Back to You
No one could ever say Quinn Fabray's high school life had been anything but exciting – from rising up the ranks to be the youngest head cheerleader ever, to falling down the ladder as quickly during her pregnancy, becoming temporarily punk and having a string of boyfriends – her life in college seemed quite dull in comparison.
Quinn received a full scholarship to OSU and despite her prior intentions of getting as far away from Lima as possible, Quinn ended up choosing OSU over Yale and Boston University in order to stay close by to her mother. While their relationship had definitely been rocky over the years, Quinn found herself getting a better understanding of her mother during her senior year of high school as they spent more quality time with one another. She had never expected to develop such a bond with her mother realized that she no longer wanted to be so far apart from her again.
They say that people who have the time of their lives in high school are generally let down by college, but that people who were leaving bad memories behind ended up enjoying college to the fullest. Needless to say, Quinn wasn't sure what to expect from OSU but was pleasantly surprised to find herself having a good time.
She avoided the lime light and activities like cheerleading and glee but occasionally took up some gym classes and joining a dance club. Quinn had a solid group of friends in and out of classes whom she surrounded herself with, though it was a far cry from her queen bee days.
After everything that had happened to her in high school, it finally seemed like the years had helped Quinn find herself and help her make peace with all of the issues that had previously plagued her. She never realized that she would have ever been happy as a normal college student, scoring good grades instead of scoring good looking boyfriends.
Friday nights occasionally saw Quinn out with friends, although most of the time she was at home finishing up some homework for the weekend or catching up on some television. This Friday night in particular was the night before her Mass Marketing mid-term exam and she had spent many hours reviewing the material over and over, hoping to ace the exam.
After awhile, Quinn started to get antsy. This was no ordinary evening and since she already knew everything she needed to know for her Mass Marketing exam, she decided to give herself a break and go out to get a drink.
After getting knocked up on wine coolers, Quinn Fabray didn't make it a regular habit to drink. However, it had been six years since that fateful day and she hadn't seen the harm in going out by herself to get one drink. She hadn't counted on running into anyone she actually knew and was surprised to see a familiar face.
Quinn hesitated. It's not like they had been close, far from it actually. Seeing Jesse St. James again at some random bar had not been something she had been expecting, but she threw caution to the wind and decided to be polite and approach his booth.
"Jesse," she greeted casually. "Hi, it's been awhile."
He looked up from his drink and stared at her. He blinked a few times before his long silence made Quinn feel uneasy.
"It's Quinn. Quinn Fabray from McKinley High," she said by means of re-introduction. Her face heated up a little, the two of them barely spoke in high school, she told herself it wasn't a big deal that he didn't remember her.
Her name seemed to snap him out of his deep thoughts. He blinked again before standing up and extending his hand to shake hers. "Quinn, of course I remember you. Forgive me for my poor manners. Are you here by yourself?" She was surprised by his gallantry, most guys she knew wouldn't be standing to greet the female arrivals.
She nodded slightly. "I'm just here for a quick drink."
"You're more than welcome to accompany me," he said, gesturing to the empty seat in front of him.
She hesitated. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose."
He shook his head and smiled. "You're no imposition. I'd appreciate the company actually." As she took a seat, he called over the waitress to place their orders. One wine cooler for the lady and another dark beer for himself. "So what have you been up to? I haven't seen you since we left the hell hole that we like to call high school."
Quinn smiled shyly at him. "I can't believe it's been that long. I have one more term before I finish up my Marketing degree at OSU. Studying for finals week was driving me a little crazy and I decided to take a little break."
"Marketing, huh? You know, I do recall those posters you put up for Prom back in high school. I thought you did a pretty good job of making someone like Finn Hudson look a normal human being—looks like you have a promising career ahead of you," he grinned mischievously.
She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Thanks. So what about you, what do you do now?"
The grin on his face faded slightly, and before she had a chance to think about it, he grinned naturally and Quinn wondered if she had imagined the whole thing. "I teach music part-time at the local high school."
"Oh, following Mr. Schue's footsteps, huh? I recall Brittany used to think he was your dad."
Jesse laughed at that, and Quinn thought it sounded a little distracted. "Brittany, right. So tell me, did she ever get the girl?" he asked, referring to the third member of Quinn's Unholy Trinity.
Quinn nodded. "She and Santana finally opened up and came out during senior year and they've been together ever since. They live out in Los Angeles because of Brittany's work, so I only get to see them once or twice a year. Weren't you out there supposedly? For school?"
Jesse's eyes grew distant again, but he nodded briefly. "I started out at UCLA but after getting kicked out my freshman year, I moved back to Ohio to finish up and I've been here ever since."
"I'm sorry to hear that. You were a jerk in high school, but we all knew you were going places with your talent."
