in the background.”

 

 

At the Osborn mansion, an Oscorp middle manager filled Norman in on what had happened to his snow scheme.

 

“SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon,” he repeated.

 

“You want me to do something, sir?”

 

“No. Operation Rooftop is still viable. The agents just need to adapt to how they have adapted.”

 

“Aye, sir,” the middle manger said.

 

 

As the students arrived at Lawndale High for the day, there was no mention of the fad, other than comments about the newspaper article.

 

Kevin wasn’t one of those who were talking about the newspaper article. His mind was still on SpiderGirl. He was daydreaming as he opened his locker.

 

“Kevin!” Mack called. “Are you OK?”

 

“Huh?” Kevin asked.

 

“I called your name about five times.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“You’re thinking about SpiderGirl again, aren’t you?” Mack asked with a resigned tone.

 

“Of course, Mack Daddy.”

 

“Don’t call me that!” Mack paused. “I know Brittany permanently dumped you…”

 

“It’s not a rebound.”

 

“It totally is. Give it time.”

 

“No,” Kevin said as he took out what he wanted, and then slammed the locker closed.

 

“You can’t expect her to reveal her secret identity to you.”

 

“Of course not. Not straight away. But, when she’s ready.”

 

 

Mack thought about it as Kevin walked away. ‘Why do I think that this is just the start of the trouble?’ He knew that he would have to keep an eye on the situation. He looked around at the other students. ‘I’m sure SpiderGirl knows by now.’

 

The bell then rang and he headed to class.

 

 

Brittany and Andrea caught up in a girl’s bathroom between classes. “There is no one else here,” Andrea said.

 

“What about the vents?”

 

“I doubt anyone would be up on the roof listening.”

 

“Daria and Jane are sometimes up there,” Brittany responded as she twirled a pigtail.

 

“Between classes?” Andrea asked.

 

“Probably not,” Brittany conceded. “So, what did you find?”

 

“That the Country Club didn’t authorize any snow making last night.”

 

“We were right!”

 

“But I couldn’t find any reference to it in the Oscorp databases I could access,” Andrea added.

 

“So, Osborn might have the information elsewhere.”

 

 

O’Neill was still uncertain about the outcome of the failure assignment. Brittany’s encouragement the previous day had helped but he was sure it was time to let it go. “I realize that the assignment hasn’t been entirely positive,” he said. “So, I am concluding it today, so we can focus on actual classwork.”

 

“Are you sure?” Brittany asked.

 

“Of course. You may have found it positive but I’m not sure of most of the classes.”

 

 

“That’s reasonable,” Daria commented.

 

“He’ll come up with something else, I’m sure,” Jane responded.

 

“But it’s had its impact,” Daria added.

 

“Not as much as everything else.”

 

“Really?”

 

Jane then shrugged. “I might have gone conventional at some point.”

 

“As unlikely as that sounds.”

 

 

“Kevin, is there something you want to say?” O’Neill asked before the quarterback could leave the classroom.

 

“No,” Kevin responded as he made himself scarce.

 

“Oh dear!”

 

 

At lunch, Quinn and Brittany met on the roof and the latter relayed what Andrea had told her.

 

“So, that just confirms our suspicions that Oscorp was up to something,” Quinn said when Brittany had finished.

 

“It’s like he might have been acting out at the Country Club for not letting him in,” Brittany mused as she twirled a pigtail.

 

“Like a massive tantrum,” Quinn commented.

 

“But it could also be a distraction?”

 

“Undoubtedly. But from what? Or maybe he wants us paranoid.”

 

 

Down in the cafeteria, Daria was thinking about the events of the week. Kevin, the passing fad and failure assignment and the fact that most of the students had taken the events in stride.

 

“O’Neill told us his decision,” Sandi said as she sat down.

 

“It shouldn’t have happened in the first place,” Daria said.

 

“But I have made my own,” Sandi said.

 

“An extracurricular activity?” Daria asked.

 

“What extracurricular activity?” Jane asked as she also sat down.

 

 

Sandi didn’t get a chance to answer, as Tania then joined them. “A long week,”  she said.

