Quinn slammed the door of Finn's truck shut, and it sounded like a gun shot. She took off in the direction of the church without looking back. The tears were flowing freely and she couldn't seem to care. People passed by, but no one gave a second look to her in her declining emotional state. She was at a funeral, after all.
Reaching the steps to the entrance of the church, Quinn stopped and finally realized that she now had no way of getting home. Though she was in one hell of a fog, Quinn managed to pull her cell phone out of her purse and quickly dial her mother's number. She cursed under her breath when she heard her mom's voicemail pick up. Of course you're not available. When are you ever? Quinn sniffled and attempted to wipe the tears from her face, to little avail. She cast a glance around the parking lot to see if anyone she knew still happened to be there. No luck. Sue was probably still inside, but she didn't feel right about asking her.
Sighing heavily, Quinn plopped herself down on the edge of one of the damp, concrete steps. She knew her dress was probably going to be dirty when she stood up, but she didn't care. As far as she was concerned, Quinn was prepared to just sit there forever. She rested her elbows on her knees and let her head fall into her hands. She watched as the tears dropped into her lap, staining her bright red dress. Then she heard someone say her name.
"Quinn?" came a voice from behind her.
Quinn lifted her head and looked around to see where the voice had come from. Maybe someone she knew was still there. But when she saw who the voice belonged to, her heart sunk even more than it had already that day. Rachel Berry was now coming towards her.
"Is everything okay?" Rachel asked, now standing aside of her. Quinn kept her gaze focused straight out in front of her.
"Fine, Rachel," she said with a slight edge to her voice. There was no way she was asking for Rachel Berry's help.
"Are you sure?" Rachel asked cautiously. "Because it doesn't really look like-"
"I said I was fine," Quinn snapped, turning her head to face the brunette. Rachel looked hurt, but she didn't push any further.
"Sorry I bothered you." She turned to leave.
"Wait," Quinn said with a sigh. She didn't want to do this. She would have gladly taken anyone else's offer to help. If only Mercedes or Santana had seen her sitting alone on the stairs. Hell, even a ride from Puck would have been less awkward. At the very least, he would have made some stupid joke at Finn's expense and tried to make her laugh. But this was Rachel Berry. The object of Finn's affection, and therefore of her grief. The very reason her world was currently spinning out of control.
"Yes Quinn?" Rachel asked expectantly, turning back to face the blonde. The last thing Quinn wanted to do in that moment was be in a car alone with Rachel, but whatever part of her that was still thinking straight told her she had to get home at some point, and that Rachel seemed to be her best chance. Quinn looked up and was met with a gaze that was soft and sympathetic.
"Could you give me a ride home?" she asked quietly, swallowing her pride.
"Of course," Rachel said without hesitation. "C'mon." With a smile, she extended a hand out to Quinn to help her up. Quinn hesitated, then slowly placed her hand in Rachel's. With one swift movement, Rachel gently pulled Quinn to her feet. Brushing her dress off, Quinn followed Rachel to her car and slowly slid into the passenger seat.
To Quinn's surprise, they traveled in silence. She figured it had to be obvious to Rachel why she was so upset, and she couldn't understand why Rachel wouldn't take advantage of her weakened state. Finally, Rachel spoke up, but it wasn't what Quinn was expecting her to say.
"Beautiful service, wasn't it?" Quinn looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Rachel kept her eyes on the road.
"Yeah," Quinn said finally. She turned and looked out the window. "Beautiful."
"Quinn," Rachel said almost urgently, glancing at Quinn for just a second before turning back to face the road. Quinn braced herself. Here it comes.
"I hope you don't mind me being blunt," she started. "But there's something I'd like to say to you." She paused, as if waiting for Quinn's permission to continue.
"Okay?" Quinn said finally. She figured she had it coming, and honestly she was getting used to being kicked when she was down.
"It's pretty obvious that Finn broke up with you," Rachel said plainly. She saw Quinn almost wince at her words and look down, ashamed.
"He did," Quinn admitted quietly, as much to herself as to Rachel.
"And i'm guessing it had something to do with me?" No response.
"I know you must be hurting right now," Rachel continued. "And I just wanted to say..." She trailed off, waiting for Quinn to look up at her.
"I'm sorry," Rachel finished. Quinn looked at Rachel in disbelief. Was she conscious right now? Rachel Berry, also known as the girl who not so long ago had been the target of Quinn's antics, and the girl that theoretically should rejoice in her suffering, was now apologizing to her.
"Why?" was Quinn's natural response. And it was then that she realized that Rachel Berry was not the source of her pain. Finn was the one to blame for her current emotional state, not her. Finn had been in love with Rachel, probably since the day he met her, but was that really Rachel's fault? Finn was the one who kept going after both of them, and Quinn let herself think that some day he would choose her. And then she started to blame herself. She was the one who was willing to let things slide, to look past Finn's uncertainty.
Rachel pulled up in front of Quinn's house and put the car into park. Rain drops had begun to fall outside. Quinn made no movement to get out.
"I love Finn," Rachel admitted. "But I'm sorry he hurt you. And I'm sorry it was because of me." Quinn sensed the hurt in Rachel's voice, and it astounded her.
"Don't be," Quinn said finally, looking Rachel in the eyes. "I'm the one who was stupid enough to believe he actually loved me." She swallowed hard, trying to fight back the tears. "But he loves you," Quinn said with a shrug. "Always has." She looked down at her lap.
"You're not stupid," Rachel said matter-of-factly. "And I can see you mean a lot to him."
"Not enough," Quinn said quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on the door handle.
They sat in silence for a few moments. Quinn wondered just how long she could sit there before she burst into tears again. Oddly enough, she didn't feel any pressure from Rachel to get out of the car, and somehow that was a comfort. Finally, Rachel spoke.
"Remember when I said on Prom night that I thought you were more than a pretty face? Well I meant it." Quinn shook her head. "You are," Rachel assured her. "And you don't need Finn by your side, or anyone else, for that matter. You have so much to offer, Quinn, and I hope some day you'll be able to see that."
"Why are you doing this?" Quinn glanced up at Rachel with a pained look on her face. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Rachel shrugged.
"You're my friend," she said simply. "I care about your feelings." Quinn stifled a laugh. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Why? I don't deserve to be anyone's friend right now, especially yours." She looked down. "You, of all people, should hate me."
"Quinn, I don't hate you," Rachel said softly. "I know you haven't always been nice to me. But look at your life, at everything that's happened to you." She paused as Quinn took a deep breath. "I could never hate someone for...being broken." She reached out her hand and softly touched Quinn's arm. Quinn looked up at her with watery eyes, and Rachel offered her a sympathetic smile.
"Rachel Berry, I'll never understand you," Quinn said, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Most people don't," Rachel said with a shrug. "I like to think it's part of my charm." Quinn couldn't help but smile. She breathed a small sigh of relief. She had dreaded riding home with Rachel, but somehow the trip had turned into some kind of weird therapy session, and it gave Quinn a lot to think about.
"I should go," Quinn said finally. Rachel nodded as Quinn reached for the door handle. Just before she was about to step out of the car, she turned back to face her friend.
"Thanks, Rachel." She smiled, and the look in her eyes let Rachel know that she wasn't just thanking her for the ride.
As Quinn scurried through the rain to her front door, she felt an odd sense of peace. Getting over Finn completely would take time, but Quinn knew deep down that she would. She felt something she hadn't in a while. Someone actually cared about her. And somehow, she didn't even mind that that someone was Rachel Berry.