Author's note: This has been sitting in a folder unfinished for a while so I thought I'd better find some motivation, kick my lazy self into gear and finish it. There's one more part to it and I'll post it tomorrow along with an update to "You're a Bet I'm Willing to Take'. Sorry for the mistakes, I really need a beta. Anyways, hope you like it :)
Warning: I'm not sure if I'm supposed to put this as a warning or not, but I was hating on Finn when I wrote this so I haven't made Finn out to be the golden boy in this story like Ryan Murphy does on Glee. He's not made out to be too bad, I just emphasise the obvious flaws he has and wrong doings he's done and instead of making him look like a hero for it, he kind of just looks like a jackass.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
Straightening her posture, Rachel huffed and continued to walk towards the cafeteria. She was upset and irritated, and it was all Quinn's fault. She knew it was a mistake confronting Quinn about coming back to Glee; but she'd just gotten so worked up about her quitting again and she figured all it would need to fix the situation was some good ole' Rachel Berry guidance. She was wrong, though, it turns out Quinn is just as stubborn as herself. Okay, well, she always knew Quinn was annoyingly stubborn. But she just assumed that she'd come back to Glee at Rachel's whim, after all, Quinn did seem to have a strange knack for complying with the tasks that she asked of her. Not this time though, with Quinn's newfound refusal, all Rachel could to was surrender and part with reassurances of family and loyalty and left it at that, leaving the pink haired girl and her skanks to it.
She'd heard about the girl's drastic change over the summer, -through the grapevine of course, it's not like she constantly asked around about her or anything-, so she was prepared to see a different side of the typically blond cheerleader, or so she'd thought. Quinn had changed, immensely so. Her once blond hair was now a shocking shade of pink, her cosmetically perfected nose was pierced with a hoop ring, her clothes were a far cry from the baby doll dresses she once donned and were ridiculously ironic to her religion and it was all topped off with a brand spanking new attitude to boot. She had mentally prepared herself for the new Quinn, but coming face to face with her was a different story. Needless to say, the girl's Quinn's refusal to come back to Glee made her upset, but seeing her again after the summer had brought up confusing feelings she'd like to forget, and that made her even more unsettled.
Rachel and Quinn had never been particularly close, even despite Rachel's many attempts at friendship. In fact, their relationship would be more accurately defined as tolerate/hate, leaning more towards the hate end of the scale. In Rachel's defense, she'd never hated the once blond cheerleader; instead, she was quite drawn to her. But Quinn always went out of her way to bully Rachel, ever since freshman year where their one-sided rivalry had begun. It started with trivial insults here and there; 'Manhands' and 'Treasure Trail' were thrown her way with a sneer or a glare. Then came the slushies, which Quinn herself had never thrown, but it was quite obvious that they'd been ordered by the HBIC herself. As time went on, and they all joined the Glee club, things got more intense as Finn was brought into the equation. For the past two years, it was as if all of their pointless fights had revolved around Finn, with both girls competing for his affections. These days, she was no longer attacked by slushies, and the nicknames weren't as frequent, but instead of Quinn's bullying, apathy had taken its place. Since Nationals, Quinn had been indifferent to Rachel, indifferent to everyone.
Despite everything that had happened between them though, Rachel still felt the need to be close to Quinn, among other things, and it was these urges that she couldn't understand. She'd been mad at the girl, jealous of her, and felt sorry for her before, but all of these emotions she could understand. They were all warranted, but feeling such a pull towards Quinn was uncalled for considering their relationship and it was entirely disconcerting. These peculiar feelings had always been there, ever since Rachel first became aware of Quinn, but they had significantly grown over time. Rachel had thought that spending a summer away from Quinn and all of their drama would make it go away, and it did, for a while anyway. She'd almost forgotten about Quinn over summer break, focusing on Finn and spending time with Kurt, Blaine and Mercedes. But when she'd confronted Quinn under the bleachers, it all just came rushing back ten fold as she took in Quinn's new appearance and it had left her more confused than ever.
Stomping into the cafeteria, Rachel was broken from her musings as Finn called out her name and beckoned her to the Gleek's regular lunch table.
"Hello everyone." She greeted as she slid in next to Finn, smiling at the tall boy as his large hands encircled her waist and pulled her closer.
A round of acknowledgements were chanted back at her as she looked around the table of friends that surrounded her. Tina was sitting on Mikes lap smiling down at him lovingly; Kurt was having what looked like to be a heated discussion with Mercedes about a sale down at the mall while Blaine watched on with an amused smile, and Artie and Puck were talking about the new God of War game. A smile tugged at her lips as she surveyed her fellow Glee club members. It was a nice feeling, having friends. Apart from her dads, Rachel had been alone for a good while. As much as she hated admitting to needing anyone, she was an independent woman and perfectly capable of getting by herself after all, it had been a lonely period of time prior to sophomore year. Her circumstances had changed so much in the last two years, primarily due to Glee, and these days she felt as if she actually belonged in the little family they'd made amongst themselves. And even though they didn't' always agree, it felt nice having people that she could call her friends.
"Hey Rach, where have you been? Lunch is half over already." Tina questioned, breaking Rachel from her thoughts, as she looked her way expectantly.
"Yeah babe, I tried texting you but you didn't reply. You said you'd meet me at my locker after class." Finn added with a pout.
