The History of the Fab Four

II. Recent History Ninth grade They are quite the quartet from their summer of hanging out and The Rule is in full effect. Anne runs for Freshman president, backed by Richard, Brian and Maria with their posters and the real buttons which Yvonne has found at a craft store and shown how to put together. She wins with a speech that impresses even her friends. they join her cabinet and are coerced into all sorts of "freshman spirit" stuff. Probably the best time of their friendship, not heavy on outside romances, much "friends forever" business, home lives relatively smooth. Maria gets her drillteam spot thanks to Alex, the boys are JV. Maria a bit on the outs with Michele King, who questions so much involvement. When pressed for deats, doesn’t say much. Anne is secure in friend loyalty. Yvonne gives Maria crap of course. Talks to Anne about it, which annoys her, like "Am I not good enough?" She becomes a little down on the hero of mothers, which the others pick up on but don’t quite understand. By year’s end, Anne vows to stay in SGA, but gets behind a friend for class leadership, saying it’s fun, but too much. That summer, the boys are really in Basketball mode for the Varsity Challenge. Richard and Anne bend The Rule a bit so Anne can hook up with some guy, which annoys the other two. Maria patches it up with Michelle when left alone or as gooseberry with Anne and her guy. She also ends up hanging quite a bit with boys and gets involved in their "training." Brian and Maria are very good friends now because of all the Alex and black students business, glad that someone "understands." The schedules come and Richard and Anne run over to Maria’s. She’s in their English class. They wait breathlessly for the Coppenhagens to return from vacation to see if Brian’s in the class. He has to be or the three to one would really suck. None of them would want to be that one. The Cudaghys are picking up the mail and Brian’s schedule just sits there, taunting them. He finally returns and they are acting very strangely, they are dying to know, but have gotten so worked up about the possibility of having to break the news that they stall him. When he finally opens it: the girls are there. "Who do you have for English?" asks Anne through a closed throat. Brian says their teacher. Maria can’t look," What period?" she asks. When he says 2nd they pounce screaming and run with him all the way to Richard’s. Brian shakes his head. "You guys are nuts," he says, but is glad he’s not the odd one out either. The Present Tenth Grade Things start off pretty well. Drill team and cheerleading go on, hanging out, football games, the prospect of Varsity Basketball. Michele King is really back and the thing about Maria’s mother starts up and Anne pointedly avoids the whole Michele King scene. Other changes: The Brian and Pat tension. Somehow Pat’s "Fab Four" label finds its way to Seb and everyone’s calling them that. They are amazed that Pat, a nobody freshman could have the power to brand them the rest of their HS lives. Pat and Diana claim innocence, citing that it’s probably the work of Danny. The damage is done however, while the label dies down after the big fight at Danny’s (big news incidentally) but the "FF" follows them around until grad. The introduction of Diana, who is less judgmental than Michele and co, but very into the whole black scene, perfect match for Maria. Besides, Maria dearly loves "taking people under her wing" as she claims she did for Anne, another source of annoyance for them. a romantic tension between Brian and Maria that they try to deny while preaching about Richard and Anne now blantantly breaking The Rule. Arguments often line up B/M vs R/A like Anne and Richard bonding over the Dad issue, which M and B think is ridiculous because Richard has a father around. When they get Varsity and Brian’s a starter, and when Brian’s troubles start, things change forever. The fight at Danny’s is unusual because the line-up is Brian and Anne vs Richard and Maria, which never happens. Due to the Brian and Maria thing And team tensions for Brian Afterwards, Anne and Maria’s friendship is not fully repaired. They remain friends through Brian and Richard quartet, but no longer the best friends of yore, thanks in part to Suz and cheerleaders, Michele King and Diana. Remain friendly and things are almost like old times when the Coppenhagen restriction is lifted.

Ancient history The (Possible) Future Back to Brian Back to Pat