I stepped into the bathroom, and turned on the tap. Inspected my mascara. Dried my hands on the tissue paper. I heard a sniffing coming from one of the cubicles. I stopped moving, and cocked my head on one side. The door slowly unlocked, and Quinn Fabray stepped out, looking like hell.

'Hey Fabray, what's up?' I asked airily.

'Don't – even – ask,' she growled, washing her face. I frowned, concerned.

'Wow. Normally you would have slusheed me by now. Something must be wrong,'

'Hoffman, just leave me alone,'

'No, I'm worried about you,' I scrambled up onto the basin counter, so I was perched on the side, and patted the space next to me. 'Come on, you can tell me.'

'You really don't wanna know,' she told me sceptically, but climbing up on to the space next to me anyway. As I stared at her intently, trying to work out what could make her so vulnerable like this, (the Quinn Fabray I knew would have slusheed me within seconds of seeing my face) I watched her green eyes fill with tears, once again. I put my arms around her, and I felt her begin to cry again into my hoodie.

'Hey, shhh, shhh,' I rocked her slowly, moving my hand up and down her cheer uniform-clad back in a repetitive motion. Her sobs died down, and she rested her head on my shoulder. A little uncomfortable, I stroked her soft, blonde hair. I noted that it smelt like cedarwood.

'I'm... pregnant,' she confessed.

'God.' I exclaimed, and her tears started all over again. 'Woahh... Quinn!'

'Don't remind me!' she whimpered, snivelling into my hoodie. I wiped away her tears with my thumb, and tried not to think about how awkward this was. After a little while, the bell for fifth period went, and I softly tipped her head off my shoulder.

'Do you... want to talk about it? Maybe it would help,' I asked gently, as I hopped off the counter, and gave Quinn my hand to help her off. She was maybe... a couple of weeks, perhaps a month, but she was already becoming less fit, and by Christmas, she wouldn't be able to wear that Cheerios uniform.

'Okay,' she said, washing her face again. She looked embarrassed. I suddenly realized something.

'Quinn... who's the baby's daddy?' She dropped her books, binder and pencil case, and dashed back into the cubicle. I heard her throw up. I dumped my stuff too, and ran into the cubicle to comfort her. 'Calm down, calm down, you're going to be ok,' She was sobbing again, and I threw my arms around her and held her.

'I'm not ready for this!' She retched again, and I squeezed her hand. It was hot and clammy, not the kind of hand I would imagine the cheer captain to have.

'Yes you are, Quinn, you have to tell me. It will help you,' I coaxed. 'Come on. You don't always have to be the strong one.' She shook her head and sat down on the closed toilet, her whole body shuddering. 'It's not Finn Hudson, is it? I can tell it isn't,'

'No... it's Puck,' she admitted, tears streaming down her face.

'What? You mean Puckerman? Noah Puckerman? Badass Puckerman?'

'Y-yeah...' Quinn said shamefully.

'You slept with Puckerman? Quinn, this is bad!'

'Don't you think I know that already!?' she exploded, before bowing her head, regretting what she had said.

'I'm sorry,' I said. 'Hey... does anybody else know?'

'About... it? No, nobody but you,'

'Can I tell you something?' I asked quietly.

'Sure,'

'Quinn, in a couple of months your life is going to become hell. You're going to be slusheed every day. And you're going to need a place of refuge, where people don't think badly of you. Which is why I think you should join New Directions,' She raised her eyebrows at me sceptically. 'I'm serious! Trust me, you don't know how hard it's going to get.'

'And you would...?' she retorted.

'Actually, yes. My older sister had a teenage pregnancy five years ago.' I said coldly. There was an awkward silence between us.

'Sorry,' she apologised. Then, 'What... happened to her?'

'She died in childbirth.' I said expressionlessly.

'Oh, Mia... I'm so sorry... I didn't know...' I swallowed and bowed my head. 'Really, if I'd known... I... you're really brave,' she flustered for words. I said nothing. 'For you to not show any of that... none of us knew... that's really strong,' As I heard the words I've heard a thousand times, it all came flooding back. I felt my eyes fill with hot tears and I knew the roles were about to be reversed; I would be the one weeping and Quinn would be the one soothing me. She tipped my head onto her shoulder as I had just minutes ago, and she let me sob into her Cheerios uniform. The memories came back in a torrent of tears, sympathetic eyes, and Lily. Just Lily.

