A/N: This is my take on the Lucy storyline. This first chapter is a little bit shorter than the other chapters will be and it's kind of just an introduction.
Feedback is greatly appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of it's characters.
Rachel did her best to push her way through the crowd that had gathered in the hallway. Her chemistry class was about to begin in two minutes and Rachel Berry was never late.
She'd be lying if she said she was surprised to see Quinn standing in the center of the crowd. Rachel rolled her eyes, assuming Quinn was involved in yet another verbal confrontation with Finn and had attracted the attention of the gossipmongers that attended McKinley.
Upon coming closer, she was surprised and a little relieved to see that Quinn was standing in front of the bulletin board alone. Rachel furrowed her brow when she saw how horrified the normally confident girl looked. The next thing she knew, Quinn had ripped some poster off the bulletin board before she took off running down the hallway.
"How sweet it is to watch the queen fall."
Rachel jumped at the unexpected voice. "Lauren? What's going on?"
Lauren smiled, obviously pleased with herself. "Let's just say I've successfully secured my rightful spot as prom queen."
Rachel rolled her eyes. Of course this had to do with prom. She was beginning to think that nothing else mattered to the other girls at their school. "You ladies should put all of the energy you're expending for that worthless crown into getting ready for nationals."
It was now Lauren's turn to roll her eyes and glanced around the hallway, hoping to find a more suitable person to celebrate with. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."
Rachel sighed heavily at Lauren's indifference. Why was she even still in the glee club? With Kurt back, her bad attitude and lackluster singing and dancing skills were no longer necessary.
Out of curiosity, Rachel bent down and picked up the crumpled poster, wondering what Lauren could have possibly done to get Quinn so upset. She was expecting it to have something to do with Quinn's apparent inability to remain faithful. Or even something to do with Beth.
But the image she saw on the poster took her breath away. Her stomach twisted into knots as she attempted to process what she was seeing. She stared at the poster, almost as if she expected it to explain everything to her.
"Lucy," she whispered before turning to Lauren expectantly. "Is she here? Does Quinn...does she know her?"
Lauren raised her brow at Rachel's obliviousness, and if she cared just a little a bit, she might have questioned why Rachel was so upset by what she saw. "Are you blind? Take a closer look at that poster. "
Rachel stared at the poster and she could barely catch her breath as the realization washed over her. How had she not noticed this before? That smile. Those eyes. They were so familiar. She didn't bother saying anything more to Lauren, choosing to make her way down the hallway towards the parking lot, where she assumed Quinn had been headed.
Once she was outside, it didn't take her long to find the familiar red two-door. Taking a deep breath, she hesitantly knocked. She sighed a little when Quinn didn't even bother looking up. Feeling bold, she grabbed the handle and let herself in the unlocked car.
"Get out of here, Berry." Quinn did nothing to hide the fact that she'd been crying. When Rachel didn't follow her instructions, she repeated herself. "I said, get out."
Rachel swallowed hard. "You...you're Lucy."
Quinn's head shot up from where it had been resting on the steering wheel and her bloodshot eyes met Rachel's confused stare. Rachel learning the truth had been her biggest fear when she first saw the poster. She knew there was no way out of this. Rachel knew she was Lucy and soon everyone would know the secret she'd worked so hard to cover up.
The silence in the car was deafening, unable to stand it any longer, Rachel finally spoke. "Why didn't you tell me the truth? We see each other every day for three years and you never acknowledged what we-"
"There's nothing to acknowledge," Quinn snapped, cutting Rachel off before she could finish.
"Lucy, please."
"My name is not Lucy, it's Quinn.
Tears stung Rachel's eyes as she tried to figure out how someone she'd shared so much with could have treated her the way Quinn had been treating her for the last three years. The slushies. The horrid nicknames. The hateful drawings.
Feeling desperate to get Rachel out of her car before she was forced to explain herself, Quinn opted for a familiar insult. "Get the hell out of my car, Man Hands."
Rachel took a deep breath and straightened her skirt before opening the door. "You're right. You aren't Lucy. Lucy would have never done half the things you've done. Lucy was an honest, sweet person. She was better than all of that."
Quinn jumped when Rachel got up and slammed the car door shut, and she watched her disappear back into the school. This wasn't the way she wanted things to be. Words couldn't describe how excited she was to see Rachel on her first day at McKinley High.
Quinn took a deep breath as she walked through the double doors of William McKinley High School. This was the start of a brand new life. Her jagged nose was gone. There was soft skin where painful, pus filled zits once were. Her frizzy brown hair had been replaced with silky smooth blonde locks. She would never be Lucy Caboosey again.
She watched as the unfamiliar faces gawked at her beauty. The beauty she'd worked so hard for. The beauty she'd lost herself for. She smiled and walked with her head held high, as opposed to staring at the floor like she used to.
Her heat skipped a beat when she saw a familiar brunette. Her fake smile quickly became genuine as she walked over to the girl.
"Rachel," she said, staring expectantly at the other girl.
Rachel looked startled. "Oh. Hello. I don't believe we've met. I'm Rachel Berry, but you seem to know that already. And you are?"
"I...it's me...don't you remember me?"
Rachel pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I don't. Perhaps you have the wrong person?"
Quinn swallowed hard as she tried to maintain her composure. She reminded herself that she wasn't Lucy anymore. Lucy was gone. She'd been replaced with someone who refused to let anyone walk all over her. Lucy obviously wasn't worth remembering to Rachel. She'd make sure Quinn was memorable.
"Right. Of course. I've clearly got the wrong person. The person I'm looking for certainly doesn't have man hands." With that Quinn turned on her heel and walked down the hall, leaving whatever it was that they'd had behind her.
Quinn took a shaky breath as she did her best to calm herself down. Lucy probably wouldn't have been able to handle this kind of humiliation, but she was Quinn and Quinn could handle anything. Or so she thought.