Title: Nobody Makes Brittany Cry
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Rachel, Brittany/Santana, Sue, Kurt, Mercedes, Artie, Tina, Karofsky, Figgins
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Karofsky breaks a cardinal rule at McKinley.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~6,000
Spoilers: None.
A/N: For this prompt on the Fluff Meme. Though it turned out a little less fluffy than intended. Also, unoriginal title is unoriginal.
2nd A/N:Unbeta'ed, so all mistakes are mine.
Rachel is running late. She stopped by Mr. Schue's office to discuss her latest genius song idea for regionals. Unfortunately, like usual, the man refused to embrace Rachel's brilliance and they got into an intense argument. Lasting nearly ten minutes, it had to be put on hold when Rachel noticed the time and rushed to her locker. She curses her poor planning skills. She should have grabbed her books before going to see Mr. Schue and then she could have gone straight to class from his office. And really after all this time, Rachel knows she should have expected resistance from their glee advisor. The graph she made of the reactions to her ideas places Mr. Schue's acceptance at only 13.7%.
She's almost to her locker when she notices a small crowd in the hallway. Usually this means a fight of some sort, but she doesn't hear the usual cheering or the chaotic noises of a fight.
Being Rachel Berry, she moves to investigate.
Only to be hit by a walk by slushie. It happens so fast, she doesn't even see who it is. At least she managed to get her eyes closed in time. The sting of the syrup always makes it difficult to maneuver afterwards. She pulls a handkerchief out and wipes her face.
Instead of investigating the antics of the crowd, she turns towards her locker for her extra set of clothes. But then she hears a sound that she hates to hear, a sound that no one in glee likes to hear. It's Brittany crying.
Determined, she changes direction again and pushes her way through the spectators. There, encircled by at least thirty students, is Dave Karofsky and Brittany.
The hockey player has a cruel sneer on his face as he laughs at the crying blonde. Her books are scattered on the floor, but Brittany is just standing there crying as Karofsky continues to spew hateful words at her.
"…keep crying you fucking retard. No one really likes you anyway. The only reason they put up with your bat shit insanity is because of that stupid bitch. That and you're a good fuck. We all laugh at you behind your back. And she only keeps you around because you make her look smart."
"Excuse me," Rachel interrupts.
Surprisingly, no one had noticed Rachel easing her way into the circle. The hallway becomes silent as Karofsky and everyone turns to Rachel.
"What the hell do you want, Man Hands?" Karofsky growls.
"You are a first class jerk, Dave Karofsky," Rachel begins. "Not only has Brittany done nothing to incur your wrath, but the use of the word retard is offense, derogatory and cruel. I would have hoped that your parents would have instilled better values in you. That isn't how you should treat your fellow human beings. I'm going to have to ask you to step away and leave Brittany alone."
Karofsky just stares at her for a moment before he bursts out laughing.
"In your dreams, freak," he says finally. "Move along, or that slushie won't be the only thing that'll happen to you today."
Rachel's eyes narrow. "Just to be clear," she says. "You are in fact ignoring my request to leave Brittany alone?"
"That's right, I am," Karofsky sneers. "And since you can't seem to take a hint, I might get my boys to slushie you again."
It happens so fast, no one's entirely sure what happens. One minute they're watching Dave Karofsky face off with Rachel Berry, the next all they can see is a blur of argyle and brown hair as Rachel Berry takes down Dave Karofsky. It isn't long before the hockey player is on the ground, curled in a ball with the diva pounding on him, ignoring his pleas to stop.
"Break it up, month breathers," Sue Sylvester's voice shouts over the crowd.
The circle loosens, but they don't disperse. Sue pushes her way through the teenagers to investigate what is so captivating.
Inside, she finds the glee midget kicking one of the hockey players in the ribs, while her best Cheerio watches. Sue then notices the tears staining the girl's face and approaches her.
"What's going on?" Sue demands.
