*Note: The clothing descriptions and plot synopsis on this page are licensed as such:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
If you want to help me shape this fashion vision, please get in touch and let’s discuss the details! marilynroxie@gmail.com
LAST UPDATED 8/9/2009 | CONTENTS:
- What is ‘Lolitamod’?
- What is ‘ModGothic’?
- How Can I Help?
- Modella Knave – Plot Synopsis
- Modella Knave – Characters
—1. WHAT IS ‘LOLITAMOD’?—
The idea for combining Mod and Gothic (or, more specifically, Japanese Gothic Lolita) fashions was a by-product of my thought of Mod and Gothic music uniting in some way. Though this isn’t something I’ve personally done musically, I’ve made *a playlist* of tracks I feel bridge the gap to some extent- for more on these genres, see RYM Gothic Rock and RYM Mod / Mod Revival genre pages. More practical, perhaps, and easier to conceptualize, however, would be a fashion synthesis.
Livejournal seems to be the premiere destination for fans and wearers of Gothic Lolita, specifically the egl community. I knew I might come under fire for suggesting this, but since I’d made a Kaboodle styleboard of my initial finds and clothing combination ideas…:
…I posted about it there in September, and there was certainly a mixed reaction! Due to the few believers, I started up a community specifically for Lolitamod discussion.
Though there is still much to be fine-tuned with this concept, I have really appreciated the support of the members and their endeavors to actually sew pieces! I have recently devised a list of key principles of the style (and associated music!) over at RYM; this is flexible and subject to adjustment, of course: http://rateyourmusic.com/list/MarilynRoxie/modgothic___lolitamod_fashion_and_music_concept/
The basic concept is that the patterns and top stylings are generally Mod, while the silhouette of the outfit is Gothic Lolita.
—2. WHAT IS ‘MODGOTHIC’?—
ModGothic is the male equivalent of Lolitamod, which has some trickiness about it, since there seems to be a fine line between cool and classy, and totally goofy when blending these two bits for guys. This was my initial design concept, anyway:
I’ve also thought about simply using the name ModGothic to refer to all of it, but for now, I think there should be names to differentiate the two styles.
As you can see, the male ModGothic style borrows more from British punk/gothic fashion than from Japanese Gothic fashions of any sort.
—3. HOW CAN I HELP?—
Despite my various fashion inspirations and ideas…I can’t sew at all! Not even a button. Not only that, but I’m not too swift at drawing either. If you can sew and/or sketch fashions and/or have ideas on this Lolitamod/ModGothic concept, I’d love to hear from you, via e-mail (marilynroxie@gmail.com), or through joining/posting to the Livejournal community!: http://community.livejournal.com/lolitamod
—4. MODELLA KNAVE – PLOT SYNOPSIS—
For National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November, 2008, I chose the write a story based around Lolitamod! The story itself needs a lot of revising, but I’ve got the plot worked out essentially. What follows is as small of a synopsis as I could muster without being confusing- yes, this is a huge spoiler for what very probably will be released as a novella/book/script/(manga?!) someday, and any details are subject to being changed whenever it is finally released in a complete form! Furthermore, many details are revealed here in chronological order, which may not be the case in the actual story; for example, details on the main characters’ parents’ background are revealed fairly close to the beginning in the synopsis, whereas they are actually slowly uncovered through various chapters as the story goes on, being triggered by a certain event or memory. Any details that are currently missing, to be added at a later date, will be marked by brackets: [like this]
Note: These characters and scenarios are totally fictitious! (though there are a few references to real life places, musical groups, and publications)
The Autobiography of Miss Modella Knave is told from the viewpoint of a 20-something Modella Knave, after she’s made it big in both the fashion and music industry, from her synthesis of Mod and Gothic. She recounts her high school years, specifically as a junior, since that’s when her ambition to begin the Mod/Gothic combination kicked into high gear.
Modella is the daughter of Ilda and Jeffery Knave, early-80s era Goth and Mod Revivalist, respectively, from England. Ilda was the lead singer and guitarist for Dark Plumage, while Jeffery was the saxophonist for Custom Suits, who met each other through playing in these bands. Both bands were scheduled to play at Club Delectable on Halloween night, [historically relevant Goth/Mod 80s year]. Ilda had met Jeffery before; she would even go to their gigs in her Gothic attire, and she had fallen madly for Jeffery the instant she saw him, even though he was only the saxophonist. At one such gig, she managed to get backstage, though she feigned interest in the lead singer, which eventually incensed Jeffery enough to encourage him to have a thing for Ilda! They began to converse over the next few weeks, and plotted a double-header gig for Halloween night. There was much hubbub and speculation about it all, including rumors that Ilda and Jeffery were together, and some clashing of the Mod and Gothic camps, but on that night, the bands walked in together, and each played smashing sets, even previewing a collaborative track. As diverse as the styles of the bands were, there was something about it that worked! Afterward, Ilda and Jeffery toyed with the idea of merging their bands- but the other bandmates were fearful that this would dilute the aesthetic appeal of the Gothic and Mod scenes. They attempted a solo project together, resulting in merely a handful of demos and dissolving due to their desire to start a family, as well as the changing times.
Ilda had been a member of Club Delectable’s style collective, who hosted brief fashion shows before bands arrived. An avid seamstress, she would sculpt the bizarre designs presented to her accurately and with her own flair, and they were quite a hit with the young Goths of the underground. As it became clear that she was more interested in her husband and perhaps even breaking away from Delectable Collective, they dumped her and moved on. Jeffery had, since his Custom Suits days worked independently as a motorscooter repair and customization man. As Mod Revival had not the fever of its initial onslaught, he found difficultly making enough. And Ilda was expecting their first child. [this is the late 80s/early 90s, now] Some of Ilda’s immediate German relatives lived in America. Maybe, they thought, it was time to finally pay them a visit, keeping it in the back of their minds in case that was what they needed to do to have shelter for the three of them. They waited it out, until baby girl Modella was one and a half years old, as they were on the brink of poverty; they moved in with Ilda’s relatives. [Ilda and Jeffery end up staying in America in the long-run; more details are needed on this]
At the point that the story actually begins, Modella is 16 years-old, and is partially a trend-setter at her school, with some younger students copying her style, though not understanding much of the music/inspiration behind it, she attempts to educate them on the finer points of Mod and Gothic subcultures. Many more of her peers, however, view her fashion and interests as puzzlingly bizarre. She has two particularly close friends, Eleanor Prout (out-going loudmouth who clashes frequently with Modella) and Owen Bell (shy, awkward, admires Modella without her knowing it for quite some time). Modella has long been fascinated by her parents’ past, and wears a quirky blend of Mod/Gothic clothing and primarily listens to music of these varieties: Mod, Mod Revival, Gothic Rock (the original wave only!), Beat, Psychedelic, and Post-Punk.
Modella becomes enamored with a senior-grade boy at school, Allard [what's his last name?]. One day, Modella, Eleanor, and Owen are all sitting around a fountain in the courtyard of their school, eating lunch (this is their ‘usual’ spot), and Allard comes up and engages in brief conversation with them. After he leaves, before Modella has a chance to say anything, Eleanor reveals her interest in the boy! After which…Modella passes out.
