After a loooooong break with writing I finally broke through and got something out. It's not what I wanted it to be, but there are still cobwebs I have to shake loose. It's a start.
The story is inspired by the Decemberists song, "O Valencia" and the entire story is told from Santana's point of view. If you're unaware of the song, be warned there is a character death.
Disclaimer: The standard one, none of the characters are mine.
It made no sense whatsoever and yet was the most inevitable thing to happen in our high school years. I don't give a fuck how that sounds, this is Quinn and Rachel we're talking about after all. The hate was almost as palpable as the sexual tension. I expected an explosion of hate sex right before graduation and then they would never have to see each other again. Instead, it became a full fledged relationship, such as it was.
The dance was an awkward one. They never did tell me what the catalyst was but one day there stood Berry, glued to Quinn's side. They never touched. They barely spoke. Berry just walked and sat with her, silent, but her eyes always seemed to be pleading. It only took one short joke before Quinn cut me off with a look. That's all it took for me to stop. There are some lines even I wouldn't cross.
"I belong to the church, San. I can't break away," was all Q ever gave as an explanation on the shared longing looks. There was no big coming out. No big song numbers. No jolly green giants outing her in hallways. That was it.
And I don't know if they ever would have told me more if I hadn't walked in on them in the bathroom that day. I felt like a creeper instead of someone who just needed to pee as I witnessed Quinn sobbing in Berry's arms, the diva whispering quietly and kissing all over Q's face. It was most intimate thing I've ever witnessed between two people.
"She never gave up on me." Q was never big into explaining the relationship. But the way she breathed those words with such wonder, I admit I never asked for more. I understood. Quinn had given up what she believed in her head for what she believed in her heart. And she did it for one Rachel Berry. And for a few weeks, they were happy.
It wasn't long after that Quinn's father found out. At first, I had never seen someone more determined than Berry. She held her head high and would declare her love of Quinn to anyone who would listen. This time there were grandiose musical numbers and hand holding and public cuddling. She told me in confidence that the way Quinn's kisses made her knees weak assured that that would mostly be happening in private.
Slowly, Quinn's father began to become more and more unhinged. Violent threats were made against the Berry men. Taunting phone calls came in night after night. Even Rachel's fathers no longer wanted to see them together. Enemy lines were drawn. Q and Berry kept their distance in the hallways under watchful eyes and it became the unofficial job of B and myself to help them see each other. The second their hands would touch in those brief moments was heartbreaking. It was as if their lifelines had been restored. Color returned to faces, breathing became easier. Now it was my turn to hold my sobbing friend as B would sneak Berry back out. This feeling I understood as well. We never spoke during these times. I just did my best to hold my friend's breaking pieces together for a little longer.
"You should just run away together." It was Brittany's idea really, though I'll never speak of that to anyone ever again. I don't want her to ever connect those dots, she should never carry that burden. Everyone chuckled as they always did when B made these suggestions but I could see the wheels turning even then. The plan was formed and it was strange how simple it actually was. I expected costumes and production and espionage. Instead it was almost clichéd: stones on Quinn's window the night after graduation and B and I would wait at the car to drive them as far as we could before morning light and we were expected home. There were no twists and turns, nothing to get hung up on. Q and Berry started smiling once again. They never took their eyes off each other as they received their diplomas. Even Finn seemed to feel the crackling of energy between the two of them. There was promise of a future. I felt happier than I had in a long time. As the caps flew up in the air and everyone stood, I even caught the two of them sneak in a kiss, fingers interlocked tightly, a hidden middle finger to both families sitting in the stands.
That's my last clear memory. From there the details get fuzzy as if someone hit fast forward on my memories. Apparently Quinn's sister came home for a surprise visit to celebrate. She heard the clicking of the stones on the window. It wasn't Quinn quietly sneaking out that met us outside but the entire family, Mr. Fabray leading the charge. I still couldn't tell you what he was screaming, only that his face was red and his veins throbbing. Mrs. Fabray looked scared by the outpouring of anger but she still stood by her husband. I felt B's hands on my back as she tried to pull us closer together. And Rachel, foolish Rachel, came running around the side of the house right in front of Quinn's father. She looked strong and regal. She looked taller than I had ever seen her. She was the only one not yelling as she silently stared Mr. Fabray down.
The world slowed. Everyone got quiet. I thought, for one brief second, that we were really going to make it. But as Rachel turned her back to the man and walked towards the car, I think the rest of us saw the gun at the same time. Everyone was screaming again only this time there were no words. It was wild and raw. B's hands were gone from my back as she curled up into herself. I was clutching at her, trying to hide us behind the car when the shot rang out. I turned back to the scene to see Quinn standing in front of Rachel before collapsing back into the diva's arms.
Everything happened at once. The lights were too bright and the darkness overwhelming. The noises were so loud my eardrums felt like they were going to explode. The silence was deafening. Someone was sobbing. It could have been me. There was blood all over Q and Berry. It pooled on the ground. I made it to their side in time to hear Quinn's whisper, "Your love was worth it."
The life drained out of both of them in that moment.
Someone was still screaming. It could have been me.
Silent tears were still streaming down Berry's face when she gently rested Q on the ground. There was an emptiness in her face that scared me. She walked into the Fabray garage and returned with what looked like a container of gasoline. No one made one move to stop her. Judging from frozen expression, Mrs. Fabray was in shock. Mr. Fabray held the gun as if he wanted to shoot himself. No one made a move to stop him either.
Berry doused the front door with liquid and lit a match easier than I would have expected from a good girl like her. Watching the flames catch most stood frozen, broken, as we waited for the sirens. Only Berry moved, her eyes catching mine. In them I saw the loss of a love most people never are lucky enough to find and hold onto. In them I saw she would never be the same again.