Rachel stilled momentarily as she furiously attempted to make up an excuse, only to blurt out the first thing that came to mind "My apologies Finn, I had a dental hygiene emergency I had to attend to. You see, I decided to forgo my breakfast smoothie this morning in favor of a delicious bowl of soy yoghurt with muesli. As you are aware, I always floss between classes without fail, but I unfortunately missed it this morning because I was looking through some songbooks in preparation for Glee. But as I was sitting in Spanish class, incredibly bored mind you, I swear if Mr. Shuester spent half the time on creating challenging lesson plans as he did on gelling his hair… anyway, I could taste muesli in my teeth and had to immediately go to the bathroom to brush, rinse and floss. I'm certain you've encountered this problem before Tina?" Rachel took in a much-needed breath and smiled to herself at her quick thinking, mentally patting herself on the back.
Tina stared blankly at her for a few moments, her eyes seemingly unfocused, before snapping back to attention at the sound of Rachel clearing her throat expectantly "Um, sure, I guess…" before whispering something that did not reach her ears, but made many of the Gleeks at the table, who were now paying attention, chuckle.
"That's okay Rach." Finn assured her, taking her hand in his own. "I missed you though." He smiled sweetly.
A stab of guilt shot though Rachel at her boyfriend's words, settling in the pit of her stomach. Ever since they had gotten back together after Nationals, Finn had been trying his hardest to be a good boyfriend, driving her to school, giving her flowers, even waiting by her locker for her before and after class. Although she suspected that his newfound thoughtfulness was by Kurt's influence, she appreciated it nonetheless and didn't want to lie to him. She could of told him and the others that she was with Quinn, but Finn had been touchy about her since their break up and Rachel was getting nervous just thinking about the pink haired girl, so she opted against it. She only sought out Quinn for the well being of Glee anyway so it's not like she was doing anything wrong, she told herself.
"I missed you as well, Finn." She uttered out, mentally cursing herself at telling yet another lie. She hadn't missed Finn; she'd been too preoccupied with cornering Quinn that the tall boy didn't even cross her mind at all. Plus, it was hard for the brunette to miss Finn much these days anyhow. He was always there, calling her up, at her house, by her locker. How could you miss someone that was always around?
"Aww, Finchel love never tires.' Kurts cooed, looking at them with affection.
"Yeah, never tires to make me sick.' Puck teased, adding fake gagging noises for effect with Artie nodding along side him. "I swear, Glee has turned into a couples retreat or something. Hell, I think I'm getting cavities being in the same room as you all. All this sweet lovey dovey shit makes me wanna heave."
"C'mon man, you're just jealous you don't have someone." Finn grinned, kissing Rachel on the cheek and then shoving Puck in the back playfully.
"Pfft, yeah, and be whipped like you Hudson? No thanks; I'd rather not to have my balls kept in a choker hold. The Puckerone is flying solo, focusing on hunting some cougars." Puck replied, leering obnoxiously and making obscene gestures involving his hands and hips.
"Ugh, you're still as crude as ever Puckerman."Kurt observed with a slightly off put look on his face, earning a grin and a wink from Puck. "Anyway Rachel, I was meaning to ask you before you opened your mouth and a disturbing rant about flossing fell out, have you got any song ideas in that pretty little head of yours for sectionals yet?"
Rachel flushed slightly before brightening at the thought of Sectionals "I've been writing a few new songs; I think we should do original songs again this year as it does give us an edge. I've been looking through my iTunes as well, just in case. What about you?"
Kurt launched into a spiel about how he'd been looking for the perfect song that he could perform at sectionals that would blow everyone away. Mercedes, who was listening in on the conversation, nodded along and then started ranting about if she doesn't get a solo this year she'd be forced to beat someone down. With a sigh, Rachel was about to put forth her opinions on whom the solo should rightfully go to, but a flash of pink and black in her peripherals caught her attention.
Whipping her head towards the entrance of the cafeteria, Rachel's eyes fell upon Quinn Fabray, striding towards the cafeteria line with her heart glasses perched upon her nose and a grimace pulling down at her lips. As Rachel stared at the troubled girl, she felt it once again. The peculiar rush of happiness that flashed though her veins came first, then annoyingly familiar uneasiness in her stomach, followed by a strange pull in her chest that made her want to go over to the girl and do, what-she had no idea.
She hated it, she decided. Not knowing why this girl brought forth such confusing feelings and impulses. It was silly and unnerving and she had to do something. To make it go away, to make it-
"Hey look guys, it's Quinn." Artie pointed out rather uselessly, considering every member at the table had stopped what they were doing to gawk at the girl.
"I must say, even though that shade of hair colour is atrocious, she pulls off punk quite well. Come to think of it, she pulls off everything well, even pregnant. Girl's like a chameleon, a very troubled in-need-of-psychological-help chameleon." Kurt pointed out, earning a laugh from a few Gleeks.
"I wonder where she went all summer? I tried calling her phone but she ignored me every time." Mercedes questioned.
"I heard that she was in Mexico all summer. She apparently hitchhiked her way there with only a barbeque fork and a dollar bill." Artie whispered, looking back over at Quinn.
"Well I heard she joined a demonic gang that practices sacrifices on people that have scorned them." Gossiped Tina, resulting in a few gasps from around the table. "If you go blind or lose all of your hair all of sudden, you know who's behind it." The Asian girl finished with a dramatic whisper.
Rachel scoffed at the absurdity of her friend's theories, because, I mean, seriously? That was just plain silly. The brunette knew for sure that Quinn wasn't in Mexico, nor was she in a demonic gang, even though the Skanks do come close… She'd heard from Jacob Ben Israel that Quinn had been in Lima for the summer and was dating a 40-year-old skateboarder. She saw him down at the supermarket and he mentioned it in passing, okay maybe she'd manipulated him into telling her if he knew anything, but that's all.
