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Post by wiggir13 on May 30, 2011 14:12:53 GMT -5
I agree I think that in the beginning she cared for Stacey. Here is another thought, b/c I think you hit it on the head when you said I wonder if Laine considered any of these people her real friends. I don't think she did. I think Stacey was her one true friend and perhaps the reason she put down the things in Stacey's life is that she was jealous that Stacey had a great life and friends without her and maybe a lot from her knowing that she and Stacey were drifting apart.
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Post by zoar3 on May 30, 2011 16:06:59 GMT -5
Didn't one book say Laine had all the girls of Parker Academy under her wing? Although there was the contradiction of one book saying the entire 6th grade attended her infamous sleepover where Stacey wet the bed and another where only 4 or 5 girls did. In any case, I sort of doubt she cared much about all of them! I think you're right on though. I (we) could go out on a Dawn-Mary Anne-Abby limb by applying the same principle to all of them, too. (Three young teen girls who in their own way, to different degrees, exuded a lot of energy and time into trying to control either a situation or those closest to them in order to feel more in control. I'm not saying doing so was "bad" or "wrong." The "problem" was when it became mean. Laine to especially-newly diagnosed with diabetes Stacey. MA to Kristy and later to Dawn. Dawn, in general about food. Lol, I hope all of that rambling made a tiny bit of sense.
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Post by sugarfrostedflake on May 30, 2011 22:03:49 GMT -5
macca: Was Pete a dork in KfP? Do dorks usually get elected to Class President? I always got the impression Pete was fairly popular? (Or maybe it's just a hold-over from the early books - which I consider to be much more cannon than the later books - and Pete was part of the 'cool group' lunch crowd with which Claudia and Stacey sat.)
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Post by zoar3 on May 30, 2011 22:34:31 GMT -5
^I thought Pete was among the "cool" crowd also. Wasn't it him, Rick Chow, sometimes Howie Johnson and/or Austin Bentley along with Claudia and Stacey? ITA about early BSC holding much more meaning and cannon fact than the later.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
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Post by supprazz on May 31, 2011 2:08:46 GMT -5
^A bit of a delay, but I, too, wanted to say, "right on, Wiggirl." Stacey always made it sound like Laine, as she got older, (I loved reading about L and S ditching dance school since they both seemed young, genuine, and a lot of fun. Very real) became "the leader." Of the clique that is. For whatever reasons, as Supprazz said, Laine had "power" to influence a huge following and/or at least a good portion of the school population. Scary, actually and semi reminiscent of the movie "The Wave." Stacey herself admitted to us at least once that she was a follower to Laine despite not always caring for Laine's choices. Laine was "cool," she was "in," and quite probably she got a lot of "favors." That's all yet another reason I wish Stacey's friendship with Kristy had been better written. I know Kristy was far from "perfect." She certainly had her less than desirable moments and qualities. We all do. Like Jessi said in comparision to Wendy, Kristy was a (good and true) leader. She never tried "leading" anyone away from anyone else or encouraging less "popular" people to be put down or disregarded, she was interested in trying to lead people to bring them together (generally for some good cause) but also with charges to have fun. Big difference. I think Stacey was well aware of that and was in awe/admiration of Kristy for it. Too bad also Stacey had her own habit of "chosing" friends (at times). I hated her (S) in #4 when she said something like "I don't need you guys. I'm tough. Remember where I'm from?" I know she was angry. I also know for once she was 12. I did dislike her immensely at that moment and think some of that translated later into the "Bad Girls" arc. Laine, never seemed to have that problem, maybe because of the sheer number of "friends" she had? I wonder if she even thought of them as "friends?" I do think she genuinely (in the beginning) did care for Stacey. I never thought of Stacey admiring Kristy for that though it is an interesting perspective. I thought maybe she seemed a little bit like she wanted to compete for power with her, and couldn't stand her in Stacey vs. the BSC and that mention in book #4. But overall, the two seemed like good friends.
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Post by zoar3 on May 31, 2011 10:59:54 GMT -5
^That's interesting, too. Certainly by Stacey vs. the BSC, maybe she did. It would have been interesting had Stacey tried to create a clique of her own. I just has the thought that Stacey becoming so wrapped up with the "Bad Girls" and once again not saying/doing anything when their behavior became questionable to her, was similar to Laine. Do you think Stacey "saw" a little "Laine" in them and that was part of why she was so attracted to being in that group? Before that, the "cheerleading group" was another "the group" for Stacey. It does sound like she wasn't that interested in being a leader herself, just finding one to hang around? IDK.
