Quinn's Code 07 The Grounded Geek (Part 3)
When Daria, Jane and Jennifer arrived at the School, the Roller Hockey Game had already started. “Do you think anything has happened yet?” Daria asked.
Jane pointed out the ambulance in the parking circle. “Something cool? Nah, the ambulance is still in the lot.”
“Last year, it was in the second half,” Jennifer said, as they approached the Hall...
“Probably be in the second half this year too,” Jane added.
“Of course.”
It was late in the first half when there was an interupption... Suddenly the lights flicked off!
Principal Ms. Li was outraged. “What is the meaning of this!” she cried out as the players came to a halt on the darkened ring.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about this?” Daria commented.
“Because you were enjoying yourself?” Jane asked.
“Nah!” Daria added, with a tone of denial.
“Slowly the lights flicked back on, with an addition. Two spotlights were focused on the entrance. Suddenly Cindy and Kristen entered, skating and wearing Guild Wars inspired cosplay.
“Quinn, what are you doing?” Daria asked rhetorically.
“Something that will get her into trouble no doubt,” Jennifer groused, quietly.
“Certainly,” Jane said to Jennifer.
Anthony came to a stop as the lights went down. 'Ah, Ms. Morgendorffer, Ms. Robinson-Brolsma, impeccible timing!' He glanced at his adversary, barely visble in the darkness. 'I'll be ready.'
Cindy and Kristen did a complex set of movements (based on their dance training), and then moved back to the entrance. They courtisied and waved, after coming to a stop.
Then Quinn entered, waving...
---
With Quinn's interruption over, the roller hockey game continued. Anthony threw himself at his opponent.
Ten minutes into the second half, DeMartino and Rock 'n' Roll Randy were contesting each other for control of the puck.
“Come on... take... your punishment like... a man!” DeMartino said.
“I'm not a man, dude, I'm a rocker!” Randy said in response.
“Why, you...” DeMartino took control of the puck and advanced. “Where's your rock & roll power now? Hippie!”
Randy wacked DeMartino's leg, causing him to fall. He clutched at it in pain...
Andrea Hecuba leapt up. “Yes!”
Randy celebrated. “Woohoo! Rock & roll power forever!”
Mr. DeMartino groaned. “My knee!” he got up. “Arrgh!”
“Damn!” Andrea said.
“I don't suppose we can get a refund?” Daria asked rhetorically.
“He could still have a heart attack. He tries walking on the bad knee, and the pain is so bad his heart stops,” Jane said.
“Right,” Daria said.
“Just trying to find the silver lining,” Jane commented.
Jennifer sighed.
“Too morbid?” Jane asked.
Meanwhile Kevin was looking at Daria. “They did mental stuff to her. I can tell,” he said.
“Nobody better try that on me!” Brittany said.
“Yeah...” Jodie said.
Helen arrived home to find all the lights out. At the least she expected the light in Quinn's bedroom to be on. She looked up again. Not even the dim glow of her monitor screens. Unless she was in the dining room...
Helen entered the dining room. Quinn wasn't there... “Quinn! Jake! Where are you.” She decided to check whether Daria was in her room...
Helen opend Daria's door, and found that her older daughter wasn't home either. “Where are they?” She then heard her husband's Lexus as it pulled up outside...
Back at the school...
Ms. Barch was laying into Randy. “It's payback time, Randy!”
“Hey, this isn't so bad!” Jane said.
“Beats Monopoly,” Daria said.
“It certainly would,” Jennifer said.
After the Roller Hockey game ended, the Morgendorffer sisters and their friends sneaked back to Glen Oaks Lane.
When they had arrived back they saw that their both their parents' cars were in the driveway. “Going in and facing the music?” Jane asked after Daria had hesitated.
“Of course,” Daria said.
Quinn was already approaching the door. “Bye, I'll see you tomorrow,” she said to Cindy and Kristen. “See you at School,” Cindy said.
Helen was right in the foyer, between the door and the stairs. “Upstairs! Now! We'll talk about this in the morning, before you go to school!” Her expression was such that both of them knew that she would brook no discussion...
January 30, 2006
Daria entered the kitchen at twelve minutes past seven. She saw her parents sitting there. Quinn was standing next to the island bench. “Your Honor,” she began...
“Haven't you already made enough mockery of our judicial system?” Jake asked angrily.
“We just want to confer with our distinguished counterpart on the prosecution,” Daria said, as she came up alongside Quinn.”
“Yeah,” Quinn agreed.
“That seems fair,” Helen said warily. Then both Quinn and Daria told her what had happened.
“You can't seriously expect me to plea bargain. We're talking about a repeat offender here,” Helen said when they were finished.
“So, we screwed up, but either of us aren't hard cases yet. Both of us could go either way....” Quinn said.
“Quinn, Daria, it's our policy to be tough, especially on youthful transgressors.”
“But think of the effort you have to spend on incarceration. Scrabble... Risk... Monopoly... Operation,” Daria pointed out.
“I see your point,” Helen said.
“Well?” Jake asked.
“Your honor, the family has offered to settle, they both agree to parole.”
“We have to call if we're later than seven pm,” Quinn said.
“Wait, Quinn,” Helen said as they both began to go and get ready.
“Yeah?”
“I got a call from Ms. Li,” she said with her hands on her hips.
“Mr. DeMartino said that I could do it!” Quinn explained.
Helen sighed. “Yes, she did say that, but you still distrupted the school event!”
“For a short time,” Quinn pointed out.
“Obviously the attempt at grounding went badly, but there are other punishments available. Do I make myself clear!”
“Mom?” Quinn asked, wondering what those punishments would be.
“You will take out the garbage every second day, rather than every fourth day. The same with unloading the dishwasher.” Again her expression was such that it brooked no argument.
“Yes, Mom.”
“So you have to do extra chores?” Kristen commented as they approached the school.
“Yeah, it turned out that they were too busy to effectively continue the grounding...” Quinn said.
“That's something,” Cindy commented.
“At least I didn't get grounded either,” Kristen said.
“Neither did I, but they did institute a curfew,” Cindy said.
“When?” Quinn asked.
“Nine pm,” Cindy added. “Lights out by Ten thirty on a school night.”
“That's not so bad,” Kristen said, “Compared to what Quinn has just gone through.”
“True,” Cindy added.
After school at the Pizza place, Daria filled Jane and Jennifer in on everything that had happened that morning.
“So, basically, you've convinced them that you were too dull to be worth grounding,” Jane said.
“Exactly, and the sad thing is, it's kinda true,” Daria answered.
“For them anyway,” Jennifer added.
“True,” Daria said. Kevin then came over. “Kevin, I already told you, my parents did not conduct experiments on me.”
“I know, I know, but seriously, now tell me the truth,” Kevin said.
Daria sighed, and glared at Kevin. “All right. I had a magnetic device implanted in my head.”
“I knew it! What does it do?” he asked.
“It attracts gullible boys.”
“Cool! Does it work?”
“It's working right now,” Daria said, wondering when he would get it.
Kevin looked around, then turned around. “Whoa! Dude! That is very uncool,” he said and then left.
“Nice trick,” Jennifer said.
“There's no sadder sight on this Earth than a football player trying to think,” Daria said.
“Who said that?” Jane asked.
“I believe it was Jefferson,” Daria said.