Chapter Six
Sandi slept, wrapped in Tiffany's sheltering arms. Tiffany tried not to flinch too much, though she was uncomfortable with Sandi's weight on her lap, and was getting cramps in her own legs and seat, on the cold wooden floor. Sandi's sick, and I scared Stacy by talking about people being possessed, and she went running outside, and Quinn had to go chasing her. I know how nervous Stacy gets! Why did I have to remember that thing right then! Quinn's right, that was just a movie. Still, it was a really scary one, and it did seem sort of what was happening to poor Sandi.
Tiffany sighed in frustration. I really wish I was smart, like Quinn and Stacy are. Quinn always knows the right thing to say, and the right time to say it. Stacy's doing a lot of reading, and she's getting really good at school. I know Sandi is smarter than me too, though she's having trouble studying, just like me, though not as bad. Mom always said to be careful what you say, and never try to stick out, but maybe there's something more to life. I always expected to become a model, I know I'm pretty, but what if I can't? Those modeling people that came to school never even talked to me, they picked Brittany, Sandi, and Stacy. They wanted Quinn, but she hid in the bathroom. I know Quinn's smart, did she think something was wrong with those people? The thought that Quinn might have inhibitions of her own never crossed Tiffany's mind. Quinn was perfect, as far as Tiffany was concerned.
Quinn's perfection was getting badly tarnished outside, if Tiffany had only been able to see. Stacy, whom she had gone running outside to rescue, pulling out from under a collapsed snowbank, was practically carrying the exhausted, red haired girl back to the sheltering cabin. Stacy's long brown hair, freed from the pigtails Stacy had put her hair in her entire life, flowed behind her in the stiff wind, crackling with static electricity, giving the normally mousy girl a wild, untamed look, which impressed Quinn as much as it frightened her.
Stacy went running outside in a panic, I found her buried under a snowbank. And now she's carrying me back! She's so pale, I thought she was in shock. But she's not even breathing hard now! She didn't even button up her jacket, and her arm around me feels like a bar of ice!
Quinn, peeking at Stacy out of the corner of her eyes, noticed a slow change as they got closer to the cabin. Stacy's serene expression gradually faded away, to her normal look of sweetness, now laid over with a strain of raw fatigue. Her burst of strength also faded, until the two girls were leaning on each other as much as standing erect. The last several feet to the cabin was nearly a crawl, and they opened the door and stumbled to a bench.
Th inside of the cabin, cool as it was even with the small fire, seemed like a sauna to the two girls, and they slumped down, exhausted, barely noticing the burdened Tiffany. Every muscle in Quinn's body seemed to hurt, and she was hungry enough to even eat some of her dad's rather exotic dishes, as bad as they generally were. Stacy didn't seem much better, and both girls soon slipped off the benches to the floor, where, pillowing their heads on their arms, they fell deeply asleep.
Tiffany fretted, not knowing what she should do. She carefully eased Sandi's limp form down, and dragged her as gently as possible to the other two girls, so that they were huddled together.
In the dimly lit cabin, they all looked very peaceful laying together. The fire seemed very low, so Tiffany put some more wood inside, enjoying the crackling noise it made as the flames flared up.
This kind of heat is nice, but the light isn't too good for putting makeup on, she thought.
Sandi moaned, and Tiffany crossed quickly over to her, setting next to her, and gently stroking her forehead, like she had seen Quinn do. Her touch seemed to calm the feverish girl. When I was a little girl, and had nightmares, just feeling my mom next to me always made me feel safe. Sandi must be having some really bad ones now. I know she and her mom have been having some really bad fights lately, and her brothers have been really nasty to her, too, not matter how nice they are to Quinn when she's there. Quinn always seemed to fight with her sister, Daria, too, when they lived together, or at least argue a lot. But they seem to get along okay now. I always thought Daria was kind of mean. But she was really smart, even smart than Jodie.
Jodie Landon, the ex-class President, was a very attractive girl, and smart too. If she had been in the Fashion Club, there was no doubt to anybody that she would have been the leader. But Jodie had always been so busy, and nice as she was, seemed to look down on the Fashion Club with an amused contempt.
Sandi was always closer to Stacy than she was to me. I was always taking sides, but never standing up for myself. Now Quinn and Sandi are close friends, and Stacy and Quinn seem to be good friends, too. I like them, and Sandi is a lot nicer now, but sometimes, I think they just invite me along out of habit, the four of us. When Quinn and Stacy start talking about schoolwork, or what college they want to go to, I feel so, so lost. Sandi can keep up a bit, but not me. Even if she gets all, well, defensive?, about it. When we had that tutor, that David guy, Quinn stayed right with him. Stacy got so nervous trying to study with him, but I heard later he thought Sandi and I were a waste of time. A nerdy guy like that, putting the two of us down! He even told Quinn she was too shallow for him, And Quinn is so smart.
Tiffany had seldom thought so much. Normally, she just laid back, and let things drift by, not really caring. But there wasn't any tv or radio here, and nobody else was even awake now. Quinn and Stacy were asleep on the floor, and Sandi was sick, having nightmares. Tiffany was hungry, sore, and dirty. Her long black hair felt greasy. Her face was probably dirty too, she mused. Sandi moaned again, restlessly. Tiffany noticed her lips were chapped, and carefully put Sandi's head down on one of Quinn's outstretched legs. She stood up and stretched, groaning quietly from the pain of her cramped muscles, then picked up the water filled hubcap, from next to the stove, placing it to Sandi's parched lips. Sandi sputtered a bit, then sipped the makeshift bowl dry, as Tiffany carefully tilted it up.
At least I can help a little bit now, after scaring Stacy so bad. But why did Sandi act like that? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, but what Sandi said was what I heard last night, that singing. It scared me too, not just Stacy. I wonder what's wrong with Sandi, anyway? First she has fever, then cramps. She seemed to be in a lot of pain too.
Tiffany hesitated, thinking deeply(for her), then carefully placed her hand against Sandi's slacks, just below her navel, and pulled it quickly back, gasping. She had felt a point of intense cold, like touching a metal pole on the coldest day of the year. Her fingertips felt almost burned from it. And it was inside Sandi.