Title: Mondays With You
Author: Beth of bethandbee
Rating: T, for mature subject matter
Summary: Kurt had always been there to help Quinn out when she'd been Slushied within an inch of her life, and Quinn had always been there to help Kurt out of the dumpster. Their unlikely friendship goes under fire in a shocking turn of events, and they're not sure if they can risk rebuilding their bond of sisterhood - well, sibling-hood, anyway. Multi-chap of around 10 chapters.
Disclaimer: 'Glee' belongs to Ryan Murphy and FOX. No infringement intended

Chapter 1:

And mother feels so shocked
Father's world is rocked
And their thoughts turn to their own little girl
Sweet 16 ain't that peachy keen

Tell me why
I don't like Mondays
Tell me why
I don't like Mondays

- "I Don't Like Mondays" – The Boomtown Rats

Monday was easily the worst day of the week. First thing in the morning, Quinn Fabray alternately sat through boring physics lectures and ran to the bathroom to vomit. After physics came Spanish, and after Spanish came chemistry. And as bad as chemistry was, it was nothing compared to what followed: lunch. Monday was Bottomless Slushie Day; you could annihilate three, four, or even five unfortunate individuals for the price of one. Quinn usually skipped her last-period calculus class to clean herself off in the bathroom – those Slushie stains were just dreadful - and then to have a good cry in one of the empty stalls.

Well, today was a Monday, and a particularly magnificent one at that. The cafeteria staff had decided to couple Bottomless Slushie Day with a spaghetti special; Quinn had already emptied two Tide-to-Go's in her quest to rid her blouse of all the tomato-sauce blotches and the rainbow of Slushie blots. You would think that after the fourth or fifth Slushie attack she would have learned not to wear white shirts, but she couldn't help it; she was a glutton for punishment.

She yanked out another Tide-to-Go stick and dabbed away at one particularly persistent stain. Looking up, she caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror; eyes, puffy from crying. Cheeks, bright red, and shimmering from recent tears. Lips, sprouting a new cold sore. Ugh. Because this day couldn't get any worse.

"Oh, honey," a voice called from behind her. "That is not coming out."

Quinn turned to see Kurt Hummel stroll into the bathroom, undoing his belt as he did so.

"Kurt! Ew!"

"You'd do it too if you were me," he shrugged. "Those urinals are disgusting."

Quinn raised an eyebrow at him. "Have I ever told you that you have some very serious issues that you need to address?"

"No," he said. "In fact, I believe this is the first time we've ever spoken."

"And the last, if I'm lucky." She turned back to the mirror. "Buzz off."

He disappeared into the last stall on the left.

"You're destroying your shirt with all that Tide," he called out. "And that is a really, really nice shirt."

She set her Tide-to-Go pen down on the counter and sucked in a deep breath, exasperated. She had gotten to the point where anything could send her reeling into a crying spell, and Kurt was getting on her very last nerve.

"Well, what am I supposed to do, huh? I'm just a great big walking target for people to throw lunch at."

"Do what I do," he replied from behind the door. "Raincoats."

Quinn's thumb slid into her mouth, and she sucked it, contemplatively, while trying not to cry. Kurt flipped open the stall door and walked forward to the counter. As he squirted some soap into his hands, he looked up at Quinn, at her furrowed brow, the tears lingering in her already red eyes. His face softened, and one corner of his mouth turned up.

"It wasn't always this hard, was it?"

She yanked her thumb out of her mouth. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're sucking your thumb, sweetheart."

"It's just... I don't know. It's a coping mechanism."

He smirked at her.

"It takes an awful lot to reduce the head cheerleader to a thumb-sucker skipping class to cry in the bathroom. What are you skipping, anyway?"

"Calc."

"Calculus?" Kurt was incredulous. "And to think, I took you for a dumb blonde."

Quinn nodded. "I've been on the honour roll since freshman year. I'm not stupid, Kurt."

She cast her eyes down, to avoid crying in front of this stranger, she thought. His words were cutting much too deep. Taking a deep breath, she perched herself on the wet, soapy counter. Her clothes were wrecked already, she figured. A little bit of water couldn't hurt. Finally, she managed to choke out a coherent sentence.

"And I really thought I had a chance at getting out of this cow town."

She closed her eyes to quell the storm that was coming. It was useless, really; she could feel water rising in the corners of her eyes.

"Why is everybody at this stupid school so mean?"

Kurt looked down at the ground, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"When we were in ninth grade," he said, "I came to school one day wearing pink skinny jeans."

She was silent.

"Do you remember that?"

Quinn shook her head. Truthfully, she didn't; maybe she didn't want to.

"What does that have to do with anything, Kurt?"

"You and your friends laughed at me that day. You called me 'fag.' You got Puck to throw me in the dumpster. The whole nine yards."

Their eyes locked. Quinn bit her lip. She could barely stand the loudness of the silence.

"Kurt, I'm really sorry," she began.

"You've been the mean girl," he shrugged. "And, hey, I've thrown out my share of insults, too. It's just the way we teenagers are. I figured that out a long time ago. And I also figured out that it's a lot easier to deal with if you just ignore them."

Quinn shot him an artificial smile.

"But it's not like we - I mean, the cheerleaders, Puck - they were never your friends. These girls were my best friends a week ago. And now..."

"They're not your friends any more, are they?"

Quinn cocked her head at him, growing angrier by the minute. "That's kind of the point. I miss my friends. I hate walking down the hallway all alone. I hate sitting by myself in all my classes because nobody will dare talk to me."

Kurt hoisted himself up on the counter beside Quinn. He looked into her eyes for a second, and then raised one arm to rest awkwardly around her shoulders.

"I know how it feels, Quinn."

She cast her eyes to the floor, giggling apprehensively. "What exactly do you know about being pregnant?"

"Not a whole lot. What I meant to say was that I know what it's like to be lonely. But being lonely isn't the same as being alone. And you are not alone, Quinn."

His mouth turned up into a bashful grin.

"You have Finn. And you know he'd do anything for you. Same with everyone in Glee. We'll look out for you. I'd be more than happy to serve as your human shield on Bottomless Slushie Day."

She couldn't help herself any more. His awkward hug was the first semblance of loving touch she'd felt in ages. She figured she might as well return the favour. Quinn pulled Kurt closer to her, patting his back as she did. "Thank you, Kurt."

He pulled away after a few seconds, and flashed an embarrassed grin. "Chin up, cowgirl."

"Kurt?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I bullied you before. I didn't know how it feels. I wouldn't wish it on anyone – and definitely not you, of all people."

He patted her on the shoulder. "Apology accepted."

Kurt hopped off the counter and brushed off his pants.

"Well, I'm off to football practice. See you at Glee tomorrow."

She waved goodbye; he lingered in the doorframe.

"Take care of yourself, Quinn."

She shot him a little smile.

"I will."

The next chapter will be up in a few days. Please feel free to leave a review! Reviews = love. Seriously.