Modella ends up in the school nurse’s office- apparently, Allard noticed what happened, and took her there immediately. After he leaves, to catch a class he’s late for, the school nurse grills her about her lifestyle, and determines it might have been an anemia-related incident [passing out becomes a recurring theme; you'll see the importance of this later on!]. Modella blows it off, though she is sent home immediately. She assures the nurse that someone will pick her up, which isn’t true…she prefers to walk home as often as possible…so she can go slowly and listen to her iPod! She doesn’t want to deal with Eleanor and Owen after that embarrassing incident, or have them try to pull her back into class, so she escapes away and walks on her own.
Her home is a lilac-colored 2-storied Victorian house with lots of windows. Her room reflects her stylistic interests, a bulletin board filled with her icons, Gothy decor, and so forth. When school lets out later in the day, she logs into some form of chat ( as “ModGirl”) with Eleanor (“EleanorRigby91″) and gets into an argument…but Allard’s sent her a friend request, so she’s quite excited about that! [aside: there is a point in including these interactions; though the story has a lot to do with blending elements on the past, I want it to be very much of the present day, in that there are these technological interactions that have some effect on the course of the story]
She gets a call from her dad (Jeffery Knave), saying he was contacted by the school nurse, making sure she had gotten a ride home. He was disappointed that she hadn’t gotten in touch with him, and quizzed her about how she was feeling and maybe she should alter her diet, etc. When he gets home from work, he goes right to her room and starts asking her questions about why she passed out again, so she decides to reveal that it was probably because of her nervousness around “this boy” she has a crush on. Jeffery demands his name, but she won’t tell him, and then he backs off, saying she ought to have a “girl talk” with her mother later on. He goes down into the garage to work on his hobby/extension of work-customizing scooters (Vespas and Lambrettas)- meanwhile, he is employed by a motorbike shop, Motorcycles and More.
Modella’s mother, Ilda Knave, is formally introduced into the story when she comes home from work [likely a corporate-style job]. Modella explains to her mom about the crush she has (she doesn’t say the boy’s name though- she is afraid that her parents will know the family or something and forbid her from trying to ask him out because of some reason or other, which she very well might do before Eleanor gets the chance). Ilda tries to console her, by describing how she and her father met and ended up going out long ago [the backstory referenced to earlier in the synopsis].
Ilda trailed off with her with a tinge of “oh, what could have been…?”, in respect to the music/fashion. She concludes with telling Modella that sometimes it is the girl that has to take the initiative, relationship-wise. While this does allow Modella to take some different perspective on what to do about Allard (and why Eleanor could be more successful with him, if she made a move before Modella could), though more than anything, it got her thinking about how fantastic a Mod and Gothic music fusion would be if she could figure out how to do it, somehow…This is when the wheels start turning, and she gets together a ‘ModGothic’ playlist in earnest.
The next day at school, Modella and Eleanor have a faux-friendly conversation, with much noticeable conflict about the Allard issue, even though Modella didn’t admit to being fond of him previously. Modella ends up having forgotten about some important homework, and is generally lackadaisical throughout the day. She goes to eat lunch in the cafeteria alone (not the ‘usual’ fountain!), resisting Owen’s attempts to question her about what was going on, and ponders her woe. She thinks over Allard, considering that perhaps he might be a Top 40 radio listener after all, maybe not even worthy of her attention, despite his good-looks.
Allard comes walking over to the table (with Eleanor, ugh) and they sit down right next to Modella. Owen drifts over as well, looking noticeably worried. Modella slips into eating absentmindedly, not really listening to them, and even shuffling her iPod to find songs appropriate to her discomfort, and goes through the rest of her school day in a bit of a haze, until she spots Eleanor and Allard exchanging slips of paper in the hall (phone numbers?) towards the end of the school day. She knew Eleanor’s intentions already, and wondered whether Allard had the same feelings for her. Eleanor evidently noticed Modella staring from afar, letting Allard go to drive himself home.
Eleanor approached Modella and asked her what was up?, why had she been so annoying as of late? Modella accuses her of “flitting around” with Allard, which makes Eleanor explode in a rage, saying cliched things about how “its her life” and “don’t be such a killjoy, I’m having fun”. Eleanor left the scene, and even made sure to catch up with Allard right before he drove off, so she could snag a ride. Modella wondered where Owen was, hoping that Eleanor did not convince him that she was the Bad Friend. Upon going home, Modella almost decides to walk over to Eleanor’s to see if she was hanging out with Allard, but decides against it; “if I were to look like the cool-headed one, I’d have the upper hand”, she thinks. “Eleanor, being desperate and well-known for flinging herself at whatever young stud happened by, would lose in the end. ” Modella instead takes a side trip to the town market and goes to buy a candy bar, even beginning to eat it before she pays for it…and there is Allard at the counter!
He says that he works at the store whenever he can, right after school being one of his shifts. Modella’s heart is lifted- Eleanor didn’t get her chance to throw herself on him after all! She takes a bold step in asking what she’d have to do to get hired there. Allard says: “Same as a guy does, which is…not much at all. This is a grocery store, remember?” Modella requests an application and says she’ll bring back in soon, all filled out…she counts this event initially as a great success, “blissful in that I would be soon working side by side with this fascinating creature…”, and then notices her candy-smeared face in a shop window. This causes a semi-breakdown, as she rushes to a water fountain to wash off the smudge, and she sits on a park bench and thinks over how mindful she must be of how she approaches Allard, as well as whatever friction has been set up between her and Eleanor, and possibly Owen, too.
After she gets home, she rushes upstairs, to conduct “serious research”. She has done a lot of soul-searching recently, and begins to re-consider her blended Mod-Goth look and, even perhaps, lifestyle. She thinks of how there are some at her school that are mystified and inters tested by her pursuits (her ‘followers’), and others who simply have such bad taste in music and fashion that she wonders if they could be ’saved’ anyhow. [take note how her social conflicts are fueling her drive over creative pursuits]
She had always readily accepted Mod and Gothic as being a part of her life, taking them for granted almost. How, then, could she best explain these groups to her peers in a way that would appeal to them and that they could accept? Expecting young people to ‘understand’ such already-obscure things was probably too much to ask, she realized, but making it seem appealing was another matter. She already knew so much; now it was only a matter of figuring out how to deliver this weird cocktail so that it could be accessed by the masses…or at least a group of local teenagers. She decides to draw up a list of likely musicians and icons to favor if you were to be a Mod Goth, as well as patterns and trends.
She realizes that, in the process it would also be necessary to fashion herself as an icon of sorts, despite the fact that she was not at all musically inclined. Why, she wondered, hadn’t she used the younger students’ admiration of her style to her advantage, by allowing them to copy her trends and using them as a vehicle to carry her doctrine of Mod and Goth elsewhere? It was genius, and all in front of her! Her eyes started to water with the thought of being on the brink of “at least high school-wide” fame.
She remembered Ilda’s advice about careful persistence. She would have to not get to ahead of herself; timing would be crucial with something like this. Goth was always in the background somewhere, but was the United States (nay, the world) ready for another Mod Revival? She would have to set the tone, and figure these things out. Luckily, she was still young, and figured she’d have plenty of time to do this [this becomes an ironic thought later on; you'll see why!].