"Karofsky was mean," Brittany tells her. "Rachel's stopping him."
Sue nods and watches. But when the brunette starts to draw an intense amount of blood, Sue decides to stop it. She calmly walks up to Rachel and grabs her arms, pulling her away.
Not immediately realizing who it is, Rachel struggles to continue her assault.
"Calm down, Berry. That's enough."
Recognizing the voice, Rachel stops struggling. When Sue releases her, the brunette turns to face her.
"It's not enough, Coach Sylvester," Rachel tells her. "He broke a cardinal rule."
Glancing over at the whimpering hockey player, Sue grins. "Oh? And what rule is that?"
"Nobody makes Brittany cry," Rachel replies. She turns to see her handy work. "Still, I suppose that's enough for now." She brushes herself off a moment and then turns to Brittany. "I'm going to go clean up. Would you care to join me, Brittany?"
The blonde nods. Rachel takes her hand and the two stroll to the bathroom.
Sue stands over the hockey player, shaking her head. "Stand up, you pathetic lump. The little freak's right. Be glad Santana's not here today or I'd be calling 911. You can get your own pitiful ass to the nurse's. Of course we don't happen to employ one at the moment, but feel free to ice your ego."
Sue turns and leaves him curled up in the hallway.
…
"I'm sorry he hurt your feelings, Brittany," Rachel says as wipes the now dried slushie off herself.
"It's okay," Brittany replies. "Seeing you beat him up almost made up for it."
Rachel smiles. "You know what we should do?" she asks. "Go to the park."
"I can't," Brittany says. "I have Cheerio's practice after school."
"I don't mean after school," Rachel replies. "I meant right now."
"But what about class? I thought you had a perfect attendance record."
"I do," Rachel agrees. "But Julliard isn't going to care that I skipped one day. Besides, it's such a perfect day out, it seems a shame to waste it."
"Okay," Brittany says, clapping.
…
Santana Lopez strolls into McKinley just as the ending bell for second period rings. She goes to Brittany's locker first, because she doesn't really need any books for third period Spanish. She only takes the class because it's either that or German, which she most definitely won't even consider.
She stands by the locker for a full two minutes before the weirdness starts to get to her. Everyone who walks by is giving her strange looks. Instead of the usual avoidance glances of fear or half lidded looks of respect, their expressions tell her she definitely missed something.
When the warning bell rings with no Brittany, Santana just shrugs and heads to class. However, she doesn't get more than a few steps before Coach Sylvester blocks her path.
"Lopez," she says. "We should talk."
Santana follows Coach Sylvester to her office because Cheerios do not question her orders. Still, she sits in tense silence for several minutes before the coach speaks.
"And where were you this morning?"
"Doctor's appointment."
The coach nods a moment before beginning the process of making a smoothie. "I'm somewhat disappointed in you Lopez," Sue says. "I was under the impression that you were the biggest bitch in this school, aside from myself, of course."
Santana's eyes narrow. No one questions her bitch status, not even Coach Sylvester. Still, the woman never does things without reasons. "I've given you reason to doubt that?"
"It seems," Sue answers. "That your powers only work when you're present. You've let me down. If one wants to truly rule, one must instill fear that's felt long after one has vacated. Work on it. Or else." Sue sips her now finished smoothie. "Dismissed."
Confused, Santana stands and exits the office. She doesn't bother going to class. Schuester won't punish her. She needs to figure out what the hell Coach is insinuating.
Pulling out her phone, she texts Brittany, hoping she can explain. But after five minutes pass without a reply, she gives up and goes in search of someone else who might know.
…
After Rachel changes into her extra set of clothes, they head for the park. It truly is a beautiful day out. They walk to the pond, sit and watch the ducks.
They've been sitting there for a few minutes when a pair of ducks walk up.
"We should have stopped and bought something to feed them," Rachel says.
"Don't worry, Rachel," Brittany replies. "I brought some bread with." And she pulls a loaf of bread.
