Meet the Fashion Club
?003 Roger E. Moore
(roger70129@aol.com)
Feedback (good, bad, indifferent, just want to bother me,
whatever) is appreciated. Please write to: roger70129@aol.com
Synopsis: There was one career path
that the Fashionable Foursome could have taken, if they had wanted popularity,
money, fame, and dates梐nd had talent, too.
Author抯 Notes: This was for an April 2003 PPMB 揑ron Chef?challenge. WacoKid wanted to see alternate-history stories in which the Fashion Club members were drawn together by something other than clothing and cosmetics. Here抯 one possibility. Readers are assumed to be familiar with the characters of the 揇aria?universe, so introductions are not given. This tale essentially replaces the 揇aria?episode, 揜oad Worrier,?with setting details borrowed from The Daria Diaries.
Acknowledgements: My thanks go out to
WacoKid, for starting the contest!
牋牋牋牋牋?揝tacy,?Quinn said, her voice too high, 揾elp me with my blush, please.?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揝ure!?said Stacy. She finished her Blue Denim eye shadow and turned to Quinn at the group makeup mirror. 揌old still. Oh, no! You抳e got the wrong color桰 think!?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揥rooong color,?said Tiffany with the briefest glance, applying her Maxi-Gloss lipstick. 揗ore peach.?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揑 don抰 know why you guys are so
nervous,?said Sandi. She finished brushing out her hair (ninety-eight,
ninety-nine, one hundred, and one to grow on), checked herself in the
mirror one more time (smile, nothing in her teeth), and felt for her
four lucky charms on her necklace. She touched each one in order, offered one
quick prayer, and took a deep breath and held it with her eyes shut. I will
not be terrified, she thought. I will not screw up. I will make no
mistakes. I will be perfect and this will be the perfect night. I can do it. I
know I can. I have that power and I totally rule.
牋牋牋牋牋?揙kay!?said Quinn, checking Stacy抯 handiwork. 揧ou got it! We抮e a go!?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揙h!?squealed Stacy. 揑 can抰 stand it! My head feels like it抯 floating away!?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揧eah,?said Tiffany in a monotone.
She took a last look at herself in the mirror. 揘o fat,?she whispered梐nd
smiled.
牋牋牋牋牋?The door to their dressing room
opened. 揟wo minutes!?called the stagehand, and he left without waiting for
them to say anything back.
牋牋牋牋牋?Sandi let out her breath, opened her eyes, and stood up. 揕et抯 do it,?she said. She felt it happening inside her. They were going to do it. She could face anything now.
牋牋牋牋牋?Quinn stood up next to her. Stacy
stood next to Quinn, and Tiffany stood next to Stacy and Sandi in their little
circle. They put their arms around each other抯 shoulders and leaned in
carefully until their heads touched in the middle.
牋牋牋牋牋?揥e rule,?whispered Sandi in her deep voice. 揥e totally rule.?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揥e totally rule,?agreed the
others. 揥e totally rule.?br>
牋牋牋牋牋?揑f we rule,?said Sandi in a
louder voice, 搕hen let抯 go show the world what a real ass-kicking feels like
when the rulers deliver it! Let抯棓
牋牋牋牋牋?All four girls took fast deep
breaths and shouted, 摋gooooooooOOOOOOO!!!?ending with their heads
back, hair falling behind them, screaming at the plasterboard ceiling. They
felt it happen, what Sandi felt. It was their time. They were going to rule
this corner of the earth before the last rays of the sun were gone that evening
and darkness conquered all on this hot August night. Then they would rule the
earth.
牋牋牋牋牋?They broke their group hug and
hurried out the dressing room door. They passed sound-stage engineers and
roadies and the drunken manager for Ciggie Butt and the drummer for Lint
Factory asleep in a corner. They came out of the band prep building and headed
for the stage. Quinn looked up and saw the Moon look back. She gave it a
thumbs-up and shivered. She had the power for real.
牋牋牋牋牋?揂nd now, Alternapalooza!?roared the heavy, bearded man at the microphone. 揟he girl band you抳e been waiting two days to hear! Wake up, Swedesville, and get ready for your date with . . . The Fashion Club!?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Sandi, Quinn, Tiffany, and Stacy
walked onto the open soundstage. A tidal wave of screaming broke around them, a
living thing as big as Godzilla that thundered into them down to their bones.