Her ready adherents are Dania, Sachiko, and Bianca, who she invites to her house [probably on a weekend], telling Eleanor who (oddly) invites her to see a movie that she has a lot of homework to catch up on and besides there will be “some visitors” that she has to entertain. These three girls have been curious about Modella’s style and “ways” for some time, so they are quite excited to actually be invited in!
To their amazement, Modella shows them her incredible closet, and they ask her the inspiration behind her unusual, memorable fashion style. Instead of giving credit to her mom and dad, she mentions that she draws it from the music that she “got into awhile back” [one of the early symptoms of Modella getting full of herself...]. When she plays a particulary danceable Mod number [Small Faces?] and an accessible Gothic one [Siouxsie?], they dance along and love it, and seem very much into her interests.
After ‘the followers’ leave, Modella spots her application sitting blankly on a table. She panics when she reads what she has to put down: her experience. She has never, EVER worked…she asks Jeffery what she should do, but he laughs and says that grocery stores hire practically anyone so she doesn’t have much to worry about. She completes the application and decides that she’ll take it in the next day.
When she does go in, she is disappointed to find that Allard is not there, but it does give her a chance to speak with the store manager who takes a fleeting glimpse at her application and hires her on the spot. Would she be willing to come into work tomorrow, and after school? Yes, and yes. Time with Allard that Eleanor wouldn’t have, though she feared the day when he would quit for a better job elsewhere [following him to that place of employment would reveal her plot!-this was her only shot]. She guessed that someday she would leave too, especially if her Mod/Goth plot took off like she had hoped it would.
When she returned home, she found that her grandparents [on Ilda's side] had paid them a surprise visit for [whatever holiday, figure time frame of story; very crucial!]. This is to shed light on Ilda and Jeffery’s beginnings and why they came to America [revealed in the backstory, earlier and above]. These things come up to her parents’ semi-disgust, but it makes Modella believe, even more firmly, that she is meant to be the one to carry the torch of not only what could have been, but by creating something more by utilizing her own creativity. In all, they have an er, interesting time together; Modella shows her grandmother and grandfather around since they haven’t been to visit for quite awhile.
The grandparents, who are rather ‘traditional’ in nature, are bewildered by Modella’s odd room decorations. They recall Ilda’s “dark, gloomy” appearance from long ago, and how “clean” Jeffery always was, but hey find the clash of decorations and blaring music nearly frightening. Modella attempts to explain what she is trying to achieve, and how there are teenagers and school that are interested in it, “this ModGoth thing”. She especially makes a point to say [though it is lost on the grandparents] that way she dresses, her decor, and her taste in music will become a new trend of sorts. She views this as a success on her part because the generation beyond her parents did not understand, so it meant that it could potentially be used as a means of rebellion!
After everyone goes to bed, Modella is up through the night doing intensive research and listening to music. Eleanor appears [IM/chat] saying that she’s sorry about the way she’s been acting and wants to try to get together after school the next day, but Modella makes the excuse that she has to work, but doesn’t know her hours (which is true!). Eleanor logs off. Modella falls asleep at the computer, weary from her work.
The next day, her mother wakes her up because Modella (evidently) forgot to set her alarm. Modella hurries about in a panic, looking for something to wear and fretting about whether Allard will be there or not. If he’s not there, will he be doing something with Eleanor? Panic sets in. [her day of work is on a weekend, by the way]
Allard is there, to her relief, and gives her a run-down of her duties at work. She tries to be a bit flirty, but still cautious because she is afraid of what time he and Eleanor may have secretly spent together. This makes her quite nervous, so she does foolish things like tripping over boxes, pressing incorrect buttons, etc. What’s more, she’s also very tired from having stayed up for so long last night. Allard asks her if there is something the matter with her, and she says that her grandma and grandpa had come to visit unexpectedly, and she was quite tired. She had, thus far, kept her Mod and Gothic project a complete secret from him, though her mode of dress and eccentric music taste might be obvious. After she had shaken off her nervousness, she began her first efforts of work, which included stocking shelves and helping customers. Because of a mishap with the register, Allard doesn’t think she’s quite ready to operate it yet. Modella grows ever fearful of him distancing himself from her, though she gradually loses her nervousness over time, and finishes her day there relatively pleased with her performance. She dares not ask if it is permissible to listen to music while working, even if on a portable radio, because the grocery store music is pretty unbearable (a generic AM radio ‘oldies’ station), though she vows to ask about it the next time she comes into work.
Afterward, she is walking down the street and is overcome by another fainting spell, but this time there is not anyone around to help her up. She ends up having a peculiar dream. Her dream sequence consists of being in a black void, with purple nebulae swirling all around, as her skin is cast in the glow of the nebulae. All is colored like the stars and planets, ethereal and fleeting yet full of heavenly might. The world was spinning around her, she felt like she was spinning (the physical sensation, not just a dream illusion). She finds that underneath her feet, there is a solid floor, which is also awash in ethereal glow, and touches it with her hands. She has a flashback within her dream, thinking of when her palms touched the sidewalk in front of her lilac Victorian home on the way back from school…feeling faint…feeling dizzy. She found that her purse was still around her [unaware that she's in a dream, thinks she's stepped into some sort of alternate universe or something!], so she reached inside to get her cellphone so she could call home. When she removed the snap on the purse, she found that it was filled with pills of all sizes and colors. She tried to scream, but no noise came out of her mouth, just cold air. It was Eleanor’s overly-lengthy hand that sprung out of the purse, and tried to force-feed a pill into her mouth, however Modella may have tried to resist.
She woke up. She found that the arm which she had, in her dream, envisioned to be Eleanor’s turned out to be that of one of her ‘followers’, Dania. This girl came across her on the street outside the market, because she knew Modella was going to be working today and wanted to come see her, and “especially to see what outfit” she’d be wearing. Much to the girl’s dismay, however, Modella was wearing plain work clothes, save for some odd gloves. Modella looked around her, and found that it was some what later on at night, and she wondered if Allard had already left for home. The girl said she noticed people stepping over her, not even trying to wake her. She had, evidently, collapsed only just to the side of the store entrance. Modella thanked the girl for waking her up, and proceeded to actually open her purse [though with some hesitation, because she feared pills and Eleanor's hand would come out at her from inside!]. She checked her cell phone, and found that she had no new messages. She was going to go back inside the store, but the girl said she had better sit down for awhile and take it easy. Dania goes inside the store, and Allard ends up coming outside with her. Modella asked him if he had seen her lying there and he said that he assumed that she was just worn out from the job and was “having a rest”. This makes Modella furious, and she storms off, with the girl in tow. On the way back, she confesses to the girl that she has a huge crush on the boy and she doesn’t know what to do about it. The girl tries to console her the best that she can, thinking in the back of her mind what she’ll tell Eleanor when she sees her [hidden intrigue!].
When Modella gets home, she is an emotional wreck. She avoids talking to her parents again and flops on her bed in tears. What could she do? Allard wasn’t interested in her at all. Her job went well, but this fainting…maybe it was the way she was eating or something. She had a suspicious feeling about the girl, too. She had been somewhat worried about Dania encountering Allard, and then she had gone and told the girl about her feelings for him. Between the girl and Eleanor, her chances of obtaining him were completely ruined. Why was it so hard for her to just give up the dream of going after that boy? She didn’t even really know anything about him. For all she knew, he could be repulsed to both Mod and Gothic fashion and music, or at least the combination of the two that she had planned. She had so much homework to do, not to mention the research that would be valuable to her should she continue the merger that she plotted. All she had were her followers, and her parents…speaking of which…her mom knocked on the door. Modella needed someone to talk to, so she let her in.
