A/N: This is my first ever Faberry fic, though I've been reading them for months. I've only ever written South of Nowhere fanfiction before this. So, consider this my Faberry debut I suppose! I'm usually more of a smut writer but it just didn't seem to fit in this story. There are more stories in the works though – so there's always hope if you're into that sort of thing! Anyways, please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is always appreciated! Enjoy.
It was a not very interesting Wednesday afternoon in the even less interesting Lima, Ohio and William McKinley High School was in session. In the first desk in the second row of the senior AP literature class sat Rachel Berry. Rachel Berry was infamous for her argyle sweaters, knee high stockings, and her tendency of breaking out into song in the middle of the hallway while walking to class. Today, the literature teacher was playing a movie, which was really just an excuse for them all to take a nap, and to the rest of the class Rachel seemed highly engrossed in the film. In all actuality she was waiting for the flash of pink hair that would inevitably show up in the door of the classroom any minute; as it did every Wednesday at about 1:15.
This flash of pink hair was also known as Quinn Fabray. Former HBIC of WMHS, Noah Puckerman's Baby Mamma, or the newest member of the Skanks; depending on who you asked. Quinn and Rachel, if you asked the rest of the school, hated each other. But, unbeknownst to everyone else, they had picked up a weird habit of hanging out whenever the chance presented itself. So, when Rachel Berry heard the tell-tale sound of Quinn's combat boots coming down the hallway she shot her hand in the air for permission to excuse herself to the nurse's office for the sudden onslaught of what she was certain was a cold (never mind that it was the beginning of September and still felt like summer time outside).
Quinn did not acknowledge the diva walking behind her until they reached her white Ford Focus. She wordlessly unlocked the passenger door before walking around and unlocking the driver's side, climbing in and only having to wait half a second before Rachel was in the passenger seat, firmly buckled in. The pink haired girl wordlessly started the vehicle and threw the car in reverse. Not even five minutes later the car was winding its way down a back road. Every time they drove Quinn chose a different path and they just drove, not really bothering to pay attention to exactly where it was they were headed.
This time, just like every other time, Rachel shot a reprimanding look towards Quinn when they finally parked in their favorite spot just outside of town and the pink haired girl pulled a small joint out of the glove box. The first time Quinn had introduced marijuana to their car rides the small diva had been absolutely scandalized but, several lengthy debates and a surprising power point presentation later, Rachel had given up and instead settled for a raised eye brow. Quinn knew she had won their ongoing battle as soon as she emailed the tiny diva the power point. Rachel had always been a sucker for a good power point. Though Rachel would never admit it, she had actually grown fond of the way that the second hand smoke made everything just a little bit… lighter. Not to mention the music.
Everyone had the impression that Rachel was a music snob, only listening to Broadway singers when, in fact; the diva was quite the music library. So Quinn was quite surprised when Rachel had asked who they were listening to on their second car ride much earlier that summer. Led Zeppelin had been featured at least once on every CD that they listened to from that moment on. Rachel appreciated Robert Plant's vocal range and Quinn loved the way that the music just hit her. It was powerful, and addicting. The band by itself could make you feel like you were floating but add the hazy smoke to it and it was like you were hearing music for the first time. They had had several debates about which song was the best that the band had put out. Rachel was under the impression that Stairway to Heaven blew all the others out of the water while Quinn insisted that picking a favorite Led Zeppelin song was like picking a favorite child: impossible and just plain wrong. The classic rock band was quickly becoming the soundtrack to their lives.
'Rock and Roll' was in the background the first time Quinn had really smiled at Rachel. That smile that knocked Rachel off her feet – even if it was through a haze of smoke.
"Berry, calm the fuck down." Quinn said, as she placed the white paper in her mouth, producing a lighter from her vest pocket. She looked so cliché, in a black denim jacket with the sleeves cut off with a red tank top underneath – some obscure band name printed on it. Her hair was sticking out in all directions and a black bandana that served absolutely no purpose stood out from the pink tresses excellently. The black jeans she had on were entirely too tight but ripped in all the right places and were making Rachel a little crazy, if she was absolutely honest. Rachel was furious that Quinn was being so reckless as to have drugs on her person but damn it if the girl didn't look absolutely tempting with that thick smoke rolling off her lips. The pink haired girl coughed deeply on her next toke, making Rachel give her a self-satisfied smirk. Jimmy Page's god-like chords mixed with the smoke were making both the girls a little heavier in the best way possible.
"I hope that those coughs are teaching you a lesson." The diva stated superiorly, caught completely off guard when Quinn let out a long, booming laugh.
"Rach, you have so much to learn." Rachel would have retorted but Quinn had called her Rach and the way the other girl was smiling at her was making her a little weak. That smile had quickly evolved into Rachel's smile, the special one reserved for the brunette's eyes only.
'What Is and What Should Never Be' rocked them into a different level of friendship, marking the first time that Rachel had kissed Quinn on the cheek.
"So if you wake up with the sunrise and all your dreams are still as new and happiness is what you need so bad girl-"
"I don't get it." Quinn's voice cut through suddenly, startling the diva from her soft sing-a-long in the passenger seat. Neither one of them had said a word in the last ten minutes; content to listen to Rachel singing.
"Don't get what?" Rachel asked, sinking further into her seat and shutting her eyes. The Ohioan sun was beating through the open windows of the car, making both of the tired in the warmth. It hadn't taken long for the diva to become comfortable stripping down in front of her pink haired friend. Just then she was laying in the slightly reclined passenger seat, bare feet hanging out the window, her pink button up thrown off in favor of the green tank top underneath. Her long, tan legs were shown off easily in her black skirt that was just a little too short, as always. It was very distracting for the girl in the driver's seat, though she'd never admit that. After the first couple of times that Rachel had shown off so much skin the girl had gotten used to pushing away those thoughts.
