there you go, always so right, it's all a big show, it's all about you
She remembered a time when Sandi was nice to her. Sometimes she wondered why that couldn't last, but lately she'd realized it was the same as putting cheese in a mouse trap. Make it look yummy and then, snap! Poor little mouse's neck caught under a wire. Only replace wire with Sandi's mean words and there you had it.
Quinn didn't know why she stayed. Especially lately, after realizing she had a brain, real potential, actually cared about other things. Okay, there was Stacy. Making Stacy cry by quitting was probably a bad idea. And she did love fashion so there was that. But Sandi got meaner and meaner every day and Quinn had grown sick of pretending to back down just to please her.
The truth was, Sandi wasn't as smart as Quinn always said she was. She was smart about some things, but there had been plenty of times she was wrong and no one would admit it. Of course Queen Sandi, President of the Fashion Club was never wrong about anything even when she clearly was.
Sometimes Quinn hated Sandi.
But then, sometimes, as rare as the unicorns, Sandi could be...nice. Act like she cared. Probably even actually care, too. And that made the whole thing even worse because the part of her that didn't hate Sandi didn't want to think about the bad stuff. It was like one of those movies about a woman whose ugly boyfriend kept hitting her and she wouldn't leave, except Sandi never actually hit her. She just acted like she was better than everyone.
So Quinn pushed back. Hard. If Sandi tried to shout her down or turn the other girls against her, she shouted louder. If Sandi said Quinn's idea was stupid, Quinn said the same about Sandi's. If Sandi got a date with a cute boy or bought a cute new top, Quinn found a cuter boy and a cuter top. And then Sandi would act nice again and the whole thing would be forgotten.
"Gee, Quinn..."
Another meeting, another fight. Were vertical stripes really out, or were they making a comeback? How should they decorate for the school dance? Who should design the homecoming float?
"...outdated notions of what looks good on a float," Sandi finished, and Quinn leapt up. Stared her straight in the face, eyes narrowing, pretty complexion, beautiful brown eyes, perfect hair, perfect eyebrow arch, full lips...
How could someone so terrible be so pretty?
"Actually, Sandi, carnations and tulips are in this spring. All the beautiful mansions grow them in their gardens!" She tossed her hair, smiled smugly as Tiffany and Stacy agreed, and felt a shiver of satisfaction as Sandi just glared at her and kept her mouth shut.
Another day, another victory.
Maybe someday, Sandi would realize she wasn't always right.
Or at least learn to keep her mouth shut when she thought she was.