Her mom asks her if something bad happened at work, and Modella says that though her job went well, she had fainted outside of the store and nobody had come to help, until a friend of hers from school had reached out to help her up. Ilda thinks that is horrible how no one helped her, and that maybe her place of work could get in trouble for their negligence over her. Modella says that she’s not interested in getting her boss and store in trouble, and wants to continue to work there because she doesn’t know where else she would be working. Besides, she wants to save up money so she can buy a custom scooter from her dad herself!
Then Ilda asks her if she thinks she might need to go to the doctor, to find out what is really wrong with her. Modella hesistantly agrees. She thinks, as much as this Mod and Gothic research and potential combination may be, as much as her woes with Eleanor, non-response from Owen, romance fizzling over Allard, and how her followers might ‘need’ her, Modella had to admit that she needed to do something about this problem of hers that had been getting worse all the time. Was it stress? Was it really poor diet? Or both? She had to find out. Ilda was able to stop her daughter from crying and agreed that she would make an appointment. Modella took the night off from her all-important research got a good night’s sleep, only interrupted by her father coming in the night and asking her if she had a healthy dinner…oi.
The next day is a Sunday, which Modella spends resting in bed. She gets a call from Owen, who she’s been wanting to hear from, but she gets fearful of talking to him, and just lets her voice mail pick it up [she forgets about it entirely, however, later on]. She spends the day relaxing with her Mom, who has the day off, playing card and board games- Ilda does a lot to cheer her daughter up. Modella reveals a tiny piece of what she’s plotting, the Mod and Goth combo she has anticipated, and her Mom seems taken aback (though honored) that her daughter would want to cast that sort of light on those scenes. Ilda explains that not all is as glamorous as it seems, but Modella replies by saying she’s researched both so thoroughly, so she already knows that. Ilda asks how exactly she would go about promoting this new “hybrid” subculture, or what she might do in the way of music, but Modella is still uncertain. She said she’s been able to get some younger students at her school interested, but she still has a lot of work to do, though of course she wants to make sure her health is alright first.
Monday morning, Ilda calls the local doctor’s office and is able to get an appointment for Modella that day. She has to miss school, and call in to say she can’t come into work, which makes Modella completely neurotic since she can’t know what is going on with her peers [particularly what everEleanor may try to do involving Allard!] and she looks like a real loser because she can’t even show up to her 2nd day of work. It is her Boss that answers the phone when she calls, who is disappointed that she is already calling in sick on her 2nd day, though he mentions that he saw her “passed out” after work outside. Though he assumed that it might be due to “that drugs and alcohol the teenagers are always sneakin’ these days”, he did ask Allard to go check on her since he (the Boss) was busy helping a customer, but Allard was not. This leads Modella into frantic thinking and paranoia, and she thanks the Boss for his concern, but starts to feel absolutely dreadful about Allard after she hangs up with the Boss. Why would she like someone uncaring and irresponsible like that? And, to boot, someone that would associate with that dreadful Eleanor?! As if! She hadn’t received a message or call from Eleanor in days, she really appeared to not care about their friendship anymore. Then, Owen’s call from yesterday flashes in her mind; she had forgotten to call him back! It was too early now, and cell phones could not be used in school (though her friends were known to text under or inside of the desk in class), though she could probably reach him at lunch…but, that was the time of her doctor’s appointment! There was nothing she could do about it; she would have to be a flake for a bit, though she hoped she didn’t succeed in alienating him, as well as Eleanor. After all, her ‘followers’ were somewhat superficial in nature.
Despite her being scared, she told her Mother to sit out and wait. Her mind was racing with the Shojo Beat discovery, however, so she had forgotten to make a list of things to tell him and what to ask. She searches her mind, and goes back to the time when she fainted after the Allard/Eleanor remark event at the fountain at school, assorted woozy feelings, and most recently outside of her job. The doctor evaluates her current condition, and determines that it is probably anemia, especially after asking her what her diet is like and finding out about her lack of exercise. She realizes that she is not as in danger as she thought, though of course passing out unexpectedly and having anemia aren’t exactly desirable either. She goes out to her Mom happier than she thought she would be, more so because of her Gothic and Lolita discovery than anything else, and sees her flipping through Shojo Beat. Her Mom talks to the secretary about the doctor’s decision [something about what she's prescribed, course of action, etc.].
Modella asks her mom what she thinks about the Gothic & Lolita fashion when they get out to the car, and Ilda seems quite interested. She even says that, in her days of designing fashion for the Club Delectable crowd, she made some outfits that looked remarkably similar that were still in their closet. This makes Modella practically jump for joy [her Mom swerves the car and almost hits something comical, like an oddly dressed jogger, because of this gesture of hers], and she says that she would love to see these articles when they get back home. When they get there, Ilda opens their bedroom closet and finds that it is packed with so many things, and heavy unused exercise equipment that is too heavy for her to move, even with Modella’s earnest hope, so she says that she’ll have to wait until Jeffery gets home, and even then he might be a little busy with this scooter project.
Modella recalls that she has to call Owen back, and first listens to the message that he left. His message is simple, just sort of a typical Owen-esque, “Um…call me back whenev. Bye.” She doesn’t think that it will be anything particularly odd or serious, though she has been wanting to know what has been up with him lately since he has been rather quiet and stand-offish. She goes up to her room to call him back, getting slightly dizzy on the way, though being recalled to reality by Owen’s voice on the other end. They talk about light, vacuous kind of subjects for awhile before getting on the subject of what was the matter with Modella’s health.
Owen is quite concerned about her, and says he’d like to see her so they could hang out, since they haven’t really been able to. Modella cautiously asks if Eleanor is over at his house, to which Owen replies that she is “absolutely not”. This gives Modella a smidgen of hope, since perhaps this indicates that Owen doesn’t care much for Eleanor’s recent behavior himself. She says that she’ll try to get her Mom to take her over, but Owen stops her and tells her that he’s just gotten his license. She says to give her some 15 minutes extra to get ready, and Owen agrees and says he’ll be there then. Modella feels a strange sort of excitement, picking out the right thing to wear to see Owen, but hastily convinces herself that she’s not actually interested in him in “an Allard-way”.
Jeffery gets home while she is trying to find something to wear, and she gets a flash of inspiration. She begs him to move the exercise equipment aside, and she even helps him with it, to unearth the fashion creations that her mom had made back in the day. Ilda explains that the clothes are of all different sizes because, while some of them were her own, they were often made for other models. She finds a particularly interesting, Gothic & Lolita recalling top, that Modella thinks she’ll wear with some “ordinary jeans” over to see Owen, who she mentions is coming to pick her up soon. It fits perfectly, and was the size that Ilda was when she was a young adult. Modella sees herself in the mirror and has a flash of inspiration. She almost blurts out and asks her mom if she would be interested in designing clothes in, not just a Mod and Gothic style, but more of a Mod, Gothic, AND Gothic & Lolita style, but she decides that she’ll have to give it a lot of thought, and she shouldn’t be hasty.