Rachel laughs. "Of course you did."
Once they feed the pair of ducks, more start to appear. One by one they waddle up the bank, quaking loudly. Both Brittany and Rachel giggle as they're soon surrounded by ducks.
"What happens when you run out of bread?" Rachel asks.
"They'll stop quaking so much."
"But they won't attack us or anything will they?" Rachel questions, nervously.
"They wouldn't do that, silly," Brittany giggles. "They're my friends. How come you're afraid of ducks, even though you kicked Karofsky's ass?"
"Because I care what happens to these ducks," Rachel replies. "Especially if they're your friends."
"But you're my friend too, Rach," Brittany says. "They won't hurt you."
…
Santana is getting extremely frustrated. Not only has she still not heard from Brittany, no one will tell her what happened before third period. Assuring them she won't hurt the messenger, doesn't help. They still scurry away trembling.
The day is nearly over and Santana still has no idea what Coach was talking about. She also hasn't seen Brittany all day, nor has the blonde responded to any of her texts or voicemails. She's beginning to become worried. She goes over everything she's done in the last twenty-four hours trying to figure out how she might have pissed off her girlfriend. Nothing springs to mind.
…
During lunch, Sue is called into Figgins' office. She doesn't sit when offered.
"Sue, it has come to my attention that one of our students, hockey captain, Dave Karofsky has been severely beaten."
"Are you sure he didn't just trip?" Sue asks. "Those hockey players do fine on the ice, but otherwise, they're just useless cattle."
"That might be true," Figgins agrees. "But his injuries, according to the ER, are consistent with those of someone who's been attacked."
"As fascinating as this isn't," Sue says. "What does this have to do with me?"
"The whispers in the hallway are that you broke up the fight."
"I have no recollection of that," Sue tells him.
"Sue, this is serious," Figgins says. "I will not be slapped with a law suit because the culprit wasn't properly disciplined."
"That's fine. You know I'm all for punishment," Sue agrees. "But as I said before, I can't help you. Why don't you just ask him?"
"I can't get near him. They're keeping him over night. He has a concussion, a cracked scapula, a busted blood vessel in his right eye, cartilage damage in his right knee, three broken ribs, two broken fingers and received forty-one stitches."
"Sounds like the hockey team's hazing ritual to me."
"It's the middle of the school year," Figgins points out. "And Karofsky is a junior, who's been on the team three years. What he need to be hazed about?"
"Don't expect me to understand the inner workings of a hockey player's pea sized cranium. I haven't suffered any blows to the head."
Seeing no other options, Figgins attempts to out stare Sue, but after a full five minutes, he gives up.
"Fine," Figgins sighs. "But I'm holding you responsible if it turns ugly."
"Whatever you say."
…
After the park, Brittany drags Rachel to the zoo. They mostly wander as Rachel follows Brittany around, showing the diva all her favorite animals. The infectiousness of the blonde's laugh allows Rachel to forget about all the classes she's currently skipping. Because even though she'd willingly cut for Brittany, it still weighs a bit on her mind. But watching Brittany try to get the elephant to take a peanut by explaining its nutritional value, even though he's a good ten feet away, makes a pretty good day.
…
When Brittany doesn't show up at practice that afternoon, Santana finally loses it and grabs a freshman Cheerio.
"All right, so here's the deal," Santana says, holding the girl up by the collar of her uniform. "I know something happened this morning, but no one will tell me. So it's your job to inform me or point in the direction of someone who knows. And if that person doesn't know? I will make you do a hundred suicides every day for the rest of the school year. Are we clear?"
The terrified girl nods. "This morning, before school? Karofsky was picking on Brittany. She was crying. Someone stopped him."
"Does this someone have a name?" Santana growls.
"I don't know her name," the freshman quivers. "I swear."
"Her?" Quinn is the first name that springs to mind. "How'd she stop him?"
