I am starting to appreciate one-shots! I hope you guys don't mind. Of course, I'm also working on City Love (haha not even), so hang tight?
The dim lights of the dance hall, coupled with the loud, pounding bass of the stereo brought Rachel back from her musical stupor. She held a cup filled with punch in her hand while she watched the crowd sway and pump their fists in time with the song.
"Hey Rachel!" Kurt screamed from the far end of the dance floor. He was dragging Blaine Warbler with him, both wearing matching grins as they approached her. "Why aren't you dancing?"
"For starters, I'm exhausted," the diva smiled refilling her cup with more fruit drink. "And besides, no one asked me."
Kurt grinned at this, so he looped his arms around Rachel's, and along with Blaine, he dragged the pair into the throng of people. "Kurt Hummel, what are you doing?" Rachel shrieked, her laughter cancelling out the supposedly annoyed expression on her face. Blaine merely chuckled at his boyfriend's antics and took one of Rachel's hands in his.
"We're triangle-dancing, what else?" Kurt replied, as he swayed with his friend and boyfriend. It wasn't a slow song, so they looked rather foolish in their smooth movements and well-calculated footwork. But despite this, they wore mock-serious expressions as the trio danced.
Rachel looked around the room. She was self-centered half the time—okay, most of the time—and she knew that. But there was always something about prom night that could change a perspective of a person, even if it's just for one night. Her watchful eye landed on a beautiful gardenia with a light green ribbon, wrapped around a slender wrist. It matched a certain pair of eyes, and immediately, Rachel felt her lungs constrict.
"Excuse me Kurt, Blaine," Rachel huffed, pulling her hands away from the two confused boys, and walking away from the crowd. She did not notice the way Kurt and Blaine followed her with her eyes as she disappeared through the doors and into the hallways of William McKinley High School. The music was muffled, but the silence it allowed was enough.
The gardenia that she recommended to Finn was designed for Quinn, and Rachel knew this. But the fact that she was specific, down to the ribbon and the flower name? Rachel was absolutely shocked that no one called her out on it yet.
She fluffed her pink dress and allowed herself to breathe. Her feelings can reside in the back-burner for now. She gathered herself and re-entered the dance hall once more.
Up on the stage, she watched Noah, Sam and Artie finish singing Friday. She enjoyed their version compared to the immensely auto-tuned original, so she clapped along with the rest of the crowd. Rachel beamed at her fellow glee members as she took a seat on one of the many unoccupied chairs. Her eyes wandered across the dance floor once again. Or more specifically, on one girl, wearing a light blue gown, swaying with trained grace with a tall monkey. Rachel scowled at this.
"She deserves a prince, damn it…" She muttered, not entirely motivated to keep the fact to herself. After all, who is there to hear her?
"Who're you talking about?" A gruff voice asked from beside her. Noah was drinking off a hip flash while wiping the sweat that was gathering on his head. "Having fun, Jewbabe?"
"You could say that," Rachel smiled. "Nice song choice, by the way."
"Sam picked it," Puck said, chuckling. He offered the flask to Rachel who eyed it warily. "Don't worry its mango juice."
Rachel shot back a gulp, only to choke the instant the alcohol fizzed against her throat. "Noah! That had vodka in it!"
"Still has mango juice," he shrugged. "What's got you all troubled and not dancing your cute little butt in center stage, huh? And where are your non-dates?"
Rachel mumbled something almost incoherent, but Puck heard. "Ah. Queen Fabray. Always the heartbreaker, isn't she?" He patted Rachel's bare shoulder before grunting as he stood up. "You can dance, right babe?"
"Yes?" Rachel answered with a confused look.
"So can Quinn."
"What's your point, Noah?"
"Finn can't." Puck said as if it was the answer to all of Rachel's problems.
He threw her a salacious wink over his shoulder before leaving to find Lauren Zizes. Rachel sat, now alone, wondering what on earth her Jewbro was insinuating.
A spark of a flame ignited within her mind. Her photographic memory was always the best, so she recalled a certain thing—a certain setlist for the night. She gathered up her dress before rushing up to Tina, Mike and Brittany who were taking a break from the dancing, their faces flushed and their breathing ragged.