She would be going to see, not the object of her affection, but a long-time friend, though that was fine…even though she thought she did look pretty good. Owen wouldn’t be worried about whether Modella was trying to impress him or not, she thought. He arrives at the door, and Modella rushes to answer, still fighting off her sudden new thoughts of Owen in a possibly romantic light.
Owen did not mention that his sister was not at home [he lives with just his sister; add more backstory for Owen at some point] , but Modella reassures herself that nothing is going to happen between them. Why must she always be so nervous about one thing or another all the time?!, she thinks. They end up engaging themselves in some harmless activity, like playing video games or some other hobby which Owen is into and Modella is or at least plays along with, and chat about various things. Modella cautiously asks him (as she did on the phone) questions about Eleanor and what she’s been up to. Owen is oddly brief about it, saying that Eleanor had changed a lot, and then he switches the subject. Modella grows ever-fearful of his possible romantic interests, but then mentally thinks it over, like perhaps it isn’t all that bad.
Modella thinks that she may start to have feelings for this boy, though she tries to push them out of her mind somewhat; I mean, look at how foolish she had been and how many irritating things had happened to her since she said she was interested in Allard? The key word here is said. Since that fateful, pre-fainting moment, she sort of felt that if she said something out loud about romantic feelings that would cause a cosmic curse to form from some unseen evil, in which mistakes and accidents would endlessly occur until she lost her feelings for the boy. Of course, she had only made this ‘mistake’ involving Allard, which proved to be a ‘test’ for her new theory, in retrospect. She would not make that error again. She would keep her feelings secret, hoping for the boy as object of her interest, to be man enough to say it to her first, in which case she would be (cosmically, mind) allowed to state her feelings without fear of being cursed. Or, that’s what she was beginning to think, anyway.
There is fierce romantic tension in the air, though Modella shakes it off. Had Owen long been interested in her? How long? It could have been years! For Owen, it is almost too much to bear (he has indeed been crazy about her for some time), and over some silly activity that they were both engaged in, or after some trivial conversation that was darting past the growing tension that was clearly between them tonight, they share a kiss. Neither one is first to go for it, again…it’s mutual, though goes on for longer than Modella expected and is different than what she imagined it to be [again, she thinks of Allard, even after a moment like this!]. She immediately wonders if things will be awkward between them, afterward.
Modella does not know what to say to Owen. It seems like it all is in a different light [their relationship, her feelings towards Allard, how she'll deal with Eleanor, and pretty much everything apart from her Mod and Gothic quest in this book!] now that what’s happened. They look at each other, lingeringly [isn't that always the adjective?], and Modella moves her mouth to say something, and Owen kisses her again, even longer this time, but she doesn’t fight it at all. There is a sound of a door opening in the distance, and they both open their eyes, though not tearing away from the second kiss. It’s Owen’s sister, calling out loudly about “Why are all the lights off in here?”, or some banal nonsense.
Modella is the one to attempt to pull away, but she ends up knocking into the open door behind her and causing it to shut loudly. She hears his sister running down the hall, and calling out “Owen! Owen! What’s the matter?” Owen moves towards the lock quickly, and yells back, “I don’t want to talk about it, I had a bad day at school, leave me alone!!!” The sister stops running in the hall and pauses for a moment, saying, “Well, did something happen with that girl you have a crush on today?”
Modella felt a pang in her heart. Owen, staring down at her, replying to his sister, said, “No, nothing bad happened with me and Modella today, okay?!”
The sister says, “”Fine, fine…I’ll make some dinner for you, alright? Maybe you’ll have settled down by then.”
His sister walks away. They are perfectly still for a few minutes, and here her moving about pots and pans and the TV in the living room starts blaring the local news. Modella is lost in thought, thinking of how just earlier that day she thought of only Allard, and now Owen…but wait, how was she supposed to get out of his house?! There’s no window in Owen’s room, and plus her cell phone starts ringing, though she shuts it off quickly. Then, she thinks that might’ve been a mistake and perhaps she should try to talk to them quietly as possible, or have Owen answer instead. His sister might have heard the ringtone. Owen would have to act fast. He goes right up to Modella’s face and says, “I’m going to distract my sister, come around the hall when I say the coast is clear.”
Then begins the harrowing adventure of her trying to get out of the house, with Owen standing in front of her, helping his sister with cooking, and distracting her from the TV set in the living room. Modella is able to escape unscathed. When Modella is finally out of the house, she closes the door softly behind her, and races away from the Bell home, only to find that Jeffery is pulling up on his scooter there, making a loud racket while doing so. Modella jumped on the back of the vehicle, and hurriedly said that her cell phone batteries died, and she was just about to call the house. They take off, and apparently the sister is still unaware that she was even there.
Jeffery stops the Vespa at the corner and asks Modella about what went on with Owen. Modella hastily says something about playing video games and whatnot. Jeffery goes to the gas station to fill up, and as Modella is sitting on the back of the Vespa, she thinks over what just happened between her and Owen, and sighs contentedly. At this point, she’s not even thinking about Allard or Eleanor or even her Mod and Gothic melding woes. She is simply happy that someone cares about her, someone who was there all along that she hadn’t cared to think about in that way. How foolish that she had been! Jeffery returns and wonders what the secret smile on her face may mean, but she won’t tell.
They get back home, and Ilda is really sorting through all of those clothes that were in their closet. Ilda says that she’s glad Modella pressed her into looking over these old articles, because she thinks she might give sewing a try again. She had done it on and off through the years, but not in the particularly Gothic creative way that she had done before. What with this Gothic & Lolita that had been stumbled upon (at the doctor’s office of all places!)…new possibilities were opening up.
Modella is strangely mute about Ilda’s discussion about fashion, and seems happy about something as she drifts up to her room. Ilda talks to Jeffery about how Modella seemed when he picked her up. He said that, though at first she seemed rather nervous, she appeared happy when they were at the gas station, like something had happened. Jeffery seems to think that Owen might have a crush on Modella, or perhaps even just told her. Ilda is worried that they may have engaged in some sort of inappropriate activity, but Jeffery doesn’t think so, because “Owen is a nice, normal boy.”
She wakes up earlier than she means too, excited about the day to come. Will Owen and her end up telling everyone that they are together now? Are they actually ‘together’? She isn’t sure, but will think about it carefully. She wants to do this right. She had avoided the curse that she had theorized about before. She had fallen asleep in her mom’s sewn vintage outfit last night, to her horror somewhat, but it had been made very well and it showed no signs of damage. She took it off when she was getting dressed for school and carefully set it aside. She would dress more conservatively today, now that she had netted a boy, and wouldn’t have to pull stunts…wait,no, that’s not right. She would have to continue to dress in a manner that might attract some attention; it was the best way.
She put on one of her Mom’s other sewn pieces of clothing, which were lying across the dining table downstairs. She leaves a note that she is taking one of them and eats something junky [already forgetting her commitment to the doctor's suggestions for health] before leaving for school.
