Chapter 1 – Welcome to Lima
She had done it. She had finally done it. She had finally left that damn place for good. As Rachel sped down the highway heading to Lima, Ohio on her motorcycle, she pondered on how she felt.
Well, for one, she felt free. Even though all she had on her was her phone, wallet, and the clothes on her back, she couldn't feel more ecstatic than she felt now. She was finally away from that toxic place back in New York, and it was the best feeling that Rachel had in a long time.
Although, the fact that where she was headed was probably not going to be anything like New York put a damper on her mood. From what she heard from her aunt Sue, the place was small, filled with bigots, and, quote, 'more sad and dull than a deaf kid trying to harmonise with the sound of old people dying in their sleep.' Though the analogy confused her more than anything, Rachel supposed that anything was better than the abusive hell hole she was leaving, and that was good enough for her.
Looking down, Rachel noticed that she was almost out of fuel, and took the nearest exit and find a gas station. She'd been travelling for around 5 hours, having left at the brink of dawn. It was now around midday, and Rachel was determined to make it to Lima and get situated before the day was over.
She pulled into a gas station, filled up her bike, bought a water bottle, and left to continue her journey to freedom.
Rachel arrived at Lima at around 5 that evening, exhausted and hungry. The stop at the gas station was the only stop she did, preferring to get to Lima as quickly as possible.
Cruising around the town, she took in the sights, which, admittedly wasn't much. She sped through the ghetto areas, cruised around the lake, rode past the rich area, and ultimately found herself parked at a small restaurant called Breadstix. Since Rachel was vegan and she didn't know of any vegan places to eat here, she thought bread (if this restaurant lived up to it's name, of course) was a safe way to go.
She dismounted her sports bike and removed the helmet from her head and strode towards the entrance, ignoring any stares she got. After all, she was a fairly short, feminine girl riding a motorcycle.
She entered the store, sat at a booth in the corner and asked the waitress for some breadsticks and a salad. Putting her helmet on the table and removing her gloves, she got her phone out from her pocket and scrolled through her contacts till she found her aunt and tapped call.
"What?" her aunt immediately answered.
"Aunt Sue," Rachel greeted, nodding in thanks when the waitress placed the bowls of food on her table. "I'm here."
"Good," Sue replied. "Be careful of the cretins that lurk around in this mole of a town, they'll swipe at you with their unkempt nails and spit on your shoes as they snarl like a rabid animal."
"Right."
And with that, Rachel hung up, knowing full well that her aunt did the same thing. She put her phone on the table and dug into her salad and breadsticks. After a few minutes, Rachel was finished. She stood, left a fifty on the table, grabbed her things and started heading back out to her bike.
When she got outside however, there were people by her bike. Three girls and two guys. Frowning, Rachel walked towards them, rage stirring inside her as she noticed that one of the guys was straddling her bike.
"Hey!" she shouted, walking over to her bike in quick strides. She noticed that two of the girls were blondes, while the last one was a latina. The boy on the bike was massive, and he was straining the suspension on her bike that was fitted for her size. The last boy was tanned, had a mohawk, and he looked like he was arguing with the big boy. "Get the fuck off my bike!" she yelled, now standing in front the five people.
They all turned to her, startled, and big-boy's face contorted into one of constipation. Mohawk turned back to him, frowning. "Yeah man, I told you to get off before you fucking trash the thing."
The boy just stared at Rachel with that same look of constipation, but this time tinged with confusion. "Why does a girl own a motorbike? Aren't they, like, for guys?"
At this, the three girls and Mohawk groaned.
"Not cool, man!" Mohawk said, exasperated.
Rachel was livid. She walked right up to Shit-Face, leaning in so she was in his face. "I said, get the fuck off my bike," she hissed, her eyes narrowing at the boy, "or I will make you."
The boy's eyes widened before he scrambled off the bike, almost toppling it over. Rachel grabbed hold of the bars, catching it before it tipped too much, and vaguely heard a breathed 'Ay dios mio,' as she straddled her bike, glaring at the teens.
They all just stared back at her, all with wide eyed looks, except for the blonde with piercing hazel eyes. She looked deep in thought as she stared at Rachel.
"She made Finn poop his pants, San," the other, taller blonde girl whispered to the latina, clutching the dark haired girl's arm. "Hot."
Deciding that she'd had enough, Rachel put on her gloves and helmet, put the key in the ignition and started her bike, causing the teens to step back after a loud rev. "Don't touch my bike again," was the last thing she said before speeding away to find her house. Not the best start to her life here in Lima. All she wanted to do now was sleep.
She found her house after half an hour of searching and multiple curse words, and she was glad to find that it was in an okay looking neighborhood, called Lima Heights Adjacent. Two story houses were lined up on either side of her street, and each had a nice green looking front yard with trees decorating it, including her house.
Digging in her pocket, Rachel retrieved the house key and garage remote that she got in the mail from her aunt Sue. She parked her bike in her garage and proceeded to go inside the house, ignoring the emptiness of it and going upstairs to pick out her room.
