It was an accident. No matter what Santana later claimed, Quinn did not come out to the whole school on purpose. She didn't. Really, it wasn't part of some vast plot to push Santana out of the closet. It was an accident.
It was all because of Rachel, actually, and the stupid GayLesbAll club and support group that she and Kurt started. The school had contracted with a counselor, who came in once a week for an hour and led the group of twelve students — who ranged from closeted to glass closeted to so far out of the closet that they can't even see it anymore — as they talked about their experiences and the challenges they were facing.
At first, sure, Quinn hated every big gay minute of it, but she stuck it out because Rachel promised to make it worth her while and, well, Quinn liked the sound of that. As weeks passed, however, Quinn found that she actually — and if anyone ever found out she would deny it until she was red in the face — kind-of, sort-of, enjoyed the group. She liked, like, talking about her feelings and stuff, and thought that, maybe, one day, she might possibly be willing to come out to a few select friends.
And that's how Quinn wound up backstage at an all-school meeting, watching Rachel panic because Kurt, who was scheduled to give a short announcement about the support group, was absent.
"What kind of person gets the flu in January?" Rachel muttered under her breath as she paced.
"Rach, sweetie," Quinn tried to interject, "this isn't really — "
"Quinn!" Rachel interrupted. "This is a travesty. A travesty! I would just make the announcement myself, but I'm already making one about the African-American students' club, and I can't make two, and if no one makes an announcement at this meeting it won't get made until next month, and Kurt really should have had the decency to come to school even if he is a little sick, and — "
Her rant was ended prematurely by Quinn's hand coming to rest over her mouth. "Mmmph!" she complained.
"Rachel," Quinn said, calmly. "Don't worry about it. They want you on stage not for the African-American club. I still don't understand why you're a member of that club, but that's a separate issue. I'll take care of this. Okay?"
Rachel's eyes, wide with panic, peered at Quinn over her hand. Slowly, she started to nod. If Quinn said she'd take care of it, then it would be fine. Reasonably confident that Rachel wouldn't keep ranting, Quinn removed her hand.
"Okay," Rachel said. She gathered her notes, nodded once, firmly, and walked onto the stage.
As Quinn watched Rachel deliver her announcement about looking for volunteers for a special Martin Luther King Day event, she thought about how to solve the problem of who would go on stage for the GayLesbAll. Santana was out — too scary — and Karofsky was likely to start crying if she even asked. She didn't really know any of the other kids, so that just left —
Quinn heard Principal Figgins announcing that there was a "very special message from the GayLesbos — I mean, the GayLesbAll."
She walked confidently onto the stage, adjusting her ponytail as she went.
"Hey, everyone," she said, looking out over the school's almost 2000 students. "I'm here to talk about the GLBTQ support group here at McKinley, which meets every Tuesday at 3:30 in room 212. Although the GayLesbAll club welcomes students of all sexual orientations, the support group is just for those students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. It's a great group, we have a lot of fun, so come by. Again, this group isn't for straight allies, but if you are a straight ally, we ask you to come to our general meetings, which are listed in the bulletin. Thanks."
Quinn smiled and walked off stage. She noticed that the entire auditorium was silent, but thought nothing of it as she looked for Rachel. Finally, she spotted the petite brunette standing near the stage door, jaw hanging and looking like she'd just been hit by a bus. She rushed towards her girlfriend, immediately concerned.
"What's wrong, Rach?" she asked, scanning the other girl's face for any signs of injury. "Are you hurt, babe?"
"Do you — do you know — do you have any idea what you just did?" Rachel squeaked, finally.
"What are you talking about?" Quinn asked. "I walked on-stage, I made the announcement for the support group and then I walked off-stage. Did I have something in my teeth?" She grinned, showing off her flawless smile.
"Quinn — Sweetie, you — Quinn — Dear, you just came out to the whole school."
Quinn's face fell. "No I didn't! I just made an announcement!"
Rachel took Quinn's hand, refusing to let go as Quinn attempted to pull away. "Think about it, sweetie. What did you say? Go over the exact words."
Quinn closed her eyes as she thought. "Let's see," she said. "I said when it met, and then I said people should come, and that we have fun, and then I said that regular meetings were in the bulletin."
Rachel smiled slightly. "Yes, that's all true. But, Quinn, who did you say should come?"
Quinn blinked. "I said — " Her eyes went wide. "Oh, shit, I just came out to the entire school."
"Maybe no one noticed?" Rachel said, squeezing Quinn's hand tighter and smiling reassuringly.
"Noticed what?" Puck said, sauntering towards the two girls. "Noticed Quinn coming out as a big lady-loving gaymo to the whole school?"
"Noah!" Rachel exclaimed. "That's highly insensitive! Your friend Quinn just went through something that could well be highly traumatic and for you to make light of such a thing is just — it's just — well, it is rude!"
Puck grinned, as Quinn groaned and sagged against the wall.
"Nah, Q knows I'm just kidding," said Puck. "And you both should know that, if you're ever interested, the Puckasaurus is always game for a threesome." He winked lecherously and walked away in search of more prey.
Rachel and Quinn sighed and readjusted their grip on each other's hands. Quinn may have accidentally done something really huge (and possibly really stupid), but at least they would face the consequences together.