Modella encounters Eleanor at the beginning of the day, and even says “Hello” in a non-abrasive manner for the first time in what seems like ages, plus she has her ‘followers’ in tow. Owen rushes in, late, which is unusual for him, looking nervous [though that bit isn't new!]. Eleanor is stewing about Allard not being at school today [he posted some generic bulletin somewhere on-line about him having a cold], and watches as Owen and Modella exchange smiles, and Modella goes sketching away at something in her notebook. Eleanor finds herself craning her neck in an obvious way towards what she’s drawing, and Modella explains that it is a Gothic & Lolita prototype. Eleanor gets embarrassed about being noticed, and quickly looks away. She knew that Modella must have had a crush on Allard, from the way she had been acting before, and from Dania telling her so, so she figured there must be some way she could exploit this fact to Owen, and turn him away from her. Though, now that Modella was apparently out of the running and interested in Owen now, Eleanor figured she had a better shot at Allard. During lunchtime, Modella is chatting Eleanor up, all friendly-like, until Eleanor can’t take it anymore and runs into the restroom.
Owen and Modella have a moment alone together (well, not really alone, as they are surrounded by loads of students in the cafeteria), and Modella briefly and vaguely assumes that Eleanor must be in the bathroom crying her stupid eyes out because of what she’s seen. Not that she had her sights set on Owen, though she would flirt with him from time to time, but because Eleanor had still not netted Allard…Allard! That’s right, he was not at school today. Modella realized this for the first time today, which was odd because she would have noticed it first thing in the morning any other day. Things were different now, she sighed with relief as she put her head on Owen’s shoulder for comfort.
Eleanor ends up calling Allard from school [since this supposed to be an autobiography, I'm a bit unsure of how to explain these dealings that are supposed to be just between other characters; oh well, I'll worry about that later], sounding like something was quite wrong. Eleanor lets him know that “your little suitress [yeah, I know that's not a word!] Modella and my EX-friend has netted herself a boy.” To which he replies “, “so what do I care about that? I didn’t like her anyway.”
This gets Eleanor somewhat relieved, though she says “I bet you can’t guess who.” Allard rolls his eyes at this, saying, “Just tell me.” Learning that it is Owen, which Eleanor stated in such a concerned voice, was almost laughable to Allard; what did he care about a pair of losers going out together [see, this is how it is revealed that Allard is a bit of a jerk, after all!]. Eleanor had hoped Allard would care a bit more, and he says, “”Look, Modella might have a crush on me, I can’t stop her from that, even if she’s with Owen…but she’s not the girl that I’m into.” Eleanor wants to know what girl he is interested in, though he says he’ll tell her at school tomorrow, though she demands to know…alright, fine he says, “come over after school, catch a cold to hear what I have to say, if that’s what you want”. Eleanor is going utterly mad in anticipation…
Modella is finishing up the homework she’d been neglecting lately in class, letting her mind wander a bit about her current scenario. What did Owen see in her anyway? Maybe her mom’s vintage clothes were lucky, after all! Owen was not a bad-looking guy, she had to admit, stealing a glance at him when he had his head down, looking towards the problems on the page. Though, she almost certainly would not have asked him out if he did not make his feelings so apparent…She rendered her math problems temporarily invisible and thought of the things she and Owen would soon be doing together, ‘as a couple’. Owen seemed sort of fragile, she thought.
Then the thought flashed in her mind about Mod and Gothic & Lolita- she hadn’t done any research since they’d been together! She promised herself that she would get together with her ‘followers’ on the weekend. What Modella did not know was that one of them was, in fact, on Eleanor’s side: Dania, the youngest of the group (a freshman; Sachiko and Bianca are sophomores).
Dania, though more interested in the Gothic aspect of Modella’s odd fashion and music plot, was skeptical of the Mod insertion. And Modella hadn’t even got to talk to her about the Gothic and Lolita, yet! Dania liked hanging out at Modella’s it was true, but Allard…she was so happy when Modella revealed that she had begun dating Owen, because that would mean she had an even greater chance with him..only one rival left now, Eleanor, who she was under the pretext of getting along with (which Modella did not know!). Dania and Eleanor would exchange text messages and the like, and bonded over a mutual suspicion of Modella.
When Eleanor is about to leave school, she remembers that she hadn’t arranged for anyone to pick her up (she’d been used to getting driven around by Allard, who wasn’t at school today), and then thought that Dania always got picked up by her parents, so Eleanor could just tell her to drop her off at Allard’s house and pretend it was her own. She already was suspect of every girl around her chasing after Allard, so this is why she thought of this. Genius! The catch was that Eleanor would not be able to invite Dania over to her own house later, then. Wait! She’d say it was some relative’s house, that was it. She nervously gives directions, and ends up getting dropped off successfully, and Dania’s parents drive off. And its one of Allard’s parents that answers the door, and Eleanor explains that she was here to give Allard a get well gift, and didn’t mind if she caught something if it was from him, and could he please let her in because it was getting cold outside; the car Dania’s in is still just pulling away, and she doesn’t want to risk them spotting Allard or even hear anything about him. Eleanor goes upstairs and Allard confesses his feelings for her. As they are talking, Eleanor gets into discussing Modella again, much to Allard’s dismay, though she highlights on this Gothic & Lolita concept she seemed excited about today. [this sticks in Allard's mind for a reason that you'll see!]
Meanwhile, Modella’s focus on her new relationship with Owen has taken some of her interest away from the Mod-Gothic fusion. The followers might gather amongst themselves at this point, and discuss how different Modella seems and wonder if she’s really serious about what she’d been planning, fashion- and even possibly music-wise. Dania begins to suggest a scheme to concoct a Mod-Gothic fusion of their own. Perhaps they can send in Bianca [she's the simple-minded one of the group, and gets used a lot for that sort of thing, unfortunately] to rifle through Modella’s research papers, and the like.
Ilda seems disappointed that Modella has moved away from her fashion plans because of Owen, saying that their relationship shouldn’t stop her from her creative pursuits, but Modella blows it off for the time being. Though, she does agree to let Ilda sew her a special outfit for an upcoming event [some holiday or birthday or something? stick in the detail].
One day at school, Sachiko brings up something to Modella about Gothic & Lolita, which Modella has forgotten to discuss properly with the group (they never did get together apart from school, after Modella’s boyfriend-induced haze), and this sets Modella into high gear, talking about discovering the Shojo Beat at the doctor’s office and all these plans that she had. However, the followers act like they were the originators of this idea. Sachiko had, in fact, been interested in Gothic and Lolita long before Modella found that Shojo Beat at the doctor’s office, and shows pictures of herself in outfits imported from Japan. Oh no!
Modella is now concerned about her partial abandonment of her idea; in just a matter of days, her so-called followers had already swooped in and were about to take her concepts! She has a discussion with Owen about this, who feels that their relationship shouldn’t infringe upon her desire to create. Owen still enjoys the things that he liked to do before they were together (video games!, and finds ways to do a lot of them with her; there is no reason why she should stop pursuing what she loves.
Tthe girls, part of the school band, had begun to incorporate a Mod-Gothic aesthetic in their musical work, and apparently had even asked Ilda to sew band uniforms (Modella finds out that last bit when she returns home) for their little three-piece group! Meanwhile, Eleanor is conspiring with Dania to help steal Modella’s plans. A school talent show is approaching, and Eleanor (acting as the girls’ manager of sorts) preps them for a Mod-Gothic ensemble.
