I still think Quinn took an interest in MC at first glance. Each time she sees MC and Maya she says something like "Barbie and Ken" etc. so jealousy might've played some part there. At least initially.
Add that the fact that Maya is nowhere near a girl who'd be interested in being a HOT, she just wants the free tuition. She is definitely not a partying type. That may have pissed her too.
I can agree with you up to this point.
Imagine someone trying to get close to you and your group of friends because they heard you give money away. And that someone doesn't even hide that fact, asks 7/24 about money.
You ask them to do something. She asks "if I do that I will get money, right?"

When that happens to a mean person like Quinn, well she'll mess with her for sure.
Here we start having a disagreement. Supposedly according to the rumours (That Quinn quite obviously made) the HOT's pay tuition for their members. Not Quinn, So yes. If the HOT's had a scholarship program inside their sorority wanting to know all about and asking the VP is only natural, and when the VP keeps evading the questions instead of simply confirming or denying it won't help, especially due to the desperation of someone who is in need to tuition.
So it's not the same as just trying to pry money out of someone, it's more like asking for information about a supossed scholarship.
There is no way I can absolve Quinn of fault here and just go "She was askin' for it".
Additionally, I don't think Quinn made that list because she was only being mean to Maya. I believe she just wanted her to give up (every other daughter as present at the DIK party but nobody asked Maya to come, remember?), but surprisingly she started working for the list and that pissed Quinn off more.
Like, every other girl in HOTs likes to party, or was interested in being a member of a sorority. Even Josy. Maya? She literally calls them "sluts" right at the beginning of the game

Obviously looks down on them too.
I don't think the HOTs would fail to notice that, so she'll walk a rough path from now on. Hopefully, she'll move on and try to enjoy her life in HOTs. I doubt that but hey, I also hope that. We already have enough drama in the game. It'd be fine if we stopped living through drama for a while
I do believe when Quinn made the list she was trying to go for broke with Maya, either she would do everything on the list and be qualified to be used in the prostitution ring, or she would fail and Quinn would have an excuse to deny her application, it was a Win-Win scenario.
In the end, I don't think Quinn was personally aggravated by Maya (except for the jealousy of the MC) until Maya asked for a new Mother, there she was slightly pissed (for numerous reasons, like if Maya said Quinn was talking about scholarships), and after the M&J outwitter Quinn by showing the proof to the other Mother, Quinn knew her plan to blackmail Maya was out the window, lastly the Slap, that's when it stopped being personal just for Maya and became personal for both of them (She disrespected Quinn in front of her hookers, a pimp can't have that.). And if Quinn can be this mean without it being personal it only speaks of her character.
About the comments on Chapter 1 of Maya calling the HOT's sloots. Well, let's be frank here. THEY ARE. We are introduced to them with two HOT's (I believe Quinn and Sage) tanning topless on their front porch. Riona is seen suggestively on Jock's laps. That is the first impression anyone would have of them. Stop acting like Maya is fake because of that, Human beings judge things, and if what you put out are those things, people are going to think you are a sloot, no middle way about it. But then again this argument has been debated
ad infinitum in this forum, always coming to the same conclusion that Quinn Stans don't acknowledge anything positive of Maya, because that would invalidate their demonization of her to protect Quinn.
Even the MC thought the DIK's were Dicks, and they still are, but they are his Dicks now.
Lastly, I hope Maya can get out of that Depression, and actually make friends that aren't her Boy/girlfriend and her twin brother. Ashley, Heather, and Elena would be good friends for her. Sage might be very risky. Riona wouldn't talk to her afraid of being admonished by Quinn. Quinn hates her out of jealousy and personal confrontations. Melanie and Sarah are cunts (hot ones tho). Camilla could be her friend, but she walks a tight rope with Quinn. And Arieth is everyone's best friend so she doesn't count.
PS.: I'm not a Quinn hater, if you look at my list, taking out the obvious Arieth and KRJ jokes, she is like TOP5, above Jill.