A/N: A one-shot that I'm splitting into two parts. I hope you enjoy it.

I do not own glee or any of its characters.

The Girl In The Stupid Animal Print Sweater

Chapter one.

I stood in front of the slightly foggy bathroom mirror, just staring at my reflection. My body was wrapped in a fluffy white towel and my dripping wet, short, blonde hair hung limp against my face and neck. I searched my face for any visible flaw but found nothing but my perfectly delicate facial features. I then removed my towel and let it drop to the bathroom floor. I stared at my body. Sure, I wasn't as physically fit as I had been before 'the pregnancy incident' but I was still in better shape than anyone else in this hick town. Well, maybe Santana Lopez's body might be a tad bit more appealing then mine but that was only because she had gotten breast implants. That cheater.

I continued to stare at the mirror, my hazel eyes frantically searching for anything, any blemish, any flaw, anything that could be considered unappealing to anyone. But once again I found nothing. Every night for the past month or so I had searched myself in the mirror, looking for something unsatisfactory in my appearance. But every night I found nothing. Every time I found nothing wrong with my appearance I got the same feeling, the feeling as if my heart had dropped into the pit of my stomach… If nothing was wrong with my appearance then it had to be my personality that was unappealing. Personalities though… only unattractive people cared about that, right?

I couldn't understand it. I was beautiful, popular and intelligent. I was everything any girl my age would kill to be. Then why is it that everyone keeps leaving? Finn, Puck, Sam, and then Finn again. I don't even have any real friends anymore either; I'm completely alone. Tears started to spill out of my eyes. God, I am just so sick of crying.

I roughly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. What was wrong with me? I'm Quinn Fabray, I'm the most popular girl at McKinley high. Yet how is it that everyone has someone who loves him or her except for me? All I wanted was someone to love me, someone to look at me and see only me. Someone who I could walk down the halls with proudly, someone who I could brag about, someone who would help make me prom queen. Because that's what I was on the inside, that's how I deserved to be treated: as a queen.

"Quinnie, are you almost ready?" The bathroom door muffled my mother's voice as she called out to me.

"Almost, I'll be down in a few more minuets" I yelled in response.

"Alright, but try to hurry, darling, you know how crowded Breadstix gets at dinner time."

I sighed then quickly started to put on my clothes.

Ever since I moved back in with my mother she insisted that every Friday night we would go out to dinner together as a sort of a bonding thing. I guess she wanted to do this because she was scared that our relationship would go back to the mess it was last year when I was pregnant or before that, even. However, I didn't mind much. I mean it's not like I had anyone to go out with on Friday nights anyways. As a matter of fact, I hardly went out at all anymore and because it was summer I didn't even have to leave the house to go to school.

I continued these thoughts of self-pity as I dried my hair and put on a light coat of makeup.

When I walked out of the bathroom, then down the stairs I noted my mother waiting by the door.

"Darling what took you so long? You where in there forever" she asked.

"Sorry I was having a wardrobe malfunction" I lied, as I flashed her my best fake smile.

She smiled back at me before looking down at my powder blue dress, the same dress that she had paid to have taken in quite a few inches to fit my now slender and most definitely not pregnant body.

"Well, you look lovely. Blue is definitely your color." She smiled at me one more time before we walked out to the car.

Just as she had predicted, Breadstix was packed with people but we somehow managed to get a small table to ourselves.

I looked around the restaurant as my mother scanned the menu. I noticed a few familiar faces, mostly people I've seen in the market or kids from my school whose name I didn't know. But one person stood out from the others, she stood out so much it was as if my mind had planted a giant spotlight on her. The girl was my age and was sitting three tables away from my mother and I. She was chatting animatedly with two older males who looked as if they where in their late thirties or early forties, she looked completely immersed in the conversation so they where probably talking about some famous Broadway singer, some stupid Grammy winner or the girl's favorite subject; herself. I knew this because I knew the girl, I had known her for almost two years now. Her name was Rachel Berry and she was the girl who ruined my life.

She was the girl who caught Finn's attention when he was with me, she was the one who opened her big fat mouth and told Finn that Puck was the one who had gotten me pregnant not him, she was the talented one with the fantastic singing voice, she was the one who got the guy, she was the one got all the solos in glee club, she was the one who got everything that should have been mine.

She wasn't even pretty, you know. She was just average looking and she dressed like a blind toddler trapped in a grandmother's body.

"What can I get for you ladies?" The waitress's words brought me back to my senses and I tore my gaze from Rachel and back to the menu.

"Yes, I'll have the spaghetti" I decided to go for the first dish I read on the menu.

