Running,

Written by WickedSong.

Disclaimer : I do not own Glee, FOX do. If I did, well the things I'd for the show, you can't imagine.

"Quinn? Are you here?"

Mercedes began to walk under the bleachers, looking for her pink haired former friend and glee member when the girl in question stepped out, cigarette in hand, a look of plain disgust on her face. Mercedes couldn't help but feel incredibly sad at the change that had come over Quinn during the summer, even if the change was supposedly 'helping her', even if she had apparently 'found herself' when all Mercedes could see was a way for the former Cheerio to run from her past and all that had happened.

"Jeez, can't you all leave me alone. Rachel's already tried to recruit me back to glee and Finn would've tried if the Mack hadn't threatened to mess up his face for me." She sneered but Mercedes couldn't help but notice the hint of uneasiness that settled upon her face as well. Quinn wasn't sure about this, she could tell. She knew her too well.

"I'm not trying to recruit you for glee club, Quinn," Mercedes told her. "I just wanna know what happened to you, girl."

"You know what happened," replied Quinn, tossing her cigarette on the ground, stomping it out with her boot and leaning against the fence, giving off that demeanour of not caring even if it was the furthest that she was at the time. "You were there during those nights Mercedes, when I was pregnant. You were there when I gave birth to my baby, you were there the summer when I had to deal with the fact that she was adopted. A part of me – gone, just like that."

Mercedes was taken aback by Quinn divulging this much so quickly. She had expected coming here and having to literally drag it out of her but here it was. She guessed it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't really asking what had happened out of not knowing at all; she just wanted to hear it from Quinn herself.

"You can't keep running from what happened with Beth, Quinn, because this is what this whole thing is about,"answered Mercedes and she knew she was being tough but that was what the girl in front of her needed. She needed tough love and to be told straight and matter-of-factly, no sugar coating involved, what she was doing. "All last year, you broke off any ties with Puck and I and you distanced yourself from anything that reminded you of her. This year, the only thing that's different about that is the way you're going about it, with this new makeover and attitude."

"What the hell do you know?" Quinn said gruffly, going to walk away in the opposite direction.

"You, Quinn. I know you. We were best friends in your last months of pregnancy, weren't we?" This made Quinn falter in her steps. She turned to Mercedes, as if telling her to go on. "I know you're angry. The thing is you can't let your anger stop you from facing your past. Sooner or later something is gonna give and you're going to want to be back in glee, with everyone, everyone who has been there for you through everything, the good and the bad." She held up her hands. "I'm going now. When you want to actually talk about it, find me. It'll be good to talk again."

She smiled but Quinn only returned it slightly.

It was Mercedes turn to walk away now.

"Was it really 'so June', Mercedes?"

Mercedes turned around.

"No, don't use that...don't tell me that..."

"Don't be a hypocrite, OK?" she replied, as Mercedes trailed off. "I may not be in the 'cool' crowd of McKinley anymore, but I still own a computer and I still can watch Jewfro's webshow."

"I only said that because-"

"Just don't. I'm not ready to deal with my past yet and who knows when I will be but don't come here and tell me off for running away when you are doing the exact same thing with whatever his name is."

"His name is Shane," Mercedes said, feeling increasingly annoyed at Quinn for bringing this up but knowing that she was making a valid point. "And it's not the same. You can't compare it-"

"I can. Because I know Sam." Mercedes looked away. "I know that if he saw that video, he would probably have been crushed because he is the kind of guy who cares about the person he is with with such a passion and intensity. I could see it, at prom, in New York. And you obviously felt something for him because if his name can cause you to look away from me then you must have felt more than a summer fling, huh?"

"Don't do this," Mercedes asked.

"Don't do what?" Quinn asked, shrugging her shoulders. Mercedes looked at her, and she could see that what she was doing was only born from the intense need to protect herself. Mercedes cursed herself for even coming here now. She had been hoping to talk some sense into Quinn after hearing about her joining the Skanks and now her own hypocrisy was being turned on her.

"Make me seem like a bad person when we're both running from something we'd rather not face," she replied. She realised that they could go on forever. There were a million things that she could say to Quinn and a million more that the other girl could use as retorts.

"I've made a lot of mistakes Mercedes and this is my way of dealing with them, isn't it? So how is it any different than you dismissing what you and Sam had in one sentence and then showing off your new man as if he's the answer to the problem of your feelings?"

Quinn didn't look like she was enjoying pointing these things out but she was going to continue to do so until Mercedes said nothing about Beth.

"Just remember what I said, OK? Come talk to me if you want."

"I wouldn't count on it."

This time when Quinn turned away, Mercedes let her, and she turned in her own direction to find Shane for lunch. Not before she turned her head though and found Quinn also doing the same and in the silence they both tried to find the other before the beginning of Junior year and the end of their close friendship. But neither could find the other in the midst of everything else going on.

As for Mercedes, maybe one day she would put the record straight and tell people that she thought so much more of Sam than she had made it seem that first day but for now she would walk and meet up with her boyfriend, because she couldn't be seen as emotional, not now, not ever.

Quinn continued walking as well, towards where the Skanks hung about at lunchtime. She would talk to Mercedes eventually, despite what she said, but she wouldn't be ready yet, not for a long time because Beth was a painful and touchy topic, one that she feared she would break down talking about if she ever had the chance. And that couldn't happen, not now, not ever.

For both of them, running was good and the only thing they could do right now.

Running was better than being seen as weak.

The amount of inspiration I had to write this was off the charts. Didn't Quinn joining The Skanks and her makeover seem like the perfect opportunity to bring Quinncedes back in and what do they do, miss a brilliant opportunity. Also includes Samcedes for obvious reasons.

If you enjoyed, please review! Thank you in advance.

WickedSong x