She was worried about her, Quinn hadn't shown up for any of Noah's summer parties and she was only curious about her wellbeing. It wasn't as if she missed her or had a strange surge of jealously run through as she heard Quinn was dating some trashy skateb-
Ugh! Rachel huffed as her friends continued to speculate Quinn's whereabouts and possible motivators for her drastic change. Why was she still thinking about Quinn and why in the world did she care who she dated? This was infuriating. First day back and the brunette felt as if she was going insane. It was quite a different story on the holidays, where even though she thought of Quinn, she tried to ignore all possible thoughts about Quinn and focused on Finn and it was somewhat successful.
The brunette stopped her internal ranting altogether as she analyzed her last thought. She'd ignored Quinn – or attempted to - for the summer, and it went away. It went away, because Rachel didn't acknowledge the thoughts and sights of the girl that made her so confused. That's it! Rachel pumped her fist in victory. If the brunette could just ignore Quinn altogether, then these feelings would bugger off. It was perfect.
As Rachel watched Quinn storm out of the cafeteria, her arms full of milk cartons, she knew she had just found her perfect solution.
Operation: Ignore Quinn Fabray So I Stop Getting Funny Fuzzy Feelings In My Stomach Every time I See Her is in action.
It was actually a hell of a lot easier to ignore Quinn than she'd first initially thought. Quinn and Rachel rarely spoke or hung out with each other in the first place, so it was easy to go about her day as if nothing had changed. She did share the majority of her AP classes with Quinn however, which was six classes in total. For someone who projects the image that she doesn't care about anything, Quinn's grades are impeccable and she shows up to every class, Rachel had noted, without fail. It was easy enough to carry on with her mission though as she sat in the front and Quinn usually sat in the back, giving no reason for the brunette's eyes to stray and fall upon her.
After setting her plan into motion on Monday –which was two weeks and one day ago-, she now comes to class right on the bell, hurrying to her seat with her head down, and leaves as soon as the bell goes. She has avoided the bleachers at all cost -not that she went there anyway-, strategically plans her locker visits as Quinn's is right across from hers and has stopped glancing at her in between classes. All in all, it's working quite well apart from the various thoughts she has about the pink haired girl, but they can't be helped. She knows that Quinn herself wouldn't notice Rachel's avoidance of her, nor would she care, but it doesn't matter. Rachel's only doing this for herself, so she can stop feeling things that she shouldn't.
It was Tuesday and the day seemed to be dragging on, Glee club was meeting after school and Rachel was eager to get there. As the final bell of the day sounded, Rachel quickly jumped out of her seat, gathered her things and left the classroom. She needed to drop some books off at the library and having fifteen minutes before Glee started she hurried to her locker, she grabbed her books and off she went. After returning her borrowed items, she walked down the now deserted hallways, heading towards the choir room. As she turned the last corner leading out into the main hallway, Rachel's line of sight fell on none other than the one she'd been avoiding.
Quinn was standing in the middle of the corridor at her open locker, her gaze was held captive by something inside and her unzipped backpack was grasped limply in her right hand. Butterflies erupted in the brunette's stomach as she took in the girl's appearance for the first time in two weeks. As Rachel stood there, now currently stationary, she could see the right side of the pink haired girl's perfect profile as her hair was slightly pulled back in a Tupac looking bandana. Her features were flawless, from her unblemished skin and cosmetically perfected nose; to her high cheekbones and incredibly long lashes, she was simply breathtaking.
Quinn continued to rummage around in her locker; searching for something and sucking her plump bottom lip between her teeth as she did so. Rachel felt her heart rate increase at the action, something about the way Quinn was chewing on her bottom lip in concentration was so intense and- Wait, what am I doing? Rachel snapped herself out of the trance she was in mentally smacked herself. She had just been standing there, staring at the girl she was supposed to be ignoring, so much for progress. Thank Barbra Quinn hadn't looked to the side noticed her; even though she wasn't completely exposed in the hallway, Quinn could have seen her if she looked hard enough.
After several deep breaths and one last glance at Quinn, Rachel straightened her posture and continued down the hallway and towards the choir room. Even though her gaze was dead straight ahead, Rachel could see out of her peripherals that Quinn was looking at her. She'd abandoned her locker search and turned her body towards Rachel, her gaze set on the brunette. As Rachel passed her, her line of sight was unwavering as she focused on the end of the hall without even sparing a flicker of acknowledgment Quinn's way. Continuing towards her destination, Rachel could feel the eyes drilling holes in the back of her head but she didn't falter, and when she reached the choir room door she calmly walked inside before bending over slightly and taking several nervous breaths.
Looking up, she noticed that every member of the Glee club was already there, and they were all staring at her like she was from Mars. Feeling the tips of her ears turning red, she hurried over to the empty set next Finn, brushing off his concerned look.
"Nice of you to join us Rachel." Mr Shuester said with obvious annoyance colouring his tone. "As I was saying guys, sectionals is coming up pretty soon and we need to start get a song list together. Just because we went to Nationals last year doesn't mean we can slack off. Now, does anyone have any suggestions for what we should do?"
Rachel's hand immediately rose in the air. "Mr Shue, I propose we do original songs again this year. It gives us an edge over our competition and it challenges us to think more outside the box. I've been writing a few songs that I think are good for the solo position and-"
"Back the hell up, little Miss Centre of Attention." Mercedes cut her off, her features set in a grimace. "It's always about you. What if the rest of us want a solo, or want to write a song? Why does your skinny Geronimo-wearing ass kissing self get everything?"
"I was just trying to say tha-" Rachel attempted, but was cut off once again.