Little does Eleanor know that Allard is also seeing Dania at the same time they are together! [remember, Allard is 18, so there is the problem of them being 'underaged'] Some time before the talent show performance, Allard reveals that it is Dania that he is actually interested in. When Eleanor threatens to tell his parents that he’s been romantically involved with them, Allard exclaims that, if she wants to get a piece of the money that could come from this band (as he was to be their new manager, with Dania’s willing permission), she had better stay quiet on that front. Eleanor agrees, begrudgingly.
After they’d worked out their schematics to some extent, Dania had tried giving Modella the impression that they wanted Modella’s help in this upcoming talent show- though Modella began to be worried that they’d take her ideas, remember that she still had no idea about Eleanor and Allard’s involvement in all this! Though Dania and Eleanor were doing all of this to get at Modella, who seemed happy with Owen and was considerably creative, Allard was increasing his involvement in the Mod-Gothic group because he saw dollar signs flashing off in his head!
Modella had planned a presentation involving both a display of fashion and history of the Mod and Gothic cultures, as well as a performance from their band. Allard instructed Sachiko, who he felt was ‘not used often enough’, to inform Modella that the presentation could only occur if the band’s time was not to run over. He explained that the band would need to be presented first, as to not bother the audience with a boring explanation before hand. If the band went first, he said, the audience would be all the more eager to find out about the Mod and Gothic cultures. Sachiko did not have to be told what the real benefit of the switching was; their band would play overtime, and Modella and her parents, as well as Owen, would have no time to do their presentation and fashion display.
The audience would only be aware of Modella as a freaky sort of teenager who had dressed in the style and professed a love of the bands. Maybe the ‘followers’ were the pioneers after all, and Modella had actually copied from the younger ones, and was an admirer of theirs. It would not matter that her parents could prove that they were members of the Mod and Gothic scenes, for over time the new Mod and Gothic group of the girls would establish themselves as something new and fierce. At this point, Sachiko agreed, silently vowing to tell Modella the truth about what was really going on, since she couldn’t take this whole scheme any longer.
Modella is completely aghast when she reveals all of this, though Sachiko says that Modella should move according to what Allard and the other girls have in mind, and then make some forcible action to sabotage it, and take them by surprise. Because Eleanor did not break down and tell Modella of Allard’s seizure of the group, Modella was led to believe that, not only might they be in a relationship [this is kept secret because of Allard and Eleanor's age difference], but Eleanor would definitely be wanting a slice of the money.
Modella had never been doing this solely for the monetary purpose such a Mod and Gothic blend may serve, but rather for the enjoyment of the two different genres and lifestyles. She was also afraid that Eleanor, then Allard, would take such a risk and expend so much effort, when there wasn’t even guaranteed success! Though, this little Mod-Gothic group they had were pretty talented it seemed. Modella froze in horror. She thought over it…had they called an agent? Had they a MySpace music page? Sachiko seemed surprised, thinking that it was Modella who had set up the page. Modella had no idea, and rushed to her computer. It had the mark of Eleanor all over it and…people from the school had commented on the page? Was Modella the only one who was outside of the information of this scheme? She looked on in horror, as the demos were loaded right into the player, there were pictures, friends, comments, influences, the whole bit!!!
So, now it was up to her to figure out how she could make it stop. Sachiko had said that she would readily quit the band, because she wanted to already (due to the growing hostiity), but Modella said that she had better not. They have, after all, evolved into a pretty good group. Modella also had to appear that she was still under the impression that she was already managing the group, and not that she knew about what Eleanor and Allard were behind at all. What was worse, Allard had instructed Sachiko to convince Modella that the band should go on first, leaving Modella no time to explain that it was originally her idea at all to the audience. Modella’s eyes welled up with tears. How could she go along with this?
Sachiko offered that maybe they could give the whole audience brochures on who was presenting the act (with Modella as manager) and maybe offer a small biography on her, to help seal in their minds that she was the one that started all of this. Then, Modella began to feel guilty because, though she had thought about it in the back of her mind to some extent, and might have encouraged them a little, it was actually Eleanor (through Dania) that rallied the girls around a band idea. There seemed to be no way out.
Even if Modella told her parents, what exactly could they do? Allard (and Eleanor, depending on the depth of her current involvement) could always say that Modella was talking crazy because it was her group in the first place, but she offered him control because of her on-going crush on him (despite dating Owen), and thought it would bring them closer, and he might make it seem like she was tired of dealing with the group. Sachiko talked of how difficult it had gotten to be to deal with Dania. Modella had suspected a relationship of Allard and Eleanor for awhile, but because she was happy with Owen, she tried to not let it get her down too much. And then, Dania, what was the reason for her attitude? Modella pondered and pondered…there was no way that Eleanor would allow a relationship between themselves to go on while Allard was also toying with Dania. [though, remember, the girls don't know about Allard's relationship with Dania!]
Modella tells Sachiko to tell Allard that she has convinced her to move the piece of the act of her parents and herself to after their performance (despite knowing the intentions of the move, Sachiko is not to let on her suspicions at all, or that she is now taking orders from Allard). Eleanor may not even be aware of Allard letting Sachiko in on it, because she and Dania can not possibly be close any longer. Dania is not even offended by Allard’s previous relationship with Eleanor, because she feels it was necessary to obtain her in the meanwhile. Dania knew the thrill of leading others on, as Allard did. She did it with Bianca, the simple one, causing her to do her bidding. She did it with Modella, sweetly and innocently acting like it was her life and career that was in Modella’s hands. As Sachiko went away, Modella had to sit through dinner with her parents, acting like she was excited about the coming week of the talent show.
Afterward, she goes upstairs to her room, not running excitedly as she was given to do when she had research to do on the Mod and Gothic subculture, to whittle away at her homework while listening to her favorite music. She is full of fear. She had lost her friend, Eleanor, long ago, and wondered at whether her and Allard were still together as he had gained management of the group. She would have to pretend as if she knew nothing, and that would definitely be extremely difficult for her. Her former crush, Allard, had turned out to be greedy and horrid just like Eleanor, who he might have been with at that very moment. She had forgotten to call Owen, as she did every night after dinner, to hear his voice and talk of their day. Even though they saw each other at school, there was something immensely comforting from speaking to him before going to bed. Sometimes he would offer to take her somewhere, even if it was the park nearby, so that they could talk and be with each other in the dark. She promised to be the one ot call; she knew he was the forgetful kind. He had not called her in her stead, and this worried her, though of course she had never lapsed before…how could she speak to him about these things, what Eleanor and Allard had constructed behind the scenes? Whenever someone mentioned Allard (of course, Modella would never do this), Owen grew icy to the touch. He had read Modella’s reaction when Eleanor had first laid claim to the ‘older boy’. He knew that was what their rivalry stemmed from, and why their friendship dissolved. Should Modella relate this hairbrained story to him, how could he stand to be with her or believe it? As much as she trusted in him, and wanted to confide in him, she did not know how she could tell him this. She would find a way to change the course of the upcoming talent show in her favor, and she was resolved to do it alone. She lay there pondering for awhile, without sleep coming to her. It was her mother or father that knocked on the door, she did not know who, but she shouted that she was busy with homework, which made them leave her be. She really did not have homework at all, as she finished much of it in advance in preparation for the upcoming talent show.