All the girls but Tiffany turned and waved as they walked over to their places
on stage, their dresses and makeup in perfect order. Quinn picked up the pink lead
guitar from the padded stool, tossed the rainbow strap over her shoulders, and
plucked a few strings to make sure she was in tune. Sandi sat down behind the
electronic organ, flipped switches, and fiddled with her microphone. Tiffany
picked up the lavender bass guitar; when she tossed her long black hair, her
fans in the audience screamed out her name in unison. Stacy sat down behind her
drum set and raised both her thumbs into the air, provoking wild cries from the
audience scattered out to the ridge beyond.
牋牋牋牋牋?揟welve thousand,?called Sandi over the human thunder. 揑 heard twelve thousand are out there.?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?揕ooks like it,?said Quinn, still
tuning up. She tossed her long red hair and listened to a few more chords. 揑抦
good,?she called back.
牋牋牋牋牋?Tiffany plucked a string, standing
loose and ready, then looked expectantly at Stacy. Stacy was doing her
adrenaline-pumping bouncing thing on her seat, powering up, getting the rhythm.
Sandi glanced at Tiffany and Stacy, then leaned close to the microphone.
牋牋牋牋牋?揅an you hear me out there??she
shouted, looking at the crowd. Her voice was amplified a billion times and
blasted out across the gigantic field. A titanic roar even greater than the
first was hurled back at them. Quinn felt her hair blowing in the monstrous vibrations.
牋牋牋牋牋?揑 said,?Sandi shouted into the microphone with an enraged expression, ?i>can梱ou梙ear梞e??o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?The thunderclap redoubled, tripled,
pounded the floorboards and threatened to knock the three-story banks of
speakers behind them flat on the grassy ground.
牋牋牋牋牋?That抣l do, thought Sandi.
She pointed at Stacy. Stacy began slamming out the solo start of their first
song, then Tiffany joined in with the bass, and Quinn with her guitar. It was
揥ith You I抦 Blind,?a fast-faced rocker that never failed to get any size
crowd going.
牋牋牋牋牋?On cue, Quinn leaned close to her
microphone and began singing, very fast.
揧ou didn抰 call me Friday night,
揧ou promised me you would,
揂nd by that stupid telephone
揂ll Friday night I stood!
揑 ate up all the ice cream
揂nd I cried myself to bed,
揂nd I told myself I抎 kill you
揑f you weren抰 already dead!
揙n Saturday you told me that
揧ou抎 had too many brews,
揧ou went out with my sister
揂nd she gave you such a screw?o:p>
揂nd the first words that I said to you were
?慖 love you!挃
牋牋牋牋牋?Sandi and Stacy leaned in on their
microphones instantly and joined Quinn on the refrain.
揥here the hell抯 my mind?
揥here the hell抯 my spine?
揑抳e got twenty-twenty vision
揃ut with you I抦 blind!
揑 should抳e bought a gun,
揑 should抳e had some fun梑ut
揑nstead I just surrender,
揚(yáng)ut my heart into the blender,
揂nd disgrace the better gender
搼Cause I love you!?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?They pulled back from the microphones, guitars and drums and organ racing through the chords bridging to the next stanzas. Tiffany was already in bass guitar Nirvana, cut off from every outside input but her instrument. Stacy抯 pigtails and drumsticks whipped back and forth like hypersonic hummingbirds?wings. Sandi glanced up and caught Quinn抯 eye. They grinned. They ruled, and they knew it. Victory was theirs. Riotous insanity ruled Alternapalooza in every corner?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?梕xcept by a battered black van
parked on the nearest edge of the main parking lot. On top of that van sat two
teenage girls, ignored by everyone.
牋牋牋牋牋?揑 gotta admit,?said Jane Lane as she looked through the binoculars, 搕hey sound pretty good. Can抰 believe they wrote their own lyrics. They抮e going to be juniors when school starts, and they抳e already got a contract for three records and an advance of more millions than I can normally count. Damn decent of them to offer to send both you and me through college in exchange for not selling any secrets about them to the tabloids.?Jane lowered her binoculars and handed them to Daria. 揥anna see your sister sing??o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Daria Morgendorffer looked down at the binoculars and shook her head. 揑 already know what she looks like,?she said in a very depressed deadpan. 揂nd I keep telling you, she抯 not my sister. She抯 my cousin.?o:p>
牋牋牋牋牋?Jane took the binoculars back and smiled a sad, knowing smile. 揥hatever you say, Daria,?she said as she raised the binoculars to her eyes again. 揥hatever you say.?o:p>
Original:
5/18/03
Alternate
history: Fashion Club
FINIS