The History of the Fab Four

I. Ancient History Pat and Maria The mothers originally set them up as friends Not really getting along, Tomboy Maria thought the younger Pat too soft Maria meets Brian get along much better Pat is left out-not intentionally at first soon Pat excludes herself Richard and Diana Richard has always been around the neighborhood, but he plays with a boy named Jordie Meanwhile, the Aarons move to Fairfax County. Heather is hoping that Diana will suit the mopey Pat, who still refuses to have anything to do with Brian and Maria, she only makes the effort when Brian’s alone Diana comes, she’s very girly, which worries Heather, but she seems to take to Pat, who doesn’t mind the girlyness because now she has someone to play with. Sometimes Pat still looks wistfully at Maria, for whom Diana has total disregard. Maria can be a pain, but she’s interesting for all of that. Diana’s fun in a quiet, girl sort of way. But Diana has that great way of saying, "C’mon Pat," which makes Pat feel wanted. Brian thinks Diana and Pat are mean to Maria, but he’s suffering his own guilt because things are changing. Richard and Brian Through the rest of summer and fourth grade, Brian and Maria were best friends. Put up with peer teasing Put up with Maria’s cutesy mother They didn’t know Richard, but never made fun of Jordie, an easy target because he was a small kid who was afraid of everything. Jordie and Maria were paired up in square dancing and Maria shrugged off snickers, claiming to be used to it. So Richard approves of them, but makes no advance Then in the summer after fourth grade the fit hit the shan at Jordie’s house. J’s abusive dad forbids Richard to play there anymore. "I don’t ever want to see your spic face on my property. My son don’t need you." Honestly, he could care less about Richard, he was just drunk and pissed off and too tired to beat anyone up. Richard is devastated, especially after word gets out that Jordan’s in the hospital. Maria hears that Ms. Cudaghy is going to visit him, since Richard can’t and she and Yvonne (Mrs. Cierra) come over with a card. Yvonne takes a Polaroid of Maria and Richard to take to Jordie, and takes one for herself Jordie's Mom finally threatens to turn Dad in if he doesn’t move out. He does and things smooth out with Richard and Jordie. Jordie has a crush on Maria. Months later Mom and Jordan are moving to be closer to Dad in his new life with AA and church. Braddock Road Youth Club comes into their lives with a little basketball league that Yvonne tells Heather and Consuella about. Tom Cudaghy all but drags Richard there. Maria wants to play too, much to the chagrin of Yvonne. One of the cheerleaders is this exuberantly cheerful little girl named Anne, who always cheers for Richard. Brian and Richard are the team’s best in BRYC, often put together to show drills. Brian and Maria are friendly, Richard is standoffish. Meanwhile the Coppenhagens and Cudaghys have met and gotten along, and Tom and Consuella convince Richard to give Brian a chance, that the C’s are not like Jordie’s father was. Yvonne throws a get to know you BBQ, which actually backfires for her daughter. Brian and Richard get along so well that she becomes a third wheel. They don’t think she can play as well as they do (but they’re wrong) and leave her out much like B and M did to Pat the summer before. Pat and Diana have little sympathy, but are no huge fans of Richard either, he teases them too much. Fifth grade rolls around and by this time Brian and Richard are pretty tight for awhile Brian is the go between of Maria and Richard, who basically fall into major competitiveness and claim not to like each other. Each stake a claim on Brian’s loyalty. Then Maria begins to hang around Michele King and her friends, who convince her that things like basketball and hanging around boys is uncool. Maria quits BRYC. Yvonne's happy about that. Jordan comes back to visit Richard and doesn’t like the changes: the basketball talk, no Maria, and Richard’s treatment of Troy, who is small, like Jordie was. He blames these changes on Brian and resents him, the healthy-looking, probably never beaten a day in life all-American little boy in his Bullets t-shirt. Riding his bike around and around Richard’s driveway waiting for him to be done talking to Jordan. Richard seems ready to go, and the two of them take off on their bikes, headed for the court. By sixth grade, Maria has completely changed into the girly girl her mother always wanted, thanks to the Michele King gang. Lipgloss, purses, notes. She virtually ignores the existence of Brian and Richard. The only thing the boy-crazy Michele King gang cannot talk her into is intros to the BRYC kings. Richard, Brian and Anne Seventh grade hits for our heroes, and Richard and Brian, are heading full steam towards being the jocks you meet in Compass. They land in a Spanish I class together and the girl across from them looks familiar. It’s the bop from BRYC cheerleading, Anne Crindle. Anne is a Kelly Friday type, bubbly, puppy-like with multi layers in hair braces, constantly talking and chewing gum. She is dead gone over Richard and they have no end of fun teasing her unmercifully. Sometimes she hates them, then they are just nice enough to pull her back in. She likes Richard, but admits to Maria, whom she sits next to in math, that Brian is nicer. Maria and Anne Boundary changes have broken up the Michele King little gang, with Maria at E.B. White and Michele and two friends at another Int. school. So that leaves fair maiden M. chumless once again. Begins to take an interest in math neighbor, who helps her with pre-Algebra Give Anne an inch and she’ll take a mile in friendship. Maria finds that Anne’s bubbly cuteness is masking her hurt and confusion over her parents’, Jack and Maura’s terrible marriage. Maria sees Anne trying to hide the fact