The metal apartment door knocked her in the back harder than a nail. Quinn Fabray muttered a word her religious parents wouldnotbe proud of, and looked around her new apartment.
The walls were bare white, as well as almost every appliance in the small Manhattan apartment. The air was musty-definitely an apartment that hasn't been used in about a year.
But there was something about the place that made the short-haired blonde smile. She had a home. A home that washers.
She had finally gotten out of Lima.
How Quinn gotten out of that hell hole, was a question she still asked herself. And the person that helped her out? Sue Sylvester.
Sue knew that Quinn Fabray was hopeless, vulnerable; the complete opposite of what she was just a few years prior. As Quinn's former Cheerio coach, Sue knew she had to do something to save the girl. Quinn had no one. The ex-Cheerio lost her reputation, child, and any remaining "friends" she had left. So, sue bought the pathetic blonde an apartment in Manhattan.
This was the Quinn Fabray's fresh start. It was her first day of her new life and so far, so good.
New Year's Eve, almost one month of living in the city, Quinn planned on going to Central Park to celebrate. She wouldn't dare spend the rest of her pity-money from Sue on a cab, so she cursed the winter weather and set off.
As she walked through the cramped crowds, Quinn wondered why she was going to Central Park, alone, on New Year's Eve. She debated whether to turn back or not, but something made her choose to keep walking.
When Quinn arrived at the Park, her mind went blank. People were everywhere, talking and laughing with friends. But there she was; alone, and feeling slightly vulnerable.
The blonde heard a familiar voice through a microphone behind her. She turned, and saw a medium-sized stage set up on the grounds of the Park. It reminded her of McKinley's stage in the auditorium. Before Quinn could smile at the thought of Glee club, her eyes locked on the source of the voice she had just heard.
The woman was standing in the middle of the stage, her long brown hair flying with the wind. She was short, even in the three-inched heels she wore. The brunette wore a confident smile that could shine thirty feet away. Quinn could recognize her face anywhere. She was Rachel Berry.
Rachel Berry was the only student at McKinley who left Ohio with her future already planned. Rachel had the talent and confidence that could get her anywhere in the musical theatre universe, and that was why she was here tonight.
Quinn swallowed. Rachel was wearing short black dress that showed off her long, tanned legs despite the below-freezing weather. Although Quinn would often tease Rachel about her appearance back in high school, the blonde now realized how beautiful she was.
"Hello, everyone!" The diva's voice was loud, strong. "If you didn't know already, my name is Rachel Berry. Tonight, I will be performing several songs in celebration of the upcoming new year! I will now start off with a song I'm sure most of us have heard by now. Most importantly, I'd like you to enjoy."
Almost immediately, the song started. Lights above the stage start blinking to the beat. The song was Edge Of Glory. Rachel's voice ran out the lyrics of the intro beautifully, hitting each note as if her life depended on it.
The crowd was now dancing in rhythm to the song, and soon Quinn was the only person not moving. The blonde remained still, watching the diva move about the stage.
Something about Rachel's voice made Quinn feel relaxed, no matter how up-beat the song was.
Rachel's voice boomed throughout Central Park. Quinn felt goosebumps form on her arms, and she was positive it was not because of the windy weather.
The song finished after what felt like hours to Quinn, and Rachel smiled down at the faces below her. Quinn suddenly felt the urgent want to talk to Rachel Berry. She wanted to catch up with her; find out what she's been doing over the past year, what she's doing now.
Quinn didn't know why, but she waited for Rachel to finish performing. It took nearly an hour, but she waited.
It was near midnight when Rachel finally got off the stage. Quinn shuffled through the crowd in search of where the brunette went. Rachel didn't exactly stand out in the large crowd, being as short as she was.
Out of the corner of Quinn's eye, she spotted someone standing next to a nearby tree. Rachel wasn't in the crowd after all. And this someone was obviously Rachel; no one else would be wearing the same dress in this weather.
The blonde walked slowly walked to the diva and tapped her on the shoulder. The shock was clear on Rachel's face when she turned her head and saw Quinn Fabray standing next to her.
"Quinn? Is that you?" Rachel squinted as if she wasn't sure if Quinn was a figment of her imagination or not.
"Hey, Rachel."
"How are you-you're in New York."
Quinn thought Rachel's puzzled expression was simply adorable, but she didn't dare believe it.
"Yeah, here I am." Quinn chuckled and leaned against the tree next to the diva.
"Are you currently living here in Manhattan? Or are you just visiting for the New Year?"
"I live here."
There was an awkward pause on Rachel's part before she stupidly said, "Oh."
Neither the blonde nor the brunette spoke for several minutes after this. Quinn wondered what to say next; she hadn't thought this out. Why was she speaking to Rachel Berry, again?
"I was wondering if we could catch up on each other's lives one day...soon."
Rachel blinked, but responded more quickly than before. "That would be quite nice. We haven't seen each other since senior year..."
"We're still friends, right?" Quinn tried to hide a grin at the joke, but Rachel had already seen it and smiled herself.
"Yeah, I guess so."
…
A/N: Now, I know this chapter is really, really short, but the others will be much longer. Think of it as a "prologue". Thank you for reading! :-)