"Why he broke up with you." Rachel tensed momentarily before relaxing again. Yes, Finn the big oaf had broken up with her between second and third period that morning. Upon finding out, Quinn had wordlessly skipped fourth period and just as easily got Rachel to skip with her. Neither of them had discussed it but Quinn must have decided that she didn't want to wait anymore.
"He said that we wanted different things out of life. He wants Lima, I want New York." Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat, holding it together surprisingly well.
"Good." Quinn nodded, making Rachel's neck snap around to look at the pink haired girl incredulously. The punk chuckled at this reaction, shrugging. "You deserve so much more than this stupid town, Rach. I've been telling you that for a while now." Quinn reminded, smirking at the diva. "Sometimes, in a not so kind way, but I was trying at least." She amended, making the other girl smile and shrug. They had both moved on from sophomore year. It was over now, and in the past.
"You deserve more too, you know." Rachel finally spoke up a few seconds later, looking over to make brief eye contact.
"Yeah," Quinn answered quietly, nodding, as she carefully tore apart the roach of her joint and emptied it into her favorite bowl. The blonde nearly dropped the piece a second later when Rachel's lips very suddenly came in contact with her cheek. Before she could stop it, a large smile was reaching across her face and the diva, seeing it, smiled back enthusiastically. "What was that for?"
"That's the first time I've ever heard you acknowledge that you deserve to get out of Lima too." Rachel answered, her smile nearly rocketing off her face. "I'm glad that your dreams are no longer revolving around being a real estate agent with Finn's kids." Quinn let out a laugh at the memory of that conversation and shook her head. How far they had come in a year, Rachel Berry and Quinn Fabray. There they were, sitting peacefully in a small car on the outskirts of town, marijuana and classic rock heavy in the air they breathed together.
'Since I've Been Loving You' had been the song that was playing when their friendship did a complete 180. The kisses on Quinn's cheek had become a regular occurrence, usually a tool that Rachel used to draw one of those smiles that she had grown to love out of the punk. Just one timing mishap though, and it had set off a completely new definition of their car rides.
"Quinnnnn," Rachel drug out teasingly, laughing when the other girl shot her a glare. The former HBIC had been ignoring the diva's pleas for the last couple minutes. "I said I was sorry!" Rachel had accidently knocked Quinn's piece off the center console effectively spilling all the pot that had been packed in down into the crack between the seat and the console. It didn't help the brunette's case that she couldn't stop laughing at Quinn's pouty expression. "I will pay you for your loses!" Quinn was fighting a smile and Rachel could tell so she did the only thing she could think to do and leaned over, prepared to land a sloppy kiss to the punk's cheek. Something that she was not prepared for, however, was Quinn turning her head ever so slightly to see what the brunette was up to in the passenger seat. And so, without warning, her lips collided with the side of Quinn's mouth and everything froze. It wasn't a real kiss, not really. Just Rachel's lips pressed against the corner of Quinn's but they sprung apart faster than Santana's legs when Brittany walked into a room. Both of them ignored the fucking 4th of July fireworks show that was playing in both their stomachs and instead launched into two separate conversations in their avoidance of what had just happened.
"…So I told Daddy that I'd be more careful around crack heads the next time."
"… But I told Mack that I'd punch him in the kidney the next time so it's all taken care of."
"What?" They both asked each other at the same time, laughing awkwardly at the same time.
"Shit! It's almost… three o' clock. I told my mom I'd be home soon." Quinn lied, though thankfully Rachel embraced it and nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes. I should really start on dinner; I wanna make vegan pasta tonight." Quinn nodded firmly, throwing the car quickly into drive and dropping Rachel off at her house in record time. Before she could stop it, Rachel leaned over to kiss Quinn's cheek – it had become a habit to do so before she got out of the car. They both paused and Rachel, swallowing heavily, pressed her lips just a bit more firmly against the flesh and closed her eyes. They lingered like that for entirely too long for a platonic relationship and then Rachel boldly pressed her lips to the punk's jaw line before quickly climbing out of the car and disappearing into her house. Then Quinn was left to be a mess of confusion all by her lonesome.
And so, Rachel and Quinn were silent and unsure on this day, the first time they'd hung out since the extended kiss on the cheek. As Quinn smoked and avoided eye contact Rachel shuffled through the CD case that Quinn kept in her car. The tension in the air was palpable but both were doing their damndest to act natural, as if it hadn't happened at all. Rachel's eyes landed on a bright blue CD that she'd never seen before which was mysteriously blank. Quinn was particularly anal about labeling her music so this CD immediately caught the diva's attention.
"Is this new?" She asked, finally breaking the silence. Quinn took her time blowing out her smoke before glancing over.
"Yeah, I made it this morning and didn't have time to label it." The punk explained, bringing the joint back to her lips slowly. Rachel wordlessly plucked the CD out of the thin plastic sleeve and put it in the CD player before zipping up the case and wordlessly putting it in the backseat. The CD was eclectic, as were most of the rebel's CDs. It was something that Rachel had come to appreciate, never knowing what song was coming next. The pink haired girl had once made a CD featuring Dolly Parton, Matt Nathanson, Eminem, and Led Zeppelin and it worked. The girl was a transition genius. After about five minutes, the awkward tension started to dissipate and turn more into… sexual tension. Maybe it was the song, maybe the time was just right, and when she looked back Rachel would never be able to tell exactly what had happened. But as soon as that guitar had filled the car with its dulcet music, the two girls made eye contact finally and before either one of them had really given their mental consent their bodies were reaching for each other and then and there – when their lips enveloped each other and time froze and sped up all at once in that smoky, warm, perfect car, Quinn decided that 'Going to California' was her favorite Led Zeppelin song ever – ethics be damned.