that she’s been crying sometimes, and tells her it’s okay if she’s not always happy. They become friends outside of the classroom but Anne thinks Yvonne treats her a little strangely. Still, it’s better than being at home. Naturally, Anne is delighted that M, R and B all know each other from "way back" and begins to orchestrate little lunches and meetings, which annoy Brian and Richard and goad them into more teasing. Patient Maria is not excited over the reunion either, but feels the need to protect Anne from herself. Then one day Anne is not herself, and when the teasing starts, she runs from the table in tears. "????" say the boys. Maria quietly explains that Jack has moved out. The repentant boys tell Maria to explain they were just kidding, she knows them. To which M responds, "Yes I do know you, and I know you’re jerks, but Anne seems to think you’re nice" and leaves. Anne actually ignores them for real this time, and is always sad now. Maria wants none of them when they appeal to her. Brian, Richard, Anne and Maria--the beginning Anne skips a Spanish class and gets caught. She’s slammed by the teacher who refuses make-ups, but Richard and Brian sneak her notes and she aces test and doesn’t flunk that quarter. They begin showing up at their table for lunch every now and then and they hung out awhile at the 7th grade party. Slowly things get back to okay. Anne sees Jack on a regular basis, Maria learns to laugh at herself and they team up on the boys sometimes. Naturally, Richard and Brian begin to see the boon of knowing girls. Michele finally gets her intro to Brian and Richard meets a friend of Anne’s, who cuts her out for Sadie Hawkins day. The relationships end like the Rick and Andy saga, with Anne finally getting over Richard, as she and Maria become stronger friends with the boys through their go-between roles. Things move to yet another level and it’s the start of the four you meet in Compass. Her time with Michele and Anne has changed Maria, she claims "not to be into sports" and groans "don’t remind me" when tales of Brian tomboy Maria’s adventures come up. Occasionally she lets herself go and is rowdy, but the path towards the motherly Maria is set. Truth be told, Brian likes the new Maria, but sometimes harks back to his old buddy with Peeper in her pocket. Eighth grade At the start, Anne and Maria throw a slumber party with Michelle King, some old elementary school friends and BRYC cheerleaders. It’s a great time, full of boy talk. Maria and Anne are looking for respect for having boys as friends, but M and co point out that nothing comes from it. Anne and Maria vow to know enough boys by the end of the year to have a real boy/girl party. Michele looks interested, but skeptical. "It probably will take the whole year," she remarks, which gets a big laugh. On her way out the next morning she promises to call for updates. Thus, the popularity campaign begins. They begin an all out assault on E.B. White, getting to know all of Brian’s and Richard’s friends and other people. Get heavily involved in SGA, planning the two eighth grade parties and the intermural sports scene. They start a slambook type deal and jot down boys’ names. It makes the rounds of the eighth grade girls. They call it "collecting" and it becomes quite a healthy epistle, they rate all the boys in school. One day their collection is missing and lo! Brian and Richard have discovered it and its purpose! The lid is blown off and Anne and Maria are getting "Hey girls! What’s my rating!" in the halls. They’re a little infamous for awhile. How do they turn things around..that would be a good story Brian and Richard surprise them by actually being hurt, "We thought you liked us as friends, not just because you could meet people" or something to that effect. Oh hold on, say the girls, what about: Michelle and Brittany intro last year, how mean you were to Anne..we didn’t know you really liked us either. So begins The Rule: no one can use anyone to meet the opposite sex. Just easier that way. SGA looking to have an end of year party. M offers up her house, no strings. People down on idea at first, but she and Anne bring them around by saying the first activity on the agenda is to destroy the slambook. From then on RSVPs come in for "the book burning." Yvonne gets involved and cranks out a blowout for both sexes. They get out Maria’s old basketball hoop, clear out the garage for spectators, massive food, TV with Atari, music and somehow Yvonne gets people to actually dance. Naturally Michelle and co are invited. The party kicks off with the dramatic burning on Mr. Cierras grill of the slambook (which M and A have secretly photo copied for posterity) and is a raging success. Word gets out that they’ve mended their ways and the four ride that wave of popularity and are "rad grads" by year’s end. Summer after 8th grade Anne and Maria are thick as thieves, with Yvonne a little less weird to Anne, but still not the same as she is to Michele King. People are calling day and night. Brian and Richard are wrapped up in practicing for high school bball, but managed to make it over to Maria’s summer headquarters just about everyday. Some ambitious plan making is in the works: Anne in cheerleading and SGA, Maria in drill team, Keyettes and Anne’s campaign manager, boys in JV as freshman. Yvonne says, "Some academic goals, please!" Grudgingly: Maria in math, Richard in Spanish Grammar, Brian and Anne honor roll. Many movies, Kings Dominion trips, etc the quartet denies that they are "double dating" and first climb on their "platonic" soapbox. Michele King is coming to Seb. Anne not overjoyed, but Maria says, we’re best friends no matter what. Says Yvonne just seems more glad to see Michele and the other girls (all-black) because she doesn’t see them all the time, like Anne.

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