"I heard he has to stay overnight at the hospital."
That crosses Q off the list. She might be a colossal bitch; an even bigger bitch than Santana, but she rarely got physical. She had others do her dirty work.
"Chill out, Lopez," one of the seniors says. "It was one of your gleek freaks who stopped him. The midget. Leave the kid alone before she has a heart attack. Or worse, you break something."
Santana lets her go and the freshman crumples to the ground, whimpering. Rachel Berry. Rachel fucking Berry put Karofsky in the hospital. Defending Brittany.
Before she can do anything else, the shrill whistle of Coach Sylvester can be heard as she screams at them through her bullhorn. Not wanting to incur anymore of the coach's wrath, Santana joins the others.
…
Brittany realizes after she drops Rachel off that she left her cell at school. She decides to stop by Santana's instead of calling. She knows her girlfriend is probably worried about her. Brittany's been waiting for Santana to call her all day; now she knows why she hasn't.
Santana's little brother answers the door. Brittany tousles his hair as she enters and heads up to Santana's room
"Where the hell have you been all day?" Santana greets her.
"I was with Rachel," Brittany tells her. "We went to the park and the zoo."
"Well why didn't you answer you cell?"
"I forgot it in my locker again."
Santana pulls Brittany onto the bed and wraps her arms around her. "I was just worried about you."
"I'm sorry I made you worry," Brittany says. "I was just having such a nice day."
"Good. I'm glad.
"And you don't have to worry about Karofsky, either, S. Rachel took care of him for me."
"Yeah, I heard that."
"It was awesome."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"You want to stay for dinner?"
"Of course," Brittany replies. "Your mom won't mind?"
"Doesn't matter," Santana says. "I was thinking we should just eat dinner in my room."
"Aw, did my Santana miss her noon make out session?"
"Hell yeah, I did."
…
The next morning, Rachel runs into Brittany in the school parking lot.
"Hi Rachel."
"Good morning, Brittany," Rachel replies. "You're very chipper today."
"I stopped by Santana's after I dropped you off yesterday," Brittany explains. "We had a sleepover."
"That sounds nice."
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"I left my cell phone in my locker again. That's why Santana never called me yesterday."
"That makes sense," Rachel says. "I knew she'd call once she heard what happened."
"I gotta go talk to Coach before first period," Brittany informs Rachel. "But I'll see you later?"
"You certainly will."
Rachel walks apprehensively to her locker. She's expecting retribution for taking down Karofsky the day before. She can only hope it doesn't involve more than three slushie attacks in one day. She only brought three sets of extra clothes.
She's just about to her locker when someone grabs the back of her sweater and yanks her into an empty classroom.
…
Santana can't believe she's actively seeking out Rachel Berry. She owes the girl big time for yesterday and normally, she would only do so if she happened to remember. But this is about Brittany. Besides, the diva has earned Santana's respect. And that doesn't happen too often.
Seeing Rachel scurry down the hall to her locker, Santana figures this conversation doesn't need to happen around anyone else. So just as Rachel is walking by, Santana's arm shoots out and drags her into an empty classroom.
The diva is panicking a bit at the abrupt move.
"Relax, Berry, it's just me."
Rachel stops struggling and turns around slowly, but doesn't seem any more relaxed.
"Santana, I'm sorry, Brittany didn't answer her cell yesterday," Rachel protests. "But she forgot it in her locker. If I'd known you were trying to get a hold of her, I would have lent her mine, I swear."
"I'm not mad at you, Berry," Santana sighs.
"Oh. Then why did you pull me in here?" Rachel asks.
"I wanted to thank you, for yesterday. For not only defending Britt, but for hanging with her the rest of the day."
"Of course," Rachel assures her. "Karofsky's a moronic jerk. It was my pleasure to put him in his place. Temporarily, at least."
Santana smirks. "I've been wanting to "put him in his place" for a while now, I've just never had a good enough reason."