"No, she's right." Santana continues. "I mean, let the rest of us have a turn for once. You had your chance at Nationals, and you blew it for all of us by swapping your dwarf saliva with Finbred."
"But that wasn't even my fau-" She tried to reason, but was once again cut off.
"No Rachel, she's got a point here. It should be shared equally." Mr Shuester nodded, whilst Mercedes smugly smirked at her.
After hearing Mr Shue voice his agreement, Rachel scoffed out loud. She finds it hilariously ironic that he constantly shuts her down for being 'overbearing', but allows others in the club to constantly put her down. She would seriously eat every argyle skirt she owned if he ever won an award for being a good teacher.
"If you actually allowed me to finish, before rudely and inappropriately interrupting my contribution, I was going to suggest we all write original pieces and then compare them again. And as for solo allocations, who has the record player on repeat? It's the same situation, different day. Someone complains about who gets allocated what, and then we end up having auditions or votes for the solos to make it fair. Don't fault me Mercedes solely because I am awarded many of them. I work tirelessly on my voice, I have had hours upon hours of vocal training as opposed to what? You turning up unprepared time after time and imitating whatever Beyoncé song you heard on the radio. And also, Santana, you get many opportunities at singing in this club. Don't try and deny it… Or do so if you want. Denial does seem to be your forte.' Rachel spat out, her cheeks flushed in anger.
In the midst the brunette's rant, Santana was growing increasingly irritated and at the last jab, she snapped. Rachel barely had time to react to the girl lunging at her. "You little bitch." She'd heard Mercedes yell before Santana tried to grab at her, only to be stopped by Mike and Puck, both of whom had an arm around her waist.
"Okay girls, that's enough! I won't tell you again.' Mr Shue finally intervened. 'We'll discuss sectionals more tomorrow, as for now, does anyone have anything prepared they want to sing?"
"I bet Danny Devito here has something to sing for us, as always." Mercedes bitched.
"Yeah, what is it this time? A sickeningly sweet song about reaching your ridiculous dreams, or should I get my vomit bag ready for another nauseating love song where you barely manage to restrain yourself from humping Sasquatch's leg." Santana said with a biting tone as Mercedes laughed along with her.
Feeling the familiar sting of tears forming, Rachel turned back around in her seat, looking over at the ever-silent Finn for some support. The tall boy was sporting one of his guilty expressions and his eyes were landing on everything in the room besides her. A clear sign that once again, he was unable to stick up for his own girlfriend in favor of others. So much for trying to be a better boyfriend, Rachel thought.
"No, I don't have anything to sing." Rachel muttered weakly, her shoulders slumping in her seat.
"Mr Shue, do you mind if I go?" Kurt asked, not wasting time for confirmation as he stood and proceeded to walk down the risers. "Now that Blaine is officially in this club, I want to do our first duet together as members of New Directions" He explained, raising his hand and beckoning Blaine down to the front.
Blaine skipped down towards Kurt and held his hand as the intro to 'Something Stupid' floated throughout the room. Feeling dejected, Rachel shifted slightly away from Finn and stared at the floor, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. She knows that what happened today is nothing new; Santana always has something nasty to say to her and Mercedes constantly starts a 'diva-off'. But just once she wishes that someone could at least take her side. She's not completely ignorant, Rachel knows that she's not the easiest to get along with. She's at times inappropriately blunt, she's high maintenance and she loud, but that doesn't mean she deserves to be constantly ridiculed, or to have boyfriend ignore her in time of need.
Glee flew by, much to Rachel's surprise. After that little incident, she'd zoned out for the rest of the hour and was startled when Mr Shuester said "Alright guys, that's enough for today. Practice tomorrow is at the same time and we'll pick up where we left off about sectionals."
Packing up her stuff, Rachel walked out of the room with Tina, Mike and a hesitant Finn trailing behind. As they reached their cars, Tina gave her a hug and asked if she was okay. She waved her off, but she appreciated the gesture and thanked her for asking.
As the Asian duo left, Rachel reluctantly got into Finn's truck, having no other means of transport home. Now that Finn was being all World's Greatest Boyfriend, he'd taken to picking her up every morning for school. She thought about calling her dad's, but they were most likely working and she didn't want to disrupt them.
Feeling Finn's eyes on her after buckling her belt, Rachel turned towards him and was met with his trademark puppy dog expression.
"Rach, I'm sorry. You know how Santana is. She's a bitch. If I had of said something, she would of started on my nipples and you know how sensitive I am about them. And Mercedes scares me." He pouted.
At the mention of his nipples, Rachel was plagued with images of Finn's bare chest. If Santana was right about one thing, it was Finn's nipples. Giggles built in her throat and she just managed to suppress them as she turned back to Finn with a serious expression.
"Regardless of your insecurities Finn, it wouldn't hurt you to stick up for me for once." She replied as Finn started up his truck.
Pulling out of the car park and starting off in the direction towards Rachel's home, Finn's frantically bobbed his head with promises of loyalty in the future. Rachel sighed and looked out the trucks side window, she'd heard that promise numerous times before.
She was still upset, but even her low mood couldn't stop the laugh that erupted from her chest as they drove past a bakery on their way home. Finn's nipples popped into her head again and… yeah. Finn kept glancing at her as if she had grown two heads for the rest of their journey.
Later that evening, after Rachel had completed her homework and cooked and eaten a delicious vegan stir fry with her fathers, she'd changed into sleep shorts and singlet and lounged out on her queen size bed with he laptop on her lap. She'd been searching for song ideas for her next MySpace video but after an hour or so her attention began to stray. Abandoning her song search, she clicked open a new tab and brought up Facebook.