Finding that only one of the rooms had a bed, the master bedroom, she chose that to be her space. The room was fairly big, probably could fit around 3 king sized beds and still have room for a desk and entertainment unit. It had light blue walls, and on one of them was a window that had no curtains. The bed was opposite the door leading to the hall, and was king sized, fitted with white sheets and a pillow.
Rachel tossed her keys and gloves on the floor next to her bed since she didn't have a nightstand (or any kind of furniture, for that matter, besides the bed) and placed her helmet next to them gently, before turning and walking to one of the doors that she assumed led to the bathroom. She opened it and was surprised to find a walk-in closet instead, with a hoodie and jeans hanging on one side. She assumed the clothes were from aunt Sue, and closed the door before heading towards the other door that was next to the closet.
'Ah, there's the bathroom.' She noted that there were soaps shampoos on a rack inside the shower, and a large mirror above the sink, before deciding that she's explored enough and closed the door again before turning off the light. It was around 7pm and after travelling for over ten hours, she was exhausted. She sent a quick text to her aunt thanking her for the bed and clothes, ripped off her leather jacket, tossed it on the floor, then crashed into the bed and instantly fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
It was Sunday, it was early, and the sunlight was shining in Rachel's face.
Groaning, Rachel rolled over, cursing the fact that she didn't bother to cover the window with anything. She knew that now that she was awake, there was no going back to sleep. Besides, she needs to prepare for her first day of school the next day, which means she needs to buy supplies, clothes, and necessities, like furniture and toiletries.
She sat up groggily and stretched, before getting up and padding into the bathroom. After doing her business, she walked into the closet and took the hoodie and jeans off their hangers, then rummaged through the drawers, finding underwear and a bra. 'Thank you, aunt Sue,' Rachel thought, smiling as she walked back into the bathroom to take a long-awaited earned shower.
By the time she was finished and dressed, it was around 10am. She put on her gear and swiped her keys from the floor before heading to the garage, getting on her motorbike and gunning it down the street.
She stopped at a gas station to fill up again (making sure no one goes near her bike that time), and then cruised around looking for a shopping centre. It didn't take her long to find it, so she parked her bike on the pavement right next to the entrance and strode in, holding her helmet under her arm with her gloves tucked neatly inside.
Deciding to get a quick breakfast in before doing the real shopping, Rachel went to the food court and found a quaint little place that sold fruit salad and soy milk lattes. After buying her food, she found the least crowded area and sat at a table, content to eat her breakfast in silence.
"Hey."
Until she was interrupted.
She turned around, facing the owner of the voice, and frowned. It was the hazel eyed blonde from the other night. She was wearing a pale yellow sundress and white flats, with a black headband.
After a minute of just staring with a frown and the blonde fidgeting, Rachel decided to speak.
"Go away."
The blonde's eyes widened before narrowing at Rachel. "Excuse me?" she asked, her voice slightly incredulous.
"Go away," Rachel repeated in the same monotone voice, before turning back to her food.
She heard the blonde scoff. "Well I'm sorry for wanting to apologise for yesterday," she said, a sneer in her voice. She was about to walk away before Rachel shot out a hand and grabbed her arm.
"Sorry," Rachel sighed, letting go of the blondes arm. "I'm Rachel." She decided that she might as well give the blonde a chance; it wasn't as if Quinn was the one about to decimate her bike.
The blonde frowned for a second before her face softened. "Quinn."
There was another awkward silence before Rachel sighed again. "Do you want to sit?" she asked, gesturing to the seat opposite her. Wordlessly, the blonde Rachel now knew as Quinn sat, eyes down.
"Sorry about yesterday," Quinn started after a moment, looking up to meet Rachel's eyes. "Finn, the guy that was on your motorbike, he's not the brightest guy. We all tried to get him off, but he just wouldn't," she explained, sighing. "So yeah- just, sorry."
Rachel simply nodded, chewing on her fruit and wondering why Quinn approached her just to apologise- not that she didn't appreciate it. "It's okay, but if I find him touching my bike again, his head will cave," she said seriously after swallowing her food.
Quinn nodded, and they fell into another silence, Rachel wondering why the blonde was still here, before Quinn started again, "So, obviously, you're new in town. Not many people forget a tiny girl riding a sports bike," she said matter-of-factly. "You're in high school?"
Rachel nodded.
"You aren't starting at McKinley High by any chance, would you?"
Another nod.
"Junior?" Quinn guessed.
Nod.
"A woman of many words," Quinn said dryly.
Rachel just shrugged, finishing up her fruit salad and her soy latte before standing. She tilted her head to the side while looking at Quinn, motioning her to follow, which the blonde obliged.
"So, what are you doing?" Quinn asked casually, as if asking a practical stranger what they're doing is normal.
"Shopping," Rachel replied, throwing away her trash and walking towards the nearest IKEA. Why did she offer for Quinn to follow her again?