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Post by wiggir13 on May 31, 2011 12:17:53 GMT -5
I definitely think she saw them as similar to Laine adn that was why she liked them. I think she just needed someone to follow.
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Post by zoar3 on May 31, 2011 15:01:41 GMT -5
^:/ She was quick to dismiss the BSC for the other groups but come back to them (after making yet another + and - list) following the concert incident. I wonder what would have happened had Stacey decided upon more "negatives?" I was glad she realized (a little anyway) that the BSC members cared more about her than the other did but it could have been interesting had she taken some time to think things through on her own. In away, similar to what MA should have done with Logan.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
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Post by supprazz on May 27, 2012 3:01:55 GMT -5
I agree I think that in the beginning she cared for Stacey. Here is another thought, b/c I think you hit it on the head when you said I wonder if Laine considered any of these people her real friends. I don't think she did. I think Stacey was her one true friend and perhaps the reason she put down the things in Stacey's life is that she was jealous that Stacey had a great life and friends without her and maybe a lot from her knowing that she and Stacey were drifting apart. This makes sense too.
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Post by virgoscorpio on Jun 30, 2012 0:55:05 GMT -5
I love this book for the sheer fact that it heavily features Stacey and Laine. I liked reading their interactions with each other, despite being mostly negative. I would have loved reading about a girl's night featuring Stacey, Laine and Maureen! I didn't necessarily think Pete was that much of a dork when reading this. Instead, I took it as a way to show how Laine was just sooo uber sophisticated, way too powerful for the meek Stoneybrook teenagers. They grovel at her feet, become tongue-tied, and cry like little babies in her presence. Laine should become a hairstylist when she's older. She's got the wardrobe for it (all black).
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
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Post by starrynight on Jun 30, 2012 13:11:39 GMT -5
^ Yeah, in retrospect, I agree with you about Pete. Besides, we all have some people who bring out certain sides in us that we might wish didn't exist. Maybe Laine just brought out Pete's goofy side.
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supprazz
Sitting For The Newtons
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Post by supprazz on Jul 3, 2012 19:07:27 GMT -5
How do we know Laine didn't feel insecure in NYC and was trying to feel better about herself in Stoneybrook while looking like someone popular and gorgeous? She's like that nasty coworker next to your cubicle.
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Post by zoar3 on Jul 3, 2012 20:03:33 GMT -5
I think Laine felt plenty insecure in NY, possibly like Alexandra Carmody from SS1 who made up the story about her (famous singing parents) being dead to attract attention. In Laine's case, much like Dawn and Abby, they chose to put forth angst out in an often not very nice way as a coping mechanism. I try to see the best in everyone and don't want to think Laine was that mean (purposely) at such a young age.
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oldhickory
Sitting For The Arnolds
Heather Loves Boys and Gym
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Post by oldhickory on Jul 4, 2012 0:37:31 GMT -5
the people who act the way laine did are either absolutely insecure or completely full of themselves, and laine seems like the insecure type to me. she chose popularity over friendship for a reason.
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starrynight
Sitting For The Kuhns
The Royal Diner of Pizza Express
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Post by starrynight on Jul 4, 2012 13:41:32 GMT -5
How do we know Laine didn't feel insecure in NYC and was trying to feel better about herself in Stoneybrook while looking like someone popular and gorgeous? She's like that nasty coworker next to your cubicle. Oh, good idea! I've never considered that before, but I think you might be onto something. In my late teens, I had a crush on this guy I worked with. He acted like he was a big deal at school: sports, parties, girls, etc. Years later, I was waiting a bus stop when I struck up a conversation with another woman about my age. She mentioned that she'd gone to the same high school as this guy, and I started telling her what he was like at work. She busted up laughing, because he was NOTHING like that at school. Instead of being Mr. Popular like he led all of us coworkers to believe, he was actually very quiet and studious and NOT hot stuff. It's not exactly the same as Laine, but the idea that people often try to project a particular image for whatever reason applies to both situations.
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