 

“Every week’s been long,” Daria responded.

 

“But multiple strange things at once?” Tania asked.

 

“I suppose,” Sandi said.

 

“William and then the Robodactyl,” Daria mused.

 

“Right,” Sandi said.

 

“So, how do we stay ahead of all this?” Jane asked.

 

“No idea; not without knowing more,” Daria responded.

 

 

Tania thought about that as the group became silent. She knew that Daria was going to keep digging. She glanced at Sandi. After Sam had followed them to her house, she thought that she was either the Enigma or Dafoanairi.

“Anyway, it is good that Tempest was mostly uninterrupted after what happened with Beck.’”

 

“There’s still tonight or tomorrow night,” Daria responded. “But you’re right.”

 

“Tonight will be interesting,” Tania said.

 

“It’s just the penultimate performance,” Daria said.

 

“That means it will feel different,” Tania argued.

 

“You may be right,” Daria said.

 

 

As school let out, Jane changed to the Shadow on the roof before looking out over Lawndale. The town had weathered the storm of the week’s weirdness. ‘But where did that favorite animals fad come from?’ She still wasn’t sure.

Sirens sounded from the direction of Dega Street. “Time for vanishing,” she said as she drew out one of her dry ice pellets.

 

 

At the same time, Daria met Sandi in a corridor near both of their lockers. “Tania interrupted us earlier.”

 

“I decided to try the Literature Club. I ready use a lot of long words,” Sandi said.

 

“But didn’t you dramatically fail the Spelling Bee?”

 

“Ugh! I did it for the wrong reason. I was trying to show up Qu-inn and humiliated myself. I won’t be doing that again.”

 

“I thought that was what happened,” Daria responded, but although she responded sarcastically, there was warmth there that wouldn’t have been there if the two hadn’t been spending so much time with each other.

 

 

That evening, the Historia was packed as the cast prepared for the penultimate show of Tempest.

 

“I’ll say one thing,” Quinn said as she turned to Dani Moreno, who was sitting in the tech booth. “Tempest has been very successful.”

 

“I agree,” Dani said as she looked over the electronic cues out of habit.

 

“It has been reassuring at this time of crisis,” Quinn said.

 

Dani looked at Quinn. “I wouldn’t call it a crisis, although Groundhog Day certainly was.”

 

“I suppose I was being a little hyperbolic.”

 

 

Dani thought about what Quinn had said. Reports of crime within Lawndale were still increasing despite the efforts of the vigilantes. ‘I suppose she thinks that is indeed a crisis,’ she thought as she remembered what she had heard about Quinn and Daria’s father’s death.

 

 

Sandi was ready for another search. But she paused. “What is Kevin up to?” she mused. She grabbed the energy drink but paused. Searching for Kevin seemed frivolous. All she would find would be where he was, and what he would be doing at that moment. She shook her head. “No,” she said as she grabbed the yearbook.

 

‘Four more until Quinn,’ Sandi thought. She looked at the girl after Rachel Lincoln. “Findu mann sem heiter: Marilla Lingari!”

 

She found Marilla at the Historia, getting ready to see Tempest. ‘Not surprising,’ Sandi thought.

 

 

At the Thompson’s, Kevin was in his room, going through his closet. He was considering something reckless, in his quest to meet SpiderGirl.

He soon found a cloak. “Perfect,” he said. “But I also need a mask…”

 

He had figured that one way he could meet SpiderGirl and ask her out, was if he was out being a hero too. He had justified it as being like Ratboy, and Lawndale needing yet another hero, not realizing that he was entirely unsuited.

 

 

At the Historia, the curtain went down. Daria breathed a sigh of relief. The performance had gone off without a hitch. ‘One more performance, then Tempest will take a break.’

 

Quinn came out of the tech room and climbed down to backstage. “It was the best yet.”

 

“People usually improve over time,” Daria responded. “But you’re right. It also helps that the show was sold out.”

 

“I does, doesn’t it? But wonder if the other plays will be as popular?”

 

“We’ll just have to wait and see.”