"Tina, will you be singing backup for Blaine and his song?" Rachel asked in a flurry of movement, her chest thrumming with her plans. If she can help it, she would make a PowerPoint presentation and at least three contingency plans, but time is of the essence.
"Yes, but why—"
"Will you be interested in trading places with me?" The high-strung brunette pleaded, clasping the Asian girl's hand with hers.
"You want to sing backup? Or more importantly, you're giving me your solo?" Tina asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"I just—" Rachel fiddled with the cheap white tablecloth. "Please just say yes."
Tina nodded and smiled with understanding. "Okay."
Rachel let out a repressed squeal that sounded oddly like a slaughtering pig and a tickled baby, as she wrapped her arms around Tina's neck. "Thank you!"
The search for Blaine was simple enough. Rachel approached him as he waited for Kurt who went to the bathroom. He lit up as soon as he saw Rachel and sat on the seat opposing him.
"Rachel!" He grinned. "How's your night coming along?"
"Rather well, thank you." She quipped with a playful haughty tone. "I… have a favour to ask of you, and I'm sure that it will make my night ultimate in its splendour."
Blaine lifted a thick brow. "Well then, whatever it is. I accept."
Blaine, accompanied with Rachel and Brittany, climbed up the stage with confident smiles on their faces. They each stood in front of a microphone before taking a deep breath.
"One!"
The crowd gathered.
"Two!"
The music began to pick up in volume.
"Three!"
The electric piano made its lively appearance.
"One, two, three, four!"
The intro riffs of the song filled the room and the students all began to cheer and jump up and down. Blaine stepped in front of the stage before spinning around, and instead, Rachel took his place to the lip of the stage.
"You are the girl!" Rachel sang, bouncing on her heels with the crowd. "That I've been dreaming of, ever since I was a little girl."
"You are the girl," Rachel glanced back at Blaine who was nodding his head, an encouraging grin plastered across his face as he danced with Brittany. "That I've been dreaming of, ever since I was a little girl!"
"One!" Blaine and Brittany yelled.
"I'm bitin' my tongue!"
"Two!"
"He's kissin' on you!" Rachel frowned a little at this.
"Three!"
"Oh why can't you see?"
"One, two, three, four!"
Blaine came up beside Rachel and they began to dance and sing with one another. "The word's on the streets and it's on the news, I'm not gonna teach him—" they both pointed at Finn, who looked like a lost child with a constipated expression. "…how to dance with you!" They pointed at Quinn, who was watching them with an almost-amused expression adorning her face.
Rachel can't help but think that she is the prettiest girl she's ever met.
"He's got two left feet and he bites her moves," Blaine danced around Rachel while she playfully rolled her eyes.
"I'm not gonna teach him how to dance, dance, dance, dance!"
Once the song was over, Rachel, Blaine and Brittany hopped off the stage, only to find a certain queen waiting for them at the foot of the steps. She cradles her arms in front of her chest, her heels clicking against the wooden floor.
"Oh snap," Rachel heard Blaine mutter behind her. She felt him nudge her towards Quinn who was still waiting with a raised brow, as he and Brittany went back to their friends.
"Quinn! You look lovely!" Rachel squeaked, slowly burning a bright shade of red in the face as Quinn took confident steps towards her. The brunette felt the need to back off, that is, until her back met the cold wall.
"I'm sure you think that," Quinn drawled, her fingers dancing along the ribbon of the corsage around her wrist. "After all, you did pick this one out for me, didn't you?"
Rachel stood, shell-shocked. "I beg your pardon?"
"What did you tell Finn again?" Quinn asked, but Rachel had a feeling that the girl before her knew already, what with the devilish smirk that was making her lips seem so kissable. "You do not want to do anything that's going to distract from my face," Quinn was a hair's breadth away from Rachel, the toes of their heels were brushing against each other. "So ask for a gardenia with a light green ribbon wrapped around it to match my eyes."
Rachel gulped, wondering how Quinn practically recited her words, as if she memorized it by heart.
"Did Finn tell you this?" Rachel asked softly, mentally preparing herself for the onslaught of terrorizing insults that will follow.
"Oh, no!" Quinn laughed. It wasn't mirthless; in fact, it was a real chuckle that it almost threw Rachel off her feet. "He stole your idea. Didn't even bother to quote you on it." She sucked her teeth and sighed.