The entire time we where eating I engaged in conversation with my mom, telling her about an article I read in a magazine about skin care and she talked to me about things that where going on at her work. By the time we had finished eating and the waitress had left us the bill I needed to use the restroom.

"I'll meet you by the car, I have to go to the restroom before we go." I announced before walking off.

I opened the door and walked into the women's bathroom, and there she was.

Rachel Berry, stood by a sink washing her hands.

My first instinct was to run out of the restroom before she noticed me but I couldn't do that. So instead I held my head up high and walked further into the room.

The moment I did this Rachel turned and spotted me. I didn't acknowledge her or even make eye contact. Instead, I just walked into one of the stalls without saying a word.

When I finished using the restroom I opened the stall door and walked over to the sink. Rachel was still there and she was staring at me as I started to wash my hands.

"So you're not even going to acknowledge me?" She asked.

I took a deep breath before I turned to face her.

She was wearing one of her signature animal print sweaters with a skirt and a pair of white leggings. Her soft, straight brown hair hung loosely down to her chest and her eyes, which where the exact color of her hair, were staring intensely at me.

"I'm acknowledging you now aren't I?" I rolled my eyes at her.

"Look Quinn I know we have had our differences but I don't want to fight with you. Can't we just be friends?" She took a step closer.

No, go away. Don't come any closer.

"I'm sorry but I don't want to be friends with someone like you." I said before I turned to walk out the door but before I could leave the room she grabbed my arm gently.

"Quinn don't just walk away." Her voice was filled with pity.

It felt as if my skin was burning under her touch.

I yanked my arm out of her grasp. I didn't need her pity or her friendship because this was all her fault in the first place.

"Do not touch me!" I snapped at her.

She took a step back.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have grabbed you. I just really need you to listen to me, Quinn. We can't keep doing this. I'm tired of fighting with you, we can't keep this up anymore. We have to stop, for the sake of the glee club. I don't want any more tension in the club. If we don't work well together it could cost us Sectionals." she argued.

So that's what this was about. I should have known. She only wanted us to get along so we could win Sectionals.

"I'm not fighting with you Rachel, I just don't want anything to do with you."

Then I walked out of the restroom and out to the car, where my mother was waiting for me.

The next few days my mood started to get worse, I slept most of the day and when I wasn't sleeping I was up in my room reading magazines or books, just keeping to myself.

On Tuesday afternoon I walked into my kitchen to make myself something to eat when I noticed my mother leaning over the sink washing dishes.

"Mom, why aren't you at work?" I asked curiously.

"I left work early, dear. I thought we could have lunch together." She smiled.

I shrugged then walked over to the fridge and started to pull out stuff to make sandwiches with.

"Quinnie, can I ask you something?" she said as she finished rinsing off the last dish in the sink.

"Sure?"

"Honey, I'm a bit worried. You don't go out much anymore and you seam a bit mopey lately. I think you should get out more and spend some time with your friends."

I was putting mayonnaise on one of the bread slices, and I didn't even bother looking at her when I responded.

"Well, I don't want to go out, mom."

She then walked over to the table and sat down as she watched me make the sandwiches.

"Then maybe you should do something here that's more productive, or have some sort of creative outlet."

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well, I know you like singing and you're in your school's glee club, so maybe you should take some vocal lessons or go to music lessons?" she suggested.

I thought about it for a moment. Well, it would give me something to do and it might even help our chances at sectionals this year. Also, if I do vocal lessons and my singing improves even more they might give me the solo this year instead of Rachel.

"We could do that…" I said slowly.

At my words, a big smile spread across my mom's face.

"Excellent! I'll give your music teacher a call today and ask if he could tutor you or if he could recommend anyone else for the job."

A few hours later my mother came into my room and announced to me that she had called Mr. Schue and he said that he knew someone who would be willing to tutor me three days a week for the rest of the summer and that he would send them over to my house early tomorrow afternoon.

The rest of the day went by in a flash and before I knew it the next day had already come. I was sitting on my bed reading when I heard the doorbell go off.

I walked downstairs curious as to who Mr. Schue asked to tutor me, hoping that it wasn't the ex glee club teacher Sandy. That guy gave me the creeps. Yes, he did give our club the money to go to nationals. But still, he was weird and I hoped that it wasn't him on my doorstep.

I opened the door without bothering to look through the peephole first, which turned out to be a mistake. Had I looked though the peephole first I would have not bothered opening the door in the first place and instead I would have gone straight back up to my room and stayed there. But it was too late and I had already opened the door when I saw that the person standing on the threshold was none other than Rachel Berry, ugly animal print sweater and all.