Being a MySpace girl herself, it took her a while to warm up to Facebook, even now she didn't frequent the widely popular networking site very often, but she checked in from time to time. Her friend count had risen quite a bit since joining Glee, which wasn't that great of a feat considering pre Glee her only friends were her dads and Jacob Ben Israel. She'd gotten a friend request from Suzy Pepper also back then, but she immediately declined it. That girl just rubbed Rachel the wrong way.
Since then, she now has 103 friends, which although is not that high, is a ridiculous amount for her. She swears she's never even met the majority of them, but she has the whole Glee club as friends and a few people from school.
Scrolling down, she clicked on recent news and glanced at some the statuses. You could learn a lot from what people shared on Facebook. For one, you could tell their writing style and the way they expressed themselves. And although it's a typically a shallow social network where people generally appear to be something they're not, you can learn about peoples lives. Like details of drunken nights out shared on impulse and impaired judgment, anger expressed through a status directed at nameless characters to release frustration, happiness of ones experiences captured and announced, expressions of love and even when one is using the bathroom. That's the part that confuses Rachel most, is when people update about such insignificant things like 'just went to the bathroom' or 'had so and so for dinner'.
She continued looking through statuses, coming across Glee club member's updates and reading them as she scrolled.
Tina Cohen-Chang
Homework or abs? Tricky decision.
Brittany S. Pierce
i brought lord tubbington patches today to help him stop smoking. I tried makin him quit smoking the normal way by spiking his water with vodka so he'd become an alcoholic instead. It didn't work tho. He just got all fall downy.
Noah 'Puck' Puckerman
The womens volleyball championships should run all year round. And the games should be held in my room, the court can be on my bed and I could be the ball ;)
Mercedes Jones commented on Kurt Hummel's wall.
My man, we need to hit the mall this weekend. I got myself a date to prepare for ;)
Finn Hudson
I dont get y algebra has numbers and letters in it? I thout maths was just numbers. I hate scool.
Rachel finished reading through the rest of the updates, scoffing appropriately at the silliness of some. Calling it quits, Rachel refreshed the page one last time before she was about close the page and turn in for the night. But before she did so, a recent update caught her eye.
Quinn Fabray
It's a strange feeling, missing someone that was never yours to begin with.
Rachel's stomach flipped as she read Quinn's update. She couldn't figure what or whom the pink haired girl was talking about. Was it Beth?, she pondered. Of course she missed Beth, Rachel scoffed. But according to Noah, they'd been seeing the young child for a while now, under Shelby's supervision. Was she talking about someone she liked? A surge of something like jealousy rushed through her as she pondered the words Quinn had written. She knew Quinn had dated the skateboarder, but other than that, she wasn't aware that she was with anyone. Well, of course she wouldn't, they weren't exactly best friends. It's not like the brunette cared anyway, if Quinn had a crush on someone she was free to date whomever she wanted; it wasn't Rachel's worry or business.
She thought she'd just check Quinn's profile though, to see if there was any clue as to whom she was referring to. Just because she thought it was appropriate that she knew all of the Glee members significant others, she might be able to recruit them. Even though Quinn wasn't in Glee now, she would come back and her 'person' may follow. Yeah, that's it.
Moving her cursor, she hovered it over Quinn's name. She was about to click- "Rachel, we're going to bed honey. See you in the morning." Her dad yelled from outside her bedroom, making her jump.
"Sure dad, have a goodnight sleep. Tell daddy goodnight for me." She squeaked out.
"Sure thing Pumpkin." Her dad and retreated down the hallway. Only when she heard her parent's door close she looked back to her laptop. Once again she was breaking her own rules by seeking Quinn out, even though she knew the feelings the girl evoked were questioning. Sighing, she closed Facebook and shut her laptop. Sliding off her bed, she put her laptop on her bed and turned the light off.
Rachel crawled back into bed, buried herself under her covers and closed her eyes. This whole situation was making her so confused. She'd felt off for weeks, she was barely paying attention to her boyfriend and she now was obsessing over who her once rival likes. She was being ridiculous.
Grabbing her pillow, Rachel wrapped her arms around it and willed for sleep to come.
Striding out of AP English the next day, Rachel was having a much better day. She'd gotten to school that morning determined to change her mood around from the previous day. It had worked, she was in a much better mood, and a smile graced her lips as she walked to her locker.
Rounding the corner, Rachel proceeded to walk down the hallway and towards her locker, spotting Finn as she did so. The tall boy was standing next to her locker, looking around for her, a smile gracing his lips as his gaze fell on her. Finn had had drove her to school, carried her books and walked her to class, and now he was waiting by her locker. He'd been extra sweet and clingy all morning, an obvious attempt at making up for not sticking up for her.
"Hey Rach." Finn greeted as he smiled down at her.
"Hello Finn, how has your morning been?" She asked, craning her neck upwards as she looked him in the eye.
"It was okay, I dozed off a bit in History though. Why do we have to learn stuff that happened in the past, anyway? All this stuff happened ages ago, it's not like it's important now." Finn complained.
"It's important for-" Rachel paused and then sighed, not feeling up to explaining the importance of history to her boyfriend. "I don't know, Finn."
"Exactly, it's useless. So, we heading off to lunch now?" The tall boy asked.
"Sure thing Finn, I'm just going to put my books away and go to the bathroom. I'll meet you there?" She murmured, opening her locked and stacking her books away.
"I can wait for you. I'll walk with you to the toilet and just wait outside. I'd come in with you, but the janitor might catch me and he really scares me. Last time he caught me littering he looked at me like he was going to eat me. I heard he's been in jail." He rushed out, looking around as if the janitor was near.