A wry grin crossed his lips. "Don't worry. I'm not sorry. My life turned out differently than I expected it would, but I wouldn't change it for the world." He smiled, but his eyes glazed over again, and Quinn knew there was a lot more to that which he wasn't sharing.
"So… what brings you to this bar? I see you're already four bottles of beer in all by your lonesome. Teacher on the prowl tonight?"
Jesse shook his head while bringing his fifth bottle of beer to his lips to take another sip. "Not on the prowl. Far from it actually. Just had a rough day and taking it out on the bottle."
"School?"
"Not quite, but that comes a close second. Today was Parent –Teacher conference. Do you know how many angry parents there are in Akron who think their tone deaf kids are entitled to an A despite inheriting crappy genes?" he said, rolling his eyes as he took another sip.
Quinn smirked. "Don't tell me they slushied you, given their ignorance of the arts."
"I'd like to see them try," Jesse said in a soft growl. "Why aren't you drinking," he asked, gesturing to her full bottle.
Quinn had been playing with her wine cooler their entire conversation. Occasionally, she'd eye her drink and twirl the bottle with her hands, but so far she had yet to take a single sip. She looked up at him sheepishly. "It's silly, really."
"Try me."
"I don't really drink." When Jesse merely raised his eyebrow in response, she continued. "I haven't really, not since high school. Every time I do, I remember her."
"Her?"
"Beth," Quinn clarified. "My baby."
He was silent for a few moments. "It's been a few years since you gave birth, Quinn. I doubt she's still a baby after all this time."
A small smile crept her face while her own eyes grew distant. "She'll always be my baby to me. I haven't seen her since she was little, and that's how she is, frozen in my memory."
"You haven't seen her since she was a baby?"
Quinn shook her head.
"Why not?"
She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard some censure in his voice. "I was such a mess in high school. Shelby called me out on it and told me that she didn't want Beth to see me that way. She told me that I shouldn't come back until I had my act cleaned up."
He looked at her curiously. "And have you?"
She sighed. "I think I've gotten over most of the issues I had in high school. But I think it's still a work in progress."
Jesse looked at her in assessment. "Do you love her? Beth?" he finally asked.
"Of course," she choked out, gripping the bottle in her hand a little tighter. "I love her no matter how hard it is for me to be so far apart from her. And I'll be there for her if she needs me. But right now, this is about her and what she needs, not what I need. Shelby is going to take good care of Beth."
He nods slowly, but doesn't say anything.
"I've always sent Shelby a note, each time I changed my address or phone number. Just in case she needs to contact me in case of any emergencies," Quinn added, her voice tight with emotion. "Shelby just says thank you, and that's it."
"Perhaps—perhaps she's just preoccupied with—other things," Jesse trails a little unhelpfully.
Quinn shrugs while staring at her drink. "So every year, on the anniversary she was conceived, I go out and get a wine cooler and remember her."
Jesse looks at her thoughtfully. "If I recall correctly, that's what you got drunk on the night Beth was conceived, right?"
A flush creeps up Quinn's cheeks, not realizing that someone she hadn't been close to at all in high school had known something such a detail about her night with Puck. "Yes, it was, and that's what keeps me company every year when I think about her. Kind of silly, isn't it?"
Jesse places a hand on top of hers. "No, it's not silly at all." He pauses and when he speaks up again, his own voice is laced with emotion. "I think it's great that you care so much about her. After all that had happened to you because of her, you could even be resentful, but you're not."
"No," she whispered. "No regrets."
He squeezes her hand in response. "I'm glad." Jesse opened his mouth briefly, as if he wanted to add something further, but changed his mind and fell silent.
"I should go," Quinn said after awhile. "I have an exam early tomorrow morning that I need to rest up for." She tossed a few dollars on the table to pay for her unconsumed drink. "Thank you, Jesse."
"Thank you too, Quinn," he said, as he stood up from the table to wish her off.
"What are you thanking me for," she asked curiously.
He shook his head and smiled. "Maybe I'll tell you some other time."
She smiled softly at him as well. "That would be nice. " She waved at him and walked out of the bar. By the time she had gotten to her car, she could see that Jesse was sitting in the same position he had been when she had entered the bar. But maybe, just maybe, she thought she saw him sitting up straighter than he had earlier, looking a little more confident than when she had entered the bar.
It was a shame that he wasn't on the market. After all these years, there was something about Jesse St. James that intrigued Quinn more than she should be.
Author's Note: This story is not intended to be a one shot, but it is marked as complete as each update will be considered as a standalone story and may be considered as complete if I never ever get to update again (which I hope will not be the case!).
Also, this update is dedicated to the great SmileySimmo in hopes that the next chapter of the amazing Return to Sender, Damaged in Transit will be out soon :)