"Where is Finn anyway?"
"Got into a petty fight with Jesse," Quinn shrugged it off as if it wasn't a big deal. "Honestly, I was getting tired of him and his obsession with you."
Rachel's eyes widened at this. She was about to say something but the loud rip of the electric guitar sounded above their heads. Saying nothing, Quinn grabbed her hand, leading her out into the hallway, where it was almost peaceful, if not for the thrumming of Rachel's brainwaves.
"Quinn?"
"I'm not going to be prom queen." The blonde blurted out so suddenly, that Rachel's eyes shot up from the floor to the girl before her.
"Why not?" Rachel demanded. "Quinn Fabray, your lack of confidence is not going to waste my vote, do you hear me?"
"You voted for me?"
Rachel blinked, catching her lip in between her teeth when what she said finally dawned on her. "I…"
"Yes or no, Rachel."
"Yes," she muttered.
"Why?" Quinn asked; a long lost tenderness was recovered in her voice. Rachel felt the hummingbird in her chest vibrate into a more violent rhythm as the blonde girl walked towards her, heels clicking against the cold linoleum floor. "Why did you vote for me?"
"Because you want to be the prom queen," Rachel said. It was so simple, her reply, so childlike. "And you are the prettiest girl in this school, and possibly in all of Ohio."
Quinn nodded, looking at Rachel with that melancholic tint in her tearful hazel eyes. "You're the only one who—"
She choked on her words. Quinn Fabray's words snagged against her throat, and Rachel felt herself leaning in, as if gravitated by some well-known force. A force that she rather not label at the moment, because there are more pressing matters to attend to.
Namely, the constant stream of Quinn's tears.
Rachel reached into the pocket of her dress. The silk handkerchief was produced, and in an instant, she was standing in front of Quinn, offering her services—herself. "Here, can I?"
Quinn leaned in and Rachel ignored the soaring in her chest and the constant thoughts that coursed through her head. She dabbed lightly, not wanting to ruin the makeup on the blonde's face. "You have nothing to worry about, Quinn." Rachel whispered, her voice felt thick against the roof of her mouth. "You're the prettiest girl I've ever met, but…" She hesitated, but the shimmering brilliance of Quinn's eyes pressed the mental play button in Rachel. "…you're a lot more than that."
"Thank you Rachel," the girl in the blue dress muttered hoarsely.
"You're welcome, Quinn. Would you like to go back in now?"
"Hold on," she said, pulling the smaller girl closer to her. Abdomens pressed against one another, and Rachel knew she was gone. Poof. Vanished. She can no longer resist the temptation that's been blooming inside her spleen since the night began. Her palms found the back of Quinn's neck, and arms wrapped around Rachel's waist.
"What are you doing, Quinn?" Rachel hushed. The distant echo of the dance music was unheard by them. What else existed, neither knew.
"I don't need Finn."
"You don't," she agreed.
"I don't want him."
"Who do you want, Quinn?"
Quinn's breath hit Rachel's cheek. "I want a lot of things, Rachel." She said, and Rachel heard the underlying bitterness that lingered on her lips. Quinn gasped, but Rachel pressed harder, wanting more. Needing more. The warmth seeped in through pores and skin, until Quinn pulled away.
"Like that," she sighed. "I've always wanted that."
"Good," Rachel sighed as well. They were nothing but a pair of breathless teenagers, finally grabbing what was under their noses, within their hearts since all this time. "I can give you all that you want."
"I know," Quinn said, smiling now. She interlaced her fingers with Rachel, and she pulled her into the dance hall.
Quinn didn't win prom queen that night. She was disappointed of course, but not as much as Rachel, who clapped for Kurt but was mumbling incoherencies that held the words 'blind as bats' and 'miscreants' under her breath. Quinn rolled her eyes and brushed her lips against their interlocked hands, and immediately Rachel calmed down.
By the end of the night, Rachel no longer worried about Finn and his grubby, ragged knuckles roaming all over Quinn's body like the impatient teenage boy that he is, while he stepped all over Quinn's perfect toes. No, of course not.
Not when she has the girl in her hands, swaying along with Blaine and Kurt beside them, with all the glory that being prom royalty could provide.
Oh look! I forced in a Blaine/Rachel duet! Don't hate me because I love how they sound together :P!