Then she receives a message on-line from Allard, which said he wanted to stop by the next day.
Maybe she should call Owen quickly, to say she had spent time preparing with her parents for the upcoming talent show. She decided that is what she would do. Her hands quivered as she dialed the number. Owen answered, sounding worried. Modella used the excuse she had cooked up. Sachiko, though not too familiar, knew Owen, though she trusted that she would not spill it to her boyfriend. He ate up her excuse, though she burned with guilt over it. Should she say something about Allard to him, she wondered? No, she said nothing.
After she gets off of work, she is to spend some time preparing for that talent show she’s filled with worry over. She has the additional stress of Owen being there, who is oblivious to most of the drama, anyhow [he knows about the girls semi-threatening to steal her ideas, but not about Allard and Eleanor's involvement]. She doesn’t tell him because she is sure he wouldn’t believe what she was talking about. Ilda arrives later on to make some last alterations to the dresses. At some point, Allard just ‘happens by’ with Eleanor. He, who still does not know what Sachiko has done, does this because he is fairly certain that Modella will just think he is doing it because he wants to show off the fact that he is with Eleanor, since he has (apparently) now gone ‘public’ with it. It was just Eleanor’s 18th birthday after all [which Modella forgot all about!].
Eleanor seems to be going a bit over the top, pratically smothering Allard [remember, she's his 'dummy-girlfriend', he's really more interested in Dania]. Lolitamod (the three girls in the band!) are all there, and Dania notices what is happening between the two of them, or rather that Eleanor is forcing herself on Allard, so she takes them aside (assuring Modella that she wants to “shoe them away”). When she talks to them, she is upset because she finds out that Allard sent Sachiko alone to speak with Modella, on an ‘assignment’. Sachiko could never go and peform these ‘assignments’ in private without Bianca or Dania accompaning her, she could have revealed something! Allard seems to not know what she is talking about, but Eleanor is horrified.
Though Sachiko could certainly have said something to Modella already, even worse, she might be waiting to reveal it in front of everyone right before their band set, bungling everything right before the performance! Allard reminds them that there is one thing Sachiko would not be able to tell her of; Dania’s true involvement.
As they are practicing, the room is filled with tension. Modella has still not come up with a solution, and Sachiko is still thinking away, too. She and Modella had talked about the possibility of informing the others before and they both agreed that this would only make things worse. Dania that approaches Sachiko while they are packing up, possibility about some ritual they usually have after they do a band practice, like a movie night. Dania asks Sachiko, Bianca, and Modella if they’d like to come over, but Modella can’t because she has some kind of plans with Owen, forgetting their usual tradition, but the other girls can get together. Modella speaks with Sachiko briefly and out of earshot before they leave and asks her to promise not to spill the information that they know, and she agrees.
So Lolitamod, the three girls, are gathered at Dania’s house. Sachiko fights the urge to talk to the girls about everything because a part of her is sure they would be able to band together and resist Allard, though Modella had hinted that one or both of them could secretly be on Allard’s side. [remember, Dania made it seem like she was the figurehead, while Eleanor and Allard were pulling all the strings; Allard instructing Sachiko to speak to Modella in a certain way was the first actual tip-off for her that things weren't as they seemed!]
Dania is not alone at any moment, this being a ‘movie night’, so she is not able to call and check on Allard. She doesn’t want to make Sachiko suspicious of her, anyway. She is also irritated at the way Eleanor was acting towards him, thinking that, as Allard had chosen that girl because she was convenient and now of the same age, while Dania is still a freshman.
Something will happen when Dania gets up to go to the bathroom, or maybe makes some excuse when she is really running upstairs to send an e-mail to Allard, etc. Around this time, maybe Dania’s cellphone is lying on the table, expectantly waiting for Allard’s call.
There is a beep from the phone, and Bianca unthinkingly looks at it. Sachiko pleads with her to put it down, then she sees who it is from; a contact marked BF. But Dania doesn’t have a boyfriend, Sachiko thinks…WAIT A MINUTE!
Dania comes in at this point, seeing the two of them looking at the phone. Sachiko is quick to say that she heard it beep, and hands it to her. Dania looks down at it, releaved that she chose the code BF; no one could know who that was. Even if someone guessed ‘boyfriend’, they would not think Allard! [Bianca has been so dingy for the most part, so it's only fair for her to have an integral part in this sort of thing]
What Sachiko wonders about now is how she will tell Modella about what has happened when there is no time period in the next day of school when that would be feasible whatsoever. Dania, the vocalist and guitarist, was the most important member, yes, and although she may be able to locate a competent bassist and drummer to perform with her at some point, there would not be enough time to in one day! But they couldn’t just disband, they generally liked performing together, despite the strangeness of Eleanor and Allard’s involvement, and now apparently Dania being in cahoots with them. If only they could get Dania to come around. That was the only obstacle. Sachiko had been on the verge of telling Dania what she knew, but was glad that she didn’t…who knows what would happen! Modella seemed keen on keeping the band together as well, but how would they do it?
Everything seems to come together the day of their performance, with Sachiko and Bianca swearing they’ll go on without Dania’s help, and insist that Ilda and Jeffery help them out with their respective musical skills (guitar/vocals; saxophone!). They’ve been observing the practices and were familiar with the set anyway, so they agree. Sachiko declares what she knows about Dania and Allard, proving it to the teachers and adults present backstage, who force Dania to give up her phone; that call from ‘BF’ is there, and it rings back to Allard’s phone, which is right in the room!
Now Eleanor is revealed as not truly being Allard’s girlfriend, and just a toy he tossed around, so she goes to Modella and gives up the details of the Lolitamod Myspace Music account, their plans, etc., saying that she’s sorry that all of this happened and that she just wants out of this crazy scheme. Dania is sent away to sit in detention while the performance goes on, and Allard is taken aside to be talked to about his potentially illicit relationships anyway. They’re in the clear! With Ilda and Jeffery’s help, the show is a big hit, especially considering that the parents and staff were largely unaware of Ilda and Jeffery’s Gothic and Mod teenage years, and they are decked out in full style. [this whole talent show thing needs more details, maybe competing acts, a coming together of secondary characters and the like]
In the epilogue, the details are revealed about what happened to the parties concerned in the story after this music performance. Ilda and Jeffery got back into recording again, and Dark Plumage and Custom Suits reunion gigs even occurred! A local scene begins to grow, with Sachiko and Bianca playing as a two-piece (Dania is continually referred to as ex-Lolitamod, though she attempts a solo career when she is older, and Allard is still with her all along), with Modella’s full support. Modella gets increasingly into sketching out her concepts, which Ilda helps her to construct, and the Lolitamod band gets signed, a fashion empire progresses on…and that’s the end! [sure there needs to be some additional closure with Eleanor, minor characters, the whole issue with Modella fainting, etc., but not bad, eh?-that's the summary of what's I've got, so far]
—5. MODELLA KNAVE – CHARACTERS—
[individual descriptions to come!]
MODELLA KNAVE
ELEANOR PROUT
OWEN BELL
ILDA KNAVE
JEFFERY KNAVE
ALLARD
DANIA
SACHIKO
BIANCA
Minor Characters: Assorted teachers, minor classmates, grocery store personnel, Modella’s grandparents, Owen’s sister