Biting the inside of her cheek to stop herself from sighing, Rachel turned to Finn and smiled. "No, it's okay, you go ahead. I'd keep you waiting anyway. I'll see you soon, okay."
Finn pouted and mumbled, "I guess so. Don't be too long Rach. I'll miss you." He leaned down and covered her lips with his own, capturing them in a slightly aggressive kiss with a sloppy and probing tongue that left saliva on her face.
Pulling back, he pecked her cheek, smiled and walked down the hall. Closing her eyes, Rachel wiped the back of her hand across her face. She knew Finn wasn't the best kisser, in comparison to Jesse and Noah he was the least skilled, but she usually at least found his kisses somewhat enjoyable. But just then, as Finn kissed her with an almost possessive manor to his technique, it felt odd. Maybe it was the way in which it felt like Finn was trying to claim her with his tongue; it felt wrong.
Shaking her head of the thoughts floating about in there, Rachel made a move to head towards the bathroom. Opening her eyes, Rachel turned and was met with a pair of fiery hazel eyes staring back at her. Quinn was standing at her locker with her full attention on Rachel. The brunette froze in place and her breath hitched as she stared back at Quinn, their eyes locked in a heated battle. Indecipherable emotions were swirling in Quinn's eyes, she could of sworn she could see flashes of confusion, concern, possibly even jealousy, but they were gone as quick as they came. Rachel's heart rate increased as they continued their stare off, the trance only breaking as Quinn's gaze flickered from her eyes down lower, biting her lips as she did so. Rachel paused as she contemplated where the girl was looking and a bolt of anticipation spiked her stomach as she realized that Quinn could be looking at her lips. Panicking at the thought, Rachel didn't bother to find out where the girl was looking as she tore her gaze from Quinn and hurried down the hallway.
Rushing into the nearest bathroom, Rachel scurried to the sinks. What the hell was that? Reaching the mirror, the brunette braced her hands on the counter and took in her appearance. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were slightly flushed. She needed water; it might cool her heated cheeks and help her relax. Turning on the cold taps, Rachel splashed her face with cold water, releasing a breath as the droplets hit her face. Switching off the tap, Rachel grabbed a paper towel and dried her damp face.
With her nerves calming, Rachel closed her eyes and tried to get her bearings. She couldn't for the life her understand how her life could turn upside down so easily. Last year, she knew what she wanted and how to go about getting it. She was focused on Nationals and getting Finn back and that's all that mattered. This year, everything has been a total fuck up.
As Rachel was attempting to bring herself back from a total mental breakdown - which was totally not an overreaction. Okay, maybe a little -, she hadn't registered the sound of the bathroom door swinging open and a figure slinking in the room. Only when the clicking sound of the door's lock could be heard, Rachel's eyes shot open as she realized she wasn't alone.
Looking up at the mirror, Quinn's eyes met Rachel's as the pink haired girl leaned against the bathroom door with a smirk upon her lips. Feeling the panic she had felt moments before rush through her, Rachel averted her eyes from the girl and focused her attention elsewhere, busying her self at the sink. Okay, you can do this. Just don't look at her and- Oh, who am I kidding? I can't avoid her forever. She has me cornered. All right, just don't be all weird and rant about how pretty she is. I mean, granted, she is gorgeous. With her captivating eyes and full lips and don't get me started on he- Hey! Snap out of it.
Lifting her eyes, Rachel's gaze fell back on Quinn. The other girl was watching Rachel with an amused expression on her face as she slowly walked towards her, almost like a lion stalking their prey. Taking a shuddering breath, Rachel looked down again and braced herself.
"Hey Berry." Quinn breathed out, her breath hitting the back of Rachel's neck and surprising her at their sudden closeness.
Swallowing, Rachel squeaked out, "Hi Quinn, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Grabbing another piece of paper towel, Rachel busied herself with getting a few bits of water she'd missed off of her face.
A musical chuckle sounded before her, right behind the brunette's ear and she shuddered ever so slightly. Her laugh, like her singing and speaking voice, sounded like a melody and it made Rachel's stomach feel warm.
"Cut the crap, you know why I'm here, Berry." Quinn husked.
Rachel lifted her eyes to the mirror and met Quinn's gaze. She was confused; she didn't know why Quinn was here. Did she want to use the sink? Rachel could move if she wanted, but there were plenty of other sinks for her to use.
As confusion painted her face, Quinn chuckled once more as she stared at Rachel with amusement. In her confusion, Rachel looked at a smiling Quinn and couldn't help but think that the girl should smile more often. She looked even more so beautiful when she smiled, her smile opened up her face and shined so bright it could warm even the coldest of rooms. She was almost transfixed as she stared at the other girl, her focus only being broken as she felt a pair of hands snaking down her sides and landing on her hips.
What was Quinn doi- Oh! As she felt Quinn squeeze her hips, the brunette could only come to one conclusion in her haze. Does Quinn- Is she feeling me up? It probably wasn't the most logical conclusion, but that's where her mind jumped as she felt the warmth from Quinn's hands as she caressed her hips. I mean, she did date that 40 yr old woman… I was surprised at that of course. I mean, who would of thought Quinn 'Straight-as-a-ruler' Fabray would hook up with a girl. But that doesn't mean she's feeling me up, does it? Quinn could have anyone she wanted, and I'm Rachel Berry, Queen of the loser's and-
Rachel was broken from her theories as she felt the hands on her hips tighten and she was whipped around to face Quinn. Slightly disorientated, Rachel looked at Quinn with a questioning glance. Quinn was looking at her oddly as she spoke, "I'm trying to talk to you. Cant really do that when you're looking everywhere but at me."
