Disclaimer: None of the Fashion Clubbers is mine, and the story itself is a parody of Andersen's "Five peas" fairy tale.
The Four Fashionables from One School
The Fashion Fiends of Lawndale High were four in number – Sandi, Stacy, Tiffany, and Quinn. They spent the better parts of their lives as students of that school, and believed that the rest of their lives will run like that as well. Thus, the quartet went on living their carefree lives, smug and self-confident as always; in fact, as months flew by towards their graduation, their confidence actually grew.
"It's not like we'd be always stuck here," the Fashion Club would say. "Everyone is so geeky around here! Therefore, we guess that things must be different outside school! We have a foreboding, you know that?"
Months came and went; the day of the graduation from school came closer; the Fashion Club's excitement grew in leaps and bounds.
"The world is moving and taking us to better places," they said and mayhaps they had a point.
Then the graduation day arrived, and the Fashion Club Four had to join their cohorts at the graduation party.
"Now we will show the world what we are really made of!" they told each other, as they waited for their diplomas in the podium.
"Of course the world will see the most of you, Sandi," said the newest (in terms of participation), Quinn Morgendorffer. "I'm sure of it!"
"Oh, we'll see," Sandi Griffin breezily replied.
The Fashion Club graduated and fell apart. The four girls did try to stay in touch, but as months and years flew by, their relationship slowly grew slack and drifted apart.
"So here I am! Going, going, gone!" yelled Stacy Rowe as she struck out to further her career.
"I will reach for sky! That's the only true limit for me!" countered Sandi Griffin before waving farewell.
"Slowly and steady wins the race," Tiffany Blum-Deckler drawled. "I won't be left biting the dust!"
"We'll see who laughs last," shrugged Queen Morgendorffer, moved upstate, gave her resume to an old, respected, but down-on-its-luck business company, and just barely made it as one of the junior office clerks.
The job was not glorious, but the payment was good; soon Quinn Morgendorffer learned pat her part in the daily routine, and settled down quietly, lurking like an alligator in a still pool of water.
"We'll see who laughs last," was all that Quinn would say on that matter.
One of Quinn's coworkers was a man of approximately her age, maybe a bit older, but with a daughter of his own, a spillover from his college days. The girl was rather sickly and looked like she could topple over at any minute – but she did not. She persevered day after day, long enough to visit her father at a "Bring your Kid to Work Day". Quinn took notice of that…
Therefore, the next fine day (for it was spring), right before the girl's dad was supposed to leave for work, Quinn Morgendorffer arrived at the door in her own car and offered a lift.
"That is nice of you, Quinn," the co-worker admitted gratefully. With his kid, he could not afford a car for himself, not yet.
"Don't mention it," Quinn waved her hand like her usual gracious self. "I want to ask you something."
"Sure, ask."
"As you know, there's been a bit of a turnover in the company, and I got my next big promotion. I will need an assistant. Want to be that guy?"
"I don't know if I'm qualified…"
"Nonsense, you've been working here for months before I came here. The others have a very good idea that you have even better ideas of how things operate around here, and that's what I need, if I am not to become my Mom."
"What about your mom?"
"Two words - glass ceiling. Anyways, I need an experienced assistance, and you need the money. Think we can help each other?"
Quinn's new assistant nodded reluctantly, but internally, he was happy. He finally had his promotion, hot damn! Things were certainly looking up!
For her part, Quinn was internally happy too. She really did want to help the cute little kid and her dad…
Meanwhile, what about the other Fashion Clubbers? Stacy Rowe, who claimed that she was going until she was gone, did vanish indeed – one of her dates in college was actually a maniac, who killed and dismembered her, and not necessarily in that order…
Tiffany Blum-Deckler, who was sure that slow and steady, wins the race, lost in fact as well, for she was too slow even for the part-time college. So instead, she became a manicurist, and has recently started a whole chain of them, in fact, with her grasp of reality. Slow does not always mean stupid, you know…
And Sandi Griffin who claimed that the sky was her only limit? She ended up as a secretary of a big company, married a prominent associate, got kids, quit her job, got fat, and got divorced and ended-up with the kids and a generous alimony… To each his own.
Oh, and did Quinn and her new assistant ever get serious? Now wouldn't you want to know…?