Fashion Club Crisis: Sandi's Secret Admirer

by Imaj

Part 2

Authors note: I'm surprised someone bothered to read this. Yey! I've actually written quite a bit more than this. I'll try to post at least a couple times a week for the next few weeks.

Sandi,

I find myself thinking about you when I don't want to.

I find myself dreaming of possibilities we don't have.

I wish there was a chance, I really do. I would treat you how you deserve to be treated. If you knew though, you would hate me. I realized this today, and with this realization I know I can't do this to you anymore. There is no us, we can't meet as your last note requested. I can't. Perhaps we'll talk again someday, but for now, I must get out of this before we fall in too deep. Before I ruin your life. I care about you too much to do so. So please take this parting gift, and remember our short romance. I love you.

As Sandi read this she could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She had gotten her hopes up. This was hers. This guy made her feel special. She knew Quinn was more popular than her, but she was too proud to admit it. This guy actually made her feel like she was better than Quinn at least to someone. Someone better than all of Quinn's guys. In some sick way, she had loved whoever he was in a way too. She picked up the gift, it was a long jewelry box. Opening it she actually let the tears fall from her eyes. It was a beautifully stylish gold necklace with her name spelled out in diamonds. It looked real.

"Are you alright Sandi?" Tiffany asked from her side. Sandi quickly wiped the tears off her face. And showed Tiffany the necklace while she made sure her eyes were dry, and her voice steady. Tiffany took the necklace and studied it carefully.

"Wow." She said, "I think this is real gold, and diamonds. It must be worth a fortune."

"And it's so stylish too. It will go with most of my outfits, too bad for him. I've decided not to write back anymore." Sandi said coldly.

"Why not?" Tiffany asked.

"I think he's some kind of freak or something." She said. She knew even if he was a freak, he had meant something to her. She'd never let the other girls know that though.

"Hey guys, still having that meeting at the mall today?" Stacey asked. Quinn stood next to Stacey, looking a bit awkward. She'd done something, Sandi could tell. Or maybe she was still feeling stupid from the fight this morning. "Oh wow! Look at that! It's beautiful Sandi!"

"Did he give you that?" Quinn asked, trying to sound happy about it.

"Actually he did. And then I decided I'm not going to have anything to do with him anymore. He's probably some kind of freak." She said it with such practice at being cold. Quinn actually cheered up at this. What she was worried about didn't matter anymore.

"At least he was a rich freak, and you got something out of it. That's all that's important." Quinn said.

"That's so true" Tiffany agreed.

"Right. Rich freak. Actually ladies, I'm feeling like I might have a cold or something. Meeting is canceled."

"Awwww, I had the perfect outfit lined up for tonight too!" Stacey whined.

"Oh well, guess you'll have to save it for next meeting. Unless it's already out of style by then. You have a bad habit of buying 'fad' outfits Stacey."

scene change-

Jane knocked on the apartment door. The girl Daria had met just yesterday answered. She looked exactly the same.

"What's up?" She said simply poking her head out the door.

"Uh, we were wondering if you could help us out with this, uh, game we're playing" Jane said, coyly.

"Very discrete." Daria noted.

"Um. Hold on a sec, and I'll let you in." The door closed. There was a moment of silence then the door swung open. The place wasn't too shabby for an artist. Jane's place was a lot messier than this studio.

"Nice pad Sabrina." Jane complemented, realizing she'd never been inside.

"So, what's the game?" She asked, as if the word game had been the password to get into her apartment. Much like a troll who guards a bridge needing a riddle in order to let you pass.

"Detective." Daria said, "My sister hired us to find out who some guy is."

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, "And where do I come in?"

"Here's the fun part of the game. We give you the clues, and you X out all the guys you know DON'T fit the clues." Jane showed her the pages with most of the faces already X'd out.

"Alright sure, hit me."

"He's into Sandi Griffin." Jane started. A dark look crossed the girls face, as if that girl had caused her trouble.

"And."

"He's an ego-maniac jock"

"Anything useful?"

"He doesn't like Quinn very much at all"

"Are you sure Sandi wasn't being her own stalker to piss Quinn off?" Sabrina asked.

Daria wondered how she knew exactly what their game was referring to. Then she remembered, 'I can be rather perceptive' she had said. "No, that is actually quite a possibility come to think of it."

"I don't know, those girls are crazy, but don't you think that's giving Sandi a little too much credit?" Jane asked. She watched as Sabrina X'd out all the remaining guys. All of them.

"Well, it looks like we all just lost the game." Daria frowned, "And the all pizza it would have won us."

"None of these guys could be the guy. Most of them couldn't run a mile, much less play a sport. And the remaining ones, they're all into Quinn." She handed the papers back to Jane.

Jane sat down on the couch and stared at the top sheet, thinking maybe it was like one of those magic eye puzzles. Her eyes blurred and she shook her head. Sabrina shrugged and went into her kitchen for a few beers to hand around. Jane was about to set the papers down on the coffee table when she saw a scrap of paper with very girlie handwriting on it. It was under some junk mail. She slid it out and looked it over.

Unknown person,

I don't know why I'm writing again. I shouldn't be, Quinn keeps saying these things about you. Just a few minutes ago she said you, like, might kill me. Could we meet, so then I could know you aren't all these things Quinn keeps saying? You're right, she is a tramp, and she is always trying to over throw me. If only all those idiots could see past the red hair, and too cute to be true act she puts on. This may sound weird but I have this feeling that you know me better than my friends do. That scares them, but I'm not scared. I want to give you that chance, so can we please meet? I won't bring any of my Fashion friends, I promise.

Sandi

Jane gasped, and handed Daria the note. Daria just shook her head. That was it. That was what had been tugging at her mind, there was an assumption the stalker was male. That led them astray, yet they came upon the stalker anyway. Dumb luck perhaps?

"Aw shit." Sabrina said holding three beers and staring out at Daria holding the note.

"You were Sandi's stalker? How mega-bizarre is that?" Jane asked casually.

"You know, there are better fish in the sea." Daria shrugged and handed Sabrina the note.

"It was stupid alright. I admit it." Sabrina set the beers down and took the note, "A crush. Haven't you ever been strangely attracted to someone you totally shouldn't be attracted to?"

Daria thought of Trent.

Jane thought of Tom.

They both nodded.

"I liked the way she deals with people."

"Like a Nazi…" Jane commented.

"If that's how you put it, yes. Plus she's totally hot. Unfortunately those things all come along with popularity. It's a battle I can't win."

"At least you can admit it." Daria said coldly.

"Wait, why not? I mean, I've never seen Sandi jumping all over guys like Quinn does." Jane asked.

"You're not actually serious are you?" Daria responded.

"Even if she met me, and still liked me… " Sabrina trailed off and her mind wandered.

"Yeah, that is sounding unlikely, but it could happen." Jane urged on.

"No, if it did that would be even worse. I'd ruin her life. You can't be a gay popular girl, I promise you that. I couldn't do that to her." Sabrina said in a righteous hopeless romantic speech way. It made Daria want to go vomit up lunch.

"Okay, now you're creeping me out." Jane said flatly.

"Well, case closed. I think I should go celebrate with a couple hours of TV." Daria turned toward the door.

"If you do tell Quinn about me, please don't let her throw it in Sandi's face. You'll do that for me, right?"

Daria walked out the door, Jane shrugged sympathetically and followed her on out.