A rush of embarrassment settled over Rachel at Quinn's words. Quinn was touching her to turn her around, not because she liked her. Why did she even come to that conclusion in the first place? It's not like she wanted Quinn to like her or anything. And what in the world would she of done if she had? Quinn could never like someone like her, and Rachel had a boyfriend anyway so why is she thinking about this.
Not meeting Quinn's eyes, Rachel mumbled, "What did you want to talk about?"
"You've been ignoring me. I want to know why?" Quinn demanded as she stepped a little closer.
"What? I didn't- I haven't been." Rachel spluttered, caught off guard. She'd thought she'd been subtle, she was sure wouldn't notice. And why would Quinn care in the first place? They never saw each other to begin with. It was hardly a change.
"Oh please. You think I wouldn't notice that on the first day of school you were practically harassing me, and now you can't even look me in the eye?" Quinn argued with a raised eyebrow.
Rachel bristled at Quinn's arrogance; she had not been harassing her. She just wanted her to come back to Glee, there's a difference. "I did no such thing Quinn Fabray! Just because I'm not on your back to rejoin Glee, does not mean I'm ignoring you. Have you ever thought that I have much better things to do than seek out someone who doesn't care about the club she once called her family?" She countered, her eyes boring into Quinn's.
For a fraction of a second, Rachel watched Quinn's face fall as she took in what she said. It was the same hurt and vulnerability that the girl wore at prom, something you didn't get to see on Quinn Fabray too often. Then, as soon as it came, it vanished and was replaced by the pink haired girl's trademark look of indifference.
"Whatever, Berry, say what you want. You've always sought me out and offered friendship to me when it wasn't wanted, no matter the situation, so I know something's up." Quinn reasoned. "What's gotten your panties in a twist?"
Quinn was even closer to her now, with only inches between them. She was getting flustered; the peculiar feelings Quinn incited were rushing through her in full force. "N-nothing. It's nothing. I've just been busy focusing on sectionals." Rachel paused before asking what had been on her mind. "Why do you care anyway? It's not as if you ever requested my presence in the first place. I thought you of all people would enjoy not having me near you."
"I don't care." Quinn snapped, surprising Rachel as hurt rushed through and made her face fall. She had already assumed that Quinn didn't care, so why did it make it her feel so disappointed?
Continuing on the volume of Quinn's voice decreased as she softly said. "I just want to know why you're acting as if I don't exist" She stated, her eyes averting from Rachel's as vulnerability laced her tone.
Rachel was at a loss as to what to say. She hadn't expected Quinn to question her and react like this; she also hadn't expected the consuming urge to pull the girl in a hug. She couldn't really admit to Quinn as to why she had been ignoring her, that wasn't an option. She needed to know why Quinn was acting as if she cared about this situation, it was entirely out of character.
"Do you do this with everyone, Quinn? If someone doesn't constantly give you their attention, you take it by demanding why they don't drool at your feet." Quinn looked hurt at Rachel's accusation, as if what she was suggesting was the furthest thing from the truth. Rachel faltered at Quinn's expression, thinking that maybe she was on the wrong track, but continued anyway. "I can't imagine many people doing that though, Quinn. Everyone's attention is always on you. Whether you're head cheerleader, pregnant or this-" Rachel exclaimed, gesturing towards Quinn's clothing. "People always notice you. And now I'm not even- you're probably not used to it. Just save it Quinn, no threat to you ego here. I mean, it's bad enough that I think about you all of the time anywa-" Realizing what she'd said, Rachel's eyes widened as she clapped a hand over her mouth. Dammit! Good one Rachel, really spectacular. She mentally scolded herself for disclosing something she was trying to avoid saying.
As Rachel was delivering her rant, Quinn's face was getting increasingly solemn with each hurtful insinuation. Now, at Rachel's Freudian slip, Quinn's face held a smirk, her eyes dancing with mischief.
"What was that, Rachel?" Quinn purred. "You think about me all of the time?"
Rachel froze as Quinn's husky voice reached her ears. It was so deep and inviting and- Wait, did she just call me Rachel? That was different, although entirely welcoming. She was beginning to suspect that Quinn believed Rachel didn't have a first name. What with all the other insults and nicknames she used in place of it. It sounded good coming from Quinn's lips, it left her mouth so naturally, almost as if the other girl spoke it often.
"I d-don't. I don't think about-" Rachel abandoned her excuse and closed her eyes. What was she supposed to say? She had no reasonable argument. And anything she did say, it would sound pointless. She was bracing herself now; with this information Rachel assumed Quinn would use it to her advantage. Maybe she'd start getting slushy facials again.
Unaware of Quinn moving closer, Rachel was startled as Quinn's hand snaked it's way up to cup her cheek gently. Rachel's eyes snapped open at the movement and met Quinn's with confusion. Quinn's lips donned a smirk and Rachel's eyes flittered up to the other girl's she found mirth dancing behind them, but there was something else there as well, something curious and it made Rachel nervous. What was the other girl doing?
Quinn spoke as she stepped closer to the brunette, not yet touching but only mere inches apart. "It's okay to think about me Rach, I don't blame you." Rachel could hear the smirk in Quinn's tone. "After all, people do, as you say, always pay attention to me."
Rachel wanted to protest at the girl's big headedness, but all that came out was a strangled huff. She was rendered speechless as she felt chin caress her cheek, Quinn's cool breath hitting her face in short bursts.