"Well, as I told Coach Sylvester, he broke the cardinal rule."
"What's that?"
"Don't make Brittany cry."
"Damn straight, Berry," Santana says. "Wait a minute. Coach Sylvester?"
"Oh yes," Rachel answers. "She was the one who pulled me off that oaf. Otherwise, he'd be in a great deal more pain."
"Jesus, Berry, you already crippled the guy."
"Temporarily, at most. I sometimes get a tad too zealous when I lose my temper."
"No shit, Berry," Santana says. "You might be a midget, but you still pack a hell of a wallop."
"Why thank you, Santana. Does this mean you'll stop with the cruel nicknames?"
"As long as I don't have to be nice to you," Santana replies.
"I wouldn't expect that, Santana. But not being addressed as Man Hands or Stubbles would be lovely."
"That I can do, Berry."
"Excellent," Rachel says. "Well, if you don't have anything else, do you mind if I exit? I do have things to do."
"After you, Berry," Santana says, opening the door.
…
"You wanted to see me, Coach?" Brittany says, entering Sue's office.
"I did indeed," Sue says. "Have a seat."
Brittany does.
"I just wanted to make sure you were doing all right after yesterday's…incident."
"Oh yeah, seeing Rachel kick Karofsky's ass was awesome. And then we went to the park and the zoo."
Sue smiles. "Good. Good. No other issues?"
Brittany shakes her head. "Nope."
"You skipped all your classes yesterday," Sue says.
Brittany nods. "I did."
"You spent all day with Berry?"
"Yeah. And Rachel never skips."
"So I've heard." Sue examines Brittany for a moment, before dismissing her. Sue believes in protecting those who "serve" her and so it is of the upmost importance that all her Cheerios be relatively content. Most of the girls follow the blonde's lead on the field, so Sue wants to be certain that nothing will interfere with Brittany's concentration.
With that issue squared away, Sue returns to planning her routine for Nationals.
…
It's been a week since Rachel's been slushied and she's starting to get paranoid. Usually when the bullying slows down, it's building up to something bigger and crueler. Rachel learned that the hard way last year when she'd slushed over ten times in one day. So she's concerned that something huge is headed her way.
Still, she keeps her head down and goes about her day. Though, she's now getting acknowledgement in the hallway from both Santana and Brittany, so that's something at least. In fact, Rachel finds herself walking between the pair more times than not. Sure, they're talking about things that Rachel has no interest in half the time, but Brittany still tries to include Rachel anyway. That effort alone is enough to make her smile.
Glee is a bit better as well. Sure, Santana still rolls her eyes at 90% of what Rachel says. But the diva notices that Santana rolls her eyes at least 75% of the time in general. She even makes a comparison chart to double check her theory.
Of course, she accidently mentions this chart during an argument with the Latina. It results in over two minutes of laughter from Santana and being tackled in a hug by a giggling Brittany. She knows she's in for mockery on the subject for weeks to come, but it's almost worth it because she at least wins the disagreement.
…
Rachel isn't sure how it happens exactly, but it's become a weekly ritual for her to visit the ducks at the park with Brittany. She's not complaining. Brittany's enthusiasm is definitely contagious. And people are always saying she needs to take time to stop and smell the roses.
Besides, being friends with Brittany is so easy. It's impossible not to like the Cheerio and the blonde is accepting of most things Rachel Berry. She might not understand everything the diva rambles on about, but she tries. And for that, Rachel loves her.
Once in a while it will be Rachel, Brittany and Santana. And that, as well, isn't what she expected it to be. Apparently all Rachel had to do was severely injury someone to earn Santana's respect. If she'd only known, she would have kicked Karofsky's ass a long time ago. She owes him for being the first idiot to slushie her freshman year.