"For what, exactly?" Quinn asked curiously, following Rachel.
"Furniture, clothes, school supplies, personal items," Rachel counted off, entering the store with Quinn.
"Wait," Quinn paused, halting. Rachel turned and raised an eyebrow at her, and Quinn raised one challenging in return. "You're going to get all that... And bring it all home on, I'm assuming, a bike?"
Rachel paused, before furrowing her brow. Quinn was right, she couldn't. Maybe she should buy a backpack first, and then see if they sold trailers for motorbikes in the caryard. Though, she didn't see any caryards when she was exploring.. Call Aunt Sue? A definite no. Her aunt's already done enough for her. Perhaps she could make multiple trips, and she could just balance-
"I have a car, we could use that."
Or that.
"I mean, if you're okay with putting all your belongings in a strangers car, that is," Quinn amended, fidgeting a bit more.
Rachel gave a nod and a small smile. "Thank you."
Quinn shrugged. "No problem."
With the problem solved, Rachel continued into the store and started her shopping, with the help of Quinn.
By the end of the day, Rachel had bought a nightstand, a bookshelf, a TV, and TV stand, all of them construct-yourself. She'd also ordered a fridge, a sofa, an oven, a washing machine and a dryer that should arrive by the middle of the week. She'd gotten all of her school supplies, including a laptop, and to treat herself, Rachel also bought a dock for her phone to listen to music, as well as a sound system. The clothes she bought mostly contained tank tops, hoodies, leather jackets, jeans, and, to Quinn's surprise, animal sweaters (Rachel had just shrugged in response to the blonde's raised eyebrow). Add a few toiletries, and the shopping was finished.
All in all, Rachel thanked god that she'd managed to recover her bank account from her father before she left.
Surprisingly, Quinn had made good company throughout the day, with only a few snappy remarks (which Rachel suspects is a common occurrence). The mostly one-sided conversations were light, and although Rachel sometimes annoyed Quinn with her lack of response, it was sort of fun.
Once they packed everything in Quinns car, Rachel got onto her bike and Quinn followed her home.
As they arrived, Quinn's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the area. When they pulled up to the driveway and started to take the items inside of Rachel's house, Quinn said, "So you live near Santana." At the confused look she received, she explained, "You know, the latina from yesterday? That's Santana." Rachel nodded in understanding.
"Oh."
They continued working in a somewhat comfortable silence. They were both carrying the TV inside when Quinn tried to start conversation again.
"So, you're new to Lima, right? Why did you move here, anyway?"
It was a simple question, a reasonable question, a dreaded question. Rachel stopped in her tracks, causing Quinn to stumble and curse, almost dropping the TV.
"Hey, be careful!" Quinn hissed, leaning to the side to look at Rachel's face, only to see a blank expression. "Hey- hey, are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes." As Rachel answered tensely, she continued carrying the TV into the living room, setting it down with Quinn's help.
"I'm, uh, I'm sorry if that question is personal," Quinn said, her eyes finding Rachel's blank ones. "You don't have to answer." A nod and a miniscule smile made Quinn, and unbeknownst to her, Rachel, exhale in relief. "So, that's the last of it. I guess I'll be heading home now," she sighed, checking her phone for the time. It was 8pm.
"Thank you," Rachel said with a small smile, walking Quinn to the door, "for today."
Quinn gave a shy smile back. "No problem. I'll see you in school tomorrow?"
Another nod from Rachel and Quinn headed out, entered her car, and left with a small wave. Rachel watched her go before heading back inside. She gathered all the bags of clothes in her hands and headed upstairs to her room, picking out her clothes for tomorrow and packing the rest into her walk-in closet.
When all that was done, she grabbed her new toiletries and took them into her bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face before she walked out and plopped on top of her bed. She plugged in the dock that she bought today, set her phone on it and played some soft music, and set her alarm.
With a sigh, Rachel shut off the lights and got under her covers.
She'd have to apologise to Quinn sometime in the near future. She didn't mean to tense at that question, that horrible question that she'd been dreading. She would have said that it wasn't any of Quinn's business, but for some reason, she didn't want to be rude to her. She could have said that it was personal, but that would probably open up a plethora of new questions- 'Not that my actual response didn't do the exact same thing,' Rachel thought bitterly, before she just told herself that she'd apologise eventually and get over it, and started thinking about her new life in Lima.
Yesterday, she arrived in Lima. In the time that she was here, she explored the entire town, scared off a bunch of teenagers messing with her bike, went shopping with one of the said teenagers, avoided a (very unintentional) confrontation with that teenager, and maybe, just maybe, have made a new sort-of-kind-of friend.
'I wonder what tomorrow will hold,' Rachel idly wondered before closing her eyes and drifting off into a dreamless sleep.
So. First story is up *high fives self* Anyway. Next chapter will be up in a week-ish, maybe sooner. Thanks for reading.
Feedback isn't necessary, but appreciated.
:)