Rachel felt Quinn release a laugh and then lean her head in close to her ear. "I'm kidding Rachel, I think it's intriguing that you think about me." Quinn said, her breath hitting Rachel's ear and making her shiver. "I'm curious though, what is it you think about?" The hand that Quinn had had on her cheek slipped into her brown locks as she spoke, her fingers tangling in the brunette's hair.
It felt as if Rachel was frozen solid, her response was stuck in her throat and her feet were stuck to the ground. Quinn didn't seem to mind, however, as she continued speaking right into Rachel's ear.
"When you think of me, am I alone or are you there with me?" Quinn husked, making her breath come out in a pant. Quinn lifted her free hand to Rachel's hair and pulled it away from her shoulder, tucking it behind her ear. Quinn was close enough to her that Rachel could feel the warmth radiating from her body, but not close enough that they were touching. The need to step a little closer to Quinn pulled at Rachel, her body vibrating at the prospect of being pressed so closely to the other girls lithe form, but she bit down hard on her lip and stood her ground.
"Are we alone together?" Came the sultry tone of Quinn's voice as Rachel desperately tried to keep it together. The pink haired girl pulled her head back ever so slightly, her eyes meeting Rachel's in an intense stare. Quinn's pupils were full blown, the blackness engulfing the hazel of her eye and making her look wild. Rachel had never seen the look on Quinn's face before, the hunger in her stare was something she was entirely unaccustomed to but the intensity of it resulted in an array of emotions to erupt in Rachel's stomach. Quinn's gaze flittered across her face, seemingly searching as her right hand trailed it lightly down her neck, making the gripping in her stomach intensify and causing a slight shudder of her frame. Quinn's actions were setting her body alight, she felt as if she was trembling all over and a delicious heat had settled low in her stomach. Quinn was causing stirrings of arousal deep inside her, Rachel realized, making her silently panic as her body squirmed under the attention.
"Are we ever in a compromising position?" Rachel's breathing hitched audibly at Quinn's latest question. No, she certainly hadn't been thinking of her and Quinn doing such things, but now… Well, it was hard not to now that she'd mentioned it. Flashes of her and Quinn entered her mind; them in intimate proximity such as they are now, perhaps laying on a bed with their clothing shed as they- The ache that had settled down below spiked with arousal at the thought.
"Are you thinking of us together right now?" Quinn asked, leaning her head slightly to the side and closing the minute distance between their heated bodies. As Quinn's toned form came in contact with Rachel's, Rachel couldn't help the small gasp of surprise that crawled from her throat. Quinn hadn't lightly pressed her body against Rachel's, but more so melded them together so that Rachel could feel the curve of Quinn's breasts against her own and the slight jut of the other girls hip bones could be felt against her sides. Their close proximity made Rachel lose herself for a moment, the warmth of Quinn's body and the intimacy of the situation made everything slightly fuzzy.
One of Quinn's hands were still tangled in Rachel's hair and as they moved closer to each other her other hand had found her waist. Quinn squeezed her side momentarily, before it traveled up, her fingers trailing lightly until the hand met her collarbone. Quinn leaned back slightly and gave a gentle tug where her hands had locked in her hair, causing Rachel's head to move to the side and exposing her neck as she did so. Rachel gulped as Quinn seemed to be lost in thought, her fingers circling the soft skin of Rachel's collarbone and her eyes glued to the column of her neck.
By this point, Rachel was on the verge of hyperventilating. Never in her life had she experience a moment so… sensual. With Finn, it was all about rough touches and harsh gropes. But the way Quinn touched her body and caressed her skin, it was a far cry from what she was used to and it was sending her into stimulation overload.
As she was about to pull her head back to assess what Quinn was doing, she heard the other girl take a small intake of breath and slowly let her head drop towards Rachel's neck, causing the brunette to freeze. Quinn's head drifted down to her exposed neck and after a moment, brushed her lips against the skin she found there. Rachel wasn't sure if she'd imagined Quinn's lips on her neck or not, the brush of full lips she had felt was so faint and soft. But then she felt the same lips on her neck, only this time they were parted and slowly leaving sweet kisses down her skin. Rachel couldn't contain the faint moan that escaped her lips at the pressure, the feeling of Quinn kissing her set her body on fire.
It didn't last for long though, one-minute Quinn's lips were on her neck and her hand was fisted in her hair, and then next her body had left Rachel's. The cold that replaced Quinn's body heat effectively helping clear the haze that had clouded her brain. Trying to stop from the small pants that left her lungs, Rachel looked up to see Quinn in much of the same position. Her cheeks were flushed with heat, her breathing was ragged and her facial expression resembled fading lust and complete shock, as if she couldn't believe she'd just done what she had, but as soon as she made eye contact with Rachel she straightened up, her face had hardened and a smirk appeared on her lips.
"Gotta run Rach, the Skanks are waiting for me." Quinn rushed out, turning on her heel and striding to the door. "Thanks for the chat, and for your thoughts." She threw over her should with a wink as she unlocked the bathroom door and slipped out, leaving Rachel completely baffled.
What in the world just happened? Rachel was still breathing heavily as she slumped against the sink, her thoughts running wild and her cheeks flushed. She had no idea what to make of what had just transpired, it was the furthest thing she'd expected to occur when she entered the bathroom initially. Why did Quinn act the way she did? Why did Rachel admit to thinking about Quinn? Why had it turned sexual? What would happen now? All these questions ran through her head as she straightened herself up.
She wasn't able to answer all of the other questions that ran through her head, but one thing she was sure of, she'd found the answer as to why Quinn's presence conjured all of those confusing feelings. It hit her like a brick wall; making sense of the confusion Rachel had been experiencing.
Rachel Berry had a big ole' gay crush on Quinn Fabray.