'Mia Hoffman? Is Mia Hoffman in this class?' The eleven-year-old me leaps up, raising my hand excitably.

'I'm here, Ms Wilton!'

'Good! Mia, your mom is here to pick you up!'

'She is?' I frown, confused. Mom works a day shift at Cecilia's Bakery, she never picks me up during school. The only reason I can think of would be... but she's not due for another month... I follow Ms Wilton down the childish, elementary-school hallways, stumbling blindly as Ms Wilton stares at me with a forced, fake smile. We enter the lobby.

'Mia! Oh, thank God!' Mom pulls me into a tight squeeze, and I half-heartedly wrap my arms around her.

'Mom, what's... why are you here? Is there something wrong with Lily?' I ask, but Mom shakes her head.

'Is it ok if I take her? ...She might not be back,' Mom asks Ms Wilton, tapping my head. She nods cheerily. I feel sick.

'Ok, let's go, hon!'

'Wait, don't I need my stuff? Like, my books and all that?' I ask.

'No, no, you'll be fine.' She grabs my hand and pulls me out of the lobby, and I leap into our old pickup truck.

'So why am I here?' I ask, as we speed through the traffic, and I try to work out where she's driving to.

'Ok. I want you to be very strong. You need to be strong for me, ok?' I nod sincerely, like the eleven-year-old I am. 'Are you sure you're ready for this?' I nod again. 'Right. Lily... is in hospital... and she's in a very dangerous condition. She had to go in early.'

'Okayyy...'

'And... Mia, you have to be brave... the doctors think she might not make it,'

'You mean... like not make it?'

'Yes.' There's silence, until we pull into the parking lot at Lima Community Hospital. I scramble out of the truck, and race into the hospital lobby, holding hands.

'I'm Zooey Hoffman, mother of Lily Hoffman, in the Special Maternity Unit,' Mom says briskly to the nurse. She waves goodbye to me, and I plop down into a squashy armchair breathlessly.

'Can I get you anything?' asks the receptionist, also too cheery. 'Some fruit juice? A biscuit, maybe?' I shake my head speechlessly. Her false grin fades a little, which I am pleased to see.

I spend six whole hours sitting here, not talking, not walking, not even reading the creepy magazines on display. Six whole hours. As Mom turns the corner, with my spectacled father, I jump up and wrap my arms around them. Mom has tears streaming down her face. So does Dad. Then I notice I'm crying silent tears too. Mom squeezes me tight, like she's taking out her sadness on me. Then, it hit me. Lily was GONE. We would never again cry with laughter while watching hilarious YouTube videos. Clutch each other and scream when Nagini attacks Harry. Share a knowing glance when one of our little cousins says something unintentionally inappropriate. Sing our favorite songs, using hairbrushes as microphones. She was gone. I would never see her... ever again.

I realized I was crying properly again now, into Quinn's Cheerios uniform, and I was supposed to be in Spanish. I was pretty sure Rachel would cover for me, though.

'Mia?' Quinn's eyes were dry now, unlike my own. 'Will you... help me get through this? My... issue, I mean? I know... I've kind of been a bitch to you and... you're normally the last person I'd ask for help, but... ' I stood up and picked up my Spanish notebooks, brushing myself down with a mental hand.

'Yeah, of course. If I couldn't help Lily, I can at least help somebody who's in the same position as Lily,' I said. 'Deep breaths, okay? You'll be fine,' I assured her. I took a deep breath myself, and pushed open the bathroom door. We stepped into the river of students together, and I was immediately pushed back by Jacob Ben Israel.

'Oh, wow! SCOOP! Cheer captain hanging out with Glee club loser!' he announced loudly. 'How do you feel?' I slapped him, hard, with my spare hand.

'Shove off, Jacob.' I hissed. Quinn stepped back, looking bewildered. 'What?' I said.

'Wow, you're like, badass, Hoffman!' she told me. I raised my eyebrows.

'Thanks...?'

'You know, for somebody in Glee club, you're not actually that bad,' was the verdict. I snorted. 'No, really! Perhaps I will join,'

'Good. Wanna meet up at the Lima Bean this afternoon? More girl chats?' I offered. Her eyes lit up. 'Cool. 4pm? I'll see you there!' We waved to each other, until she melted into the crowd. Jacob was staring intently at me from a doorway. I pulled a ferret face at him, and he scuttled away.