Rarely, it will be just Rachel and Santana. They don't usually interact without the blonde around, but the tense, stony silence is no longer there. It's now the quiet of two people who respect each other. Despite what people sometimes believe, Rachel can keep quiet if necessary. So even thought Santana says she respects the diva, Rachel doesn't want to risk the Latina changing her mind. Besides, Santana doesn't seem to mind when Rachel quietly sings, which she does constantly, so Rachel figures the least she can do is keep the conversation to a minimum.
…
The day Dave Karofsky returns to McKinley is the day that everyone realizes just how badly Rachel actually injured the hockey player. Even those who witnessed the incident for themselves never really believed it was that serious. It's Rachel Berry for god's sake.
The usually tall strutting hockey player now pathetically limps through the hallway with crutches. There's a freshman trailing behind him carrying his books. The halls don't part for him, but most people try to stay out of his way. He keeps his head down and his mouth shut.
Rachel, on the other hand, is given an extra large berth in the hallways, in class and even in the lunchroom. It isn't until she realizes that Karofsky is back, does she understand the reasoning.
She sees him at the end of the day. Standing at her locker, she watches him hobble along, looking feeble and sad. She almost feels sorry for him. Almost.
Rachel then sees Santana approach him, clapping him fiercely on the back. He jumps and when he sees who it is; the trembling starts. Rachel hopes Santana isn't going to hurt him too much. Hurting him now is like kicking a puppy; just not right. Santana, instead whispers something in his ear and Rachel watches the color drain from his face and the trembling become more pronounced. Having been on the receiving end of Santana's venom, she can only imagine the threat being given. But he brought it on himself.
The word in the halls is that Karofsky wanted to show everyone he wasn't afraid of Santana. Rachel considers him a real coward. It's easy to be tough and brave when the object of terror isn't on campus. And going after Brittany was just cruel and moronic.
Looking at him now, Rachel wonders briefly if she over reacted slightly. She doesn't regret it, though. He dug his own grave the minute he shoved Brittany against a locker and scattered her books.
…
With Karofsky back in school, there's a whole new sort of tension floating around the halls. Everywhere he goes, he gives off a sense of disgrace and worthlessness. Except for the poor freshman forced to carry his possessions, no one really talks to him.
Tina and Artie are the first ones to notice the shift, Artie in particular. People are actually opening doors open for him and not shoving him into walls. When the couple moves through the hall, people actually make room for Artie's wheelchair, instead of ignoring his existence.
When Kurt realizes it's been over two weeks since he's been tossed in a dumpster, he becomes curious as well. He mentions it to Mercedes, who agrees the hallways have been a lot less threatening lately.
The four of them confer in the choir room one day during lunch. There have definitely been a lack of slushies even being seen in the halls of McKinley. It's highly suspicious. They decide to keep their eyes and ears open.
…
It's Mercedes who finally asks someone about the lack of slushies. It's now been almost a month since anyone in glee has been hit and they're all getting tired of waiting for the other shoe to drop.
So her, Kurt, Tina and Artie drew straws and she picked the short one. She still thinks Artie rigged it somehow, even though they all watched him do it.
After much internal debate, she decides that Karofsky would be the best to ask. He's still sort of in the loop, even if he's off the hockey team for the year, but at the same time, Mercedes is less afraid of him now that he's on crutches.
She approaches him in the library, surprised to find him there. She didn't think most of the jocks even know where the library is.
"Uh, excuse me? Dave?"
"What the hell do you want freak?" he growls.
"Just a quick question."
"Yes, you're an ugly loser. Now leave me alone."
"There's been a real lack of slushie attacks lately and I thought maybe you knew why."
"Are you fucking kidding me?" His voice is very loud for a library. "It's because that midget freak show did this to me." He swings his crutch around. "No one wants to cross that bitch. So all the slushie attacks stopped. It's not worth the risk. There's a good chance I won't be able to play hockey ever again. All because I called a retard, a retard." Karofsky's eyes suddenly go wide. "Oh god. Please don't tell anyone I said that. If she…I couldn't handle anymore. Please. Promise me you won't say anything."
Mercedes just shakes her head and walks away.
"Promise me! You can't tell her! Please!" Karofsky calls after her, before slumping further into his chair.
…
That afternoon in glee, Rachel walks in to find Kurt, Mercedes, Tin and Artie all huddled together in the corner. She takes her usual place in the front and waits for the others to arrive. However, a moment later, she's surrounded by the others.
"Hello," she says cautiously.
"Have you heard the latest?" Kurt asks, breathlessly.
"Apparently not."
"The entire school is terrified of you," Artie says.
"What? Why?"
"Because you're five foot nothing, a hundred pound soaking wet and yet you turned Dave Karofsky into a sniveling, puddle of patheticness," Mercedes tells her.
"He was already pathetic," Rachel replies. "Though patheticness isn't actually word. And you're all exaggerating."
"We're not exaggerating," Kurt says. "Then tell me Ms. Berry? When was the last time you received a slushie facial?"
Rachel pretends to think it over, even though she knows the exact date. "The day I had my confrontation with Karofsky."
"Exactly," Mercedes says.
"It might just be a coincidence," Rachel protests weakly.
"In this place? Ha!" Kurt replies. "They don't stop unless they have a damn good reason not. Apparently, you're the reason."
Rachel sighs. "And so what if I am? It doesn't mean we need to have an intricate discussion about it. Acknowledge it, accept it, possibly be thankful for it and move on. You guys really need to concentrate more on your singing. I can hear us slipping, vocally. If it's because of this, I'm going to be very upset."
Kurt, Mercedes and Tina, all inch their chairs away from Rachel while Artie wheels himself backwards.
"Would you guys relax? It's not like I'm the Hulk. Nothing is going to happen if my ire increases slightly."
Rachel can almost hear the internal sigh of relief they all heave.
Thankfully, Santana, Brittany and Quinn all enter, closely followed by Matt and Mike. Mercedes, Kurt, Tina and Artie all back away slightly and look up guiltily.
"What going on guys?" Brittany asks.
"Nothing."
"The usual."
Rachel smirks. "They have concerns about my temper and the effects it may or may not have on their lives."
"You mean how there are no longer any slushies at McKinley?" Mike asks, sitting.
"All traces of them have disappeared," Brittany adds sitting next to Rachel. Santana and Quinn sit on Brittany's other side. "It's kinda like they're banned."
The foursome look at them all in shock.
Santana scoffs. "You guys really don't pay attention do you?"
"It's not their fault, S," Brittany says. "They're not popular enough to hear that stuff."
Rachel nudges Brittany.
"Oh. No offense, guys," Brittany adds.
"What do you mean banned?" Tina asks.
"It's not like they were actually banned," Brittany explains. "Just no one wants to risk being caught with one by the wrong people. So it's like they're banned."
"Haven't you morons noticed the lack of colored ice dripping down your face?"
"Santana," Rachel says. "Be nice."
"Who do you think you're talking to, Berry?"
"S, be nice."
"Whatever."
"What do you mean? The wrong people?" Artie asks.
"It doesn't matter," Rachel interjects. "Simply try to enjoy the reprieve, you guys. We deserve it, don't you think?"
"Well, that's certainly true," Kurt agrees. "But I'd like to know if this is going to be a permanent thing or not. I don't want to be lulled into a false sense of security."
Finn and Puck enter, followed closely by Mr. Schue, who is especially eager today. He begins immediately and they're never given a moment to finish their discussion until glee is over.
But before Tina, Artie, Mercedes and Kurt can continue their confrontation, Rachel flees out of the choir room like she's on fire, leaving the remaining members to stare after her.
…
Rachel stalks to her locker. She wants to avoid another conversation about the entire school being afraid of her. While she's pleased the slushie attacks have stopped, the implications of everything else doesn't sit well with her. She's worried this new moniker of school terror will just further ensue that she never has any real friends.
Earlier Santana had told her she should embrace it, use it; that there's no one in this town worth being friends with anyhow.
To which Rachel gave a questioning gaze.
"Fine," Santana sighs. "Besides me and B, obviously. But otherwise, this town sucks. Just be glad you found something that'll make your remaining years here suck less."
Rachel knows Santana is right. Her slight melancholy is most likely from her teammates approach. It was neither subtle or sensitive. It also saddens her somewhat that her teammates might never really becomes friends because now they too seem frightened of her.
Oh well, at least maybe now, Kurt will stop insulting her clothing choices.
She slams her locker shut and heads towards the parking lot.
Head down, thoughts elsewhere, she doesn't notice the person leaning against the door frame until they make contact. The person is much larger than Rachel, but is apparently unsteady, so they both tumble to the ground.
Looking up, Rachel finds her eyes locking with Dave Karofsky's and she watches in amusement as the realization washes over him. His eyes get wide and the fear quickly drapes over him. He scrambles backwards to get away from her while frantically searching for his crutches.
Rachel wonders if he realizes that keeping his eyes locked on hers is actually hindering his quick escape. She keeps her expression neutral as she watches him struggle. She stands slowly, picking her bag off the floor.
Karofsky is breathing heavily now. Rachel thinks he might actually be hyperventilating, so she offers him a hand.
Only to have him let loose the most feminine scream she's ever heard and jump up faster than someone with a fucked up knee should. She hears him cursing in pain under his breath as he locates his crutches and quickly hobbles away from her.
She watches him go with a small smile. The incident is amusing enough to put a spring in her step as she practically skips to her car.
…
The next day Brittany and Santana enter the halls of McKinley and hear that Rachel and Karofsky had another confrontation the day before. Apparently, the hockey player barely escaped without receiving further injury.
Santana has a difficult time believing it since Rachel doesn't seem like the type to kick a guy when he's already down, especially without a reason. It does amuse her though, because that means Rachel and Karofsky at least shared the same breathing space momentarily. She wonders if he pissed himself in terror. He seems like the type.
…
When Kurt and Mercedes hear about the supposed altercation between Rachel and Karofsky, the story has morphed. Apparently, Rachel threatened to push him down the stairs if he didn't move out of her way. And when he didn't move fast enough, she stole his crutches and tossed them in a garbage.
It doesn't sound like Rachel, but a month ago, Mercedes never would have believed Rachel would temporarily cripple the hockey captain either. Despite what Rachel said the day before, she and Kurt vow to only criticize the diva when absolutely necessary.
"That means not mocking her outfits," Mercedes points out.
"I know," Kurt replies, shaking his head. "It'll be difficult, but I think I can manage."
"She wouldn't injury you that badly," Tina adds when she learns of the pairs' plan. "Not if it stops you from participating in glee."
"Or she could injury you just enough to put you in a wheel chair," Artie offers. "Then our chorography would still work."
"You're not helping, Artie," Mercedes replies.
He shrugs.
"It'll be fine, guys," Tina says. "You're being paranoid."
"Oh? Are we?" Kurt asks. "Then you go tell her she needs to stop wearing sweaters with animals."
"Why would I do that?"
"See," Kurt replies. "You're scared of her, too."
"Or I don't care about her sweaters," Tina answers.
…
Rachel can't believe the reception she's getting this morning. She decides Karofsky must have had a heart attack the day before. Otherwise, why would people actually be ducking into classrooms to get out of her way?
She receives a nod of acknowledgement from Coach Sylvester, which is how Rachel knows she's reached the special level of bitch reserved for Cheerios and especially, Santana. Everyone seems to part as she moves through the hallway. Nor will they meet her eyes.
Rachel sighs. Still no friends, but at least no retribution or bullying. She supposes that's better than before.
And then Brittany appears out of nowhere, loops their arms together and drags her down the hall, laughing. And Rachel thinks, maybe things are so bad after all.